The Relationship Between Islamic Education Teachers’ Jawi Skills and Literacy and Primary Pupils’ Jawi Mastery in Sabah

This study examines the relationship between Islamic Education teachers’ Jawi skills and literacy as factors influencing primary school pupils’ Jawi mastery in Sabah. Mastery of Jawi script is a critical element in Islamic education, and teacher competence is highly consequential for instructional effectiveness. Adopting a quantitative survey design, the study involved 343 primary Islamic Education teachers in Sabah as respondents. The research instrument comprised a questionnaire measuring teachers’ levels of Jawi skills and literacy. Descriptive analysis indicated that teachers’ skills were at a moderately high level (M = 3.93, SD = 0.529), while teachers’ Jawi literacy showed considerable variation (M = 0.735, SD = 0.981). However, Pearson correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between Jawi skills and literacy among teachers (r = .058, p > .05). These findings imply that pedagogical skills and Jawi literacy are distinct competence domains that should be developed in balanced, dedicated professional training streams. This study is expected to inform stakeholders in designing more focused interventions to strengthen the teaching and learning of Jawi at the primary level in Sabah. It contributes a Sabah-specific evidence base, addressing a regional gap that is seldom explored in primary Jawi literacy. Our results inform targeted enhancements to j-QAF implementation and teacher professional development grounded in PCK/TPACK in Sabah, including attention to challenging item-level content (hamzah, loanwords, diphthongs). Policy recommendations include developing context-sensitive micro-modules for Jawi and establishing diagnostic monitoring mechanisms aligned with Sabah’s school ecosystem.

teacher skills; Jawi literacy; Jawi mastery

1. Che Siah, C. M. (2007). Pendekatan pengajaran Jawi. Selangor, Malaysia: Dawama Sdn. Bhd. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Cohen, D. K., & Wiseman, A. W. (2019). Effective teacher professional development: New theory and a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231217480 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. (2018). Kamus Daftar Kata Bahasa Melayu Rumi–Sebutan–Jawi. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Aslita Sdn. Bhd. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. (2020). Pedoman umum ejaan Jawi Bahasa Melayu Dewan. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Attin Press Sdn. Bhd. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Eusebio, A., & Kee Mohd Yussof, S. (2023). Pengaruh sokongan organisasi dan keupayaan menggunakan teknologi terhadap niat menggunakan e‑pembelajaran dalam kalangan guru sekolah rendah di kawasan luar bandar Sabah. Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED), 8, 328–344. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Eusebio, V., & Kee Mohd Yussof, S. (2023). Tahap literasi Jawi dalam kalangan guru Pendidikan Islam di Sabah. Malaysian Journal of Islamic Studies, 7(2), 1–13. https://journal.unisza.edu.my/mjis/index.php/mjis/article/view/291 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Faridah Mariani Johari. (2022). Amalan pengajaran berasaskan Model Slavin di IPG Kampus Keningau, Sabah. Keningau, Malaysia: IPG Kampus Keningau. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Jusof, N., & Hamzah, M. I. (2020). Kemahiran guru Pendidikan Islam di sekolah rendah terhadap pelaksanaan pengajaran berpusatkan murid: Satu analisa. International Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 2(3), 1–26. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Taat, M. S. (2021). Penyelidikan dan penulisan academic pendidikan. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: University Malaysia Sabah. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Taat, M. S. (2022). Analysis data kuantitatif pendidikan: SPSS, WINSTEPS dan AMOS. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: University Malaysia Sabah. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Zakaria, M. Z. A. (2024). Tahap penguasaan penulisan Jawi dan kemahiran terhadap murid-murid sekolah di Daerah Tawau. Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia, Kampus Tawau. https://anyflip.com/rnhai/cldo/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Mohd Fikruddin, M. Z., Najihah, A. W., Ahmad Shidki, M. Y., & Siti Hajar, M. Y. (2022). Hubungan pelaksanaan gamifikasi dan penglibatan murid dalam pembelajaran dan pemudahcaraan (PdPc) Jawi sekolah rendah. Journal Pendidikan Islam. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Mustapha, Y., & Awang Mohamad Amin, A. S. (2020). Hubungan penguasaan Jawi dan kurikulum dengan proses pengajaran guru. Borneo International Journal of Education, 2(1), 1–10. https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/bije/article/view/1779 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Nazimah Mohamad @ Mohd Noor. (2013). Amalan pengajaran Jawi dalam pendidikan masa kini: Suatu tinjauan. University Perguruan Sultan Idris. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320609654 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Nor Hashimah, J., Zaharani, A., & Nor Fariza, M. N. (2012). Penguasaan tulisan Jawi di kalangan pelajar Melayu di sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi awam. International Journal of Humanities, Technology and Civilization, 1(1), 50–63. https://journal.ump.edu.my/ijhtc/article/view/814 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Rosimah, I. (2015). Pengaruh penguasaan Jawi dan kurikulumnya terhadap proses pengajaran Jawi di sekolah rendah Negara Brunei Darussalam (Master’s thesis). University Malaysia Sabah. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study