Integrated Methods for Improving Housemaids’ Basic English: A Case at the Community Development Program in Kupang, Eastern Indonesia
Abstract
Having qualified migrant workers to work abroad is necessary. Indonesia has been one among the other Asian countries to send most of its migrant laborers working in middle-class jobs in foreign countries. Pre- departure preparation is an important component in the preparation process and plays a key role in performing good personality in services. Despite their personal reasons and expectations for their life changes, most Indonesian migrant workers suffer from several major drawbacks. This study, therefore, gives an account of the integration of alternative methods for basic English teaching for housemaids candidates through a community development program in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It aims to enable the workers with basic English for intercultural communication in the mainstream job market in target countries with a diversity of language and cultures. To date, various methods have been applied to measure the participants’ basic English ability and the participants are given basic English teaching for three months (March-May 2019). Thirty-five students departure were recruited for this study. To see if the selected methods are integrated for the practicality of basic English teaching, there was a comprehensive observation to find out whether the English teaching and learning run as contextual as possible. The results show that integrating Grammar-Translation Method, Contextual Language Teaching and Total Physical Response gives much to account for contextualizing students with a basic level of English to manage themselves in English for intercultural communication for housemaids tasks in the target countries. Findings of basic English teaching and learning practices are discussed contextually.
Keywords: housemaids, basic English, methods, community development
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