Intellectuals lack writing skills<\/p>\n
By A Chaedar Alwasilah<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Indonesian intellectuals are frequently
\ncriticized for their lack of ability to write. The Kompas daily
\n(Dec. 17, 1997) quoted Dr. Aryatmo Tjokronegoro, Coordinator of
\nthe Jakarta Private Universities, as saying that in 1980-1985
\naround 50 percent of the faculty members never published
\ntextbooks or articles in Indonesian, let alone in English.<\/p>\n
Although the statistics are not current, the present situation
\nremains the same. It is probably even worse considering the
\nnumber of faculty members has increased considerably, while the
\nwriting culture of most college faculties has not changed
\nsignificantly.<\/p>\n
Research shows that most academics devote considerable periods
\nof time to routine work and tasks that do not lead to
\nintellectual creativity. Activities such as reading, teaching and
\nsupervising students do not necessarily lead to intellectual
\ncreativity and productivity. These activities certainly result in
\nthe maintenance of their body, home, possessions, status, and
\nsocial life in general. But, again, sustainable academic
\nactivities are not commensurate with intellectual creativity and
\nproductivity.<\/p>\n
Grab a master's thesis, or doctoral dissertation and take a
\nlook at the bibliography. I bet most of the major references are
\nwritten by foreigners in English. You will certainly infer that
\nmost lecturers even at prestigious universities in Indonesia do
\nnot write.<\/p>\n
At this juncture, we are reminded of the writing ethos in the
\nU.S. \"All professors are the same until one of them writes a
\ntextbook.\" As professors, they have to \"publish or perish!\"<\/p>\n
Stop by your college professor's house or office and look
\naround. You may be impressed by his or her research collections.
\nBut do you dare ask him or her to show you his own textbooks or
\npublications? Sadly, we have to admit that our intellectuals are
\njust consumers rather than producers of publications.<\/p>\n
A number of factors may have resulted in the deplorable state
\nof affairs described above. In Indonesia, textbook writing is not
\na lucrative endeavor. It is the publishers and the bookstores
\nrather than the writer that benefit financially. No wonder, many
\npotential writers are discouraged from writing and blame the
\npublisher for creaming off the majority of the money. The
\npublisher in turn often blames society for lacking a developed
\nreading habit that has adversely affected the marketing of
\ntextbooks.<\/p>\n
Many speculate that this unsatisfactory reading habit reflects
\nthe failure of the present education system. The arguments run on
\nand on in a vicious circle. One theory says that intellectuals do
\nnot know how to write because their school teachers and college
\nprofessors failed to provide them with writing skills. Such
\narguments and counter arguments are just rhetoric to sidestep the
\ncriticism leveled at Indonesian intellectuals in general and
\nuniversity lecturers in particular.<\/p>\n
Another theory holds that nonwriting intellectuals are simply
\nnot competent. As native Indonesian speakers, they are able to
\nspeak and read the language. Being intellectuals, they should
\nhave the competence, knowledge, and skills to survive and
\nfunction socially. However, being native Indonesian speakers and
\nhaving a university degree do not necessarily qualify them to
\nhave their writing published.<\/p>\n
As far as linguistic competence is concerned, most Indonesian
\nintellectuals have acquired receptive skills (listening and
\nreading), but only a minority have developed both receptive and
\nproductive skills (speaking and writing).<\/p>\n
What does all this mean? For sure, the present education
\nsystem has failed to provide students with writing skills. The
\nuniversity has done almost nothing in it. Most university
\ngraduates are not equipped with writing skills. It is high time
\nthen to reexamine the practice of writing instruction in schools
\nas well as colleges. Writing skills are not developed overnight.
