Abstract
AbstractIn an effort to contribute to contemporary debates about alternative ways of teaching moral education, this qualitative study explored moral dilemmas identified by young adolescents and how they made moral choices to resolve the dilemmas. Data were gathered for textual analysis through a modified framework of participatory action research using participant observation, focus group transcripts, interviews and student journals. The data were interpreted using a revision of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, extended to suit the multicultural Malaysian setting, and here called the Zone of Collaborative Development. Participants were 22 16–17-year-old non-Muslim adolescents from different cultural backgrounds attending three different types of secondary schools. Moral Education (ME) in Malaysia (MEM) is designed to cater to this group while Muslim students study Islamic Studies. Findings show that students were concerned about moral issues and values not covered in the current ME curriculum. The...
Highlights
Moral Education (ME) in Malaysia took form after the 1979 Cabinet Report
Research methodology A collaborative social process of learning was described by Habermas (1994) as an open communicative process realised by people who collaborate to change the practices through which they communicate in a shared social world, and where they live with the consequences of one another’s actions
After the first and second stage in the Participatory action research (PAR) process, students were asked to write their moral dilemma on pieces of paper
Summary
Moral Education (ME) in Malaysia took form after the 1979 Cabinet Report. It was stated that: To build a disciplined, cultured and united society, it is recommended that while Muslim students study Islamic Religious Knowledge, and this includes other pupils who choose to follow this subject, non-Muslim pupils should be taught Moral and Ethics education. All pupils who study this subject, Moral and Ethics Education, must take it in the examination. In both these subjects, respect for the individual and the freedom to embrace any religion in a multireligious society must be cultivated. In Malaysia, it is considered essential that adolescents are exposed to the different norms of a multicultural society so that they are able to behave morally within the society (Vishalache, 2009, 2011). ME is intended to bridge the gaps between adolescent values and those of the nation (Moral Education Syllabus, 2000)
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