Ms Yacinta Kurniasih - Researcher Profile

Yacinta Kurniasih

Address

School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
Faculty of Arts, Clayton

Biography

Yacinta Kusdaryumi Kurniasih was born in Kedungjati, Central Java, Indonesia. In 1986, she went to Yogyakarta where she did her degree in English Literature, Education, and Language Teaching Methodology at the University of Yogyakarta . She has been teaching English, Indonesian, and Javanese as a foreign language in various formal and non-formal educational setting since then.

She obtained her B.A. (Hons) with a thesis which examined the correlation between the learner's perception and attitude toward the culture of the target language (English) and their academic achievement in language learning. Yacinta has a wide variety of hobbies ranging from dancing, drama, writing poetry and short stories to cooking, and self defence (currently Taekwondo).

In 1994 she was invited to work as an Indonesian Guest Teacher in northern Tasmanian Schools and at the University of Tasmania for twelve months where she visited about 40 schools and lived with 18 different families. She then continued working as Indonesian teacher and dancer for several schools and the University while completing her M.ED. in Applied Linguistics, TESOL and LOTE at the University of Tasmania. She completed her Master Research Project on age, gender and foreign language learning strategy: a study case of Indonesian students in Tasmania University

In February 1997 she joined the Monash Indonesian Program, teaching Indonesian/Javanese Language and studies. Currently Yacinta is working on her PhD focussing on Javanese language teaching at schools and Young Javanese in Yogyakarta.

Outside teaching and studying, Yacinta has a role as an In-Country Program Coordinator and a LOTE (Indonesian) Equivalent Examiner. She also has an active role as a language/culture consultant for Indonesian textbook publishers, regular speaker and presenter at VILTA (Victorian Indonesian Teachers Association) conference & workshop, regular speaker at ‘Why Learning Indonesian Forum’ Melbourne, regular presenter for Indonesian Teachers Workshop run by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development - DEECD).

In the past, Yacinta was often invited as a regular speaker/informant for SBS Radio – Indonesian Program and ‘Radio Kita’, Indonesian Ethnic Radio Community in Victoria and a contributor for AIA: Australian Indonesian Association Newsletter.

Qualifications

MASTER OF EDUCATION
Institution: University of Tasmania
Year awarded: 1997

Publications

Journal Articles

Robson, S., Kurniasih, Y.K., 2000, Describing Character in Javanese; Three Grammatical Categories, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land-en Volkenkunde, vol 156, issue 2(2000), Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Leiden Netherland, pp. 297-302.

Conference Proceedings

Kurniasih, Y.K., 2006, Gender, class and language preference: a case study in Yogyakarta, Selected Papers from the 2005 Conference of the Australian Linguistic Society, 28 September 2006 to 30 September 2006, Australian Linguistic Society, www.als.asn.au, pp. 1-25.