Suara Nusantara: Integrating Intercultural Competence into Indonesian Language Class through Regional Songs

Suara Nusantara: Integrating Intercultural Competence into Indonesian Language Class through Regional Songs

Indiana Salsabila

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[Coming soon: Click to download a resource pack with adaptable activities for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, language learning, and self/community learning.]

This project explores how Indonesia's regional songs can enhance intercultural learning in an Australian university’s Indonesian language classroom, addressing the need of a learning material that showcase Indonesia's cultural diversity. Informed by Martin and Rose's Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC) and Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), a multimodal booklet was developed featuring five regional songs with translations, vocabulary notes, cultural context, and reflection prompts in consultation with community members. Implemented across four scaffolded sessions, the material demonstrates how regional songs serve as accessible, meaningful resources to help Indonesian language students understand Indonesia's multilingual and multicultural realities. Collaboration with lecturers, students, and Indonesian co-facilitators from different cultural communities revealed enriching insights into the diverse understandings of cultural identity and the value of diverse perspective in creating a learning resource. The project showed that connecting learning materials to lived experiences, encouraging intercultural reflection, and using multimodal tools help bridge knowledge gaps and foster intercultural connection among teachers and learners alike. Overall, this CREDIBLE project offers a replicable and adaptable material that complements existing curricula, with a process informed by community voices and lived experiences for learnings that go beyond the classroom.