Editorial Board (Issue 13 - 2018)
Editor-in-Chief
Ng Khar Thoe (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM, Penang, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Editors
Chin Chee Keong (Dr.)(Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tuanku Bainun, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Chua Kah Heng (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Corrienna Abdul Talib (Dr.)(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Dominador Dizon Mangao (Mr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Edsel O. Coronado (Mr.)(College of Education, West Visayas State University, Iloilo City, PHILIPPINES)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Elvira Arellano (Professor Dr.)(West Visayas State University, Iloilo City, PHILIPPINES)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Kamisah Osman (Professor Dr.)(Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Koay Cheng Yong (Dr.)(Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Pulau Pinang, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Lay Yoon Fah (Professor Dr.)[Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, MALAYSIA] (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Lee Shok Mee (Mr.)(Training Programme Division, SEAMEO RECSAM (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Miranda Yeoh Poh Khoon (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Mohd. Hazlie b. Muhamad (Mr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Mohd. Nor Syahrir Abdullah (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Murugan Rajoo (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Nabilah Abdullah (Associate Professor Dr.)[Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), MALAYSIA] (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Natthasurachet Promsing (Dr.)(Rakmae School, THAILAND)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Nor Ruzaini Jailani (Ms.)(Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ilmu Khas, MALAYSIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Nur Jahan Ahmad (Dr.)(Universiti Sains Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Rozhan M. Idrus (Professor Dr.)[Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Negeri Sembilan, MALAYSIA] (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Parvinder Singh (Dr.)(Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Pulau Pinang, MALAYSIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Suma Parahakaran (Dr.)(Sathya Sai Academy, MALAYSIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Tan Saw Fen (Dr.)[School of Education, Language and Communication (SELC), Wawasan Open University, MALAYSIA] (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Teh Kim Hong (Ms.)(Training Programme Division, SEAMEO RECSAM) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Woo Huey Lit (Dr.)[National Institute of Education, SINGAPORE] (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Yeoh Poh Choo (Dr.)(Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Pulau Pinang, MALAYSIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Contents
1. The Necessity of Computational Thinking in STEM Education: An Analysis with Recommended Research
Najibulla Romainor, Corrienna Abdul Talib & Nur Wahidah Abd Hakim
Advanced electronic devices and technologies are emerging rapidly, however implementation of these technologies in classroom are still in a worrisome state especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Integrating computational thinking (CT) into STEM education allows the technologies to be a part of STEM education that can produce students with advance skills in technology as well as be better equipped with the necessary knowledge as STEM students. This article examines the needs of CT in STEM education and how these two matters are interconnected with each other. This review paper was conducted involving systematic review and meta-analysis of CT elements in STEM education conducted as well as literature research of archival records by selecting multiple articles, documents, and journals that were published. Keywords related to CT, STEM education, and any disciplines of STEM fields in peer-reviewed journal articles that were subscribed by the researcher’s university such as Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and SpringerLink Journal were analysed. From these sources, the researcher found that CT is necessary in STEM education because: (1) many concepts in CT is directly related to any disciplines of STEM; (2) merging CT and STEM is applicable at all levels of education; (3) students understand more clearly about STEM; (4) CT can assist in Project-Based Learning in STEM education; and (5) students can develop multiple skills at once by using CT in STEM. These findings are discussed and recommendations for future researches are suggested.
Keywords: Computational thinking (CT); STEM education; CT tools; CT concepts
Edsel O. Coronado
This qualitative research study explicated and discussed how Problem-solving (PBS) activities and instructional materials made Physics visible and learnable. Evidences on the learning of Electronics through PBS activities were illustrated including witnessable orientation towards the practical achievement of understanding among Fourth Year college Physics students at a Teacher Education Institution in Iloilo City, Philippines. This research study examined the ethnomethodological experiences of students in different claims and how these claims built their interpretation as well as understanding on Electronics through PBS activities. The data in this research were gathered through PBS activity sheets, participant’s journal, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), video clips, and findings from individual semi-structured interview. The data gathered were analyzed through Conversational Analysis (CA) with summary of findings illustrated. The study revealed that the claims of students’ understanding on Electronics through PBS activities were classified under the constructs of ‘acceptance, affirmation, assertion, assurance, effective communication, familiarity, guessing, insistence, profess, and prior knowledge’. Results also showed the following displays of students’ understanding being classified as: ‘assay of the students, students’ undertakings, and students’ realizations’’. The researcher further found that these claims and displays helped building students’ interpretation that form their understanding on Electronics through PBS activities. Finally, when the students attempted to solve the problem, the issue of the practical achievement of understanding was relatively clear to them, for example, they needed to understand the problem regarding movements to be able to solve it adequately. When taken together, the claims and displays of students achieved an understanding of how materials, task structure, and teacher interventions worked to make both mechanics as well as student’s understanding visible, accessible, and manifestable.
Keywords: Constructivism; Conversational analysis; Electronics; Ethnomethodology; Grounded theory; Problem-solving (PBS) activities
Sari Narulita, Anakin Tristan Wilson Perdana, Annisa Nur F., Muhammad Daru Darmakusuma, Indarjani & Ng Khar Thoe
Students' feelings and attitudes have much influence on the process of learning especially in science education. One element in the process of effective science learning is motivation and the use of interactive technology as effective learning media important to improve student's learning motivation and arouse their interest for better understanding of the information presented especially on abstract science concepts. This study reviews theories and pedagogical issues about science learning with discussion on challenges faced by educators and illustrations on exemplars to enhance students’ learning motivation through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) using Augmented Reality (AR). AR is a technology in the interaction system encompasses all visual environments and has an entertainment aspect that can arouse students' motivation and understanding of general knowledge about science, e.g. ‘The Bad Effects of Influenza’ through visual interaction within a reinforced reality frame as illustrated in this article. Exemplary case will be reported on how the topic ‘Influenza’ could be introduced to promote effective science learning supported by AR tool with elaboration on the design of learning sequence incorporated following the Keller’s ‘Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction’ (ARCS) model. Pilot study was conducted in the school of the first author. Sample of students’ activities with evidences of how the AR tool promote ARCS in science learning are illustrated with evidences on how an increase of their knowledge on topic ‘The Bad Effects of Influenza’ was achieved at the end of learning process. Implications and suggestions for the way forward will also be deliberated.
Keywords: Learning motivation; Effective science learning; Interactive technology; Augmented Reality; ARCS; Exemplary case
4. Developing Interest in STEM through Mentor Mentee Program
Marlina Ali & Corrienna Abdul Talib
The Johor Young Innovators Challenge Programme is one of the programmes in Malaysia to help youth to develop technical and life skills in areas which consist of system, problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurship through workshops, competitions and boot camp. The programme consists of three phases that are capable of producing a generation with enhanced interest in science and technology. The roadshows and boot camp were aimed at creating awareness and as a platform for the organizing committee to work with teacher in-charge in identifying talented individuals for the Young Innovators Team Challenge. This paper describes how this programme was able to affect the participants’ interest especially in science and technology by using questionnaire method to measure the level of interest of participants. Using purposive sampling technique, the survey instrument consisting 30 items and 3 constructs was distributed to 27 respondents who were inspired by the items being analysed under three constructs, i.e. mentor competency, career and interest. The method called as Young Innovate STEM questionnaire (YISTEM) A was implemented to identify the level of interest of respondents towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) after joining the programme. The data obtained from the questionnaire which were analyzed by using Rasch Model revealed that The Young Innovators Challenge program appears to have been successful in boosting undergraduate students’ interest in STEM.
Keywords: STEM mentor mentee; STEM; Young Innovators Challenge; Interest towards STEM; Training the Trainers (TTT)
Miranda Yeoh Poh Khoon
Problem-based Learning (PBL) is practised in Malaysian universities, but it is rarely carried out in Malaysian secondary schools. Hence SEAMEO RECSAM conducts PBL courses on a regular basis, to introduce teachers to PBL. The 32 respondents of this study were selected from a large group of Malaysian teachers who had attended the 2017 STEM Workshops at SEAMEO RECSAM. The literature showed that the benefits of PBL come at a price, in that PBL requires more ICT resources and facilitation by educators who have reported the task as difficult and frustrating. The author facilitated this class of PBL, and can thus share the first-hand experiences. Six research questions were answered in this study. The author found that although it was challenging to see to the needs of 32 individuals, it was not frustrating as there were positive findings. The respondents agreed that the PBL lesson was appropriately conducted, and was aware that the roles of the teacher and students have shifted in PBL. All the respondents (except for one) were willing and confident to practise PBL in some of their lessons with their students. This implied that certain educators adapted more easily to be a facilitator of PBL than other who was more difficult to be convinced. It is hoped that more teachers will be empowered through training of PBL facilitation skills in the subsequent year with the knowledge and experience gained through this study.
