Elements of a research proposal and report
2005 © David S. Walonick, Ph.D.
All research reports use roughly the same format. It doesn't matter whether you've done a customer satisfaction survey, an employee opinion survey, a health care survey, or a marketing research survey. All have the same basic structure and format. The rationale is that readers of research reports (i.e., decision makers, funders, etc.) will know exactly where to find the information they are looking for, regardless of the individual report.
Once you've learned the basic rules for research proposal and report writing, you can apply them to any research discipline. The same rules apply to writing a proposal, a thesis, a dissertation, or any business research report.
The Research Proposal and Report
* General
* Style, layout, and page formatting
* Outline of the chapters and sections
* Chapter I - Introduction
* Chapter II - Background
* Chapter III - Methodology
* Chapter IV - Results
* Chapter V - Conclusions and Recommendations
General considerations
Research papers usually have five chapters with well-established sections in each chapter. Readers of the paper will be looking for these chapters and sections so you should not deviate from the standard format unless you are specifically requested to do so by the research sponsor.
Most research studies begin with a written proposal. Again, nearly all proposals follow the same format. In fact, the proposal is identical to the first three chapters of the final paper except that it's writtten in future tense. In the proposal, you might say something like "the researchers will secure the sample from ...", while in the final paper, it would be changed to "the researchers secured the sample from ...". Once again, with the exception of tense, the proposal becomes the first three chapters of the final research paper.
The most commonly used style for writing research reports is called "APA" and the rules are described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Any library or bookstore will have it readily available. The style guide contains hundreds of rules for grammar, layout, and syntax. This paper will cover the most important ones.
Avoid the use of first person pronouns. Refer to yourself or the research team in third person. Instead of saying "I will ..." or "We will ...", say something like "The researcher will ..." or "The research team will ...".
A suggestion: Never present a draft (rough) copy of your proposal, thesis, dissertation, or research paper...even if asked. A paper that looks like a draft, will interpreted as such, and you can expect extensive and liberal modifications. Take the time to put your paper in perfect APA format before showing it to anyone else. The payoff will be great since it will then be perceived as a final paper, and there will be far fewer changes.
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Style, layout, and page formatting
Title page
All text on the title page is centered vertically and horizontally. The title page has no page number and it is not counted in any page numbering.
Page layout
Left margin: 1½"
Right margin: 1"
Top margin: 1"
Bottom margin: 1"
Page numbering
Pages are numbered at the top right. There should be 1" of white space from the top of the page number to the top of the paper. Numeric page numbering begins with the first page of Chapter 1 (although a page number is not placed on page 1).
Spacing and justification
All pages are single sided. Text is double-spaced, except for long quotations and the bibliography (which are single-spaced). There is one blank line between a section heading and the text that follows it. Do not right-justify text. Use ragged-right.
Font face and size
Any easily readable font is acceptable. The font should be 10 points or larger. Generally, the same font must be used throughout the manuscript, except 1) tables and graphs may use a different font, and 2) chapter titles and section headings may use a different font.
References
APA format should be used to cite references within the paper. If you name the author in your sentence, then follow the authors name with the year in parentheses. For example:
Jones (2004) found that...
If you do not include the authors name as part of the text, then both the author's name and year are enclosed in parentheses. For example:
One researcher (Jones, 2004) found that...
A complete bibliography is attached at the end of the paper. It is double spaced except single-spacing is used for a multiple-line reference. The first line of each reference is indented.
Examples:
Bradburn, N. M., & Mason, W. M. (1964). The effect of question order on response. Journal of Marketing Research 1 (4), 57-61.
Bradburn, N. M., & Miles, C. (1979). Vague quantifiers. Public Opinion Quarterly 43 (1), 92-101.
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Outline of chapters and sections
TITLE PAGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I - Introduction
Introductory paragraphs
Statement of the problem
Purpose
Significance of the study
Research questions and/or hypotheses
CHAPTER II - Background
Literature review
Definition of terms
CHAPTER III - Methodology
Restate purpose and research questions or null hypotheses
Population and sampling
Instrumentation (include copy in appendix)
Procedure and time frame
Analysis plan (state critical alpha level and type of statistical tests)
Validity and reliability
Assumptions
Scope and limitations
CHAPTER IV - Results
CHAPTER V - Conclusions and recommendations
Summary (of what you did and found)
Discussion (explanation of findings - why do you think you found what you did?)
Recommendations (based on your findings)
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
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Chapter I - Introduction
Introductory paragraphs
Chapter I begins with a few short introductory paragraphs (a couple of pages at most). The primary goal of the introductory paragraphs is to catch the attention of the readers and to get them "turned on" about the subject. It sets the stage for the paper and puts your topic in perspective. The introduction often contains dramatic and general statements about the need for the study. It uses dramatic illustrations or quotes to set the tone. When writing the introduction, put yourself in your reader's position - would you continue reading?
Statement of the Problem
The statement of the problem is the focal point of your research. It is just one sentence (with several paragraphs of elaboration).
You are looking for something wrong.
....or something that needs close attention
....or existing methods that no longer seem to be working.
Example of a problem statement:
"The frequency of job layoffs is creating fear, anxiety, and a loss of productivity in middle management workers."
While the problem statement itself is just one sentence, it is always accompanied by several paragraphs that elaborate on the problem. Present persuasive arguments why the problem is important enough to study. Include the opinions of others (politicians, futurists, other professionals). Explain how the problem relates to business, social or political trends by presenting data that demonstrates the scope and depth of the problem. Try to give dramatic and concrete illustrations of the problem. After writing this section, make sure you can easily identify the single sentence that is the problem statement.
Purpose
The purpose is a single statement or paragraph that explains what the study intends to accomplish. A few typical statements are:
The goal of this study is to...
... overcome the difficulty with ...
... discover what ...
... understand the causes or effects of ...
... refine our current understanding of ...
... provide a new interpretation of ...
... understand what makes ___ successful or unsuccessful
Significance of the Study
This section creates a perspective for looking at the problem. It points out how your study relates to the larger issues and uses a persuasive rationale to justify the reason for your study. It makes the purpose worth pursuing. The significance of the study answers the questions:
Why is your study important?
To whom is it important?
What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?
Research Questions and/or Hypotheses and/or Null Hypotheses
Chapter I lists the research questions (although it is equally acceptable to present the hypotheses or null hypotheses). No elaboration is included in this section. An example would be:
The research questions for this study will be:
1. What are the attitudes of...
2. Is there a significant difference between...
3. Is there a significant relationship between...
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Chapter II - Background
Chapter II is a review of the literature. It is important because it shows what previous researchers have discovered. It is usually quite long and primarily depends upon how much research has previously been done in the area you are planning to investigate. If you are planning to explore a relatively new area, the literature review should cite similar areas of study or studies that lead up to the current research. Never say that your area is so new that no research exists. It is one of the key elements that proposal readers look at when deciding whether or not to approve a proposal.
Chapter II should also contain a definition of terms section when appropriate. Include it if your paper uses special terms that are unique to your field of inquiry or that might not be understood by the general reader. "Operational definitions" (definitions that you have formulated for the study) should also be included. An example of an operational definition is: "For the purpose of this research, improvement is operationally defined as posttest score minus pretest score".
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Chapter III - Methodology
The methodology section describes your basic research plan. It usually begins with a few short introductory paragraphs that restate purpose and research questions. The phraseology should be identical to that used in Chapter I. Keep the wording of your research questions consistent throughout the document.
Population and sampling
The basic research paradigm is:
1) Define the population
2) Draw a representative sample from the population
3) Do the research on the sample
4) Infer your results from the sample back to the population
As you can see, it all begins with a precise definition of the population. The whole idea of inferential research (using a sample to represent the entire population) depends upon an accurate description of the population. When you've finished your research and you make statements based on the results, who will they apply to? Usually, just one sentence is necessary to define the population. Examples are: "The population for this study is defined as all adult customers who make a purchase in our stores during the sampling time frame", or "...all home owners in the city of Minneapolis", or "...all potential consumers of our product".
While the population can usually be defined by a single statement, the sampling procedure needs to be described in extensive detail. There are numerous sampling methods from which to choose. Describe in minute detail, how you will select the sample. Use specific names, places, times, etc. Don't omit any details. This is extremely important because the reader of the paper must decide if your sample will sufficiently represent the population.
Instrumentation
If you are using a survey that was designed by someone else, state the source of the survey. Describe the theoretical constructs that the survey is attempting to measure. Include a copy of the actual survey in the appendix and state that a copy of the survey is in the appendix.
Procedure and time frame
State exactly when the research will begin and when it will end. Describe any special procedures that will be followed (e.g., instructions that will be read to participants, presentation of an informed consent form, etc.).
Analysis plan
The analysis plan should be described in detail. Each research question will usually require its own analysis. Thus, the research questions should be addressed one at a time followed by a description of the type of statistical tests that will be performed to answer that research question. Be specific. State what variables will be included in the analyses and identify the dependent and independent variables if such a relationship exists. Decision making criteria (e.g., the critical alpha level) should also be stated, as well as the computer software that will be used.
Validity and reliability
If the survey you're using was designed by someone else, then describe the previous validity and reliability assessments. When using an existing instrument, you'll want to perform the same reliability measurement as the author of the instrument. If you've developed your own survey, then you must describe the steps you took to assess its validity and a description of how you will measure its reliability.
Validity refers to the accuracy or truthfulness of a measurement. Are we measuring what we think we are? There are no statistical tests to measure validity. All assessments of validity are subjective opinions based on the judgment of the researcher. Nevertheless, there are at least three types of validity that should be addressed and you should state what steps you took to assess validity.
