Nowadays English was an international language, it was widely used; it was not just for education purpose, but was gradually spread in other sectors, especially in the economic sector. On 6th May 2002, the then Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir announced that government willing to reintroduce English as a medium of instruction. And on 11th May 2002, the then Education Minister Musa Mohamad established a bilingual system that set up with English used for teaching science and mathematics (Tan, 2005, p. 50).
Before this announcement was made, the Education Art 1996 stipulate the national language (Malay language) shall be the main medium of instruction in all educational institutions under the National Education System except for national-type school or any other educational institution exempted by the Minister from this subsection (2006, p. 23). After this announcement was made, students from primary and secondary schools are expected to learn Science and Mathematics in English. This might create uncertainties for students on the usage of English as a medium to learn Science and Mathematics.
According to the Ministry of Education (n.d.), the main purpose of reintroduce English as the medium of instruction was to enhance their abilities and adaptation of language skills of students and teachers through Mathematics and Science. Moreover, through this it will help and encourage students to develop their language competence to a higher level. With this it will help students to gain engender optimal performance in and outside the classroom. This so because most of the information of Science knowledge was written in English. Zahih Zakaria, & Mohd Sallehhudin Abd Aziz (2011) said, “This change in policy was deemed necessary to ensure tha...
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...ik dan Pendidikan, Jil. 23 , 142. Retrieved from http://web.usm.my/education/publication/MATHS%20AND%20SCIENCE%20IN%20ENGLISH_abstract.pdf
Tan, P. K. W. (2005). The medium-of-instruction debate. - English as a Malaysian language? Language Problems & Language Planning , 50. Retrieved from http://www.factworld.info/malaysia/news/debate.pdf
Tan, Y. S. (2007). ATTITUDES AND ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTATIONS OF STUDENTS TOWARDS LEARNING OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN ENGLISH. Kajian Malaysia, Jld. XXV, No. 1 , 23. Retrieved from http://web.usm.my/km/25(1)2007/KM%20ART%2025(1)_2.pdf
Zahih Zakaria, & Mohd Sallehhudin Abd Aziz. (January, 2011). Assessing Students Performance: The Second Language (English Language) Factor. The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment , Vol. 6, 43. Retrieved from http://tijepa.books.officelive.com/Documents/A4V6.2_TIJEPA.pdf
The promotion of foreign language education in America’s primary schools is vital to a child’s learning process, cultural awareness, and future in the workforce. Although they are scarce, there are some elementary schools across the United States that incorporate foreign language courses in the curriculum. This is most common in areas bordering other countries and relative to the language spoken, as French is taught most often along the border of Canada and Spanish along the border of Mexico. The process of learning another language is beneficial the learning process of all subjects because the methods used combine teaching procedures present in every class. The broad learning capacity gained from learning a foreign language and the ability to converse with other peoples helps people in careers as well, making them apt for any profession. Special schools have been created to promote a mixed-culture learning environment, such as charter schools and bilingual schools. The students who attend these specialized schools are exposed to different ways of life at the early age that is best for absorbing new information and living in two opposite cultures successfully. Foreign language education in primary school is necessary because during the years a child is in elementary school is the time in which children are most susceptible to taking in new information.
In this irrelevant debate about the language form, we are deviating from the intention and purpose of education. To educate, means to make a child fully aware of his environment and open him to the act of thinking. As a well-informed society we should learn to appreciate the beauty of every English form and integrate it into standard form.
In order to be productive in the American school system, most instructors would agree that knowing the English language is the best way guarantee success. By allowing the student to use only English in the classroom the instructor is guaranteeing that their pupil will know English well enough to survive in America, given they were provided with at most a year of immersion into English. This is the best way to ensure success because even after a year in the English as a Second Language program studies have found that “students are only performing academically ‘average’ and only adequately prepared for the next year”(Toohey 63). Which in comparison to those who have had to face English head on, they appear to be more likely to succeed. This is d...
In recent years people have developed views against the idea of bilingual education and they believe strongly that it accounts for the failure of students. Therefore, in 1998 California changed it’s law to allow for only English immersion to be taught, due to the frustration they were experiencing because not enough children were obtaining a working knowledge of English (Tapia, 2000). Through observations many people have come to the conclusion that English immersion is much more effective then bilingual education and that this law was successful. Ever since the new English immersion law went into effect, California has observed that, while before when bilingual education was taught only 18% of limited-English students would score above the median ion reading test, now 31% of students do. Only 13% of students in bilingual education score as high as those in English Immersion classes. It has also been observed that students in English immersion classes are two times more likely to have above median scores in Language Arts and three times more likely to have above median scores in spelling (Chavez, 2002). Many states are following California’s example and are now implementing their own English immersion laws. Arizona, for example, has started a program called “English for the Children” which is similar to the law in California (Tapia, 2000). English immersion has been accepted by many as the appropriate solution for problems they had been facing in bilingual education, and has proven to be rather successful. Therefore, many people believe English immersion is better then bilingual education.
