On the other side of the table: Lessons from the administrator-cum-adult learner

This paper addresses the issue on the changing management and leadership roles of the school administrators as they participate in a tertiary learning program as adult learners. In the attempt to investigate the issue, a research using a self-developed questionnaire was distributed to a group of 36 headmasters/mistresses who were enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in one of the local public universities. In specific, the investigation sought to discover the management and leadership challenges the respondents faced as adult learners participating in the tertiary learning program on a modular basis. Additionally, their strategies in coping with the reported challenges were sought. It was anticipated that the findings would lead to a better understanding of the adult learners who play two distinguished roles concurrently. The added value of this investigation is seen from the potential of discovering the administrators’ self- concept as both the administrator and adult learner. On top of that, it also uncovered the respondents’ attitudes towards learning and their ability to adapt in a new environment which also comprised the traditional learners. The findings of the investigation brought about various implications on the training of school administrators and adult education since the findings could help to illuminate the pattern in the school administrator-cum-adult learner’s educational management and leadership as they play the role of an administrator and adult learner

Creativity and innovation in research: the perceptions of Malaysian postgraduate students / Faizah Abd Majid.

The 21st century global market demands a highly skilled workforce that is intellectually active, creative, innovative, articulate, adaptable and capable of critical thinking. Consequently, Malaysian higher education institutions of the 21st century will have the responsibility to ensure the targets are achived (Ministry of Higher Education Strategic Plan Report, 2007). Some strategies have been suggested by the Ministry of Higher Education to achieve the targets of producing researchers who are creative and innovative. This research sought to investigate the perceptions of Malaysian postgraduates on creativity and innovation in research. A survey of a selected group of postgraduates based on a convenience sampling technique was carried out to elicit relevant data. Quantitative data was analysed and presented in terms of means and percentages. Descriptive data was analysed thematically and categorised. The findings revealed that the respondents were aware of the national higher education agenda on enhancing research and innovation. Likewise, they were able to provide descriptions of creative and innovative researchers. However, they indicated that much more could be done in higher education institutions in order to prepare them to become creative and innovative researchers. Their suggestions include revising the curriculum in particular the content, assignments and assessment. Most importantly, they highlighted the need to include them as key players in research activities and to participate globally. These findings have direct implications for higher education policy makers, curriculum designers and postgraduate instructors

Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in teaching 21st century skills in the 21st century classroom / Hidayu Shafie, Faizah Abd Majid and Izaham Shah Ismail.

This conceptual paper explores the concept of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in relation to the teaching of 21st century skills with a purpose of establishing a relationship between them. Due to the advancement and development of industrial revolution and technology, the education scenario also changes towards 21st century education, whereby more focus is given on the use of technology and 21st century skills. The teachers’ roles change, and they are required to not only teach the core subject matters, but they also have to teach and train the students with the 21st century skills. However, not all teachers are well-trained on how to teach those skills to the students, especially when they also have to integrate technology in their teaching as well. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate whether the teachers understand and know how to teach the 21st century skills while integrating technology at the same time. Based on this needs, this paper will discuss the teachers’ knowledge, understanding and application of the TPACK framework by Koehler et al. (2006) and how will this framework affect their teaching of 21st century skills in the classroom. The 21st century skills framework suggested by the Malaysian Ministry of Education called the 4C1V (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative thinking and values and ethics) which is based on the P21 framework is included in the conceptual framework of this study, along with the TPACK framework. This study will attempt to establish a relationship between these two frameworks through a quantitative study, and the findings from this study would contribute to the knowledge on what aspects or skills that teachers will need to improve in order to teach the 21st century skills to the students

Postgraduate students’ perception of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in enhancing their learning experience

MOOCs first became a phenomenon in the higher education landscape in 2008. Ever since, various researches have been conducted to explore the potential of MOOCs as an alternative in the learning and teaching process, and the way forward in delivering the courses effectively. Despite the growing interest in MOOCs applicability in higher education, very little is known about how postgraduate students perceive the use of MOOCs in their programme. Postgraduate students are synonymous with the concept of adult learners. One of the characteristics of adult learners is their motivation, which is driven by intrinsic and instrumental factors. As past research have concentrated on the undergraduates, this paper uncovers the postgraduates’ perceptions of MOOCs. A total of 51 respondents took part in a survey conducted in one of the Malaysian public universities. Quantitative data yielded findings similar to past research findings. However, what is new is the need for MOOC providers to cater to the needs of the postgraduate students who are adult learners particularly in determining the following; MOOCs’ attributes, learning process and learning outcomes. It is expected that the postgraduate students, their educators and the MOOC developers would find the findings helpfu

Las características de los Millennials de Malasia: una investigación sobre universidades públicas seleccionadas

This paper aims to explore the characteristics of millennials as espoused in most literature. There are seven characteristics of millennials and each characteristic became the focus of the present study. As most literature on the millennials’ characteristics is based on western context, this paper looks into the resemblance of the millennial characteristics’ descriptions among the Malaysian public university students. Employing a survey, data for the study were collected using an adapted questionnaire. The respondents for the study were selected Malaysian millennials who were social sciences undergraduates in nine public universities. A cluster sampling method resulted in a total of 646 respondents who took part in the survey. It was discovered that the selected Malaysian millennials confirm some of the attributes in the seven characteristics of millennials.Este artículo tiene como objetivo explorar las características de los millennials tal como se defiende en la mayoría de la literatura. Hay siete características de la generación del milenio y cada característica se convirtió en el foco del presente estudio. Como la mayoría de la literatura sobre las características de los millennials se basa en el contexto occidental, este artículo analiza la semejanza de las descripciones de las características millennial entre los estudiantes universitarios públicos de Malasia. Empleando una encuesta, los datos para el estudio se recopilaron mediante un cuestionario adaptado. Los encuestados para el estudio fueron seleccionados millennials de Malasia que eran estudiantes universitarios de ciencias sociales en nueve universidades públicas. Un método de muestreo por conglomerados dio como resultado un total de 646 encuestados que participaron en la encuesta. Se descubrió que los millennials de Malasia seleccionados confirman algunos de los atributos en las siete características de los millennials

