Research Proposal

Working title: The level of preparedness of the non-native English teachers’ mind-set in assuming the role of English teachers: a case study.

Nur Raieda Ainul Maslih

Contents1.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................3

1.2 Statement of the research problem..............................................................................3

1.3 Research Objectives......................................................................................................4

1.4 Research Questions.......................................................................................................4

1.5 Operational Definition...................................................................................................4

1.6 Limitation of the study..................................................................................................4

1.7 Significance of the study................................................................................................4

1.1 IntroductionA survey carried out by Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) in December 2013 where the focused area were Reading , Mathematics and Science had resulted in many quarters mainly parents , education lobbyist and critics to question the quality of teaching in Malaysia. Inconsistencies in education and a lack of emphasis on English have been identified as the factors contributing to the poor result of the survey.

High school examination appears to measure the ability of students to memorize and regurgitate information ( ). This allowed many educators to profit in tuition centres and drilling method seemed to be a favourite method to impart knowledge.

The 15 year-olds who sat for the survey in 2013 were reported to be taught in English in the subject of Science and Mathematics . PISA which is an international assessment tool was carried out in English. Thus it was unfathomable when Malaysia was found to rank at the bottom 3 out of the 65 countries surveyed.

According Prof Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia higher order thinking skills was found to be generally lacking amongst Malaysian students.

This brings to question of the quality of the teachers in handling higher order thinking instructions. The state of readiness of the non-native English teachers in the delivering content is utmost important. For without a teacher who can instruct, guide and stimulate the higher order thinking skills, the Malaysian students would have to settle with questions that focus on testing of the memory rather than challenging the thinking process.

1.2 Statement of the research problem

The Ministry of Education has spent RM million in the development of education and most recently it has produced the English proficiency Roadmap as part of the initiative to improve the proficiency of the English language of the non-native teachers. ( Oh My English is part of the solution package) (Malaysia doomed to middle income trap, 2013)

With the efforts made by the Ministry of Education to increase the teachers language proficiency it is therefore, pertinent to identify the state of readiness of the non-native teachers to execute their role as an English language teacher in the classroom.

1.3 Research ObjectivesThe objectives of this research are:a. To identify the level of preparedness of the English teachers prior to teachingb. To determine the factors of teachers sense of preparednessc. To examine the implications of teachers’ preparedness inadequacy

1.4 Research QuestionsBelow are the questions that needed to be answered in researching the preparedness of the non-native speakers:

What are the levels of preparedness of mind-set in English Teachers?

What are the factors of the teachers’ state of preparedness?

What are the implications of English teachers going to class with ill-prepared mind-set

1.5 Operational Definition Preparedness Non-native English teachers Role of English teachers

1.6 Limitation of the study

1.7 Significance of the studyStudents, parents, educators in the development sector, government of Malaysia.