Teacher agency and the implementation of CEFR-like policies for English for tourism and hospitality: insights from local vocational high schools in Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Tourism is a service industry that demands well-trained professionals with internationally accredited skills including English language proficiency. Meeting such demands has been one of the foremost concerns of the ASEAN ministries of tourism and education. In collaboration with ASEAN member countries and the Australian government, Indonesian Ministry of Education and Ministry of Tourism piloted the integration of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP), Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC), Regional Qualifications Framework and Skills Recognition System (RQFSRS), and Indonesian Qualification Framework (IQF) into the National Curriculum (K-13) for hospitality and tourism education. Successfully trying out at hospitality and tourism colleges, the project was subsequently extended to vocational high schools. The study reported in this article investigated how the various policies were integrated by English teachers for their implementation in vocational high schools in a local Indonesian context and what outcomes and experiences resulted from this process. The article illustrates micro-level teacher agency in meeting regional, national and local policy mandates for preparing tourism and hospitality professionals for the common ASEAN job market.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher agency
• CEFR
• Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum
• Vocational high schools
• Indonesia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 (1). Bandung College of Tourism (STP Bandung), (2). Bali College of Tourism (STP Bali), (3). Medan Academy of Tourism (Akpar Medan), (4). Makassar Academy of Tourism (Akpar Makassar), (5). Sahid Institute of Tourism, (6). Pelita Harapan University, and (7). Dhyana Pura Hotel & Tourism Institute.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The University of Mataram.

Notes on contributors

Kamaludin Yusra

Kamaludin Yusra, PhD is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the English Education Department University of Mataram Indonesia. He received his MA in Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University and PhD in Applied Linguistics from The University of Sydney, Australia. His interest includes Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Educational Research, Cross-cultural Understanding, Pragmatics, and English for Tourism.

Yuni Budi Lestari

Yuni Budi Lestari, PhD is a Lecturer in English Education at the English Education Department University of Mataram Indonesia. She received her MA in TESOL from Sydney University Australia and PhD in TESOL from The University of Queensland, Australia. Her interest includes TESOL, Language Planning and Policy, Curriculum, and Educational Research.

M. Obaidul Hamid

M. Obaidul Hamid, PhD is Senior Lecturer in TESOL Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research focuses on the policy and practice of TESOL education in developing societies. He is Co-editor of Language planning for medium of instruction in Asia (Routledge, 2014).