English for teaching and learning of science and mathematics in Malaysian schools: A comparative study on perception between different ethnics

Abstract

This paper reports a study on the perception of the people toward the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics using English. Altogether, 641 respondents obtained randomly from all over Malaysia participated in the study. The respondents, male and female from the age of 20 to 55 were given a set of questionnaire, containing statements on various issues of Science and Mathematics. Each statement is accompanied with five choices of responses in the form of Likert type scale ranging from 1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3. Not sure, 4. Agree, and 5. Strongly agree. One of the statement of the questionnaire analysed was "It is easier to learn science and mathematics in English". The raw data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and also ANOVA. The result of the study shows that 45.7% of the respondents rejected the statement, 24.4% accepted the statement and 29.3% were not sure. There is significant difference of means between the respondents with academic background in science compared to respondents with non-science academic background.