Perspectives of learning science effectively: comparison between Western Australian teachers and Malaysian teachers

Malaysia hopes to be a developed country which is driven by the industrial and agricultural sectors by the year 2020. This aspiration is guided by Vision 2020 and in order to achieve this, the manpower of the country must be developed and furnished with strong technological, mathematical, and science backgrounds as early as the primary level. It is important to note that effective learning influences the attitude of the students towards science, and if Malaysia is to develop in accordance with Vision 2020, this issue must be addressed. In developed countries like Australia, the learning of science is developed humanistically to attract students to science. The learning of science in Australia involves materials, environments, and activities which encourage students to actively participate in the class. Therefore, it is important to investigate teachers’ perspectives towards students’ learning as teachers are facilitators of learning. This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study that was carried out to compare the perspectives of primary science teachers from Malaysia and from Western Australia, with the focus on five research questions. The first question is “what are the teachers’ perspectives of learning science?”, whereas the second, third and fourth are, “what are the teachers’ perspectives of effective teaching methods, the importance of teaching aids and implementing science process skills in the learning of science?” and the fifth question is, “how to assess the progress of the students in learning science?” The participants of the study were twelve primary science teachers from Western Australia and from Malaysia, respectively. The data collection approaches employed included open-ended questions, non-participant observation techniques, and document collection. The findings indicated that there are four types of teachers’ perspectives of learning science, three perspectives of the implementation of science process skills in learning science, and five methods in assessing students’ progress in learning science

Obstacles Faced by College Students in Solving Probability Word Problems

There are many difficulties that can be identified when students solve mathematic problems especially in solving probability word problems. This study was conducted to identify the major obstacles faced by matriculation college students while solving the probability of an event word problems. Seven college students were the sample for this case study. Clinical interviews are used as a data collection. This data collection technique was selected based on the researcher’s observation on the participants as they answered the probability word problem task. The task was given during the interview session. Semi structured interviews are used to obtain in depth information. Think-aloud analysis involves observations leading to individual behaviours in the oral or nonverbal form of participants and the researcher’s field notes. Participants were found to have difficulty interpreting probabilities. There are three categories of difficulties that have been identified, namely not knowing the meaning of the word, not knowing the nature of the probability and not being able to identify the goal of the probability word problem

Teacher professional development through lesson study in secondary schools

Lesson Study (LS) is a professional learning strategy which originated from Japan and practiced extensively throughout Japan. It has captured the attention of the professional learning communities in Malaysia and is seen as an innovative strategy for teacher professional development (TPD). The purpose of this study was to explore secondary school English Language (EL) teachers’ learning experiences as they engaged in LS as well as to explore LS as a strategy for teacher professional development at secondary schools. The research methodology adopted was a qualitative case study of a single site and involved four participants. Each participant completed two LS cycles in three months. Data was collected through classroom observations and document analysis. Analytic induction was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study affirmed the literature on the importance of peer collaboration and feedback, and improving instructional practices particularly teachers’ professional knowledge. However, time-constraints, extra workload, and minimal school management support were some constraints noted during the implementation of LS in schools. Lesson study provides an alternative strategy for the in-service teachers to enhance their professional development as well as encourages the teachers to solve their students’ learning problems in actual classrooms collaboratively

The Readiness of TVET Lecturers in Facing the Intelligence Age IR4.0

Understanding of the industrial revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) and professional ethics are required for lecturers to cope with the intelligence era. However, some lecturers still have poor professional ethics or do not even understand such principles. These two factors have become barriers to the country’s efforts to embrace IR4.0. Thus, this study aims to determine the influence of professional identity and ethics on the readiness of TVET lecturers in facing IR4.0. Data were collected using a combination of two instruments to measure professional ethics, IR4.0 understanding and IR4.0 readiness. A total of 203 technical and vocational education and trainings (TVET) lecturers in Malaysia were chosen for this study by using the simple random sampling method. The findings reveal the significant influence of lecturers’ understanding of the intelligence age and their readiness to face IR4.0. However, professional ethics is not found to be a mediator of the relationship between IR4.0 understanding and readiness. Thus, the Ministry should improve the lecturers’ IR4.0 readiness by providing IR4.0 courses and trainings for lecturers, as well as providing state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and learning technology

Self-Regulation Test-Taking Strategies for Mathematics

The present study aims at exploring various self-regulation test-taking strategies used by the grade 11 students for their mathematics tests which is observed from three aspects, they are before, during, and after test-taking. The data were collected from 86 students in a private school which located in Malaysia. The goal-setting and planning, help-seeking, seeking information, rehearsal, memorization, reviewing, peer pressure, adult influence, self-consequences, self-motivated, and environment setting were the strategies that is used for test preparation. Outline formulas, recall and identify key information, keep trying, and checking were the strategies used during test-taking. In addition, correction and self-evaluation were the strategies used after the test-taking. The study further examined differences of various test-taking strategies used across three performance groups, high, medium, and low achievers, and also for male and female students. The results showed that there were statistical differences in goal-setting and planning, help-seeking, keep trying, checking, and correction strategies among high, medium, and low achievers. There were also statistical differences in goal-setting and planning, rehearsal, self-motivated, outline formulas, checking, and correction strategies between male and female students. The result of this research showed that the groups of using goal-setting and planning, rehearsal, help-seeking, recall and identify key information, keep trying, checking, and correction strategies have higher scores in mathematics performance rather than those groups which do not use these strategies

