Attitudinal and Linguistic Outcomes of Second Language Instruction in South Sulawesi, Indonesia and in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

<p>Canada and Indonesia are multilingual and multicultural countries. Canadian official bilingualism has been accompanied by feelings of divisiveness. In Indonesia, one official language facilitates interethnic contact. Second-language programs were established to meet economic and social communication needs in both countries. This project examines the background and linguistic and attitudinal outcomes of such programs. Aspects of second-language instruction in Ontario, Canada and South Sulawesi, Indonesia are compared, including history of the interethnic contact, status of the languages involved, teachers, classroom conditions and resources, curriculum guidelines, instructional methodology, and factors in the community. A Likert scale of orientational motivation and a social distance scale were used to assess attitudinal consequences of second-language instruction in South Sulawesi. Grade six examinations were examined to assess linguistic consequences in South Sulawesi. The results of the study suggest that Ontario methods of second-language instruction more effectively teach French than methods in South Sulawesi teach Indonesian. Successful students of Indonesian integrate frequently with members of other ethnic groups; Ontario students of French do not. In both provinces, knowledge of the new language is more important in developing attitudes than whether it was gained formally or non-formally, and knowledge was associated with perception of low social distance from outgroups. Strategies are recommended for adapting teaching methodology from Ontario for South Sulawesi. Additional components for the Ontario French as a second-language curriculum are suggested to improve attitudes.</p>