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ORAL PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL (OPS-ENGLISH) A CASE STUDY OF TEACHERS CONCERNS AND EXPECTATIONS

Zaharudin in A!"i Fa#u!$% O& Edu#a$i'n (a)$*r) TESL (S*+*)$*r , ,-./0,-.1) Th* Na$i'na! Uni2*r)i$% O& (a!a%)ia 13/-- an4i S*!an4'r5 (a!a%)ia Pr'&*))'r (ad%a Dr6 (*!'r in$i (D Yunu) Fa#u!$% O& Edu#a$i'n Th* Na$i'na! Uni2*r)i$% O& (a!a%)ia 13/-- an4i S*!an4'r5 (a!a%)ia

1. Abstract In the year 2014 a new program for the development of the English Language in Secondary Schools from Band 3 to will !e implemented !y the "inistry #f Education #f "alaysia$ %his new program is called #ral &roficiency In English 'or Secondary Schools or #&S(English for short$ %he program and its contents have !een planned and organi)ed !y English Language %raining *enter +EL%*, under the supervision of the "inistry #f Education$ -ith the introduction of this new program for 'orm 1 students in Secondary Schools. the English teachers have !een called for training and they have to attend a course for three days where lead(trainers elected !y the "inistry #f Education and trained !y EL%* in a one wee/ course will impart the teaching and learning methods. materials and address any concerns relating to the program !y 'orm 1 English Language teachers attending the course$ %he purpose of this research is to analy)e the teachers0 concerns and e1pectations a!out the program$ %he case study is carried out !y giving three open(ended 2uestions where teachers have to write their responses in reply to the 2uestions given$ %he respondents consist of 31 teachers from the 3istrict of Bera in &ahang attending a three days training course for #&S(English in one of the secondary schools in Bera. &ahang$ %heir responses were collected at the end of the three days training course$ %he responses to the 2uestions are then analy)ed and the responses shows that teachers have a genuine concerns of the #&S(English program regarding to the implementation of the learning and teaching methods which focuses on teaching Spea/ing and Listening S/ills only$ %hey are worried a!out the integration of the teaching with the School Based 4ssessment or &enilaian Berasas/an Se/olah +&BS, an evaluation of the students0 a!ilities in the four language s/ills which are Listening. Spea/ing. 5eading and -riting$ %his evaluation re2uires students to !e tested on si1 levels of !ands according to which !and from the lowest 1 to the highest that they have completed and language s/ills mastered$ 'urthermore. the teachers were concerned if #&S(English would !e a!le to fulfill their e1pectations$ %he teachers are in support of the program since it is a policy !y the "inistry #f Education !ut they are also worried and concerned of the program outcomes when it is implemented in 2014

,6In$r'du#$i'n In the &elan &em!angunan &endidi/an "alaysia 2013(2026 7 &&&" +"alaysia Education 3evelopment &lan 2013(2026, one of the aspects of development is the "B""BI or "emarta!at/an Bahasa "elayu dan "emper/asa/an Bahasa Inggeris +%o 8phold Bahasa "alaysia and %o Strengthen %he English Language, a policy of %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia$ %his policy is to ensure the usage of "alay Language as a medium of communication in all national schools and secondary schools. and to ensure that each child can master !oth "alay and English languages well and fluently$ In implementing the policy. %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia in con9unction with English Language %raining *entre +EL%*, has come up with the #ral &roficiency In English 'or Secondary Schools or #&S(English since 2012$ #&S(English has !een piloted in selected secondary schools since 2012 with the target of developing a program to strengthen the English Language as stated in "B""BI$ #&S(English was also penned due to the concerns over the poor oral proficiency in English among school students. university students and the present and future wor/force$

:even after learning the language for 13 years at primary. secondary and matriculation levels. some students still could not master English;$ 3eputy &rime "inister and "inister of Education "alaysia %an Sri "uhyiddin <assin +=ew Straits %imes 4ugust 2011, English Language %raining *entre +EL%*, has !een entrusted with the tas/ of planning the curriculum and training of the teachers for #&S(English when it was piloted in 2012 in 20 selected secondary schools nationwide$ In 2014 #&S(English will !e implemented in Band 3 to schools$ %he program will !e focusing on the teaching and learning of English for 'orm 1 students focusing on the Spea/ing and Listening S/ills$ #&S(English centers on the importance of communication s/ills among students$

