Expectations and experiences of indonesian teachers who have, and have not, done extensive reading

Abstract

Extensive Reading (ER) in Indonesia is in its infancy. Over the past 2-3 years a small band of ER enthusiasts led by the Indonesian Extensive Reading Association (IERA) and the Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF) have started promoting ER in the archipelago. In July 2018, IERA and the ERF conducted all-day ER workshops to over 1000 teachers in six locations. The post-workshop questionnaire reported here shows that these workshops were successful in getting most of the teachers to the Introduction Stage of ER acceptance. The talks were also helpful in changing the teachers' attitudes and beliefs about ER, as well as in helping the IERA staff to understand what challenges lie ahead for the promotion of ER. The questionnaire also revealed that after attending the workshops many teachers feel frustrated they cannot implement ER due to a lack of specific knowledge about how to set up and manage the ER program in their own situation, or due to institutional resistance, misunderstandings and inertia stemming from a satisfaction with the current paradigm. The questionnaire points to the need for a second folow-up series of workshops or other training, to deepen the participants' knowledge to give them enough support to move to the Implemention Stage of ER.