English Language Settings at Private Islamic Schools in Malaysia: How Interactive are The Language Classroom?

Abstract

The development of Islamic schools in Malaysia has undergone a long historical strand. The traditional Islamic education in Malaysia began with the formation of community-based  religious schools named ‘pondok’ which eventually were upgraded to modern integrated Islamic schools funded by both the government or the non-governmental organizations. However, these schools are not without problems. Several studies have been conducted and almost all studies share the same findings; these schools face several problems among all, financial constraints, lack of trained teachers and the schools lack infrastructure for learning facilities which eventually caused a decline in English language achievement in the country’s national exams. The mentioned constraints, if left attended, would eventually reduce the chances of students to get a place in the university enrollment and continue career as professionals. Language teachers are active, thinking decision-makers who make modifications to their educational choices on a regular basis. Classroom interaction, on the other hand, is one of the most significant tools to increase teacher-student engagement, improving understanding, and ensuring the success of language teaching and learning. This term paper suggests there is a necessity to conduct more research on the teacher-students-students classroom interaction patterns in the schools’ language settings that will lead to new discoveries that will aid teachers in improving the quality of their instruction as well as students in improving their language proficiency.