Conceptions of economics pre-service teachers' use of subject knowledge in teaching economics and commerce at secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam

The research focuses on how economics pre-service teachers use their subject\ud knowledge to teach economics and commerce during their teaching practice. The\ud research highlights the paradoxical nature of economics as a subject discipline and the\ud influence that it can have on pre-service teachers' conceptions of teaching economics\ud and commerce. The purpose of this research is to ascertain the importance of subject\ud knowledge use in teaching in the Brunei context.\ud The research is based upon data collected from ten economics pre-service teachers in\ud Brunei Darussalam. The methodology of this research is an interpretative approach\ud which specifically aimed at: a) examining pre-service teachers' conceptions of\ud economics and their conceptions of teaching, b) determining the way pre-service\ud teachers teach economics and commerce in practice, and c) probing the conceptions of\ud pre-service teachers in using their specialist subject knowledge when teaching\ud economics and commerce. The data was textually analysed and the analysis reveals\ud that the pre-service teachers find difficulty in bridging their knowledge of economics\ud and their knowledge of pedagogy when teaching school subjects, economics and\ud commerce.\ud The research calls for an integration of theory and practice. Teachers need to be made\ud aware of their own ontological and epistemological positions for them to gain a\ud deeper understanding of economics as subject knowledge. The research is significant\ud for future research on teachers' development as teachers' subject knowledge is\ud integral for their expertise in teaching

Factors Influencing Teachers' Implementation of Online Teaching and Learning Mode during Covid-19

Brunei first detected the covid-19 pandemic on March 9, 2020, which closed physical schooling immediately, and schools later continued online in response to the pandemic. This study investigates teachers' feedback on the new school norm of online teaching and learning mode. The objective of this study is to test the conceptual research model derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) for determining how the facilitating factors influence teachers’ intentions and their beliefs about their behavioural implementation of online teaching and learning mode. The participant of the study consists of 6,078 teachers in public schools in Brunei Darussalam. An electronic survey questionnaire was developed and disseminated to the teachers. The analyses of the quantitative data involved factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). The significant findings are (i) teachers' Behavioural Intention directly correlates to motivation factor (Satisfaction), facilitating factor (Effort Expectancy), and the belief factors (Risk and Trust); (ii) teachers' Behavioural Intention are indirectly correlated to motivational factor (Perceived Enjoyment) and facilitating factor (Self-efficacy); (iii) teachers' Implementation of online teaching and learning mode relates directly to Behavioural Intention and belief factor (Trust). The study concludes that teachers can be encouraged and supported to implement online teaching and learning mode by addressing the factors influencing their behavioural intentions

Enhancing Primary Students' Understanding of Social Studies Through the Jigsaw Approach

This study aimed to examine the implementation of the Jigsaw approach in teaching primary social studies in Brunei Darussalam. The topic selected for this study was on 'The Reign of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III 1950 – 1967'. The sample consisted of 25 primary students in a Year 6 class. The methodology of this study was an action research. Among the instruments used were tests, observations, interviews, and students' journals. The findings showed that the students' test results had improved, indicating the effectiveness of the Jigsaw approach in teaching social studies. It was observed that there were positive developments in students' communication skills as well as their participation in the class activities. The students' motivation to learn was mostly positive as they enjoyed learning cooperatively in the given activities. However, the challenge of implementing this Jigsaw approach was the role of the teacher as a facilitator in this approach. Future research should continue to examine the different ways of teaching social studies that could involve students' active participation in the teaching and learning process