English for International Communication

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c. General English

General English is one of the keywords in this study. It refers to the use of English language in general or not in certain field. According to Far 2008, p.3, general English refers to contexts such as the school where needs cannot readily be specified. It is more usefully considered as providing a broad foundation rather than a detailed and selective specification of goals like ESP. According to Abbot 1981, as cited by Langham 2003, p.63, general English is also called TENOR, teaching English for no obvious reason. TENOR learners are generally classified as students whose motivation levels are low, and who have few specific needs. General English actually aims to help learners function effectively in their specific field of study. Dudley-Evans St John 2000, as cited by Zohrabi 2010, p.168, explain that general English assists learners to fulfill their academic requirements in higher education. Learners are equipped with an efficient problem solving and solution- oriented way by attending to their specific needs. General English also tries to equip learners with necessary communicative skills and strategies to perform effectively at university and achieve their objectives. In countries where English is not the first language of the students, general English classes are often attended and needed by almost all the students studying in any institution. These students are from different academic disciplines. However, the General English class tends to be based on the needs of individual academic departments and their students. Thus, the general English that is provided can be specified into pre-academic English in which the learning materials support the students to prepare what they are going to face in higher level education, in this case, before students get academic English. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 20 Based on the learners and purpose of learning, in general English classes, the learners are vary from teenagers to adults and learning English language is the subject of the classes Far, 2008, p.6. The learners who learn pre-academic English have had basic knowledge and at least have been familiar with English language. They learn English to be able to communicate in daily conversation and perhaps for professional skills. English, here, is perceived as a subject whose contexts and components, such as the vocabulary, grammar, expressions, and pronunciation, have to be learned. In this study, general English, which is for pre-academic English, is not limited to a particular discipline. It attempts to teach language system vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, study skills, and language skills and prepare the learners to tackle their university courses and communicate appropriately in their field. Furthermore, the instructional goals of general English are identified Far, 2008, p.6. As a general rule, the four skills are equally provided. The skills must be integrated because the learners have to be provisioned with reading, listening, speaking, and writing, although it is still on the surface. In a typical class, there is concentration on teaching grammar and language structures. Grammar is mostly in isolation or taught implicitly. Thus, the point is that students need more general English knowledge in order to develop appropriate ways of improving their grammar, sentence composition, reading strategies, vocabulary and so on. The problems and complexities of pre-academic English instruction in English-speaking contexts have been given little attention in research, especially related to English for Academic Purposes Liyanage Birch, 2001. Liyanage PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 21 Birch 2001 assumed that “the issue needs to be addressed since most EAP courses are little more than study-skills ESL courses which do not address the particular English language needs of students from specific disciplines ”. In such a course, students will learn both the language of academic discipline and the study skills required during their academic course. Therefore, in this study, the researcher decided to develop General English course, specifically for pre-academic English, which according to Dudley- Evans and St John 1998 refers to “any English teaching that relates to a study purpose” p. 34. General English, therefore, is considered as a broad foundation in learning English in which the components like vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and the four skills have to be learned. The four skills are combined to make the learning process more effective, meanwhile the other components are learned through the integrated skills. General English is aimed for pre-academic English in which the students prepare themselves to have English course related to their diciplines and to study abroad. In other words, the desined model will tend to be used for study orientation that introduces the students to college life.

d. English Proficiency

English language proficiency is used in most contexts as a benchmark to determine the input and assess the output of the learning process Nallaya, 2012, and in what level learners are able to communicate using the language. This can be one of the reasons why English course is presented in the non-English department curriculum to help the learners in mastering their subject of the study. Nallaya 2012 also stated that although there is no standardized level of English language proficiency among universities in Indonesia, English language PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 22 proficiency has become one of the requirements before the learners finishing their study or enrolling to the next level of education. Thus, English language proficiency is considered crucial in the Indonesian academic context. Since Indonesia has not had official framework for language learning, many universities or institutions refer to the Common European Framework References CEFR. CEFR provides a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc across Europe. It describes in a comprehensive way what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively. The description also covers the cultural context in which language is set. The Framework also defines levels of proficiency which allow learners’ progress to be measured at each stage of learning and on a life-long basis. Language Policy Unit, 2001, p.1 In its development, CEFR is used not only in European but also many countries in Asia. Actually, CEFR is not single best method or proficiency level because it requires reasons and evidences to claim. However, in this study, CEFR is considered simple and appropriate to describe the level in which learners are proficient, being assisted based on the learners’ ability in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The common reference points are presented in different categories; those are basic, independent, and proficient. The following table shows the orientation points. Table 2.1. Common Reference Levels adapted from Language Policy Unit, 2001, p.24 Proficient user C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express himherself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations. C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express himherself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.