Face validity refers to the likelihood that a question will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Pretesting a survey is a good way to increase the likelihood of face validity. One method of establishing face validity is described here. How to make sure your survey is valid.
Content validity refers to whether an instrument provides adequate coverage of a topic. Expert opinions, literature searches, and pretest open-ended questions help to establish content validity.
Construct validity refers to the theoretical foundations underlying a particular scale or measurement. It looks at the underlying theories or constructs that explain a phenomena. In other words, if you are using several survey items to measure a more global construct (e.g., a subscale of a survey), then you should describe why you believe the items comprise a construct. If a construct has been identified by previous researchers, then describe the criteria they used to validate the construct. A technique known as confirmatory factor analysis is often used to explore how individual survey items contribute to an overall construct measurement.
Reliability is synonymous with repeatability or stability. A measurement that yields consistent results over time is said to be reliable. When a measurement is prone to random error, it lacks reliability.
There are three basic methods to test reliability : test-retest, equivalent form, and internal consistency. Most research uses some form of internal consistency. When there is a scale of items all attempting to measure the same construct, then we would expect a large degree of coherence in the way people answer those items. Various statistical tests can measure the degree of coherence. Another way to test reliability is to ask the same question with slightly different wording in different parts of the survey. The correlation between the items is a measure of their reliability. See: How to test the reliability of a survey.
Assumptions
All research studies make assumptions. The most obvious is that the sample represents the population. Another common assumptions are that an instrument has validity and is measuring the desired constructs. Still another is that respondents will answer a survey truthfully. The important point is for the researcher to state specifically what assumptions are being made.
Scope and limitations
All research studies also have limitations and a finite scope. Limitations are often imposed by time and budget constraints. Precisely list the limitations of the study. Describe the extent to which you believe the limitations degrade the quality of the research.
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Chapter IV - Results
Description of the sample
Nearly all research collects various demographic information. It is important to report the descriptive statistics of the sample because it lets the reader decide if the sample is truly representative of the population.
Analyses
The analyses section is cut and dry. It precisely follows the analysis plan laid out in Chapter III. Each research question addressed individually. For each research question:
1) Restate the research question using the exact wording as in Chapter I
2) If the research question is testable, state the null hypothesis
3) State the type of statistical test(s) performed
4) Report the statistics and conclusions, followed by any appropriate table(s)
Numbers and tables are not self-evident. If you use tables or graphs, refer to them in the text and explain what they say. An example is: "Table 4 shows a strong negative relationship between delivery time and customer satisfaction (r=-.72, p=.03)". All tables and figures have a number and a descriptive heading. For example:
Table 4
The relationship between delivery time and customer satisfaction.
Avoid the use of trivial tables or graphs. If a graph or table does not add new information (i.e., information not explained in the text), then don't include it.
Simply present the results. Do not attempt to explain the results in this chapter.
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Chapter V - Conclusions and recommendations
Begin the final chapter with a few paragraphs summarizing what you did and found (i.e., the conclusions from Chapter IV).
Discussion
Discuss the findings. Do your findings support existing theories? Explain why you think you found what you did. Present plausible reasons why the results might have turned out the way they did.
Recommendations
Present recommendations based on your findings. Avoid the temptation to present recommendations based on your own beliefs or biases that are not specifically supported by your data. Recommendations fall into two categories. The first is recommendations to the study sponsor. What actions do you recommend they take based upon the data. The second is recommendations to other researchers. There are almost always ways that a study could be improved or refined. What would you change if you were to do your study over again? These are the recommendations to other researchers.
Top
References
List references in APA format alphabetically by author's last name
Top
Appendix
Include a copy of any actual instruments. If used, include a copy of the informed consent form.
Top
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Showing posts with label ENGLISH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENGLISH. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH
The following is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech, which he delivered at the State Palace after his inauguration on Wednesday at the People's Consultative Assembly:
Today, we are grateful indeed to God Almighty. Having gone through a long election process, today, before the members of the People's Consultative Assembly, I, and Pak Jusuf Kalla, took our oaths as the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia for the period of 2004-2009. Our inauguration today marked the beginning of a new government, which received a mandate directly from the people. Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Indonesian people, for your participation, support and trust.
Allow me -- personally, and on behalf of the Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, as well as on behalf of the entire nation -- to express our deepest gratitude and highest appreciation to Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, for their great efforts in upholding the Constitution, leading the government, and guiding the nation successfully during their tenure as the president and vice president between 2001 and 2004.
Indeed, the entire nation shall remember and cherish all the great deeds of president Megawati and vice president Hamzah Haz. In the spirit of our nation's time-honored tradition, I, as the President of the Republic of Indonesia, pledge to always preserve my ties of brotherhood with Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, as our two national figures.
All of us must remember the wisdom of our great founding father, the former president Sukarno, who once reminded us: "United we stand, divided we fall."
Today, we have, remarkably, passed one of the most important tests of our history.
First, our nation has successfully undertaken national elections in a democratic, fair, orderly, and peaceful manner. This year's elections were, by all means, the most ambitious, most difficult, and most complicated electoral marathon in the world, and yet, we successfully orchestrated them.
Indeed, we are all proud of our General Elections Commission (KPU), which managed to undertake this difficult task independently, professionally and responsibly.
Second, as we have just witnessed in today's solemn ceremony, our nation has accomplished the process of power transfer constitutionally, democratically, orderly and peacefully. Thank God, our nation is now more mature in democracy, and able to build a more mature political culture. With such a great success, not only are we successful in taking this step as a big democracy, but we have also become a model for the world's democracies.
Our great nation has undertaken two elections since reformasi: In 1999 and in 2004. In the democratic transition of any country, the second election is normally regarded as the critical one, the litmus test for the maturity of democracy.
With the formidable success of our elections this year, we have indeed taken one step forward in realizing the modernization of Indonesian politics.
And, through our legislative election this year, we are one step ahead in achieving political regeneration in Indonesia, as we can clearly witness through the new and fresh faces in our honorable Assembly.
Thank God, the 2004 elections are now over. It is time for us to walk together, toward our future. We have passed our moment of competition, now it is time for unity. Our days of words and promises are over, as it is time to do real deeds and works. It is our time to unite in creation.
It is time for us to consolidate our spirit of determination, thoughts and attention, to overcome the various challenges and problems that we are now facing. We must overcome these problems together. Indeed, the government that I lead cannot possibly overcome them without the support and participation of our people, and all national components.
As we all know, for the founding fathers of this nation, their biggest challenge was to establish our nation and free our people from colonialists. For the subsequent generations, including ours, the greatest challenge is to free our people from poverty, ignorance, backwardness, and all problems that prevent the growth of our people's abilities. More specifically, the challenge of our era is to consolidate our democracy and accomplish our agenda of reform.
A consolidated democracy that is continually developing will provide us with solid ground for the life of our nationhood and statecraft. Within such a democratic life, we can manage to successfully implement our national agenda, including the accomplishment of various agendas of reform.
With our perseverance, belief and hard work, God willing, our nation and beloved country will continue to grow -- people will be more prosperous within a safer and just life. And, with all these convictions, I am confident that our nation will become a respected nation, and respected by other nations in the world.
Today's mood of happiness is engulfed by huge optimism. However, we must remember that the journey may be difficult and we face a huge challenge ahead:
- Our economic growth this year, which is still far less than 7 percent, is definitely inadequate in generating more employment.
More than 10 million of our fellow countrymen are still out of jobs.
- Needless to remind you that 16 percent of our people are still living below the poverty line.
- Although the debt to Gross National Product ratio is decreasing, debt will continue to burden our economy.
- Our brothers and sisters in Aceh and Papua still live in anxiety.
- Security in Poso and Maluku is still well under control, although not entirely recovered.
- Corruption, collusion and nepotism are still rampant and continue to be a systemic problem.
- The international situation is far from settled.
- The price of oil continues to rise well above the assumptions of our national budget.
- And, the imminent threats of terrorism and other forms of transnational crime will continue to haunt us.
Let us work harder to overcome all these difficult challenges.
Tomorrow morning, on Oct. 21, God willing, I will inaugurate the members of my cabinet for the 2004-2009 period. Soon after that, we will immediately start to formulate and implement the initial steps of government policy.
In the next few months, my administration will concentrate on domestic problems.
- My administration will stimulate the economy in order to achieve higher economic growth, which can absorb more employment and help alleviate poverty.
- My administration will continue to adopt and implement open economic policies, in order to integrate the economy with regional and international economies. In doing so, the government will focus on short- and medium-term agendas in enhancing productivity and competitiveness.
- My administration will encourage more investors to build our infrastructure.
- My administration will actively launch an anticorruption program, which, I, myself, will lead.
- My administration will give special attention to the handling of conflicts in Aceh and Papua.
- My administration will prioritize and improve the government's policies on the education and health sectors.
- My administration will intensify constructive dialog with economic actors, especially our business communities, including investors, whom I really expect to be the engine of our economy.
- My administration will do their utmost to establish clean and good governance, which is responsive toward the public's needs and aspirations.
But, let me remind you: It is impossible to resolve all of these complicated problems within 100 days. That is easier said than done.
But, I have the strong conviction that our determination and goodwill are far more superior than the problems we are facing. At this point, our character as a great nation is truly under a severe test.
For a great nation, the harder the test, the higher its tenacity; the more difficult the ordeal, the stronger its faith; the stronger the storm, the stronger its solidarity; and the more difficult the challenge, the stronger our sense of unity. Let us prove and build on our greatness as a nation.