:-hen learning a language. it is listening and spea/ing that starts off your foundation$ 5eading and writing is incidental$ %he stronger the foundation. the easier it is to !uild on reading and writing. not the other way round$;

3r 5an9it Singh >ill. 3irector of EL%* +%he Star. ? Septem!er 2012, %he "inistry #f Education reali)es that the pro!lem relating to students poor proficiency in the English Language is a result lac/ of usage of the language communicatively especially in the classrooms$ %he o!9ective of #&S(English is to provide opportunities for students to engage in activities that are fun and non(threatening$ 4ctivities are interactive !ased to promote participation and to empower students to ta/e charge of their own learning$ Students will participate in a student( centered learning with pair wor/ and group wor/ that will encourage active listening and spea/ing. active thin/ing and sharing of ideas +adapted from @-hat is #&S EnglishA English Language %raining *enter 2013, %o aid teachers with #&S(English. teachers were provided with the %eacher0s >uide!oo/. Instructional 3B3s. and %eaching and Learning 3B3s$ 'or students the "inistry #f Education has provided a Student0s Cand!oo/ which will !e distri!uted to secondary schools$ %he %echnological Education 3ivision has supplied digital materials to all schools$ %hese materials have !een specially chosen for the teaching and learning of the English Language$ %he teaching and learning using #&S( English in schools with Band 3 to four language s/ills as usual$ %he teaching and learning procedures are divided into divided into stages that the teachers and students have to complete for each unit in the hand!oo/$ %he hand!oo/ contains D units and each unit is su!(units$ %he teacher will start the lesson with 1$ Stimulus +&ictures or 5eal #!9ects,. 2$ Building Bloc/ +Boca!ulary,. 3$ Language in 4ction +Samples from 3B3,. 4$ Language in 8se +Situational Language &ractise,. 6$ Caving 'un +%as/ and E1ercises, and $ 'un in Sharing +'un and Interesting &ro9ect, %o achieve the o!9ectives of #&S(English. %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia with %he Language %raining *enter has carried out training courses for lead trainers and lower secondary teachers who are going to start teaching using #&S(English "aterials in 2014$ 4s mentioned earlier #&S(English had !een piloted in selected secondary schools nationwide$ %o pilot the program. 20 secondary schools across all !ands with the num!er of lower secondary students involved were 621D and 0 teachers$ 5esponses from the pilot program were reported to !e positive as shown in selected 2uotation !elowE will !e implemented for the first semester of school where only Spea/ing and Listening activities will !e carried out$ %he second semester will continue with all the

1$ :#&S English focuses on listening and spea/ing$ %he impact on students is marvelous ( truly a success story$; 4ssistant 3istrict Language #fficer &etaling &erdana 2$ :So far the response for the program has !een very good F can see the enthusiasm in the student$; English Language teacher S"G &uchong Batu 14 Cowever. the responses and results from the pilot schools are not representations of what the teachers as a whole feels a!out the #&S(English program$ &erhaps the teachers were doing it not !ecause they truly li/e to !ut !ecause they had to$ -hat a!out lower secondary teachers from selected schools that will start using #&S(English in 2014A -hat are their opinions a!out this programA Cence. the o!9ective of the study is to e1plore the concerns and e1pectations of these teachers a!out #&S(English$ /6(*$h'd'!'4% %he teachers chosen as the samples for the case study are lower secondary school teachers who attended a three days training course for #&S(English at S"G Bandar Gerayong$ %he teachers are 'orm 1 teachers who are now teaching English Language in 10 secondary schools in the 3istrict of Bera in the state of &ahang$ %he num!er of teachers involved in the case study is 30 teachers including 3 lead trainers$ %he teachers were given the 2uestionnaire during the first session and the 2uestionnaire was collected on the third and final day of the course$

TA LE .7 Na+* '& )#h''!) and nu+8*r '& $*a#h*r) a$$*ndin4 $h* OPS-En4!i)h Trainin4 C'ur)* a$ S(9 andar 9*ra%'n45 *ra Pahan46

Nu+8*r O& Nu+ . , / 1 ; 3 < = > .SCHOOLS S(9 S*ri *ra5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 (*n4:ara:5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 Trian45 *ra Pahan4 S(9 andar 9*ra%'n45 *ra Pahan4 S(9 9*+a%an5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 u:i$ (*ndi5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 T*+8an4au5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 Trian4 /5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 andar /,5 *ra Pahan4 S(9 Purun5 *ra5 Pahan4 L*ad Train*r) TOTAL T*a#h*r) / / , / / / / , , / / /-

%he case study is in a descriptive form with the use of survey method of data collection$ %his method of study was chosen !ecause a descriptive form is a piece of writing that descri!e a!out certain conditions or situations systematically and factually +"ohd =a9i!. 2003,$ It is the researcher0s opinion that it is easier to use a survey !ecause it is a simpler. cost(effective and also ma/es it easier for the respondence to response to the 2uestions forwarded$ 4ccording to "ohd "a9id Gonting +1DD0, the use of survey is much more relia!le !ecause accuracy of the responses is not influenced !y the researcher$ 4minuddin. +1DD3, also stated that in order to research a!out attitude and opinions a survey is more suited !ecause it is easier to get facts a!out feelings. !elieves. wants and so on from the samples$ 'or the purpose of this case study. an open(ended 2uestionnaire was given to the teachers and lead trainers to complete$ %he 2uestionnaire contains three open(ended 2uestions for the teachers to answer$ %he open(ended 2uestions were chosen !ecause it allows the individuals to respond to the 2uery in their own words$ -ith the use of open(ended 2uestions. the 2uestions is !etter a!le to measure their salient concerns than the close(ended format that forces people to choose among a fi1ed set of responses +5epass. 1DH1. Gelly. 1D?3,$ %he reason why there are only three 2uestions in the 2uestionnaire is !ecause there are not many 2uestions that could !e posed a!out #&S(English to the teachers at this point in time since they themselves are not very familiar with #&S(English$ %he

three 2uestions are 1$ -hat is your understanding a!out #&S(EnglishA 2$ -hat are your concerns a!out #&S(EnglishA and 3$ -hat are your e1pectations of #&S(EnglishA %he first 2uestion was structured to get an overview of what the teachers thin/ or understand a!out what is #&S(English$ %he teachers are free to give their pre(conceptions or understanding of what #&S(English actually is$ %he second 2uestion is the most important 2uestion !ecause it is the focus of the study where the o!9ective of the 2uestion is to illicit the teachers0 concerns in carrying out #&S(English in their classrooms$ %he third 2uestion re2uires the teachers to give their e1pectations of #&S(English after they had !een e1posed to the rationale of the program. the contents of the program and the teaching and learning techni2ues in the three days course$ %he teachers are free to give any responses that they li/e the responses can !e positive or negative opinions on #&S(English$ %heir responses are then analy)ed and similar responses are summari)ed while dissimilar ones are also ta/en into account$ Cowever. not all of the responses were chosen due to the lac/ of time and resources to analy)e them$ 4s for the num!er of small samples for the case study. the researcher !elieves that it was ade2uate for this case study$ &erhaps a larger(scale of survey and respondents could !e carried out once #&S(English is implemented in 2014 for future research of the program$

/6 Da$a Ana!%)i) %he ta!les !elow represent the num!er of teachers that responded to the three 2uestions given in the 2uestionnaire$
TA LE ,7 Su++ar% O& R*)?'n)*) T' @u*)$i'n . (Si+i!ar r*)?'n)*) ar* #'+8in*d)

@UESTION .

RESPONSES #&S(English adopts a !ac/(to( !asics approach with its focus on communication s/ills$ L*))'n &u!!% 'n 'ra! ?r'&i#i*n#% &'#u) 'n !i)$*nin4 and )?*a:in46 PdP &'#u)*) 'n !i)$*nin4 and )?*a:in4 ):i!!) &'r $h* &ir)$ 3 +'n$h) N' r*adin4 and "ri$in4 in2'!2*d

N .30/-

A ;/6//A

(EAN

SD

.6Bha$ i) %'ur un d*r )$a ndi n4 '& OP SEn 4!i) hC

.36-,/0/<<6--A

..61/

/-0/-

.--A

/-0/-

.--A

%o employ fun and innovative methods to teach listening and spea/ing %o !uild students0 confidence to spea/ in English

