Reconceptualisation of self-directed learning in a Malaysian context

The concept of self-directed learning (SDL) has been extensively studied; however, the majority of studies have explored learners’ perspectives on SDL, with less attention paid to investigating SDL from educators’ perspectives. Surprisingly, while assessment and feedback have long been recognized as powerful elements which influence how learners approach their learning, and key research studies have examined how both assessment and feedback can encourage and enhance the development of SDL, this nevertheless remains an area that would benefit from increased attention. Moreover, although there is a growing body of literature investigating the cultural dimension of SDL, most of these studies are limited to examining the formation of SDL among individuals influenced by Western or Confucian cultures, ignoring the existence of other cultural groups. This study, which investigates Malaysian teacher educators’ conceptualisations of SDL, begins to address these gaps. The key research questions which guided the study are: 1) How do teacher educators in Malaysia conceptualise learning? 2) How do teacher educators in Malaysia conceptualise SDL? 3) To what extent do teacher educators in Malaysia perceive themselves as self-directed learners? 4) What kind of learning opportunities do teacher educators in Malaysia create for their learners to foster the development of SDL, and what is the particular role of assessment and feedback in SDL? Twenty Malaysian teacher educators were interviewed to obtain their views on SDL and to identify their pedagogical practices which may foster or hinder the development of SDL approaches among their learners. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to inform the methodological framework of this study, whilst a hybrid inductive and deductive analysis approach was used to analyse the interview data. The findings of the current study suggest that most assessment and feedback practices are heavily focused on assessments designed by educators and on educator-generated feedback, in which learners are passive recipients. It is argued that these practices have significantly contradicted the primary principle of SDL, which characterises the learner as the key agent of his or her own learning. The findings of this study suggest that a more comprehensive conceptualisation of SDL is required that recognises the fundamental role of both the self and of educators in SDL, and acknowledges the impact of the socio-cultural context on SDL. Informed by the existing SDL literature, and derived from fine-grained analysis of the interview data, the proposed definition of SDL and reconceptualised SDL framework foreground SDL as socially constructed learning where the learner takes control of his or her own learning processes within complex socio cultural contexts. The thesis concludes by recommending that future research (i) explores the central role of assessment and feedback in the context of SDL and (ii) investigates the impact of various cultures on learning, in order to develop a broader and more nuanced understanding of SDL

Designing a Production-oriented Approach-Based Mobile-Assisted Interpreting Learning Module Using Fuzzy Delphi Method

This research addresses a significant gap in the field of interpreting education. While interpreting is widely acknowledged as a complex language skill, it has received minimal attention in educational research. Despite the advancements in language education, mobile-assisted learning has gained popularity as an effective teaching method. However, it remains largely unexplored in interpreting education. This study stands out by introducing a novel mobile-assisted interpreting learning (MAIL) module based on the productionoriented approach, which combines mobile technology with language learning. To ensure the credibility of the module, a fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) involving fifteen experts was employed. This method resulted in a strong consensus on the elements, objectives, content, procedure, and design of the mobile device. Notably, 37 out of the 39 elements received unanimous approval from the experts. The final output is a practical and implementable module called production-oriented approach-based mobile-assisted interpreting learning (POMAIL). It includes a clear flowchart designed for educators and researchers. This research makes a significant contribution to the field of education by providing valuable guidance in mobile-assisted learning and language education. It has the potential to reshape the field

Tahap keprihatinan guru terhadap penggunaan i-Think merentasi kurikulum dalam proses pembelajaran dan pemudahcaraan

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap keprihatinan guru dalam pelaksanaan dan amalan i-Think. Concern Based Adaptation Model (CBAM) telah digunakan bagi menentukan tahap keprihatinan guru dan instrumen soal selidik Stage of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) telah diadaptasikan agar sesuai dengan konteks Malaysia. Seramai 153 orang guru sekolah rendah di Sarawak telah dipilih secara rawak sebagai sampel kajian. Dapatan menunjukkan profil “bukan penggguna” bagi profil umum dan profil demografik kerana guru menunjukkan peratus skor keprihatinan yang tinggi pada Tahap 0 (Kesedaran), Tahap 1 (Maklumat), Tahap 2 (Peribadi) dan Tahap 3 (Pengurusan), manakala peratus skor keprihatinan adalah rendah pada Tahap 4 (Kesan) dan Tahap 5 (Kerjasama). Semua guru kecuali guru lelaki dan guru Bahasa Melayu mempamerkan kenaikan skor pada Tahap 6 (Fokus Semula) yang ditafsirkan sebagai guru yang enggan berubah dan kurang percaya akan keberkesanan i-Think. Meskipun begitu, peratus skor keprihatinan guru bagi Tahap 1 adalah lebih tinggi berbanding dengan Tahap 2 yang menunjukkan guru mempunyai minat dan bersifat terbuka akan pelaksanaan i-Think di dalam kelas, namun mereka memerlukan maklumat dan pendedahan yang lebih lanjut mengenai i-Think. Hasil kajian ini boleh digunakan oleh pakar pendidikan untuk merancang latihan dalam perkhidmatan secara berkala berkaitan i-Think

