English Ideas: Journal of English Language Education Vol.
October 2021
Copyright A 2021 English Ideas INVESTIGATING TEACHERS BELIEFS ABOUT LANGUAGE AWARENESS IN EFL
CONTEXT IN INDONESIA
Ria Nur Apriyani* apriyanirianur20@gmail.
Department of English Education.
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education.
University of Singaperbangsa Karawang doi: ________________________________ Abstract This research was aimed to find out teachersAo beliefs about language awareness in EFL context in Indonesia.
This study used qualitative cased study as a method to gaining a data and describe the data.
This research was taken by interview by teachers in secondary-school in Karawang.
Collecting data used an interview to answers two questions which presented.
Conflicts were established in the context of learning for students, cooperation with teachers, the curriculum, and the relationship with other The outcome shows a variety of issues that need to be tackled when foreign language education requires language knowledge.
Such difficulties may serve as a starting point for a conversation with and between educators.
In addition, they could help teaching.
Keywords: language awareness, teachers beliefs.
EFL.
Second language learning.
Secondaryschool
INTRODUCTION
English is difficult to teach in Indonesia than Indonesian in the native The teacher must boost their English skills and plan which material will be used for learning.
The downside of use of Native Language (L.
in an EFL classroom (Christiana & Gorgiana, 2.
The use of L1 is a habit in the learning process for students and teachers.
Second, when students get their target language, (L.
can also be confused since certain targets do not have the correct sense in the first language.
Thirdly, when students are taught in an EFL, the teacher uses (L.
The transition to the target language can be negative and in certain situations when translated into the target language the original language may be different.
Andrews .
talks about a teacher who is well grounded in knowledge of material .
knowledge of uses and purpose.
, but is not able to differentiate her students in a manner that is understandable, i.
know-how and ability to teach Language awareness (LA) is described as 'explicit language knowledge and awareness and sensitivity in language learning, language instruction and language usage,' fits in with this holistic view of language learning .
an den broek.
The aim of language knowledge is to supplement language education through language learning (Hawkins, 1.
Fit (Denham & Lobeck, 2.
and encourages the use of higher-order skills and imagination (Waters, 2.
In students Language Awareness has evolved 'through the encouragement of language usage and the incremental insight in how languages functionAo (Bolitho et al.
, 2.
Language Awareness is 'knowledge of the underlying language systems that allow teachers to effectively teach' in teachers (Thornbury.
It encompasses both language skills and language skills.
Awareness of language therefore forms the relation between linguistic ability and language knowledge.
The instructor of a foreign language must be able to understand all aspects and mediate the awareness of subjects through the foreign language (Andrew, 2.
This means that teachers must be able to switch from .
language knowledge into the regular class speech which still can be seen as a challenge (Wright, 2.
To enhance the program, language ELT in Focus.
Vol.
June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus awareness is important.
A significant factor in teacher perceptions about a specific subject is the success of curriculum developments.
Language Awareness appears to be a broad range of subjects which allow "major flexibility" (James and Garrett, 2.
That is why it is important not only to analyze what teachers know and believe about the subject, but also to discover how their beliefs might influence the inclusion of language knowledge.
To knowledge, few studies centered on teachersAo beliefs in language awareness, but these studies investigated belief narrower than beliefs of Language Awareness as an approach to grammar (Watson, 2.
and intercultural expertise (Young & Sachdev, 2.
Studies on the principles of the teacher have commented on the ideals of education (Lewis & McCook, 2.
and CLT problems as creativity in curricula (Li.
However, a thorough study has not yet been carried out of teachers' beliefs regarding Language Awareness.
helpful to consider why and why different views will differ with the teachers who have different convictions.
Therefore, teacher convictions are central to the analysis in order to recognize potential obstacles associated with Language Awareness's participation in teaching practice.
The potentially the current thesis explores the teacher's beliefs on EFL's context of language awareness in Indonesia.
Definition of Language Awareness Language Awareness is an approach which Aoattempts to improve the learners' explicit understanding of language as well as their awareness of itAo as Aoexplicit language knowledge, awareness and sensitivity in language learning, language instruction and language useAo (Association for Language Awareness n.
