Plastic is constructed from linking of hydrocarbon monomers and produced synthetic polymers.  Plastic production reported is growing up steadily each year due to its demand based on Figure 2.1.  Current production reported to be up to 348 million tonnes in 2017 (Plastic Europe, 2018)

Azman, Shamila

Supian, Nur Sumaiyyah

Zon, Nur Farhan

English

UTHM Institutional Repository

1 IKj^fJ 5 Missed IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTEXTUAL SYSTEM IN MALAYSIAN FIRST YEAR MATHEMATICS COURSE NAFISAH KAMARIAH MD KAMARUDDIN ZULKARNAIN MD AMIN 3RD INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION 10-12 NOVEMBER 2009 PENANG IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTEXTUAL SYSTEM IN MALAYSIAN FIRST YEAR MATHEMATICS COURSE Nafisah Kamariah Md Kamaruddin Zulkarnain Md Amin Univer i t i T u n H u s s e i n O n n M a l a y s i a ( U T H M ) Unive r i t i T u n H u s s e i n O n n M a l a y s i a ( U T H M ) < n a f i s a h @ u t h m . e d u . m y > < z u l k a r n @ u t h m . e d u . m y > Abstract Many higher learning institutions in Malaysia are adopting several methods of teaching and learning. Students-centered learning is seemed to be the focus. In the Mathematics Department in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, contextual teaching and learning (CTL) system is adopted. Contextual teaching and learning (CTL) is a system of instruction that allow students to find the meaning in their lesson. Then they connect the new lesson to the real world. This study examined the implementation of contextual system in the teaching and learning mathematics. A survey was used to collect the perceptions of the first year technical education students. The data was analyzed to obtain the mean, and standard deviation. Research finding showed that students agreed that the eight components in the contextual system are being implemented in the teaching and learning mathematics. However, they agreed that the teaching and learning is also focusing on the manipulation data. In the test and exams, a lot of imaginative questions are still used. Thus, this showed that the last component of the system, which is authentic assessment, is not properly implemented. Introduction T h e cha l l enge in m a t h e m a t i c s educa t ion is f inding the bes t w a y to t each m a t h e m a t i c s . W h e n s tudents learn the r e a s o n i n g a n d p r o v i n g in m a t h e m a t i c s , t hey wi l l b e prof ic ient in m a t h e m a t i c s . S tuden t s m u s t k n o w m a t h e m a t i c s concep t s before they can app ly it. S y m b o l i s m a n d log ic is the k e y to b o t h the learn ing o f m a t h e m a t i c s a n d its effective app l ica t ion to p r o b l e m s i tua t ions . A b o v e all, the use of appropr ia te l anguage is the k e y in m a k i n g m a t h e m a t i c s inte l l ig ible . Ac tua l ly , m a t h e m a t i c s is a l anguage . Prof ic iency in this l a n g u a g e can b e acqu i r ed on ly b y l ong a n d careful ly supe rv i sed expe r i ence in us ing it in s i tua t ions invo lv ing a r g u m e n t and proof. M a t h e m a t i c s is essen t ia l ly a s t ruc tured h ie ra rchy of p ropos i t i on forged b y logic on a pos tu la t ion b a s e . M a n y h ighe r l ea rn ing ins t i tu t ions in M a l a y s i a are adop t ing severa l m e t h o d s o f t e ach ing a n d lea rn ing . S tuden t s - cen te red learn ing is s e e m e d to b e the focus. In the M a t h e m a t i c s D e p a r t m e n t in Univers i t i T u n H u s s e i n O n n Ma lays i a , con tex tua l t each ing and l ea rn ing ( C T L ) s y s t e m is adop ted . In 1997 , the Techn i ca l Educa t ion D e p a r t m e n t u n d e r the Min i s t ry o f E d u c a t i o n , Ma lays i a , i n t roduced the con tex tua l a p p r o a c h w h e r e they got the c o n c e p t f rom W a c o , T e x a s , A m e r i c a , in the t each ing a n d lea rn ing m a t h e m a t i c s a n d addi t iona l m a t h e m a t i c s in all M a l a y s i a n t echn ica l s econda ry schoo l s . ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , 2 0 0 7 ) . T h e s tudents w e r e able to unde r s t and abs t rac t concep t s t h r o u g h concre te expe r i ences . A g o o d s tudent c o m m e n t e d that she w o u l d still unde r s t and the c o n c e p t b y e i ther m e t h o d bu t she u n d e r s t o o d faster w i th the con tex tua l a p p r o a c h ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , D e c 2 0 0 7 ) . S tuden t s prefer this m e t h o d b e c a u s e usua l ly they learn m a t h e m a t i c s v e r y mechan i s t i c , w h i c h is , m e m o r i z i n g the formula a n d so lv ing p r o b l e m s us ing the formula . (Naf i sah , N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 7 ) . N o t on ly the s tudents are able to learn faster bu t t he w o r k p l a c e a n d lab act ivi t ies h e l p s tudents to d e v e l o p cr i t ical t h ink ing skil ls ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , Ju ly 2 0 0 7 ) . B e s i d e s u s i n g conc re t e expe r i ences , the use o f v i d e o c l ips can he lp s tudents k n o w h o w m a t h e m a t i c s is u s e d in the real wor ld . T h e i l lustrat ion wi th v i d e o a t t rac ted the i r a t ten t ion du r ing the l esson a n d this a p p r o a c h w a s able to mo t iva t e t h e m to focus on the l e ssons ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , 2 0 0 5 ) . T h i s m e t h o d o f t each ing m a t h e m a t i c s is g o o d for t echnica l s tudents ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , 2 0 0 6 ) . In P r o b l e m - B a s e d Lea rn ing , the con tex tua l concep t is u s e d as this m e t h o d o f l ea rn ing is bui l t a r o u n d the de l ivery o f the r ea l -wor ld l ea rn ing expe r i ence (Naf isah , J u n e 2 0 0 7 ) . F r o m the r e sea rch d o n e in Univers i t i T u n H u s s e i n O n n Malays i a , s tudents p re fe r red to learn stat is t ics u s i n g the con tex tua l c o n c e p t and they sco red be t te r that the g roup w h o d id no t use this c o n c e p t ( M d . K a m a r u d d i n , N . , M a y 2007 ) . . Purpose of the Study R e s e a r c h e s d o n e p r ev ious ly w e r e focus ing o n the u s e o f con tex tua l v ideo , lab a n d c lass act ivi t ies , a n d no t on the con tex tua l sys tem. T h u s th is r e sea rch w a s d o n e to su rvey on the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f the con tex tua l s y s t e m in the t each ing a n d leanr ing m a t e m a t i c s . Conceptual Framework T h e r e sea rch concep tua l f r a m e w o r k is adap ted from Johnson , E. B . (2002) a n d is s h o w n b e l o w : L e a r n i n g m a t h e m a t i c s u s ing con tex tua l sy s t em Se l f -Regula ted L e a r n i n g M a k i n g C o n n e c t i o n s T h a t H o l d M e a n i n g D o i n g Signif icant W o r k Co l l abora t ion Cri t ica l a n d Crea t ive T h i n k i n g N u r t u r i n g the Ind iv idua l R e a c h i n g H i g h S tanda rds U s i n g A u t h e n t i c A s s e s s m e n t S t u d e n t s ' p e r cep t i on Figure 1: Conceptual Framework Li tera ture R e v i e w T h e r e are m a n y def ini t ions o f the con tex tua l l ea rn ing . T h e def ini t ion that the T e c h n i c a l E d u c a t i o n D e p a r t m e n t uses is the one that w a s g iven b y the Cen t e r for O c c u p a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h a n d D e v e l o p m e n t (Firs t M a l a y s i a n T e c h P rep Na t iona l C o n v e n t i o n , 1997) : The Contextual learning means learning that incorporates examples which are drawn from everyday experiences in the personal, societal and occupational life and which provide concrete hands-on applications of material to be learned. Con tex tua l A p p r o a c h w a s in t roduced for the s t u d e n t s ' t echn ica l and career p repara t ion or T e c h P rep b y the Cen t e r for O c c u p a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h a n d D e v e l o p m e n t , T e x a s , U S A . Con tex tua l a p p r o a c h is o n e o f t he T e c h P r e p e l emen t s A c c o r d i n g to K o l b ' s Exper ien t ia l L e a r n i n g T h e o r y , t he s tudents l ea rn bes t b y th ink ing a n d d o i n g ( K o l b , 1985) . In the con tex tua l a p p r o a c h , the lab act ivi t ies or m a t h e m a t i c a l e x p e r i m e n t s he lp s tudents to s tudy b y this m e t h o d . A c c o r d i n g to C O R D , o n e o f the k e y e l emen t s in the con tex tua l a p p r o a c h is to