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English Medium Instruction at Crossroads: Students’ Voice
and Way Forward
Souba Rethinasamy, Joseph Ramanair, Kee-Man Chuah
To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i14/8533 DOI:10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i14/8533
Received: 11 November 2020, Revised: 14 December 2020, Accepted: 10 January 2021
Published Online: 29 January 2021
In-Text Citation: (Rethinasamy et al., 2021)
To Cite this Article: Rethinasamy, S., Ramanair, J., & Chuah, K.-M. (2021). English Medium Instruction at
Crossroads: Students’ Voice and Way Forward. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and
Social Sciences, 11(14), 109–123.
Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
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Special Issue: Contemporary Business and Humanities Landscape Towards Sustainability, 2021, Pg. 109 – 123
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JOURNAL HOMEPAGE
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English Medium Instruction at Crossroads: Students’
Voice and Way Forward
Souba Rethinasamy, Joseph Ramanair, Kee-Man Chuah
Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, MALAYSIA
Email: rsouba@unimas.my
Abstract
Globalisation and extensive use of technology have enhanced the status of English as an international
language and increased its value as an important commodity in various fields. This has encouraged
the use of English in the teaching of content subjects especially those related to science and
technology in many countries across Asia. This paper starts with an overview of English medium
instruction policy in the region with an emphasis on the ongoing debate regarding the teaching and
learning of Science and Mathematics in English in Malaysia. Drawing on data from a longitudinal study
which utilized questionnaires and the paper presents empirical evidence on the learners’ views and
experience in learning Science in English, as well as their performance in the standardized national
examination. The data gathered from a total of 1000 students from urban and rural schools in
Sarawak, Malaysia, indicate the they have rather positive view about their ability in English, had
positive experience in learning Science in English. Their positive view and experience conform to
their performance in the subject. The results also correlate with the majority of the students’
language preference for learning Science which is English and bilingual instruction in English and
Bahasa Malaysia. The paper ends with a discussion on possible amicable options for medium
instruction issues in ESL/EFL contexts.
Keywords: English Medium Instruction (EMI), English as an International Language (EIL), Bilingual
Education
Introduction
English has become a language used not only for communication purposes between people whose
first languages differ but also a pivotal medium for transmission of information and knowledge
exchange. With the ever-increasing importance of English, it is of no surprise that the language is
becoming even more integrated into the field of education across the globe (Lucktong & Pandey,
2020; Tsai, 2019). The adoption of English as the medium of instruction at various levels of education
is apparent (Coleman, 2006; Crystal, 2004). Many countries are compelled to review their
educational policies and practices in order to ensure the education system remains competitive and
relevant (Nunan, 2003). In addition, English as medium instruction (EMI) has become an area of
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immense research (Kuteeva, 2019). Nunan (2003) investigated countries in the Asia-Pacific region
including China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, and reported that the age at which
English is a compulsory subject in most of these countries has shifted downward in recent years,
signifying a growing importance of the language.
In Malaysia, English is mainly used as a second language and children are exposed to the language at
a very young age. Despite that, due to the complexity of the multi-cultural landscape, the adoption
of EMI often leads to heated debate and controversies (Phan, Kho, & Chng, 2013; Tan, 2005).
Dependency on English is also seen as a threat to the status and role of local languages and knowledge
written in other languages (Coleman, Hultgren, Li, Tsui, & Shaw, 2018; Kirkpatrick, 2011).
Literature Review
The growing importance of English as a medium of instruction
Mother tongue education is often advocated as best for students in the acquisition of content
knowledge (Akinnaso, 1993; Kobia, 2007; Putz, 2004, Webb, Lepota, & Ramagoshi, 2004), however,
attempts to define what constitutes mother tongue education have elicited controversies in
academic circles. One of the popular criteria used to define the mother tongue is that it is “the
language one thinks, dreams and counts in” (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1981, p. 18). In multilingual countries
of diverse population, the existence of several mother tongues often leads to intense language
education problems. In addition, with English exerting a firm importance as a global language of
communication and knowledge, both multilingual and monolingual countries encounter a dilemma
in planning the most suitable education policies, especially language education policy.
