The Great Divergence: Mindset, Process, and Environment in ICAO English for Indonesian Air Traffic Controllers
Keywords:
Aviation English (ESP), Air Traffic Controllers, Language Learning Strategies (LLS), Self-Regulated Learning, Institutional Paradox, Narrative InquiryAbstract
Effective communication is a non-negotiable safety pillar in aviation, yet a persistent divergence remains between Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) meeting the minimum ICAO Level 4 standard and those achieving advanced Level 5 competence. Addressing the need for context-specific insight, this narrative inquiry investigates the learning experiences of 20 Indonesian controllers at Makassar Air Traffic Service Center. Using Self-Regulated Learning frameworks, the study explores how individual strategies interact with the institutional environment. The findings reveal a “Great Divergence” driven by mindset: “more successful” controllers exhibit an aspirational mindset with continuous learning habits (marathon), building the resilient fluency required for non-routine events. Conversely, “less successful” controllers rely on compliance-driven, reactive preparation (cramming) focused narrowly on standard phraseology. Crucially, the study identifies systemic environmental constraints, specifically a “Social Strategy Paradox” where fear of peer judgement hinders practice, and a “Remedial Reward Paradox” where policies inadvertently incentivize failure. The research concludes that sustainable proficiency requires a fundamental shift from reactive compliance to proactive self-regulation, offering actionable policy recommendations for engineering a culture of communicative excellence.
References
1. Alawiah, T., Yassi, A. H., Nasmilah, N., & Pammu, A. (2022). Proposed 21st Century Learning Themes in English Classrooms. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(3), 583-589. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1303.14
2. Andini, C., Youngsun, K., Sunnuraini, S., & Warouw, D. S. (2026). Developing a Chunk-Based Learning Model to Improve Korean Speaking Skills for Beginner Learners. International Journal of L2CT, 1(2), 156-172.
3. Aswad, M., Rahman, F., Said, I. M., Hamuddin, B., & Nurchalis, N. F. (2019). A software to increase English learning outcomes: An acceleration model of English as the second language. The Asian EFL Journal, 26(6.2), 157.
4. Bai, B., & Wang, J. (2023). The role of growth mindset, self-efficacy and intrinsic value in self-regulated learning and English language learning achievements. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820933190
5. Cortazzi, M. (1993). Narrative analysis. Taylor & Francis.
6. Dewi, T. R., & Kurnianingsih, L. (2025). Assessing the English language needs of student pilots: Comprehensive analysis for effective aviation English training. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace. https://doi.org/10.58940/2374-6793.1963
7. Dinçer, N., & Dinçer, R. (2021). The effect of a serious game on aviation vocabulary acquisition. International Journal of Serious Games. http://dx.doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v8i4.464
8. Domínguez, J. M. M., & Juanías, J. M. (2024). Language learning strategies research in English as foreign language contexts: A systematic literature review. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn). https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v18i2.21144
9. Drayton, J., & Coxhead, A. (2022). The development, evaluation and application of an aviation radiotelephony specialised technical vocabulary list. English for Specific Purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.10.001
10. Fowler, R., Mathews, E., Lynch, J., & Roberts, J. (2021). Aviation English assessment and training. Collegiate Aviation Review International.
11. He, L., Feng, L., & Ding, J. (2024). The relationship between perceived teacher emotional support, online academic burnout, academic self-efficacy, and online English academic engagement of Chinese EFL learners. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135542
12. International Civil Aviation Organization. (2010). Manual on the implementation of ICAO language proficiency requirements (Doc 9835). Author.