Conceptualization of e-professionalism among physics student teachers

The ever-growing digital world has driven the rise of various social media platforms, creating unique challenges for school teachers. Incidents involving teachers’ unprofessional online behavior may potentially damage careers and the reputation of the teaching profession. Accordingly, this constructivist grounded theory research interviewed 38 physics student teachers (PSTs) to explore how they perceive e-professionalism and its impact on their future teaching careers. Data involving PSTs’ current social media practices, professional identity reflection and awareness of social media content were analyzed manually using hybrid thematic analysis. Findings reveal the use of social media mainly focuses on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and TikTok where distinction between social online identity and professional identity were commonly blurred. The PSTs’ notions of classroom selfies and political expressions on social media were likely attributed to a lack of related regulations, policies or guidelines. Moreover, a finding of major concern is the PSTs’ hesitancy to act upon inappropriate online behaviors. Their lack of professional awareness and knowledge of e-professionalism can be traced back to their training period where less emphasis was given to developing their competencies in this area. This research has crucial practical implications for designing a relevant teacher education curriculum to effectively address e-professionalism

Keberkesanan model konstruktivisme Lima Fasa Needham terhadap kemahiran penulisan hujah murid sekolah menengah atas

Kemahiran penulisan hujah dalam esei argumentatif memerlukan proses kognisi murid yang tinggi. Maka, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti keberkesanan teori konstruktivisme model Lima Fasa Needham terhadap kemahiran penghujahan murid sekolah menengah atas. Reka bentuk kuasi eksperimen digunakan untuk melihat perbandingan kemahiran menulis hujah dalam esei jenis argumentatif antara kumpulan eksperimen dan kumpulan kawalan di sebuah sekolah menengah kebangsaan di Sibu, Sarawak. Kemahiran menulis hujah bagi kedua-dua kumpulan ini diuji berdasarkan ujian pra dan ujian pasca. Sampel kajian ini melibatkan 20 orang murid bagi kumpulan eksperimen dan 20 orang murid bagi kumpulan kawalan. Dapatan kajian dianalisis menggunakan aplikasi Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Versi 20. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan dalam pencapaian murid bagi kumpulan eksperimen setelah pendekatan teori konstruktivisme Model Lima Fasa Needham diperkenalkan dalam penulisan esei argumentatif dengan t(38) = -3.240, p<.05. Min skor pencapaian murid dalam penulisan hujah bagi kumpulan eksperimen telah menunjukkan peningkatan, iaitu min ujian pra ialah 11.35 dan min ujian pasca ialah 14.40. Dapatan kajian membuktikan bahawa pendekatan teori konstruktivisme Model Lima Fasa Needham berkesan dalam meningkatkan pencapaian murid dalam penulisan hujah. Implikasinya, guru Bahasa Melayu digalakkan menggunakan model Lima Fasa Needham dalam pengajaran mereka

The challenges of implementing cultural-based teaching in remedial education: analyses and recommendations

In remedial education, teachers play a crucial role in ensuring students from diverse backgrounds master language literacy skills. The current implementation of cultural-based teaching is perceived as an effort to assist remedial students from diverse backgrounds and cultures to learn effectively. The study aims to analyze teachers’ perceptions of challenges in implementing cultural-based teaching in remedial education for language literacy. The study employed a quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to 252 remedial teachers recruited randomly from primary schools in the Malaysian middle-state zone. The collected data were evaluated descriptively, and the results revealed that these teachers experienced challenges in four areas, namely teaching resources, remedial curricula, teacher knowledge, and time allocation. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that demographic factors, such as gender, school location, and years of teaching experience, did not produce significant impacts on the aforementioned challenges. Simultaneously, this study explored teachers’ perceptions of recommending culturally responsive teaching approaches in remedial education as an alternative to the current cultural-based teaching methodology

Implementing Zero Reject Policy: The Study of Adaptive Teaching Skills Among Primary School Teachers In Rural Sarawak

The Zero Rejection Policy (ZRP) is a proactive measure by Malaysia to ensure the rights and equal access of children to education in the country. Thus, the introduction of ZRP introduced in December 2018 brought a paradigm shift to education in Malaysia, especially special education. The admission of Special Needs Pupils (SEN) in schools without any rejection leads to the implementation of inclusive education in mainstream classrooms. Thus, this study aims to examine the level of adaptive teaching skills among primary school teachers in order to implement Zero Reject Policy. This quantitative study had involved 230 primary school teachers for quantitative research and 13 teachers for qualitative research. The findings of the quantitative study show that teachers have a high level of adaptive teaching skills. However, the qualitative study found that the majority of teachers stated their level of adaptive teaching skills among teachers was only in the intermediate level. While almost half of the teachers have not been able to receive MBK in the classroom because they are still not confident to teach inclusive classes. Therefore, it is recommended that courses and training be implemented for teachers to improve the skills and knowledge of teachers to implement ZRP in schools

