Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
12 No.
Online version available in : http://arbitrer.
JURNAL ARBITRER
| 2339-1162 (Prin.
| 2550-1011 (Onlin.
| Article Factors Influencing Malay Language Learning among Malaysian Chinese Independent Secondary School Students Chew Fong Peng Faculty of Education.
University of Malaya.
Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia
Submission Track
A B S T R A C T
Received: April 15, 2025 Final Revision: August 28, 2025 Accepted: August 30, 2025 Available Online: September 25, 2025 The Malaysian Chinese Independent Secondary Schools (MCISS) strive to develop students proficient in three languages: Chinese.
English, and Malay.
Despite the national status of the Malay language, learners in these schools consistently demonstrate low proficiency in it.
A key reason for this shortfall is the studentsAo limited interest in learning the language.
This study explores the underlying factors contributing to this phenomenon, including studentsAo attitudes toward the language, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition.
Employing a quantitative survey design, data were collected from 4,602 Senior II MCISS students through convenience Pearson correlation analysis indicated positive relationships between language learning interest and variables such as language attitude, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies, family engagement, and National Education Policy and UEC recognition.
Multiple regression analysis revealed that motivation, attitude, classroom learning, family engagement, the National Education Policy, and UEC recognition collectively accounted for 32.
2% of the variance in studentsAo interest in learning Malay.
The studyAos implications extend to policymakers, educators, and curriculum designers, suggesting the integration of culturally relevant and engaging teaching strategies, stronger homeAeschool partnerships, and policy adjustments to strengthen Malay language learning motivation among MCISS students.
Keywords attitude, family engagement, motivation.
Malay language.
Malaysian Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
National Education Policy.
United Examination Certificate Correspondence *E-mail: fpchew@um.
INTRODUCTION
Language is a fundamental tool for communication, cultural exchange, and national In Malaysia, the Malay language functions as both the official and national language, serving as a key medium to bridge interaction among its ethnically diverse population (Chew, 2.
Proficiency in the Malay language is therefore not only an academic requirement but also a critical skill for social integration, economic participation, and civic engagement (Othman.
Ahmad, & Esa.
United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zon.
to safeguard and advance Chinese-medium education (MCISS, 2.
Within this framework.
Chinese is the primary language of instruction, while Malay is taught as a compulsory subject under a multilingual education policy (Tannenbaum.
Michalovich, & Shonamy.
However, the limited use of Malay beyond the classroom in predominantly monolingual environments may reduce opportunities for authentic language practice, influencing studentsAo interest, motivation, and overall proficiency (Mahamod, et al.
, 2.
The Malaysian Chinese Independent In a multilingual nation where language Secondary Schools (MCISS) form an alternative education system established in 1954 by the competence is linked to academic success, career DOI: https://doi.
org/10.
25077/ar.
Under License of Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.
0 International.
Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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opportunities, and social cohesion, understanding the factors affecting Malay language learning in MCISS is both relevant and necessary.
Insights from such research can enhance language acquisition, ultimately supporting MalaysiaAos broader goals of unity and intercultural understanding (Chew.
For decades.
Dong Zong and individual MCISS institutions have strived to nurture students with strong trilingual proficiency in Chinese.
English, and Malay.
Despite considerable initiatives by MCISS administrators and Dong Zong to enhance Malay language instruction, studentsAo mastery of the language continues to fall short (Ibrahim.
Wang, et al.
, 2.
According to the results released by Dong Zong in the Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) year 2021, 414 .
1%) candidates failed, and 4,229 .
88%) out of 6,834 candidates gained grades C .
D, and E in the Malay language.
This indicated that the achievement of the MCISS in the Malay Language is low on average.
school environmen.
, sociocultural influences .
, the impact of L1, community norms, religio.
(Alrabai, 2.
, and family support (Lu.
National frameworks Ai such as language and education policiesAimay also affect student learning outcomes (Hunt, 2.
The study focuses on MCISS studentsAo persistent struggle in acquiring proficiency in the Malay language, with specific emphasis on learning Despite efforts by Dong Zong and MCISS institutions to promote trilingual proficiency, students exhibit low performance in Malay language assessments, reflecting a lack of interest and motivation toward learning the language.
Factors contributing to this include negative attitudes, limited family support, challenges in teaching techniques, and overarching influences of language policies.
This study aims to investigate these factors to enhance studentsAo interest and success in mastering the Malay language.
Language attitudes are evaluative reactionsAi encompassing beliefs, emotions, and behavioral intentionsAitoward language varieties and their speakers (Dragojevic, 2.
These attitudes manifest as positive, negative, or neutral StudentsAo attitudes significantly influence their willingness to learn new languages (Alshihry, 2023.
Baharum, et al.
, 2024.
Orfan, 2020.
Xin & Yap, 2025.
Yuan et al.
, 2.