God willing, with our solidarity and hard work, we will be able to create a better condition for Indonesians -- safer, more just and more prosperous.
With my unfettered feelings and unfeigned confidence, today we are opening a new chapter in the history of our nation. This is the time to greet a new dawn.
To all of the Indonesian people, wherever you are, I would like to wholeheartedly express my sincere gratitude to you, for your support and confidence in myself and Pak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. Although I am now the President, I am no different from each and every one of you -- I am just an ordinary citizen from an ordinary family, born and raised by the state and the community.
With the mandate I received directly from you, I am determined to become, not only the President of the Republic of Indonesia, but also the President of Indonesians -- of all of the Indonesian people.
I will keep this noble political contract with the people. I will dedicate my every thought -- all my time and energy -- to promoting and protecting each Indonesian soul.
To all members of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and I are committed to cooperating with all of you, for the sake of our national interests -- the interests of the Indonesian people as emanated in our Constitution and laws that we must all duly uphold.
For that matter, I sincerely urge you all to work together to overcome the various, difficult problems that we are facing. The people surely demand that we work closely in creating more jobs, alleviating poverty, redeveloping our infrastructure and many other problems faced by the people. The people need our leadership and need us as role models.
To all civil servants, especially civilian civil servants employed at central and regional levels, to our men and women in uniform, to our policemen and policewomen, to the employees of state-owned enterprises -- I ask you all to welcome this new government with new spirit, improved services and to create a better life, together with all of the people. You are responsible for many important things in our lives. Let us do our tasks and duty with a full sense of responsibility. We are all public servants. The government and all civil servants are indeed here to assist and serve the public, the country. Keep up the spirit to serve. Any country in the world can be successful if only it is supported by clean, professional state apparatuses, responsive toward the aspirations and development of its people.
To all of our friends all over the world, please accept our friendship, which we offer to you with open arms.
My administration will continue to uphold the free and active principle of foreign policy, and Indonesia is determined to become a voice that promotes peace, increases prosperity and defends justice. Indonesia will continue to grow as a democratic, open, modern, pluralistic and tolerant nation.
I would particularly like to express my highest appreciation to all of our state guests from friendly and neighboring countries, for their presence at the inauguration ceremony at the Assembly this morning, who have truly bestowed on us a remarkable honor.
Indeed, we are honored by the presence of His Excellency, the Honorable Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia; His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency, the Honorable Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore; His Excellency, the Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia; and His Excellency, the Honorable Mari Alkatiri, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste. We would also like to express our gratitude to the leaders of friendly countries who have sent their special envoys, from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Personally, and on behalf of all Indonesian people, I am truly delighted and honored by your Excellencies' attention to the new government that I lead.
Having been inaugurated as the President this morning, I will focus my attention on finalizing the Cabinet for the 2004-2009 period, which, God willing, will be announced tonight (Wednesday night). Furthermore, God willing, I will inaugurate the new Cabinet members (on Thursday), with the great hope that they can adapt immediately and work well.
Let me assure you that I, and the entire new government, will work hard to keep the people's trust. I accordingly ask for the blessings, support and trust of all Indonesian people, and the whole nation, in order to meet constitutional requirements within the next five years. May Allah bless us all with guidance and strength.
Today's Paper
* Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Today, we are grateful indeed to God Almighty. Having gone through a long election process, today, before the members of the People's Consultative Assembly, I, and Pak Jusuf Kalla, took our oaths as the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia for the period of 2004-2009. Our inauguration today marked the beginning of a new government, which received a mandate directly from the people. Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Indonesian people, for your participation, support and trust.
Allow me -- personally, and on behalf of the Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, as well as on behalf of the entire nation -- to express our deepest gratitude and highest appreciation to Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, for their great efforts in upholding the Constitution, leading the government, and guiding the nation successfully during their tenure as the president and vice president between 2001 and 2004.
Indeed, the entire nation shall remember and cherish all the great deeds of president Megawati and vice president Hamzah Haz. In the spirit of our nation's time-honored tradition, I, as the President of the Republic of Indonesia, pledge to always preserve my ties of brotherhood with Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, as our two national figures.
All of us must remember the wisdom of our great founding father, the former president Sukarno, who once reminded us: "United we stand, divided we fall."
Today, we have, remarkably, passed one of the most important tests of our history.
First, our nation has successfully undertaken national elections in a democratic, fair, orderly, and peaceful manner. This year's elections were, by all means, the most ambitious, most difficult, and most complicated electoral marathon in the world, and yet, we successfully orchestrated them.
Indeed, we are all proud of our General Elections Commission (KPU), which managed to undertake this difficult task independently, professionally and responsibly.
Second, as we have just witnessed in today's solemn ceremony, our nation has accomplished the process of power transfer constitutionally, democratically, orderly and peacefully. Thank God, our nation is now more mature in democracy, and able to build a more mature political culture. With such a great success, not only are we successful in taking this step as a big democracy, but we have also become a model for the world's democracies.
Our great nation has undertaken two elections since reformasi: In 1999 and in 2004. In the democratic transition of any country, the second election is normally regarded as the critical one, the litmus test for the maturity of democracy.
With the formidable success of our elections this year, we have indeed taken one step forward in realizing the modernization of Indonesian politics.
And, through our legislative election this year, we are one step ahead in achieving political regeneration in Indonesia, as we can clearly witness through the new and fresh faces in our honorable Assembly.
Thank God, the 2004 elections are now over. It is time for us to walk together, toward our future. We have passed our moment of competition, now it is time for unity. Our days of words and promises are over, as it is time to do real deeds and works. It is our time to unite in creation.
It is time for us to consolidate our spirit of determination, thoughts and attention, to overcome the various challenges and problems that we are now facing. We must overcome these problems together. Indeed, the government that I lead cannot possibly overcome them without the support and participation of our people, and all national components.
As we all know, for the founding fathers of this nation, their biggest challenge was to establish our nation and free our people from colonialists. For the subsequent generations, including ours, the greatest challenge is to free our people from poverty, ignorance, backwardness, and all problems that prevent the growth of our people's abilities. More specifically, the challenge of our era is to consolidate our democracy and accomplish our agenda of reform.
A consolidated democracy that is continually developing will provide us with solid ground for the life of our nationhood and statecraft. Within such a democratic life, we can manage to successfully implement our national agenda, including the accomplishment of various agendas of reform.
With our perseverance, belief and hard work, God willing, our nation and beloved country will continue to grow -- people will be more prosperous within a safer and just life. And, with all these convictions, I am confident that our nation will become a respected nation, and respected by other nations in the world.
Today's mood of happiness is engulfed by huge optimism. However, we must remember that the journey may be difficult and we face a huge challenge ahead:
- Our economic growth this year, which is still far less than 7 percent, is definitely inadequate in generating more employment.
More than 10 million of our fellow countrymen are still out of jobs.
- Needless to remind you that 16 percent of our people are still living below the poverty line.
- Although the debt to Gross National Product ratio is decreasing, debt will continue to burden our economy.
- Our brothers and sisters in Aceh and Papua still live in anxiety.
- Security in Poso and Maluku is still well under control, although not entirely recovered.
- Corruption, collusion and nepotism are still rampant and continue to be a systemic problem.
- The international situation is far from settled.
- The price of oil continues to rise well above the assumptions of our national budget.
- And, the imminent threats of terrorism and other forms of transnational crime will continue to haunt us.
Let us work harder to overcome all these difficult challenges.
Tomorrow morning, on Oct. 21, God willing, I will inaugurate the members of my cabinet for the 2004-2009 period. Soon after that, we will immediately start to formulate and implement the initial steps of government policy.
In the next few months, my administration will concentrate on domestic problems.
- My administration will stimulate the economy in order to achieve higher economic growth, which can absorb more employment and help alleviate poverty.
- My administration will continue to adopt and implement open economic policies, in order to integrate the economy with regional and international economies. In doing so, the government will focus on short- and medium-term agendas in enhancing productivity and competitiveness.
- My administration will encourage more investors to build our infrastructure.
- My administration will actively launch an anticorruption program, which, I, myself, will lead.
- My administration will give special attention to the handling of conflicts in Aceh and Papua.
- My administration will prioritize and improve the government's policies on the education and health sectors.
- My administration will intensify constructive dialog with economic actors, especially our business communities, including investors, whom I really expect to be the engine of our economy.
- My administration will do their utmost to establish clean and good governance, which is responsive toward the public's needs and aspirations.
But, let me remind you: It is impossible to resolve all of these complicated problems within 100 days. That is easier said than done.
But, I have the strong conviction that our determination and goodwill are far more superior than the problems we are facing. At this point, our character as a great nation is truly under a severe test.
For a great nation, the harder the test, the higher its tenacity; the more difficult the ordeal, the stronger its faith; the stronger the storm, the stronger its solidarity; and the more difficult the challenge, the stronger our sense of unity. Let us prove and build on our greatness as a nation.
God willing, with our solidarity and hard work, we will be able to create a better condition for Indonesians -- safer, more just and more prosperous.
With my unfettered feelings and unfeigned confidence, today we are opening a new chapter in the history of our nation. This is the time to greet a new dawn.
To all of the Indonesian people, wherever you are, I would like to wholeheartedly express my sincere gratitude to you, for your support and confidence in myself and Pak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. Although I am now the President, I am no different from each and every one of you -- I am just an ordinary citizen from an ordinary family, born and raised by the state and the community.
With the mandate I received directly from you, I am determined to become, not only the President of the Republic of Indonesia, but also the President of Indonesians -- of all of the Indonesian people.