Relationship between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among special education integration program teachers in Malaysia

This study aims to assess the level of critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among the Special Education Integration Programme (SEIP) teachers in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The level of critical thinking dispositions and teaching efficacy in the SEIP were compared based on teaching experience and gender. The study also examined the relationship between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy at SEIP. The research adopted a quantitative survey approach. A total of 190 primary school teachers from the SEIP in Negeri Sembilan were selected using proportional sampling method. The instrument used in this study comprised of three sections; demography, critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. Analysis shows that the respondents have a moderate level of critical thinking disposition (M = 2.99, S.D = 0.160) and teaching efficacy (M = 3.01 S.D. = 0.128) was at a high level. For teaching experience, the analysis showed that thinking disposition of novice teachers (mean = 2.52, SD = .503) are significantly higher than experienced teachers (mean = 2.35, SD = .481, t = 2.244, p <.05). There was no significant difference between male and female SEIP teachers in critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy. Findings also indicated that there is a significant positive moderate relationship (r = .477) between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among SEIP teachers. This study suggests that critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy play an important role to enhance the performance of SEIP teachers

Teachers’ perspectives of assessment and alternative assessment in the classroom

This study aims to explore teachers’ perspectives of the elements in assessment, choice of the types of assessment and perspectives of alternative assessment. The study was a case study involving seven in-service secondary school teachers who were interviewed. The findings indicate that respondents develop questions based on bloom’s taxonomy and higher order thinking. Formative and summative assessment are used to create a more comprehensive classroom assessment. Also, the respondents view alternative assessment as consisting of various techniques

Implementation of higher order thinking skills in teaching of science: a case study in Malaysia

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) is a skill that should be present in every teaching. Teaching science particularly require teachers to be skillful in planning learning activities that can inculcate thinking skills among students. This study aims to explore the perceptions of science teachers in the implementation higher order thinking skills in teaching science. This is a qualitative case study involving three science teachers who teaches in government school, private school and private tuition center respectively. Data were collected through interviews only. Data were then categorized to form themes for the study. The focus of the study was teachers’ perspective, towards HOTS, its application, assessment of HOTS and the constraints. The results show that the teachers are aware and they are applying HOTS in their teaching. However, they believe they are hindered by some constraints. Therefore this study concluded that knowledge and competence are crucial to ensure quality the implementation of HOTS

STEM build program: An initiative towards promoting students thinking and communicative skills

The goal of STEM education is to provide students with skills necessary for success in today's workforce. These skills are defined as real world problem solving inquiry, and creative and critical thinking. This can be achieved by moving towards student-centered teaching. This paper will describe a STEM intervention Program for 60 primary school students which employed an engineering design process as its instructional design. This paper will also discuss on the outcome of the program on the student thinking and communicative skills. Students were engaged in designing a prototype to solve a world challenge by applying science and mathematics concept in the project. The process of designing the prototype was found able to give autonomy to the students to think, plan create and test their ideas and improve on it. During the process their thinking skills and communicative skills were put into practice. Teachers were given training on how to execute this program which secs them a the facilitator and students as the active learner. The advantage of this program is that it provide students with informal practice creatively solving problems long before they need to decide on a course of study for college. The opportunity to practice and understand engineering skill open up a world of possibilities for the students to experience and gained knowledge as to what their careers may be like. Using engineering design principles to complete hands-on, problem-based projects also deepens the student's understanding of scientific processes and emphasize on the 21st Century Skill

Perspectives of science teaching: Comparison between western Australian teachers and Malaysian teachers

Vision 2020 hopes to turn Malaysia into a developed country driven by industrial and agricultural sector by the year 2020. To achieve this aspiration, the manpower of the country must be developed and furnished with strong technological, mathematical and science backgrounds as early as the primary level. Effective teaching influences the attitude of the students towards science and if Malaysia hopes to develop in accordance with Vision 2020, this issue is critical. In developed countries like Australia, the teaching of science is developed humanistically to attract students to science. The approaches and methods employed by science teachers are important as there is a close relationship between the teachers’ classroom practices and student learning. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the teaching approaches and methods that are employed by teachers. This paper discusses findings of a qualitative study carried out to compare the perspectives of science teachers from Malaysia and Western Australia, focusing on two main research questions. The first question is “What are the characteristics of a science teacher?” and the second question is “What are the teachers’ perspectives of science teaching?” The participants of the study were twelve primary science teachers in Western Australia and twelve primary science teachers from Malaysia. The data collection approaches employed were an open-ended questionnaire, observation techniques, and documentation collection. The findings indicated four definitions of a science teacher, thirteen characteristics of a good science teacher and three definitions of science teaching