For example.
Yuan et al.
found a strong correlation between learnersAo positive attitudes and their preference for English-medium instruction due to both instrumental and integrative motivation.
addition, they indicated that the socialising effects of English-medium instruction strengthened the studentsAo positive attitudes.
Similarly.
Alshihry .
observed that youth today tend to view globally dominant languages more favorably.
Research by scholars like Mohd Isa .
also confirms that Malay language achievement among these students is generally unsatisfactory.
Their study evident problems in mastering the Malay language in studentsAo speech, particularly through frequent grammatical errors especially prefix and suffix.
Furthermore, the teaching techniques employed by teachers indicate that students also face challenges in writing.
This situation arises because some students perceive the Malay language as not particularly important, considering its use relevant only for casual communication in informal settings.
They also regard Malay as a language that does not need to be mastered in daily life.
Consequently, they believe that lacking proficiency in the language will not cause any significant problems.
Furthermore, there is a view Students at MCISS are often perceived that mastering Malay language skills is necessary as having negative attitudes toward the Malay solely for the purpose of passing examination.
Nanyang, 10 January 2023.
eNanyang.
One of the core reasons for this 19 September 2.
Similar findings were reported underachievement is the studentsAo limited interest in by Konaen.
Abd Rahman, and Roslan .
, who learning Malay.
This lack of enthusiasm stems from observed that FELDA students displayed disinterest multiple intertwined factors.
This study explores and a lack of motivation in learning their language.
these contributing dimensions and proposes In contrast, studies by Mahad.
Magesvaran, and strategies to overcome the learning barriers.
These Hamzah .
and Ujai and Wan Mohamad factors include student-specific elements .
uch as .
reported opposite results, indicating that attitude and motivatio.
(Gardner, 1.
, school- the studied students exhibited positive attitudes related aspects .
, pedagogical approaches and toward learning Malay.
There is only one research Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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has been done on the MCISSAos studentsAo attitudes, which is Zubir et al.
, who found that all respondents in the Junior Satu Loyalty class in a MCISS have a positive attitude toward learning the Malay language.
According to Gardner .
, motivation is a goal-oriented construct that involves not only the effort to learn but also a strong desire and a positive disposition toward the target language.
Guerin et al.
further describe motivation as the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction, driving actions ranging from satisfying basic needs to acquiring knowledge.
Scholars and educators alike recognize motivation as a crucial component that shapes how effectively and enjoyably a language is learned (Dewaele & Meftah, 2.
It is widely accepted in the literature that motivation significantly influences both the rate and the success of second or foreign language acquisition (Azar & Tanggaraju, 2020.
Curle et al.
Most theoretical perspectives agree that without motivation, other elements of language acquisition may fall short (Dyrnyei, 1998.
Wang & Liu, 2024.
In the Malaysian context, several studies have shown that students are generally motivated to learn the Malay language in classroom settings (Ganesan & Wan Muhammad.
Rahmad & Mahamod, 2021.
Ujai & Wan Mohamad, 2.
However.
Zubir.
Kamaruddin, and ShaAori .
found that the motivation of MCISS students was low, as evidenced by their lack of interest in reading books in the Malay language.
This contrast suggests a gap in understanding the factors contributing to the comparatively low motivation levels among MCISS students, despite evidence of generally positive motivation trends in other Malaysian student populations.
Instructional methods refer to the structured strategies, techniques, and procedures that educators employ to facilitate student learning.
They represent the practical application of pedagogical principles, encompassing how content is delivered, how learners are engaged, and how understanding is assessed (Killen, 2.
Research by Oga-Baldwin and Nakata .
emphasized that learner engagement during class activities is a key variable in the long-term development of language skills.
Enjoyable and interactive instruction tends to increase studentsAo interest in the Findings from Mohd Salleh and OthmanAos .
study revealed the importance of teachersAo good use of verbal and non-verbal language in influencing student motivation to learn the Malay Language.
Yamirudeng and Osman .
Yamirudeng and Osman .
Abdul Radzak and Mohamed Noh .
found that the students in their study favoured the teaching and learning conducted by their Malay language teachers, thus motivating them to learn and master the language.
Conversely, when teachers adopt rigid or authoritarian teaching styles, it can adversely impact learnersAo drive and interest.
Pedagogical strategies that are overly teacher-centered often discourage active participation and diminish studentsAo enthusiasm (Abbas.
Ehsan, & ul Haq.
Gan et al.
also highlighted the indirect effects of instructor feedback on studentsAo satisfaction and exam performance.
Although students may enter the classroom with a high level of enthusiasm, frequent exposure to traditional assessment formatsAisuch as constant questioning, test-taking, and performance evaluationsAican result in academic stress.
This may explain the lack of enthusiasm observed among many MCISS learners during Malay language classes.
