Language Policy in Malaysia: Reversing Direction

Academic Motivation to Learn English in a Malaysian private University

“…Jou (2012), stated that language is not only a means of communication but also a symbol of an individual's identity and cultural background. British curriculum was mainly designed to serve their colonising authority and had no reflection on the Malaysian context (Gill, 2005). After independence, national unity was the most critical goal of the new rulers of Malaysia.…”

“…Studies on students who were exposed to English for 11 years in primary and secondary schools, showed that they still have difficulties related to language proficiency (Ida Fatimawati, 2012) and their written English was under satisfactory level (Mahady, 2010). In addition to that, the limited opportunities to use English outside the classroom widened the proficiency gap between students joining tertiary education from urban and rural areas where English is regarded as a foreign language (Gill, 2005). Apart from that trainee teachers' Academic Motivation (AM) to learn English is not given the due concern and the factors affecting their low motivation to learn English were not investigated in detail within the Malaysian context.…”

Community support - the missing link in indigenous language promotion in South Africa?

“…As the private sector gradually became the main employment choice for graduates, private universities using English as the MoI mushroomed. In 2002, the Malaysian government reversed the policy and no longer insisted on Bahasa Melayu being the MoI in its public schooling system (Gill, 2005).…”

Chinese or Malay-Medium Schools? A Study of Factors Influencing Chinese Parents' Choice of Primary Schools in Sarawak, Malaysia

“…In Malaysia, research has focused on changes in the medium of instruction (e.g., Gill, 2005;Ridge, 2003;Tan, 2005;Ting 2010), but there are few empirical studies on school choice. In this context, choosing a Chinese-or Malay-medium school is more than a choice of medium of instruction.…”