Effect of an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning Module on Electronics Technology Students' Academic Achievement

Technological advances have led to a change in teaching strategies applied in Technical and Vocational settings. An effective teaching strategy is needed to address issues encountered in the traditional learning process of Electronics Technology Students at Malaysian Vocational College. Blended learning is one of the best teaching strategies for Electronic Technology courses as it is in line with the 21st-century learning, especially in promoting student-centred and life-long learning. This study looks at the impact of an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning (IBBL) module on the students’ achievement in the Industrial Electronics Equipment Problem Solving (IEEPS) Course, in an Electronic Technology Program. This study uses an experimental study design through the quasi-experimental method to evaluate the effectiveness of the module. The comparison of achievement between an experimental group and a control group was conducted based on the pre-test and post-test protocol. The findings of the evaluation phase through the t-test showed that there was a significant difference (p<.05) between the experimental group and the control group. This indicated that using an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning Module was effective to help the student to improve their achievement in Industrial Electronics Equipment Problem Solving Course. Therefore, the inquiry-based blended learning module has the potential to be applied by instructors and students in the Vocational College setting

Identification of Cooperative Learning Component in Designing Lesson Plan for Building Drawing Subject in Vocational Colleges

Cooperative learning is a student-centered learning technique that can be considered a learning strategy for improving student performance both intellectually and in soft skill acquisition.  Changes in curriculum structure in vocational institutions, because of the TVET transformation in 2012, have had an unforeseen influence on teaching and learning, whereas in the prior framework, a detailed teaching guideline was supplied compared to the latest structure.  Teachers with inadequate knowledge and experience in learning strategies struggled to execute the new curriculum structure due to the lack of depth in these recent curriculum structure. This may be seen in the case of construction drawing subjects, where there were originally 14 main topics but now there are just four. Thus, the goal of this research is to help these teachers by offering a guideline for creating lesson plans that use a cooperative learning strategy.  The aim of this paper is to identify and highlight the important component in the creation of a lesson plan using cooperative learning.  For this investigation, the fuzzy Delphi technique was used.  The main instrument for this study is a questionnaire survey that was developed utilizing a construct identified through literature and the results of a previous needs analysis.  A total of 15 expert panels were chosen as the sample, which included university lecturers, vocational college instructors, officers from the Ministry of Education's Technical and Vocational Training Division, and industry representatives. The data was analyzed with the help of Microsoft Excel FDM.  Visual skills, Cooperative Student Team Achievement Division (STAD), Power Point, and demonstrations components have been recognized as the major component to include in the lesson plan based on the analysis. With these components identified, a good lesson plan guideline for the next phase of this study can be constructed.  It is envisaged that the development of such guidelines would help to elevate the practice of teaching and learning to the next level

Industry-specific knowledge that vocational teachers should know and be able to do to prepare a job-ready workforce

Industries’ activity and skill demands are changing so rapidly that it is an enormous task for teachers to simply keep on top of these developments. This paper studies the industry-specific knowledge that vocational teachers should know and be able to do to be competent teachers. This industry-specific knowledge will help vocational teachers produce a skilled workforce that meets the demands of the Malaysian labor market. To identify the necessary industry-specific knowledge for Malaysian vocational teachers, a modified Delphi study has been conducted on 25 expert panelists from Malaysian vocational colleges and local universities. The experts were asked to rate the eleven-predetermined industry-specific knowledge. In addition, the panelists were asked to suggest any industry-specific knowledge that they believed Malaysian vocational teachers needed to know. Through two rounds of Delphi surveys, 13 areas of industry-specific knowledge have been identified necessary for Malaysian vocational teachers. That industry-specific knowledge will enrich vocational college instructors’ teaching competencies, especially regarding planning and preparing their teaching activities so vocational students will have the up-to-date knowledge and skills required by potential employers

Hubungan latihan keselamatan, peraturan dan prosedur keselamatan terhadap prestasi keselamatan anggota kerja GIATMARA

Prestasi keselamatan memainkan peranan penting dalam pembangunan pengurusan keselamatan di tempat kerja serta bertujuan untuk memastikan pematuhan keselamatan dan penyertaan keselamatan di dalam organisasi. Prestasi keselamatan juga menyumbang dan menentukan kejayaan pelaksanaan program pencegahan kemalangan. Kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengenalpasti hubungan antara latihan keselamatan, peraturan dan prosedur keselamatan dengan prestasi keselamatan pekerja di GIATMARA. Kajian ini merupakan kajian kuantitatif yang menggunakan rekabentuk kajian tinjauan. Instrumen kajian yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah borang soal selidik yang melibatkan 128 responden dalam kalangan warga kerja GIATMARA di negeri Perak. Hasil analisis statistik korelasi Pearson menunjukan terdapat hubungan yang signifikan dan positif antara latihan keselamatan (r = .496, p ≤ 0.01), serta peraturan dan prosedur keselamatan (r = .593 **, p ≤ 0.01) terhadap prestasi keselamatan. Hasil kajian ini membuktikan bahawa latihan keselamatan serta peraturan dan prosedur keselamatan mempengaruhi prestasi keselamatan sesebuah organisasi. Oleh itu, adalah penting bagi setiap organisasi untuk memastikan bahawa setiap pekerjanya menerima latihan keselamatan yang mencukupi dan disediakan dengan peraturan dan prosedur keselamatan yang teratur dan jelas

‘Turning Job Seekers to Job Creators’: Talent Management Module Development for TVET Graduates