Sharma, B., 2008. “World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and English Pedagogy”, Journal of NELTA 13 (2), pp. 121-130. Available from
students are not proficient in the English language and speak a language other than English at home (Greene, 1998). This idea, the use of two languages in schools, by teachers, students, or both, for a variety of purposes educational or socially, is not exactly novel (Greene, 1998). The bilingual education system was first legally
The presence of English has indeed increased steadily from the beginning of the 2013. Along with its increased visibility, its status has changed dramatically. The period from the 1991 to the 2003, a period of major social, cultural and political change, was particularly important in this process. Until 2007, all students began learning English in Kurdistan in elementary school at approximately 11 years old (grade 5). In September 2007, the Ministry of Education held the second conference which concluded with a resolution No. 211 requesting the English to be taught even in kindergartens (Ministry of Education).
One of the most important reasons for bilingual education is the main fact that research supports bilingualism in order to deliver a better education. English- only education does not provide a
Whether in primary school, secondary school and college, Malaysians almost are in English to learn. Now the children of the first exposed with the language in addition to be their mother tongue, other than that is English. Furthermore, English language also has to use by employees and employers to communicate or in business. Now in the 21st century, most people are used to communicate in English. Especially those living in the city, they must use Standard English to communicate, no matter on which side. So English even become their mother tongue. More and more people to learn English, but also easy to let others catchy. Since Malaysia gradually toward into the internationalization, there are many people from different countries will come to work in Malaysia, studying, and even better development. That is why English language is very important to Malaysians.
Long, M, H. & Doughty, C, J. ( Eds.).(2009). The Handbook of Language Teaching. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
English is the only foreign language which is given a special status to be learnt as a compulsory subject at schools and universities in Indonesia. This status is officially stipulated in the government regulations. English at schools started being taught in 1968 based on the decree of the Ministry of Education and Culture No.096/1967 which regulated the recommendation of teaching English as a compulsory subject in junior and senior high schools. At the university level, English is taught according to the Government Regulation No.19/2005 article 9 which states that the curriculum in higher education for undergraduate students should include religious education, civic education, Indonesian and English. In spite of the fact that English has officially
Platt, J. & Weber, H. (1980). English in Singapore and Malaysia: Status, Features, Functions. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press
Bilingualism The English language has grown to be the world’s most significant language and its increase to the status of globally spoken language must rank as one of the most significant facts in the educational times gone by of the twentieth century world. It is conceivably suitable, as the new millennium comes closer, that we ought to pause to reproduce on how English reached this point, what might take place next, and what it all means, both for those who converse English and for the large proportion of the world's inhabitants who do not. Uniformly, we need to think the insinuations of these changes on our own position as language education professionals. David Crystal's book, English as a Global Language, (Crystal, 1997) aimed to point out that “English became the world language not because of any intrinsic linguistic qualities, but because at significant moments in history it happened to be 'in the right place at the right time'”. "The Future of English?" (Graddol, 1997) suggests that “English is at a turning point in its development as an international language: it has become a global language at a time when the world itself is undergoing rapid change. Indeed, English is very much a part of the process of transformation, which is creating a more closely interconnected world in which people and machines talk easily to each other across vast spaces.” Reviewing Barbara Mayor and David Graddol, evident is the fact that there are two key indicators of this changeover point in the progress of English. First, the number of people speakers using English as a second language will rapidly outnumber those who articulate it as a first language. Secondly, it is obvious that added people learning English as a foreign language do so in ...
Language is one of the most basic necessities for human interactions in a society. Ng and Bradac (1993) stated that, “some of the most remarkable human tools are the specific languages that particular groups of human have developed and adapted for use in their daily lives” (p.1). Without language, socialization between individuals in society would be highly difficult; which would possibly result in a lack of social solidarity that ties people together. From social and academic institutions (family and school), we were taught to use the most favorable language to survive in society. Brunei Darussalam centers on the Malay and English language. Depending on the surrounding and how Bruneians were raised, the use of language may differ for different individuals. In this essay, I’ll be talking about the language that my family and I have acquired. I will also talk about the existence of bilingualism in my family and the use of different languages during travelling.
In a conclusion, using English to teach mathematics and science in English is a good way to make sure that student can master the language but there still have other way that we can use to make sure that our student can master the language. As a result, Prime Minister of Education has cancelled the PPSMI policy on 2012 when there were more disadvantages from advantages. This is the best way and fair to all students both in city and rural school when using Malay language to teach Mathematics and Science. The repeal of this policy can bring awareness to the government to review the actions that need to be done for now and the future generations in order to produce young people who are able to shape the future of the country.