The document describes a study conducted on a local language curriculum project in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The project aimed to incorporate students' local languages into the school curriculum. Quantitative research was conducted comparing students' command of local language (Moma) syntax and reading comprehension to their skills in Indonesian. The results found that while Moma skills were lower, the difference was not large, around 17-27%. Monitoring also found increased local language vocabulary and use. The conclusion was that with more hours of local language instruction, skills would improve rapidly, and incorporating grammar instruction could further support reading comprehension gains.

1. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
One Hour Per Week in the Mother
Tongue: Can It Make A Difference?

2. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
The Case of the Local Content in
Schools Project in Central
Sulawesi, Indonesia
Alice Eastwood
SIL International Indonesia
Thursday, November 7th 2013
4th International Conference on Language and
Education, Bangkok, Thailand

3. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Structure of this Presentation
I. Location and Nature of the
Project
II. Quantitative Research
III. Results of Research
IV. Relevant Notes from Monitoring
V. Conclusions

4. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
I. Location & Nature of the Project

5. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
t
Two Language
Groups: 16
schools (3, 13)
Spelling
systems
(orthographies)
2008

6. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Key Desired Outcome : Graduates regularly read and write in
their local language, and feel proud of their local language
heritage and culture

7. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
The Curriculum: Grades 2-6

8. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
How Far
Have
We Come?
Over 700
children are
now
studying
Moma/Tado

9. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development

10. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
II. Quantitative Research
Question Addressed
How much command of Moma syntax and
Indonesian syntax do respondents have,
how good is their reading comprehension,
and is there a correlation between the two?

11. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Respondents
•7 schools
•3 Indonesian & 3 Moma tests (X,Y,Z)
•Data from the following were excluded:
1.Children who are frequently absent
2.Grade V children who were only present for one
of the tests, or for neither
3.Children with 2 parents originating outside
Kulawi
4.Children who joined this school after Grade I
(because they moved from elsewhere)

12. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Number of Respondent s Whose Data was
Used
Grade 5 = 81 respondents (Moma and
Indonesian)
Grade 6 = 59 respondents (Indonesian only)

13. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Nature of the Test
• Part A - Subjective cloze test
• Part B - Reading comprehension
• All Indonesian & Moma texts were
related to concepts familiar to the
children (places in the region, local foods
etc.)

14. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
• No translated texts were used for the cloze
section
• All texts were levelled for difficulty (to within
1 point’s difference) using Swedish LIX formula
http://www.readabilityformulas.com/the-LIX-readability-formula.
php
http://www.readabilityformulas.com/the-LIX-Acc

15. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
III. Results of Research

16. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development

17. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development

18. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Gd V
difference:
17.6%
Gd VI
difference:
27%

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Partners in Language Based Development

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Partners in Language Based Development

21. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development

22. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development

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Partners in Language Based Development

24. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
IV. Relevant Notes from Monitoring
• Children’s vocabulary and fluency in the
local languages are increasing
• Local terms which had been forgotten are
once again in use
• There is increased use of the local
language across all subjects, leading to
better comprehension
• Impact on reading levels is not the primary
impact

25. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
V. Conclusions
• Command of Moma syntax and reading
comprehension in Moma among the
respondents, although low, is not far behind
Indonesian.
• If more hours were allocated to Local
Curriculum, skills would probably increase
rapidly.

26. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
• Future Local Content curricula should
include grammar and syntax, to bring about
a corresponding improvement in reading
comprehension.
• Schools should also develop children’s grasp
of Indonesian syntax.

27. Mitra dalam Pengembangan Berbasis Bahasa
Partners in Language Based Development
Thank you for listening!