Nevertheless, the shift to the use of EMI is gaining prominence, especially in the Asia Pacific region.
In Taiwan, Chang (2010) reported that more and more universities are teaching courses in English,
especially in the areas of science and technology. In her study of 370 undergraduates, most of the
students surveyed agreed that EMI helped them improve their English language proficiency. Although
the students were rather passive in class (due to their limited language proficiency), they did not
show negative attitudes towards the courses taught in English. A similar development is noted in
South Korea, in which the EMI policy within the context of Korean higher education showed positive
results (Byun, Chu, Kim, Park, Kim, & Jung, 2011). Byun et al. (2011) indicated that Korean students
showed a high level of satisfaction with EMI but the lack of proficient instructors seemed to hinder
the progress of the policy. They suggested a more flexible approach is needed in implementing EMI,
particularly by considering students’ language proficiency and career plans.
Nguyen (2011) reported that while English still holds that status of foreign language in Vietnam, the
government has implemented the National Foreign Language Project 2020 and mobilized USD2
billion to promote English language at all levels of education. Closer to Malaysia, the Philippines was
one of the earliest countries to adopt EMI for the teaching of Science and Mathematics (Velasquez-
Ocampo, 2003). Although there had been a shift to Filipino motivated by nationalistic views, the
policy of using EMI for both subjects was revitalised in 2003. The change was largely due the decline
of students’ academic achievement as well as English proficiency (Velasquez-Ocampo, 2003).
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Medium of instruction debate in Malaysia
Despite being in the forefront in terms of the adoption of English as a second language as well as a
dominant medium of instruction in most areas of education, the Malaysian English language
education is often at a crossroads. English is seen as a direct threat to the national language - Bahasa
Malaysia (BM) and the growing concern over the younger generations’ mastery of BM has forced the
government to revamp the education policy by reverting from the use of English in the teaching of
Mathematics and Science subjects to BM. The re-adoption of English as the medium of instruction
for both subjects was made in 2003 (Fong, 2004) under the policy known as English for Teaching
Mathematics and Science (ETeMS). The policy was part of the Malaysian government’s effort in
preparing globally competitive citizens for the Vision 2020 that aims to make Malaysia a developed
nation, since the translation of academic materials from English to BM was found to be too slow and
costly (Chan & Tan, 2006). The ETeMS policy was implemented nationwide in 2003 in all primary
schools starting from Primary One (7 years old) until Primary Six (12 years old). After just 9 years of
ETeMS implementation, the policy was put to an end in 2012, and BM was reinstated as the main
medium of instruction for all content subjects. The new policy known as ‘To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia
and to Strengthen the English Language’ (MBMMBI) was implemented in 2012.
Those who were in favour of the ETeMS policy often cited the limited number of scientific books or
scholarly works in BM as the main reason to support the use of English. Those who were not, on the
other hand, tended to take Japan and Germany as examples of countries that achieved success
without bowing to the pressure of English language (Gill, 2005). However, as further noted by Gill
(2005), Japan is not a fair comparison since they have had a “massive start in developing translations
activities and plans for accessing and advancing information in the field of science and technology”
(p. 253). Japanese scholars have continued to translate scientific works from English to Japanese since
the Meiji Era. Moreover, the emergence of EMI is rather obvious in Japan and Germany, especially in
higher education. Despite the dominant influence of their respective first language in education,
tertiary institutions in both countries have shifted their attention to the use of English in core
programmes, which include the fields of science, engineering and Information Technology (Erling &
Hilgendorf, 2006; Okuno, 2007; Phan, 2013).