/0/-

.-6--A

<0/-

,/6//A

5egarding the num!er of responses for Iuestion 1. the responses from the teachers for Iuestion 1 scored a mean of 1 $00 with the standard deviation of 11$43 that shows a medium level of score$ 4ccording to the %a!le 2. 1 or 63$33J of them showed an understanding of the focus of #&S(English a!out going !ac/ to the !asics of communication s a method of learning !ut this shows a limited understanding #&S(English !ecause this response is a direct lifting from the handouts given to the teachers for the first session$ 23 teachers or HH$00J responded that they understood that #&S(English lessons are fully !ased on Listening and Spea/ing$ %his response highlight a high understanding of #&S(English after the teachers had !een !riefed during the training course$ 30 teachers or 100J shows a very high degree of understanding of #&S(English !y stating that #&S( English will focus mainly on Spea/ing and Listening for the first months of the schools0 semester$ %his is followed !y the response no writing or reading involved which also attained 100J responses$ %his shows that the teachers reali)e that #&S(English puts an imperative on the communication s/ills and that writing and reading s/ills are purely incidental$ %wo of the lowest responses given !y the teachers are #&S(English o!9ective is to !uild students0 confidence to spea/ English with H responses or 23$33J while to employ fun and innovative ways to teach listening and spea/ing with 3 responses or 10$00J respectively$ &erhaps this shows that these two o!9ectives of #&S(English are not a ma9or concern of the teachers compared to the other responses$
TA LE /7 Su++ar% O& R*)?'n)*) T' @u*)$i'n , (Si+i!ar r*)?'n)*) ar* #'+8in*d)

@UESTION ,

RESPONSES H'" d' "* d' a!! )*$ )%)$*+5 )8a5 '?) *n4 and &*" +'r* ?r'4ra+ in 'n* 4' and a#hi*2* i$) '8D*#$i2*6 Cow to do writing n reading for p!sA after months itKs too late to finish necessary !ands Ha2in4 $' +a$#h

N ,.0/-

A <-6--A

(EAN

SD

,6 Bha$ ar* %' ur #' n# *r n) a8 'u $ O ?) E n4 !i) hC

/-0/-

.--A

.<6--

.-6>,

$h*

/-0/-

.--A

#urri#u!u+ )?*#) "i$h O?)En4!i)h !*arnin4 '8D*#$i2*) and ?8) 8and d*)#ri?$'r "i$hin 'n* !*))'n #'u!d 8* '2*r d*+andin4
Cow to carry out activities if the school have no facilities e$g$ lcd pro9ector. cd players etcA Can $h* !*))'n 8* #arri*d 'u$ a$ #'+?u$*r !a8C *an the teacher carry out any writing activity in #&S(EnglishA /-0/.--A .=0/,;0/3-6--A =/6//A

4fter si1 months$$$do the students have to ta/e spea/ing and listening test in order to assess whether have master the two s/ills$$$what if they failA Cow very sure we are that students will ac2uire the s/ills in si1 months time especially those rural fol/sA Cow a!out schools that have non( option to teach English$$and yet they have to teach their students to spea/ and listen and they themselves spea/ poor EnglishA Can $h* in)$ru+*n$ '& a))*))in4 ?r''& $h* !*2*! '& *&&i#i*n#% '& $h* )$ud*n$)C Cope can get the s/ills to teach ops English Cow to carry out #&S(English in large classesA Cow to teach using ops English to wea/ studentsA Cow to cater for !etter studentsA

