A Study of the Concept of ESL Proficiency in Selected Malaysian Contexts and Its Implications for Assessment*

The article looks at the ESL situation in Malaysia in tne 1980s. The medium of instruction at tertiary level is Bahasa Malaysia and English is taught as a language for special purposes. The article focuses on a group of a hundred and fourteen final and pre-final year students of professional courses in the University of Malaya during the 1987/88 session. A question-naire was administered to them and the results were analysed. The results indicate what the students think of their own English language proficiency and to what extent they use English in social and academic situations. The article goes on to discuss some of the implications of their views for the assessment of language proficiency in the Malaysian tertiary context. 1. Background and Status of English The 1980s represent an important phase in the history of language planning and development in Malaysia. By this time the gradual process of changing the medium of instruction from English to Bahasa Malaysia reached tertiary level. This process began in 1970 when all subjects in the first year of school were taught in Bahasa Malaysia in what was until then known as National Type English Primary schools. By 1983, all first year courses at local universities were conducted in Bahasa Malaysia. The adoption and implementation of Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction in the education system did not mean that there was no place for English. It has been retained as a second language of the country and taught as a compulsory subject throughout the Malaysian school system. In the Education Policy, English is gazetted as the second most important language in the education system of the country. The of-ficial objectives as stated in the English language Syllabus for upper secondary Malaysian schools read as follows: The programme seeks to enable those who participate in the education system to utilise the English Language in a meaningful and relevant wa