At the micro-level, several studies have been conducted to justify abolishing the ETeMS policy. Nor,
Aziz and Jusoff (2011) conducted a survey in 2006 involving students who had undergone the ETeMS
policy for four years. The authors’ views on the implementation of the policy were obtained and
supported by the students’ self-reported performance in English, Mathematics and Science. The
study was limited to only one boarding school and covered a small sample size of 44 students who
started learning the subjects in English half way through their secondary education. The results
revealed that the students were not in favour of using English as the medium of instruction for
Mathematics and Science though they did realize some improvements in their English proficiency.
However, as noted by Faizah et al. (2011), the results from their study were inconclusive and a larger
sample is needed.
Tan (2007) examined the ETeMS policy by focusing on the attitudes and achievement orientations of
secondary school students towards Mathematics and Science. The study involved 400 students from
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non-premier schools. He reported that students’ attitudes and achievement orientations towards
learning of the subjects indicated that the policy did not achieve its purpose. Nevertheless, he
admitted that the finding was rather expected as the sample had not participated in the ETeMS policy
at primary level (from 7 years old until 12 years old). Tan (2007) also suggested the need to
investigate the views and achievements of students who went through the full implementation of
the policy.
Besides that, Rethinasamy, Chuah and Hashim (2012) conducted a study to gauge the views of the
first cohort who completed their primary education under the ETeMS policy on the learning of
Science in English. This study involved a total of 600 students with an equal percentage of both urban
and rural students of various ethnicity. The study found the first cohort students to have positive
views in learning Science in English as part of the ETeMS policy. The study also reported 45.9% of the
students wanting to learn Science solely in English and 40.3% bilingually in English and BM. However,
since their study only involved the first cohort, Rethinasamy et al. (2011) highlighted the need to
analyse longitudinal data for a more concrete evidence-based way forward regarding the policy.
Azmi and Maniam (2018) investigated the application of Computer Assisted Language Learning as
one of the contributing factors under the ETeMS. The study focused on experienced teachers’
perceptions of the courseware used in teaching the Science and Mathematics in English. They
reported that despite the positive reactions toward the courseware design and instructional content,
the teachers were not committed to using the courseware due to their lack of expertise, proficiency
and skills in using technology. They study also reported that the use of courseware is not the major
contributing factor to the failure of ETeMS and suggested for considering bilingual instruction in
English and Bahasa Malaysia to enhance students’ understanding, sustaining their interest in the
subjects, and at the same time ensuring the quality of Science and Mathematics education.
The study by Muhammad (2012) aimed focused on teachers and investigated the perception of
science teachers regarding the use English in teaching the subjects. The study involved 50 teachers
from a peninsular state in Malaysia and data were collected using questionnaire and structured
interviews. The findings showed that the teachers were in favour of the introduction of MBMMBI as
they believed it would help improve students’ proficiency in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
Although the MBMMBI was implemented in 2012, the decision to switch back the medium of
instruction for Science and Mathematics to BM brought about continued controversies and debate.
Thus, under MBMMBI policy, the Ministry of Education introduced an initiative called the Dual
Language Programme (DLP) which resembles ETeMS in 2016 (Suliman, Nor, & Yunus, 2017a). Under
the DLP the schools, teachers, students as well as parents can choose the language of instruction for
the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics. Also, Sarawak-one of the Malaysian states
located in East Malaysia decided to adopt English medium instruction for the teaching of
Mathematics and Science for all the schools from January 2020 (“Sarawak the first Malaysian state
to teach maths and science in English”, 2019). Since DLP bears resemblance to ETeMS, the findings
from ETeMS’ study are likely to offer benefit for the effective implementation of DLP.
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While most previous studies were conducted in peninsular Malaysia and the emphasis on students’
voice was limited, the present study aimed to discover the views of the students who have completed
all six years learning of Science in English since Primary One until Primary Six, in Sarawak, Malaysia.
The study focused on five aspects:(1) students’ self-rating of their ability in English, (2) experience in
learning science under ETeMS, (3) views on the importance of learning Science in English, (4)
performance on the Primary School Evaluation Test (commonly known as Ujian Penilaian Sekolah
Rendah in BM and abbreviated as USPR), and (5) language preferences for learning Science. The
study also attempted to investigate the relationship between these variables and students’ language
preference for learning Science.