>0/-

/-6--A

,10/-

=-6--A

30/-

,-6--A

.,0/-

1-6--A

/-0/,10/,30//0/-

.--A =-6--A =3633A .-6--A

%a!le 3 scored a high mean score of 1H$00 with a standard deviation of 10$D2$ this shows the high level of the concerns over the implementation of #&S(English among the teachers$ %a!le 3 states the responses given !y the teachers for Iuestion 2 of the 2uestionnaire$ %he responses chosen are the ma9or theme related to the concerns that teachers has regarding the #&S(English program pre. while and post of the teachers training course$ 'rom the analysis of the responses the teachers0 main concerns with 30 responses or 100J each can !e related to four ma9or aspects$ %he first ma9or aspects of concern is the integration of #&S(English with the School Based 4ssessment or &enilaian Berasas/an Se/olah +&BS, where all four language listening. spea/ing. reading and writing are assessed instead of the two language s/ills spea/ing and listening that are the focus of #&S English will !e demanding on the teachers and only adding to their already !urdening wor/load$ %he second ma9or concern is that the teachers will not !e a!le to finish all the !ands in the School Based 4ssessment +Band 1 to , on time !ecause they have to focus on #&S(English$ %he implementation of School Based 4ssessment since 2011 has ta/en a large amount of teachers0 time and energy to complete the !ands and su!(!ands with each !and containing at least 2 to 4 activities !ased on the four language s/ills that have to !e tested$ %he third main concern with #&S(English is that there not any writing activities for the students during teaching and learning$ %his concern rises from the need for students to !e taught writing in preparation for their e1aminations$ %his is the most fre2uent 2uestion posed to the lead trainers !y the teachers during the course and it is the most difficult to clarify and 9ustify$ %he high focus on writing is due to the fact that writing s/ills is one of the wea/est s/ills among students especially for su!ur!an or rural students$ %he fourth concern with 100J responses is more focus on the teachers0 2uestioning their own a!ilities to carry out the activities of #&S(English in the classroom$ %hey hope that they would !e a!le to get the s/ills to teach using #&S(English !ut they are worried if they fail to do so$ %his concern also correspond with the concerns from non(option teachers or 20$00J of the respondent which 2uestions how could they teach spea/ing and listening to students when they themselves have poor command of the English languageA =e1t. the fifth concern is if the lessons in #&S(English can !e carried out in the *omputer( la! with 26 responses at ?3$33J$ %his concern stems from the teachers0 worries a!out the lac/ of I*% facilities in the classrooms$ "ost schools only have computers at the *omputer(la! and the teachers0 feels that since they are provided with the Instructional 3B3 and %eaching 3B3 they need to use it in a place with pro9ectors and computers availa!le$ %his is concurrent with the si1th concern

how to carry out activities if the school have no facilities e$g$ lcd pro9ector. cd players etc$ %his concern is written in the responses !y ?0$00J or 1? teachers$ %eachers also feel that there is a concern with how to teach #&S(English to wea/ students with 26 responses at ? $ J$ %his is especially prevalent in Band 6 to schools in the district$ Sharing ?0$00J with 24 responses are the teachers concern over how sure that the students will master the two s/ills focused in #&S(English that are Spea/ing and Listening within months especially with rural students and also how to teach #&S(English in large classes$ %hese are genuine concerns !ecause as mentioned earlier there is a need for teachers to comply with the instructions of the School Based 4ssessment or &BS$ 'or the second reason. realistically the average num!er of students in a typical classroom would !e around 36 to 40 students in secondary schools$ Because of this. teachers are concerned a!out how to conduct lessons and control students with such a large num!er of students especially regarding interactions !etween students during the activities$ 12 teachers or 40$00J of them stated their concerns if the assessment instrument for #&S( English proof the level of efficiency of the studentsA %his is a valid concern !ecause the assessment instrument for #&S(English is only !ased on teacher0s o!servation of the students0 participations during the pair wor/s and group wor/s in the classroom and during the presentation of the students$ 3o the students have to ta/e spea/ing and listening test in order to assess whether have master the two s/ills$$$what if they failA is a concern from D teachers or 30$00J that focuses on the pro!lem of what to do if the students fail their assessment of proficiency in spea/ing and listening s/ills for #&S(English$ %hey feel that there should !e a clear alternative provided for students who are not a!le to spea/ and listen proficiently in English$ =e1t. the least response given !y the teacher is their concern a!out how to teach the !etter students that shows only 3 teachers or 10$00J give this response$ %hese are teachers from Band 1 to 2 teachers that attended the training course$ %hey have a valid concern !ecause their students are !etter students compared to other schools within Band 3 to and they feel that the activities and materials in #&S(English are too easy for their students0 level of proficiency in English$

TA LE 17 Su++ar% O& R*)?'n)*) T' @u*)$i'n / (Si+i!ar r*)?'n)*) ar* #'+8in*d)

