Voices of novice teachers in Malaysian international schools: Challenges in the first year of EMI teaching

Santhana Marudadorai, Siti Ummaizah Meor Musa and Viji Ramamuruthy
Tunku Abdul Rahman University, Malaysia

The growth in the popularity of Malaysian international schools conducting English-medium instruction (EMI) highlights the importance of an alternative perspective in examining the challenges encountered in the first year of teaching. While numerous relevant studies have been conducted among expatriates working as international school teachers, a research scarcity is observed concerning novice teachers in international schools. The study data were collected from semi-structured interviews and reflective journal entries. Nine novice teachers were recruited as the current study participants. The findings reveal that novice teachers encountered different challenges during the first year of teaching at international schools. Hence, adequate knowledge and support are pivotal for novice teachers. The results emphasise a refined teacher education program with continuous professional development, training and support, which would ease novice teachers' challenges and struggles during the first year of teaching at international schools.
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Authors: Santhana Marudadorai is a part-time postgraduate student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. She is currently teaching in a primary school and her research interests are in the area of second language teacher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0048-9478 Email: santhana.marudadorai@gmail.com Siti Ummaizah Meor Musa is a lecturer attached to the Department of Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Kampar, Malaysia. She is currently pursuing her PhD in curriculum and instruction in the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. She has been teaching for 11 years and her research interests are teacher interpersonal skills and teaching methodology. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8028-8678 Email: ummaizah@utar.edu.my Dr Viji Ramamuruthy is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. She has been teaching for over a decade and her research interests are in the areas of pedagogy, curriculum development and English for specific purposes. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9555-9549 Email: vijir@utar.edu.my Please cite as: Marudadorai, S., Meor Musa, S. U. & Ramamuruthy, V. (2023). Voices of novice teachers in Malaysian international schools: Challenges in the first year of EMI teaching. Issues in Educational Research, 33(3), 1066-1083. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/marudadorai.pdf