Methodology
The study specifically focused on the first, second and third cohort students who had completed all
six years of learning Science in English from Primary One until Primary Six under the ETeMS policy.
The first cohort started Primary One in 2003, the second in 2004 and the third in 2005 and they
completed primary education in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. Accordingly, the data were
collected over three years after each cohort received their Primary School Evaluation Test (commonly
known as Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah in BM and abbreviated as USPR) results. Since some schools
practised streaming according to students’ academic ability, equal representation of students from
every class was ensured and participants were randomly selected based on the school registration
list. The study involved a total of 1000 students with equal percentage of students from 2 urban
schools (500 students) and 2 rural schools (students) in Sarawak.
This study employed a survey research design using a questionnaire (which was bilingually presented
in BM and English in order to facilitate students’ understanding of each items) and semi-structured
interviews. The questionnaire consisted of five sections. The first section covered demographic
information (e.g. primary school type and location). The second section gathered students’ self-rating
of their ability in English language and it consisted of 9 Likert-scale items. The third section comprising
7 Likert items dealt with students’ experience in learning Science under the ETeMS policy. The fourth
section addressed students’ views on the importance of learning Science in English and it consisted
of 5 Likert Scale items. Altogether there were 21 Likert Scale items and each was rated on a 4-point
scale ranging from and coded as ‘Strongly Disagree’ (1), ‘Disagree’ (2), ‘Agree’ (3), and ‘Strongly Agree’
(4). The fifth section elicited students’ grades in the USPR. The grades, which ranged from A to E,
were coded as 1 for ‘E (fail)’, 2 for ‘D’, 3 for ‘C’, 4 for ‘B’ and 5 for ‘A’. Section six focused on students’
language preference for learning Science. Their responses were grouped and coded as 1 for other
languages, 2 for BM, 3 for a combination of English and BM, and 4 for English. The self-reported UPSR
results were verified with printed records to ensure accuracy.
The questionnaire data were keyed in and analysed using descriptive inferential statistical
measurements with the assistance of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. For the
Likert-scale items, standard deviation, mean, median and mode were determined. Percentages were
tabulated for the examination grades and the Spearman correlation test was utilized to determine
the relationship between the student’s language choice and the constructs investigated in this study.
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The Likert-scale items were evaluated for their internal consistency by using Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient. The scales indicated high reliability coefficients (.852 to .883) as shown in Table 1.
Construct
Cronbach’s
Alpha
No. of
Items
Student’s Self-rating
.883
9
Students’ experience in learning Science under ETeMS
.859
7
Students’ views on importance of Learning Science in English
.852
5
Table 1: Cronbach’s Alpha Values for Questionnaire Constructs
Results
Students’ Self-rating of English language ability
This construct focused on students’ perception about their ability in English language skills (listening,
speaking, reading and writing), elements (vocabulary and grammar), use (social and learning
contexts) and their overall ability in English. Table 2 presents the results for this construct.
The standard deviation for each item is more than 0.7 which means that the items are within an
acceptable level (Nunally, 1978; Haghani et al., 2014). The mean for each item is above 2.5 indicating
an inclination towards positive self-rating among the students. The rating level seems to be the
highest for reading ability (mean=3.034). The mode value is 3 for all items except for language use in
social and learning contexts. This shows that the students perceive their ability in English language
skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and language elements (grammar and vocabulary) as
higher compared to their ability to use English in social and academic contexts. In addition, the
median is higher for learning (median=3) compared to the value for language use in social context
(median=2). This indicates that students are more confident with their use of English in learning
context compared to social use. An analysis of the demographic data on the students’ language use
in social communication (at home and with friends) showed that only 15% use English as the main
language of communication at home and 19.2% use it with friends. The lack of English use in social
settings seems to justify their lack of confidence in their self-rating for social use. However, the
results for the item on overall ability in English show that on the whole, the students view their ability
positively. Studies (e.g. Gloria & Ho, 2003) have mentioned that Asian students have the tendency
to underrate their ability in English language learning. Despite this ‘cultural influence’, the findings
for the students’ self-rating in English language is on the high side and, in actual fact, it could be
higher.
