Johan studied at the University of Malaya (in Kuala Lumpur).[1] Her master's thesis, The Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, 1905-1941: British Policy of Education for Employment in the Federated Malay States was published in 1969.[1] Johan attained her PhD at Monash University in Melbourne. Her thesis, published in 1974, was The Administrative Elite in the Federated Malay States: An Aspect of Malaysian Social History.[2][3]
Peter Triantafillou (1 February 2004). "From Blood to Public Office: Constituting Bureaucratic Rulers in Colonial Malaya". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 35. Singapore University Press Pte Ltd: 21โ40. doi:10.1017/s0022463404000025. S2CID145113855.