I will keep this noble political contract with the people. I will dedicate my every thought -- all my time and energy -- to promoting and protecting each Indonesian soul.
To all members of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and I are committed to cooperating with all of you, for the sake of our national interests -- the interests of the Indonesian people as emanated in our Constitution and laws that we must all duly uphold.
For that matter, I sincerely urge you all to work together to overcome the various, difficult problems that we are facing. The people surely demand that we work closely in creating more jobs, alleviating poverty, redeveloping our infrastructure and many other problems faced by the people. The people need our leadership and need us as role models.
To all civil servants, especially civilian civil servants employed at central and regional levels, to our men and women in uniform, to our policemen and policewomen, to the employees of state-owned enterprises -- I ask you all to welcome this new government with new spirit, improved services and to create a better life, together with all of the people. You are responsible for many important things in our lives. Let us do our tasks and duty with a full sense of responsibility. We are all public servants. The government and all civil servants are indeed here to assist and serve the public, the country. Keep up the spirit to serve. Any country in the world can be successful if only it is supported by clean, professional state apparatuses, responsive toward the aspirations and development of its people.
To all of our friends all over the world, please accept our friendship, which we offer to you with open arms.
My administration will continue to uphold the free and active principle of foreign policy, and Indonesia is determined to become a voice that promotes peace, increases prosperity and defends justice. Indonesia will continue to grow as a democratic, open, modern, pluralistic and tolerant nation.
I would particularly like to express my highest appreciation to all of our state guests from friendly and neighboring countries, for their presence at the inauguration ceremony at the Assembly this morning, who have truly bestowed on us a remarkable honor.
Indeed, we are honored by the presence of His Excellency, the Honorable Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia; His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency, the Honorable Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore; His Excellency, the Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia; and His Excellency, the Honorable Mari Alkatiri, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste. We would also like to express our gratitude to the leaders of friendly countries who have sent their special envoys, from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Personally, and on behalf of all Indonesian people, I am truly delighted and honored by your Excellencies' attention to the new government that I lead.
Having been inaugurated as the President this morning, I will focus my attention on finalizing the Cabinet for the 2004-2009 period, which, God willing, will be announced tonight (Wednesday night). Furthermore, God willing, I will inaugurate the new Cabinet members (on Thursday), with the great hope that they can adapt immediately and work well.
Let me assure you that I, and the entire new government, will work hard to keep the people's trust. I accordingly ask for the blessings, support and trust of all Indonesian people, and the whole nation, in order to meet constitutional requirements within the next five years. May Allah bless us all with guidance and strength.
Today's Paper
* Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Banyumas officials go back to school
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 10/05/1999 12:00 AM
PURWOKERTO, Central Java: A senior regency official here has drawn attention to the fact that only 10 percent of the 4,366 officials working at the Banyumas administration have been educated beyond high school.
Regional Secretary Soediman said the low education level would be a drawback to the administration, especially when the new law on regional autonomy was in place. The law is expected to take effect in 2001.
""We realize our weakness. Nevertheless, it's not an easy task for us to add or reduce our staff. Everything still depends on the central government,"" Soediman said.
To overcome the education problem, he said that the regional administration and Jenderal Soedirman University had agreed on a joint program whereby 70 local officials could be sent to the university to enhance their skills.
In return, the university would receive full cooperation for any researchinvolving the administration, he
PURWOKERTO, Central Java: A senior regency official here has drawn attention to the fact that only 10 percent of the 4,366 officials working at the Banyumas administration have been educated beyond high school.
Regional Secretary Soediman said the low education level would be a drawback to the administration, especially when the new law on regional autonomy was in place. The law is expected to take effect in 2001.
""We realize our weakness. Nevertheless, it's not an easy task for us to add or reduce our staff. Everything still depends on the central government,"" Soediman said.
To overcome the education problem, he said that the regional administration and Jenderal Soedirman University had agreed on a joint program whereby 70 local officials could be sent to the university to enhance their skills.
In return, the university would receive full cooperation for any researchinvolving the administration, he
Friday, May 23, 2008
RECOGNIZING SUCCESS IN TEACHING ENGLISH
Many institutions and teachers have a reputation for real success in teaching English. Others have a poor reputation. For example, they say that they have learnt a lot of English at school. Others say that they have studied for three, four years or more, but learnt almost nothing. The main test in for real success in teaching and learning should be whether or not the learners are able to communicate at all in English. Can they understand simple instruction, letters, articles? Can they respond an interview? Can they use certain functional expressions in a conversation? Can they comprehend simple paragraphs? Can they ask for directions in the street? Can they express their opinion in a discussion? Can they write letters or reports? And, can they pass recognized Examinations in English, like KET, PET, IELTS, TOEIC, or TOEFL?
We know success is not just being able to repeat memorizes sentences or complete grammar exercises, - but more than that, the learners should have ability to use English effectively in real communication situations. Success is not the same as getting 8, 9 or 10 in course tests – though it may indicate some progress
Successful teachers and institutions where they teach may be different in many ways. Their teaching skill is affected by their experiences, trainings, size of class, hours of teaching in a week, methodology and the materials they usually use. However, successful teachers tend to have certain things in common. They usually:
* Have practical command in English, not just a knowledge of grammar rules.
* Use English most of the time in every class, including beginners' classes.
* Emphasize more on learners' practice, instead of teacher explanations.
* Use time for real-communicative activities, not just practice of language forms.
* Focus their teaching on their learners' needs, not just `finishing' the syllabus or course book.
A teacher's development of a command of English should be a long-life hobby as well as a professional obligation. Of course, a knowledge of the rules and terminology of grammar and vocabulary is also useful. But language teaching is much more than just the transfer of knowledge. Using English in to communicate with their learners is also avoidable. By using English in or out of classroom, their learners constantly experience the real communicative use of English. It motivates the learners and improves their exposure to the language through listening comprehension and gives them opportunity to speak English. Finally, put the learners at the centre of teaching. Your success as a teacher is based entirely on their success as learners.
Hopefully this short ideas will benefit those interested in English teaching.
We know success is not just being able to repeat memorizes sentences or complete grammar exercises, - but more than that, the learners should have ability to use English effectively in real communication situations. Success is not the same as getting 8, 9 or 10 in course tests – though it may indicate some progress
Successful teachers and institutions where they teach may be different in many ways. Their teaching skill is affected by their experiences, trainings, size of class, hours of teaching in a week, methodology and the materials they usually use. However, successful teachers tend to have certain things in common. They usually:
* Have practical command in English, not just a knowledge of grammar rules.
* Use English most of the time in every class, including beginners' classes.
* Emphasize more on learners' practice, instead of teacher explanations.
* Use time for real-communicative activities, not just practice of language forms.
* Focus their teaching on their learners' needs, not just `finishing' the syllabus or course book.
A teacher's development of a command of English should be a long-life hobby as well as a professional obligation. Of course, a knowledge of the rules and terminology of grammar and vocabulary is also useful. But language teaching is much more than just the transfer of knowledge. Using English in to communicate with their learners is also avoidable. By using English in or out of classroom, their learners constantly experience the real communicative use of English. It motivates the learners and improves their exposure to the language through listening comprehension and gives them opportunity to speak English. Finally, put the learners at the centre of teaching. Your success as a teacher is based entirely on their success as learners.
Hopefully this short ideas will benefit those interested in English teaching.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Hobby' leads to int'l award for designer
Apriadi Gunawan , The Jakarta Post , Medan | Sun, 05/11/2008 12:37 PM | Discover
Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing. grand prize winner of the Topcoder Collegiate Challenge graphic design competition, poses for a photograph with his laptop at his home in Medan, North Sumatra. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing. grand prize winner of the Topcoder Collegiate Challenge graphic design competition, poses for a photograph with his laptop at his home in Medan, North Sumatra. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing spends at least eight hours a day in front of his computer. The programs he likes to use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Junius "tinkers" with these two programs all the time to increase his abilities in the field of graphic design.
Without a doubt, it is Junius' diligent "tinkering" with Photoshop and Illustrator that bore him fruit: This fifth semester student of Computer Sciences in the Mathematics and Environmental Science Faculty of North Sumatra University placed first in an international graphic design competition last November based in Orlando, Florida, the United States.
Junius defeated seven other finalists from the U.S., Argentina, Canada, India and Poland in this competition, after beating out about 300 other foreign contestants.
In addition to emerging the champion of the TopCoder Collegiate Challenge, Junius was also awarded a cash prize of US$15,000.
The 24-year-old said he was very proud of having been chosen the winner of this world-class graphic design contest.
"It means that the creativity of designers in Indonesia are not inferior to those overseas. This gives me pride and, at the same time, the motivation for greater achievements," said Junius, the second of five chidren.
He explained that he did not meet with any great difficulties in the contest, because creating graphic designs on his computer was already a habit. Junius is a self-taught designer, and said that his dedication to his "hobby" grew out of his fondness for drawing as a child.
By the time he entered university, Junius had become a skilled graphic designer, and by the time he reached his fifth semester of studies, he had started working as a freelancer for an advertising company in Medan.
"My work experience of three years with the advertising company made me increasingly ready for a competition," said Junius, who wants to continue his studies after graduating to broaden his knowledge of graphic design.
He said that the task the contest's three jury members - from the U.S., Canada and the Philippines - assigned to the finalists was complex. However, his "habit" and experience enabled him to complete it easily.
"The finalists were given eight hours to produce a brochure and postcard using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator," said Junius, whose final brochure and postcard used an abstract image of a computer with fresh and futuristic design elements.