Speak
Listen
Read
Write
Vocab
Grammar
Social
Learning
Overall
Mean
2.829
2.897
3.034
2.892
2.559
2.561
2.592
2.636
2.625
Median
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
2.000
3.000
3.000
Mode
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
2.00
2.00
3.00
Std. Deviation
.78637
.75164
.72206
.76611
.71065
.74083
.83919
.81619
.76089
Table 2: Students’ Self-Rating of English Language Ability
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Thus, at this point it seemed necessary to compare students’ self-rating with their actual performance
in the UPSR English paper which was obtained from the students’ background information in Section
1 of the questionnaire. The UPSR English paper consists of Paper 1 which includes multiple choice
questions (MCQ) that focus on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. The English Paper
2’s main focus is on writing ability. An analysis of the results (Table 3) shows that majority of the
students (67.8%) scored high grades (A and B), about 29.4% obtained average grades (C and D) and
only a very small minority (2.8%) failed the English paper. Taken as a whole, the results for self-rating
and actual performance seem to mirror each other and point towards students having more positive
view about their ability in English.
Frequency
Percent
Cumulative Percent
A
392
39.2
39.2
B
286
28.6
67.8
C
200
20.0
87.8
D
94
9.4
97.2
E (fail)
28
2.8
100.0
Table 3: Students’ Performance in USPR English paper
Experience learning Science in English
This construct focused on students’ experience in learning Science under the ETeMS policy. The items
covered students’ perceptions in relation to listening to their teachers’ teaching, responding verbally
to questions, reading texts, writing answers, understanding concepts, terms and overall experience.
The result for students’ views about their experience in learning Science is shown in Table 4.
As with the items for self-rating, the standard deviation for each item in this construct is more than
0.7 which means that the items are within acceptable level (Nunally, 1978). Similar to self-rating, the
mean for each item is more than 2.5 signifying that students have had positive experiences in learning
Science in English. While the median value is 3 (Agree) for all item, the mode value is also 3 for all
items except for the item on responding verbally to English (mode=2). This means that many students
did face some difficulty in giving oral responses during Science classes. This result is also similar with
the results for self-rating whereby the mean value was slightly lower for speaking (2.829) compared
to reading (3.034), writing (2.892) and listening (2.870) in English. Thus, there is a need to address
the challenges that students’ face in responding orally (e.g. answering questions and discussing)
during class.
Listening
Respond
Verbally
Reading
Writing
Answers
Science
Concepts
Science
Terms
Overall
Experience
Mean
2.957
2.705
2.995
2.871
2.732
2.690
2.801
Median
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
Mode
3.00
2.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
Std. Deviation
.80610
.75003
.81095
.75956
.73397
.72968
.82102
Table 4: Students’ Experience Learning Science in English
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View on importance of learning Science in English
The items for this construct covered how students view the importance of learning Science in English
with regard to access to information, various sources, benefit for future study and career as well as
their overall importance. Table 5 presents the results on how the students view their importance of
learning Science in English.
The mean (more than 3) for each item on students’ views about the importance of learning science
in English shows that the students have positive views about learning science in English. Among
them, students are of the view that learning Science in English is more important for their future
study (mean=3.229, mode=3) and future career (mean=3.235). In addition, most of the students
strongly agree that learning Science in English is important for their future career (mean=3.229) the
majority strongly agree that learning Science is important (mode=4, mean=3.317).
