Pembangunan instrumen penilaian akhlak pelajar di institusi pengajian tinggi awam

This study is designed to develop Students’ Akhlak Evaluation Instrument (IMPAK) in higher education institutions. The instrument is focused on three constructs which are behaviour, oral communication and personality. The instrument items were developed from two main references that are al-Qur’an and Intipati Ihya’ Ulumuddin by Imam al-Ghazali. The constructs and their definitions were obtained from structured interviews of five lecturers who specialize in akhlak field. The instrument was pilot tested on 60 students from one local university to find the validity and reliability of the instrument. Based on the results of the pilot test, the rating scale was changed from 5 to 4 subscales and 12 items were omitted. The reliability test used test retest technique. The first test was administered at the start of the semester and the second test was administered three months later. The survey research was conducted on 400 students from four public universities. The data was analyzed using Rasch Measurement analysis. The findings showed that IMPAK has good construct validity. Item and individual reliability was very high and the rating scale was understood by the students. The constructs were unidimensional and 64 items remain fit with the model. The IMPAK was free from gender bias. Generally, the level of students’ akhlak was at good logit achievement. There is no significant difference in akhlak level across races and educational stream. It is recommended that relevant entities such as students, parents, higher education and MOHE establish a mechanism for developing well-rounded students especially in affective domain

Penguasaan Dan Penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris Dalam Kalangan Pelajarpelajar PKPG Kemahiran Hidup Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap penguasaan dan penggunaan bahasa Inggeris dalam kalangan pelajar PKPG di Fakulti Pendidikan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Seramai 120 orang pelajar tahun 4, Sarjana Muda Teknologi serta Pendidikan (Kemahiran Hidup) di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai telah dijadikan responden untuk kajian ini. Kaedah kajian yang digunakan adalah berbentuk tinjauan menggunakan instrumen soal selidik. Dapatan kajian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan SPSS versi 11.5 bertujuan untuk mendapatkan nilai peratus, kekerapan, min, Ujian-t dan korelasi. Hasil kajian mendapati secara keseluruhannya penguasaan dan penggunaan bahasa Inggeris responden adalah pada tahap sederhana dan terdapat hubungan yang signifikan di antara penguasaan dan penggunaan bahasa Inggeris. Kajian juga mendapati tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap penggunaan bahasa Inggeris manakala terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris merentas jantina

MATERNAL WELL-BEING THERAPY IN TREATING DEPRESSION IN JOHOR CITY OF MALAYSIA

Maternal depression during pregnancy appears to be the most common and complicated psychological disorder in the world. Although maternal depression can be treated medically, consumption of antidepressant drugs could leave some kind of negative side effects on mother’s body and the baby in the womb. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to determine the effectiveness of Maternal Well-being Therapy (MWT) in treating women with maternal depression. It is a qualitative study adapting case study research design. From the state of Johor city of Malaysia, four pregnant women who has scored 12 or more with suicidal thoughts symptoms on EPDS are identified and all the other volunteered women are at 3rd Tri-semester of pregnancy during the first session. Instrument such as Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) and Maternal Well-being Therapy (MWT) was administrated in this research. Maternal Well-being Therapy has been very effective in treating women with maternal depression and suicidal thoughts. Results indicates that depression level has decreased from 33.33% to 43.33%, well-being has increased around 36% to 52% and no suicidal thoughts found after the first session of counselling. By the end of third session, all clients were ready for termination of sessions since no depression and suicidal thoughts traced, in which, all the women found to be with good emotional well-being. Maternal Well-being Therapy (MWT) has shown a favourable result in treating woman with maternal depression. In conjunction to this, more research should be done using counselling therapy as a treatment option in treating maternal depression

Validation of Employers Views on Soft and Hard Job Skills of Nigeria Polytechnic Construction Graduates

In a perfectly competitive labour market, the demand for skills is the duty of employers to supply the necessary skills. Knowledge and abilities of graduate competencies should represent the needs of the industry. Such qualities include both academic and generic skills in their chosen professions needed for work. To prepare completely for the unpredicted and ever-changing nature of the workplace, graduates need a range of skills specific to labour-employers. The aim of this pilot study is to identify whether the polytechnic building graduates have the right job skills from the perspective of employers. The cross-sectional survey was adopted to select 60 experts who responded to 169 items questionnaire, purposeful sampling technique was used. The items comprised of components of both hard and soft job skills. Inferential statistics and Rasch measurement model were used to analyse construct reliability and to determine fit statistics, point measurement correlation and standard residual. The result showed that the validity of the instrument's contents values was almost perfectly accepted. In addition, employers were unanimous in their views on the essentials of hard and soft skills in establishing a competency framework.  The feasibility study will have a huge impact on researchers as it will direct them in carrying out the main analysis relating to the development of competences for employment

