FBS - Karangmalang Issues related to English language learning and education always become one of the main topics discussed in the English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Yogyakarta State University. From time to time the study program keeps updating its curriculum to cater the current trends and teaching innovations. Besides updating the curriculum, this study program keeps building any mutual collaborations with any relevant study programs from any reputable universities overseas under the schema of joined researches, academic and cultural programs, student exchange and many more.

Relevant with the information above, currently on Wednesday, May 23rd 2018, the English Language Education Program has welcomed Dr. Mahendran Maniam from Unversiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia to give a one day seminar on Second Language Acquisition. Officially opened by the Dean of Faculty of Languages and Arts, Prof. Dr. Endang Nurhayati, M.Hum., the seminar was attended by the lecturers as well as the students under the coordination of the Head of English Language Study Program, Mr. Sukarno, M.Hum. The seminar session was chaired by Ms. Anita Triastuti Ph.D as the moderator and Ms. Devi Hermasari, M.A. as the MC.

Yogyakarta State University and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris currently arrange a joined research on English acquisition process. In his presentation Dr. Maniam highlighted that learners in both universities in fact share similar background i.e. they are multilinguals. However, the status of English language in Malaysia and Indonesia is different. In the former, English is considered as a second language while in the latter it is considered as a foreign language and this fact brings some consequences in the English learning process including in its acquisition process.

During the seminar Dr. Maniam elaborated this issue and then explained the research design conducted by the two universities. At the end of the event, the students were given time to address questions and finally asked to fulfill a research instrument which have already been provided for them [Sma_PBI].