Indonesian EFL Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Interculturality in English Learning

• Main Authors: Dessy Aggraini, Jumatul Hidayah, Sarwo Edy, Desti Ariani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding 2021-02-01
• Series: International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding
• Subjects: interculturality in english learning; intercultural communicative competence; intercultural language learning
• Online Access: https://ijmmu.com/index.php/ijmmu/article/view/2398

The current lingual ideologies of English known as EFL, WE, and EIL inform that the ideal goal of English education is to support students to be competent at intercultural communication. Hence, English learning should ideally be held on the basis of interculturality. This explanatory mixed-method study sought to investigate Indonesian EFL teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of interculturality in English learning. The attitudinal investigation employed a quantitative survey on 30 EFL teachers in Bengkulu province of Indonesia, and the investigation of perceptions applied a descriptive qualitative study on 5 EFL teachers selected purposively. The quantitative study made use of a valid and reliable questionnaire, and the qualitative study conducted interviews. This study revealed that most of the teachers had negative attitudes towards interculturality in English learning. Their attitudes were depicted by their negative evaluations towards this entity based on their affection (40 %), cognition (43%), and behavior (35%). Pertinent to perceptions, most of the teachers (4 of 5 EFL teachers) had negative perceptions of interculturality in English learning. They perceived that both intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and intercultural language learning (ILL) principles as the constructs of interculturality in English learning seemed to be too complex and complicated to be applied. There was only one teacher who had positive perceptions of ICC and ILL. She indicated that ICC was possible to be applied as the English communicative framework, and it should be the goal of English learning. Also, she emphasized that ILL was convenient for multicultural students like those of Indonesia. Further studies are expected to work on the provision of training programs of intercultural English education to help construct EFL teachers’ positive attitudes and perceptions of interculturality in English learning.