Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The dismal educational performance of the Singapore Malays has been at extensive area of research by several academicians. They lamented the low percentage passes at all levels of national examinations from Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level (GCE 'A'). Studies on High attrition rates among the Malays have been an area of concern among the educationists. However, this study looks at the issue from a different perspective. There is an ever increasing and sizeable number of Malay high achievers at every national examinations, namely at the Primary School Leaving Examination and the General Certificate of Education at both the Ordinary and the Advanced Levels (PSLE, GCE 'O' and GCE 'A' levels). They constitute the top ten per cent of each level in terms of academic achievement.

Another distinctive feature of this thesis is the area of investigation. It aims to establish the relationship between culture of high achieving Malay students and their academic achievement. Culture emcompasses a wide spectrum that will include the Malay culture, the Islamic culture, the home and school cultures as well as peer culture. The home culture is represented by the home background while the school climate as perceived by the students is a proxy of school culture. Relationship between cognition (in terms of learning strategies) and academic achievement is also examined. In addition, the influence of individual self-esteem on academic achievement is also explored.

A sample of three hundred students was selected from three different levels - at Secondary One based on their PSLE results, Junior College One based on their GCE 'O' level result and the first year undergraduates based on the GCE 'A' results. They were selected from premier secondary schools and top junior colleges as well as the two local universities. They were considered as high achievers - they made up the top ten per cent of their cohorts and they had produced excellent results.

Questionnaires were designed to analyse the dependent variables - academic achievement with the independent variables: culture, home background, school climate, cognition, peer group influence and school climate. Item analysis was carried out to ensure reliability of the questions. Two pilot studies were undertaken before the actual survey was implemented.

Results showed the following findings;

a) culture as an independent variable, had a strong positive correlation with the PSLE level students.
b) home background was significantly correlated with the GCE 'O' and 'A' level students.
c) for the PSLE students, the achieving motive was positively correlated to academic achievement
d) the correlation between deep strategy and the GCE 'O' level students was positively significant.
e) school climate had the greatest influence on the PSLE level students.

This study shows that culture plays a role in shaping the minds of the younger generations and hence influencing their academic achievement. This is especially so for the young where the positive cultural values can be transmitted to enhance their academic performance. Likewise, school climate also plays a function in moulding the attitudes of the impressionables. For the 'A' level students, the home background is a contributing factor to academic achievement. However, for the GCE 'O' level students, academic achievement is negatively correlated with home background. Parents can play a more significant role at this stage. A more open-minded approach towards them can influence their academic achievement. Finally, in terms of learning strategies as developed by Biggs (1986), the deep approach appears to be the 'proper' approach in order to attain the higher thinking order for long term academic achievement.