The Effectiveness of Teacher Ratings in Identifying Potential Intellectually Gifted Malay Children

In this study, the effectiveness of the Malay version of scale for rating behaviour characteristics of superior students (SRBCSS) was tested as a potential tool for the identification of intellectually gifted Malay children. Pupils with a score of at least 46 on Raven's standard progressive matrices (Raven's SPM) were given the WISC-R test. Of the 303 respondents, 101 scored a full-scale IQ of 120 or more and were classified as intellectually gifted. Teachers were asked to rate the respondents using the translated version of SRBCSS. The findings of this study suggest that teachers should be given appropriate SRBCSS subtests if they are involved in identifying intellectually gifted children

The Ability of a Child's Self-rating Scale in Estimating Intellectual Ability

There is substantial evidence for non-intellectual factors to be considered as an additional criterion in the appraisal of intellectual ability. Therefore, the development of a child's self-rating scale has been intensive in the last decades. One of the most widely used self-rating scales is the School Feeling and Thought (SFT) scale. Bearing in mind that the SFT was developed in America, it is essential to undertake a study to ascertain whether the Malay versions of these instruments have the ability to assess intellectual ability of Malay children. The Malay version of SFT was administered to 100 Primary Six pupils (53 boys and 47 girls) from a single school in Tampin. The intellectual ability (IQ) was measured using the revised version of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R). The correlations between the SFT scores and the WISC-R full-scale IQ are modest. Two subtests of SFT, namely 'Action' and 'Affect', are found to be significant predictors of IQ The equation derived from multiple regression analysis to estimate IQ using SFT subtest scores is found to be able to predict intellectual ability (IQ). The only limitation is that the IQ predicted by this equation has an II-point error. Therefore, SFT can be used to estimate IQ and thus can be used as a screening test for intellectual ability of Malay childre

Kajian Kesesuaian dan Keberkesanan Raven SPM untuk Mengenal Pasti Kanak-kanak Melayu yang Pintar Cerdas

The objective of this study is to determine the suitability of Raven's SPM as a group intelligence test for the screening of gifted children. One hundred Form One Malay students from Sekolah Menengah Datuk Abdullah, Rembau were the respondents in the study. They were among the high achievers in the 1990 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah at Tampin/Rembau District who qualified to be emplaced at residential schools. The Raven's SPM and WISC-R were administered. Students with IQ scores of more than 120 on the WISC-R are classified as gifted. The correlation between the Raven's SPM score and the IQ score derived from the WISC-R was high and seemed to share about 65 percent of the 'intelligence' costruct. From the regression equation, the giftedness construct could be drawn from a Raven's SPM score of50. However, the standard error for this equation was also notably high. Therefore, many of the gifted children may be among those with a Raven's score ofless than 50 and this is known as false negative. The effectiveness and efficiency indexes forwarded by Pegnato and Birch (1959) were used in determining whether a score lowe, than 50 on the Raven's SPM would reduce the false negative. As the lower score would increase the number of children to be tested, the score recommended must be cost effective. A score of 48 was recommeded as it reduces the number to be tested to 30 percent, and includes 85 percent of the gifted children. Also, the efficiency is high compared with other scores. Using this procedure, it is estimated that one among three children studied is gifted

A critical study of various methods used to identify intellectually gifted Malay children

In chapter 1, the discussion is focussed on the underlying reason for the introduction of the education programme for the gifted in Malaysia and the need to undertake this study. The review of literature on the concept of giftedness, procedures and the measures used to identify intellectually gifted is presented in chapter 2.Almost all measures used to identify intellectually gifted have been developed in the USA and the UK, so,they have had to be translated to Malay and pretested. Thus, in chapter 3, the stability and to some extend the validity of the Malay version of these measures are presented. The Malay version measures are found to have similar ability as the original version.Since the criterion of intellectual giftedness is high IQ, an individual intelligence test has to be administered and this will limit the number and the representativeness of the sample. The possibility of screening the  respondents and the procedure used to collect the data is detailed in chapter 4. The descriptive statistics that served as a basis for further analyses are presented in chapter 5.The effectiveness of the current or conventional procedure of using a grade from a public achievement test and categorization of test score is evaluated in chapter 6. Having found that the conventional procedure is not effective, multiple regression and discriminant function analyses are conducted to find the predictor(s) of giftedness and its the effectiveness especially in term of reducing false positives and false negatives. On the basis of these findings, presented in Chapter 7, a multi-stage procedure of identifying intellectually gifted Malay children can be developed by education authorities in Malaysia.In chapter 8, the main findings of the study is summarized and the establishment of longitudinal validation study is proposed

Appraising Intellectual Giftedness Using the Malay Version of WISC-R

An appropriateness study of the Malay version of the WISC-R was conducted on one hundred 11 year old students (53 boys and 47 girls). Prior to the study, the WISC-R was systematically translated using the back translation method with a panel of experts as moderators. From the results of the study, the reliability index of the Malay version of the WISC-R is .91 and this coefficient is consistent with the condition set for an individual standardised test. The score for each sub-tests too does not differ from the data presented by the original WISC-R. Therefore, the Malay version of WISC-R is appropriate for use as a measure of intelligence (IQ)

Marketing Mix Influence on Consumer Buying Behavior: A Case Study on the Cosmetics Industry

Purpose: This purpose of this manuscript is to study the effect of marketing mix on consumer purchasing behaviour in the context of the Malaysian cosmetics sector.   Theoretical framework: The conceptual model for this study was developed based on previous research in the field of consumer behaviour and marketing globally. The conceptual model has four variables that affects consumer purchasing behaviour   Design/methodology/approach: A survey instrument in the form of a structured questionnaire was designed based on a careful review of pertinent literature. This study collected empirical data from 240 respondents of cosmetic customers. Multiple regression is used to test the significance of the research model.   Findings: Promotion and location are significant predictors of consumer behaviour. Promotion and location have a substantial impact on customer purchase behaviour in the local cosmetics business, although goods and price have no significance effect   Research, Practical & Social implications:The implication drawn from this study aids marketing managers to focus their resource on the key variables that consumer buying behaviour.   Originality/value: This study contributes information to the academia and practitioners on marketing factors that can improve the sales performance and give the organization a competitive advantage in the marketplace

Epicuticular wax concentration on Syzygium myrtifolium leaves

The pollution issues are a pervasive and increasing threat to human and forest ecosystem. Plants have been recognised as a method to reduce pollution. However, leaf is the most sensitive organ to pollution where changes in leaf morphological, physiological, anatomical and biochemical can occur. This study was conducted to determine the quantity of epicuticular wax on Syzygium myrtifolium leaves in urban, suburban and industrial areas. Three trees were selected in each of the study sites and new leaves on the branch was marked. 5 g of samples were collected for analysis. Leaf surface particles were extracted by using 20 ml of chloroform in conical flask and was left overnight for hardening where weight were recorded. Data analysis showed that the mean epicuticular wax ranged from 267.2-680.7 µg/m2 with a mean increment of 309.6-950.7 µg/m2 /yr. The epicuticular wax concentration on S. myrtifolium leaves was significantly higher in industrial areas compared to those in the urban and suburban areas. S. myrtifolium at industrial areas are in the open and subjected to direct sunlight and also responding to stress caused by the air pollutions. The low concentration of epicuticular wax was recorded on S. myrtifolium leaves in urban area. These trees are subjected to high concentration of pollutants especially from exhaust emissions and possible is due to the aerosol deposition which have been carried by the wind. This initial study reveal that the level of physiological stress on the trees in industrial, suburban and urban areas are at a different scale where the levels of air pollution is different. Understanding the tree traits are important to capitalize their role as bio filters. This study provide the baseline data for future study where the relationship between the particulate matters deposited on the tree canopy and the tree trait could be explained

A critical study of various methods used to identify intellectually gifted Malay children

In chapter 1, the discussion is focussed on the underlying reason for the introduction of the education programme for the gifted in Malaysia and the need to undertake this study. The review of literature on the concept of giftedness, procedures and the measures used to identify intellectually gifted is presented in chapter 2.Almost all measures used to identify intellectually gifted have been developed in the USA and the UK, so,they have had to be translated to Malay and pretested. Thus, in chapter 3, the stability and to some extend the validity of the Malay version of these measures are presented. The Malay version measures are found to have similar ability as the original version.Since the criterion of intellectual giftedness is high IQ, an individual intelligence test has to be administered and this will limit the number and the representativeness of the sample. The possibility of screening the  respondents and the procedure used to collect the data is detailed in chapter 4. The descriptive statistics that served as a basis for further analyses are presented in chapter 5.The effectiveness of the current or conventional procedure of using a grade from a public achievement test and categorization of test score is evaluated in chapter 6. Having found that the conventional procedure is not effective, multiple regression and discriminant function analyses are conducted to find the predictor(s) of giftedness and its the effectiveness especially in term of reducing false positives and false negatives. On the basis of these findings, presented in Chapter 7, a multi-stage procedure of identifying intellectually gifted Malay children can be developed by education authorities in Malaysia.In chapter 8, the main findings of the study is summarized and the establishment of longitudinal validation study is proposed