ca r ry out l ea rn ing in w o r k p l a c e se t t ing , w h e r e poss ib le (Firs t M a l a y s i a n T e c h P rep N a t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n , 1997) . It wi l l b e great i f the s tuden t s can relate the formulas a n d theor ies that a re t augh t in the c l a s s r o o m to the i r e v e r y d a y l ives or the i r future j o b s . Is no t easy to b r i n g s tuden t s to the real life a t m o s p h e r e , let say a c o m p a n y . T h u s if w e canno t b r i n g t h e m to the c o m p a n i e s , w e n e e d to s imula te t he w o r k p l a c e . In the lab prac t ica l , bes ides m a k i n g t h e m u n d e r s t a n d the concep t , the s tudents a l so w o r k in e n v i r o n m e n t or g r o u p projec ts that s imula te the w o r k p l a c e . In t he con tex tua l app roach , s tuden t s e n g a g e in p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g inves t iga t ion that in tegra te skil ls a n d concep t f rom m a n y con ten t a reas , s tudents w o r k s a u t o n o m o u s l y to cons t ruc t the i r o w n lea rn ing , a n d cu l mi n a t e in real is t ic p roduc t s (Be rns et al l , 2 0 0 1 ) . B y us ing the lab act ivi t ies o r m a t h e m a t i c a l lab in the con tex tua l app roach , it h e lp s t h e m to unde r s t and the concep t be t t e r as the c o n c e p t o f exper ien t ia l l ea rn ing exp lo re s the cyc l ica l pa t t e rn o f all l ea rn ing from E x p e r i e n c e t h r o u g h Ref lec t ion a n d C o n c e p t u a l i z i n g to Ac t ion a n d o n further E x p e r i e n c e ( K o l b , 1985) . In the first p ro jec t b y the O h i o State Un ive r s i t y C o l l e g e o f E d u c a t i o n a n d B o w l i n g G r e e n Sta te Un ive r s i ty , the def ini t ion o f con tex tua l t each ing a n d lea rn ing w a s d e v e l o p e d . T h e c o n c e p t i o n o f t e ach ing a n d lea rn ing that he lp s t eache r s re late subjec t ma t t e r con t en t to real w o r l d s i tua t ions a n d m o t i v a t e s s tuden t s to m a k e connec t ion b e t w e e n k n o w l e d g e a n d its app l ica t ions to their l ives as family m e m b e r s , c i t izens , a n d w o r k e r s ; and e n g a g e in the h a rd w o r k that l ea rn ing requ i res (Na t iona l C o n f e r e n c e o n T e a c h e r Qua l i ty , 2 0 0 0 ) . M e t h o d o l o g y T h i s s tudy e x a m i n e d the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f con tex tua l s y s t e m in the t each ing and l ea rn ing m a t h e m a t i c s in o n e o f the pub l i c un ivers i ty in Ma lays i a . A su rvey w a s u s e d to col lect the pe r cep t i ons o f the s tuden ts . Subjects T e c h n i c a l educa t ion s tudents from the T e c h n i c a l E d u c a t i o n Facu l ty from the Univers i t i T u n H u s s e i n O n n M a l a y s i a w e r e invi ted to par t i c ipa te in this su rvey . T h e t echn ica l s tudents wi l l t ake 4 m a t h e m a t i c s subjec ts : A l g e b r a a n d Ca lcu lus in the i r first year , Different ia l E q u a t i o n a n d Stat is t ics in the i r s econd year . R e s p o n d e n t s w e r e d r a w n from the fo l lowing subjec t a reas : civil eng inee r ing , e lect r ica l eng inee r ing , a n d m e c h a n i c a l eng inee r ing . A total o f 89 ques t ionna i re s w e r e g i v e n ou t to the first yea r t echn ica l educa t ion s tudents . O f these , 58 ( 6 5 . 1 7 % ) ques t ionna i re s w e r e c o m p l e t e d and re tu rned . Instrument T h e ques t ionna i re d e v e l o p e d for the survey w a s based on the b o o k "Con tex tua l T e a c h i n g a n d L e a r n i n g " wr i t t en b y E l a i n e B . J o h n s o n and T e a c h i n g M a t h e m a t i c s Con tex tua l ly b y the C o r n e r s t o n e o f T e c h P r e p , Cord . T h e ques t ionna i re cons i s t ed o f ten par t s . Subjec t s w e r e a s k e d to assess the con tex tua l s y s t e m in the t each ing and l ea rn ing m a t h e m a t i c s , u s ing a five-point Liker t -t ype scale ( f rom ' 5 ' = ' S t r o n g l y A g r e e ' to ' 1 ' = ' S t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e ' ) . T h e ten m a i n sec t ions o f t he ques t ionna i re s are s h o w n in T a b l e 1. T a b l e 1 Main Sections Sec t ion I t