Pre-Service Teachers' Readiness for the Implementation of Educational Equity Based on Self-Efficacy and Attitude: Feasibility study

Educational equity is a fundamental principle in the Malaysian education system, emphasizing fairness in access and opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture, or gender. This study aims to identify the readiness of pre-service teachers to implement educational equity, focusing on two key aspects, self-efficacy and attitude. Educational equity is a fundamental principle in the Malaysian education system, emphasizing fairness in access and opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture, or gender. A quantitative method was employed, involving 35 pre-service teachers who were undergoing their teaching practicum in schools around the Alor Gajah, Malaysia district in Melaka. This study adopted a survey research design using a structured questionnaire as the primary research instrument. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify the level of the studied variables. The findings revealed that the overall level of teacher readiness was high (M = 4.48; SD = 0.37). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between teacher self-efficacy and readiness to implement equity (r = 0.396, p = 0.019), as well as a highly significant correlation between teacher self-efficacy and multicultural attitude (r = 0.605, p = 0.000). However, the relationship between multicultural attitude and readiness to implement equity was found to be not statistically significant (r = 0.324, p = 0.058). This study provides preliminary insights into the extent to which pre-service teachers are prepared to uphold the principles of educational equity and contributes to the development of teacher education programs that are more responsive to the demands of equitable education.