CHAPTER 1 1.0 Introduction - DSpace@UM - University of Malaya

Text books and revision books are written in the English language. Although the text
books are provided with a glossary, giving definitions of scientific terms, students still
require explanations of concepts in the Malay language. The bilingual educators were
also more comfortable to explain these examples in the Malay language since both of
these educators are familiar with the Malay language. Bandar Country Homes is
located in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur; many of these students are not exposed to
the English language. The Educators felt that lack of exposure and communication
skills in the English language had made the students stagnant in the field of science
and technology. Students in rural schools are not able to understand basic terminology
of scientific terms so, the educators have to clarify the meanings in the Malay
language. Code-switching is also used as a teaching tool to make students understand
the terminology. The researcher has come to this conclusion based on the answers
given by the educators.
The students themselves code-switch because of various reasons: lack of vocabulary,
lack of confidence in speaking the English and lack of knowledge in science. The
researcher has come to this conclusion from listening to the tapes and observing the
lessons.
The bilingual educators code switch for other reasons. In an interview conducted by
the researcher, the researcher noted that there are four other reasons as to why the
bilingual educators used the Malay language and the English language simultaneously
to teach the science subjects.
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