13. Ishihara, N., & Prado, M. C. A. (2021). The negotiation of meaning in aviation English as a lingua franca: A corpus-informed discursive approach. The Modern Language Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12718
14. Kaya, S. (2021). From needs analysis to development of a vocational English language curriculum: A practical guide for practitioners. Journal of Pedagogical Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2021167471
15. Kehing, K. L., & Yunus, M. M. (2021). A systematic review on language learning strategies for speaking skills in a new learning environment. European Journal of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.4.2055
16. Kim, Y. (2023). The challenges of radiotelephony communication and effective training approaches: A study of Korean pilots and air traffic controllers. English for Specific Purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2023.07.001
17. Ma, W., Mat, A. C., Rahman, G. Y. A., Hamzah, F., & Halim, R. A. (2024). Digital technologies in language education: A comprehensive review and analysis. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology.
18. Nasmilah, N. (2023). Teachers' Talk and Students' Attitude in Learning English at Secondary Schools in Indonesia: A Correlational Analysis. Education Research International, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8959615
19. Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. Newbury House Publisher.
20. Oxford, R. L. (2017). Teaching and researching language learning strategies – Self-regulation in context. Taylor & Francis.
21. Oxford, R. L., & Amerstorfer, C. M. (2018). Language learning strategies and individual learner characteristics. Bloomsbury Academic.
22. Prihandoko, L. A., Anggawirya, A. M., & Rahman, F. (2021, December). Students’ perceptions towards autonomous learners concept in academic writing classes: Sequential mixed-method. In International Joined Conference on Social Science (ICSS 2021) (pp. 487-491). Atlantis Press.
23. Qin, W. (2022). EFL teachers’ immediacy and professional commitment on students’ boredom: A review of literature. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.808311
24. Rahman, F., Sutanto, T. E., & Fitriyati, N. (2021). Web traffic anomaly detection using stacked long short-term memory. InPrime: Indonesian Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 3(2), 112-121.
25. Shukri, S. A., Romli, F. I., Badaruddin, W. T. F. W., & Mahmood, A. S. (2021). Importance of English language in aviation maintenance: A Malaysia case study. Journal of Aeronautics, Astronautics and Aviation. https://doi.org/10.6125/JoAAA.202106_53(2).02
26. Taherian, T., Shirvan, M. E., Kruk, M., Yazdanmehr, E., & Pawlak, M. (2024). A longitudinal analysis of informal digital learning of English, willingness to communicate and foreign language boredom: A latent change score mediation model. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00751-z
27. Teng, L. S. (2021). Individual differences in self-regulated learning: Exploring the nexus of motivational beliefs, self-efficacy, and SRL strategies in EFL writing. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211006881
28. Treadaway, M., & Read, J. (2025). Assessing the language needs of L2 English student pilots preparing for flight training in English-speaking countries. English for Specific Purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2024.12.007
29. Wang, C., Zhu, S., & Dai, Y. (2025). Exploring the impact of self-regulation on vocabulary learning strategies and knowledge in CSL: A structural equation modeling approach. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04322-5
30. Wicaksono, H., Rahman, F., & Sahib, H. (2021). Light Sign Communication Between Pilot and ATC: Language Function and Semiotics Analysis. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 5(11), 176-185.
31. Yaumi, M. T. A. H., Rahman, F., & Sahib, H. (2023). Exploring WhatsApp as Teaching and Learning Activities during Covid-19/New Normal era: A Semiotic Technology Analysis. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 6(12), 7627-7634.
32. Yingxin, X., Singh, C. K. S., Singh, S. K. J. C., Bailey, R. P., Arivayagan, K., & Bamiro, N. B. (2024). The digital classroom: Systematic review of use of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in teaching in collaborative online settings. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.10.1
33. Zarrinabadi, N., Lou, N. M., & Shirzad, M. (2021). Autonomy support predicts language mindsets: Implications for developing communicative competence and willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms. Learning and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.101981
34. Zhao, Y., & Yang, L. (2022). Examining the relationship between perceived teacher support and students’ academic engagement in foreign language learning: Enjoyment and boredom as mediators. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.987554
35. Zheng, S., & Zhou, X. (2023). Enhancing foreign language enjoyment through online cooperative learning: A longitudinal study of EFL learners. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010611
