Page 52 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2020

forty-nine (40-49) years old and eighty-two percent (82%) of these respondents have a
bachelor’s degree. Teachers who participated in this study had mostly taught between ten to
twenty-one years and above. However, most had only taught KDL for ten (10) years or less.
From the fifty respondents, only two (2) were KDL option teachers while the rest had teaching
options that range from humanities to STEM subjects. Nevertheless, twenty-three (23) or 46%
of these respondents were language option teachers who taught Bahasa Melayu or English
Language. Almost all respondents for this study were teaching KDL along with one or more
other subjects. Twenty-seven (27) KDL teachers of this district came from various Dusunic
tribes from around the state of Sabah and the remaining twenty-three (23) were Kadazans from
the Penampang District. KDL teachers in this district belonged to at least fifteen Dusunic
dialects and the highest was the Kadazan dialect that scored 50% respondents. 78% of KDL
teachers in this district were multi-dialectical and some were willing to learn the local dialect
and had positive attitude towards knowing other Dusunic dialects from other districts. More
importantly, only a mere two respondents stated that they knew the Bunduliwan dialect, the
dialect chosen as the base of KDL and only one teacher stated knowing KDL as KDL is not a
local dialect spoken in this district.
About 90% of the respondents stated that they enjoy teaching KDL subject and only
about five or 10% of the respondents did not enjoy teaching the KDL subject. The most
common reasons given by the respondents for enjoying this subject were they had the
opportunity to maintain their heritage, they were proud teaching the language and they viewed
teaching the language as an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of KDL and cultural
heritage of the Kadazan and Dusun communities. Contrariwise, reasons for not finding joy in
teaching KDL were difficulty in delivering due to lack of language fluency, teachers found the
language difficult and because they were forced to teach the subject.
KDL teachers agreed that learning KDL is beneficial to their pupils. There were three
(3) benefits that were most favoured by KDL teachers. First, they believed learning KDL can
deepen pupils’ understanding of Kadazan and Dusun culture and heritage. Secondly, the
believed that KDL can develop their pupils’ awareness of their ethnic identity, cultural values,
and ethics. Thirdly, teachers felt that KDL learning can improve pupils’ communications with
their family members. On the other hand, they believed that learning KDL does not really
increase their pupils’ educational or employment opportunities.
KDL teachers in this district found the KDL Primary School’s Standard Document and
Assessment useful in planning for classroom activities and the Performance Standards could
be referred to easily in assessing pupils’ performance. KDL Standard Document and
Assessment was also considered teacher friendly while the Primary School’s Content
Standards were relevant to their pupils. Learning Standards in the KDL Primary School’s
Standard Document and Assessment were also viewed by KDL teachers to be within the level
of mastery of primary school pupils though they were uncertain if the terms used in the KDL
Standard Document were easy to understand.
KDL teachers of Penampang district were convinced that the KDL curriculum content
was filled with positive values and cultural knowledge. Most respondents also viewed the
content as an enabler for cultural heritage maintenance, fostering unity amongst the Kadazan
and Dusun people, instil patriotism and promotes the sustainability of traditional ingenuity.
Teachers from the district of Penampang, Sabah agreed that the Bunduliwan Dialect
could promote the use of KDL to the Kadazan and Dusun Communities. They also agreed that
the use of Bunduliwan in the teaching and learning of KDL could help maintain other Dusunic
dialects. Nevertheless, teachers were not sure that the Bunduliwan dialect which was used in
the teaching and learning of KDL was meaningful or relevant to their pupils. They were also
not sure if it was easy to teach the Bunduliwan Dialect or easy to be learnt by their pupils.

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