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5.4.3.1 Manifestations of Maya’s pedagogic disposition to accuracyperfectionism in her practice
Maya’s pedagogic disposition to accuracyperfectionism drives her to always speak in English in class as part of her teaching practice. This technique is designed to
train the students to pronounce English words correctly and to use English grammar correctly. Data from the video recording of Maya’s lessons and my observation notes
reveal that during one lesson Maya used the target language, English, 99 of the time during her teaching and in learning activities. In cases where the students did not
understand the English expression, Maya tried to use a different expression which has the same meaning. For example, when she asked, “are you done?” to the students, they
kept silent because they did not understand the meaning of the question. Maya then changed the question to include a more common expression, “have you finished?” This
expression successfully invited the students to provide an answer. Maya speaks the first language, Indonesian only if the students do not understand the meaning of various
versions English. Maya’s teaching practices also demonstrate her desire to inspire the students to
always improve their English pronunciation and grammar. Therefore, she focuses on how the students pronounce the words and always helps them to correct their
pronunciation as illustrated in the excerpt below:
[Maya points to a student to speak up and she pronounces a word “eight” incorrectly] MAYA: Age? It should be eight [et ], not age [ed
]. Like I’ve told you for the first meeting if I’m not mistaken, how to pronounce angka delapan number eight in English? Eight [et ], …
not age [ed ] , but eight [writing on the whiteboard]. So, if you say age we have AGE
[spelling the word], but this one is eight [writing phonetic script for the word “eight”]. They have different consonant. You have that kind of symbol in your pronunciation class right? So be
careful when you pronounce some certain words.
As the above excerpt illustrates, Maya is concerned about how the students pronounce English words and she tries to ensure that they pronounce them correctly. She prefers to
correct the students’ pronunciation mistakes by providing further explanation about the word. As Maya’s previous professional experience includes teaching pronunciation, she
has the confidence required to pronounce English words correctly and to teach others the correct pronunciation, also.
128 Maya likes to correct the students’ mistakes when answering questions by
reframing their answers in the correct form. The following excerpt from her lesson is an example of how Maya corrects a student’s mistake:
MAYA: Next, how about you Mas, do you have good friends? ANTON: Yes of course.
MAYA: How many good friends do you have? ANTON: Five.
MAYA: When did you meet them? ANTON: Vocational school.
MAYA: What do you like from them? A NTON: They are kind, good, friendly.
MAYA: Do you think they have bad sides? ANTON: Yes. They like gossip.
MAYA: Oh … They like gossiping [reframing Anton’s answer in the correct form]. How about you? Do you have good friends?
TANTI: Yes. Waktu pertama kali ketemu di P3T [using Indonesian meaning when we had student orientation].
MAYA: Okay then. So you meet them here in this university. So are they here now? TANTI: Yes. She is [pointing to Tanti sitting next to Anton].
MAYA: So, she is one of them. What do you like from her? TANTI: Friendly people.
MAYA: Friendly person [reframing Tanti’s answer in the correct form].
As illustrated in the above excerpts, Maya focuses on the correct use of English in her
classroom. She helps the students to correct their mistakes by repeating and reframing their answers in the correct form. When the student said, “they like gossip”, and
“friendly people”, Maya corrected him by saying, “they like gossiping”, and “friendly person”. Clearly, Maya perceives that it is important for students to understand and use
correct English grammar. Furthermore, when the students answered in Indonesian due to not knowing how
to express the word in English, Maya assists them by directly translating and saying the word in English, as the following excerpt from her lesson shows:
[Before discussing a new topic, Maya asks some warm-up questions related to the topic to the students]
MAYA: When you are in the airport, what things you can find there? TINO: Loket [answering in Indonesian; other students laugh].
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MAYA: Counter? TINO: Yes.
MAYA: Okay. What kind of counter is it? Ticket counter? TINO: Ticket counter, immigrant counter.
MAYA: Immigrant or immigration? STUDENTS: Immigration [answering all together].
MAYA: Immigration [emphasising the correct answer]. Immigrant is the person.
As demonstrated in the above transcript, Maya assists a student who does not know how to say “counter” in English by translating directly what the student says in English.
Maya also supports the student to use correct English word form when she poses the question, “immigrant or immigration?”. In other words, Maya wants to encourage the
students to use English with the correct grammar and pronunciation by correcting the mistakes they make. The next subsection of this chapter focuses on the relationship
between Maya’s pedagogic disposition to accuracyperfectionism and capital, field, and practice.