Penguasaan kemahiran teknologi komunikasi dan maklumat (ICT) terhadap kecekapan kerja

Kemajuan teknologi semakin meningkat pada era globalisasi pada masa kini sehingga memberi impak yang sangat besar kepada hampir kesemua sistem yang ada di dunia ini terutama yang diperlukan untuk pemprosesan data. Setiap sektor pekerjaan tidak kira awam mahupun swasta mempunyai cabarannya tersendiri. Kemahiran dan kecekapan ICT merupakan perkara yang menjadi keutamaan mengikut peredaran zaman pada masa kini. Terdapat sesetengah pekerja di dalam sektor perkeranian masih berada di tahap pengetahuan ICT yang rendah. Hal ini dapat dilihat melalui penggunaan teknologi yang sangat minimum. Isu penguasaan kecekapan kerja melalui penggunaan lCT harus diberi penekanan bagi memastikan pekerja sentiasa menunjukkan prestasi kerja yang baik, meningkatkan kepuasan kerja mereka serta sekaligus menyumbang kepada prestasi kerja yang bagus. Oleh itu kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti kecekapan dalam penguasaan Kemahiran Teknologi Komunikasi dan Maklumat (ICT) terhadap pekerja perkeranian. Kajan ini telah menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif yang mana soal selidik dipilih sebagai instrumen kajian. Seramai 200 orang responden digunakan untuk mengisi serta menjawab pernyataan dalam borang soal selidik berkenaan. Pengkaji menggunakan kaedah analisis data secara analisis statistik deskriptif. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa kecekapan dalam menggunakan perkakasan merupakan bidang atau jenis penguasaan kecekapan yang paling dikuasai oleh pekerja kerani. Bidang atau jenis penguasaan kecekapan dalam menggunakan perkakasan ini mencatatkan nilai skor min paling tinggi iaitu sebanyak 4.4. Hal ini kerana penggunaan perkakasan dapat memudahkan pekerja kerani dalam menghantar surat mahupun dokumen yang perlu mendapatkan pengesahan daripada pegawai atasan. Hasil kajian ini diharapkan dapat memberi manfaat kepada mana-mana pihak untuk mengetahui bidang atau jenis penguasaan kecekapan ICT yang mampu meningkatkan tahap kecekapan kerja perkeranian

Exploring Dual Language Program (DLP) science teachers perceptions and experiences of curriculum change

A review of the literature in Dual Language Programme (DLP) revealed a very limited number of studies investigated the perceptions of DLP science teachers with regards to curriculum change, not to mention the lack of attempt to discover teachers' experiences of curriculum change. This qualitative study was designed to explore (i) Malaysia DLP science teachers' perceptions of curriculum change, and (ii) Malaysia DLP science teachers' experiences of implementing DLP science teaching. Twenty Malaysia DLP science teachers were interviewed to obtain their views on DLP. A point to note, this study does not attempt to make any generalisations, but rather provides an insight into the DLP science teachers' perceptions and experiences of curriculum change. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to inform the methodological framework of this study, whilst a hybrid inductive and deductive analysis approach was used to analyse the interview data. Informed by the existing literature, and derived from analysis of the interview data, three themes emerged: (a) educator as co-learner, (b) ever-increasing workload, and (c) school and parent support. This study suggest the shift of teachers' role as co-learner can be explored further as an idea that could possibly contribute to deeper understanding in bilingual teaching paradigm

Cabaran pelaksanaan mata pelajaran Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi sekolah menengah

Pelaksanaan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi (RBT) sekolah menengah adalah berdasarkan sukatan kurikulum baharu KSSM. RBT dibahagikan kepada dua bahagian iaitu teori dan aplikasi. Faktor pengetahuan guru, penggunaan masa, keperluan modul tambahan, dan kesediaan peralatan serta bahan bantu mengajar memainkan peranan penting kepada tercapainya objektif pembelajaran mata pelajaran ini. Justeru, kajian ini meninjau pandangan 418 guru RBT di Sarawak tentang cabaran pelaksanaan pengajaran RBT berdasarkan faktor-faktor tersebut. Data dikutip menggunakan soal selidik atas talian dan dianalisis secara deskritif. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa keempat-empat konstruk adalah berada pada tahap sederhana, di mana guru mempunyai pengetahuan yang sederhana dalam melaksanakan kurikulum RBT, masa yang diperuntukkan untuk menghasilkan projek adalah rata-rata tidak mencukupi, terdapat keperluan mewujudkan modul tambahan sebagai bantuan pengajaran di dalam kelas, dan terdapat keperluan menambah bahan bantu mengajar untuk memudahkan pengajaran. Dapatan ini mengimplikasikan bahawa kurikulum RBT perlu dikembangkan dan diperkemaskan, di mana latihan dan kursus secara berterusan perlu dibekalkan kepada guru-guru RBT, serta kemudahan peralatan, bahan bantu mengajar, dan modul perlu disediakan di peringkat sekolah agar cabaran dalam melaksanakan pengajaran dan pembelajaran mata pelajaran RBT ini dapat diatasi