The jury evaluated each finalist's design according to its neatness or seamlessness, typography, color and level of difficulty. In the final evaluation, the jury awarded the highest score of 86 points to Junius, followed by 84 points to an Indonesian contestant studying in Singapore and he third highest score of 82 points to an Argentinean contestant.
"It goes without saying that I was very honored when the jurors gave my design the highest score. This is my first achievement at the international level," said Junius. He added that earlier in 2007, he had won a gold award for the digital processing he implemented at a Medan-based tabloid.
Junius is highly grateful that he was able to win two first-place titles within the same year. However, it appears there is more in store for the young designer.
"The plan is, I'll leave for Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 11 to enter the TopCoder Open 2008. This contest is open to the public, and involves professionals, university students and high school students," he said.
According to Junius, this competition is vastly more difficult than the TopCoder Collegiate Challenge, from which the jury has selected 12 of the 300 contestants to participate in the TopCoder Open.
When asked what he planned to do in preparing for the Open, Junius replied that he would give his very best effort to make it to the finals.
Regarding the current recognition for graphic design, Junius said that he would be happy if people, particularly residents of Medan, had a high appreciation for this field.
"Graphic designers in Medan already show good-quality work. However, some of them are restricted by the systems at their current workplaces. As a result, they cannot produce designs that are able to reveal solid messages through imagery," he said.
Junius also mentioned that graphic designers were gen
Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing. grand prize winner of the Topcoder Collegiate Challenge graphic design competition, poses for a photograph with his laptop at his home in Medan, North Sumatra. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing. grand prize winner of the Topcoder Collegiate Challenge graphic design competition, poses for a photograph with his laptop at his home in Medan, North Sumatra. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
Junius Alberto Lumban Tobing spends at least eight hours a day in front of his computer. The programs he likes to use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Junius "tinkers" with these two programs all the time to increase his abilities in the field of graphic design.
Without a doubt, it is Junius' diligent "tinkering" with Photoshop and Illustrator that bore him fruit: This fifth semester student of Computer Sciences in the Mathematics and Environmental Science Faculty of North Sumatra University placed first in an international graphic design competition last November based in Orlando, Florida, the United States.
Junius defeated seven other finalists from the U.S., Argentina, Canada, India and Poland in this competition, after beating out about 300 other foreign contestants.
In addition to emerging the champion of the TopCoder Collegiate Challenge, Junius was also awarded a cash prize of US$15,000.
The 24-year-old said he was very proud of having been chosen the winner of this world-class graphic design contest.
"It means that the creativity of designers in Indonesia are not inferior to those overseas. This gives me pride and, at the same time, the motivation for greater achievements," said Junius, the second of five chidren.
He explained that he did not meet with any great difficulties in the contest, because creating graphic designs on his computer was already a habit. Junius is a self-taught designer, and said that his dedication to his "hobby" grew out of his fondness for drawing as a child.
By the time he entered university, Junius had become a skilled graphic designer, and by the time he reached his fifth semester of studies, he had started working as a freelancer for an advertising company in Medan.
"My work experience of three years with the advertising company made me increasingly ready for a competition," said Junius, who wants to continue his studies after graduating to broaden his knowledge of graphic design.
He said that the task the contest's three jury members - from the U.S., Canada and the Philippines - assigned to the finalists was complex. However, his "habit" and experience enabled him to complete it easily.
"The finalists were given eight hours to produce a brochure and postcard using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator," said Junius, whose final brochure and postcard used an abstract image of a computer with fresh and futuristic design elements.
The jury evaluated each finalist's design according to its neatness or seamlessness, typography, color and level of difficulty. In the final evaluation, the jury awarded the highest score of 86 points to Junius, followed by 84 points to an Indonesian contestant studying in Singapore and he third highest score of 82 points to an Argentinean contestant.
"It goes without saying that I was very honored when the jurors gave my design the highest score. This is my first achievement at the international level," said Junius. He added that earlier in 2007, he had won a gold award for the digital processing he implemented at a Medan-based tabloid.
Junius is highly grateful that he was able to win two first-place titles within the same year. However, it appears there is more in store for the young designer.
"The plan is, I'll leave for Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 11 to enter the TopCoder Open 2008. This contest is open to the public, and involves professionals, university students and high school students," he said.
According to Junius, this competition is vastly more difficult than the TopCoder Collegiate Challenge, from which the jury has selected 12 of the 300 contestants to participate in the TopCoder Open.
When asked what he planned to do in preparing for the Open, Junius replied that he would give his very best effort to make it to the finals.
Regarding the current recognition for graphic design, Junius said that he would be happy if people, particularly residents of Medan, had a high appreciation for this field.
"Graphic designers in Medan already show good-quality work. However, some of them are restricted by the systems at their current workplaces. As a result, they cannot produce designs that are able to reveal solid messages through imagery," he said.
Junius also mentioned that graphic designers were gen
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
TEACHER IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS CLASSROOM TOGETHER
Intel Corp., the world's largest computer microprocessor company, has been involved in education globally through its World Ahead Program focusing on greater accessibility, increased connectivity, quality education and localized content and services. Intel also has cooperated with the Indonesian Education Ministry to boost e-learning programs for schoolchildren. The Jakarta Post's Andy Haswidi and Primastuti Handayani spoke to chairman of the board of Intel Corp., Craig R. Barrett, on the company's vision and goals in education. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Question: What's your main objective in visiting Indonesia?
Answer: I have two roles and they are very similar, one is for Intel and its World Ahead Program, acting as an ambassador for Information Technology (IT), how it can be used for education, health care and business development.
The other role is with the United Nations and its global alliance for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and its development, which really has the same objective as the Intel World Ahead Program, which is how to use ICT for education, health care, business development and better communication between citizens and the government.
So, I try to get around the world to talk to business leaders, government leaders, educators and show what is possible. Sometimes we just talk about it, usually we try to demonstrate techniques, train teachers, show what can be done and push people toward implementation.
You are focusing technology on raising educational standards; what have you done and what are you going to do to achieve this objective?
Well ... we invested about US$100 million a year on education, we have trained nearly five million teachers around the world. We committed a year or two years ago to donate 100,000 PCs worldwide and 4,000 of them are here in Indonesia.
We work with universities in training and research programs ...
We have a program that really spans the entire education process. Research at the universities is very important, (so is) training young children in math and science. We won't focus on one at the expense the another ...
For example, I just came from Atlanta, Georgia, working with an international science and engineering program, which is targeting the high school science age group. We have sponsored it for 10 years.
We try to do many different things to get lots of young people interested in mathematics and science and to improve the quality of education.
How are you measuring your achievements in this endeavor, and how is it going to make a contribution to society?
When we train teachers we always go back a year later and ask the teachers what they thought of the training, if they are using the training in the classroom, and if this is helping to get better results.
So we try to measure outputs effectively. For example, it's a little more difficult to draw a direct line from what we do in elementary education to the impact on the economy of a country ...
However, the higher the level of education of your citizens, the higher the level at which the economy operates and the greater the per capita income.
Why Indonesia and why now?
Indonesia is a very important country, the fourth most populous country in the world. The economy is growing rapidly. We started our education program here a few years ago.
I try to visit about 30 countries a year (but) you can't visit every country every year ...
How is the Classmate PC progressing so far in terms of penetration and sales?
I think it's doing OK. There are still a lot of trials going on. There have been some volume orders in some countries. I think it has been accepted pretty well.
What's important about the Classmate PC is that it's not just the PC but it's the teacher, the training, the content and the connectivity. Those are what makes programs successful.
Costs are being reduced dramatically. You can buy a Classmate PC now for a couple of hundred dollars. Someday it will be less than $200. When they were $1,000 a piece, it was an excuse not to buy them. When they're getting to $100 or $200 apiece, the excuses for not buying them are diminishing!
How do you see the role of teachers in e-learning?
E-learning is really just a catchword for delivering a lot of content online. Teachers play the important role of interfacing with the students, seeing what the students' needs are, tailoring the lessons to the students. ...
If it were just computers, you should say what country has the most computers in the classroom? That's probably the United States. Does the United States have the best education system? No. And why not? Because we have a lot of teachers in the U.S. that are not certified and accredited in math and science. We have a lot of English teachers teaching mathematics, we have a lot of physical education teachers teaching chemistry.
We don't propose that we are training teachers to be content experts. We are not making teachers to teach math, English or history or chemistry. We train teachers how to integrate technology into the flow. We can help them bring the technology tool into the classroom and integrate that into the learning process, but the teachers are the glue, the teachers are the magic.
Question: What's your main objective in visiting Indonesia?
Answer: I have two roles and they are very similar, one is for Intel and its World Ahead Program, acting as an ambassador for Information Technology (IT), how it can be used for education, health care and business development.
The other role is with the United Nations and its global alliance for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and its development, which really has the same objective as the Intel World Ahead Program, which is how to use ICT for education, health care, business development and better communication between citizens and the government.
So, I try to get around the world to talk to business leaders, government leaders, educators and show what is possible. Sometimes we just talk about it, usually we try to demonstrate techniques, train teachers, show what can be done and push people toward implementation.
You are focusing technology on raising educational standards; what have you done and what are you going to do to achieve this objective?
Well ... we invested about US$100 million a year on education, we have trained nearly five million teachers around the world. We committed a year or two years ago to donate 100,000 PCs worldwide and 4,000 of them are here in Indonesia.
We work with universities in training and research programs ...
We have a program that really spans the entire education process. Research at the universities is very important, (so is) training young children in math and science. We won't focus on one at the expense the another ...
