Exploring Multiliteracies: A Case Study of The Social Practices of the Orang Asli Children in Perak

This report presents the findings from a research carried out in an Orang Asli village in Perak Tengah. The study was an ethnographic based study carried out from January 2009 to December 2009 with the aim of exploring literacy as a social practice among the Orang Asli children. This study explored the link between school and home literacy practices of the Orang Asli children. Although data from the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (2005) shows an increase in the enrollment of Orang Asli children in schools, the number of dropout rate is still very high. The Ministry strongly believes that emphasis on education will ensure the improvement of Orang Asli's quality of life.

Adopting the multiliteracies framework designed by the New London Group (NLG), this research looked at the multiple forms of literacy among the Orang Asli children. This research identified possible factors which could contribute to the poor academic performances of the Orang Asli children in schools. The findings from this research suggest that one of the main reasons for the high dropout rate could be related to how schools are positioned in the Orang Asli community. The findings strongly advocate that there must be links between learning in schools and learning at home. This study identified that there is a discontinuity in the educational needs within the Orang Asli community. Expectation and practices encouraged in the school is different from what is experienced at home. Thus, practices fundamental for success in schooling such as reading and writing are not supported by the children’s home environment and their daily social practices at home. Furthermore, this research also indicates that the lack of teacher-parent communication, misinterpretation of differences in culture, and lack of involvement of parents with children’s academic activities are some of the contributing factors as to why Orang Asli children do poorly in formal schooling environment.