The Use of Social Media to Enhance Critical Thinking in Online Learning Among Higher Education Students

In higher education, fostering critical thinking skills is crucial for students because they are among the most sought-after employability skills. Recognizing the importance of cultivating critical thinking skills among online learners, educators are exploring innovative strategies to harness the power of social media platforms to enhance students’ critical thinking abilities. Therefore, this study investigates these issues using survey methods on final-year undergraduate students from two public universities. A total of 128 students who had experiences in learning online during the pandemic have been randomly chosen. The survey includes two constructs related to social media and critical thinking during online learning. The findings show that majority students agree with the utilization of social media for their online classes. They also agree that social media can serve as a platform to discuss and collaborate for postclass sessions. Furthermore, the regression analysis illustrates demographic factors such as gender, age, and university program that significantly predicted the perception of social media for teaching and learning. However, these factors were not found to be significant predictors of the activities applied in social media to enhance students’ critical thinking. Therefore, this study conclusively demonstrates that students’ critical thinking can be elevated through the integration of social media into online learning. However, it is imperative that learning activities are meticulously designed to ensure the effectiveness of the learning process

Exploring Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Negotiated Curriculum

AbstractThis study aimed to explore postgraduate students’ perceptions of negotiated curriculum. The statement of problem is whether rigid curriculum is still relevant to postgraduate students’ learning. As the postgraduates are adult learners, they are generally working, family, and have other commitments than typical undergraduate students. This in turn suggests for a negotiated curriculum. Boomer (1992:227) defines classrooms in which teachers invite and allow students to help construct the learning journey as “negotiating the curriculum”. Comparatively, “curriculum negotiation involves giving students a voice in the choice and development of learning opportunities: both the “what” and the “how” of curriculum” (Carr & Kemmis, 1986, p. 171). A total of 30 TESL postgraduate students in UiTM participated in this study. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect the relevant data. Findings revealed that the respondents were aware of the existence of negotiated curriculum. It was also discovered that the main factor for the implementation of negotiated curriculum was hectic schedules of the postgraduate students. The major implication of negotiated curriculum is that it helps postgraduate students in managing their time to study and gives positive effect towards their learning strategies. The findings from this study will benefit students and also instructors at the same time through the implementation of negotiated curriculum in the classroom

A Comparative Study on the Current TESL Curriculum: Identifying a Match for Industry Revolution (IR) 4.0

This paper examines TESL curriculum and how the curriculum relates to the training of the super skills needed in Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). Specifically, a comparative study on several TESL programmes offered in several public universities in Malaysia will provide the common trend among the universities and specific strengths of each university. Focus of comparison includes the programme outcomes (PO), discipline core courses offered, methods of delivery and assessment. The comparisons are made to shed some lights on how universities are providing relevant training for the pre-service English language teachers in meeting the demand of Industry Revolution 4.0. In addressing the relevance of the curriculum, a discussion on the super skills needed for IR 4.0, IR characteristics and components will be briefly provided. Findings that address the strengths and rooms for improvement in the current TESL programme curriculum in meeting the need of IR 4.0 could benefit policy makers, curriculum developer and TESL trainers

A Tale of English Language Polytechnic Lecturers’ Decision Making

Teacher decision making involves a selection of options that leads to thinking processes, underlying teaching in language classroom contexts. Due to this, as a small part of an on-going postgraduate research, this exploratory case study shares the initial findings on the lecturers’ decision-making effects on their classroom orientation. Four lecturers in a local polytechnic were purposively selected as research participants. The primary data was collected through non-participatory classroom observations. Manual constant comparative analysis across the cases was run to obtain the results. Later, the results were triangulated with the responses from informal semi-structured interviews and reflective journal entries. The qualitative analysis revealed that participants did share a similar teaching pattern, i.e. active teaching.  The participants employed learner-focused-orientation approach as their common teaching practice. They worked on their planning decisions as well as their interactive decisions in order to harmonize their teachings to students’ response, proficiency, and attitude. This finding informs some instructional concerns regarding language teaching and learning process in polytechnics’ context (as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training, or TVET, higher education institution in Malaysia) to other English educators in different types and levels of learning institutions.</em

Intertextuality in Text-based Discussions

One  of  the  main  issues  often  discussed  among  academics  is  how  to  encourage  active participation by students during classroom discussions. This applies particularly to students at the tertiary level who are expected to possess creative and critical thinking skills. Hence, this paper reports on a study that examined how these skills were demonstrated by a group of university students  who  employed  intertextual  links  during  a  follow-up  reading  activity involving  small-group  text  discussions.  Thirty  undergraduates  who  were  in  their  fifth semester of a TESL degree programme were prescribed reading texts consisting of two chapters taken  from  a  book.  Findings  reveal  that  intertextual  links  made  during  text discussions created successfully a “collaborative environment” where beliefs and values were shared judicially among participants. Pedagogical implications for ESL classroom practice include  heightening  the  awareness  amongst  academics  and  students  of  the  role  of intertextuality in order to promote students’ use of their critical and creative thinking skills in a supportive classroom environment