Page 141 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2020

and Malaysia Teacher Standard (SGM). KSSR and KSSM aims to develop individual who
possesses higher order thinking skills, creativity, innovativeness, critical thinking, able to work
together with others, resilient, patriotic, caring (BPK, 2014 b,c,d). The preferred pedagogies
are built upon the principles of inquiry learning, problem solving, collaborative learning, STEM
approach (BPK, 2016 a,b,c,d). Examination oriented learning will be discarded but school
based assessment which is holistic in nature will be emphasised (KPM 2013). This is also the
first time in the history of Malaysia where the curriculum requirement inclusive of performance
standards are all written in one document, signifying the importance given to classroom
assessment as a mean to improve students’ learning (2018 a, b).

SOURCES OF CURRICULUM DESIGN

Curriculum designing is a complex process of conceptualising and organising various
elements of curriculum into a coherent system (Cheung & Ng, 2000). This process is influenced
by multiple factors including social, political, cultural, historical, futuristic and the academic
inclinations of the curriculum developers and the multiplicity of interaction between these
factors (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993; Saylor & Alexander, 1974; Saylor et al., 1981; Taba, 1962;
Tanner & Tanner, 1995). Various philosophical, political and psychological ideologies are at
play here. In a centralised curriculum system, the burden of the consolidation of these
ideologies falls on the shoulder of the central agency such as the Curriculum Development
Centre. Collective decisions regarding the curriculum elements of objectives, evaluation,
learning experiences and content area need to be made based on the aspiration of the
community, state or nation. These are generally known as the sources of curriculum design
which are knowledge, society and learner (Tyler, 1949; Doll, 1964; Taba, 1962; Saylor &
Alexander, 974; Tanner & Tanner, 1995). Doll (1964) however brought in extra sources of
science, eternal and divine which Malaysia has adopted.

Changes in the Sources of Curriculum Design and its Impact

A curriculum design delineates the organisational framework of the structure of
learning opportunities provided to the students (Klein, 1991; Saylor et al., 1981). In order for
us to understand the change in the Malaysian curriculum design in the last 3 1/2 decades, it is
important for us to understand the context of the change and the rationale of choice.

Divine and Eternal Sources

Socrates and Plato believed that virtues are most important in human’s seeking of
happiness and prosperity. Virtue is considered as eternal because it is generally believed to be
constant by the human society. Virtue can be taught because it is knowledge, specifically
knowledge of good and bad (Plato, 1972). Plato (1972) in The Laws stated that purpose of
education is to bring each individual to moral goodness; this can be done through training in
good habits in a good society. Plato proclaimed that norms of society should be set by wise and
virtuous men of the society, in a religious society, the divine and eternal source first and
foremost comes from the religion itself. Malaysia is a multi-religious society; however a bigger
majority of the people are Muslims thus Islamic education is compulsory for all Muslim
students. While the Muslim students are taking Islamic Education as a subject, the other non-
Muslim students will do Moral Education subject. The core moral values suggested in Moral
Education are also values upheld through the Islamic Education. This arrangement continues
on from pre KBSR and KBSM era till today. Other than providing Islamic Education and Moral

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