CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

EDU 55O
Article review
Title: Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science in
English in Primary Schools in the State Of Johor, Malaysia

Name:

Alester Makirim

Student id:

2012534451

Program code:

ED2474A

Lecturers Name :

Mohammad Hisyam bin Ismail

There are many articles, journal and research paper out there that related to
curriculum and instruction either in or out of the country, and I had chosen a research journal
that had been written by four people which is related to PPSMI. The title of the journal is
Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science in English in Primary Schools in the State
of Johor, Malaysia. This journal was written done by the collaboration of Associate Prof. Dr.
Asri bin Selamat, Associate Prof. Dr. Ahmad bin Esa,Hj. Shamsaadal Sholeh bin Hj. Saad
And Asliaty bt. Atim. All of the writers were coming from University Tun Hussein Onn
Malaysia; this journal had been published a few years ago in 2010 and was published by the
journal of education. It can be retrieved from the internet using the URL below:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:FEhRUTwYKEcJ:eprints.uthm.edu.my/3825/1/SELAMA~1.PDF+&cd=1&hl=en&c
t=clnk&gl=my
Grounded on the journal the author was discussing on the execution of PPSMI in a
school which had been introduced in our education system since 2003, this policy was
introduced to enhance students mastery of English and increasing the capability to
communicate in English, by using English for teaching and learning in both subjects
mathematics and science subject start from primary school and secondary school. This policy
was introduced because most of the references book regarding science and mathematics are
available in English other than that, the requirement of human capital that who are capable to
communicate well in English also lead to the implementation of the PPSMI, science and
mathematics was playing an important role in our country which helping a lot in developing
and advancing the science and mathematics in our country. This policy was implemented
based on the good intention and reason however many voices was arose regarding this matter
from the students itself, parents and teachers after the policy was execute, the biggest concern

about this policy was how this policy affect the students future did it give a positive or
negative effect.
The author was done the research by asking two questions to the respondents that
participate; the respondent for that research was 23 school headmasters who are taking a
management program at university of Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. The 23 headmasters were
interview either formal or informal way, the first question that asked was about their opinion
and view bout teaching and learning science and mathematics in English, then the second
question was in a primary school at what point does the PPSMI can be consider as a
successful. After the interview was analysis by write a transcript based on the recorded
interview they were determine where the code system was belong. There about 24 different
finding based on the interview and Im only selected a few finding that seem interesting to
me.
The first finding that I like to discuss is about the number of English teacher that
shorten in our country and teacher who did have an experience of teaching mathematics and
science subjects in English become the major or core weakness in the execution of the
teaching and learning science and mathematics. Im agree with this because, how can a
teacher teach the student if the teacher itself having a hard time understanding the language
that they use, ministry of education provide an intensive program that known as EteMS this
program was helping teacher that never learn how to teach the two subjects in English, even
thaw this program was established but still many teachers still facing a problem in class to
teach that subject, it not easy to master a language in short period of time .Other than that
regarding the theory of language it said that using our mother tongue was the best way to gain
or achieve the knowledge.

The second findings are students with poor command in English language have a
weak understanding in mathematics and science subject, as we all know mathematics and
science are a though subjects for the students, even before the implementation of the PPSMI
or teaching and learning science and mathematics in English, there are many students that
cannot perform well for this two subject, during the implementation of the PPSMI, the
situation was become worse, it can be seen from the achievement of the students during the
PMR and SPM, the student percentage of students that pass for the subject are decreases. This
is because the students cannot understand what they had learnt in class due to the language
barrier.
The third finding is deficient in school facilities and infrastructure, especially in rural
area cause a difficulty and inconvenient situation and environment for both of the teacher and
students to proceed with the PPSMI policy. So, students who are come from a rural area had a
hard time to adapt to the new policy and cause a difficult for them to compete with students
from urban area that have a better facilities and infrastructure. I am agree with this finding,
because an infrastructure such as computer and internet access can help student to increases
their understanding regarding the two subjects, they can get more information about the
mathematics and science subject that didnt have in the textbook by accessing the internet,
furthermore , the teacher they can use they that power point during classes to enhance and
give a better understanding and expand the students knowledge because there were some
topic especially in science subject can be understanding better by watching a video, other
than that using a computer and power point sometimes can attract the student interest to learn
that subject because it more enjoyable with video, animation and so on rather than only chalk
and talk learning session. This supported by the research that had been done by Ziden.A.A
from University Sains Malaysia in 2011 which mentions that using ICT in teaching and
learning process can increase student understanding in science subject.

In conclusion PPSMI was a good policy, however, during the execution of this policy
many limitations was encountered to achieve the main objective of the policy which want to
produce students that can master the English language by learning the mathematics and
science subject in English, the language barrier between the students and teacher
and teacher's ability to teach in English was one of the causes that limited the success of the
policy. This policy can be successfully achieving the objective if government and our
ministry of education were provided a soft landing before implemented it. It all about time
place, who where and when it suppose to be executed, beside that teaching science and
mathematics in English is not the only way to master up the language spending more time in
learning English in class also can help student to communicate well in English and master it
at the same time like the MBMMBI policy which our ministry of education has introduced by
allocate more time learning English from 240 minutes per week to 300 minutes per week.

References

Selamat, Asri and Esa, Ahmad and Saad, Shamsaadal Sholeh and Atim, Asliaty (2010). Journal of
Education, 16 (2011), 61-73, ISBN 99917-2-603-9