A Comprehensive Scoping Review of Early Childhood Education in Malaysia and Its Neighbouring Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Government Tadika, Private Pre-Schools, and Islamic Pre-Schools
List of Authors
Mohd Shawani Ahmad Sabri, Mohd Zuri Ghani
Keyword
Early Childhood Education, Malaysia; Government Tadika; Private Pre-School; Islamic Pre-School; Curriculum Comparison; Accessibility; Socio-Cultural Impact; Teaching Quality; Educational Policy
Abstract
This scoping review examines the landscape of early childhood education (ECE) in Malaysia by comparing three primary types of pre-schools: government Tadika (Pra Sekolah), private pre-schools, and Islamic pre-schools. The review explores key aspects such as curriculum frameworks, accessibility, affordability, teaching quality, infrastructure, and socio-cultural impact. It identifies the unique characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of each pre-school type based on an analysis of academic literature, government reports, and policy documents. The findings highlight that government Tadika emphasizes national unity and accessibility but faces challenges in infrastructure and class size. Private pre-schools offer flexible curricula and advanced facilities but are limited by high tuition fees. Islamic pre-schools balance religious and academic education, providing moderate affordability but with variable infrastructure quality. The review concludes that addressing disparities in quality and accessibility among these institutions is vital for fostering holistic development in Malaysian children. Recommendations include policy integration, teacher development, parental engagement, inclusive curricula, and infrastructure improvement. between these 2 groups for perceived ease of use, behavioural intention and users’ experience.