43 scientific English more often than they need to communicate orally in English.
Therefore, the teachers have to familiarize the students with the English scientific literature.
Thus, from what the researcher found during the observations and interviews with the teaching team and the students in the international class, the
researcher concluded that the definition of language used within this international class program is in text and discourse based. According to the definition of
language in Content-based Instruction discussed in the previous Review of Related Literature, the third definition is also applied here. This definition of
language as something purposeful and may be used for specific purpose. In this situation, the purpose is to achieve the capability to reach the understanding in
higher education. Hence, the view of language as the combination of several skills was not demonstrated and applied within the implementation of international class
in SMAN 3 Yogyakarta.
2. The Implemented Principles of Content-Based Instruction in the International Class of
SMAN 3 Yogyakarta
After the observations and interviews, the researcher infers that the teaching-learning process in the international class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta had
implemented two central principles of CBI by Richards and Rodgers 2001. The first principle is that “people learn a second language more successfully when
they use the language as a means of acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself” Richards and Rodgers, 2001: 207. It was clearly seen that international
44 class of SMAN 3 had executed this main principle in its lecturing process. The
class had successfully implemented the methodology of learning a second language as a mean of accessing and acquiring information. The evidence was on
the usage of English in its teaching-learning process, especially the teaching by visiting lecturers. The other evidence was on the subjects’ modules, handouts or
exercises for the students, although sometimes they were still using a bit of Indonesian. There was no formal aspect of the language or the linguistic fields
being emphasized. During the observation, however, the researcher did not see that regular teachers or visiting lecturers gave the students corrective feedback for
students’ language use. This was because they never gave attention to the students’ language. Moreover, the regular teachers did not have sufficient
capability to use English as the instructional language in daily classroom activities. The international class of SMAN 3 also had implemented the second
main principle of CBI, namely “Content-Based Instruction better reflects learners’ needs for learning a second language” Richard and Rodgers, 2001: 207. From
the interview with the teaching-team, it was stated that the purpose of its international class was providing the students’ need for the preparation of
achieving the higher level of study, particularly for the students who wanted to continue their study abroad. That is why the international class of SMAN 3
emphasized on the speed of learning and mastering the content, and also the effectiveness in study.
45
3. The Role of Teacher and Learners
