DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMME: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN TEACHING SCIENCE THROUGH ENGLISH

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The recently implemented Dual Language Program (DLP) policy in Malaysian schools may require teachers involved in the initiative to make necessary changes in their teaching practices in appropriate directions. It may also challenge the beliefs that these teachers hold with regard to teaching subject matter in English as a medium of instruction. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the beliefs of primary Science teachers with regards to the teaching of Science through the English medium, and the extent to which the beliefs of teachers are consistent with their classroom practices.
 
 Methodology: The study employed a quantitative data collection and analysis approach. Science teachers’ beliefs and stated practices were obtained via a questionnaire using the Likert-scale. The respondents of the study include 44 primary Science teachers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. A Pearson correlation analysis was computed to examine the association between teachers’ beliefs scale and the ratings of classroom practices.
 
 Findings: The results from the statistical analysis suggest that in teaching Science using the English language, the beliefs of the primary school teachers were not always aligned with their stated practices with regard to DLP. This discrepancy between the beliefs of science teachers and their stated instructional practices could be due to the lack of professional development sessions and contextual constraints.
 
 Contributions: This study extends work on content-based classrooms in the Malaysian context. Its findings contribute to the ongoing work on improving instructional practices in the DLP classrooms.
 
 Keywords: Classroom practices, dual language program, teachers’ beliefs.
 
 Cite as: Othman, J., Mohd Saat, R., Senom, F., & Hasan Adli, D. S. (2020). Dual language programme: Teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching Science through English. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(1), 255-269. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss1pp255-269