More
information
Various
resources
Future study
Future career
Overall
Importance
Mean
3.088
3.036
3.229
3.235
3.317
Median
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
3.000
Mode
3.00
3.00
3.00
4.00
4.00
Std. Deviation
.80056
.80582
.75969
.78511
.69785
Table 5: Students’ View on the Importance of Learning Science in English
Performance in UPSR Science
Table 6 shows the grades obtained by the students in the UPSR Science paper. The results show that
72.4% of the students performed very well in their Science paper obtaining grades A and B as
compared to 26.3% obtaining average grades C and D. On the other hand, only 1.3% failed the paper,
which is considered a very low failure rate. Again, the students’ performance in the UPSR Science is
found to be good and this is similar to the results for positive self-rating of their ability in English.
Grade
Frequency
Cumulative Percent
A
429
42.9
B
295
72.4
C
218
94.2
D
45
98.7
E (fail)
13
100.0
Table 6: Students’ Performance in USPR Science Paper
Language preference for learning Science
Table 7 shows the results for students’ language preference for learning science. Almost half of the
population (49.4%) prefers to learn Science in English while 35.7% prefers bilingual instruction in BM
and English. On the other hand, only a small minority of about 7.5% prefers to learn Science in BM
and a similar minority (7.4%) prefers to learn in other languages (Mandarin). This results, which
indicate that most students prefer to learn Science in English and bilingually in English and BM, seem
to be consistent with the students’ positive self-rating of their ability in English, positive experiences
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they have had in learning Science in English, and their positive attitudes towards the importance of
learning Science in English.
Preferred Language
Frequency
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
English
494
49.4
49.4
English & BM
357
35.7
85.1
BM
75
7.5
92.6
Other language (Mandarin)
74
7.4
100.0
Table 7: Students’ Language Preference for Learning Science
Relationship between language preference and other variables
Next, the relationship between students’ language preference and the variables investigated was
analyzed by performing a Spearman Correlation Test. The results (Table 8) show significant positive
correlations (p<.01) between students’ language preference for learning Science and their views on
the importance of learning Science in English (r=.194), performance in Science (r=.227), performance
in English (r=.260), self-confidence in English language ability (r=.266), and experience in learning
Science in English (r=.323). Although the correlation value is between low to moderate, the
significance level indicates that the students’ positive self-rating, positive experience, positive view
about the importance of learning Science in English and good performance in UPSR Science are
significantly related to the students’ language preference for learning Science which is in English and
to some extent bilingual instruction in English and BM.
Variable
Self-Rating
Importance
of Science
in English
Experience
UPSR
Science
Grade
Language
Preference
Self-Rating
1.000
.330**
.322**
.256**
.266**
Importance of Science
in English
.330**
1.000
.290**
.282**
.194**
Experience
.322**
.290**
1.000
.301**
.338**
UPSR Science Grade
.256**
.282**
.301**
1.000
.227**
Language Preference
.266**
.194**
.338**
.227**
1.000
Table 8: Correlation Coefficient Between Students Language Preference and the Variables
Investigated
Moreover, among the variables, students’ positive experience in learning Science under ETeMS
shows the highest correlation value with language preference (r=.338) which means that the positive
experience they have had in learning Science in English during their primary education correlates the
most with their language choice. On the other hand, the lowest correlation value (r=.194) is observed
for the relationship between students’ view on the importance of learning Science in English and their
language preference. Although students seem to view learning Science as important (mean=3.3170),
35.7% of them still prefer to learn the subject bilingually in English and BM, rather than solely in
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English. Only a small minority of 7.5% and 7.4% wants to learn Science in BM and Mandarin,
respectively.
Discussion and Conclusion
This study investigated the views of Malaysian students who have completed their primary education
under the discontinued ETeMS policy. The study focused on the learning of Science in English. The
findings showed that the students have rather positive views about their ability in English. They
claimed to have had positive emotional experiences in learning Science during their primary
education. They are also of the view that it is very beneficial for them to learn the subject in English
to address their needs. These results seem to go hand in hand with the students’ actual performance
in the UPSR Science Test, and if given the choice, the students have indicated their preference to
learn Science in English or bilingually in English and BM.