According to Borg .
own learning through involvement in activities based on Through this, a linguistic awareness approach will enable students to improve thinking skills within foreign language fields, help them gain insight into their own linguistic learning process, and help them relate different aspects of the linguistic learning process.
According to James & Garrett .
A broad range of areas, including cognitive, social, control, affective and performance, is discussed in language consciousness.
The study on language awareness seems to dominate two of these areas, the cognitive and the social domains (Frijns et al.
,2.
Research has found that the teacher's beliefs are narrowly organized (Pajares, 1.
and that there are substantially different meanings of beliefs (Basturkmen, 2.
The teachers' beliefs are often defined in the course of linguistic education as a teacher proposition, which for that particular teacher is valid, while also acknowledging other teachers as alternative beliefs (Borg 2.
In this analysis, the researchers follow (Skott, 2.
that define beliefs as .
relation to ideas that are deemed subjectively true of a particular person.
have cognitive and emotional dimensions.
are stable and likely to change only because of relevant .
influence the commitment of teachers to practice.
the power domain, focusing on the influence of According to (Pajares, 1992.
Tsui, 2.
another explanation for the fact is that it may be difficult to alter the views of the teachers in relation to language Any belief in foreign language education that needs extra effort will help to include this approach successfully.
It is Topics fitting in with these domains and frequently addressed in language awareness research include the four language skills, language structure .
rammar, vocabular.
, multilingualism, linguistic and cultural diversity, and citizenship (Frijns et al.
, .
Svalberg 2.
Awareness of the language is made domain-based processes, such as study and reflection on language types and functions, the application of new insights and information to new languages, the exchange of ideas on language such as (Bolitho et, al.
, 2003.
Garrett and Cots, 2.
This phase has been dubbed 'language interaction' ELT in Focus.
Vol.
June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus (Svalberg 2.
The level of teacher language comprehension primarily defines whether interaction occurs in classroom practice (Andrews, 2.
In other words, language awareness in the classroom is dependent on teacher's ability to provide teaching that includes and encourages students in their language learning processes and to consider the possibilities of generating language discussion (Lindahl & Baecher,2016.
Wright, 2.
This research explores the self-reported language awareness in teachersAo beliefs.
analytical aspects of language learning.
The position of LA has recently attracted great interest in addition to the curricular reform discussion, particularly in high school terms.
(Tammenga-Halmantel & Le Bryun, 2.
But it is necessary to involve professors, to learn about Language Awareness and to decide what they need to effectively incorporate Language Awareness in their daily teaching practices as well as the broader curriculum to promote the inclusion of Language Awareness.
Language Awareness Practices Language Awareness in the Curriculum According to (ACARA, 2.
in some countries Language Awareness has already reached the national language In Australia, for instance, the new Australian languages curriculum has put language and awareness skills at the core of the curriculum.
Key elements of L2 include reflection and research on language to be learned and languages already understood, an appreciation of how languages work and 'knowledge of how languages and cultures questioning, and growth' (ACARA, 2.
Language Awareness, which focuses primarily on multilingualism, culture and identity, has been included in the national core curriculum for high schools in Finland (FnBE 2.
as key elements of education L1 and L2.
These examples suggest that Language Awareness can be integrated in .
language curricula in many different ways.
In the Netherlands, curriculum changes for language learning have gained renewed interest as well as from a wider education point of view (Rijksoverheid, 2.
A debate on the creation of a futuristic curriculum was recently launched by the Netherlands Ministry of Education and Culture and Technology.
Since 2006, the new curriculum is too complete and offers a little support for student learning (Rijksoverheid, 2.
In addition, the current approach to Communicative Language Learning (CLT) (Richards & Rodgers, 2.
pays much less attention to improving the four linguistic skills of students, but also to the linguistic and 3 The most critical elements are ability .
alk analyticall.
, verbalization concepts, the engagement of the students, their involvement in student center exploration and study, and independent learning, among other elements (Borg, 1994.
Svalberg, 2007.
Wright and Bolitho 1.
, which can define good language knowledge.
These educational elements can be divided into a situation and an operating category approximately.
Situation knowledge components identify the teaching environment (Baeten, 2010.
Cannon & Newble, 2000.
