Editorial Board (Issue 14 - 2019)


Editor-in-Chief

Ng Khar Thoe (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM, MALAYSIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)  


Managing Editor

Murugan Rajoo (Dr.)(Research and Development Division, SEAMEO RECSAM, 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.)(Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Corrienna Abdul Talib (Dr.)(Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Diyana Mahmud (Dr.)(Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan 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.)
Indarjani (Dr.)(SEAMEO QITEP in Science, INDONESIA)(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.)
Lukman Nulhakim (Mr.)(SEAMEO QITEP in Science, INDONESIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Mohamad Sattar Rasul (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)(Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Mohd. Effendi@Ewan b. Mohd. Matore (Dr.)(Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(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.)
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.)
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.)(School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 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.)
Pedro Lucis Montecillo (Dr.)(Education Program Supervision, Division of Calbayog, PHILIPPINES) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Por Fei Ping (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.)
Rajendra Kumar (Prof. Dr.)(Greater Noida Institute of Technology, INDIA) (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Roslinda Rosli (Dr.)( Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Siti Mistima Mat Saat (Dr.)(Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 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.)
Toh Tin Tam (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)(National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 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.)
Zanaton Iksan (Dr.)(Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, MALAYSIA)(Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)



Contents

1. Development of a Module for Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving at Primary Level

Yong Huiwen & Toh Tin Lam


In this paper, the researchers describe their conceptualization of module for teaching mathematical problem solving at the upper primary level on topics Measurement and Geometry.  The conceptualization is based on the mathematics practical paradigm that has been used for teaching problem solving at the secondary level. One highlight of the teaching module that was developed is a set of scaffolding guide for enacting the primary mathematics problem solving lesson together with the use of the problem solving “practical worksheet” that was designed. The researchers explicate the pedagogical principles in designing the scaffolding questions in the practical worksheet. The modified practical worksheet provides teachers with a scaffold for enacting problem solving lesson. A set of four problems was chosen, the genre of which is quite uncommon for high-stake national examinations but are mathematically rich problems to be used in the upper primary mathematics curriculum. Suggestions are made on how the package can be used through the lesson plans that were developed for the lessons.

Keywords: Mathematical problem solving; Polya’s problem solving model; Geometry; Upper primary level

 

2. Limiting Factors among Teachers to Use Graphic Calculator in Their Teaching and Learning

Parthiban Arumugam, Corrienna Abdul Talib, Nur Wahidah Ab Hakim, Cicih Wiarsih & Subuh Anggoro


Over the century, technology has shown to be one of the important tools for advancement in education. An exemplar in the development of technology in education can be seen in the usage of Graphic Calculator (GC). Most of the developed country is implementing the usage of GC and a positive achievement is recorded. Although Malaysia also started implementing GC, but there are factors that hinders the full implementation. As the teachers are the key personnel of teaching and learning, the purpose of this study is to determine and understand the factors affecting teachers in using GC in their lessons. A qualitative study by face to face interview was carried out among 6 teachers from school. These teachers were chosen using purposive sampling. Content of interview was examined using thematic analysis. Based on the analysis, five factors from teachers were derived which are: 1) lack of knowledge, 2) no exposure, 3) not interested, 4) negative assumption and 5) extra workload. Hence it can be concluded that teachers also contribute to the limiting factor in the usage of GC in education. Implications and suggested further studies are discussed.

Keywords: Graphic Calculator; Science and Mathematics Education; Digital tool

 

3. Raising Environmental Worldview of Pre-service Teachers in a Biology Course: An Evaluative Study   

Chin Chee Keong, Rohana bt. Mahadzir, Jessie B. Aquino & Lee Sze Yien


Teacher education programme can be capitalised to raise awareness of teachers to have a positive environmental worldview to serve the purpose of teaching environmental education across different subjects. 'Biological Diversity' is a compulsory course for pre-service teachers whose major is Science in the Malaysian teacher education institute. This course was conducted in blended learning mode in which Facebook was used to complement face-to-face interactions between lecturers and pre-service teachers. This article elaborates on the structure and objectives of a technology-enhanced 'Biological Diversity' course in raising environmental worldview of pre-service teachers and evaluation of Facebook as a learning tool. New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) survey items were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the course to improve pre-service teachers’ environmental worldview. Qualitative framework analysis was performed on respondents’ open-ended responses in a pen-and-paper survey, and posts on Facebook, a social media platform to interpret pre-service teachers’ feedback on the use of Facebook for blended learning. The change in the mean scores of the NEP scale before and after the course revealed improvement in the pre-service teachers’ pro-environmental worldview. Their response posted on Facebook also indicated that the ‘Biological Diversity’ course had made them more environmental conscious. However Facebook was not found to be a favourable learning tool for this course. The findings in this study provide insight on embedded environmental education in teacher training programmes and the use of online learning platform in supporting environmental education. 

