ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Tales of indigenous peoples being disenfranchised from modern life and marginalised from formal education to the world of work within various social spheres are nothing new. Even in more developed nations, it is problematic for some indigenous peoples to adapt to the lifestyles of the majority population, what more in developing countries where social justice is low and indigenous peoples in the name of development and modernity are left to fend for themselves. Centring on Malaysia’s Orang Asli population, a qualitative study was conducted to map the field prior to a large-scale academic inquiry for the next two years at the Royal Belum State Park in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Four Orang Asli teachers in Perak state were interviewed individually to gather 'thick' qualitative data about the current state of the Orang Asli population in formal education (in primary and secondary schools). This empirical project is very interested in three main topic areas. First, how formal education and the schooling cycle play a part in the lives of children and adolescents living in Orang Asli communities. Second, what Orang Asli teachers and other educators do to ensure that Orang Asli children and adolescents benefit from their primary and secondary educational experience. And third, where is the position of non-formal or informal education within Orang Asli’s lifespan development, specifically for Orang Asli children and adolescents, as they face growing challenges in sustaining their traditional lifestyle.
Abu Kassim, Z., & Adnan, A. H. M. (2005). The English language performance of Orang Asli pupils at primary level in Perak: A longitudinal study. In K. Ariffin, M. Ismail, M. Latif, N. K. Leng & R. Aziz (Eds.) English in Education: Issues and Challenges in the Malaysian Classroom (pp. 29-42). Shah Alam: UPENA Universiti Teknologi MARA / UiTM Press.
Adnan, A. H. M. (2009). Dunia Si Kecil Kontemporari. Shah Alam: Marshall Cavendish International Editions.
Adnan, A. H. M. (2010). Teaching English to a Malaysian minority group (the Orang Asli/Asal): empowerment or disenfranchisement? Paper presented at the 15th English in Southeast Asia Conference: Our diverse communities, 9-11th December, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Adnan, A. H. M. (2011). Teaching English to indigenous minorities (the Orang Asli/Asal): Experience of senior Malaysian practitioners. Paper presented at the 1st Teaching of English as a Second Language One Special Topic National Seminar (TESL 1 STop), 10th December, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.
Adnan, A. H. M. (2012). Perdre sa langue, perdre son identité, se perdre. Le cas des enfants Orang Asli (aborigènes) de Malaisie. Droit et cultures: Revue internationale interdisciplinaire, 63, 87-109.
Adnan, A. H. M. (2018). Industry 4.0 skill sets, higher-order thinking skills and gamification: Lessons from ‘Potentia Project’, Malaysia (Plenary Panel Presentation). Proceedings from TING X 2018: The Tenth National Meeting of Teachers (Temu Ilmiah Nasional Guru) 'Innovation in Education for Indonesia 4.0'. Tangerang: Universitas Terbuka Indonesia.
Adnan, A. H. M., & Saad, M. A. (2010). Teaching English to the minority Orang Asli: A case of systematic disempowerment? Proceedings of the International Conference on Minority and Majority: Language, Cultures and Identity, 23rd to 24th November, Hilton Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Adnan, A. H. M., & Smith, E. (2001). The social functions of education in a developing country: The case of Malaysian schools and the role of Malaysian teachers. Intercultural Education, 12(3), 325-37.
Adnan, A. H. M., Karim, R. A., Tahir, M. H. M., Kamal, M. N. N., & Yusof, A. M. (2019). Education 4.0 Technologies, Industry 4.0 Skills and the Teaching of English in Malaysian Tertiary Education. Arab World English Journal, 10(4), 330-343.
Adnan, A. H. M., Ya Shak, M. S., Karim, R. A., Tahir, M. H. M., & Shah, D. S. M. (2020). 360-Degree Videos, VR Experiences and the Application of Education 4.0 Technologies in Malaysia for Exposure and Immersion. Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal, 5(1), 373-381.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Canales, A., & Maldonado, L. (2018). Teacher quality and student achievement in Chile: Linking teachers’ contribution and observable characteristics. International Journal of Educational Development, 60, 33-50.
Cross, J. (2007). Informal Learning: Rediscovering the natural pathways that inspire innovation and performance. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Diah, A. Z. (2014). Traditionalism and Modernity. Singapore: Partridge.
Endicott, K. (2016). Malaysia’s Original People: Past, Present and Future of the Orang Asli. Singapore: NUS Press.
Fullan, M. (2002). Principals as leaders in a culture of change. Educational leadership, 59(8), 16-21.
Fullan, M. G. (1993). Why teachers must become change agents. Educational leadership, 50, 12-12.