Keywords: Problem-based learning (PBL); Facilitating PBL; Role of facilitator; Constructivism; Real world learning
Natthasurachet Promsing, Karnchanaphan Phromsing, Ng Khar Thoe & Lee Tan Luck
The world is full of abundant resources that are untapped. This is especially pertinent during the pre-digital era in the countries that emphasize on agriculture including the products that are produced by indigenous groups. This study aims at exemplifying methodologies with evidences of transfer of knowledge and enhanced thinking/technology/life skills among science learners and community members involving indigenous groups through technology-enhanced learning (TEL) project-based activities (PBA) and/or other strategies in selected schools in Ubon Ratchthani, Thailand. Literature review is also made on trans-disciplinary approaches and other cases or lessons learnt. Mixed-research methods were used involving case study and documentary analysis on the output of collaborative inquiry through technology-enhanced PBA. The analysis of document was made on archival records, portfolios including journals and diagrams/photos of activities posted on Edmodo e-platform sub-themes entitled ‘Conservation Wise Use of Resources’ (ConWUR) and ‘Learning Transdisciplinary Science integrating Mathematics/ Arts-Language-Culture/Engineering-Environmental Education-Economics/ Technology’ (LearnT-SMArET). In addition, videos recorded on the technology-enhanced science PBA integrating indigenous knowledge and skills were also analysed. The findings revealed that among the useful indigenous knowledge and skills that could be transferred through TEL include preservation of food, producing agricultural products, finding crabs in rice fields, etc. The issues and challenges addressed in this study as well as implication and numerous further research activities that could be implemented are elaborated. The administration of on-line survey entitled ‘Attitudes towards the Use of Digital-tools and Application of Philosophy of Sufficient Economy’ (ATUDAPOSE) through Google form is also discussed.
Keywords: Exemplary practices; Project-based Activities; ICT integration; Primary science curriculum; Indigenous knowledge and skills; Technology-enhanced learning
Corrienna Abdul Talib, Hassan Aliyu, Marlina Ali, Adi Maimun Abdul Malik & Kang Hooi Siang
In Malaysia, teachers are very curious in finding out what strategy or model or a platform readily fosters critical and creative thinking skills on the students. The advent of web-based learning platform, as an interactive idea that utilizes web and technological instruments that are either electronic or web-appropriated or web-fit for the purposes of teaching and learning. This study presents a review on web-based learning which provides a judgement on the cultivation of thinking skills through Sakai, online visual learning platform in Malaysia’s educational institutions. A systematic review is made on the previous research related to online visual learning that were published between 2010 and 2017 concentrating on web-based learning that enhances creative and critical thinking skills as well as effective instructional materials. Discussions are focused on the recently emerged improved version of web-based learning platform called “Sakai” with which teachers can utilize various strategies and tools from the platform in virtually many devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets to design an instruction that will cultivate critical and creative thinking skills in their students. In conclusion, the promotion of thinking skills is still the focus subject and the most important aim of education in Malaysia. Hence Sakai as an important visual learning platform has a promising path for cultivating those skills required in the Malaysian educational system that has gone through a transformation since the improvement of web technology.
