Masalah pembelajaran dan penguasaan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kedua dalam kalangan murid-murid Kensiu: Satu kajian kes

The Kensiu is a minority group of aboriginal inhabitants in Baling, Kedah. Kensiu’s children who study in a primary school in Baling are required to learn and become proficient in the Malay language. However, the results of tests and UPSR examination show that Kensiu pupils’ achievement is at a low level. Kensiu pupils
low performance and the limited number of studies on them prompted a need to conduct this study. Out of the 809 pupils in the school, only 36 of them are Kensiu, which makes them a minority group. The aimed of this study was to examine the proficiency level in Malay language among the Kensiu pupils and to identify the
factors which contributed to their achievement level. In this qualitative study, data we collected through interviews, observations and tests on 10 Kensiu pupils as participants of this study. The interviews also involved other parties such as school teachers, kindergarten teachers, officers at the Department of the Aborigines Affairs and the pupils’ parents. The finding of this study shows that the proficiency level in Malay language among the Kensiu pupils was very low, the pupils faced difficulties in understanding their teachers’ pronunciation and they were still illiterate. Among the factors which influenced the Kensiu pupils’ achievement were the influence of their mother tongue, the attitudes of the pupils and their parents, self-identity, cultural differences, economy, teaching and learning styles and teacher-pupil relationship. In terms of practicality, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on teaching and learning in Malay as a second language among the Kensiu pupils.