ABSTRACT

In 2009, Brunei’s Ministry of Education unveiled the National Education System for the twenty-first century, popularly termed the SPN21, to replace the 1984 bilingual education system (the Dwibahasa). What immediately stood out about the SPN21 is the apparent heavier emphasis placed on English over the Official language, Bahasa Melayu, with English being introduced much earlier in the curriculum, i.e. as the medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science from Year 1 onwards. This paper aims to evaluate the efficacies of English language-in-education policies of SPN21, focusing on the interface between macro planning and micro practices. Rather than relying on evaluative measures in terms of national examination results as a benchmark of success, this paper assesses data gathered from two micro agents: the teachers and the pupils. Teachers, as implementers of language policies, collaborate with pupils in the classroom to achieve the goals articulated by the macro planners. The pupils in this study were assessed in terms of their motivation in English language learning whereas the teachers were assessed in terms of support received from the macro agents. The findings of the surveys are encouraging with indications that the English-enhancing initiatives thus far implemented will continue to produce the desired outcomes.

摘要

2009年，文莱教育部推出了二十一世纪的国家教育体系，即通常所说的SPN21，以取代1984年的双语教育体系（Dwibahasa）。SPN21立即脱颖而出的是，官方语言Bahasa Melayu显然更加强调英语，英语在课程中的引入要早得多，即从一年级开始就作为数学和科学的教学语言。本文旨在评估SPN21的英语教育政策的有效性，重点是宏观计划与微观实践之间的接口。本文评估的不是从国家考试结果的评估方法作为成功的基准，而是评估从两个微观主体（教师和学生）收集的数据。作为语言政策实施者的教师与教室中的学生合作，以实现宏观计划者提出的目标。在本研究中，对学生的英语学习动机进行了评估，而对教师的评估是从宏观中介那里获得的支持。