English in primary education in Malaysia: policies, outcomes and stakeholders’ lived experiences

Abstract

This paper examines English language-in-education policy and planning (LEPP) in Malaysia from macro- and micro-language planning perspectives over the past 50 years. Specifically, it focuses on English language policies at the primary level and investigates their outcomes and consequences at different levels of education. The major focus of this paper is a case study that was conducted on samples of students, lecturers and administrators in a public university providing an illustration of how macro-level policies are enacted at the micro-level. The analysis of the participants’ views and perceptions suggests that macro-level planning alone may not produce the desired changes in language behaviour and that national-level planning needs to be complemented by micro-level work to create desirable language policy outcomes. This suggests that Malaysian LEPP needs to take micro-level realities, perceptions and stakeholders’ experiences into consideration while promoting and strengthening the mastery of English if macro-level planning is to contribute to successful outcomes.

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