Teacher Competencies and School Improvement Specialist Coaching (SISC+) Programme in Malaysia as a Model for Improvement of Quality Education in China

Abstract

The focus for Chinese citizens to pursue study in Malaysia is based on quality improvement in the Malaysian education system, especially in the teacher quality and school improvement specialist coaching (SISC+) program implemented in the Malaysian school system. The role of teacher’s competencies, such as teacher enthusiasm, which involves the invoking of passion and excitement in students and the participation of teachers, are the most positive teaching activity associated with the gratification of specific lessons. As a model to attract foreign students, especially from China, it is important to review the Ministry’s SISC+ plan and determine if teaching competencies among teachers can positively impact the system. The purpose of this study is to examine how teacher competencies influence the SISC+ Coaching program (Guidance) in rural high schools in Malaysia. The novelty of this research lies in measuring teachers’ competencies in three dimensions: communication skills, skills in teaching strategies, and methods and teaching-involvements skills within a framework. This study employed a quantitative method consisting of a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The instruments were taken from a questionnaire developed by the Malaysia Ministry of Education (MOE) for the coaching of SISC+ (16 questions), while the measurement of teachers’ competencies (22 questions) was performed using a questionnaire from past literature. A total of 186 teachers from six Malaysia secondary schools were involved in the study and the data were analyzed using SEM PLS. The findings revealed that out of all the three competency dimensions (communication, policy, process, and methodology, and student involvement), only teacher communication skills with learners had a major effect on the SISC+ coaching program. The findings also showed that the contact capabilities with students appeared to favor the SISC+ method. Thus, the study contributes to the creation of new knowledge with empirical tests, along with several practical implications for research on teaching competency development.