Keywords: Blended learning; Environmental education; Teacher education

 

4. STEM Education as a Catalyst for National Development: Problems and Prospects in Nigeria

Yaro Umar


The development of any country depends largely on the considerable attention given to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. This is because rapid economic growth is achieved through utilisation of scientific research as well as application of STEM knowledge and skills in the real life situations. This article therefore, discusses STEM education in the light of Nigerian context, its vital role for promoting national development. The paper is guided by four objectives and research questions. Systematic review approach was adopted for the review of the literature relevant to the research questions raised on problems in educational system related to low enrolment and poor achievements in science subjects. From the analysis of various studies, it was found that teaching methods, workload, language, resource utilisation and poor teacher quality constitute major challenges which hinder effective STEM Education delivery in Nigeria. The paper concludes that it is necessary for stakeholders to rise up to the challenges faced in the 21st century in terms of STEM education delivery. Teachers trained with pedagogical approaches related to STEM education must be ready to create or provide situations where students can learn effectively and by themselves. Among the recommendations include  resource utilisation should be ensured, laboratory assistants should be employed to assist teachers with large class size during practical, workshop and seminars should be organised periodically to upgrade teachers’ knowledge possession and language should be simple for ease of understanding.

Keywords: STEM education; National development; Problems; Prospects

 

5. Implementing Technology Infused Gamification in Science Classroom: Systematic Review and Suggestions for Future Research

Parimalah Loganathan, Corrienna Abdul Talib, Ng Khar Thoe, Faruku Aliyu & Rainer Zawadski


It is rather a challenging task for educators nowadays to get their digital native students engaged and motivated throughout the learning in spite of the emerging intensive demand for personalized learning and new technologies. For this reason, it is crucial for educators to think of creative ways to attract their students' attention and enhance their learning especially for subjects like science that needs highly conceptual understanding. Gamification is becoming a popular trend in the education world as a teaching tool that uses elements of games in a non-gaming context. This paper aims to review on implementation of technology infused gamification in science classrooms. A systematic review was conducted to analyze previous studies on three types of technology infused gamification which are currently implemented widely. Most of the studies agreed that technology infused gamification settings which were well planned and executed in classrooms successfully served their purpose by providing a fun, improving motivation in learning; hence, increasing students’ engagement. There are some limitations to make gamified learning meaningful that was highlighted by a few studies, including poor wireless connection and elements of games like awards that pave the way for competition and demotivation. Few suggestions were proposed to be considered by educators when planning to implement gamification in classroom settings.

Keywords: Gamification; Technology; Science classroom; Sytematic review

 

6. An Investigation on Teachers’ Perceptions on the Nature of Classroom Inquiry Questions

Lee Shok Mee


Science and mathematics teachers usually ask many questions in an inquiry lesson. But when teachers are asked about their perception of a question, often they seem to have problem to provide a clear cut answer. Hence, the main aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the nature of questions. It also espouses the notion of the questions that are stimulating as well as able to help students to think and learn. This study used survey that was administered at particular point of time to collect data from different cohorts of teachers’ perception of a question based on a list of the pre-described statements. The investigator set the preselected response choices as either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each of the statement. The respondents were classroom teachers who attended in-service science and mathematics education courses in SEAMEO RECSAM at various times over a period of three years. Most of these teachers were from SEAMEO countries. The rest of respondents were from the Colombo Plan member countries and Africa. The analysis of the findings revealed that, surprisingly, a substantial number of teachers thought that a question must be a statement ending with a question mark. Such erroneous perception was found to be fairly prevalent despite the fact that teachers habitually use questioning as a prompting process to elicit responses from students, to strengthen their higher order thinking skills and stimulate deeper understanding in learning. In conclusion, an extended investigation is suggested on a wider cross-sectional study to uncover further information about science and mathematics educators’ perception and comprehension about questions.

Keywords: Questioning; Perception; Thinking; Learning 

 

7. Dominant Instructional Practices and Their Challenges of Implementation in Integrated STEM Education: A Systematic Review with the Way Forward

Mazura Khalik, Corrienna Abdul Talib, Hassan Aliyu, Marlina Ali & Mohd. Ali Samsudin  


STEM education plays an important role in 21st-century learning. It is believed that the use of appropriate and effective instructional practices in STEM education can raise the students’ interest and academic achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Thus, this study intended to investigate the most utilized strategy among various types of instructional practices used for integrated STEM education in secondary school to promote teachers and students’ interest. It employs a systematic review of 10 selected articles from the year 2011 to 2018. Four most visited search engines were used to search for related articles published. The search process was executed in two phases.  A total of 11,342 papers were obtained from the first phase searching result in which after series of screenings, the result was narrowed to 10 articles in the second phase. In the second phase, these 10 articles were analyzed based on the challenges encountered by teachers in implementing the STEM approach and various types of instructional practices used for integrated STEM education. The result of the analysis revealed that the most challenges encountered by teachers in implementing the STEM approach were the negative perception related to time, resources and knowledge constraints. Moreover, the findings indicate that the dominant instructional practice preferably used in secondary schools integrated STEM education was project-based learning (PjBL) where the combination of four disciplines can be integrated into an authentic problem or project.  Suggestions made focus on a variety of approaches with detailed content and lesson plan to guide implementation of integrated STEM education.