5.4.3.2 Relationship between Maya’s pedagogic disposition to accuracy perfectionism and capital, field, and practice
Maya’s pedagogic disposition to accuracyperfectionism was manifested in her teaching practices and reflected the particular make-up of her capital. Maya’s sub-field
her classroom and students is the social arena for her teaching practices. Her extensive English teaching experience, her developed English speaking ability, and her
educational history empower her to have a pedagogic disposition to accuracyperfectionism in the field. As a result, Maya uses English at all times during
her lessons, and she trains the students to pronounce English words correctly and to use correct English grammar. When asked why she prefers to speak in English during
lessons, she replied, “I try to use plenty of English because my students are English department students so they need to get more English exposure” Interview 2,
30012012. In other words, Maya wants to provide the students with practice in listening and responding to spoken English. In turn, she sometimes asks the students to
use a dictionary if they do not grasp her English usage:
130 I try to always use English when I teach because their environment must provide
them with plenty of English. I want them to get used to English and try to understand what I say. If they find difficulties, they have to look up their
dictionary to help them understand Interview 2, 30012012.
As evidenced in the above statements, the determination to expose the students to English underpins Maya’s decision to speak in the language all the times in the
classroom, especially given that the students do not use English for communication outside the classroom. The students can therefore learn to use English based on the
situations that unfold during lessons. Maya’s habitus is shaped by her educational experiences. Bourdieu 1994, p.
170 stated, “habitus is ‘structured’ by one’s past and present circumstances, such as family upbringing and educational experiences. It is ‘structuring’ in that one’s habitus
helps to shape one’s present and future practices”. Maya’s educational experiences with accuracy-orientedperfectionist teachers inspire her to value correct English. She
graduated from a quality public university where she was taught by mostly strict and competent teachers. She remarked:
I got many perfectionist teachers. This influences me in many things I do such as when I do my work, when I teach so that I have to be well-prepared. I have to be
a good model for my students, especially to pronounce English words correctly Interview 3, 06062012.
The above statements indicate Maya’s determination “I have to” to apply what she has learned from her former teachers in her class. She wants the students to develop good
English speaking skills like she has. In addition, Maya revealed, “when I was in junior high school, I admired my English teacher who had very good pronunciation. I liked the
way she taught, too. From that time on, I feel like I need to imitate her. At least I can be like her” Interview 3, 06062012. This revelation also demonstrates Maya’s desire to
live up to the practice of someone she sees as a role model and hence to develop her English language skills, including correct pronunciation and grammar, so that the
students can learn from her. Maya’s experiences with teachers who had well-developed English language skills inspired her to be like them. Maya’s experience with her
teachers taught her that it is right and important to speak English well and she carries
131 this belief into her teaching. The next section of this chapter discusses the disruptions of
teacher self-evaluation as a mediational activity.
5.5 Productive disruptions resulting from teacher self-evaluation as a mediational activity
Teacher self-evaluation was something new to Maya. By participating in this study, Maya has video recorded her lessons for the first time, completed teacher self-
reflection questions, asked for student feedback on her teaching, and participated in collegial dialogues. Previously, the only evaluation of her teaching she had undertaken
was to share her thoughts and concerns informally with her colleagues. Maya said, “I sometimes talked with my friend informally. They suggested me to use certain methods
or materials because those worked for them” Interview 1, 17102011. As such, Maya already recognised the value of sharing her ideas about teaching with her colleagues in
order to develop different teaching methods to implement in her lessons. As mentioned in the previous chapter, all research participants were supported to
utilise four teacher self-evaluation instruments: lesson video recording, teacher self- reflection questions, student feedback, and collegial dialogue. When asked her opinion
about the use of video recording to evaluate teaching practices, Maya said, “it was great. It was like a mirror to see myself, to see my teaching” Interview 2, 30012012.
Hence, the video recording of Maya’s lessons provide a platform for her to see herself and her teaching practices from a new perspective. In addition, teacher self-reflection
questions worked as a mediation tool for Maya to reflect on her teaching and better understand the strengths and limitations of her practice. She remarked, “to me, self-
reflection questions are actually the same as video recording, but in written form. The questions helped me to reflect on my teaching practice” Interview 2, 30012012.
When Maya was asked about the use of student feedback, Maya asserted, “on one side I’m happy, but on the other side I’m not. I’m happy because I got some good
comments from my students, but then I could not get more information about what I should improve” Interview 2, 30012012. That is, the students did not provide
sufficient information to Maya regarding her teaching limitations as the students provided mostly favourable comments on her teaching. This may have been because the
students were satisfied with Maya’s teaching practices or more likely, because they did not have enough courage to say something negative about her teaching for fear of
reprisal. The students might be afraid if they provide negative feedback on Maya’s
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