@UESTION / S$ud*n$) /6 Bha$ ar* %'u r *E? *#$ a$i' n) '& O? )En 4!i) hC

RESPONSES "i!! 8* #'n&id*n$ and )?*a:in4 "i$h a##ura#% and &!u*n#% will !e proficient in spea/ing 4 soft launch of the program aside from a survey nationwide from !oth parents and teachers !efore implementing #ps English I+?!*+*n$a$i'n )h'u!d 8* +ad* a"ar* $' )$ud*n$) &'r "ha$ $h* ?r'4ra+ i) &'r6 It would prepare students for real life situations thus producing holistic individuals to face real challenges 5eally hope that the "#E will send more English teachers to lms district$$$$this is to ensure that ops will !e implemented smoothly 3evelop teaching and learning materials and sharing of !est practices Ensure alignment of #&S English with GBS" English Language *urriculum *ontinuous programme monitoring and evaluation to up/eep 2uality of delivery of the programme

N ,;0/-

A =/6//A

(EAN

SD

;0/-

.<6--A

.<6./

>6<=

./0/-

1/6//A

=0/-

,<6--A

;0/-

.<6--A

,<0//-0/-

>-6--A .--A

,10/-

=-6--A

%a!le 4 scores the highest mean at 1H$13 with a standard deviation of D$H?$ %his data shows that teachers have very positive e1pectations of #&S(English even though they are yet to implement it at their schools$ %he highest response given !y the teacher is their e1pectations that the "inistry #f Education would ensure the alignment of #&S(English with GBS" +=ew Secondary School *urriculum, English Language *urriculum with 30 responses or 100J$ %he second highest response for e1pectations of the program is their hope that EL%* will develop more teaching and learning materials and sharing of !est practices from the pilot schools that can !e used to further guide their own teaching and learning strategies$ %his is followed !y the third highest e1pectation with 26 or ?3$33J of teachers writing this response$ %heir e1pectations and is that students will !e confident and spea/s with accuracy and fluency and will !e proficient in spea/ing using the English language$ %he teachers hope that !y the end of the months students will !e a!le to spea/ and listen in English proficiently with the teaching and learning methods of #&S(English$ %he fourth response that is the highest is their e1pectations that there must !e a continuous monitoring and evaluation to up/eep the 2uality of delivery of the program$ %his response was given !y 24 teachers or ?0$00J of the samples$ 4t 43$33J or 13 responses. is the teachers0 e1pectation that the implementation of #&S(English should !e made aware to the students and what the program is for$ -ith the collected responses from ? teachers from the num!er of 30 which is a!out 2H$00J. is the e1pectation that #&S(English will prepare students for real life situations thus producing holistic individuals to face real challenges$ Being a!le to communicate in good English will prepare the students for their future careers and self(value in the local or international wor/force$ 'inally. an e2ual num!er of 6 responses and representing 1H$00J of the samples are the e1pectations of the teachers that for #&S(English there must !e a soft launch of the program aside from a survey nationwide from !oth parents and teachers !efore implementing #&S(English and also their e1pectations that the "inistry #f Education will send more English teachers to low achievement schools district$ %his is to ensure that ops will !e implemented smoothly$

16Di)#u))i'n

4ccording to Stern +1D?3, the finest and most up(to(date curriculum ideas may not !e accepted if they are imposed upon the teachers concerned without having made sure that the changes