EXTENT OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) INTEGRATION IN MALAYSIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This study was conducted to assess the extent to which ESD is being integrated in community colleges in Malaysia. It was pursued using quantitative-qualitative cross-sectional research design. The Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) developed by University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) was modified and used as research instrument. Seven dimensions of sustainability in higher education institutions were covered in the SAQ (Curriculum; Research & Scholarship; Operation; Faculty and Staff Hiring, Development and Rewards; Outreach & Service; Student Opportunities; and Institutional Mission, Structure and Planning). Five community colleges, which were purposely selected based on the maturity level of the organization, and the number and type of programs being offered, were included in this study. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS software version 16.0. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Results indicated that, to a certain extent, SD is integrated in all the seven dimensions of sustainability. The efforts however are still far from ideal indicating these institutions’ level of commitment to ESD. It is important for the community colleges to provide sustainability related courses/training programs as a way to increase sustainability awareness among its staff and students. Lecturers also should take their own initiatives and try to embed sustainability concepts in their research, teaching and learning activities in both formal and informal curriculum. A follow-up study needs to be pursued to cover more community colleges and determine the influence of leadership on successful ESD integration in all seven HEI dimensions

Ciri psikometrik instrumen laluan kerjaya guru

Struktur laluan kerjaya guru yang baharu diperkenalkan bagi mengekalkan motivasi dan minat guru dalam sistem pendidikan. Objektif kajian adalah mengukur ciri psikometrik Instrumen Laluan Kerjaya Guru versi 1.0 (ILKEG 1.0) yang menggunakan skala lima pemeringkatan. ILKEG digunakan untuk mengukur kecenderungan guru dalam memilih laluan kerjaya berdasarkan kompetensi. Ciri psikometrik yang diuji dalam kajian ini meliputi aspek kesahan kandungan, kesahan konstruk, kebolehpercayaan item dan kesesuaian skala. Fasa penetapan konsep dan pembangunan item telah mengenal pasti enam dimensi berkaitan pengukuran kompetensi guru yang dibina berdasarkan Model Pengukuran Kompetensi Guru (terdiri daripada tiga konstruk: Pengetahuan, Kemahiran dan Nilai Profesionalisme), iaitu Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran, Ujian dan Pentaksiran, Pengurusan Bilik Darjah, Pembelajaran Profesionalisme, Kepimpinan Instruksional dan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia. Sebanyak 92 item telah diadaptasi daripada Standard Kompetensi Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan dan Deskripsi Tugas Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan yang dibangunkan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM). Analisis kebolehpercayaan antara penilai digunakan untuk menguji kesahan kandungan ILKEG 1.0. Indeks Fleiss Kappa yang diperoleh mencatatkan nilai persetujuan yang tinggi, iaitu 0.89-1.00 bagi kesemua dimensi. Walau bagaimanapun, dua item dicadangkan untuk ditukar dan 15 item perlu ditambah baik. Kajian ini melibatkan 50 orang guru sekolah menengah yang dipilih secara rawak dari sebuah sekolah menengah di Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya. Data dianalisis menggunakan Model Pengukuran Rasch. Dapatan analisis menunjukkan ILKEG 1.0 mempunyai ciri kesahan konstruk yang baik dan kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi, iaitu 0.91 dan indeks pengasingan item 3.16. Kesahan konstruk diperhati melalui i) keseragaman dimensi (julat nilai eigen 1.6-2.1; % varians kasar > 60% dan % varians tanpa penjelasan < 15%); ii) polariti item bernilai positif; dan iii) julat nilai kesesuaian item 0.02-1.62. Hasil penilaian menunjukkan enam item perlu digugurkan dan lapan item yang mempunyai nilai kesesuaian item yang tidak menepati piawaian perlu diperbaiki bagi menyokong ciri kesahan konstruk. Analisis kesesuaian skala pula menunjukkan dua julat kategori didapati mempunyai nilai perbezaan struktur kalibrasi < 1.4, seterusnya menyumbang kepada pembangunan ILKEG versi 2.0 yang terdiri daripada 86 item dengan skala tiga pemeringkatan

