Volume 4, Supplement, April 2007
Deborah Henderson
A Strategy cut-short: The NALSAS Strategy for Asian languages in Australia (pp. 4–22)
This paper examines the first national attempt to establish the study of Asian languages and cultures in the Australian education system. The National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy was based on the recommendations of a report commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 1992, Asian Languages and Australia’s Economic Future (1994). The Report detailed a strategic framework for the implementation of an Asian languages and cultures program in Australian schools. This paper proposes that the Report was unprecedented in the history of policy efforts to teach Asian languages in Australia. It then analyses the Report’s focus on language study, its reception and implementation during its first
quadrennium. It argues that despite some shortcomings, the Report’s implementation from 1995-1998 was significant in establishing formative foundations for Asian language study in Australia. This paper proposes that although progress towards targets was made during the second quadrennium, the Howard government’s decision to cut the Commonwealth’s funding commitment for this long term Strategy in 2002 was inappropriate at a time when Australia’s engagement with the nations of Asia was increasingly significant.
Dwi Noverini Djenar
Self Reference and its Variation in Indonesian (pp. 23–40)
This article examines variation in the use of some Indonesian self referring terms such as the pronouns aku, saya, and gua/gue, and proper names. It argues that these terms are not always distinguishable by appealing to factors external to the speakers such as different addressees and speech situations. Using examples from the speech of celebrities, it demonstrates that within the same speech situation, variation can occur between speakers as well as by the same speaker. An alternative account is proposed in which the pronouns are considered as linguistic expressions of different self categorizations. Self categorizations are cognitive groupings of the self in comparison with others. Variation in the choice of term is suggested as reflecting not only differences in the way that speakers view themselves in particular contexts, but also the flexibility of self conceptions, in that within the same speech situation, a speaker may assert different identities. Apart from aku, which seems to highlight a personal identity, the other terms can be used to express either a personal or social identity. A term which in one context may express a social identity, can be used as a marker of a personal identity when contrasted with another term in another context. Choice of term is thus considered to be highly context dependent.
Fumie Kato, Seiko Yasumoto & Sato Van Aacken
A Comparative Study: Motivation of Learners of Japanese (pp. 41–57)
This study reports on the motivation of learners of Japanese in four universities across two countries, focusing specifically on the: 1) diversity of motivation in the process of language learning; 2) motivation as a predictor of academic achievement; 3) dichotomous instrumental/integrative paradigm; and 4) comparison of the degree of motivation among the universities. Three out of four universities did not show significant differences in the degree of motivation within an academic year. However, the outcomes were varied depending on the universities in comparing motivation among students enrolled in different course levels. Positive motivation and anxiety were found to be the best predictors of academic achievement. With regard to the integrative/instrumental dichotomy, neither element was seen as a better predictor. This research identifies a contrast: the type of institution where students studied, i.e. in prestigious institutions in urban areas or in standard institutions in rural districts, greatly influenced the factors motivating the learners.
Gloria De Vincenti, Angela Giovanangeli & Rowena Ward
The Queer Stopover: How Queer Travels in the Language Classroom (pp. 58–72)
Over the last decade or so, developments in queer theory and queer perspectives have resulted in changes to the way that identities are viewed. However, the implications for foreign language classrooms are yet to be fully explored. This paper focuses on the challenges involved in introducing queer theory to the foreign language classroom. Specifically, it seeks to respond to the question “How does queer travel to the French, Italian and Japanese classrooms in an Australian university?” In doing so, it considers the challenges which emerge due to the structures of the languages, the sociocultural context and the teaching materials used in the classroom. It is written by experienced teachers as they considered, and in some cases trialled, how to integrate queer perspectives into their teaching. The challenges addressed here are not exhaustive, but represent those the authors consider as the most salient at the initial steps of the journey.