Abstract:Past research on the indigenous Orang Asli education highlights the various factors that contributed to the Orang Asli students’ learning disengagement and poor achievement in school, both primary and secondary. This paper presents a grounded theory perspective that illuminates the learning journey of Orang Asli students who have reached higher education despite the oft cited challenges and barriers. Sixteen Orang Asli students shared the experience of their early years, and of school, through in-depth unstruc… Show more
“…It was evident in the study that motivation to better oneself is a strong driving force among the respondents. The need to better themselves and eventually afford an improved lifestyle is a vital motivation for them [29]. Internal motivation to succeed and external motivation from parents and society have pushed their respondents into leading learning learners who strive to improve themselves.…”
<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-US">The<em> Orang Asli</em> have been marginalized in many aspects including education. Despite the various support and assistance provided by the government, their development in the educational process is still lagging. However, there are cases of <em>Orang Asli</em> children who have managed to complete their education. The objective of the study is to identify the success factors that help the <em>Orang Asli </em>to be successful in their education. The research is exploratory research using qualitative method, with semi structured interviews as the primary data collection. The respondents are <em>Orang Asli </em>children who have completed their tertiary education. The study found that motivation and the right environment are the two important factors that contributed to the success of the respondents in the study. Environment factor is inclusive of parental, familial and societal contribution to the development of the <em>Orang Asli </em>education. Hence, providing the right motivation and creating the correct environment for the <em>Orang Asli </em>children would help them to complete their education. However, the findings are limited to the selected <em>Orang Asli </em>tribes and cannot be generalized to the whole <em>Orang Asli </em>in the country. Nonetheless, the findings provided relevant insights into the <em>Orang Asli </em>education and can serve as a platform for future studies.</span></p>
“…It was evident in the study that motivation to better oneself is a strong driving force among the respondents. The need to better themselves and eventually afford an improved lifestyle is a vital motivation for them [29]. Internal motivation to succeed and external motivation from parents and society have pushed their respondents into leading learning learners who strive to improve themselves.…”
<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-US">The<em> Orang Asli</em> have been marginalized in many aspects including education. Despite the various support and assistance provided by the government, their development in the educational process is still lagging. However, there are cases of <em>Orang Asli</em> children who have managed to complete their education. The objective of the study is to identify the success factors that help the <em>Orang Asli </em>to be successful in their education. The research is exploratory research using qualitative method, with semi structured interviews as the primary data collection. The respondents are <em>Orang Asli </em>children who have completed their tertiary education. The study found that motivation and the right environment are the two important factors that contributed to the success of the respondents in the study. Environment factor is inclusive of parental, familial and societal contribution to the development of the <em>Orang Asli </em>education. Hence, providing the right motivation and creating the correct environment for the <em>Orang Asli </em>children would help them to complete their education. However, the findings are limited to the selected <em>Orang Asli </em>tribes and cannot be generalized to the whole <em>Orang Asli </em>in the country. Nonetheless, the findings provided relevant insights into the <em>Orang Asli </em>education and can serve as a platform for future studies.</span></p>
Background and Purpose: An intervention program becomes a necessity when a learning problem arises. To ensure the program effectiveness, pedagogical and assessment decisions rely heavily on the actual needs of learners. Hence, this study aimed to conduct a needs analysis survey to investigate the indigenous learners’ needs in terms of their attitudes towards ESL learning, favorable language skills, topics of interest and preferable modes of learning. Unlike other groups of Malaysian learners, the indigenous experience extreme ESL learning disadvantage due to their struggle to assimilate themselves in a multi-ethnic school environment.
Methodology: This study employed design-based research (DBR) methodology with the utilization of mixed-method tools in the forms of document analysis and close-ended questionnaire. These data variations aim for the breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration. Past public examination results were used to highlight the indigenous learning problems in ESL learning followed by a survey questionnaire on forty-eight (48) 13-year-old indigenous learners.
Findings: The findings reveal that the indigenous possessed extremely poor vocabulary mastery and experienced high language anxiety. Nevertheless, they surprisingly exhibited high awareness towards the potential usage of English language, and this level of awareness posits their needs and readiness to explore other means of learning which are not currently offered to them such as digital game-based learning.
Contributions: The study informs ESL practitioners on the importance of considering the needs of the targeted learners and teachers involved so that contextualized, practical, and effective instruction could be designed, developed, and successfully delivered.
Keywords: Design-based research, indigenous learners, instructional design, mixed-method tools, needs analysis.
Cite as: Wan Mahzan, M. S., Alias, N. A., & Ismail, I. S. (2020). Investigating the needs of developing a digital vocabulary learning material for Malaysian indigenous learners in ESL classroom. Journal of Nusantara Studies 2020, 5(2), 282-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss2pp282-302
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