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What teachers do in the classroom is one of the most significant school-based factors in shaping student learning. Yet the classroom is often referred to as a'black box'because there's so little we know about what actually happens there. This book provides insights into the'black box'by describing and then comparing classroom practices in Malaysia's national public school system and that of a unique subsystem situated within it. Through analysis of hundreds of hours of classroom video data, as well as interviews, this book goes on to identify and discuss the forces that shape teachers'classroom practices from across the ecological system. What emerged were nuanced insights into how tightly and loosely coupled forces within the centralized Malaysian national system shaped these teachers'classroom practices, which are illustrated in multiple case studies. Additionally, this volume uncovers micro disruptions to some tightly coupled forces within the system that could begin to change teachers'thinking about their classroom practice. These insights will be of interest to international and comparative education researchers, education policymakers and education professionals, as well as anyone who has ever asked the question,'Why do teachers do what they do in their classrooms?'

This edited volume provides a comprehensive overview and discussion of the issues surrounding the Malaysian Indian community's educational development. Malaysian Indian citizens who make up seven per cent of the population have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, while facing deep-seated socio-economic challenges. Education is seen as an enabler which could significantly facilitate social and economic upward mobility, as shown in policies and practices implemented under the New Economic Policy, many of which have unfortunately bypassed the Indian Community.This book explores and assesses the various aspects of the education endeavour of Malaysian Indians, including primary, secondary, post-secondary and tertiary education. Related challenges include urban poverty, school dropouts, dysfunctional families and other socio-economic issues. It reconsiders educational equity policies and practices in place while proposing new initiatives which could support and chart a way forward for the development of Malaysian Indians. Importantly, the publication addresses the roles of the government, private sector and civil society to help elevate the educational achievements of the Indian Community. The book will appeal to students and academics in the faculties of social science and comparative education, development economics and sociology, with a focus on access and equity in education. Proposals for change would be of interest to policy-makers and managers of educational and non-governmental organisations in plural societies.

This edited volume presents a model that embraces four components of reflective practice: planning, acting, reflecting and evaluating. The complexities of reflective practice are manifested through three aspects of reflection: problem-solving, action-orientedness and critical reflection. To provide practical guidance, the audience is presented with various sets of experiences within the field of education which represent different foci and criticality of reflection. The experiences are described through different lenses, from individual to groups of educators.The chapters provide a reconceptualisation of reflection which underpins an effective reflective practice. Therefore, readers are provided with information that demonstrates the different phases of reflection that make up an effective cycle of reflective practice. It is through the chapters that readers will be able to distinguish the different foci and levels of reflection, thus enabling them to engage in reflective practice more effectively.The Malaysian context that the book brings gives readers insights into a lesser-known context and its people, culture, and educational system as a whole for comparison. The book is written with the needs of student teachers and teacher educators in mind. However, the model reconceptualised is transferable to other disciplines too.

This book examines Malaysia's ambitious reform agenda and educational landscape, drawing upon the eleven key shifts in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.It provides a comprehensive plan for a rapid and sustainable transformation of the Malaysian education system, and what is needed in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia, especially post-COVID, through to 2025. The contributors to this volume - scholars, researchers and practitioners who possess a deep and embedded understanding of Malaysian education - focus on the interplay of prevailing and persistent problems, and what is needed in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia.As a critical assessment of the Malaysian Education Blueprint reform efforts and policies, this edited book will be of particular interest to educators, scholars, and policymakers on the latest trends and challenges in Malaysian education policy.

This book offers an overview of five categories of alternative assessments used by established and emerging faculty throughout Malaysian institutions of higher education, namely peer and self-assessment, group-based assessment, performance-based assessment, portfolio, and technology-based assessment. It features 29 innovative case studies of alternative assessments, serving as both inspiration and practical guide for educators planning to design and implement alternative assessments in their own classes. Each chapter showcases viable examples of authentic, holistic, meaningful and effective assessments as practiced by educators in major universities throughout Malaysia. This book also provides readers a greater appreciation of the varied forms of alternative assessments that are possible, limited only by the individual's innovation and motivation.

This book considers the impact of the Rancangan Integrasi Murid Untuk Parpaduan (RIMUP: Student Integration Plan for Unity), the program developed as a driver towards Malaysian national integration and intended to promote an ideal of ‘unity in diversity'through enhancing ethnic interaction in primary schools. Based on interview research with government departments, NGOs, and stakeholders at primary schools, this book highlights three main structural challenges to success of the RIMUP: the government's weak management; the short duration and low frequency of an activity; and low student participation rate. The book also provides concrete suggestions to develop the RIMUP, to improve ethnic relations and to shape the future direction of education policies for the development of national integration, making a significant contribution to Malaysian studies as well as education policy in multi-ethnic countries.