Smit, de Brabander, & Martens, 2.
educational and educational climate involves factors such as authentic contexts, promoting the discovery and exploration of students, autonomous learning, and the participation of students (Borg 1994.
Smit et , 2014.
Svalberg 2007.
Wright and Bolitho Her counterpart, a learning consciousness, involves teacher-centered lessons and primarily focuses on performance, mostly involving working with conventional workbook activities (Smit et , 2.
In this report, a learning environment for awareness-raising is called 'focused by students' and a non-conscious learning environment 'centered by teaching.
Operational awareness-raising sections identify the language process, also known as "language.
" Language is described as Aoa process of meaning-building awareness and experience through languageAo (Swain.
, that is, language discussion.
ELT in Focus.
Vol.
June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus verbalization of ideas, and interaction and discussion (Abrami, 2015.
Borg, 1.
The language in this study is marked as 'current' for instruction in awarenessraising, and is marked as 'absence.
' The approach section further develops the learning environment and language as components of education.
Moreover, the most successful strategies or techniques to be used are possibly the neighborhoods or school Fifthly, the values of education or Teachers are able to believe in second-language learning values, schooling or even mental schools like psychology.
METHOD
The Theory of TeachersAo Beliefs This research used qualitative to collect the data and describe the data.
A cased qualitative exploratory approach has on the one hand been implemented to capture the nature of teachers' beliefs about language awareness to gain various perspectives on the subject in question (Creswell & Poth, 2.
The data collection was based on observation In order to analyze variation and similarities in the values of teachers, the different cases were eventually compared (Miles et al.
, 2.
Belief is the understanding of socially structured experiences and the creation of a dedication of mental and affective experiences .
an den broek, 2.
Belief is then a clearly implied aspect of something that people express or do that is followed by the expression 'I think it' (Larenas.
Alarcyn, & Ortiz, 2.
The views of the instructor are perceptions that can be seen in statements and actions.
Teachers have very important convictions on what their teachers do and their lessons include (Mardali & Siyyari, 2.
Teachers' belief in what is a good learning experience does probably not require an efficient learning In this way, teachers are permitted not to concentrate on productive learning but to focus on the positive atmosphere (Switzerland.
Julianne C.
Christensen.
A, and Meyer.
Debra K.
(Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2.
suggest that values are a way of recognizing how teachers play a major role in learning strategies and what they do in the According to Willen and Ishler .
Five sources of teacher beliefs.
First of all, the teacher's language learning experience.
Each teacher learned how they helped develop their beliefs about language teaching while they were students.
Secondly, the teaching experience.
Teaching knowledge is definitely the principal conviction of a teacher with the techniques and how the teacher operates.
Third, the personality of the teacher.
Some teachers select approaches for their pupils.
It is possible by the method appropriate to the personality of the instructor.
Fourth, education, government and society Some methods of teaching are favored in schools, organisations or The author has selected teachers interested in Language Awareness in order to evaluate the most possible factors associated to the definition following (Merriam and Tisdell 2.
The following requirements were also used: participants .
were inservice teachers English as a foreign language (EFL), .
had at least three years of experience in teaching English, and .
possessed a bachelorAos degree in EFL.
Two teachers from Karawang senior secondary-schools were chosen.
In this analysis, the researcher uses a targeted sample for English teachers.
With only two participants, the study would be simpler because the author only has to concentrate on two participants for knowledge.
Data from the interview will become the documents examined by the researcher after the RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In finding and answer two research questions, the author used instruments to collect data.
Based on the research methodology, the instrument of the research is interview.
The author collected the data from interview are 11 questions.
The findings were supported by the results from ELT in Focus.
Vol.
June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus the questionnaire and interview guideline.
language awareness.
Beliefs fitting the social domain were brought up once or twice by half of the teachers and highlighted This interview is conducted by involving two teachers in Secondary-School in Karawang as respondents.
TeachersAo Beliefs Awareness Language P2: Many students do not realize that they have set rule about language.
Overall, teachersAo interpretation of language consciousness generate multiple beliefs about language awareness.
The example reveals that teachers care for students about language and that they do so in various ways.
For example, when learning there is a sentence like AuRox.
Ron, and Roy are the triple rock stars from marsAy there is difference in R, namely R:/a:/ or /r/.
