Writing 3

A Critique of Membangun Literasi Akademik Perguruan Tinggi Article

Efi Rokhayanti MDR DIK A 08 2215086436

A Critique of Membangun Literasi Akademik Perguruan Tinggi Article

This paper is aimed to criticize Membangun Literasi Akademik Perguruan Tinggi article written by Sudarya Permana, M.Hum. The article talks about developing literacy in university. He emphasizes that all of the components in university, either structural component, such as university and faculty leadership, or functional component, such as librarian and lecturer, should be motivated to take more part in developing spirit of literacy in the university. There are two aspects to be criticized: writing and content. From the writing aspect, the concerns are about the Indonesian spelling system and punctuation. There are mistakes in both sides. Based on Panduan EYD dan Tata Bahasa Indonesia (2010:10), writing title of books, magazines, or newspapers should be in italic. Meanwhile, in this article, it is written Freire and Macedo (1978), dalam bukunya yang berjudul Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. The title of the book is not in italic, so it should be Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. In defining the term literacy, the writer uses a reference from Cambridge Dictionary Advanced Learners Dictionary. It is said nomina literacy memiliki arti sebagai berikut: (a) the ability to read in write, and (b) knowledge of a particular subject, or a particular type of knowledge. Since it is an Indonesian article while the definition used is in English (foreign language), so writing the definition should be in italic (p.11). Moreover, based on Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (2008), there are no kegamangan and kemelekwacanaan.

From content aspect, I agree with the writers ideas. As stated in the artice, the existence of ideal library is very important in enhancing literacy. This is equal to what De Candido and GraceAnne say that:
Materials and services are needed to support literacy efforts. Libraries should have a good collection of adult literacy materials in print, video, and audio formats, as well as software programs for adult students (2001).

Moreover, as written in the article, the writer proposes that reading not only deals with words in the text, but also deals with how we connect it with world knowledge, including all social problems that happen in real life. That means, in other word, we will be probably unable to face and overcome social problems if we do not read or unable to link what we have read with world knowledge. In this line, Selnick suggest that:
The lack of reading skills hinders adults from reaching their full potential. They might have difficulty getting and maintaining a job, providing for their families, or even reading a story to their children (2004:53-56).

In the other hand, I disagree with the definition of literacy the writer has provided in this article. Literacy is more than ability to read and write and it is a broader thing. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines:
Literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society".

Besides, Foley (1994) suggests that the term literacy refers to the mastery of language, in both its spoken and written forms, which enables an individual to use language fluently for a variety of purposes (p. 184).

References De Candido, GraceAnne, (2001). Literacy and Libraries: Learning from Case Studies. Chicago: American Library Association. Foley, B. E. (1994). The development of literacy in individuals with severe congenital speech and motor impairments. In K. G. Butler (Ed.), Severe communication disorders: Intervention strategies (pp. 183-199). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen. Pusat Bahasa. (2008). Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia.Jakarta: Pusat Bahasa Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa Departemen Pendidikan Nasional Indonesia. (2010). Panduan EYD dan Tata Bahasa Indonesia. Jakarta: Transmedia Selnick, S. (2004). ["READ/Orange County: Changing lives through literacy"] "Public Libraries", 43(1), p.53-56.