For this reason, this study seeks to examine how Senior II students perceive the teaching and learning of Malay in their classrooms.
Another studentsAo difficulties in acquiring the Malay language is family engagement.
According to U.
Department of Health and Human Services .
, family engagement refers to the intentional and systematic involvement of families in activities and programs that support childrenAos development, learning, and well-being.
When parents provide a supportive learning environmentAisuch as engaging in reading activities, discussing school matters, and maintaining high academic expectationsAi students are more likely to perform well (Turhan.
Choi et al.
further emphasized that emotional support and access to learning resources from parents contribute to more robust motivational profiles in learners.
In contrast, findings from Kolancali et al.
showed that parents from underprivileged backgrounds are less involved in language and literacy activities and tend to use their mother tongue, such as Turkish, in family interactions, which limits exposure to the national Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Nevertheless, some studies indicate that parents are not always actively involved in supporting their childrenAos efforts to learn the Malay language (Ansit et al.
, 2024.
Ismail & Zakaria, 2.
A lack of learning resources and limited Malay-language materials at home often correlates with decreased learner motivation.
This underscores the significance of parental support in language learning.
Consequently, this study aims to investigate how family engagement influence Malay language learning interest among Senior II MCISS students.
Certificate of Education (MCE).
These two subjects are seen as fundamental to strengthening patriotism and national identity (Halid, 2.
Furthermore, not all MCISS include the MCE in their curriculum, creating further misalignment with the MinistryAos The heavy reliance of the UEC on the Taiwanese educational framework has also generated criticism for its possible effects on social cohesion (Khalid, 2022.
Siti Hafidah, 2.
As Imran and Natsir .
caution, language policies that promote exclusivity may intensify divisions in education and society, thus warranting Language policy can be understood as the deeper examination of their influence on studentsAo collectively determined decisions regarding language acquisition.
the choice and use of specific language forms Despite the intensity of these policy debates, or varieties within a community, together with little empirical evidence exists on how the National the ideologies that underpin such choices.
It is Education Policy and the unresolved status of UEC reflected both in daily communicative practices recognition affect MCISS studentsAo interest and and in official measures such as laws, regulations, proficiency in learning Malay.
This lack of research and institutional directives (Shohamy, 2.
In the underscores the need for systematic studies on education sector, language policy usually regulates how language policy outcomes shape educational the allocation of instructional time across languages experiences and linguistic integration within and determines whether subjects are taught in one or MalaysiaAos multilingual context.
multiple languages (Gorter & Cenoz, 2.
While Most existing studies on challenges in learning certain bilingual education models are intended to the Malay language have concentrated on students shift learners toward monolingual proficiency as in government primary and secondary schools.
they advance through the school system, others aim While such research offers important insights, to maintain and strengthen bilingual or multilingual it does not adequately capture the situation of abilities, as demonstrated in Malaysian Chinese Malaysian Chinese Independent Secondary Schools Independent Secondary Schools (MCISS) (Baker, (MCISS), which follow an alternative curriculum Cummins, 2.
outside the national education system.
Learners in Under MalaysiaAos National Education Policy.
MCISS are classified as private institutions because they do not fully comply with the Education Act 1996 or the governmentAos prescribed language policies (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2.
These schools primarily adopt Chinese as the language of instruction, diverging from the state requirement that prioritizes Malay.
As a result, many of their students sit for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), a qualification that has yet to gain official government approval.
For more than a decade.
Dong Zong has actively campaigned for UEC recognition, asserting that it would provide MCISS graduates with equal standing to those from public schools in terms of credentials and opportunities.
these schools encounter distinct linguistic, cultural, and motivational contexts, as opportunities to use Malay are limited both in classroom settings and in daily life.
The lack of focused research on MCISS students has resulted in an incomplete picture of the factors influencing their interest in learning Malay.
These factors may include learner attitudes, motivation, teaching strategies, learning strategies, family engagement, as well as broader policy issues such as the National Education Policy and the recognition status of the UEC.
Addressing this gap is crucial to developing more effective approaches that can promote interest in Malay language learning across diverse educational settings.
From the aims of study, the research objectives Nevertheless, the UEC remains unrecognized are:
mainly because it does not fulfill key conditions.
To find out the levels of studentsAo language particularly the requirement for students to pass attitudes, motivation, instructional methods.
Malay Language and History in the Malaysian learning strategies, family engagement.
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National Education Policy and recognition, and learning interests.
UEC is divided into two parts: part I and part II which is subdivided into six subsections.
Part I of the To examine the relationships between instrument focused on respondentsAo demographic studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, background and included five items: gender, instructional methods, learning strategies, fatherAos educational level, motherAos educational family engagement.
National Education level, household monthly income, and interest in Policy and UEC recognition, and learning learning Malay.
Part II consisted of items adapted from previously validated scales.
Subsections A and B drew upon GardnerAos .