Teachers hold a wide range of beliefs about Language Awareness.
In the following section the author will use interview quotes to describe the beliefs held by teachers about Language Awareness in relation to their everyday teaching practices.
Some domains, for example the cognitive domain, were referred to repeatedly and by all teachers, whereas other domains, for example the power domain, were only referred to once and only by a few teachers.
The majority of teachersAo beliefs about Language Awareness characterized as falling within the cognitive domain, and all individual teachers made reference to the cognitive domain when elaborating on their beliefs about Language Awareness.
References to grammatical aspects, gaining insight into language as a system, and understanding the structure of the language to be learnt were evaluated as beliefs fitting within the cognitive domain.
Conflicting Awareness Language The Aocurriculum progammeAo.
Aostudent learningAo.
Aoindividual differencesAo.
AomotivationAo.
AoInstructional TechniqueAo.
AofeedbackAo.
AoEducational ContextAo revealed different teacher beliefs.
Moreover, the differences observed within these codes could be considered as conflicting beliefs between teachers.
Curriculum Progamme .
Course materials INT: What does Language Awareness mean to you? TeacherAos beliefs about course materials used in the EFL classroom in order to accomplish curricular goals, including teacherAos opinion about the materials in relation to Language Awareness, suggestions for possible Language Awareness-related course materials, and responsibility for the .
development of course materials.
P1: Language Awareness is curiosity.
And I think they as a students should realise that language is very broad, that is what they should realise.
Actually, the fact that language plays a role in all school subjects and in all aspects in life.
And for me it would be really nice if they develop a certain curiosity towards languages.
example is when there is a sentence that has almost the same pronuncation but has different meaning, the student will ask how to read the word and why the pronunciation is almost the same.
P1: Because there is a pandemic Covid-19, schools are taking place online, and learning is also online.
The method I used to do when I was in class couldn't be done online because the cameras and audiences were turned off.
don't know whether students pay attention to learning or not.
Because when studying face to face.
I usually pay attention to students, whether they catch what I mean or TeachersAo Language Awareness beliefs fitting in with the social, affective or power domain were less prominent.
appeared from the results that sociocultural matters were less often associated with ELT in Focus.
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June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus P2: Because of Covid-19 outbreak, my school running 'school from home' and usually I give audio or a film and then playit The only downside is, students are afraid to let go of what they have to say.
Out of fear of how to say the words.
but what I realized when they were on vacation or in contact with family members who don't really speak the language English, so they realize that their English for everyday situations is actually quite good too because then they dare to speak, they have to.
Link with other language subjects P2: I usually do the 'problem base' technique with the lesson I just taught.
The point is to connect the events that are studied with events in the real world, so that students can easily understand what is meant The author found TeacherAos beliefs at the link between the EFL subject and other foreign language subjects taught in school, including teacherAos opinion on specific aspects of language that could be particularly useful when it comes to Language Awareness.
Individual Differences The author found teacherAos beliefs about inter-individual student differences, including differences on educational level, personal level, and learning pace level.
P1: The difference between Indonesian and English is when they say the sentence and translate it.
For example, the sentence 'are you done?' [Are you done?].
If you let them translate it then they will translate it as 'are you done?' So it is logical that, as Indonesian speakers, we translate it and the students translate it word for word.
P1: I realized that some of my students have some of the weaker in English lessons, for example when learning the simple present tense, they had a lot of trouble especially with the structure, they really hard to understand what the text was.
It's not just vocabulary, but structured and how you handle the language in a text.
P2: I teach English in an area that has a regional accent.
When I teach and recite sentences from books, some students have built-in accents and the pronunciation is a bit unclear.
Like the letter.
F is read as P, for example 'followers' and students who carry the innate accent read it as 'pollowers'.
The author found teacherAos beliefs about students and student learning in the EFL context.
P2: I usually do a per-chapter evaluation that I have taught, and the questions are already in the book.
Some students have understood and captured the lesson, but there are some students who do not know or don't understand what is meant in the evaluation in the book.
When that happens.
I usually repeat the lesson so that all the students understand and my goal can be achieved, the students understands what I mean.