Psychometric properties of teacher classroom assessment literacy instrument using Rasch model analysis

A teacher classroom assessment literacy (TeCAL) instrument was developed to measure the level of teacher classroom assessment literacy in schools. TeCAL contains 66 multiple choice items with four options based on four constructs namely purpose, measurement, evaluation and use. Thus, this study aims to identify the psychometric properties of TeCAL using Rasch measurement model (RMM) analysis through Winstep software version 3.72.3. The findings show that the compatibility values of mean square (MNSQ) infit and outfit items ranged from 0.64 to 1.46 and 0.40 to 2.23, respectively. The value of MNSQ outfit was outside the set range, but still met the other fit statistics indicator which has a positive point measure correlation (PTMEA) value. In addition, the findings show that the empirical raw variance explained by measures is 38.2%. It was very close to the modeled value of 38.4% with the empirical unexplained variance in 1st contrast being 7.5% less than the maximum controlled 15%. Largest standardized residual correlations identified 10 pairs of dependent items to be less than 0.7. The person and item reliability index values were 0.94 and 0.89 with separation index values of 2.90 and 3.80, respectively. Overall, this psychometric analysis is crucial to ensure that the TeCAL instrument has good quality and meaningful to use

Assessing adaptation of the psychometric properties of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) using the Rasch Measurement Model among Indian teenagers

The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is widely accepted as an instrument used to examine diagnosable psychiatric disorders. It is also routinely used as a measure of psychological morbidity. This study aimed to assess and establish the psychometric properties of the GHQ-12 among Indian teenagers. The tool was administered to 212 adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years. Following two-stage cluster sampling, the data were collected from Aligarh district, India. Fleiss Kappa analysis was used to determine test reliability and showed an overall value of 0.94, based on the rater agreement for the instrument. Furthermore, the Rasch measurement model was used, with values of 0.79 and 0.83 for person and item reliability, respectively. Moreover, the value of unidimensionality was found to be 37.9%. Additionally, item fit statistics and item analysis were conducted for the instrument. Based on the preliminary data and findings, the study provides primary evidence for the reliability and validity of GHQ-12. Hence, the questionnaire can lead to more multi-site studies in India

Green automobile technology competencies in Nigeria and the fourth industrial revolution

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has brought about positive changes in every aspect of life as well as potential dangers for the nations or societies that fail to embrace the revolution. This study reviewed articles that analysed the potential benefits of the 4IR to Green Automobile and subsequent competencies requirements of the 4IR with respect to the Nigerian Automobile industry. Consequently, a systematic review through an inductive content analysis of empirical evidences from literature was conducted based on the contents and benefits of 4IR; green automobile and competencies required in the 4IR; Nigerian automobile industry and competencies required of the 4IR and the Future of Green Automobile and 4IR in Nigeria. The review showed that there is lack of support on the part of government on issues of green automobile. Inadequate power supply, educational system and non-functional automobile industries have also been identified as constraints to green automobile adoption in Nigeria. Competencies summarily put as: Information Technology Skills, Communication Skills, Thinking Skills, Creativity and Innovative Skills, Problem-solving Skills, amongst others were found to be highly recommended in other parts of the as requisite for any 4IR operation. Finally, the researcher therefore concludes and recommends that, the Nigerian government should reconsider its position to support green transportation; the power sector should be overhauled to power electric vehicle together with the education sector so as to develop the competencies needed for the 4IR

Validity and reliability analysis of the 'SayangKU' (MyLove) in intervention for addressing adolescents involved in free sex

A module entitled ‘SayangKU’ (MyLove), based on the Islamic perspective, was developed as an instrument to assist adolescents that involved in premarital sexual activity. The module comprises four phases: Love of God (Allah), Love of the Prophet, Love of Oneself, and Love of the Ummah (world). From analysis of Rasch, the value of item reliability was.80 and an individual reliability was.95. Dimensionality value was more than 40 % variance explained by measures, and level of agreement among experts was 86.88 %. The posttest shows the better result from pretest and proves the effectiveness of the module