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the economy, particularly the downsizing of operations and retrenchment, which affected various sectors. Post-pandemic prompted a shift in the perspective; rather than waiting for jobs, it seems that individuals needed to become job creators. In this regard, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is believed to be a prominent field of study that could facilitate graduates to become job creators. Nevertheless, some of graduates would not consider owning businesses after graduation, indicating the difficulty of becoming job creators. Therefore, this study emphasising TVET program built and validated a Talent Management Module (MTM) involving creation (Job Creator) based on the Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) theory. It comprised both quantitative and qualitative phases. First, a series of interviews were carried out to explore the perceptions of talent management (TM) among seven experts. Second, a quantitative study involving data interpretation analysis based on the validity of the module content was obtained using the interview technique. Third, the module content validation process involved seven experts comprising academics and Malaysian career academy entrepreneurs whose backgrounds included entrepreneurship and TVET. The results showed that nine variables were involved, namely 1) Communication, 2) Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills, 3) Teamwork Skills, 4) Continuous Learning and Information Management, 5) Entrepreneurial Skills, 6) Leadership Skills, 7) Professional Ethics and Moral, 8) Career Adaptability, and 9) Digital technology. Overall, MTM that was built in this study was consented to by the appointed experts. The development of this module might better be considered to encourage graduates to create prospective job creation that could reduce the unemployment rate. Therefore, the proposed MTM might be an appropriate solution to address unemployment through the identified important components in the implementation and empowerment of career programmes across TVET graduates

Hubungan di antara pengetahuan dengan amalan hijau serta langkah-langkah meningkatkan pengetahuan dan amalan hijau dalam kalangan pelajar sekolah menengah

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti hubungan antara pengetahuan dan amalan hijau dalam kalangan pelajar tingkatan dua di sekolah menengah di Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan penyelidikan kuantitatif. Instrumen kajian yang digunakan adalah satu set soal selidik yang mengandungi 37 item dengan skala Likert 5 sebagai medium bagi pengumpulan data. Persampelan bertujuan dipilih sebagai reka bentuk kajian dengan memilih pelajar tingkatan dua. Data dianalisis melalui aplikasi IBM SPSS statistik menggunakan analisis deskriptif dan inferensi. Hasil kajian menunjukkan skor min tertinggi bagi respon pelajar tingkatan 2 terhadap pengetahuan amalan hijau memberangsangkan (M=4.10,SP=0.90). Manakala, respon pelajar tingkatan 2 terhadap amalan hijau agak rendah dan perlu diberi perhatian. Analisis Korelasi Pearson pula menunjukkan hubungan positif signifikan antara pengetahuan dan amalan hijau dengan r = 0.546, p = 0.00 (p<0.05). Selain itu, analisis min keseluruhan bagi langkah-langkah meningkatkan pengetahuan dan amalan hijau ialah pada tahap sederhana tinggi iaitu 3.57. Kesimpulannya, pengetahuan dan amalan hijau berada pada tahap yang sederhana dan belum memuaskan. Kajian ini memberi kesedaran kepada pelajar tentang kepentingan pengetahuan ilmu hijau menyumbang kepada pembentukan amalan hijau yang baik dalam konsep kendiri individu

The attainment of soft skills among students: impact of abroad study visit program

This study aims to determine the impact of an abroad study visit program on the attainment of soft skills among the students. A questionnaire was used to collect the data using a five-scale range of answers. Thirty-five students were selected among the participants of the program. The data is analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, namely mean, standard deviation, and correlation. The primary finding obtained is that the program has provided a huge opportunity for the students to develop their professional ethics and moral indicated through the highest mean obtained by the items related to the construct. In terms of correlations, the positive and the strongest correlation is between the construct of Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills and the construct of Lifelong Learning and Information Management. The implications of the findings are also discussed

Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Pelajar Institut Kemahiran Mara Johor Bahru Memilih Latihan Vokasional

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti sumber maklumat pelajar tentang latihan vokasional dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pelajar Institut Kemahiran Mara Johor Bahru menceburi bidang vokasional. Kajian ini melibatkan kajian secara distriktif dengan menggunakan kaedah soal selidik. Seramai 100 orang responden digunakan sebagai sampel kajian ini. Data yang diperolehi dianalisis menggunakan SPSS 15.0. Kajian rintis yang telah dijalankan memperolehi darjah kebolehpercayaan sebanyak 0.865. Analisis data dilakukan secara frekuensi, peratus dan min. Data yang diperolehi menunjukan bahawa rakan merupakan sumber maklumat utama pelajar berkaitan latihan vokasional. Manakala faktor utama yang mempengaruhi pelajar memceburi bidang vokasional adalah faktor kerjaya yang disediakan didalam bidang tersebut. Daripada kajian yang dijalankan juga didapati responden mempunyai persepsi yang positif terhadap Institut Kemahiran mara ketika memilih latihan vokasional di Institusi tersebut

Employability Skills Needed by Vocational College Graduates: Feedback From the Industry

In the real industrial setting, job duties and skills requirement have changed so much that makes seeking for employment can be a challenging experience. Hence, new graduates need to have the right skills at the right place, and at the right time. This study has been conducted to identify the employability potential of Malaysian Vocational College (KV) graduates based on the current employer perception. In addition, the employability skills among KV graduates as perceived by their potential employers will be identified, so an action can be suggested to KV stakeholders to better prepare their graduates. This study used a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach. The quantitative data for this study were obtained through questionnaires, developed based on the related literature review. The population size of the study is 882 industrial employers, who were involved in On the Job training (OJT) program of the first batch of KV students (from a pilot program). Stratified random sampling techniques were used to select the sample, which came out with a total of 269 sample size. The result of the study shows that communication, thinking and problem-solving skills were perceived as very important by industrial employers, so it has been suggested for the KV management team to develop their students with those attributes before they proceed to the job seeking process