For example, I just came from Atlanta, Georgia, working with an international science and engineering program, which is targeting the high school science age group. We have sponsored it for 10 years.
We try to do many different things to get lots of young people interested in mathematics and science and to improve the quality of education.
How are you measuring your achievements in this endeavor, and how is it going to make a contribution to society?
When we train teachers we always go back a year later and ask the teachers what they thought of the training, if they are using the training in the classroom, and if this is helping to get better results.
So we try to measure outputs effectively. For example, it's a little more difficult to draw a direct line from what we do in elementary education to the impact on the economy of a country ...
However, the higher the level of education of your citizens, the higher the level at which the economy operates and the greater the per capita income.
Why Indonesia and why now?
Indonesia is a very important country, the fourth most populous country in the world. The economy is growing rapidly. We started our education program here a few years ago.
I try to visit about 30 countries a year (but) you can't visit every country every year ...
How is the Classmate PC progressing so far in terms of penetration and sales?
I think it's doing OK. There are still a lot of trials going on. There have been some volume orders in some countries. I think it has been accepted pretty well.
What's important about the Classmate PC is that it's not just the PC but it's the teacher, the training, the content and the connectivity. Those are what makes programs successful.
Costs are being reduced dramatically. You can buy a Classmate PC now for a couple of hundred dollars. Someday it will be less than $200. When they were $1,000 a piece, it was an excuse not to buy them. When they're getting to $100 or $200 apiece, the excuses for not buying them are diminishing!
How do you see the role of teachers in e-learning?
E-learning is really just a catchword for delivering a lot of content online. Teachers play the important role of interfacing with the students, seeing what the students' needs are, tailoring the lessons to the students. ...
If it were just computers, you should say what country has the most computers in the classroom? That's probably the United States. Does the United States have the best education system? No. And why not? Because we have a lot of teachers in the U.S. that are not certified and accredited in math and science. We have a lot of English teachers teaching mathematics, we have a lot of physical education teachers teaching chemistry.
We don't propose that we are training teachers to be content experts. We are not making teachers to teach math, English or history or chemistry. We train teachers how to integrate technology into the flow. We can help them bring the technology tool into the classroom and integrate that into the learning process, but the teachers are the glue, the teachers are the magic.
Indonesian students not e-ready for information technology world
Andra Wisnu , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/05/2008 11:25 AM | National
Indonesia's ability to provide skilled information technology workers remains in doubt, even as it approaches its 100th year of "national awakening".
Indonesia ranked 67th out of 69 countries in an e-readiness study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), faring little better than Azerbaijan and Iran as one of the least IT-prepared countries on the list.
The EIU ranking was based on consumer and business adoption of IT, connectivity and technology infrastructure, business environment, social and cultural environments, government policy and vision, and legal and policy environments.
In a separate survey by the United Nations, Indonesia ranked 106th out of 189 countries in terms of government Internet-based service usage.
And despite gold medal-winning performances in several international Physics, Biology and Astronomics Olympiads (including last year's Asian Physics Olympiads), Indonesian students have yet to distinguish themselves in the IT category.
According to Maria Widyati, deputy marketing director for the ComputerStar learning center, there are only three or four large private education institutions in Jakarta that provide IT-based education for students from elementary through to high school levels.
She said, "This is very sad, because we believe programmers will be the ones moving this world."
ComputerStar provides computer-based education from elementary to high school levels, and since its inception 20 years ago, some 330 schools across the country use its curriculum.
According to Maria, computer-based learning centers see an annual increase in the number of participating schools of only 7 to 10 percent. She added that most of the recipients were private schools, "because giving computer lessons is expensive".
In addition to the government-issued computer-based curriculum, ComputerStar also gives lessons on using image editing applications like Photoshop, and computer programming applications like C++.
Maria added, "We teach what is stipulated in the Education Ministry's curriculum, but we also feel it's important for the students to keep up with current trends."
In 2003, the government revised the 1989 law on education, giving schools more freedom in allocating their government funding.
Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo said the reluctance of schools to enhance the quality of IT education by improving their curriculum is part of a trial and error process.
"The schools are just surprised with having to handle so much money. They don't know what to do with it yet," he said.
He added, "We feel we should stop telling schools what to do with their money. We cut out that government bureaucracy because public school students tend to become rigid, it doesn't help their creativity. We want schools to allocate funds for whatever field they need to concentrate on."
The new law also replaced the old curriculum with a new competence-based curriculum that requires students to pass several subjects, including moral studies. In IT studies, the curriculum only requires students to have basic word processing skills and an understanding of computer icons.
"Basically we're allowing each school to compete with each other," Bambang said. "But in 10 or 15 years, we should see some results from democratizing the curriculum."
Bambang said the government had also taken steps to provide IT education by providing an e-learning system, which connects schools to the Internet to highlight IT education.
In 1997, the government created a distance-learning program, which was the basis for the development of an e-learning system. Then in 2006, the ministry launched a national education network, which connected about 750 public schools to the Internet.
Heru Sutadi, a telecommunications observer, argues that this has not translated into a wider use of network services.
"There is an improvement in terms of our online services, both in the business and government sectors," he said. "But those services still can't function as a main service center, because the infrastructure is not evenly spread out, there is limited troubleshooting expertise and limited IT awareness."
"Also, the available broadband services are limited, and are fairly expensive," he added.
According to the Indonesian Association of Internet Service Providers, only 10 percent of the population is connected to the Internet, compared to 90 percent in neighboring Singapore.
Heru said Indonesia had to start increasing the quality of IT education.
"It's our duty to ensure that future Indonesian workers master IT across the board, through formal and non-formal means," he said.
He added, "If we don't start now, when will our position change from simply using or seeing all these foreign products coming in and out, to actually being the producers?"
Indonesia's ability to provide skilled information technology workers remains in doubt, even as it approaches its 100th year of "national awakening".
Indonesia ranked 67th out of 69 countries in an e-readiness study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), faring little better than Azerbaijan and Iran as one of the least IT-prepared countries on the list.
The EIU ranking was based on consumer and business adoption of IT, connectivity and technology infrastructure, business environment, social and cultural environments, government policy and vision, and legal and policy environments.
In a separate survey by the United Nations, Indonesia ranked 106th out of 189 countries in terms of government Internet-based service usage.
And despite gold medal-winning performances in several international Physics, Biology and Astronomics Olympiads (including last year's Asian Physics Olympiads), Indonesian students have yet to distinguish themselves in the IT category.
According to Maria Widyati, deputy marketing director for the ComputerStar learning center, there are only three or four large private education institutions in Jakarta that provide IT-based education for students from elementary through to high school levels.
She said, "This is very sad, because we believe programmers will be the ones moving this world."
ComputerStar provides computer-based education from elementary to high school levels, and since its inception 20 years ago, some 330 schools across the country use its curriculum.
According to Maria, computer-based learning centers see an annual increase in the number of participating schools of only 7 to 10 percent. She added that most of the recipients were private schools, "because giving computer lessons is expensive".
In addition to the government-issued computer-based curriculum, ComputerStar also gives lessons on using image editing applications like Photoshop, and computer programming applications like C++.
Maria added, "We teach what is stipulated in the Education Ministry's curriculum, but we also feel it's important for the students to keep up with current trends."
In 2003, the government revised the 1989 law on education, giving schools more freedom in allocating their government funding.
Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo said the reluctance of schools to enhance the quality of IT education by improving their curriculum is part of a trial and error process.
"The schools are just surprised with having to handle so much money. They don't know what to do with it yet," he said.
He added, "We feel we should stop telling schools what to do with their money. We cut out that government bureaucracy because public school students tend to become rigid, it doesn't help their creativity. We want schools to allocate funds for whatever field they need to concentrate on."
The new law also replaced the old curriculum with a new competence-based curriculum that requires students to pass several subjects, including moral studies. In IT studies, the curriculum only requires students to have basic word processing skills and an understanding of computer icons.
"Basically we're allowing each school to compete with each other," Bambang said. "But in 10 or 15 years, we should see some results from democratizing the curriculum."
Bambang said the government had also taken steps to provide IT education by providing an e-learning system, which connects schools to the Internet to highlight IT education.
In 1997, the government created a distance-learning program, which was the basis for the development of an e-learning system. Then in 2006, the ministry launched a national education network, which connected about 750 public schools to the Internet.
Heru Sutadi, a telecommunications observer, argues that this has not translated into a wider use of network services.
"There is an improvement in terms of our online services, both in the business and government sectors," he said. "But those services still can't function as a main service center, because the infrastructure is not evenly spread out, there is limited troubleshooting expertise and limited IT awareness."
"Also, the available broadband services are limited, and are fairly expensive," he added.
According to the Indonesian Association of Internet Service Providers, only 10 percent of the population is connected to the Internet, compared to 90 percent in neighboring Singapore.
Heru said Indonesia had to start increasing the quality of IT education.
"It's our duty to ensure that future Indonesian workers master IT across the board, through formal and non-formal means," he said.
He added, "If we don't start now, when will our position change from simply using or seeing all these foreign products coming in and out, to actually being the producers?"
Commentary: A noble endeavor, an awakened foreign policy
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat , The Jakarta Post , Cambridge, Massachusetts | Mon, 05/19/2008 2:47 AM | Headlines
On May 20, 100 years ago, there was no Indonesian state, let alone a national foreign policy.
But the emergence of nationhood sowed by Boedi Oetomo in 1908 reflected events abroad.
It was an era of rising Asian nationalism: Four years earlier tsarist Russia suffered a crushing defeat to imperial Japan. A decade before, Filipinos began a rebellion against colonial power Spain and then the United States; and in 1885 the Indian National Congress was founded.
