Communicative competence in English upper secondary school curricula in Indonesia

Abstract

This study investigates the Indonesian National Curricula documents that stipulate the competencies to be achieved in English in upper secondary school in Indonesia. Both curricula claim to promulgate communicative competence. Using document analysis as its method, the study examines how the notion of communicative competence is represented in the two current curricula. It identifies, interprets and thematically organizes the representations of linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences, as well as of general competence. It finds that while both curricula do not specify the linguistic competence to be achieved, they do specify a limited range of contexts in which learners are to develop sociolinguistic competence, and a limited range of pragmatic functions. While the curriculum of 2006 is organized around the four language skills, the 2013 English curriculum is organized around the development of attitudes and personality, and the paradigm of scientific enquiry. We argue that this paradigm is at odds with a coherent notion of communicative competence.