to new curriculum demands are understood !y them$ %he willing participant of the teachers implementing the curriculum changes is recogni)ed as an essential aspect of introducing a new curriculum$ %his recognition and reali)ation will !ring a!out positive attitude towards the #ral &roficiency in English for Secondary Schools +#&S(English,$ 4s mentioned in the data analysis of the concerns of the teachers. it is reported that teachers are concerned a!out the implementation of #&S(English for their 'orm 1 students$ %hey are concerned mainly !ecause the implementation of #&S(English that they deem to !e too 2uic/ even though pilot schools had already conducted the program since 2012$ Lead(trainers from Gelantan. %erengganu and &ahang were only called for the training courses for one wee/ in Septem!er 2013 and then were instructed to carry out 'orm 1 teachers0 training course !efore the end of =ovem!er 2013$ 3ue to the ad(hoc nature of the program teachers are curious and 2uite pu))led !y what is #&S(English so many were in the dar/ until they have attended the training(course$ It is as suggested in the descriptions of concerns. in line with the teacher0s e1pectations that the program should have a soft launch to teachers. parents and students so that every!ody will understand and receive the program completely$ %he implementation of #&S(English for 'orm 1 students is also a challenge for teachers !ecause it loo/s to !e in contrast to the needs or the School Based 4ssessment +SB4, that is an evaluation of the students0 proficiency in all su!9ects including the English Language that has !een conducted since 2011$ School Based 4ssessment for the English Language re2uires students to !e proficient in all the four language s/ills listening. spea/ing. reading and writing in order to !e awarded a high !and$ %he lowest Band is 1 and the highest is Band $ %he contrast with #&S( English is that it only focuses on spea/ing and listening s/ills$ Even though it is only for months in a year teachers are concerned that they will not fulfill the re2uirements of SB4 !ecause SB4 has to !e conducted for the whole year$ %echnically #&S(English will !e integrated with SB4 !ecause the assessment will !e done in the SB4 test !ut teachers are unsure of the evaluation methods and testing instruments$ So. it is the teachers0 e1pectations that the evaluation methods and testing instruments are made clear to them earlier$ %he lac/ of facilities in schools especially in su!ur!an. rural and interior schools is a concern that can !e a hindrance to the success of #&S(English in schools$ -ithout the availa!ility of I*% facilities such as computers. L*3 screens. audio(video instruments. teachers will have to rely mainly on the teacher0s guide and students0 hand!oo/ to carry out #&S(English in their English classes$ %his may not !e of concern to ur!an schools and residential schools !ut in su!ur!an. rural and interior schools it poses a !ig challenge !ecause teachers are provided with 3B3s that needs to !e opened using I*% instruments or at least a 3B3 player and a television set$ %he use of teachers0 personal laptops or radios can !e a good alternative for a classroom with a small num!er of students !ut what a!out larger classes$ Some teachers suggested as/ing from the &arents %eachers 4ssociation to !uy television and 3B3 player for their schools !ut this is not practical with rural and interior schools where parents could not afford to pay for their &%4s fees$ It is the teachers0 e1pectations that %he "inistry #f Education should ta/e into account of this concern and provide the proper facilities to the schools that are in need of the facilities !efore implementing #&S(English or as the program progresses$ %he focus on #&S(English is proficiency in spea/ing and listening in English to students in 'orm 1 !ut what a!out students who are very wea/ in English especially students of rural and interior schools where the e1posure of the English Language is limited to English periods in class$ %his concern supports the statement that students will fail to develop academic language and

