RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AWARENESS OF 1MALAYSIA CAMPAIGN AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ THINKING AND BEHAVIOUR
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Abstract
The Malaysian government introduced the 1Malaysia concept in 2009, which aimed to achieve a multicultural nation in which all races could accept one another and be united as a nation. Consequently, when unity is achieved, the country’s development can achieve greater heights of success. Over the years, the concept has received nationwide publicity through electronic and print media. Although there have been a few researches on the 1Malaysia concept, there has been very little research done to investigate the awareness of the 1Malaysia concept from the perspectives of secondary school students and relationship between the awareness of 1Malaysia campaign and secondary school students’ thinking and behaviour. 1700 questionnaires were
distributed to secondary school students in the Federal Territories Malaysia using stratified random sampling method. 50 students were interviewed to find out about the views on the changes in their way of thinking and behaviour towards people of different races. The finding showed that more than 70 per cent of respondents were aware of the 1Malaysia concept. There was a significant relationship between awareness of 1Malaysia concept and change in thinking. There was also a significant relationship between 1Malaysia concept and change in behaviour. From the interviews, many of the students reported that their way of thinking and behaviour have changed after learning about the 1Malaysia concept, where they become more tolerant, more accepting of differences, and more understanding of people of other cultures and races. However, it was an interesting finding that the number of respondents who did not undergo any changes in thinking and behaviour was quite high. They reported that they had been practising multicultural tolerance even before the 1Malaysia concept was introduced. Thus, the findings from this study will serve as a platform for the 1Malaysia campaign planning unit to reassess their current promotional activities and embark on effective future activities to ensure positive cognitive and behavioural outcomes among the youngsters.
