English Language Journal Vol 3, (2009) 83-101 ISSN 1823 6820

INTRODUCTION A quality Mathematics and Science education is essential to the future success of students, as is proficiency in the English language in this age where science and technology have gained significance in our everyday lives. The role of the English language has also been upgraded to that of the language of the international network and as a global language. Realising the importance of the roles of the three subjects and also the decline of the standard of the English language in Malaysian schools, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, suggested that the sciences be taught in English. One of the aims of the change in the medium of instruction was to arrest the declining standard of English language among students and to enhance English fluency among Malaysians. This move would increase national competitiveness to better position the country to face the challenges of globalization, liberalization and information and communication technology. This research study looks at how the change in the language medium in subject delivery challenges the current beliefs and assumptions that teachers hold about teaching and learning Mathematics and Science. Many of the views and assumptions of teachers, both experienced and inexperienced, are based on their own experiences as learners when the previous Mathematics and Science syllabuses were in practice. Being trained to teach in Bahasa Melayu and having taught in that language for many years, it is rather difficult for them to make an abrupt change and be experts in delivering lessons in the English language. Training colleges in Malaysia only started preparing teachers for teaching the sciences using English language in 2003. The English for Teaching Mathematics and Science programme (ETeMS) which prepares the Mathematics and Science teachers for primary and secondary schools was only introduced in 2002. As such, in seeking to study the beliefs that underpin teacher action, we can gain deeper insights into the nature of teaching and learning, and possibly find ways to reconcile the dilemma, which appears to have existed between teacher beliefs and the goals of the curriculum.

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TEACHER BELIEFS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICE People use the word belief in a variety of ways. Yero (2002) defines beliefs as judgments and evaluations that people make about themselves, about others, and about the world around them. Beliefs are generalizations about things such as causality or the meaning of specific actions. People develop and carry their beliefs, abilities, and remembrances as they move through time and space, and it is these beliefs that create a sense of familiarity in a changing world (Knaus, 2000, p.141). There is always the fear of the unknown and for many individuals, change brings with it the connotation of something new and unfamiliar. What are beliefs? According to Borg a belief is a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously held, is evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and, is therefore imbued with emotive commitment; further, it serves as a guide to thought and behaviour (Borg, 2001, p.186). A better understanding of the relationship between the beliefs of teachers and the key elements that influence or guide teaching practice would help aid teacher reforms. The key elements mentioned are the teachers mental contents or schemas, particularly the system of beliefs concerning the subject/subjects they teach and have been taught, the social context of the teaching situation, particularly the constraints and opportunities it provides, and the teachers level of thought processes and reflection (Ernest, 1988). What teachers are able to do is a reflection of what they know and believe. Teacher knowledge and teacher thinking provide the underlying framework or schema, which guides the teachers classroom actions (Richards and Lockhart, 1994). For the purposes of this research, the underlying grounds of the study lie on the theoretical frameworks presented by Richards and Lockhart (1994). Teacher belief systems are built up over a period of time and consist of both subjective and objective dimensions (Richards and Lockhart, 1994). Research carried out by Kindsvatter, Willen and Ishler (1988) (cited in Richards and Lockhart, 1994) on teacher belief systems suggests that both dimensions are derived from a number of different sources. They include the teachers own experience as learner, experience of what works best, established practice, personality factors, educationally based or research-based principles, and principles derived from an approach or method.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The theory of teachers beliefs deals exclusively with the ideas that what teachers are able to do is a reflection of what they know and believe and that teacher knowledge and teacher thinking provide the underlying framework or schema, which guides the teachers classroom actions (Richards and Lockhart, 1994). For the purposes of this research, the underlying grounds of the study lie on the theoretical frameworks presented by Richards and Lockhart (1994).
The investigation employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches which aim to explicate and understand the human belief system. The present study attempts to understand teacher beliefs both in terms of the teacher subjects personal beliefs and how they practice teaching in correspondence to the stipulations of the Malaysian Mathematics and Science curriculums.

