Student and School’s Diversity: A Case Study in State of Pahang

Abstract

Students’ diversity is the foundation of inclusive schools, where students’ learning needs will be optimised. The purpose of this study is to identify students’ perspectives towards school diversity. Thus, for the purpose of this study, the School Directory Inventory (Gottfredson & Jones 2001) domain is applied. Schools’ diversity in this study refers to factors of gender, area of living and family’s incomes. This research was conducted using a survey method and questionnaires. This is a case study involving 335 students in state of Pahang, Malaysia. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential techniques to determine the mean scores, t-test and ANOVA. A pilot study was conducted and the reliability was 0.803. Findings of the study as related to schools diversity showed that the mean scores of students’ perspectives was at 2.70. The analysis for t-test was significant at the level of 0.5 for students’ perspectives on school diversity based on gender and races. The analysis on ANOVA of students’ perspective showed significantly difference in terms of races, area of living and family’s incomes. These findings indicated that students’ background had significant relevance with their acceptance level on the schools’ diversity. The implication of the study revealed that various parties particularly the Ministry of Education should improve the level of acceptance on schools’ diversity among students, in order to maintain the quality of education without prejudice among Malaysian citizens towards “One Malaysia”.