Keywords: Sakai; Web-based learning; Thinking skills; Visual learning
8. STEM ASEAN Project to Promote 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Norlizawaty Baharin & Nurzatulshima Kamarudin
The initiative of integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in educational curriculum in schools is one of the efforts by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to encourage students’ interest and involvement in STEM. One of the fundamental keys 21st century pedagogical approach to effective learning, meaningful learning and deep understanding of knowledge is the integration of STEM in school lessons. This knowledge is then applied into project-based learning approach introduced in this study. STEM ASEAN is a project initiated among three schools in ASEAN countries that involves collaboration and creation of STEM based presentations in accordance to the given topic. This article illustrates the projects that were carried out with the help of a systematic schedule that has been planned and mutually agreed in implementing this project. Case study approach supported by Technology-enhanced Learning was used for data collection and analysis. The schools involved are Sultan Alam Shah School Putrajaya, Taman Bukit Maluri Secondary School and Panntagon International School of Myanmar. The topic for this project was ‘Endangered Species in ASEAN Countries’. The students were formed into 11 groups and each group was required to choose an endangered animal found in ASEAN countries. Once the endangered animal was chosen, research through information gathering and collaborative learning was carried out. Collaboration and info sharing were facilitated through Skype and Microsoft OneNote software. After finishing the tasks, the groups created simple presentations as true evidence to exemplify their understanding of their research. This project indicates that collaboration in STEM learning can be carried out even among different countries. Although there are various challenges such as different cultures and languages, the use of technology can solve the problem.
Keywords: STEM education; Endangered species; Collaboration; Technology-enhanced learning; Blended-learning platforms
9. Implementation of Inquiry-Based Science Education: Issues, Exemplars and Recommendations
Mazura Khalik, Corrienna Abdul Talib & Intan Bidayu Mohd. Rafi
The introduction of Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE) in education field was inspired by constructivist learning theory. Constructivism refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge and concepts for themselves. IBSE provides some of the criteria required by the 21st century learning including creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. This study reports the output through systematic review on some of the implementation of IBSE approaches that were familiar and effective to be used in Science education such as 5E Model, 7E Model and Process–Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL). Some of the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches were determined. It was proven that the effect of these approaches influences the students’ achievement, attitude and self - confidence towards Science subject. Many problems encountered by the Science instructors were detailed out so that a variety of modification methods could be highlighted. A great number of teachers explained that they did not have a higher self–efficacy to carry out the task based on IBSE principles. This was due to insufficient time, resource materials and incompetent teaching skills. The ZYL Triangle Model was recommended to be applied by the Science educators. It was an effective pedagogy approach whereby its objective was to assist and guide teachers to conduct the classroom and laboratory session systematically.
Keywords: Constructivist; Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE); 5E/7E model; Process–Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL); ZYL model; self–efficacy
Suma Parahakaran, Egbert Weisheit, Ng Khar Thoe & Corrienna Abdul Talib
Promoting healthy lifestyle with awareness on various values-based issues related to environmental education (EE) is the basic aspect to the survival of mankind. In the advent of digital era, the availability of technological tools and e-platforms also facilitate the learning processes of Science/Mathematics and Environmental Education more flexibly in a borderless world, thus making the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) call for goal No. 4 (Quality education) possible. This article presents case exemplars prepared by authors who are collaborating partners from different institutions in SEAMEO region and beyond in response to SDG No. 17 (Partnerships for the goals). Case study approach is used to exemplify how Science and Environmental Education supported by blended-mode platforms could be implemented. Findings are reported including documentary analysis of e-forum posts on Edmodo social learning platform and archival records extracted from ‘e-Bug’ online education implemented in Germany related to exemplars of technology-enhanced values-based environmental education. Printscreens of interactive e-forum discussions, reflective journals and online posts are illustrated, i.e. ‘Telecare and Healthy Lifestyle’ (TeleHeal) and ‘Values-based Sustainable Education’ (VaBSE) subthemes under the ‘Learning Science and Mathematics Together’ in a borderless world [abbreviated as LeSMaT(Borderless)] initiated by SEAMEO RECSAM. The analysis revealed that there are varied possibilities in which students can learn collectively to address social issues and support capacity building through integration of ICT in EE topics under the subthemes of TeleHeal and VaBSE among stakeholders of collaborative communities from within SEAMEO region and beyond through flexible e-learning. The implications of study will be discussed with suggestions for the way forward to promote EE integrating ICT from pre-school to tertiary levels in line with the aspired SDGs No. 3 (Good health and well-being), No. 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and No. 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), to name a few.
Keywords: Environmental Education; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Flexible e-learning; Capacity building; Blended-mode platforms