Malaysia and China students’ feedback on the implementation of critical thinking pedagogy: a case study

Having a knowledgeable and highly skilled human capital is an important factor for Malaysia to transform its economy towards achieving a developed nation and high-income status by the year 2020. Hence, the Malaysian government strives to improve the enrolment of local and international post-graduate students by providing an effective learning process to ensure their quality. This research aimed at describing the impact of critical thinking pedagogy using case-based learning in curriculum studies course among postgraduate students. It was a case study with qualitative approach. Interview technique was used in this study whereby five students who enrolled in curriculum studies course were selected as the respondents. The study sample underwent learning through critical thinking pedagogy using SCSCBL interactive application. Overall, the findings showed that the teaching approach of using the case-based learning can promote critical thinking skills among pre-service and in-service teachers. This study has provided positive implications on the postgraduates’ soft skill development as preparation for their future career

TRIZ: an alternate way to solve problem for student

Inventive problem solving is an alternative way of solving problem for student. 60 years ago, in 1956, Altshuller published a new, constructive and methodical approach ideas on problem solving to offer to the world. Even though TRIZ originally meant for fields of industry domains, it has solved problems in other field using some common principles. Thus, this methodology has spread to over 35 countries across the world. It is now being taught in several universities and it has been applied by a number of global organizations who have found it particularly useful to solve their problem. In 2017, KSSM curriculum has been revised to cope up this 21st century demand. This paper is a potentially useful for TRIZ beginner, as an alternative to solve problem comparable to common problem solving method. This paper also discussed the limitation of other common problem method which leads the advantages of using TRIZ

Self awareness curiculum activities and effectiveness to youth

This article discusses the self-consciousness of youth in co-curricular activities forming their personality. In addition, this article also discussed the core curriculum which has been outlined by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to adolescents who are still studying in higher education institutions as well as the effectiveness of the curriculum in shaping the personality of adolescents including studies that have been done in connection with extra-curricular activities. This article also touched on the education system nowadays

Relationship Between Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences Among Bachelor Of Technology And Education In Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Learning styles and multiple intelligences play an important role in higher education learning. They represent different individual preferences and strengths in learning and can be a stimulus for developing new ways of learning. This research is focused on the relationship between learning styles and multiple intelligences among the second year Bachelor of Technology and Education STP (A/E/J) direct intake students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The whole population of 97 students were selected as sample. The Kolb Learning Styles Model (1976) and Gardner Multiple Intelligences Theory (1983) were used in this research. This is a quantitative approach research. Data were collected using questionnaire that were translated from Kolb Learning Styles Inventory and Gardner Multiple Intelligences Inventory. The gathered data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPPS) software and presented as frequencies, percentages, correlation and diagram. The results showed that majority of the students tend to possess Diverger learning styles with emphasis on Intrapersonal Intelligence for the excellent level and Verbal-Linguistic for the low level. The Chi Square test for the .1 level of significance indicates that a significant correlation exist between Kolb learning style with Musical Intelligence. (Authors' abstract

Attribution styles as correlates of technical drawing task-persistence and technical college students’ performance

Technical drawing is a means of communicating between the designer and the manufacturers to bring ideas into reality by means of drafting. This study investigated attribution styles as collates of students’ technical drawing task-persistence and academic performance using correlational research design. The population for this study consisted of 864 students of year II and the sample study comprised of 150 (93 males and 57 females) randomly selected from six technical colleges in Edo State, Nigeria. Three instruments, Academic Performance Attribution Style Questionnaire (APASQ), Technical Drawing Taskpersistent Rating Scale (TDTPRS); and Technical Drawing Performance Test (TDPT) were developed and used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to determine the reliability of the instruments and the results were obtained: SAASQ = .87; TDTPRS=.79; AND TDAT = .85. The findings of the study revealed that the technical drawing task-persistence of students was positively correlated by functional attribution style; and was negatively correlated by dysfunctional attribution style; functional attribution style positively correlated academic performance of students. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that technical drawing teachers should model and teach the students the right attribution style that will enhance their learning of technical drawing

Conceptions of learning through learning styles and cognitive dimension in vocational education

Individual learning preferences and learning styles have been defined in several different ways according to theoretical models. In the context of vocational education, students have different characteristics compared to their counterparts in other fields of education, since learning orientation is more on job focused. However, the cognitive dimension is still need to be measured especially for learners at school level. This article addresses the relationship between learning styles and cognitive dimension in vocational education at secondary school level. Based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles and Cognitive Dimension Model, the authors highlighted students’ dimension of learning styles, students’ preferences on learning preference, and the conceptual of knowledge, skills and problem solving construct according to taxonomy. It is concluded that the vocational students are more incline to be visual learner. This learning preference and learning styles will contribute to their engagement on the concept of learning in vocational education

Jurang integrasi kemahiran employabiliti di Malaysia: satu kajian empirikal graduan kejuruteraan Kolej Komuniti

