Teaching and learning experiences in Malaysian higher education: A case study of a teacher education programme Tengku Sarina Aini Tengku Kasim A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2012 School of Education Te Kura Matauranga TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................viii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... ix ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................................... x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Background to this study ....................................................................................... 1 1.3 Personal qualifications and professional experience ............................................. 5 1.4 Personal assumptions ............................................................................................. 8 1.5 Research questions ................................................................................................. 9 1.6 Significance of the study ........................................................................................ 9 1.7 Structure of the thesis ........................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................. 12 LITERATURE REVIEW: EDUCATION, TEACHING AND LEARNING .......... 12 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Comparison of educational paradigms ................................................................. 12 2.3 Beliefs about teaching and learning ..................................................................... 15 2.4 Cultural influences in teaching and learning ....................................................... 17 2.4.1 Eastern and Western context .......................................................................... 17 2.4.2 The influence of Malay-Islamic values .......................................................... 20 2.4.3 The influence of Chinese Confucian values .................................................. 22 2.5 Student-centred and teacher-centred approaches ................................................. 24 2.5.1 The student-centred approach ........................................................................ 24 2.5.2 The teacher-centred approach ........................................................................ 29 i 2.5.3 Analysis of the definitions of student-centred and teacher-centred approaches ................................................................................................................................. 32 2.6 Empirical studies of student-centred and teacher-centred approaches ................ 36 2.6.1 Malaysian literature........................................................................................ 36 2.6.2 Literature of Islamic countries ....................................................................... 38 2.6.3 Western literature ........................................................................................... 40 2.7 Identification of areas for further research ........................................................... 42 2.8 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................ 44 CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................. 46 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING .............. 46 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Teaching and learning from a constructivist perspective..................................... 46 3.2.1 Constructivist learning environment .............................................................. 47 3.2.2 Some critiques of constructivist learning theories ......................................... 49 3.2.3 Socio-constructivist learning theories ............................................................ 50 3.2.4 Some critiques of Vygotsky’s theories .......................................................... 52 3.3 Teaching and learning from Islamic perspective ................................................. 54 3.3.1 The concept of knowledge ............................................................................. 54 3.3.2 Definition of education .................................................................................. 56 3.3.3 Aims of education .......................................................................................... 57 3.3.4 Methods of instruction ................................................................................... 58 3.4 Theoretical compatibility between Islamic learning theories and constructivist learning theories .................................................................................................. 61 3.5 Chapter summary ................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................................................. 65 EDUCATION IN THE MALAYSIAN CONTEXT ................................................... 65 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 65 4.2 Overview of Malaysia .......................................................................................... 65 4.3 Educational development before independence ................................................... 67 ii 4.3.1 Traditional Malay Islamic education system ................................................. 68 4.3.2 British colonialist education system .............................................................. 71 4.4 Educational development after independence...................................................... 78 4.5 Current educational developments, reforms and issues ....................................... 79 4.5.1 The Integrated Secondary School Curriculum (ISSC) ................................... 80 4.5.2 The Malaysian Smart School ......................................................................... 83 4.5.3 The implementation of soft skills in higher institution curriculum ............... 85 4.6 Chapter summary ................................................................................................. 89 CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................................................. 91 RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................................. 91 5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 91 5.2 Research philosophy ............................................................................................ 91 5.3 Qualitative research methodology ....................................................................... 93 5.4 A case study strategy ........................................................................................... 95 5.4.1 A case study site ............................................................................................. 97 5.5 Participant recruitment ......................................................................................... 99 5.6 Data Collection Methods ................................................................................... 101 5.6.1 Semi-structured interviews .......................................................................... 102 5.6.2 Individual interviews ................................................................................... 104 5.6.3 Focus group interviews ................................................................................ 105 5.6.4 Classroom Observations .............................................................................. 106 5.6.5 Stimulated recall interviews ......................................................................... 108 5.6.6 Documents ................................................................................................... 109 5.7 Strategies for data analysis ................................................................................. 110 5.7.1 Stage one: Manual review and reflection ..................................................... 110 5.7.2 Stage two: Coding with NVivo .................................................................... 112 5.7.3 Stage three: Data interpretations .................................................................. 113 5.8 Establishment of trustworthiness