Hashim, R., & Abdul Majeed, A. B. (Eds.) (2013). Proceedings of the Colloquium on Administrative Science and Technology (CoAST 2013), Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. London: Springer.
Jegatesen, G. (2019). The Aboriginal People of Peninsular Malaysia: From the Forest to the Urban jungle. London: Routledge.
Jones, N., Blackey, H., Fitzgibbon, F., & Chew, E. (2010). Get out of MySpace. Computers and Education, 54, 776-782.
Lemmer, E. M. (2007). Parent involvement in teacher education in South Africa. International Journal About Parents in Education, 1(1): 218-229.
Lye, T. P. (2001). Introduction. In T. P. Lye (Ed.) Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia: A Comprehensive and Annotated Bibliography, CSEAS Research Report Series No. 88 (pp. xviii-xxx). Kyoto: Kyoto University Press.
MalaysiaKini (2017). Kaji semula dasar, undang-undang jenayah buli. Retrieved from https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/393377
Martin, B. (2007). Teacher leaders: Qualities and roles. The journal for quality and participation, 30(4), 17.
Salim, M. S. A., Adnan, A. H. M., Shah, D. S. M., Tahir, M. H. M., & Yusof, A. M. (2020). The Orang Asli in Malaysian formal education: Orang Asli teachers’ sentiments and observations. International Journal of Humanities, Technology and Civilization, 8(1), 95-108.
Nah, A. M. (2008). Recognizing indigenous identity in postcolonial Malaysian law: Rights and realities for the Orang Asli (aborigines) of Peninsular Malaysia. Bijdragen tot de taal-, land-en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 164(2), 212-237.
Nasr, A. A., & Farooqui, J. (2015). Development and its Diverse Aspects. Singapore: Partridge.
Rabahi, M., Yusof, H., & Awang, M. (2016). Leading learning among the indigenous Orang Asli students: Setting the scene. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 6(12), 146-165.
Renganathan, S. (2018). Teaching and engaging Orang Asli children. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2018/09/410516/teaching-and-engaging -orang-asli-children
Richardson, L. (1997). Review of transition from home to school. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 22(1), 18-22.
Robson, M. (2020). What is Literature? A Critical Anthology. India: Wiley.
Salgues, B. (2018). Society 5.0: Industry of the future, technologies, methods and tools. Hoboken, NJ: ISTE Ltd.
Shah, D. S. M., & Adnan, A. H. M. (2020). Formal schooling and the process of identity construction: Experiences of Malaysian youths in ‘bad’ schools. International Journal of Modern Education, 2(4), 78-89.
Shah, D. S. M., Adnan, A. H. M., Mohd Salim, M. S. A., Yusof, A. M., & Tahir, M. H. M. (2020). The non-formal education of Orang Asli adolescents in Malaysia: From community to university. International Journal of Humanities, Technology and Civilization, 8(1), 1-13.
Shah, D. S. M., Adnan, A. H. M., Perumal, D., Yusof, J., Veeravagu, J., & Kamarudin, S. (2020). The influence of schooling on the identities of undergraduate students in Malaysia. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Education, Business, Islamic and Technology (ICEBIT 2020), 11-12th January, Hotel Casuarina @ Meru, Perak, Malaysia.
Shah, N. M., Rus, R. C., Mustapha, R., Hussain, M. A. M., & Wahab, N. A. (2018). The Orang Asli Profile in Peninsular Malaysia: Background & Challenges. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(7), 1157–1164.
Sharma, P., & Choudhary, A. (2015). Learning in Different Educational Settings. Methodological Concerns, 20(4), 18-25.
Sparks, D. (2003). Change agent. The Learning Professional, 24(1), 55.
The New Straits Times. (2019). Education the way forward for Orang Asli. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/496689/education-way-forward-orang-asli
Valiente, C., Swanson, J., DeLay, D., Fraser, A. M., & Parker, J. H. (2020). Emotion-related socialization in the classroom: Considering the roles of teachers, peers, and the classroom context. Developmental Psychology, 56(3), 578.
Valli, L., & Buese, D. (2007). The changing roles of teachers in an era of high-stakes accountability. American Educational Research Journal, 44(3), 519-558.
Vengadesan, M. (2019). Bullied, separated – national education failing Orang Asli children. Retrieved from https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/472558
In-Text Citation: (Adnan et al., 2021)
To Cite this Article: Adnan, A. H. M., Salim, M. S. A. M., Tahir, M. H. M., Shah, D. S. M., & Yusof, A. M. (2021). Educating the ‘Orang Asli’ (Native People) of Malaysia in the Eyes of Orang Asli Teachers. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(9), 717–731.
Copyright: © 2021 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