Attitude/Motivation To investigate the factors .
anguage attitudes.
Test Battery (AMTB), with modifications made motivation, instructional methods, learning to suit the objectives of this study.
Examples of strategies, family engagement, and the National items measuring language attitudes include AuI feel Education Policy, and UEC recognitio.
that comfortable when I have to speak MalayAy and influence the learning interests of students in AuStudying Malay is important because it helps me the Malay language.
interact more easily with Malay speakers.
Ay Sample From the research objectives, two null items for motivation include AuI really enjoy learning Malay every dayAy and AuIf I had the choice.
I would hypotheses have been developed.
spend most of my time learning Malay.
Ay Ho1: There are no significant relationships Subsection C consisted of 10 items on between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, methods adapted from Mohamed instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement.
National Education Zohomi and Mahamod .
, such as AuMy teacher Policy, and UEC recognition, and learning interests.
uses a variety of teaching strategies in teaching MalayAy and AuThe teacher frequently integrates Ho2: StudentsAo language attitudes, motivation.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) instructional methods, learning strategies in the during Malay lessons.
Ay In Subsection D, 10 items classroom, family engagement.
National Education related to learning strategies in listening, speaking.
Policy, and UEC recognition are not predictors of reading, and writing were adapted from Mahamod, studentsAo learning interests in the Malay Language.
Ab.
Ghani, and Wan Mohammad .
Sample items include AuI like to speak in Malay with my METHODS classmatesAy and AuI enjoy reading Malay books.
Ay Samples For family engagement (Subsection E), 12 The population in the study is 12,723 senior items were adapted from Palaniappen .
to II students throughout the country (Dong Zong assess parental involvement, for example.
AuMy Information and Archives Bureau, 2.
The parents buy Malay reference materials for meAy and researcher selected the Senior II students by AuMy parents reward me when I achieve good results using a purposive sampling method.
Those who in Malay.
Ay Finally, 10 items addressing the National fulfilled the four criteria were required to answer Education Policy and UEC recognition (Subsection the questionnaire.
The criteria were that they G) were adapted from Muslim and Samian .
, must be Malaysian citizens.
Chinese ethnic, such as AuThe National Education Policy that Senior II students in MCISS, and have sat for designates Malay as the medium of instruction in Malay language in both the Malaysia Certificate schools is a fair policyAy and AuIt is important for the of Education examination (MCE) and Unified Malaysian government to recognize the UEC.
Ay All Examination of Certificate (UEC).
The researcher the subsections applied five-point Likert scale from managed to collect 4,602 respondents or 36.
17% 1 to 5 indicating the disagreement to agreement.
of the population in the study, which exceeds The instrument of the study has been reviewed the G-power and sample size set by Krejcie and Morgan .
, and the relevant informed consent by three education experts from Dong Zong who gave some insights and comments on the items was obtained from those respondents.
and scale.
To gain the reliability of the instrument.
Instrument a pilot test has been carried out at an MCISS in The instrument of study is a questionnaire that Kuala Lumpur among 50 senior II students.
Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Analysis showed the Alpha Cronbach value at the variables, while inferential analyses addressed 921, indicating the instrument is reliable and can two research questions.
Normality testing confirmed be used in the real study.
the data met parametric assumptions.
PearsonAos correlation was applied to explore associations Research Procedure between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation.
With the cooperation of Dong Zong, the instructional methods, learning strategies, family researcher collected the data from 63 MCISS involvement, the National Education Policy with across the country ranged from July to September UEC recognition, and learning interest.
This 2023 which were the second terms of the MCISSAo analysis measured the strength and direction of schooling session.
No summative assessment relationships but did not infer causality.
Multiple was carried out during the period.
The researcher regression was subsequently conducted to identify distributed the questionnaire via Google Forms predictors of MCISS studentsAo interest in learning to all Senior II students through the school Malay, modelling the combined influence of Before answering the questionnaire, several independent variables on a single dependent they need to submit their consent letter and meet variable.
four criteria.
This will disqualify those were not citizens and not sat for MCE and UEC.
Figure 1 Profile of Respondents below reveals the research process.
The survey involved a total of 4,602 A total of 4,834 responses were collected for respondents.
The number of females .
4, 55.
this study.
Following data cleaning, cases with was higher than that of males .
8, 44.
7%)ACIn terms of educational levels, majority student fathers .
,646, 35.
8%) received higher secondary with MCE or O level qualification, followed by lower secondary with SRP in national secondary schools or Junior UEC in MCISS .
, 13.
4%), while Diploma or Higher Senior of Education (HSC) or Senior UEC holders were 617 fathers .
4%).
those graduated with BachelorAos degree were 588 fathers .
8%), but there were 95 students .
did not provide their fathersAo educational levels.
Figure 1: Research Process missing or incomplete responses were removed.