Keperluan adanya kemahiran employability yang mantap dalam kalangan graduan merupakan satu kriteria yang penting untuk membolehkan mereka mendapat tempat di pasaran pekerjaan. Justeru itu, kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk melihat samaada terdapat jurang atau tidak di antara elemen kemahiran employabiliti yang telah diintergrasikan semasa proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (pdp) dengan kemahiran employabiliti yang penting dan perlu dikuasai oleh graduan bidang elektrik berdasarkan perspektif graduan Kolej Komuniti dengan majikan di industri. Kajian tinjauan ini melibatkan seramai 103 majikan di industri dan 162 graduan bidang elektrik di Kolej Komuniti. Melalui analisis Ujian-T yang dijalankan, hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkanterdapat jurang yang signifikan di antara elemen kemahiran employabiliti iaitu kemahiran komunikasi, kemahiran pengurusan maklumat, kemahiran pengurusan diri, kemahiran etika dan moral profesional, kemahiran kepimpinan dan kemahiran berpasukan yang telah diintergrasikan semasa proses pdp dengan kemahiran tersebut yang penting dan perlu dikuasai oleh graduan bidang elektrik berdasarkan perspektif graduan Kolej Komuniti dengan majikan di industri. Oleh yang demikian, pensyarah-pensyarah di Kolej Komuniti haruslah bertindak dengan memainkan peranan penting serta bertanggungjawab di dalam memberi tumpuan serta mengintergrasikan ke semua kemahiran employabiliti yang dikenalpasti penting dan perlu dikuasai oleh graduan semasa sesi pdp dijalankan. Selain itu, penambahbaikan kurikulum yang melibatkan pihak industri serta komitmen pdp yang efektif dari pensyarah amat penting dalam mengatasi masalah jurang kemahiran yang merangkumi penguasaan kemahiran employabiliti dalam kalangan graduan Kolej Komuniti

Soft skills among hearing impaired graduates for sustainability and well-being in workplace

Technical skill is not the only skill needed to secure an employment in the 21st century. Soft skills have become one of the basic needs nowadays and the most essential skill in industry for both common worker and hearing impaired worker. Graduates’ unemployment issue showed a gap exists between academic excellent and equipped soft skills. Therefore, this article was written to determine the elements needed to sustain soft skills among hearing impaired graduates in order to ensure sustainability and well-being in workplace. The research uses meta-analysis, interview and fuzzy Delphi method to get consensus from 11 experts consisting of four specialist educators, four employers and three graduates in relation to hearing impaired community. The findings show that, the expert consensus agreement exceeds 75% with threshold (d) value 0.2 and α-cut 0.5. The elements of the soft skills for hearing impaired graduates were sorted and ranked as personal qualities, basic skills, resource and information skills, interpersonal skills, thinking skills, entrepreneurship skills and system and technology skills. For future studies, it is recommended to develop an instrument based on the elements of this study to measure soft skills of hearing impaired graduates. Meanwhile, educational institutions must work hand in hand with industry to strengthen the soft skills among future hearing impaired worker through industry training programme to produce more competitive workforce, sustainability and well-being in the workplace

Readiness and Challenges of the Construction Industry in Implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is one of the innovative approaches that has been developed and widely accepted in the construction industry. In Malaysia, BIM usage is still low and not many firms have taken full advantage of its potential despite the investment in BIM being proven to be well worth the cost of implementation to organizations. Therefore, this study has been conducted to identify the current status of BIM implementation in Malaysia. This study uses a qualitative approach with an explanatory research design to explore the phenomenon of BIM implementation in the construction industry. This study was aimed to identify the readiness and challenges in BIM implementation from twelve (12) participants from consultants and contractors in Malaysia who have already implemented and not have implemented BIM where the researcher used purposive sampling technique with snowballing sampling. In obtaining the data from participants, the researcher has conducted a semi-structured interview data collection technique. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes among the research questions in two categories of participants. This study finds that the rate of BIM implementation in construction industry is very low and the most factors influence companies’ readiness in BIM implementation from both categories of participants are client, enforcement from authority and lack of project that needs BIM. This study also found that the most challenges faced in BIM implementation are BIM exposure, cost implementation and others. In addition to that, this study proposing effective strategies for enhancing the BIM implementation in Malaysia such as introducing of BIM in university curriculum, BIM enforcement from the authority and others

CONCEPTIONS OF LEARNING THROUGH LEARNING STYLES AND COGNITIVE DIMENSION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Individual learning preferences and learning styles have been defined in several different ways according to theoretical models. In the context of vocational education, students have different characteristics compared to their counterparts in other fields of education, since learning orientation is more on job focused. However, the cognitive dimension is still need to be measured especially for learners at school level. This article addresses the relationship between learning styles and cognitive dimension in vocational education at secondary school level. Based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles and Cognitive Dimension Model, the authors highlighted students’ dimension of learning styles, students’ preferences on learning preference, and the conceptual of knowledge, skills and problem solving construct according to taxonomy. It is concluded that the vocational students are more incline to be visual learner. This learning preference and learning styles will contribute to their engagement on the concept of learning in vocational education. &nbsp