The Use of Chinese as a Medium of Instruction in Private Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia: A Qualitative Exploration

This qualitative study aims to explore the use of Chinese as the medium of instruction in teaching and learning at private higher education institutions (IPTS) in Malaysia, focusing on its impact on students’ comprehension, lecturers’ teaching experiences, and graduates’ employability. The study highlights the perspectives and experiences of twenty Chinese students and ten Chinese lecturers selected through purposive sampling from several IPTS across Malaysia. Participants were chosen based on their proficiency in the Chinese language and their experience using it as the medium of instruction. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically to identify the main patterns that shape perceptions toward the use of Chinese as the medium of instruction. The findings reveal that the use of Chinese as the medium of instruction offers several advantages. It enhances students’ understanding of academic concepts, especially in technical and social science subjects, by allowing instruction in their mother tongue. This facilitates smoother communication between students and lecturers and enables lecturers to incorporate culturally relevant examples into their teaching, making lessons more meaningful and contextually relevant. Moreover, the use of Chinese helps students preserve their cultural identity and strengthen their mastery of their mother tongue. However, the study also identifies several challenges. Students often struggle to transition from secondary education, where Malay and English are more commonly used, to a Chinese-medium IPTS environment. This linguistic shift creates adjustment difficulties, particularly when dealing with academic terminology in Chinese. Additionally, the limited availability of high-quality academic resources in Chinese forces students and lecturers to rely on materials in English or Malay, further complicating comprehension. Concerns regarding employability were also raised, as graduates from Chinese-medium IPTS are perceived to be less prepared for the job market, which predominantly values proficiency in Malay and English. The study recommends that IPTS adopt a multilingual educational approach by strengthening the teaching of Malay and English alongside Chinese. Developing high-quality bilingual academic resources and providing additional language support programs would enhance students’ competitiveness in the job market. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, IPTS administrators, and employers in developing a more inclusive and responsive education strategy that aligns with Malaysia’s multilingual and multicultural realities.