Understanding Balinese Students’ Beliefs about EFL and Strategies for Learning the Language:

Some Implications for Bilingual Pedagogy

 

 

Luh Putu Artini

           

 

 

Research has established that successful English as Foreign Language (EFL) learning is dependent upon many factors. One of the most important is exposure to the target language. As Bali is a popular tourist destination, Balinese students have the advantage of exposure to the English language in addition to their local and national languages. They could also be expected to have strong instrumental motivation to learn English as competence in English is a valuable asset to succeed in the competitive labor force. This paper explores the impact of students’ bilingual / multilingual environment on their beliefs about EFL learning and relate these beliefs to their approaches and strategies for learning the language.  The results have important implications for curriculum design at the system level, and for everyday pedagogical decisions made by EFL teachers in a bilingual / multilingual learning context.

 

Tourism industries in Indonesia have been booming since the early 1980s. In Bali, for example, tourism “has so penetrated every corner of the tiny island’ that there is a sense in which every village community abuts its geographic, social or economic frontiers”. (Jennaway, 2002).  It has been commonly believed that EFL learners in tourist areas usually have strong instrumental motivation to learn English, that is, learning which is driven by an inspiration to succeed in the competitive labor force, especially in tourist related businesses and enterprises (Lai, 1999; Warden and Lin, 2000). This could be expected to impact on the Balinese younger generation’s (i.e. students’) motivation to learn English.

 

Learners’ motivation to learn English might also be affected by the fact that this foreign language is now increasingly common in people’s daily life. Popular TV programs for children, or entertainment for general viewing, is generally imported from English speaking countries such as the USA, Australia, and England. In addition, the increasing use of internet and other popular culture such as songs and movies in English might also contribute to the popularity of English. Lamb (2004) purports that English was already ‘very much part of lives’ of school children in provincial Indonesia in 2002.  In Lamb’s study, which mainly examined students’ integrative motivation for learning English in an urban school in Indonesia, , 99% of the students regarded English as important and were keen to be able to speak English.

 

Balinese students, to some degree, experience an exposure to English language due to the fact that the foreign language is now in their daily life. English is used in mass media, either printed or electronic. This bilingual / multilingual learning environment could be expected to advantage EFL learners in Bali. In addition, the opportunities for working in tourism industries might also influence their instrumental motivation to succeed in learning English. It is therefore interesting to find out what Balinese EFL learners believe about English language and learning, and how these beliefs relate to their strategies for learning the language.

 

 

------- ---- -------

 

Artinni, L. P. (2005, December). Understanding Balinese students’ beliefs about EFL and strategies for learning the language: Some implications for bilingual pedagogy . Paper  presented at the 53rd TEFLIN International conference, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

 

Website: www.geocities.com/eltindonesia

Email: eltindonesia@yahoo.com