This book explores the ways in which language and education policies have contributed to the development of national integration in Malaysia, by examining whether and how policies have succeeded in forming a middle ground.Considered through the lenses of policy-making structure and achievement, this volume examines the relationships between the formation of a middle ground in language and education policies and the political structure, economic growth strategies and social system. It then goes on to explore the extent to which these policies have contributed to national integration whilst providing a valuable discussion on the complexities involved in developing a consistent policy framework. Drawing on research surveys of Malay proficiency amongst ethnic Chinese people, it ultimately demonstrates how the unification of education streams has contributed to the spread of the Malay language as a major medium of inter-ethnic communication within the Chinese community.As the most up-to-date study of contemporary Malaysian politics, focusing on the issue of national integration, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Southeast Asian politics, ethnicity, and education policy.

This book draws on elements of critical social theory, research on globalization, neo liberalism and education, and Malaysian Studies to understand the interplay of globalization, nationalism, cultural politics and ethnicized neoliberalism in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Using the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (MEB) as a case study, a catalyst and a context, this collection critically explores some of the complex historical and contemporary push-pull politics and factors shaping Malaysia's education system, its reform and the experience of Malaysians – and others – within it. The authors in this volume focus on the interplay of neoliberalism, nationalism, ethnic and cultural politics in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Their work captures and seeks to understand the enduring, though changing, hierarchy of access and differentiated rights to educational, social and economic resources and opportunities experienced by different individuals and collectives, including those involved in the neoliberal enterprise of international education. It looks at how inequities have been re-configured in different educational spaces in Malaysia, and at how these inequities have been addressed through reform policies and practices. The book will be a shaper and critical contributor to the assessment of the Malaysian Education Blueprint and related policies. It will also have wider relevance globally as a critical approach to policy discussion.

This book provides an overview of language education in Malaysia, covering topics such as the evolution of the education system from pre-independence days to the present time, to the typology of schools, and the public philosophy behind every policy made in the teaching of languages. The book consists of chapters devoted to the teaching of languages that form separate strands but are at the same time connected to each other within the education system. These chapters discuss: Implementing the national language policy in education institutions English in language education policies and planning in Malaysia Chinese and Tamil language education in Malaysia Teaching of indigenous Malaysian languages The role of translation in education in Malaysia It also discusses the development of language which enables the national language, Malay, to fulfil its role as the main medium of education up to the tertiary level. This book will be of interest to researchers studying language planning, teacher education and the sociology of education, particularly, within the Malaysian context.

Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has become a globally-recognised industrial trading partner. With a 60% Muslim population, it also enjoys the reputation of being a moderate and peaceful nation. However, with just a short time left to realising its Vision 2020 of developed nationhood, the pathway of nation building still seems ambiguous. There is a brewing tension in its race and ethnic relations which has permeated the various fronts, namely politics, society, economics and education. This book analyses the education policies that have been formulated and implemented in Malaysia since independence. It demonstrates how these policy enactments have influenced the nation's growth and transformation, and the challenges faced in creating a model of equity and multicultural co-existence among its racially and ethnically diversified people. Shedding light on these issues, it points towards the major mending that is needed for Malaysia to become a truly developed nation.Chapters include: Education of ethnic minorities in Malaysia: Contesting issues in a multiethnic society Access and equity issues in Malaysian higher education Graduate employability in government discourse: A critical perspective This comprehensive book is a case study on Malaysia that will supplement researchers and advance students in their understanding of a multi-racial society's perspective and attitude towards education.

Isu bahasa, etnik dan pembinaan negara bangsa amat sinonim dalam sistem pendidikan negara ini. Buku ini mengupas isu-isu tersebut dengan meninjau beberapa aspek seperti:  kedudukan pendidikan bahasa ibunda etnik minoriti yang dipinggirkan oleh pendidikan aliran perdana  punca dan implikasi pengasingan etnik dalam sistem pendidikan  keberkesanan langkah-langkah menghapuskan pengasingan etnik yang dijalankan oleh kerajaan  pelaksanaan dasar pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris pada peringkat sekolah rendah  perubahan dasar bahasa dalam sistem pendidikan dan impaknya terhadap pembinaan negara bangsa  cabaran mengintegrasikan pelajar sekolah rendah Huraian isu-isu pendidikan dalam buku ini sesuai dibaca oleh pensyarah dan pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi, terutamanya sebagai bahan bacaan tambahan dalam kursus Hubungan Etnik. Selain itu, ia juga sesuai dibaca oleh Pegawai pendidikan, pentadbir dan guru sekolah yang ingin memahami isu-isu pendidikan yang memperlihatkan kepentingan sosiobudaya dan politik di negara ini.