107 the Indonesian context, English is “presently the only foreign language which is a
compulsory subject in schools” Lauder, 2008, p. 13. By mastering English, an individual is seen to have a certain amount of prestige. It, therefore, enables himher to
access symbolic capital. Further, many types of employment in Indonesia require the knowledge of English so that a number of students make a priority to learn it.
Overall, a number of crucial issues in the School of English Education identified in this section include the need to provide an office for English teachers, allocate more
classrooms to the School of English Education, improve the maintenance system of the school facilities, provide more multimedia language laboratories, create channels for
student feedback, and improve the linguistic and academic quality of students. Paying attention to these issues is crucial to improving the effectiveness of teachers’ practice
and students’ learning that, in turn, might improve KUM’s capital and increase the student enrollment.
4.5 Summary
This chapter has discussed the social field relevant to my case study teachers. The chapter started with a discussion of the general field of higher education in
Indonesian; that is public and private institutions. The discussion then focused on the more specific field of the School of English Education at KUM. Public HEIs in
Indonesia are widely perceived to have better quality and attain more symbolic capital than the private HEIs. As a result, a larger number of students compete in the national
public university entrance examination to gain entry. If students are not successful, the secondary option is to enroll at a private university. KUM is one of fast growing private
universities in terms of student enrolments. To attract the student enrollment, KUM creates a brand that is famous for its multiculturalism. However, KUM requires more
teaching staff that are more highly qualified, as only a small number of teachers have
doctoral degrees.
It was also established that the School of English Education at KUM has the largest student enrolment numbers compared to the other school at the university that
provide the school with more capital. The students are generally motivated to learn English however the school must improve the effectiveness of the English teachers’
instructional practice as an effective strategy to maintain and improve its capital. Furthermore, even though a more challenging entrance exam may reduce student
enrolment numbers and therefore reduce funding based on tuition fees. This is a
108 challenge the school must confront in order to raise the standard of student learning
outcomes. The next chapter of this study focuses on the first case study teacher, Maya. Particularly, it examines Maya’s pedagogic habitus and the durability and changes in
her pedagogic habitus as a result of engagement in mediated self-evaluation.
109
Chapter 5 Case 1: Maya
5.1 Introduction
This chapter describes the pedagogic habitus of one research participant, Maya pseudonym, as manifested in her everyday practice. The description includes a focus
on the changes that emerge in her pedagogic habitus as a result of engagement in mediated self-evaluation. Data were gathered by means of video recordings of Maya’s
lessons, semi-structured interviews, and research observations in her classroom practices. With regard to the interviews with Maya specifically, they were conducted
three times, once before and twice after she engaged in a series of teacher self- evaluation activities. This chapter is driven by the following research questions:
1. What is the nature of Maya’s pedagogic habitus dispositions and beliefs? 2. To what extent is Maya’s pedagogic habitus capable of change as a result of
engagement in mediated self-evaluation? The organisation of this chapter comprises five main sections: 1 Maya’s background;
2 Maya’s capital; 3 Maya’s initial pedagogic habitus; 4 productive disruptions resulting from teacher self-evaluation as a mediational activity; and 5 durability and
change in Maya’s pedagogic habitus. The first section of this chapter provides a brief account of Maya’s background including details of her family history, educational
experiences, and teaching experiences. The second section describes Maya’s capital which, together with her habitus, provides her with the power to act in her field. Next,
Maya’s initial pedagogic dispositions are analysed through the lens of Bourdieu’s theoretical framework of habitus. The fourth section then focuses on the apparent
productive disruptions resulting from teacher self-evaluation as a mediational activity in Maya’s identity and teaching practice. The last section examines the durability and
changes in Maya’s habitus as a result of engagement in a series of teacher self- evaluation activities. Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective is employed alongside
Bourdieu’s sociocultural theory in this section to describe how Maya’s use of mediational tools influence brought about changes in her pedagogic habitus.