\nIt takes years of well-planned instruction with meticulous
\npreparation that involve professional instructors long before a
\ngeneration of writing intellectuals is born.<\/p>\n
From research on writing in American colleges, Krashen (1984)
\nreports that skilled writers are those who (1) did more
\nexpository writing in high school, (2) were required to do more
\nwriting in high school, (3) did pleasure reading when younger,
\n(4) read the newspaper more, and (5) had more books and
\nnewspapers in the home.<\/p>\n
These findings imply that the teaching of writing skills at
\ncollege level presupposes the improvement of writing instruction
\nat high-school level, which by analogy, presupposes the
\ndevelopment of writing instruction at elementary school level.<\/p>\n
The findings also suggest that availability of reading
\nmaterials such as newspapers, textbooks, magazines, and other
\npublications and frequency of reading are correlated
\nsignificantly with writing competence.<\/p>\n
The big question however is: What should we do to transform
\nuniversity graduates into writing intellectuals? First, we need
\nto underscore that as high schools build on the early years,
\ncolleges must build on the later stages of education.<\/p>\n
All college freshmen -- disregarding their majors -- should
\nbegin their undergraduate experience with at least a year-long
\ncourse in Indonesian, with emphasis on writing.<\/p>\n
College Indonesian courses that are part of the so-called
\n'required basic subjects' (Mata Kuliah Dasar Umum) with two
\ncredit hours are perceived as a second class, boring, and
\nmonotonous subject. Commonly taught by inexperienced and junior
\ninstructors, the courses are a repetition of high school grammar.
\nMost students see them a waste of time and energy.<\/p>\n
Secondly, we need to understand that clear writing leads to
\ncritical thinking. Writing holds us responsible for our words and
\nultimately makes us more thoughtful and responsible human beings.
\nIt trains students to weigh evidence, generate ideas, integrate
\nknowledge, and express them with precision.<\/p>\n
Academic culture in fact begins with writing instruction and
\nis cultivated through continuous academic and intellectual
\nwriting. This being the case, a well-planned writing course
\ndefinitely helps students learn any college subject.<\/p>\n
Therefore, good writing in Indonesian should be given priority
\nand reinforced by every professor in every class. Examinations
\nrestricted to multiple choice answers and filling in blanks are,
\nby any standard, antithetical to writing skill development.<\/p>\n
A collective commitment of the college faculty to writing
\nprograms constitutes a so-called \"writing across the curriculum\"
\n-- a commendable program for improving writing instruction in
\nparticular and college education in general.<\/p>\n
Thirdly, intended to facilitate learning, college writing
\nshould be taught in relation to the context of individual
\nexperience, namely students subject area. Writing then provides a
\nparticularly welcoming context for thinking deeply about their
\nfield of study, which is instrumental to their future profession
\nand specialization.<\/p>\n
As a consequence, nonlanguage majors perceive writing as a
\ntool for learning and not as a course for Indonesian or language
\nmajors only. This unfortunately is a common belief among college
\nstudents as well as professors.<\/p>\n
Fourthly, it is imperative that writing be taught by a writing
\ninstructor. The fact shows that most writing courses in both
\nIndonesian and foreign language (education) departments are
\ntaught by nonwriter instructors. No wonder, most college
\ngraduates are intellectuals who are eloquent to discuss the
\ntheory of writing but -- like their college instructors -- never
\nhave anything to show for it. How can you let nonswimmers teach
\nyour children swimming?<\/p>\n
Fifthly, compared with secondary school students, college
\nstudents are adult learners who are more concerned with their
\nfuture profession. The teaching of writing should, to a great
\nextent, facilitate their learning and fulfill their professional
\nneeds.<\/p>\n
Profession-oriented writing programs should certainly be based
\non a needs analysis. My ongoing research on teaching Indonesian
\nin colleges in the Bandung area has revealed students'
\nexpectations from the course as depicted in the table below. As
\nindicated, acquiring skills to write papers is perceived
\nessential by 80 percent of the respondents.<\/p>\n
I realize that some of the suggestions above sound radical and
\nrisky, yet it is worth a try. The pioneer of innovation often
\nbecomes a victim of public objection and resentment, and it takes
\na long time before people are convinced about the benefit of an
\nidea. It is my conviction that creative and reflective writing
\nleads to critical and creative thinking, which is fundamental to
\ndeveloping an academic culture.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lecturer at the Institute of Teacher Training
\n(IKIP) in Bandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
Table: Perceived importance of different genres of writing<\/p>\n
Genres of writing to be taught Perceived essential by<\/p>\n
----------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
1. Paper 80 percent<\/p>\n
2. Research proposal 74 percent<\/p>\n
3. Academic writing 72 percent<\/p>\n
4. Book report 64 percent<\/p>\n
5. Book review 49 percent<\/p>\n
6. Publication in the mass media 49 percent<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/intellectuals-lack-writing-skills-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }