Exploring constraints on and support for quality teaching at a higher education institution in Malaysia : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2013
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Massey University
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Abstract
This thesis is an exploratory case study of one institution of higher learning in Malaysia.
Teachers’ active involvement in a wide variety of quality activities raised concerns about their
teaching quality. The literature review suggested that there was no universally accepted
definition of quality teaching. There was also lack of a definition in Malaysian research studies
and government reports. The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of quality
teaching at the case institution in order to better support the institution’s quality assurance
efforts. The research questions investigated the teachers’ perceptions of quality teaching, the
kinds of existing support they found helpful or needed enhancement, and the kinds of existing
constraints that needed rectifying.
A mixed methods approach was employed comprising teacher and manager interviews,
document analysis and a teacher survey to elicit themes relevant to the research questions. The
key findings were that many teachers held transmission-based teaching perceptions although
some student-centred perceptions were also evident. A major constraint on quality teaching was
quality assurance activities that were drawing teachers’ focus away from teaching. Other
impediments included class size, poor student quality and inadequate resources. A major
support for quality teaching was teaching-related courses that needed to be made more relevant
for teachers of various levels of experience and provided in a more structured manner. Other
kinds of support that needed enhancement included mechanisms to evaluate teaching, outcomes
based education (OBE) curriculum transformation and a quality assurance framework related to
OBE.
Recommendations were made for institution managers and professional developers including
developing and promoting a systems framework that promotes and values quality teaching as of
equal importance to quality research, developing a clear articulation of the institution’s teaching
philosophy, improving material resources, aligning all systems to support the shift to OBE, and
providing professional development support that could expand teachers’ conceptions of
teaching. Findings from the case study were discussed against the backdrop of Malaysia’s
efforts to cope with global trends in higher education. Critical adaptation of Western concepts
and the need to develop the nation’s own idea of quality teaching were also discussed.
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Keywords
Quality teaching, Teacher effectiveness, Teaching, Malaysia, Higher education, Malaysia, Professional development