Indonesian-based Pluricultural Competence in BIPA Teachers’ Perspective

Abstract

This study described the BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia untuk Penutur Asing) teachers’ readiness to develop the Indonesian pluricultural competence among students. BIPA is a language program designed for non-native speakers of Indonesian who wish to learn the Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) for both written and spoken purposes. The study used a qualitative approach, and data was collected from ten BIPA teachers through in-depth interviews. The important characteristics of the sample included minimum 5 years teaching experience and participation in BIPA teacher certification. Secondary data was collected through the documented archives of BIPA learning devices. The results showed that pluricultural competence was not yet known nor fully understood by BIPA teachers, and BIPA learning activities were used only as part of cultural insight in general. Additionally, pluricultural learning was carried out without being based on cultural awareness and knowledge of pluricultural competence. It was based only on the need to teach the material "ethics" or meet the needs of BIPA student adaptation or the need to avoid the possibility of conflict due to cultural differences in a BIPA class. The study reported that pluricultural competence has not been considered as a competence by BIPA teachers, but only knowledge or repertoire related to Indonesian culture.