Data normality was then assessed using skewness and kurtosis values generated through SPSS.
The results indicated the skewness of 0.
537 and a kurtosis of 1.
68, demonstrating that the data were normally distributed.
Outliers were also identified and removed (N = .
, resulting in a final dataset suitable for further analysis.
The final sample size is 4,602 students or 36.
17% of the population in the study, which exceeds the G-power and sample size set by Krejcie and Morgan .
, and the relevant informed consent was obtained from those On the other hand, nearly half of the studentAos mothers .
6, 43.
8%) are holders of the secondary school levels with MCE, followed by SRP or Junior UECqualificationn .
, 13.
7%), next was HSC or senior UEC or diploma holders .
, 17.
5%).
the number of graduates was 613 .
3%), but 61 students .
3%) did not provide their motherAos academic qualifications.
In terms of family income, more than half .
,513, 54.
6%) of the parents of the students have a monthly income ranging from RM5,001 to RM7,500.
followed by families with an income of RM2,500 to RM5,000.
on the contrary, the lowest income is less than RM2,500 .
families, 1%).
When asked about their learning interest in the Malay language, the majority .
,889, 41%) of students were uncertain about their interest, 1,329 Data Analysis .
9%) students are not interested, and only 81 The researcher analyses the data by using the students .
8%) are very interested.
SPSS software.
Descriptive statistics were utilised to profile respondentsAo demographics and levels of RESULT Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Table 1.
Demography of Respondents Demography .
=4,.
Gender
Educational level of fathers Educational level of mothers Household monthly income Learning interest
Descriptive Males Females Primary Schools SRP/Junior UEC
MCE
HSC
Senior UEC/ Diploma
BachelorAos degree Master degree Doctorate No answer
Primary Schools SRP/Junior UEC
MCE
HSC Senior UEC/ Diploma
BachelorAos degree Master degree Doctorate No answer
< RM2,500
RM2,500 Ae RM5,000 RM5,001 Ae RM7,500 RM7,501 Ae RM10,000 > RM10,000 Very uninterested Uninterested Uncertain Interested Very interested Table 2 shows that two items recorded the highest mean scores, namely national education policies and UEC recognition (M = 3.
SD =
and teachersAo instructional methods (M = 546.
SD = 0.
These findings indicate that students generally hold positive perceptions of these aspects.
The remaining five items were rated at a moderate level, ranked as follows: motivation (M = 3.
SD = 0.
, learning strategies (M = 3.
SD = 0.
, family engagement (M = 879.
SD = 0.
, learning interest in Malay (M = 2.
SD = 0.
, and language attitude (M = 2.
SD = 0.
Overall.
Malay language learning among MCISS students was assessed at a moderate level (M = 3.
SD = 0.
However, the comparatively low score for language attitude suggests an area that requires particular attention.
RQ1: Are there any relationships between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition, and learning interests? Through the analysis of Pearson correlation.
Table 3 showed that students Aolanguage attitude, motivation, teachersAo instructional methods, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition have relationships with studentsAo learning interest in the Malay language.
There are weak positive relationships between variables, but r value in the range of 4 to 6 represents a medium positive relationship between the two variables, that is, relationships between studentsAo motivation to learn Malay language and their language attitude .
= Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Table 2.
Levels of studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional method, learning strategies, family engagement, national educational policy, and learning interests Variables Language attitude Motivation Instructional method Learning strategies Family engagement National Education Policy & UEC recognition Learning interest Average Score Levels Medium Medium High Medium Medium High Medium Medium Table 3.
Relationships between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition, and learning interests n=4602 Language Intrinsic Motivation Language attitude Pearson-r Sig.
Motivation Pearson-r Sig.
TeachersAo Pearson-r Sig.
Learning strategies Pearson-r Sig.
Family engagement Pearson-r Sig.
National Education policy & UEC Pearson-r Sig.
Learning interest Pearson-r Sig.
** p < 0.
01 level .
-taile.
TeachersAo Teaching 555, p = 0.
, teacherAos teaching and studentsAo motivation to learn Malay language .
= .
422, p = 0.
, studentsAo learning strategies and their language attitude .
= .
468, p = 0.
, studentsAo learning strategies and their motivation to learn Malay language .
= .
412, p = 0.
, the family engagement and studentsAo learning strategies .
= 433, p = 0.
, studentsAo learning interest in the Malay language and language attitude .
= .
457, p = 0.
, motivations and learning interest in the Malay language .
= .
516, p = 0.
Therefore.
Ho1 reads as AuThere are no significant relationships between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition, and learning interestsAy is rejected.
Learning Family NEP & UEC Learning recognition Interest interests of students in the Malay Language? Several key assumptions guided the use of multiple linear regression analysis in this First, a linear relationship was assumed to exist between the independent variables and the dependent variable.