Over a century later the seeds planted by this generation of events would give rise to Asia's four greatest democracies of the 21st century -- India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
The emergence of a nationally conscious Indonesian educated elite in 1908 can also be attributed to a shift of perception in Europe. In 1899 Dutch lawyer Conrad van Deventer published an article underlining the debt of honor the Netherlands should pay for exploiting the peoples of the Dutch East Indies.
This prompted a marginal shift in Dutch colonial policy toward a somewhat more acceptable "ethical policy", which led to the opening of educational opportunities for Indonesians.
Lest we forget, Dutchman Douwes Dekker, one of the stalwarts of the 1908 generation, had his anti-colonialist views hardened while fighting against the British in the Boer War in South Africa six years earlier.
Indonesia may not have been a player on the global map at that time, but world events certainly helped shape Indonesian history.
And it is to history that the republic's leaders later turned as they envisioned awakening the Indonesian dream.
The country's first two presidents were rapt by visions of the ancient 14th century kingdom of Majapahit, and to some extent the preceding Sriwijaya kingdom, as antecedents to the modern Indonesian nation-state.
An archipelagic realm fabled by the ancient Javanese hymn "Nagarakretagama" extending through much of Southeast Asia. An international player in the Middle Ages.
The symbolism is irrefutable. The nation's motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity) is derived from Sanskrit dating back to the age of Majapahit.
So too is the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's logo, which reads "Caraka Bhuwana" (ambassadors to the world).
Since the economic and political calamities of 1998 the Foreign Ministry has truly been an ambassador of change. It has been the most internally reformist and policy progressive department in an oft torpid government.
Indonesian foreign policy in the last five years has returned to its true respected self: publicly understated and underappreciated, yet consistent and effective.
As a former minister remarked in 1994, Indonesia's foreign policy has never been "passive" or "defensive", but "we were always reluctant to brag about the success of our efforts".
More recently, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, when asked during a conversation why countries in the region would listen to Indonesia, replied "because we are consistent".
The most glowingly positive awakening has been the gradual shift toward a more values-based foreign policy. Not as an intruder or preacher of human rights, the way some countries pursue, but as a cheerleader for democracy.
Every Indonesian diplomat memorizes the meaning of "Caraka Bhuwana". But in this democratic era that motto should be coupled with Boedi Oetomo, which roughly translated means "noble endeavor".
Hence, "ambassadors to the world in a noble endeavor" should be the raison d'etre of diplomacy, akin to the foresight of the country's founding fathers.
But while foreign policy has awakened, there is the danger of day-dreaming in a state of consciousness. Pursuing goals beyond our immediate capacity or urgency.
The foundation of Indonesian foreign policy is Mohammad Hatta's 1948 speech that stressed non-alignment. A forgotten component of the speech of the first vice president was his call for pragmatism.
In Hatta's words: "Executed in consonance with the situations and facts it (Indonesia) has to face."
Current leaders love to spew rhetoric about Indonesia's attempted role to resolve the Middle East crisis, a leadership role in the Islamic world, attaining a permanent seat in the UN Security Council or mediating in the Korean Peninsula.
Grand rhetoric to satisfy domestic constituents. Delusions of grandeur absorbing immediate priorities and limited capacities.
They would be wise to remember former German chancellor Helmut Kohl's quip, "If I started to have visions I'd go see a doctor!"
The aforementioned issues are important, but priority should be given to promoting a stable environment of political openness in Southeast and East Asia, public diplomacy to raise the country's profile abroad and facilitation for the growing throng of Indonesians overseas.
Let us realize that in many ways Indonesia's global presence is similar to the Majapahit kingdom six centuries ago. A local player with limited presence beyond.
The world's third largest democracy (Indonesia) does not register with most Washington policymakers or Ivy League academics. And this in a country (United States) which is infatuated with global democracy.
The ancient rulers understood their faculty and set priorities accordingly. Sriwijaya and Majapahit were conscious of the Chinese dynasties to the north, and the Chola kingdom to the west. Concentrating, instead, on what it does best in its immediate sphere of influence.
Present-day Indonesians should never cease to aspire, but never forget their own confines.
If Icarus had rockets he may have reached the stars. Alas, though Indonesia may now be beginning to soar, it too has feathered wings.
The author, a staff writer with The Jakarta Post, is currently a research fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
On May 20, 100 years ago, there was no Indonesian state, let alone a national foreign policy.
But the emergence of nationhood sowed by Boedi Oetomo in 1908 reflected events abroad.
It was an era of rising Asian nationalism: Four years earlier tsarist Russia suffered a crushing defeat to imperial Japan. A decade before, Filipinos began a rebellion against colonial power Spain and then the United States; and in 1885 the Indian National Congress was founded.
Over a century later the seeds planted by this generation of events would give rise to Asia's four greatest democracies of the 21st century -- India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
The emergence of a nationally conscious Indonesian educated elite in 1908 can also be attributed to a shift of perception in Europe. In 1899 Dutch lawyer Conrad van Deventer published an article underlining the debt of honor the Netherlands should pay for exploiting the peoples of the Dutch East Indies.
This prompted a marginal shift in Dutch colonial policy toward a somewhat more acceptable "ethical policy", which led to the opening of educational opportunities for Indonesians.
Lest we forget, Dutchman Douwes Dekker, one of the stalwarts of the 1908 generation, had his anti-colonialist views hardened while fighting against the British in the Boer War in South Africa six years earlier.
Indonesia may not have been a player on the global map at that time, but world events certainly helped shape Indonesian history.
And it is to history that the republic's leaders later turned as they envisioned awakening the Indonesian dream.
The country's first two presidents were rapt by visions of the ancient 14th century kingdom of Majapahit, and to some extent the preceding Sriwijaya kingdom, as antecedents to the modern Indonesian nation-state.
An archipelagic realm fabled by the ancient Javanese hymn "Nagarakretagama" extending through much of Southeast Asia. An international player in the Middle Ages.
The symbolism is irrefutable. The nation's motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity) is derived from Sanskrit dating back to the age of Majapahit.
So too is the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's logo, which reads "Caraka Bhuwana" (ambassadors to the world).
Since the economic and political calamities of 1998 the Foreign Ministry has truly been an ambassador of change. It has been the most internally reformist and policy progressive department in an oft torpid government.
Indonesian foreign policy in the last five years has returned to its true respected self: publicly understated and underappreciated, yet consistent and effective.
As a former minister remarked in 1994, Indonesia's foreign policy has never been "passive" or "defensive", but "we were always reluctant to brag about the success of our efforts".
More recently, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, when asked during a conversation why countries in the region would listen to Indonesia, replied "because we are consistent".
The most glowingly positive awakening has been the gradual shift toward a more values-based foreign policy. Not as an intruder or preacher of human rights, the way some countries pursue, but as a cheerleader for democracy.
Every Indonesian diplomat memorizes the meaning of "Caraka Bhuwana". But in this democratic era that motto should be coupled with Boedi Oetomo, which roughly translated means "noble endeavor".
Hence, "ambassadors to the world in a noble endeavor" should be the raison d'etre of diplomacy, akin to the foresight of the country's founding fathers.
But while foreign policy has awakened, there is the danger of day-dreaming in a state of consciousness. Pursuing goals beyond our immediate capacity or urgency.
The foundation of Indonesian foreign policy is Mohammad Hatta's 1948 speech that stressed non-alignment. A forgotten component of the speech of the first vice president was his call for pragmatism.
In Hatta's words: "Executed in consonance with the situations and facts it (Indonesia) has to face."
Current leaders love to spew rhetoric about Indonesia's attempted role to resolve the Middle East crisis, a leadership role in the Islamic world, attaining a permanent seat in the UN Security Council or mediating in the Korean Peninsula.
Grand rhetoric to satisfy domestic constituents. Delusions of grandeur absorbing immediate priorities and limited capacities.
They would be wise to remember former German chancellor Helmut Kohl's quip, "If I started to have visions I'd go see a doctor!"
The aforementioned issues are important, but priority should be given to promoting a stable environment of political openness in Southeast and East Asia, public diplomacy to raise the country's profile abroad and facilitation for the growing throng of Indonesians overseas.
Let us realize that in many ways Indonesia's global presence is similar to the Majapahit kingdom six centuries ago. A local player with limited presence beyond.
The world's third largest democracy (Indonesia) does not register with most Washington policymakers or Ivy League academics. And this in a country (United States) which is infatuated with global democracy.
The ancient rulers understood their faculty and set priorities accordingly. Sriwijaya and Majapahit were conscious of the Chinese dynasties to the north, and the Chola kingdom to the west. Concentrating, instead, on what it does best in its immediate sphere of influence.
Present-day Indonesians should never cease to aspire, but never forget their own confines.
If Icarus had rockets he may have reached the stars. Alas, though Indonesia may now be beginning to soar, it too has feathered wings.
The author, a staff writer with The Jakarta Post, is currently a research fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
Friday, April 25, 2008
WHY DO WE TEACH ENGLISH ?
Introduction
We are teaching English or studying the teaching of English, but why do we want to teach English, as opposed to other foreign languages? It is useful for us to consider this basic question occasionally.
The Importance of English
English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers--there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers--but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).
However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. American popular culture--primarily movies and music--carries the English language throughout the world.
English as a First or Second Language
In some countries, English is the sole or dominant language. It has that role in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.