discourse simply !ecause they are not provided opportunities to use the words +Ba/htin. 1D?1,$ It is also /nown that English language learners in many classrooms are as/ed easier 2uestions or no 2uestions at all and thus rarely have to tal/ in the classroom +>uan Eng Co. 2006,$ -e can say that the teachers are to !e !lamed for such events happening in the classroom !ut for teachers sometimes they cannot avoid such actions with wea/ students who do not /now any English words at all$ -hat can a teacher do when all that he or she hears is silence or student using words in their mother tongue every time the students are as/ed to respond to 2uestions or to spea/ using EnglishA %herefore. there is a concern why #&S(English is not introduced to primary schools instead of 'orm 1 students in secondary schools so that the pro!lem of proficiency in spea/ing and listening can !e resolve earlier at primary level instead of at secondary school level$ #ther factors that the teachers e1pect to !e ta/en into account are the linguistics. proficiency in local language or mother tongue. num!er of language spo/en. motivation. poverty and personality of students that affects their proficiency in English$ -hen does tal/ actually facilitates learningA In #&S(English students must assume increasing responsi!ility over their learning$ %his can !e seen in the fifth and si1th stages of teaching and learning in #&S(English that is Caving 'un and 'un In Sharing where students must !e a!le to listen and respond correctly to others in pair wor/s and group wor/s. and also have to prepare presentations !ased on pro9ects given !y teachers$ %his is important if they are to learn +'isher and 'rey. 200?,$ %his does not mean that the students are supposed to !ecome independent learners with the a!sent of teachers !ut they are given the opportunity to wor/ with ideas and e1pected to complete tas/ independently$ %he issue here is related to time$ -hen can the teacher truly say that the students are really ready and competent enough to wor/ independently without the teachers0 helpA -hat if it ta/es too long for students to reach a satisfactory level to !e a!le to listen and spea/ confidently in EnglishA *an it !e achieva!le within months after which teachers are supposed to move into reading and writing s/ills$ %he teachers0 e1pectations identify that is a need for an intervention program that will !e a!le to help these wea/ students and a different set of assessment instruments so that they will not !e left out compared to other more proficient students$ %eachers can !e supportive and receptive of #&S(English !ecause it is their duty to follow and adhere to any new programs introduced !y the "inistry #f Education !ecause it is their responsi!ility to ensure the highest academic achievements for students. !ut what a!out parents and studentsA &arents want the !est for their children and of course academic e1cellence is one of them$ Cowever. we stand witness to the a!olishment of %eaching of Science and "athematics in English +&&S"I, !y the "inistry #f Education when parents and the overall community of "alaysia were against the program !ecause it creates a great disparity !etween the results of Science and "athematics !etween high achievements schools and ur!an schools with su!ur!an. rural and interior schools$ Even the newly introduced program School Based 4ssessment or SB4 is under constant scrutiny from parents and the academic community loo/ing for any 4chilles0 heels that can 9eopardi)e the academic achievement of the children$ Is #&S(English going to go the way of &&S"IA It is the teachers0 e1pectation that parents and students0 feelings and perceptions of #&S( English must also !e ta/en into account$ In the end it is the students who will !enefit or lose from the implementation of #&S(English$ %here is a need for the program to !e clearly e1plained to parents and students so that they will understand why they are !eing put through the program and what !enefits they will gain from the program$ Students nowadays are unli/e their predecessors that a!ide to whatever the teachers or authority says$ Students nowadays are independent. critical of and are more open(minded especially with the advent of the internet and related technologies$

;6C'n#!u)i'n

%he case study has given an insight into the concerns and e1pectations of teachers regarding #&S(English$ %he case study has also provided data !ased on the concerns and e1pectations of teachers of the program$ #&S(English can !e one of the finest programs to raise the standards of English Language proficiency in "alaysia$ Its0 !ac/ to !asics approach with the focus on spea/ing and listening ensure students will !e a!le to !e proficient in all four language s/ills if they can master spea/ing and listening in English$ Cowever. !efore it is implemented in secondary schools. a concentrated effort must !e ta/en to convince English teachers. parents and students of the !enefits of the program$ %eachers already have many programs to manage and they have to concentrate on the teaching and learning process as well as assessment at the same time +-eir. 1DD4,$ In implementing any changes to the curriculum. the teachers at grass roots level play an important role in their effective implementation$ &arents are always critical a!out programs that are introduced !y schools or government !ecause they want their children to !e e1cellent in their studies and any programs that are in reverse of their e1pectations will definitely fail$ Students tend to support or !e against programs which they feel is either too easy or too challenging$ %hey will also cooperate or withdraw once they feel comforta!le or threatened !y the program$ Students0 different demographic !ac/ground. social !ac/ground and academic proficiency must also !e ta/en into account to ensure the success of #&S(English in schools$ 4de2uate facilities must also !e provided for teachers and students in order to carry out the activities in #&S(English$ 'urthermore. materials. resources and !est practices should !e shared among schools involved with #&S(English to help teachers to carry out #&S(English$ %o conclude. the researcher feels that there is a need for future research on the development of the oral proficiency in English Language via #&S(English and that this case study results does not represent the concerns and e1pectations of all teachers entrusted with implementation of #&S( English in 2013$ %he researcher understands that the !est program does not necessarily mean the :singe !est program;$ %he policy ma/ers. policy e1ecuters and the pu!lic at large must understand that there is not only one way to teach English Language effectively$

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"IS3 BilingualOESL 3epartment Suchiraphon "cGeithen(&olish. Bilingual Education *onsultantE hat "& The! Don4t S#eak %nglish: &or #rimar! and secondar! teachers. "4*#"B "IS3 Bilingual Education &rogram

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