ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This article examines the readiness level of non-Malay youths in Malaysia in joining the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) with regard to several factors, namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control. The findings presented are based on a quantitative study involving a total of 1033 respondents who are currently pursuing formal education at selected secondary schools in Malaysia. In general, the study discovered that attitude and subjective norms of respondents towards the ATM are at a moderate level while their perceived behavioural control towards joining the ATM in the future is low. There is a significant difference on respondents’ attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control towards the ATM based on where they live permanently. Respondents residing in rural areas were seen to have a slightly higher readiness than respondents residing in urban areas in joining the ATM in the future based on the attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of behaviour control factors among them. To summarise, the findings of the study verify that the issue on the involvement of the non-Malay in the ATM, in particular among the youths, is indeed a national issue that has previously been raised. In fact, the findings of the study indicate that this issue will remain relevant as a subject of interest that can be studied further from time to time. Therefore, the current study suggests that efforts to foster positive attitudes and increase subjective norms and perceived behavioural control for a career in the ATM should be carried out continuously in a more structured and systematic way to increase the readiness of non-Malay youths in Malaysia to join the ATM. This is important in order to celebrate ethnic diversity in the nation defense sector as well as to foster the spirit of patriotism among non-Malay youths in Malaysia.
Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In Action-control: from cognition to behavior, Edited by: Kuhl, J and Beckman, J. 11–
39. Heidelberg: Springer.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211.
Ajzen, I. (2001). Nature and operation of attitudes. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 27-58.
Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self?efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior 1. Journal of applied social psychology, 32(4), 665-683.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior, Prentice Hall.
Awani, A. (2016). Kekurangan penyertaan bukan Melayu dalam TUDM membimbangkan. [Lack of non -Malay participation in Royal Malaysian Air Force is worring]. http://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/kekurangan-penyertaan-bukan-melayu-dalam-tudm-membimbangkan-125280
Berg, C., Jonsson, I., & Conner, M. (2000). Understanding choice of milk and bread for breakfast among Swedish children aged 11–15 years: An application of the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 34(1), 5-19.
Bernama. (2018). Perlantikan Liew mampu galak bukan Bumiputera sertai ATM. [Liew 's appointment able to encourage non-Bumiputeras to join Malaysian Arm Force]. http://www.bernama.com/bm/news.php?id=1637057
Bissonnette, M. M., & Contento, I. R. (2001). Adolescents’ perspectives and food choice behaviors in terms of the environmental impacts of food production practices: An application of a psychosocial model. Journal of Nutrition Education, 33(2), 72-82.
Buchanan, A. (1997). Theories of secession. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 26(1), 31-61.
Emanuel, S., Marsh, S. M., Marsh, K., Boehmer, M., & Zucker, A. (2005). Department of Defense youth poll report and cross tabulations wave 8-November 2004 (No. JAMRS-2005-001). Arlington VA: Defense Human Resources Activity.
Embi, M. A., & Rasimi, A. H. (2006). Penglibatan kaum Cina dalam sektor awam di Malaysia. [The Chinese involvement in Malaysia Public Sector]. Jurnal Demokrasi, 5(2), 169-170.
Farley, J. U., Lehmann, D. R., & Ryan, M. J. (1981). Generalizing from ‘‘Imperfect’’ replication. The Journal of Business, 54(4), 597–610.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior. An introduction to theory and research. Addison Wesley. Reading, MA.
Kim, J. N., & Grunig, J. E. (2011). Problem solving and communicative action: A Situational Theory of problem solving. Journal of Communication, 61(1), 120–149.
Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, Malaysia. (2015). Dasar Belia Malaysia 2015. [Malaysian Youth Policy 2015]. Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, Malaysia.
Kuvlesky, W. P., & Dameron, J. (1971). Adolescents' perceptions of military service as a vehicle for social mobility: A racial comparison of rural youth. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 1(1), 57-67.
Legree, P. J., Gade, P. A., Martin, D. E., Fischl, M. A., Wilson, M. J., & Nieva, V. F., (2000). Military enlistment and family dynamics: Youth and parental perspectives. Military Psychology, 12(1), 31–49.
Lim, T. C. (1989). Mengapa kaum Cina memberi layanan yang dingin terhadap jawatan dalam Angkatan Tentera Malaysia?. [Doctoral dissertation, Jabatan Antropologi dan Sosiologi, Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial, Universiti Malaya].
Liew C. T. (2010). Lebih 84% anggota tentera orang Melayu.
https://www.liewchintong.com/2010/03/18/lebih-84-peratus-anggota-tentera-orang-melayu/
Tong, L. C. (2019). Angkatan tentera seperti polisi insurans, kata Timbalan Menteri. [Malaysian Army like insurance policies, says Deputy Minister]. Free Malaysia Today. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/2019/08/19/angkatan-tentera-seperti-polisi-insurans-kata-timbalan-menteri/
Malaysiakini. (2018). ATM seru bukan Melayu sertai tentera. [MAF call for non -Malays to join the army]. Malaysiakini. https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/413726
Montano, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2002). The theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. In: Glanz K., Rimer B.K., Lewis F.M., edi tors. Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (pp 67-98). Wiley & Sons, Inc; San Francisco.
Netemeyer, R., Burton, S., & Johnson, M. (1991). A comparison of two models for the prediction of volitional and goal-directed behaviors: A confirmatory analysis approach. Social Psychology Quarterly, 54, 87-100.
Osman, M. T. (2004). Globalisasi, patriotism dan isu-isu kemasyarakatan. Kuala Lumpur, Penerbit UM.
Raosoft. (2009). Sample Size Calculation. Online: http://www.ezsurvey.com/samplesize
Samsu, K. H. K., & Nor, M. H. M. (2009). Semangat patriotisme dalam kalangan mahasiswa bukan Melayu di institusi pengajian tinggi sekitar Lembah Kelang.. Akademika, 75, 85-100.
Sheppard, B. H., Harwick, J., & Warshaw, P. R. (1988). The theory of reasoned action: a metaanalysis of past research with recommendation for modifications and future research. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(3), 325-343.
Taylor, S., and Todd, P. (1995) Understanding information technology usage: A test of competing models. Information Systems Research, 6 (2), 144–176.
Terry, D. J., Hogg, M. A., & White, K. M. (2000). Attitude-behavior relations: Social identity and group membership. In M. A. Hogg & D. J. Terry (Eds.), Attitudes, behavior, and social context (pp. 67–94). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Yong, W. K., Husin, M. M., Liew, K. J., Sockanathan, S., Ismail, N., Rosly, M. R., & Ahmad, F. S. (2021). Identifying the key beliefs of private university students towards joining the Malaysian Armed Forces. International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, 11(2-3), 142-155.
In-Text Citation: (Dahalan et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Dahalan, D., Ismail, I. A., D’Silva, J. L., Abu Samah, A., & Kamarudin, N. A. (2022). Managing Diversity in Malaysia: Readiness of Non -Malay Youths to Join the Malaysian Armed Forces. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 12(7), 1895 – 1911.
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode