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Since the introduction of Indonesian in the 1950s, the nature and extent of programs for studying the language in Australian schools has varied significantly. A decade on from the national report on the state of Indonesian language education in Australian schools that indicated a substantial decline in provision (Kohler & Mahnken, 2010), it is timely to take stock and consider how Indonesian is faring and why. This paper reports on a mixed methods study exploring the state and nature of Indonesian language provision in government schools in Australia. The findings indicate that while some decline continues overall, patterns of provision vary, particularly at different levels of schooling. The findings highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of the confluence of factors impacting on Indonesian (including contending ideologies), none of which adequately capture the intrinsic value and distinctiveness of studying Indonesian in the Australian context.

From its inception in 1977 until its last year of publication by an Australian publisher in 2015, the "Australian Review of Applied Linguistics" featured over 700 articles related to applied linguistics. This publication history provides a unique resource for tracing the scope and change of the applied linguistics landscape in Australia over the last four decades. While the journal design and format have naturally undergone some changes in this time, in this paper we consider the nature of the articles themselves, whether there have been changes in coverage or emphasis, and what this can tell us about the history of and the changes in applied linguistics in Australia. Our analysis of the articles focuses in particular on two independent dimensions- the sub-field of applied linguistics and the particular language under focus in each article--and the changes in frequencies of each of these over time.

The decision by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to develop language-specific curricula marks an important shift for the teaching and learning of languages in Australia. This decision brings with it a number of important considerations in developing language-specific curricula. It is necessary, for example, to consider what a language-specific curriculum means and how this relates to the overarching curriculum design. Decisions need to be made about the scope and sequence of content and how best to convey the distinctiveness of a particular language and culture while also attending to aspects which are important and "generic" to all languages. Distinctiveness not only resides in the nature of the language and culture itself but also in the context in which it resides for the purpose of teaching and learning. Understanding the learner group(s), the linguistic and cultural systems, and the place of the language and culture in Australian education are significant factors in shaping the content of a language-specific curriculum. This article explores some of the considerations in developing language-specific curricula, through the example of the draft Indonesian curriculum. It provides insights into the decision making behind the curriculum "artefact" and the complexities involved in attempting to render the distinctiveness of a curriculum for the teaching and learning of Indonesian in Australian schools.

In the Australian education context, there are typically two cohorts of language learners at the secondary school level, those who commence their study of the target language early in their primary schooling (early starters), and those who commence their study later, at the beginning of secondary school (late starters). The two groups may have undertaken their language study under quite different program conditions, in particular in relation to "time-on-task". There is little empirical evidence about the nature of student achievement in languages at the end of primary and in junior secondary and its relationship to time-on-task. This paper compares the achievements of a sample of early and late start students of Indonesian in Australia using score data gathered from common measures of achievement. In addition, a small sample of student written responses are analysed in order to highlight issues related to eliciting and describing student achievement that may not be evident from the quantitative data alone. The findings of the study reveal the nature of achievement by early and late starters of Indonesian in the SAALE study, as well as the complexity of investigating a single variable such as time-on-task in relation to student achievement. The paper concludes by recommending that assessment of student achievement in language learning take into consideration methodologies that may capture more holistically a constellation of variables that impact on students' language learning. (Contains 8 tables and 1 endnote.)

This paper reports on the findings of a small-scale study carried out in Adelaide. We asked secondary students who had decided to continue or discontinue their language study once it was no longer compulsory what had prompted their decision. We also asked them whether they considered knowing a second language to be important. While all the students in the study said they considered that languages were important--listing the same reasons that language teachers list attempting to motivate--almost none of the continuing students actually mentioned these reasons when discussing why they had continued. Instead, they focused primarily on academic achievement and issues of personal interest, relationships, and lived experiences. We examine what this means in practical terms for language teachers.