Understanding English Texts – Cucu Sutansyah

This book is designed and prepared based on research and on writer’s

experience teaching English for non English students as general English

Cucu Sutarsyah was born in Ciamis, a small town in West Java on April 6, 1957 and grew up in Bandar Lampung. He is the second child of the two children of the late Ahlim Juanda and the late Supiah. He went to Elementary School in a village called Sumberejo- Kemiling, Tanjungkarang in 1965. Having been finished his elementary education, he went to lower secondary school in Tanjungkarang (Bandar Lampung) in 1971 and to upper Secondary School in the same town 1974.  He finished his secondary education in 1976. After three years vacuum, in 1979 he started his tertiary education (S1) in English Department of Teacher’s Training and Education Faculty (FKIP) of Lampung University (UNILA) and graduated in 1984. In the following year he was employed as an assistant lecturer in the English Department of the same university until 1986. Since then he formally appointed to be a lecturer in FKIP UNILA. He has also been a lecturer in some private universities in Bandar Lampung. Most of the time he spent teaching in FKIP UNILA was devoted to have courses in English Language Skills (Reading/writing), Teaching Methods, Language Testing, and Curriculum and Material Development.

In January 1989, he went to Singapore for a short course in Language Syllabuses and Language Teaching in Regional Language Centre (RELC). Then in November of the same year he went to Wellington, New Zealand for a Summer Course as an orientation program to study in English Language Institute of Victoria University of Wellington. In March 1991, he began his study in the Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (Dip.TESL), and graduated in October in the same year. In the following year, in March 1992, he was admitted to study in Master program in Applied Linguistics (English Teaching) in the same university and finished his study in October 1993.  On March 28, 1994

he was awarded the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. Having taught for about three years in UNILA, in 1996 he furthered his study in doctoral program in English Education Department of Graduate Program, State University of Malang (formerly, IKIP Malang) and  finished on December 18, 2000 with “Doctor” degree, with a dissertation, entitled: EFL Students’ Reading Problems and Strategies. In 2002 he went to Singapore for the second time to have another short course at RELC Singapore, in the field of Language Curriculum and Materials Development.

With regards to his academic performance, he has some reputations. Upon finishing his study in elementary school, he gained the best score in the final examination. At the forth semester of his study in S1, he was the best student among S1 students of the same grade in the Judicial ceremony in FKIP UNILA.  His interest in English teaching and applied linguistics enables him to write scientific articles in some journals, such as RELC Journal (Singapore), TEFLIN Journal, Pendidikan Humaniora dan Sains, Aksara and Impasmaja. A number of his articles on educational issues have been published in a local newspaper, Lampung Post.  Since 1987 he has been appointed as the chairperson of Indonesian Linguistics Society (MLI) of Lampung Commissariat. He had also been a secretary of Postgraduate Program of Educational Technology of FKIP Universitas Lampung for 7 years (2001-2007).

Cucu Sutarsyah has been awarded as Professor in TEFL at FKIP Universitas Lampung since December 1st, 2009. He is married to Uniroh, the daughter of H. Usman and Emay and has three daughters: Amalia Trisnaningtiyas (born in Tanjungkarang, 1989), Anisa Utami (born in Wellington, 1993), and Astari Etti Nurcahyani (born in Tanjungkarang, 1996), and one son, Ayi Akhmad Ahdiat (born in Bandar Lampung in 2000).