Second, each regression model involved a single dependent variable.
Accordingly, the research hypotheses were organized into five models, with learning interest as the dependent variable while language attitude, motivation, instructional method, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition serving as the independent variables.
Third, the assumption of normally distributed residuals was examined using normal PAeP plots of standardized residuals.
As shown in Figure 2, the residuals were approximately normally distributed.
RQ2: Do studentsAo language attitudes, motivation.
Finally, the assumption of no multicollinearity instructional methods, learning strategies in the among independent variables was assessed using classroom, family engagement.
National Education the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF).
Policy and UEC recognition predict the learning Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Figure 2.
Normal PAeP plots of regression standardized residuals Notes.
SB_SUM Ae language attitude.
MO_SUM Ae motivation.
SPPA_SUM Ae instructional method.
SPPB_SUM Ae learning strategies.
PK_SUM Ae family engagement.
DPK_SUM Ae National Education Policy & UEC recognition Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
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Table 4.
Regression Models for Predictors Model Square Adjusted R Square R Square Change Change Motivation Sig.
Change Motivation and language Motivation, language attitude, and learning strategies Motivation, language attitude, learning strategies, and family Motivation, language attitude, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy & UEC ** p < 0.
01, * p < 0.
The researchers applied stepwise linear regression to evaluate whether studentsAo language attitudes, motivation to learn Malay, teachersAo teaching, studentsAo learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition predicted their learning interest in the Malay language.
Table 4 shows the model summary of studentsAo learning interest in the Malay Around 32.
2% of the total variance of studentsAo learning interest in the Malay language is explained by the factors of studentsAo language attitude, motivation to learn the Malay language, teacherAos teaching, studentAos learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition (R2 = 0.
,4.
=5.
In Table 4, the F value of model 1 is 1669.
which is significant at the level of p < 0.
= 0.
, which means that there is a significant relationship between studentsAo learning motivation and their learning interest in the Malay language, while the model 2 indicated the F value is 279.
which is significant at the level of p < 0.
= 0.
, which means that there is a significant relationship between studentsAo motivation, language attitude and their learning interest in the Malay Next, the F value of model 3 is 65.
which is significant at the level of p < 0.
= 0.
, which means that there are significant relationships between studentsAo motivation, language attitude, and learning strategies in classrooms and their learning interest in the Malay The F value of model 4 is 29.
167, which is significant at the level of p < 0.
= 0.
which means that studentsAo motivation, language attitude, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement, and learning interest in the Malay language revealed significant relationships.
Finally, the F value of Model 5 is 5.
852, which is significant at the level of p < 0.
= 0.
which means that studentsAo motivation, language attitude, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition showed significant relationships with their learning interest in the Malay language.
Table 5 estimates the measure of each variableAos contribution to the model from the Beta values of each independent variable.
Larger values indicate that a unit change in the independent variable has a greater effect on the dependent variable.
Overall, the Beta values of studentsAo motivation was the highest among all the models at 0.
516 (Model .
, 379 (Model .
, 0.
404 (Model .
, 0.
403 (Model .
, and 0.
410 (Model .
On the contrary, the Beta value of National Education Policy and UEC recognition was only -0.
Therefore, studentsAo motivation contributed the most to studentsAo learning interest in the Malay language.
The fitted regression model of the student learning strategies is SI= MOT.
410 LA.
Ae LP.
081 Ae FE .
073 Ae NEP.
This means that when studentsAo motivation and language attitude increase by one unit, studentsAo learning interest in the Malay Language is expected to increase by 410 and 0.
298, respectively.
On the contrary, when students increase one unit in the learning strategies in the classroom, the family engagement.
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Table 5.
Coefficients of Models Unstandardized (Constan.
Motivation (Constan.
Motivation Language attitude (Constan.
Motivation Language attitude Learning strategies (Constan.
Motivation Language attitude Learning strategies Family engagement (Constan.
Motivation Language attitude Learning strategies Family engagement National Education Policy & UEC recognition -.
Model Standardized Beta ** p<0.
*p<0.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition, and studentsAo learning interest in the Malay language are expected to decrease by 0.
081, 0.
032, respectively.
In conclusion, linear multiple regression showed that studentsAo motivation, language attitude, the learning strategies in class, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition contributed 32.
2% to their learning interest in the Malay language.
Therefore.
H02 reads as AuStudentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition are not predictors of studentsAo learning interests in the Malay LanguageAy was rejected, except instructional methods.
These findings align with previous studies emphasizing the significance of attitudes and motivation in language acquisition (Dewaele et al.
, 2020.
Dyrnyei, 2009.
Pham, 2021.
Wang & Liu, 2.
For instance.