The task required a methodology designed for the study of human belief systems, specifically those of teachers. Physical phenomena can be observed in a controlled environment and defined and measured through quantitative methods. However, psychological phenomena are difficult to control, define, measure, and explain in a quantitative way. Teachers who are human beings are not physical objects, and their behaviour, thoughts and actions do not obey similar natural laws. We can say that human behaviour is constrained by social norms and biology but is also underdetermined by them. People do learn from their social context and according to their cognitive readiness. But they also act as intentional agents, absorbing and extending the conventions and understandings of their society through their active participation. Therefore, teachers are able to change themselves and society. In this study, information is gathered through classroom observation, interviews and a questionnaire survey. The study site was the district of Manjung in the state of Perak. There were twenty secondary schools in this district. The questionnaire survey was carried out in all the 19 national-type secondary schools in the district. The teachers involved in the classroom observations were from eight schools in five of the settlements excluding Pulau Pangkor. Four of the schools are classified as rural and another four as urban by the Manjung District Education Office. The schools that were chosen had to be co-educational. One school each was selected from areas with a small number of schools.
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RESULTS
Quantitative Analysis of the Questionnaire Survey and Classroom Observation The following Table 1 presents the results of the questionnaire survey (Refer to Appendix A).
Table 1: Descriptive Data of Questionnaire Survey
Frequencies and Percentages for the Survey

Some degree

Personality

168 17.5%

352 36.7% 366 38.1% 307 32% 333 34.7% 314 32.7% 1672 Neutral 34.8%

438 45.6% 310 32.3% 455 47.4% 467 48.7% 423 44% 2073 Positive 43.2%

0.2% 5 0.5% 10 1% 6 0.6% 5 0.5% 28 No response 0.6%

Beliefs about language used to teach Mathematics and Science Perceptions about the support systems/materials used in TeSME Correspondence of beliefs to stipulations of the new Mathematics and Science syllabus Attitudes towards teaching Mathematics and Science in English
Total

279 29% 188 19.6% 154 16.1% 218 22.7% 1027 Negative 21.4%

No response
2

List of Factors Affecting the Teaching of Mathematics and Science

Not at all/Very little (Negative responses)

Quite a bit/A great deal (Positive responses)

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The results indicate that the responses towards the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English can be perceived as taken in a positive vein by the 192 teachers who responded to the questionnaire survey. The results of the survey were fed into the classroom observations and interview findings. The following Table 2 presents the results of the classroom observations. The observation sample consisted of 26 experienced teachers. The analysis of the quantitative data involved calculation of the data collected from the ELTC Classroom Observation Scheme and also calculation of the percentage of English language used by the teacher from the observation transcripts. The analysis of the observation scheme is found in Table 2.
Table 2: Analysis of Data: ELTC Classroom Observation Scheme

No. Observation Sample

Percentages showing how much the observer agrees or disagrees with the samples use of English in the classroom 1 strongly agree 2 agree 55.6% 22.2% 55.6% 66.7% 100% 11.1% 55.6% 22.2% 55.6% 11.1% 88.9% 77.8% 0% 100% 44.4% 77.8% 22.2% 44.4% 55.6% 77.8% 77.8% 66.7% 22.2% 77.8% 66.7% 88.9% 1444.9% 3 disagree 11.1% 77.8% 44.4% 11.1% 0% 0% 33.3% 0% 44.4% 11.1% 11.1% 22.2% 0% 0% 44.4% 0% 11.1% 33.3% 33.3% 22.2% 22.2% 33.3% 55.6% 22.2% 33.3% 0% 577.4% 4 strongly disagree 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 11.1% 11.1% 0% 0% 0% 11.1% 11.1% 0% 0% 44.4%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

SFMA8 SMS09 SFMAA10 SMAH11 SFRM12 SMPS13 SFRY14 SFSK15 SFNA16 SMNY17 SFPR18 SMAN19 SMKS20 SFKS21 SFHH22 SFNA23 SFNA24 SMAR25 SFNS26 SFSS27 SMAR28 SFNH29 SFFN30 SMFS31 SMCB32 SMSZ33 Total

33.3% 0% 0% 22.2% 0% 88.9% 11.1% 77.8% 0% 77.8% 0% 0% 100% 0% 11.1% 22.2% 66.7% 11.1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 11.1% 0% 0% 11.1% 544.44%