Uses of English
English for News and Information
English is commonly used as a medium for the communication of information and news. Three quarters of all telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. Eighty percent of computer data are processed and stored in English. Much satellite communication is carried in English. Five thousand newspapers, more than half of the newspapers published in the world, are published in English. Even in many countries where English is a minority language, there is at least one newspaper in English. In India alone, there are three thousand magazines published in English. In many countries, television news is broadcast in English. Because of the power of television, demonstrators in every country use signs printed in English for the benefit of the international press.
English for Business, Diplomacy, and the Professions
English is a major language of international business, diplomacy, and science and the professions. It is the language that an Iranian businessman and a Japanese businessman are likely to use to communicate. Important commodities such as silver, tin, and hard currency are traded in English. English is also an official language, or the official language, of many international organizations, including the United Nations and many professional organizations. It is frequently the language of international conferences, and it is the language of international athletics. Throughout the world, many professional papers are published in English. Even papers that are published in other languages often have abstracts in English.
English for Entertainment
Popular culture.
Popular culture has also played an important part in spreading English. American and British popular music are heard all over the world. American movies are seen in almost every country. Books in English are available even in countries where few people actually use English. One reason that students give for learning English is to understand these songs, movies and books.
Travel.
English is also very important for international travel. Much of the information countries disseminate about themselves outside of their borders is in English. English is spoken in large hotels and tourist attractions, at airports, and in shops that tourists frequent. There are newspapers printed in English, and TV news is available in English. Tours are almost always available in English. Even in countries where few people speak English on the street, people who work with tourists generally speak English. In some countries even drivers of buses or streetcars and sellers at newsstands speak English well.
Other Uses of English
In many former British colonies, English is still used in government and as a medium of communication among people who do not have another language in common. In some cases, it is a neutral language that is used to avoid giving any one indigenous language too much prestige. English is often used in India, because it is neutral. It is the language of government. People who speak English have a certain status in society. It is used for books, music and dance. In Singapore, English is a second language, but it is necessary for daily life. Many companies there use English. In addition, sixteen countries in Africa have retained English as the language of government. Now standard English is taught in schools in those countries, because it is necessary for careers.
English is also studied as a foreign language in countries where it is not generally used as a medium of communication. In China, English language lessons are popular TV programs. Two hundred fifty million Chinese--more than the population of the US--are learning English on TV. English is usually the first or most commonly taught foreign language in many countries, and people understand it a little at least.
The Situation in Japan
More than ten million Japanese visit foreign countries each year, and more than one third visit English-speaking countries. Probably more than half of these people go abroad as part of a tour, and they do not speak English during the visit. They just see scenery, buildings, gardens, etc., eat in restaurants and stay at hotels. There is no contact with the people of the country. If they could speak English, at least they could talk with people in the countries where they visit. They could visit places on their own or take local tours. They can choose restaurants where they wanted to eat and shops where they wanted to buy things. They could get information though tourist information literature, newspapers, magazines, and TV programs.
Whenever we meet English-speaking people from various countries when we travel, they tell us that there are many Japanese tourists in their cities or countries, but that the Japanese tourists have difficulties speaking English.
Nowadays many college graduates who work for large corporations will have opportunities to visit foreign countries on business or work in foreign countries. English is likely to be essential wherever they go, even if they are working in countries where English is not the dominant language. Local workers with whom they work may speak English but not Japanese.
Japan has achieved economic power and reputation for producing high quality manufactured goods. Many people throughout the world are interested in Japanese business, technology, and culture. However, there are not many people who understand Japanese. There are not many books, magazines, or computer sources to convey information on Japan. More and more information needs to be transmitted in English, so that many people in the world will know what is going on in Japan and can learn about Japanese culture. We need more people who could convey information about Japan to the outside world.
More Japanese attend international conferences and need to present papers and participate in discussions. Most international conferences are held in English. Many researchers in universities and companies attend international conferences to present the results of their research. Most presentations are in English. Their papers are also published in international journals, which are also in English.
A great deal of information is available on the Internet. Most information on the Internet is in English, so if Japanese people want to take advantage of the many resources on the Internet, they need to be able to read English.
Conclusion
As we have seen, English is a widespread and important language in the world today. It is used for everything from international academic conferences to news reports to popular music lyrics. It is used not only for communication between native speakers and nonnative speakers of English but between nonnative speakers. Even though it does not have the greatest number of speakers in the world, it is the most widely used language in the world, and it will be used by more people in the future.
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 4, April 1996
http://aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
Last modified: February 22, 2000
Send e-mail and suggestions to webmaster@englishfirst.org
English First, 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 109, Springfield, VA 22151 tel: (703) 321-8818 fax: (703) 321-7636 Internet: http://www.englishfirst.org
We are teaching English or studying the teaching of English, but why do we want to teach English, as opposed to other foreign languages? It is useful for us to consider this basic question occasionally.
The Importance of English
English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers--there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers--but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).
However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. American popular culture--primarily movies and music--carries the English language throughout the world.
English as a First or Second Language
In some countries, English is the sole or dominant language. It has that role in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.
Uses of English
English for News and Information
English is commonly used as a medium for the communication of information and news. Three quarters of all telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. Eighty percent of computer data are processed and stored in English. Much satellite communication is carried in English. Five thousand newspapers, more than half of the newspapers published in the world, are published in English. Even in many countries where English is a minority language, there is at least one newspaper in English. In India alone, there are three thousand magazines published in English. In many countries, television news is broadcast in English. Because of the power of television, demonstrators in every country use signs printed in English for the benefit of the international press.
English for Business, Diplomacy, and the Professions
English is a major language of international business, diplomacy, and science and the professions. It is the language that an Iranian businessman and a Japanese businessman are likely to use to communicate. Important commodities such as silver, tin, and hard currency are traded in English. English is also an official language, or the official language, of many international organizations, including the United Nations and many professional organizations. It is frequently the language of international conferences, and it is the language of international athletics. Throughout the world, many professional papers are published in English. Even papers that are published in other languages often have abstracts in English.
English for Entertainment
Popular culture.
Popular culture has also played an important part in spreading English. American and British popular music are heard all over the world. American movies are seen in almost every country. Books in English are available even in countries where few people actually use English. One reason that students give for learning English is to understand these songs, movies and books.
Travel.
English is also very important for international travel. Much of the information countries disseminate about themselves outside of their borders is in English. English is spoken in large hotels and tourist attractions, at airports, and in shops that tourists frequent. There are newspapers printed in English, and TV news is available in English. Tours are almost always available in English. Even in countries where few people speak English on the street, people who work with tourists generally speak English. In some countries even drivers of buses or streetcars and sellers at newsstands speak English well.
Other Uses of English
In many former British colonies, English is still used in government and as a medium of communication among people who do not have another language in common. In some cases, it is a neutral language that is used to avoid giving any one indigenous language too much prestige. English is often used in India, because it is neutral. It is the language of government. People who speak English have a certain status in society. It is used for books, music and dance. In Singapore, English is a second language, but it is necessary for daily life. Many companies there use English. In addition, sixteen countries in Africa have retained English as the language of government. Now standard English is taught in schools in those countries, because it is necessary for careers.
English is also studied as a foreign language in countries where it is not generally used as a medium of communication. In China, English language lessons are popular TV programs. Two hundred fifty million Chinese--more than the population of the US--are learning English on TV. English is usually the first or most commonly taught foreign language in many countries, and people understand it a little at least.
The Situation in Japan
More than ten million Japanese visit foreign countries each year, and more than one third visit English-speaking countries. Probably more than half of these people go abroad as part of a tour, and they do not speak English during the visit. They just see scenery, buildings, gardens, etc., eat in restaurants and stay at hotels. There is no contact with the people of the country. If they could speak English, at least they could talk with people in the countries where they visit. They could visit places on their own or take local tours. They can choose restaurants where they wanted to eat and shops where they wanted to buy things. They could get information though tourist information literature, newspapers, magazines, and TV programs.
Whenever we meet English-speaking people from various countries when we travel, they tell us that there are many Japanese tourists in their cities or countries, but that the Japanese tourists have difficulties speaking English.
Nowadays many college graduates who work for large corporations will have opportunities to visit foreign countries on business or work in foreign countries. English is likely to be essential wherever they go, even if they are working in countries where English is not the dominant language. Local workers with whom they work may speak English but not Japanese.
Japan has achieved economic power and reputation for producing high quality manufactured goods. Many people throughout the world are interested in Japanese business, technology, and culture. However, there are not many people who understand Japanese. There are not many books, magazines, or computer sources to convey information on Japan. More and more information needs to be transmitted in English, so that many people in the world will know what is going on in Japan and can learn about Japanese culture. We need more people who could convey information about Japan to the outside world.
More Japanese attend international conferences and need to present papers and participate in discussions. Most international conferences are held in English. Many researchers in universities and companies attend international conferences to present the results of their research. Most presentations are in English. Their papers are also published in international journals, which are also in English.
A great deal of information is available on the Internet. Most information on the Internet is in English, so if Japanese people want to take advantage of the many resources on the Internet, they need to be able to read English.
Conclusion
As we have seen, English is a widespread and important language in the world today. It is used for everything from international academic conferences to news reports to popular music lyrics. It is used not only for communication between native speakers and nonnative speakers of English but between nonnative speakers. Even though it does not have the greatest number of speakers in the world, it is the most widely used language in the world, and it will be used by more people in the future.
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 4, April 1996
http://aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
Last modified: February 22, 2000
Send e-mail and suggestions to webmaster@englishfirst.org
English First, 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 109, Springfield, VA 22151 tel: (703) 321-8818 fax: (703) 321-7636 Internet: http://www.englishfirst.org
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