Dewaele et al.
identified positive correlations between foreign language enjoyment and learnersAo attitudes and motivation, while Wang and Liu .
reported a positive relationship between language attitudes and extrinsic motivation Family involvement emerged as a pertinent factor influencing the teaching and learning of the Malay language.
Turhan .
found that parental engagement, including activities like reading to children, offering learning support, and maintaining high educational expectations, is positively related to childrenAos academic performance.
Smith .
IV.
DISCUSSION
also noted that parental participation has become a The analysis revealed that factors such as focal point in educational policies across various studentsAo attitudes toward language learning, countries, reshaping the dynamics between families motivation, teachersAo instructional methods, student and educational institutions.
learning strategies, family engagement.
National The study further indicated a relationship Education Policies and the UEC recognition between National Education Policies.
UEC exhibited weak to moderate positive correlations recognition, and the teaching and learning of the with studentsAo interest in learning the Malay Malay language among MCISS students.
Gorter Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
12 No.
and Cenoz .
highlighted the direct influence of language policies on curriculum implementation and assessment in multilingual settings.
Decisions regarding the medium of instruction significantly affect language learning outcomes, including the duration and intensity of language exposure.
Research on parental involvement in multilingual families underscores effective educational practices such as culturally responsive communication between families and educators (Salinas, 2.
, diverse participation in schoolrelated activities such as attendance in parentteacher conferences to family culture fairs to home literacy events (Coady, 2.
, and support for childrenAos learning at home to strengthen family bonds (Choi, et al.
, 2.
Multiple regression analysis indicated that studentsAo motivation, language attitudes, learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition collectively accounted 2% of the variance in studentsAo interest in learning the Malay language.
Among these, motivation and language attitudes were the most significant contributors, accounting for 41% 8%, respectively.
Conversely, learning strategies, family engagement, and national education policies, along with UEC recognition, contributed negatively, with 8.
1%, 7.
3%, and 3.
These findings corroborate the perspectives of scholars who identify individual, familial, institutional, and environmental factors as pivotal to academic achievement.
The individual dimension encompasses learning attitudes (Alshihry, 2023.
Gardner, 1985.
Mahad et al.
, 2021.
Orfan, 2020.
Ujai & Wan Mohamad, 2017.
Yuan et al.
, 2.
and motivation (Azar & Tanggaraju, 2020.
Curle et al.
, 2024.
Gardner, 1985.
Mohd Salleh & Othman, 2024.
Yamirudeng & Osman, 2018.
Yamirudeng & Osman, 2.
The familial aspect involves resources provided by parents, including extracurricular educational opportunities and nurturing environments (Cheng.
Wang, & Liu.
Choi.
Jung, & No, 2024.
Lu, 2021.
Turhan.
The institutional component pertains to the quality of education and facilities offered by schools, including teacher-student interactions (Mohd Salleh & Othman, 2024.
Yamirudeng & Osman, 2018.
Yamirudeng & Osman, 2.
The environmental factor relates to external influences such as national education and language policies (Gorter & Cenoz, 2.
, exemplified by the National Education Policy and UEC recognition.
This study revealed that motivation influenced the MCISS studentsAo learning interest in the second language acquisition, as stated by Gardner .
It fosters positive energy and enhances studentsAo determination to succeed in their studies (Noviana & Ayu, 2.
The finding is parallel to Peng and Fu .
, who found that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation both positively correlate with learning outcomes, fostering English proficiency and psychological growth.
Notably, motivation exerts a greater influence than extrinsic Therefore, the students may increase their motivation to learn the Malay language, as it enhances learnersAo interest and engagement by arising from personal enjoyment, curiosity, and the pursuit of self-improvement rather than external This internal drive promotes sustained engagement, persistence, and greater success in language acquisition.
Language attitude, in this study, is the second predictor that influences studentsAo interest in the Malay language.
Positive attitudesAimarked by enthusiasm and recognition of a languageAos valueAienhance motivation, increase effort, and improve learning outcomes.
This study is similar to the findings of Rizmadana and Milal .
Wang & Liu .
, and Pham .
For instance.
Rizmadana and Milal .
revealed the language attitudes of Korean culture enthusiasts in Surabaya and their motivations for learning English and Korean, aligning with the growing interest among Numerous studies have established that attitude and motivation are deeply connected in the context of language acquisition (Dyrnyei, 2009.
Pham.
Wang & Liu, 2.
When students possess a favorable view of a language and its cultural context, they are more likely to be motivated, which in turn enhances their performance and reinforces their positive engagement with the learning strategies (Tydor & Dygi, 2016.
Yuan et al.
, 2.
Therefore, educators who foster positive attitudes in students can design engaging classroom activities, thereby increasing studentsAo success in learning the Malay A significant challenge identified is the limited opportunities for MCISS students to practice speaking the Malay language, contributing Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
12 No.
to negative attitudes toward language learning.