em N o D a t a A n a l y s i s M e t h o d A : B a c k g r o u n d 1 - 3 P e r c e n t a g e B : Gene ra l 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d std dev C : M a k i n g C o n n e c t i o n s T h a t H o l d Mean in fu l 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d std dev D : D o i n g Signif icant W o r k 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d std dev E : Se l f - regula ted L e a r n i n g 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d std dev F : C o l l o b o r a t i o n 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d s td dev G : Cr i t ica l a n d Crea t ive T h i n k i n g 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d s td dev H : N u r t u r i n g the Ind iv idua l 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d std dev I : R e a c h i n g H i g h S tanda rd 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d s td dev J : U s i n g A u t h e n t i c A s s e s m e n t 1 - 5 Score m e a n a n d s td dev Resu l t s Respondents Background T h e b a c k g r o u n d of the r e s p o n d e n t s is s h o w n in T a b l e 2. T a b l e 2 Respondents Background C a t e g o r y N o o f r e s p o n d e n t s Pe rcen t (%) G e n d e r M a l e 2 3 39 .7 F e m a l e 35 60 .3 C o u r s e Civi l 17 29 .3 Elec t r ica l 21 36 .2 M e c h a n i c a l 25 43 .1 C G P A < 1.99 1 1.7 2 .00 - 2 .49 1 1.7 2 . 5 0 - 2 . 9 9 2 3.4 3 . 0 0 - 3 . 4 9 4 4 75 .9 > 3 . 10 17.3 In sec t ion B , the r e sea rche r s w a n t to su rvey on the genera l pe rcep t ion o f the s tudents o f the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f the con tex tua l sys t em. T h e r e are 5 i t ems in this sec t ion as s h o w n in T a b l e 3 . T a b l e 3 General Sec t ion B M e a n S t a n d a r d Score dev ia t ion T h e t each ing a n d lea rn ing is 1. focus ing on do ing m a t h e m a t i c s exerc i ses 4 .24 0 .73 2. focus ing on m a n i p u l a t i o n o f data 4 .10 0 .58 3 . focus ing on m e m o r i z i n g the formula 3 .67 0.89 4 . no t hol is t ic 3 .24 0 .98 5. separa t ing the t h inkng a n d do ing 3 .34 1.00 In section C - J the researchers want to survey on the implementation of the contextual system in the teaching and learning mathematics.The results shown in Table 4 is the overall mean for each section. T a b l e 4 Contextual System Section Mean Score Standard deviation c : Making Connections That Hold Meaninful 3.48 1.08 D : Doing Significant Work 3.31 1.02 E : Self-regulated Learning 3.58 0.96 F : Colloboration 3.76 0.97 G : Critical and Creative Thinking 3.76 0.90 H : Nurturing the Individual 3.62 0.91 I : Reaching High Standard 3.65 0.98 J: Using Authentic Assesment 3.36 1.02 In one of the item in Section J, students agreed that a lot of imaginative questions were given in the test or final with the mean of 3.55 and standard deviation 1.16. C o n c l u s i o n This study set out to survey on the implementation o f the contextual system in the teaching and learning mathematics. Although they agreed that the eight components in the contextual system are being implemented, a lot the questions in the test and examination is still imaginative questions. Thus, the last component in the contextual system, which is authentic assessment, is not properly implemented. Steps should be taken so as the questions that relate to the application of the topics in the real world should be asked in the teast and final examination. R e f e r e n c e s : Berns, R. G. & Erikson, P.(2001). Contextual teaching and learning. The Higlight Zone : Research @ Work No . 5. The National Centers for Career and Technical Education, USA. First Tech Prep National Convention (1997) Organized by Technical Education Department, Malaysian Ministry of Education. Kolb, D. A. (1985). Experiential learning : Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood: Prentice Hall. Md Kamaruddin, N. & Md Amin, Z. (2008). Dillema in teaching mathematics. Seminar Kebangsaan Matematik & Masyarakat 2008. UMT, Terengganu, Malaysia. Md Kamaruddin, N. & Wan Ahmad, W. M. R. (Dec, 2007). A study of the effectiveness of the contextual approach to the teaching and learning statistics in the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. 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