Malaysian High School Research Articles

Content-based language teaching: Convergent concerns across divergent contexts

This article serves as the introduction to this special issue of Language Teaching Research on content-based language teaching (CBLT). The article first provides an illustrative overview of the myriad contexts in which CBLT has been implemented and then homes in on the five studies comprising the special issue, each conducted in a distinct instructional setting: two-way Spanish—English immersion in the USA, English-medium ‘nature and society’ lessons taught at a middle school in China, English-medium math and science classes in Malaysian high schools, English-medium history classes in high schools in Spain, and ‘sheltered instruction’ classes for English language learners in US schools. In spite of such divergent contexts, the five studies converge to underscore the pivotal role played by teachers in CBLT and the concomitant need for professional development to support them in meeting some of the challenges specific to CBLT.

Sociocultural influences on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors among Malaysian adolescents

Little research on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors, and the sociocultural influences on them, has been undertaken in non-Western contexts. The current study investigated these variables and the relationships between them among a sample of 529 Malaysian high school students (103 Malays, 344 Chinese and 82 Indians), who completed a set of measures in classroom settings. Chinese girls were more dissatisfied with their bodies than Chinese boys, but no gender difference was found for Malay and Indian participants. Girls were more likely to engage in behaviors to lose weight, and boys were more likely to engage in behaviors to increase muscle. The influence of sociocultural factors on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors was limited and varied across both sex and ethnicity. Findings are discussed in relation to Western research, and it is concluded that cultural nuances need to be considered when investigating these phenomena.

Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics and Science Instructions of Mathematics and Science Teachers in Malaysian High Schools

Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics and Science Instructions of Mathematics and Science Teachers in Malaysian High Schools

Sex Differences on the Multitalent Perception Inventory among Malaysian Students

Malaysian high school students, 142 boys and 154 girls (M age= 13.3 yr., SD = 0.3) were compared on a talent measure, the Khatena-Morse Multitalent Perception Inventory. Boys obtained significantly higher means on the overall score of Versatility and the talent areas of Artistry, Creative Imagination, Initiative, and Leadership. Further replications involving other age groups and nationalities are recommended.

Writing in English in Malaysian High Schools: The Discourse of Examinations

English is taught as a second language and compulsory subject in Malaysian secondary schools. Writing is one of the four language skills taught and tested. At the upper secondary school level, students write a variety of text types, most of which conform to examination genres. Given a learning context that is examination-driven and teacher-centred, how do students accomplish their writing tasks in a non-negotiable writing curriculum? Embedding the classroom in a larger social and cultural context, this study demonstrates how some students responded to teacher instructions such as ‘read, understand, interpret, do’ and ‘I want all your papers when the bell rings’. Data were taken from student interviews, teacher interviews, students' written products and classroom observations of writing lessons over the second half of the school year. Findings from the study show that the students' focus on acceptable writing for school and examination purposes did not encourage them to develop their writing skills beyond these requirements, but to adopt a range of pragmatic and expedient tactics.

Writing short messages in English: Out-of-school practices of Malaysian high school students

For Malaysian adolescents, writing in English covers various forms and serves a range of purposes. Outside the formal school context, students engage in more personalized forms of writing. This paper examines one such form, namely, the writing of short messages, using a sociocultural perspective of literacy as a social discursive practice that implicates identity construction. This paper draws on a larger qualitative study which looked at school and personal writing by a class of Form 4 (Year 10) students in an urban school in Malaysia. Data were taken mainly from student interviews and students’ written products during six months of fieldwork. Findings from the study showed students’ informal writing involved new hybrid forms of English and included the use of a mixture of short forms, “Penang English” and Net English. This study has implications for the English literacy education of Malaysian high school students learning ESL while immersed in a contemporary digital and Internet culture.

A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools

Biotechnology education in developing nations remains one of the rate limiting factors in achieving optimal human resource capacity to drive and tap the bio-resources of these nations. Many developing countries are situated within rich bio-diversity enclaves. Biotechnology offers the promise of tapping these bio resources towards due process of developing these nations. While there may be a steady stream of biology and biotechnology based graduates, from Malaysian as well as foreign universities contributing to the human resource base for these countries, the numbers and knowledge diversity produced, still lack the capacity to optimally power research and development as well as supply the industrial biotechnology sectors of these countries. Realizing the need to address these issues at the grassroots level of higher education, Malaysia has taken an active step of bringing biotechnology into the classrooms of high schools throughout the country. These future generations of Malaysians, are hoped to progress towards manning and driving Malaysia's BioValley initiatives (a biotech based R&D and industry cluster), towards the national dream of developed nation status by the year 2020, using biotechnology as an economic growth vehicle. Here, we share our experiences in developing and proliferating a biotechnology awareness program for Malaysian high schools. It is hoped that similar programs will strive towards similar objectives in other developing countries.

A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools

A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools