Unveiling secondary school ESL teachers’ E-learning readiness in Malaysia: Retrospective insights and future directions

Abstract

E-learning has significantly reshaped education, including English-language teaching (ELT). Acknowledging this, the Malaysian Ministry of Education made e-learning a strategic priority for ELT in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025. Sabah, however, remains cautious; as a developing state with limited infrastructure, it questions how effectively e-learning can be deployed. Because classroom teachers ultimately mediate e-learning initiative, the present study investigated the readiness of secondary school ESL teachers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. A 17-item questionnaire was developed following Chapnick’s e-learning readiness framework. After checking content and face validity, the instrument was pilot tested with 64 teachers. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified four underlying dimensions; confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a second sample (n = 145) verified the four-factor structure and showed satisfactory reliability and validity. Descriptive analysis of the final sample revealed the readiness profile for each dimension. Technological skills readiness was highest (mean = 4.22, “ready, go ahead”), psychological readiness was moderate (mean = 3.66, “ready, but needs a few improvements”), while human resource readiness (mean = 3.30) and equipment readiness (mean = 3.25) were “not ready, needs some work”. The validated four-factor instrument provides Sabah’s educational stakeholders with an empirically valid tool to assess ESL teachers’ e-learning readiness, enabling targeted interventions (e.g., infrastructure upgrades, technical training) to support effective e-learning implementation in ELT. Strengths, limitations and implications are also presented.