Chapter 1

1. Explain concepts of culture and ethnic groups in Malaysia

2. Elaborate and present the characteristics of ethnic groups and demography in Malaysia.




Definitions of culture from various perspectives. In general, culture means the way of life. From the point of language, the word
culture is derived from the Sanskrit word Buddhaya which is a combination of the word Budhi (Sanskrit) meaning active mind
and Daya (Malay) which means force, power and influence. The English term of culture, however, has its root from the Latin
word, colere which means designing or doing. In short, culture is a way of life in any society which includes belief systems,
values, art, tradition and civilization.

Further discussion featuring seven cultural elements, namely: Language, knowledge systems, social organization, technological
systems and equipment, livelihood and economic systems, religious systems and the arts.
Characteristics of culture discussed in this module are as follows: -

o Learned
o Shared
o Being universal
o Inherited
o Dynamic
o Have a symbolic element
o The existence of worldview
The teacher has to be responsible for understanding the diversity of cultures and groups among the students in the classroom. Two
key roles of the teacher are to build the country's image to create character and identity, fostering national consciousness and
nationhood based on characteristics of spirituality, humanity and mentality (Nasrudin Yunos (Centre for General Studies, UKM).
Ethnicity refers to the sense of belonging of an ethnic group.
Ethnocentrism is the feeling that arises in an ethnic group where elements such as culture, values, attitudes and practice are better
than the elements found in other ethnic groups. This is because members of an ethnic group use their own culture and practices as
a benchmark assessment.
Stereotype is the general statements purporting negative impression of extravagance of the pros and cons of the nature of a
particular ethnic group by another ethnic group. For example, the Malays love entertainment. This stereotype picture has negative
implications and can lead to undesirable impact on unity in a plural society in Malaysia.
Prejudice is an implicit feelings in the hearts of the members of a particular ethnic group against another ethnic group. Usually
these feelings are not based on any accurate or clear information or evidence. These feelings give rise to unreasonable dislike of an
ethnic group towards other ethnic groups.
Discrimination is the views, thoughts and negative beliefs by one ethnic group against the other ethnic groups that influence the
behavior of the negative view. Discrimination is prejudice that exists in the ethnic group. Discrimination is likely to occur when there
is prejudice.

Levels of Ethnic Relation
SEGREGATION Practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic
groups,
ACCOMODATION Conscious of cultural difference but live harmoniously

ACCULTURATION The minority accepts the culture of the dominant group making
necessary adjustments to social situations to prevent or reduce
conflict.
ASSIMILATION The process of reducing the boundary whereby the minority
incooperate elements of the dominant groups culture & traits, but at
the same time maintain their own distinctive ethnic & cultural identities
AMALGAMATION Forming a new cluster through mixed marriages

Categories and Function of Clusters
No Categories of Clusters Functions of Clusters
1. Task based group executing a responsibility based on a certain work together for
the purpose of completing the task
2. Interest based group of individuals who work together to achieve a specific target /
niche.
3. Friendship based group of individuals with similar characteristics and have life goals,
wishes and lifestyles which are mutually agreed

Ethnicity is a concept of categorizing groups of people based on living system practiced by a group of people (Marzudi Md
Yunus, 2009).
In Islam, the existence of multi-ethnic, ethnicity, race, language, color, customs, culture and so on is common and is a
blessing that motivate people to become acquainted, cooperating with one another, enhancing mutual assistance and
respect towards peace, safety, well-being, prosperity and unity of mankind on this earth as mentioned in the Holy Al-Quran
(Surah Al Hujarat).
Groups in a society can be classified into two, namely formal and informal. Formal group means group established by an
organization with a task set to achieve organizational goals. Informal group can be categorized based on a number of
aspects that were discussed.
The formation of clusters is influenced by factors that have been identified as follows: -
Peace (security guarantees)
Status (tribute)
Self-esteem (feeling sellf-worth)
Strength (build inner greatness)
The term demography originates from the word "demos" and "grafein". "Demos" means people or people in an area, while
"grafein" means describe or write about something. Based on the definitions given, the term demography means "writing
about people or people in a location". Demographic group can be defined as the statistical analysis of the number and
composition of the population of a certain location (Syed Ismail et al, 2010).
Demographic groups in Malaysia consist of many races, nationalities and religions. Indigenous people who are considered
to be the original people of Malaysia are Malay, Dayak, Iban, Kadazan, Kadazan Dusun in Sabah and Sarawak. Ethnic
groups in West Malaysia are the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Malaysia has a major responsibility to unite the people of various ethnic groups and effort to accomplish this task should be
undertaken by all parties including the teachers.









