Teacher trainers' and trainee teachers' understanding towards the curriculum philosophy regarding soft skills embedment in the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education

The embedment of soft skills into education programs in higher education is closely related to the curriculum philosophy brought by the respective institutions. The soft skills are embedded through understanding belief systems and practices among the teacher trainers. Furthermore it provides an insight into the curriculum philosophy on how to implement soft skills embedment. Therefore, this study aimed to understand teacher trainers’ understanding and teaching practice in embedding soft skills while teaching core courses for the Bachelor of Teaching Program (PISMP) at the Malaysia Institute of Teacher Education (IPG). This understanding is necessary in order to resolve the misunderstanding that embedding soft skills are burdensome for the teacher trainers and that it is only documented without being practiced. The case study methodology was used through a qualitative approach. Five teacher trainers with different backgrounds and teaching experience participated as respondents. The findings resulted in improved understanding on teacher trainers’ understanding about soft skills embedment and how the actual process of embedding soft skills occurred. The results of this study allow those involved in the development of student-teachers' soft skills to generate ideas to develop models for soft skills embedment that are in line with the interpretation of PISMP soft skills

Penerapan kemahiran insaniah dalam kursus wajib Institut Pendidikan Guru di Malaysia

Semenjak Wawasan 2020 diwujudkan pada tahun 1991, sistem pendidikan di Malaysia telah menerima pakai anjakan paradigma pendidikan daripada pengajaran kepada pembelajaran. Paradigma pengajaran adalah sinonim dengan pendekatan berpusatkan guru manakala paradigma pembelajaran sinonim dengan pendekatan berpusatkan pelajar. Bermula pada tahun 2006, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia telah mewajibkan penerapan kemahiran insaniah (KI) di institusi pengajian tinggi awam, dan Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) telah mengambil inisiatif untuk menerapkan KI melalui pengajaran dan pembelajaran Kursus Wajib, Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan (PISMP). Pelaksanaan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Kursus Wajib dalam menerapkan KI telah menimbulkan isu dalam amalan pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang dapat menangani kedua-dua cabaran untuk mengajar Kursus Wajib dan dalam masa yang sama menerapkan elemen-elemen KI seperti yang telah ditetapkan oleh IPG. Kajian ini telah dijalankan di IPG Kampus Raja Melewar, Negeri Sembilan, untuk meneroka pengalaman pensyarah dan guru pelatih terhadap pengajaran dan pembelajaran Kursus Wajib dalam menerapkan KI. Oleh itu kajian ini dijalankan bagi menjawab persoalan kajian berikut; (i) Apakah kepercayaan pensyarah terhadap pengajaran Kursus Wajib dalam menerapkan KI di IPG?, (ii) Bagaimana pensyarah mengamalkan pengajaran Kursus Wajib yang menerapkan KI di IPG?, (iii) Apakah kepercayaan guru pelatih terhadap pembelajaran Kursus Wajib dalam menerapkan KI di IPG?, dan (iv) Bagaimana guru pelatih mengamalkan pembelajaran Kursus Wajib yang menerapkan KI di IPG? Reka bentuk kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kajian kes kualitatif. Seramai lima orang pensyarah dan sepuluh orang guru pelatih telah terlibat dalam kajian ini. Kesemua pensyarah mewakili setiap jabatan yang menawarkan kursus-kursus berbeza dalam Kursus Wajib. Peserta guru pelatih terdiri daripada sepuluh orang guru pelatih tahun akhir PISMP yang mewakili Kursus Major berbeza. Data kajian telah dikumpulkan melalui beberapa kaedah; (i) temu bual individu; (ii) temu bual kumpulan berfokus; (iii) pemerhatian di dalam kelas; (iv) temu bual merangsang ingatan; dan (v) analisis dokumen. Pengkaji menggunakan Model Interaksi M & H untuk Analisis Data Kualitatif (Miles dan Huberman, 1994) untuk menganalisis data yang telah dikumpul. Rumusan dapatan kajian menunjukkan; (i) Pensyarah percaya bahawa pengajaran Kursus Wajib telah tersedia dengan penerapan KI, pensyarah memainkan kedua-dua peranan sebagai penyampai pengetahuan dan pembimbing guru pelatih dalam menerapkan KI, dan wujud keselarian di antara kaedah penerapan KI dengan pendekatan berpusatkan pelajar; (ii) Pensyarah mengamalkan pendekatan berpusatkan guru dan berpusatkan pelajar dalam pengajaran; (iii) Guru pelatih percaya pendekatan berpusatkan guru berlaku melalui pembelajaran yang pasif tetapi memberi kelebihan kepada pemahaman guru pelatih manakala pendekatan berpusatkan pelajar berlaku melalui pembelajaran yang aktif, dan (iv) Guru pelatih penerapan KI membina sikap bertanggungjawab mereka terhadap pembelajaran dan memberi kesan kepada pendekatan pembelajaran mereka. Dapatan kajian memberi implikasi dalam bentuk pengaruh penerapan KI kepada amalan pendekatan berpusatkan pelajar, yang didapati selari di antara teori penerapan KI dengan teori pengajaran dan pembelajaran; dan keperluan IPG untuk membangunkan latihan perguruan yang menekankan konsep integrasi dan holistik. Kajian ini boleh dikembangkan lagi di masa hadapan dengan mengkaji peranan pensyarah dalam mengukuhkan pengajaran yang menerapkan KI dan kajian terhadap pembangunan kerangka kerja yang menggabungkan kedua-dua teori penerapan KI dan pengajaran

The understanding of curriculum philosophy among trainee teachers in regards to soft skills embedment

Curriculum philosophy may assist in learning practices that coincide with the philosophy of educational institution and community. This study was aimed to understand how the teacher trainees who pursued Bachelor of Teaching (PISMP) understand the embedment of soft skills into learning activities for core courses in Malaysian Institutes of Teacher Education (IPGMs). This is necessary because embedding soft skills is sometimes considered to be out of interest among the teacher trainees that may lead to neglect the aspects of soft skills development among them. The study was conducted using a case study methodology through the qualitative approach. The respondents comprised of nine teacher trainees from the final year of study. The results yielded the teacher trainees’ beliefs and identified the ways soft skills were embedded among them as they pursued their course. The results of this study allowed those involved in the development of teacher trainees’ soft skills to generate ideas to develop a model to embed soft skills, in line with the interpretation of soft skills, for the teacher trainees in the IPGM

Lecturers' understanding and teaching practices in embedding soft skills into compulsory courses

Since Vision 2020 has been established in 1991, the paradigm in education system in Malaysia has been shifted from teaching to learning. Teaching paradigm is synonym with teacher-centered learning while learning paradigm is for student-centered learning. Starting from the year 2006, Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) has obligated the implementation of soft skills in Higher Education Institution (HEI) while Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) has taken their initiative by embedding soft skills into the teaching and learning of compulsory courses in Degree of Teaching Programme (PISMP). Soft skills embedding into the teaching and learning of compulsory courses has raised issues that can address both the challenge to teach compulsory courses and at the same time to embed soft skills as prescribed by IPG. This study was undertaken to obtain answers for the research questions; (i) What are the lecturers’ belief in the teaching of compulsory courses in embedding soft skills at IPG? and (ii) How the lecturers practicing the teaching of compulsory courses in embedding soft skills at IPG? The study used the case study methodology through a qualitative approach. Respondents were five lecturers with different backgrounds and teaching experience. Data were collected through several methods; (i) individual interviews; (ii) the observation in the classroom; (iii) stimulated recall interviews; and (iv) document analysis. The findings resulted in improved understanding on lecturers' understanding about soft skills embedment and how the actual process of embedding soft skills occurred. The results of this study allow those involved in the development of student-teachers soft skills to generate ideas to develop models for soft skills embedment that are in line with the interpretation of PISMP soft skills

The readiness of lecturers in embedding soft skills in the bachelor's degree program in Malaysian institutes of teacher education

This is a preliminary research to obtain information to formulate a problem statement for an overall study of the embedding of soft skills in the program courses in higher learning institutions. This research was conducted in the form of single case and multi-case studies. The research data was attained through mixed methods; the quantitative method by utilizing questionnaires and the qualitative method utilizing open-ended questionnaires. Qualitative data were used as supporting data in this research. This research sought to study two main issues; the readiness of lecturers and problems encountered in embedding soft skills into teachers’ bachelor’s degree courses in the institutes of teacher education in Malaysia. Quantitative data was processed manually to show frequency, while qualitative data was processed according to themes. Research findings indicated that a majority of lecturers are interested and ready to embed soft skills in the core courses. However, lecturers lamented about problems encountered in embedding soft skills in teaching and learning of courses even though the curriculum of the programs have been designed holistically to fulfill the needs to develop soft skills within trainee teachers