| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 比較教育研究所 === 88 === The purpose of the study was to compare the educational issues of language policies in Malaysia and Singapore. The educational issues concerned in the study, especially the school system and language curriculum, highlighted the importance of language policies in multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual nations. The main research methods, G.Z.F. Bereday’s comparative educational method and semi-structure interviews, were used in this study. Besides, the theories of Gramsci’s ‘cultural hegemony’ and multicultural education, were related to the language policies in Malaysia and Singapore.
This study aimed to achieve the following goals:
1.To discuss the theories of Gramsci’s “cultural hegemony” and multicultural education;
2.To analyze and compare the historical evolution of language policies in Malaysia and Singapore;
3.To analyze and compare the school system based on the language policies in decades and the language curriculum in Malaysia and Singapore;
4.To analyze and compare the language policies in education through the theories of Gramsci’s cultural hegemony and multicultural education;
5.To synthesize the above-mentioned and provide the implications to language policies in Taiwan.
The main findings of this study were shown as follows:
1.In the British colonial era, English and Bahasa Melayu exercised a powerful hegemony in educational domains in Malaya Settlements, including the establishment of English-medium and Malay-medium schools. However, in the post-independence of the Federation of Malaysia in 1957 and Singapore in 1965, the aim of language policies in Malaysia was to promote Bahasa Melayu as a symbol of Malay Power and national unity by casting English aside. On the contrary, the aim of language policies in Singapore was to encourage the use of language of its former colonial rulers and the four languages shared equal status as official languages of instruction.
2.Based on the language policies, there were 3 language-streams primary school existed in Malaysia. However, in secondary and higher education, all educational institutions were required to transfer to Malay-medium schools. In Singapore, the early differentiation based on the students’ language abilities and aptitude in primary education was the main feature in school system.
3.The dominant language, either Bahasa Melayu in Malaysia or English in Singapore, in Gramsci’s terms, symbolized the cultural hegemony of state apparatus. With the expansion of cultural hegemony through the language policies in Malaysia and Singapore, the state has been identified with civil society.
4.In multicultural education’s terms, the goals of language policies in Malaysia were not toward this trend. However, in Singapore, the language policies were based on the principles of multicultural education.
Finally, several implications to Taiwan in this study were in the following：
1.The focus of the implementation of indigenous language policies should be on the understanding of multiethnic society in the examination-driven culture.
2.To establish a regular language review committee for language policies in education.
3.We should encourage ethnic minorities to be active in mother-tongue education.
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