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The data in Table 2 shows that scale 2 is most frequently selected during the classroom observation, as it is the one with the highest percentages. Therefore, it can be considered as the one in which quality of performance is the best. This would suggest that the teachers observed were successfully carrying out the function specified in the checklist item in the classroom observation list using English (Refer to Appendix B). The following Table 3 shows the percentage of English and other languages used by each of the teachers observed while conducting their classes.
Table 3: Percentage of English Language Used in Classroom Observations Percentage of English used 97.5% 75% 68% 92% 99.3% 99.4% 92% 100% 92% 100% 91% 95% 99.97% 98.2% 99.2% 97% 97% 97.5% 66% 98% 91% 93.6% 54.4% 88% 94% 99.95% 91.35% 100% 54.4% Malay or other languages used 2.5% 25% 32% 8% 0.7% 0.6% 8% 0% 8% 0% 9% 5% 0.03% 1.8% 0.8% 3% 3% 2.5% 34% 2% 9% 6.4% 45.6% 12% 6% 0.05% 8.65% 0% 45.6% 89

Sample SFMA8 SMS09 SFMAA10 SMAH11 SFRM12 SMPS13 SFRY14 SFSK15 SFNA16 SMNY17 SFPR18 SMAN19 SMKS20 SFKS21 SFHH22 SFNA23 SFNA24 SMAR25 SFNS26 SFSS27 SMAR28 SFNH29 SFFN30 SMFS31 SMCB32 SMSZ33 Average percentage Highest percentage Lowest percentage

English Language Journal Vol 3, (2009) 83-101 ISSN 1823 6820

The highest percentage of English used by a teacher was 100% and the lowest was 54.5%. The average percentage of English spoken during a lesson was 91.35% and the lowest was 54.4%. The statistics would indicate that on average the amount of English used in the 26 classes would be more than 90% with less than 10% of bahasa Melayu being used. There were two classes in which the teachers used only English throughout their lessons. There were another five classes in which the teachers used only one or two words of bahasa Melayu when they were teaching. Qualitative Analysis of Classroom Observation and Interview Data More than 88% of English language was used in 22 out of 26 classes observed. Similar observations were made by the district education officer for Science (SMHB7). Three out of four teachers who used less than 75% English to teach were teaching in rural schools. Two teachers taught the best classes wholly in English. Bahasa Melayu and other languages were still used to a certain extent. Teachers tailored the use of English according to the classes they were teaching. Teachers assumed that they had to be very good and proficient in English in order to teach the subjects well. Many admitted to being not sufficiently proficient. Teachers felt constrained by the mandate of teaching 100% in English especially to weak students. The tendency of MSTs was teaching grammar and vocabulary to students, especially those who were English educated. Teachers faced problems with students who had problems with reading and writing in Bahasa Melayu (Refer to Appendix C). Teachers say language is not the only barrier to learning Mathematics and Science. Thinking skills and attitudes also credited with playing important roles in learning process. Students with poor attitudes and thinking skills have problems learning Mathematics and Science or any subject in whatever language. 19 out of 26 (73%) of teachers interviewed preferred to use Bahasa Melayu to teach Mathematics and Science. Survey results differ with 35.9% preferring to use Bahasa Melayu. Preference for Bahasa Melayu because their poor language command and that of the students would make it difficult. Teachers say that sudden change was a shock for students especially those in the secondary schools.