Chapter 2
1. Explain concepts of race, society and social class.
Race: having a common identity and speak the same language, besides having their own religion, ideologies and culture. They are
considered to have originated from the same descent. In Malaysia, every race has its own identity and culture but all races live in
harmony respecting each other religious practices and values

Society: a group of people who are related and they perform activities collectively while living together. The importance of this kind
of interaction between individuals which determines a particular pattern of life and there is a distinct communication system

Social class:




2. Explain types of belief system, language, custom and gender practices among multicultural society in Malaysia.







3. Discuss how the understanding of various cultures in Malaysia is able to assist in the inculcation of unity among various races.








Chapter 3
1. Analyze the socio-cultural diversity in the school community.



2. Explain the implications of socio-cultural diversity in teaching and learning in the classroom.



1. Discuss how the Integration of Pupils for Unity Plan (RIMUP) can promote cooperation and unity among
students of diverse cultures.


2. Describe the steps taken by the government to produce a united Malaysian society in the 21st century.


3. Discuss how the school can improve goodwill and cooperation among students in schools ranging from
cultural diversity in order to create an excellent country.



4. Explain how co-curricular activities in school can forge friendly relations among diverse students.



5. List the activities that can be implemented by teachers in schools to produce students who are able to
realize the concept of 1 Malaysia.


6. Discuss the importance of Vision Schools in producing good citizens and a united Malaysia.

Chapter 4
1. Explain the concept of inequality of educational opportunities.





2. Identify elements that generate unequal educational opportunities.







3. Analyze the issues of unequal educational opportunities.








4. Analyze the issues of educational opportunities for all students, especially for Orang Asli students, indigenous and rural
population.






Chapter 5
1. Explain the relationships among ethnic groups.



2. Define the concept, purpose and the physical components in the management of a culture-friendly classroom environment.





3. Explain the concept, development and management of socio-emotional atmosphere in a multicultural classroom.



4. Explain the concept, development and management of socio-linguistic aspect in a multicultural classroom.




5. Explain concepts, features and important aspects of the management of teaching and learning.



6. Discuss concepts, purposes, characteristics, methods and techniques of cultural and indigenous relevant pedagogy.




7. Describes the concepts, features and importance of combined classes.



8. Defining the concept of culturally responsive assessment.





Chapter 6
1. Explain the importance of communication skills among teachers.




2. Compare and contrast between verbal and non-verbal communication.




3. Discuss the elements in oral skills that need to be mastered by teachers.






Chapter 7
1. Explain the ways to create a culturally friendly classroom.





2. Plan an action plan for implementing educational programs for Orang Asli, indigenous and people in the interiors.









***ways and strategies to create a culturally friendly environment for students in school with emphasis given to the Orang Asli,
indigeneous people and the people who are in the remote interiors of Malaysia. The Ministry of Education Malaysia has outl ine
various strategies to unite all Malaysian and one of the most important program introduced is the Integration of students f or unity
plan (RIMUP) which comprises academic and non-academic activities. In schools, administrators and teachers have action plan to
create a more cultural-friendly environment for all students in order to reduce inequality of educational opportunities among
students. This awareness of culturally friendly environment is important in producing human capitals who are holistic in all aspects.