Skip to main content

Advertisement

Springer Nature Link
Log in

The Malaysian Teacher Standards: a look at the challenges and implications for teacher educators

  • Published:
Educational Research for Policy and Practice Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Talks of education transformation to improve the quality and outcomes of education in Malaysia culminated in the articulation of standards for teachers. The all new Malaysian Teacher Standards (MTS) launched in 2009 is to establish ‘high competency’ standards for the teaching profession and to increase the status of teachers in Malaysia. This article briefly describes the standards that concern teachers and teacher educators alike. It is proposed that there are three challenges to the standards system that teacher educators may face. First, on transforming ingrained beliefs, values and biased perceptions of teaching that student teachers bring to the teaching institution. The second centers on the rhetoric-reality gap of the MTS itself, while the third challenge involves the actual training of teachers. Given these three challenges, this article also outlines several avenues for teacher educators to consider as they set out to better understand and re-design teacher education programs in this standards-based era of educational transformation. The discussion of the challenges and the proposed resources to meet the challenges are by no means exhaustive or acts as a conclusion but rather to create awareness for further discussion and analysis of the implications proposed in this article.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
€32.70 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abd Rashid A. R. (2002) Dasar inovasi pendidikan dalam konteks agenda wawasan 2020 [Innovation policies of education in the context of Vision 2020 agenda]. In: Hussin S. (eds) Inovasi Dasar Pendidikan—Perspektif Sistem dan Organisasi [Innovative systems—perspectives from educational policy and organization]. University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, pp 19–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks J., Cochran-Smith M., Moll L., Richert A., Zeichner K., LePage P. et al (2005) Teaching diverse learners. In: Darling-Hammond L., Johns B. (eds) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. Jossey-Bass, San Franscisco, pp 232–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Berliner D. C. (1986) In pursuit of the expert pedagogue. Educational Researcher 15(7): 5–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Berliner D. C. (2005) The near impossibility of testing for teacher quality. Journal of Teacher Education 56(3): 205–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanton L. P., Sindelar P. T., Correa V. I. (2006) Models and measures of beginning teacher quality. The Journal of Special Education 40(2): 115–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman K. (2009, June 28). Measuring up to new standards. The Star Online. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2009/6/28/education/4201502&sec=education.

  • Cuban L. (1992) Why some reforms last: The case of the kindergarten. American Journal of Education 100(2): 166–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Education development plan 2006–2010. (2006). Putrajaya: Teacher Education Division.

  • Feiman-Nemser S. (2001) From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teacher College Record 103(6): 1013–1055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feiman-Nemser, S., Featherstone, H. (eds) (1992) Exploring teaching: Reinventing an introductory course. Teachers College Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenstermacher G. D., Richardson V. (2005) On making determinations of quality in teaching. Teachers College Record 107(1): 186–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller F. F., Bown O. H. (1975) Becoming a teacher. In: Ryan K. (eds) Teacher education: Seventy-fourth yearbook of the national society for the study of education. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 25–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman P. L. (1990) The making of a teacher: Teacher knowledge and teacher education. Teachers College Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Guzman A. B. (2003) The dynamics of educational reforms in the Philippine basic and higher education sectors. Asia Pac Educ Rev 4(1): 39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harms, W., & DePencier, I. (1996). Dewey creates a new kind of school. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu/about-lab/history/index.aspx.

  • Ingvarson L., Rowe K. (2007) Conceptualising and evaluating teaching quality: Substantive and methodological issues. Australian Journal of Education 52(1): 5–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Jala, I. (2010, November 1). The crux of the matter is quality education. Malaysian Insider. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/crux-of-the-matter-is-the-quality-of-education-idris-jala/.

  • Kachar, K. (1997, August). Achieveing vision 2020 in Malaysian multi-racial society through educational management and leadership. Paper presented at the First ASEAN/Asian Symposium on Educational Management and Leadership (ASEMAL), Genting Highlands, Malaysia.

  • Kagan D. M. (1992) Professional growth among preservice and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research 62(2): 129–169

    Google Scholar 

  • King M. B. (1994) Locking ourselves in: National standards for the teaching profession. Teacher and Teacher Education 10(1): 95–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Law of Malaysia. (2006). Act 550 Education Act 1996. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://www.agc.gov.my/Akta/Vol.%2011/Act%20550.pdf.

  • Malaysia first in region to adopt benchmark for educators. (2009, December 3). The Star Online. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/3/nation/5225720&sec=nation.

  • Malaysian Teacher Standards. (2009). Putrajaya: Teacher Education Division.

  • Mok M. M. C. (2007) Quality assurance and school monitoring in Hong Kong. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 6(3): 187–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray F. B. (1995) Beyond natural teaching: The case for professional education. In: Murray F. B. (eds) The teacher educator’s handbook: Building a knowledge base for the preparation of teachers. Jossey Bass, San Franscisco, pp 3–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng P.T. (2007) Quality assurance in Singapore education system in an era of diversity and innovation. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 6(3): 235–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng P. T. (2008) Educational reform in Singapore: From quantity to quality. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 7(1): 5–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng P. T. (2008) Educational policy rhetoric and reality gap: A reflection. Instructional Journal of Educational Management 22(6): 595–602

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng P.T., Tan C. (2006) From school to economy: Innovation and enterprise in Singapore. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal 11(3): 1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Performance Management and Delivery Unit. (2010). Transforming education as an engine of growth. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/Overview_of_NKEAs_-@-Education.aspx.

  • Pimpa N. (2005) Teacher performance appraisal in Thailand: Poison or panacea. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 4(2–3): 115–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raja Musa, R. M. F., & Nik Yusoff, N. M. R. (2000, November). The Malaysian smart school: A new hope for the philosophy of education. Paper presented at the International Conference on Teaching and Learning, Renaissance Palm Garden Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

  • (1992) What is competent beginning teaching? A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research 62(1): 1–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, V. (2001). Handbook of research on teaching (4th ed.). Washington: American Educational Research Association.

  • Serafini F. (2002) Possibilities and challenges: The national board for professional teaching standards. Journal of Teacher Education 53(4): 316–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suriani, S. (2007, May 31). Piawaian bertaraf dunia angkat imej guru [World class standards lift the image of teachers]. Berita Harian. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://ddms.usim.edu.my/handle/123456789/1957.

  • Tam W. M., Cheng Y. C. (2007) Teacher educator and professional development for sustainable school effectiveness. In: Townsend T. (eds) International handbook of school effectiveness and improvement. Springer International Handbooks of Education, Berlin, pp 751–766

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tan C. (2007) Education reform in Cambodia: Issues and concerns. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 6(1): 15–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tschannen-Moran M., Woolfolk Hoy A. (2001) Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education 17(7): 783–805

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UPSR and PMR may be abolished: Muhyiddin. (2010, June 20). The Star Online. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/20/nation/20100620133714&sec=nation.

  • Wilson S. M., Ball D. L. (1996) Helping teachers meet the standards: New challenges for teacher educators. The Elementary School Journal 97(2): 121–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zakaria A. (2000) Educational development and reformation in the Malaysian education system: challenges in the new millennium. Journal of Southeast Asian Education 1(1): 113–133

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sultan Idris Education University, 35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia

    Pauline Swee Choo Goh

Authors
  1. Pauline Swee Choo Goh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pauline Swee Choo Goh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goh, P.S.C. The Malaysian Teacher Standards: a look at the challenges and implications for teacher educators. Educ Res Policy Prac 11, 73–87 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-011-9107-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-011-9107-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation