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pressure to develop into a respectable and independent area of scholarly study and
from its external accountability. Metaphorically, with another new transformation
plan accompanying many other national blueprints, Malaysian higher education
research is again at a crossroad. Clearly, the emergence and development of higher
education as a field of study have taken on many of the features associated with the
political movements in the Malaysian context.
Despite the shortcomings, the small number of Malaysian higher educationists
has made impressive efforts at building higher education into a respectful discipline
in academia and has claimed it to be a ‘new’ or ‘emerging’ discipline. However,
whether such efforts will be successful depends, to a large extent, on the progress of
the study rather than the enthusiasm and expectations on the part of the higher edu-
cationists. It is hoped that higher education research in Malaysia will eventually
develop into a full-fledged discipline that will enjoy the respect and status of other
established social sciences such as economics and sociology. For this to happen, and
for the field to develop in a healthy manner, both the internal and external conditions
need to be improved.
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