Student Competencies Motivation TeacherAos beliefs about studentsAo competencies .
nowledge, skills, attitude.
was relevant to and necessary for .
uccess i.
the subject of EFL, including difficulties experienced by students, competencies that could be improved by focusing on Language Awareness and the way in which The author found teacherAos beliefs about aspects that motivate, interest and engage students within the subject of EFL, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, general motivation and interest, and motivation and interest for learning.
Student Learning P1 : Usually.
I do games while playing, in a classroom for example through "Escape Room" where they have to use English to solve a puzzle or something, so they won't think it's not just 'it's a school lesson and I just P1: Now, what I think is that many students who get poor grades in English think AoI'm failing again.
I'm so bad at studying thisAo.
ELT in Focus.
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June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus want to do it.
all I can do is at least to pass.
P2 : My motivation when teaching EFL in class is that when the students look bored while studying.
I will play a game for For example, a game by connecting with pictures, and what sentences are suitable for those pictures.
and incorporate it into the new version, so that you can improve your final grade".
This way they are extra motivated to look at the feedback and do something with it.
P2 : I usually see feedback from the chapter evaluations that have been provided in the I will discuss all evaluations and answer them with students together.
Instructional Technique The author found teacherAos beliefs about chosen strategy, preparation, and structure of lessons or class activities with a focus on Language Awareness the aspects Educational Context The author found about teacherAos beliefs in influential factors at classroom, teacher, school level.
Time .
Instructional strategy Instructional strategy, format or teaching activity deliberately chosen by the teacher prior to or during classroom practice with the aim of making students aware of certain aspects of language .
, including examples of student involvement and Language Awareness-raising activities from teacherAos own practices P1 : I understand that students have to learn and know words and they can get different class words, such as verbs, nouns and If it's in the textbook I'll use it, it's kind of an exercise, but they forget about it again.
P2 : When I have finished the lesson.
I will ask for the appropriate words to use the sentence I mentioned and I will ask the For example, when the lesson is over what sentences are suitable to be used for past events? then I asked the reason.
Feedback Type .
individual/group, peer/teache.
chosen by the teacher during classroom practice with the aim of stimulating studentsAo thinking about language and their own language P1 : With some assignments.
I would give the students some feedback, and then I would tell them "OK.
I have received feedback now, please follow this feedback 7 The influence of time on .
he quality o.
teaching practices as experienced by teachers, including classes per week, time per class, class preparation time.
P1 : Before teaching.
I have prepared the materials before starting, usually.
I use power points for teaching materials.
I usually spend an hour teaching, but because of Covid-19 the lessons have become 30 minutes.
P2 : I have taught for more than 5 years teaching English, for class.
I spend 1 hour in CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that linguistic knowledge is a multi-faceted dynamic Teachers have thoroughly explained the definition.
Nevertheless, the discussion of the subject leads many teachers to new perspectives, which tends to be a first step towards raising teacher awareness of the possibilities of language consciousness within the EFL classroom.
Moreover, this study shows that language awareness is not a one-size-fit solution.
The researchers argue that the method needs closer inspection by and with teachers, in order to make language knowledge feasible in EFL training.
It is important to note that teachers can hold a wide range of language awareness beliefs based on their own experiences and Mapping teachers' beliefs on language knowledge is therefore necessary in ELT in Focus.
Vol.
June 2024 Copyright A 2024 ELT in Focus order to promote the practical application of this approach.
Pajares.
Teachers' Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning up a Messy Construct.
American Educational Research Association.
This study has shown that the following aspects need extra attention when it comes to integrating linguist knowledge in EFL education: connections with other languages, teacher cooperation, curricula and student skills.
Further experiments are required to figure out how to do this best.
However, describing .
ifferences i.
teachers' convictions offers teachers a shared language for discussion of language comprehension and encourages the working on this subject, teachers gain a deeper understanding of their values and the role that language awareness can play in their teaching practices.
Richards.
, & Rodgers.
Approacnes and Methods in Language Teaching.
Cambridge Language Teaching Library.
Rijksoverheid.
Toekomstgericht [Future-oriente.
Goverment of the Netherland.
Skott.
The promises, problems, and prospects of research on teachers' Publisher: Routledge.
Tammenga-Halmantel.
, & Le Bryun.
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