Maintaining Students’ ‘Indonesian Identity’ with a Multicultural Teaching Approach

Abstract

Experts agree that using English as an International Language (EIL) has directly
and indirectly shaped the speakers’ ways of thinking which may finally shape
their identity. This paper theoretically examines impacts of learning English
towards students’ identity, i.e. Indonesian identity. First, it explains the possibility
of Indonesian students’ changing identity as learning English in school. Then,
it recommends what teachers should know about their students in order to
reduce negative impacts of English to the students’ national identity. Finally,
the paper purposes the notion of a multicultural teaching approach when
teaching English.