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DISCUSSION The conclusions derived from the questionnaire survey as well as the interviews suggest that more than 40% of the teachers felt positively about the implementation of TeSME and were for the medium change. This would suggest that almost half the teachers in the study supported the governments policy and that they realized why a change is necessary. However, there were also more than 50% of the respondents who gave responses that were negative or non-committal. Analysis of the classroom observation transcripts revealed that the majority of the 26 teachers observed were teaching the bulk or more than 88% of their lessons using English. The implication is that the implementation is progressing well and that in the long term there is a high probability that the programme has a chance at success in spite of the initial teething problems. From the practical point of view the intentions of the National Curriculum involving the stipulated teaching of the Mathematics and Science subjects appear to have been quite successfully interpreted in the Forms One, Two, Three and Upper Six classes observed. But, the findings from the interviews show that only half of the teachers in the sample have positive views about the TeSME policy. This finding is not too surprising as it is reflective of the beliefs, assumptions and perceptions of teaching and learning of the teachers who still hold steadfastly to the ideologies of the old syllabus. The policy must be allowed to stay on course as there is a high probability that the programme has a chance at success in the long term. As to the prevalence of Bahasa Melayu use in the Mathematics and Science classes, this could be attributed to lack of confidence. The teachers might have done so because they lack confidence in using English to teach, or it could be a case of their lack of confidence in their students to learn. One suggestion is to have more in-house training for the teachers and also more new ETeMS-like courses to build up their confidences. Teachers must be made aware that they must move towards more learner-centred lessons whereby their students are coaxed to take on more active and productive roles in their classes by contributing not only the required answers but opinions and questions as well. English for Science and Technology (EST) courses mirror English courses because English language teachers usually teach this subject and of course they teach it based on how they teach English.
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Since this subject is an elective subject set up as an interim measure to help those in the transitional group and might not be permanent, one suggestion to overcome the above discrepancy would be to send the teachers for courses to teach EST the way the curriculum developers had intended it. More emphasis should be given on content and application. It is suggested that things could be done to make the Buddy Support System more effective in schools. Besides sending low proficiency level teachers for English language proficiency courses, the English language departments of the schools should hold in-house training from time to time for the Mathematics and Science teachers who are still facing problems with the language. Since it has been found that quite a number of the Mathematics and Science teachers have been very proactive in improving their proficiency or doing something to help students who are facing difficulties in learning, it is recommended that some form of recognition be given to them for their effort. The problem of students not being able to understand Mathematics and Science that is taught in English seems inconsequential, considering the small number of students who are semi-literate or even illiterate in Bahasa Melayu and English after six years of primary education. The Ministry of Education should set up a task force to address this problem as well. Specific language application courses could be designed to meet the needs of the Science teachers to enable them to better deal with this challenge. More work should be done in providing the teachers with knowledge of English as a means of delivering the content and this would mean designing courses that are informative as well as experiential. The English language SPM qualification requirement to enter teachers training college or university for prospective Mathematics and Science teachers should be raised. This would ensure that future teachers are good in both the subject content and language as well.

CONCLUSION The re-introduction of English as the medium of instruction for the sciences requires a major transformation on the part of the teachers in terms of delivering the subject matter in the form that can be understood by learners in a language which is either a second or third language to the majority of Malaysian learners. Successful implementation of the new science and mathematics curriculum will depend heavily on the ability of teachers to transform the aspiration
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of the curriculum developers into a form that can be accepted and understood by the learners. The change introduced is indeed a significant change to teaching practice as it involves a change in the medium of instruction to convey the sucject matter (knowledge). Therefore, the most important agents of change would be the teachers who guide students in acquiring the necessary knowledge as required for the Mathematics and Science syllabuses. The success of the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science using English language will very much depend on the knowledge and skills of the teachers who are directly involved with the implementation. Thus, they have to believe that the change in the medium of instruction from Bahasa Melayu to English will bring a lot of benefits to their students in order to affect that change. Teachers beliefs and values serve as the background to much of their decision-making and actions. Better understanding of the link between beliefs and the thinking process which influence teachers classroom behaviours would help to provide deeper insights into the nature of teaching and learning in the classroom which could in turn inform theory and practice in the education, training and development of teachers.

REFERENCES
Borg, M. (2001). Key concepts in ELT: Teachers beliefs. ELT Journal Volume 55/2 April 2001. Oxford University Press. Ernest, P.(1988). The impact of beliefs on the teaching of Mathematics. Paper presented at 6th International Congress of Mathematical Education, Budapest, August 1988. Downloaded on March 24, 2004 from http://www.ex.ac.uk/-PErnest/impact.htm Ernest, P. (1989). The knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of the Mathematics teacher: a model. Journal of Education for Teaching. 15 (1), 113 33. Knaus, W. J. (2000). Take Charge Now! Powerful techniques for breaking the blame habit. Wiley. Richards, J.C. and Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second language classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Yero, J. L. (2002). Teaching in mind: How teacher thinking shapes education (1st Ed.). Hamilton: Mindflight Publishing.

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