The Use of Imported CEFR-aligned English Language Textbooks in Malaysian Schools: Issues and Concerns

Shak, Mohamad Syafiq Ya; Albakri, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff; Tahir, Mohd Haniff Mohd; Adam, Mohd Hafiz Mat

doi:10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i9/10875

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Tomlinson (2011) mentioned that textbooks should create a neutral outlook to provide a blueprint for directions and ideas on how lessons can be delivered. Nevertheless, Shak et al (2021b) disagreed on this point. They believe cultural barriers in the PULSE 2 EL textbook can cause difficulties for students as they cannot connect the language with the targeted culture.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, it is inevitable to receive criticism when a change is introduced. However, the backlash is swift in implementing the PULSE 2 textbook in the Malaysian education system (Shak et al, 2021b).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bold decision to utilize foreign textbooks in Malaysian schools received mixed views from the stakeholders (Nazari & Aziz, 2020;Shak et al, 2021a). One concern is that the cultural content in the imported textbooks, PULSE 2 in the case of this study, is deemed as limited relevance to Malaysian students (Shak et al, 2021b). Since studies related to the cultural content of the PULSE 2 textbooks are still subjected to rigorous research in Malaysia, the present research is conducted to analyze the cultural categories presented in the textbook for the Form 1 syllabus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For example, Zairil Khir Johari, the state assemblyman of Tanjong Bunga and the Democratic Action Party Penang Vice-Chairman, mentioned that the price point of the textbook is five times more compared with the textbooks by local authors (The Star Online, 2018). Another point of contention highlighted is the alignment or lack of alignment of the PULSE 2 textbook content with the local content, particularly with the objectives of Malaysia's language programs and English curriculum (Shak et al, 2021b). Zairil also mentioned that the PULSE 2 textbook has "zero local content" while being enriched with an extremely strong British context (Chow, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Analysis of ‘PULSE 2’ Cultural Content and How Malaysian ESL Teachers Perceive IT

Arumugam¹,

Shak²,

Muhammad³

2022

IJARPED

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Imported English textbooks were introduced to Malaysian schools in line with Malaysia's new CEFR-aligned English language curriculum. One of the books is PULSE 2, in which concern about its foreign cultural content has been widely discussed. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the cultural categories displayed in the PULSE 2 textbook for Form 1 syllabus, investigate how foreign cultures and topics are introduced to the students, and identify the perception of Form 1 teachers of the textbook, specifically on its foreign cultural contents. This study employed mixed-method research. The first phase of the data collection involved quantitative analysis using a questionnaire administered to 30 Form 1 ESL teachers. The qualitative data were collected through content analysis and semi-structured interviews with Form 1 teachers from schools in Perak, Malaysia. The PULSE 2 textbook is culturally rich, especially with UK-centric contents. There is also an imbalance portrayal of cultural categories, and no reference is made to the Malaysian context in the book. Designing personal materials, comparing target and local cultures, and using resources such as visuals and webbased learning are the most common pedagogical methods used by Form 1 teachers in using this textbook with their students. Although the teachers positively perceived the textbook, they disclosed a mixed perception of its foreign cultural content. Despite this, PULSE 2 can still be exploited to benefit students.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An Analysis of ‘PULSE 2’ Cultural Content and How Malaysian ESL Teachers Perceive IT

Arumugam¹,

Shak²,

Muhammad³

2022

IJARPED

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“…Due to the lack of training employed to them, respondents claimed that they only posit a surface comprehending towards using the CEFR descriptors in assessing the students' performance. This matter can be very daunting as it can neglect nature of language learning process in the local context (Shak et al, 2021) "Since the syllabus is entirely foreign to them, though exposed to it, to grasp the culture is not an easy fit. In the end, teachers need to localise the content so it's nearer to students' own experience and lifestyle.…”

Section: • Unfamiliaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Teachers’ Assessment Literacy in Enacting Cefr-Aligned Classroom-Based Assessment in Malaysian Secondary Schools ESL Classroom

Marzaini¹,

Sharil²,

Supramaniam³

et al. 2023

IJARPED

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This past five years has seen a drastic reform in the Malaysian education system. The reform prompts significant changes in teaching and learning and the assessment system. The emphasis on high-stakes examinations were revised and a new assessment system is introduced. In 2021, many high-stake examinations like Uijan Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) were abolished due to the reason of being ineffective tools to measure students' learning capability. Since the abolishment, the government paved the way by introducing a more progressive and continuous assessment system known as Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA) which gives full autonomy to teachers to assess students by introducing formative assessments. In the context of English Language Education, the CBA is aligned with CEFR. CEFR breathes new ways for teachers to assess students' language progression across a standard international descriptor. This change has resorted in a huge transformation in the teachers' role as CEFR-aligned CBA demands teachers to plan, design, implement, and report the new assessment system in their teaching practices. Hence, a mixed-method study was conducted to explore the teacher's assessment literacy in implementing CEFR-aligned CBA at the micro level. The findings of this study reported that teachers posit a low assessment literacy level which has influenced their practices to enact the new assessment system. Several challenges like the time constraint, lack of training, teachers' unfamiliarity, and tedious process of CBA raised the concern for the government to reduce these deficiencies in enacting the change in education.

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Malaysian English Language Teachers’ Willingness, Readiness, Needs and Wants to Develop Graphic Oral History ELT Materials

Ibrahim

Aziz

Said

et al. 2023

IJLTER

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Non-native English language teachers have long been de-professionalized being adopters of preponderant globalized English language teaching (ELT) coursebooks that offer an insignificant contribution to their students’ English language learning. This has spurred the design of the “Innovations in Materials Development” (IMD) module to train Malaysian English language teachers in developing graphic oral history ELT materials. This study reports on the initial (needs analysis) phase of the instructional design of the module; not only did the researchers examine the teachers’ willingness and readiness to develop their ELT materials, but they also investigated the teachers’ needs and wants to inform the design of the module. Qualitative findings from in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with five Malaysian in-service English language teachers showed that the teachers are willing to adopt the materials developer role; however, they are not ready as they lack ELT materials development experiences and training. In the context of the prospective module, they need training comprising ELT materials development principles and oral history and graphic novels as pedagogical tools. Moreover, the teachers expressed that they want the training to be practical and to involve group work, guidance, and materials samples. These findings established the need for the IMD module and helped the researchers identify and formulate the specific needs and wants of the teachers for the training to be efficient.

show abstract

The Use of Imported CEFR-aligned English Language Textbooks in Malaysian Schools: Issues and Concerns

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

An Analysis of ‘PULSE 2’ Cultural Content and How Malaysian ESL Teachers Perceive IT

An Analysis of ‘PULSE 2’ Cultural Content and How Malaysian ESL Teachers Perceive IT

Evaluating Teachers’ Assessment Literacy in Enacting Cefr-Aligned Classroom-Based Assessment in Malaysian Secondary Schools ESL Classroom

Malaysian English Language Teachers’ Willingness, Readiness, Needs and Wants to Develop Graphic Oral History ELT Materials

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