ATIKAN

ATIKAN: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan (Journal of Educational Studies). This journal, with e-ISSN 2714-6243 and p-ISSN 2088-1290, was firstly published on June 1, 2011, in the context to commemorate the Birthday of Pancasila's Name in Indonesia. Since issue of June 2012 to December 2014, the ATIKAN journal was organized by the Lecturers of FKIP UNSUR (Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Suryakancana University) in Cianjur; and, since issue of December 2014 to June 2015, by the Lecturers of FPOK UPI (Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Indonesia University of Education) in Bandung; and published by Minda Masagi Suci as a publisher owned by ASPENSI (the Association of Indonesian Scholars of History Education) in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.

The articles published in ATIKAN journal are able to be written in English as well as in Indonesian and Malay languages. This journal is published twice a year i.e. every June and December. The ATIKAN journal is dedicated not only for Indonesian scholars who concern about educational studies, but also welcome to the scholars of Southeast Asian countries and around the world who care and share related to the educational studies in general.

The ATIKAN journal is devoted, but not limited to, primary education, secondary education, higher education, teacher education, special education, adult education, non-formal education, and any new development and advancement in the field of education. The scope of our journal includes: (1) Language and literature education; (2) Social science education; (3) Sports and health education; (4) Economy and business education; (5) Math and natural science education; (6) Vocational and engineering education; and (7) Visual arts, dance, music, and design education.

Since early 2016, the website of ATIKAN journal has been migrated towards the web based on OJS (Open Journal System) program at: www.journals.mindamas.com/index.php/atikan. However, the conventional e-mail address for sending the articles is still able to: atikan.jurnal@gmail.com and mindamas.journals@gmail.com

Forewords for
ATIKAN: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan (Journal of Educational Studies),
Volume 10(1), June 2020

Dato’ Dr. Norhasni binti Zainal Abiddin
Guest Editor of ATIKAN Journal in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; and a Part Time Lecturer at the UPNM (National Defence University of Malaysia), the TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy) in Lumut, Perak, Malaysia. E-mail: nonieza99@gmail.com

The cascading waves of competition occasioned by incessant technological has dramatically changed the pattern of service delivery, economic opportunities, and national development. The new economic order is rapidly reshaping, how countries and regions respond to the challenges, adopt strategies, and manage objectives and expectations. Despite some impressive macro-economic indicators which have been achieved in Malaysia, the capacity to sustain and improve them have been challenging, due to high degree of disconnect between human capital policy and national development. Without a robust and result oriented educational policy, Malaysia desire to attain a fully developed status would be difficult.

Although quality education is a great enabler for achieving sustained national development, policy ineffectiveness, and resultant outcomes have remained a source of concern for many stakeholders in the educational sector of Malaysia. Many countries are racing to improve their educational policies in other to improve their competiveness in a largely driven knowledge economy. Even though, globalization has widened opportunities for market access across borders, it has also created additional challenges by making government and policy makers to keep abreast with the latest development in other climes, despite contextual and cultural differences which exist across countries.

Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) provides an articulated policy framework, which is designed among other objectives, to achieve a robust, targeted and result oriented knowledge based economy. Instructively, the core driving objective is to improve Malaysia ranking among the top third in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) by 2025. Surprisingly, seven years down the line, the implementation of the policy has not generated the much touted policy outcomes, which the policy makers desired.

There are three cardinal features of educational policy intervention in Malaysia. Firstly, there is a compelling evidence that globalization and its resultant borrowing of best practice principles have focused largely on international standardization through over reliance on international assessment module to improve its ranking on PISA and TIMSS. Secondly, the top down approach on policy implementation means that over centralization have sapped the contributions of relevant stakeholders towards effective implementation. Thirdly, the notion of one size fit all approach has proven to be highly unsuitable in a diverse and culturally sensitive country like Malaysia, which ordinarily requires a customized strategic approach to achieve the needed objectives. While, I argued succinctly in favour of a broad based educational policy to bridge the widening gaps among urban and rural students, the increasing policy summersaults, inconsistencies, and politically induced policy interventions have affected educational policy outcomes.

Conclusively, education is an important platform for improving human capital development of any country. I noted that in an increasing interconnected world, a country economic and developmental prospect would be driven by what happens in the classrooms. In a globalized world, where knowledge, skills and abilities would be central in championing improved standard of living and sustained national development, the content of the policy and the contextual environment, where the policy intervention would be employed, is critical in achieving the desired policy outcomes. It is no gaining saying that the quality of education in a country is closely associated with range of outcomes, such as poverty alleviation, personal development, social unity, national innovation, and sustained economic growth and development.

Malaysia education policy requires immediate and sustained investments on contents and critical infrastructures in other to obtain the maximum outcomes. Malaysia aspiration to be a fully developed and high income country, which has eluded her in 2020, could still be achieved in the foreseeable future if her political elites and education bureaucrats pivot to data driven, research based, and contextually suited education policy intervention.

The articles presented in the ATIKAN journal this time, the June 2020 edition, do not specifically examine education policy and development in Malaysia. However, aspects related to education in other countries, such as: “Teaching Strategies and Social Support on Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Attitude, and Anxiety” by Nicette N. Ganal & Marissa R. Guiab of the Philippines; “Relationship of Community Understanding on Environmental Sanitation with Community Attitudes towards Leather Factory Waste” by Ani Marlina of Indonesia; “Brunei Darussalam Education Policies, 1972-2008: Tracking Evolution in the Face of Challenges” by Haji Awang Asbol bin Haji Mail of Brunei Darussalam; “A Lifelong Learning Model to Encourage Positive Change in the Thinking Paradigm of Urban Poor Women's Communities” by Joni Rahmat Pramudia of Indonesia; and “The Development of Technical Skill Competency in Malaysian Transportation Sector” by Affero Ismail & Zeti Kasman of Malaysia, are very important and interesting to study, analyze, and compare, so that we can draw lessons and conclusions how important the field of education for each nation-state in the World to be made a top priority in the development process.

Happy reading articles in the ATIKAN journal. Hopefully a lot of benefits.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: June 30, 2020.

Cover of ATIKAN Journal, Edition of June 2020:

Organized and Published by:

Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI (Association of Indonesian Scholars of History Education) in Bandung West Java, Indonesia. Website: www.mindamas.com

The website of KEMENRISTEKDIKTI RI (Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia) in Jakarta related to the scholarly journals is also available online at: http://simlitabmas.ristekdikti.go.id