The findings from this study is consistent with the results reported by Rethinasamy, Chuah, and
Hashim (2012) from their study on the first cohort of students who completed their primary
education under the ETeMS policy. On the other hand, the findings on students viewing their ability
in English positively as well as having had positive learning experience seem to be in contradiction
with studies that focused on teachers’ views and experiences (Azimi & Maniam, 2018; Mohammad,
2012). Since students are not only the majority but also very important stake holders of education,
their voices are crucial to be heard and given serious consideration.
The ETeMS policy was introduced in 2003 (MOI English) but it was abruptly ended in 2012. A new
policy named MBMMBI was introduced, where MOI was switched back to BM. However, due to
intense dissatisfaction among stakeholders, the DLP programme which provides opportunities for
schools, teachers, parents and students to choose the language of instruction was introduced
(Suliman, Nor, & Yunus, 2017b). Based on the present study, the current DLP programme caters to
the language of instruction preference of the majority and the minority. However, the findings from
the present study also indicate a second majority group of students who prefers bilingual instruction
in English and BM.
Thus, perhaps a way forward is to provide a third option which is a compromise and in line with this
a bilingual Science education seems to be a promising alternative (Benson, 2004, Cummins, 1989;
Greene, 1997; He, 2011; Johnson & Swain, 1997). Bilingual education generally signifies education
where two distinct languages are used for the teaching of content subject (He, 2011). In relation to
EMI, the programme aims at easing English language learners into the English academic environment
(Freeman, 1996). However, in order to ensure its effectiveness, it should not be one that is ‘taken
from the shelf’ and follow ‘a one size fits all’ formula but one that needs to be tailored to the context
in which it is applied. According to Krashen (1999), the knowledge that children gain through their
first language eases the learning of content knowledge because literacy developed in the primary
language provides the basis and facilitates its transfer to the second language. For example, students
who have learned about plants in the primary language, would be able to comprehend additional
knowledge about plants in English much easier. As the students develop their English language
proficiency and gain knowledge of the topics in the subject matter, they will be better equipped to
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cope with Science in English. Thus, during the early stages where students have limited proficiency in
English, students should receive a bigger percentage of the subject matter in the primary language.
This was also recommended by Azmi and Maniam’s (2018) from their study on the teachers’ views
and experiences in teaching the subjects in English.
Under the proposed option, school authorities and teachers could have the freedom to increase the
percentage of input in English based on their students’ ability. This would help ensure students with
low English proficiency at their early stage of schooling acquire basic scientific knowledge and at the
same time develop their knowledge of the subject matter in English. Similarly, students with higher
proficiency in English will not be hindered and have the flexibility to progress at their pace. This will
better equip them to pursue their studies at tertiary level and beyond.
Moreover, education is not just for the privileged or the underprivileged, nor it is for the rural or
urban students. Education is for all and it must address local and global needs as well as present and
future needs. Thus, monolingual instruction in BM, may be insufficient in preparing students to cope
with the scientific knowledge especially at the tertiary education and be competent at a global level.
On the other hand, monolingual instruction in English may be detrimental to low proficiency students
who will probably fall behind and eventually become dropouts at an early stage of education. Gill
(2005) stressed that it would be beneficial to pursue an option that can cater for language
empowerment at various levels by complementing challenges of indigenization and globalisation. The
proposed third option which offers learning of Science bilingually in BM and English would address
the crucial need for inclusive education.
The implementation of the option would require training of teachers through in-house programmes
whereby in-service teachers are given training on how to adapt teaching learning techniques and
progress from first language instruction to English language instruction for each topic and prepare
lessons accordingly. At the same time, teacher training colleges and universities should offer double
major education degree programmes in which teacher trainees can opt to specialize in a science
subject and English. This would prepare the expertise required and ensure the successful
implementation of the proposed option and achieve the education for all philosophy.
Acknowledgement
This research was supported by funding from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak through the Short Term
Grant - 03(S57)/722/2010(08)
Declaration of ownership
This report is our original work
Conflict of interest
None
Ethical clearance
The study was approved by the institution
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