Keywords: Integrated STEM education; STEM in secondary schools; Constructivist approach; Systematic review; Instructional practices

 

8. Promoting Students’ Interest in STEM Education through Robotics Competition-based Learning: Case Exemplars and the Way Forward

Pang Yee Jiea, Tay Choo Chuan, Sharifah Sakinah Syed Ahmad & Ng Khar Thoe


Robotics Competition-Based Learning (R-CBL) is transformed from project-based learning, while involving teams of students in an open-ended project with competition as the outcomes. The integration of competition components into project-based-learning is to enhance the interest and motivation of students to present the best product. The main aim of this study is to examine whether Robotics Competition-based Learning in the context of International Robot Olympics Malaysia 2019 (IROM’19) would impact on students’ interest towards STEM learning.  The sample size consisted of 200 participants aged 10-16 who answered the survey voluntarily to show their interest towards STEM. The data from open-ended responses of the survey were analyzed qualitatively whilst observation rubric during the competition is used to explore the creative design for each project. The study indicated a positive change in students’ attitude towards STEM specified in engineering and technology constructs after the Robotics Competition-based Learning.

Keywords: Robotics; Competition; STEM education

 

9. Creative Teaching Aids, HOTS and Achievement in PISA

Miranda P. Yeoh & Yuji Otsuka


In this paper, the authors discussed that 21st century education outcomes should include the components of 4Cs: critical thinking, creativity, the ability to communicate clearly, and to be collaborative.  Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) include transfer of learning in another context or situation, critical thinking and problem-solving.  21st century skills include HOTS.  The authors conducted a workshop to introduce in-service teachers on how to prepare teaching aids. This article briefly discusses the methods of making three teaching aids and their purposes. The teaching aids clearly demonstrate clearly science concepts including forces and the effects of forces: such as gravity, tension in strings, friction, resultant force, and projectile motion. The respondents who are science teaechers observed that the three creative products, i.e. the “Climbing Monkey”, the “Nail Motor” and the “Straw Rocket” could be used as toys to engage pupils in critical thinking and problem-solving, components of HOTS.  Analysis of data was also made on the survey administered, in which  science teachers agreed that these aids were useful to illustrate the laws of science, simple, inexpensive, as well as quick to make and to assemble. They also commented that pupils are likely stimulated to be more creative, and to be critical thinkers. This suggests that the making and using of creative teaching aids in active learning environment that fosters inquiry-oriented experiments, collaboration as well as communication among teacher  and students will provide opportunities for students to practise and develop 21st century skills including HOTS. In addition, teachers who encourage students to make and use these teaching aids will likely enhance their own pedagogy. Developing students’ HOTS and teacher pedagogy are factors that contribute to improving students’ science achievements in PISA, the Programme for International Student Assessment that assesses what students can do with what they know. The authors conclude with the significance and implications of this study with suggestions for the way forward.

Keywords: Higher order thinking skills; 21st century skills; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; Creative teaching aids; PISA

 

10. The Impact of Project-based Learning Integrating STEM on Vocational School Students’ Creativity in Mathematics

Wahyu Ning Dewi Kumalaretna

The STEM integrated learning is a program that combines two or more fields of science contained in STEM, i.e. ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’ to involve students in defining and formulating a solution to authentic problems in the real world. This article reports the findings of a quasi-experimental one group pretest posttest design, aimed at examining the effect of project-based learning integrating STEM   on mathematical creative thinking abilities. The study involved 36 students of a vocational school, and used a set of creative thinking skills tests and a survey questionnaire, as well as observation guidelines and interviews as instruments. The analysis of findings reveals that the average achievement of students' creative thinking abilities after the input of project-based learning integrating STEM increased compared to before the input, as analysed using the Wilcoxon-marked rank test which showed the differences in achievement abilities before and after learning that differed significantly. This means that the application of project-based learning integrating STEM was carried out effectively in improving students' creative thinking abilities.  The results of descriptive data analysis show the increase of students’ ability to think creatively based on the Beginning Mathematical Ability (BMA) survey in which at all levels of BMA, the ability of students is in the high and medium categories. There are positive results from the analysis of the data extracted from the questionnaire, interviews and observations. Hence the application of project-based learning integrating STEM at vocational high schools is highly recommended.

Keywords:  STEM; Project-baesd learning; Mathematical creative thinking skills