On the contrary, this study found that the learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy, and UEC recognition negatively predict MCISS studentsAo interest in learning the Malay language.
Contributing factors include teacher-centred pedagogy in schools (Chew, 2.
, limited exposure to Malay at home (Chew.
Wang et al.
, 2.
, lack of parental support for learning Malay (Ansit et al.
, 2024.
Ismail & Zakaria, 2.
, and the issue of UEC recognition (Khalid, 2022.
Siti Hafidah, 2.
, which further diminishes studentsAo interest.
Salinas et al.
emphasized that affirming studentsAo and familiesAo identities within school curricula and activities is essential for the academic success of multilingual students.
Implementing Family-Centered Pedagogy allows students to integrate familial and ancestral knowledge into their learning experiences.
Educator practices that validate studentsAo linguistic backgrounds include leveraging multiple language repertoires (Garcya & Kleyn, 2.
, promoting active bilingualism (Cummins, 2.
, and facilitating cross-language transfer (Coady & Ariza, 2019.
Cummins, 2018.
Xin & Yap, 2.
Creating inclusive school environments, such as by displaying multilingual signage and representing community diversity on social media platforms, can foster welcoming Establishing mentoring relationships among teachers, parents, and community advocates can further support studentsAo educational journeys.
reported that inexperienced teachers face challenges in classroom management and instructional delivery.
Walsh et al.
noted that untrained educators are more likely to encounter difficulties related to student behavior and engagement in the classroom.
In this context, untrained or non-specialist teachers in MCISS may struggle with classroom management, instructional competence, and assessment strategies, hindering the achievement of learning objectives in Malay language education.
Therefore, implementing comprehensive training programs and involving experienced educators is crucial for enhancing teaching preparedness and pedagogical effectiveness.
Employing age-appropriate teaching methodologies and considering cognitive, emotional, and contextual factors can further improve language instruction outcomes (Komorowska & Krajka, 2.
CONCLUSION
In summary, this study identified significant relationships between studentsAo language attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, student learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition, and their interest in learning the Malay language.
Multiple regression analysis revealed that motivation and language attitudes were the primary predictors of studentsAo interest, while studentsAo learning strategies, family engagement.
National Education Policy and UEC recognition also played contributory roles.
enhance studentsAo interest in learning the Malay language.
MCISS administrators and teachers must collaborate with parents in creating an engaging and supportive learning environment.
Mastery of the national language is a shared responsibility among all Malaysian students, including those in MCISS.
Interestingly, the study found that teachersAo instructional methods did not significantly predict studentsAo interest in learning the Malay This may be attributed to the educational backgrounds of Malay language teachers in MCISS.
According to the Dong Zong Information and Archives Bureau .
, a total of 2,067 In a nutshell, this study demonstrated that .
%) teachers had not undergone formal teacher exist between studentsAo language training, and some lacked specialization in the Malay language.
This disparity potentially affects attitudes, motivation, instructional methods, learning strategies in the classroom, family teaching efficacy and student engagement.
National Education Policy and Previous research has identified inadequate UEC recognition, and learning interests.
Multiple teacher training and limited teaching experience regression indicated that MCISS studentsAo as barriers to effective language instruction.
motivation, language attitude, learning strategies Komorowska and Krajka .
observed that in the classroom, family engagement.
National novice teachers often possess lower language Education Policy and UEC recognition are the proficiency and limited pedagogical knowledge.
predictors of the MCISS studentsAo learning interest Similarly.
Tulyakul.
Omar-Fauzee, and Hussin in the Malay language.
Therefore, it is suggested that Chew Fong Peng / Jurnal Arbitrer - Vol.
12 No.
all MCISS administrators and teachers work hand in hand with parents to create a joyful, creative, and interesting teaching and learning environment for the students to learn the Malay language.
It is the responsibility of all students in Malaysia, including the MCISS students, to master the language due to its status as the national language.
Senior II students throughout the country.
ETHICS STATEMENTS
This study was reviewed and approved by the Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee.
Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and their identities have been kept This quantitative research has the limitation strictly anonymous to ensure confidentiality.
The of offering a comprehensive picture and an in- research fully complies with the ethical standards depth discussion on language learning among and publication guidelines of Jurnal Arbitrer MCISS students, which can be modified by social CREDIT AUTHOR STATEMENT Therefore, future scholars can optimize a qualitative investigation to further strengthen Chew Fong Peng: collect and analyse data, write interpretative research design.
Besides that, more and edit the whole manuscript
attention should be paid to different groups of DECLARATION OF COMPETING
participants with different scales to provide a rich
INTERESTS
and diverse understanding in this field.
The author declares that she has no known
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
competing of financial interests or personal The researcher conveys gratitude to Dong Zong for relationships that could have appeared to influence the research grant given and provided approval and the work reported in this paper.
assistance in getting the data from all the MCISS
REFERENCES