RUDI SUHERMAN (THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY)

INTEGRATING PROCESSABILITY THEORY WITH GENRE-BASED PEDAGOGY FOR INDONESIAN HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH LITERACY : SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

The English education curriculum in Indonesia has evolved from the grammar-translation method and communicative language teaching to a genre-based pedagogy that emphasizes literacy (Emilia, 2011). Despite this shift, genre teaching has only been partially recontextualized, often due to the prevalent influence of the grammar-translation method (Kartika-Ningsih & Gunawan, 2019). This phenomenon might also align with the fact that grammar remains crucial to facilitate L2 learners in conveying ideas more clearly and effectively, contributing significantly to language learning success (Loewen, 2020). This suggests a disparity between current teaching practices and theories of second language acquisition (SLA) that emphasize the cognitive mechanisms underpinning grammar acquisition. In this paper, we outline a solution to the problem by integrating the Processability Theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005), a well-established theory in SLA that focuses on learners' developmental readiness, with the genre-based pedagogy. Utilising an Indonesian high school as a case study, this paper argues that aligning grammar instruction with Processability Theory (PT) in genre teaching enables learners to more effectively acquire grammatical structures suited to their current cognitive stage, thereby enhancing their literacy and English competency across various text types. The expected findings aim to offer an alternative approach to English grammar instruction within literacy-based teaching in Indonesia. In addition, this approach can foster a more student-centered learning experience in heterogeneous EFL classrooms, in line with the core principle of 'Kurikulum Merdeka' where the spirit of liberation is at play.

I am a PhD student in Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney. My research focuses on the learning and teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL), adopting Processability Theory, a cognitive theory of Second Language Acquisition.