Attitude towards the mastering of Malay language as a second language among aboriginal children in Kuala Lumpur

Attitude is one of the elements that affect language proficiency. In Malaysia, one of the objectives of language proficiency is to develop the attitude of to be proud of Bahasa Melayu (BM) as the national language. Attitude has a close relationship with the motivation to learn the language. For speakers who use BM as a second language (B2), poor command of the language is very obvious. This situation is no exception to the children of the indigenous (OA). Language proficiency among the OA children can be realized through a positive attitude towards BM. Initial survey has shown that the OA children face difficulties in mastering BM. Since BM is the national language, they must master BM well. This research aims to identify the attitudes of OA children aged 8 to 11 years old in the city of Kuala Lumpur towards the proficiency in BM as B2. In addition, this study also describes the attitude of the male and female OA children in mastering BM. According to the data obtained from the State Department of Education Kuala Lumpur (JPNKL), there were 18 OA children aged 10 to 11 years. The study is expected to give an overview on the attitude of OA children towards BM. In addition, this study will assist the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Department of Development of Aboriginal Affairs (JAKOA) to strategize in order to create a positive attitude towards BM amongst the OA children. In conclusion, the study found that the childrenʹs attitudes towards BM is very relevant and have an impact on their performance in the language.