IMPLEMENTATION OF YEAR 4 MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Kamar d!" #!" Ha$! A%mad Se'olah 7endah !a)ohai ))rudyn8+mail.com Leo"& Yo"& Pa' 9ni"ersiti Brunei Darussalam yon+pa'.leon+8u)d.edu.)n

ABSTRACT This research set out to study the implementation of the new intended Year 4 mathematics curriculum in Brunei Darussalam. In this study, PISA-adapted school uestionnaires, TI!SSadapted teacher uestionnaires, PISA-adapted pupil uestionnaires and inter"iew, semi-structured inter"iews, and TI!SS #$$%-adapted test uestions were used to e&amine the implementation of the new Year 4 mathematics curriculum in ten primary schools in the Bera'as-(am)a' area. The adapted TI!SS-test was then compared with the pupils* performance in their School Pro+ress Assessment, SPA ,School-)ased assessment, SBA, and school-)ased e&amination, SB-.. /uantitati"e and ualitati"e data +athered from lesson o)ser"ations were used to +enerate detailed perspecti"es a)out each of the nine lessons to characterise the practices of the ten intended s'ills in the implementation of the new year 4 mathematics curriculum in those classrooms. The findin+s re"ealed that all the teachers "iewed SPA ,SBA and SB-. as challen+in+ and need a lot of time and preparation. The mathematics teachers e&pressed the need for more useful and rele"ant courses such as implementin+ SP0#1 peda+o+ies that match their needs. !ore resources, for e&ample, computers, internet access and teachin+ aids are also needed. !oreo"er the pupils were also not spendin+ much time on their studies at home. Parental in"ol"ement, moti"ation and +uidance seem to )e inade uate at home. Thou+h most of the teachers were a)le to implement the intended year 4 mathematics curriculum, the pupils did not perform as well in international le"el test items. Implementation of SP0#1 mathematics in Bera'as-(am)a' primary schools is seen to )e pro+ressin+ positi"ely thou+h pupils* pro)lem-sol"in+ a)ilities could )e further challen+ed. Some aspects of 2PD, teachin+ and learnin+ resources, and assessment could )e further impro"ed. The in"ol"ement of parents in their children*s learnin+ could also )e stren+thened. Keywords: Primary school mathematics curriculum implementation INTRODUCTION In Brunei, !athematics is tau+ht in -n+lish from Year 1 in the new 0ational -ducation System for the #1st 2entury ,SP0#1. which pro"ides Bruneian children with the new primary school mathematics curriculum. SP0#1 mathematics aims to de"elop the a)ility to calculate, estimate and sol"e mathematical pro)lems ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. This study in"esti+ated the implementation of the intended new Year 4 mathematics curriculum in primary schools in Brunei Darussalam. SP0#1 intends to pro"ide a )etter mathematical foundation to ena)le the learners to )e e uipped with sufficient mathematical 'nowled+e and s'ills that will ser"e them well )oth within the classroom and in the world at lar+e ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. Thus the teacher*s role as an a+ent of chan+e is si+nificant in SP0#1. As a result, the !inistry of -ducation has pro"ided teachers with professional de"elopment wor'shops and )riefin+ )y officers from the 2urriculum De"elopment Department and the Department of Schools. 6urthermore, there are on+oin+ professional de"elopment wor'shops at the uni"ersity which can enhance teachers* 'nowled+e to )e more effecti"e mathematics teachers. -"ery year schools are pro"ided with new teachin+ resources which can )e used )y teachers for teachin+. 6urthermore, there are new te&t)oo's and wor')oo's for mathematics from Sin+apore. They are attracti"e and

colorful. The acti"ities and e&ercises are interestin+ and challen+in+ for pupils and useful for teachers. SP0#1 also recommends that lessons should )e more pupil-centred with pupils participatin+ more acti"ely in challen+in+ +roup acti"ities durin+ lessons. The on+oin+ Buildin+ Impro"ement of Schools and Infrastructure pro:ect ,BISAI. a fla+ship effort under the Department of -state Plannin+ and !ana+ement, !inistry of -ducation, is intended to systematically and holistically impro"e the infrastructure of schools. It is a mo"e towards pro"idin+ schools with )etter facilities for teachin+, learnin+ and sports acti"ities ,4ementerian Pendidi'an, #$$%.. Schools will )e more conduci"e for pupil-centred teachin+ and learnin+. In SP0#1, teachers should facilitate their classroom layout for )etter pupil; pupil, pupil-class and pupil-teacher uality interactions ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. 6inally, most primary school teachers ha"e )een made aware of the intended SP0#1 curricula chan+es to the mathematics curriculum, especially the teachin+ of the su):ect in -n+lish from Year 1. Teachers can teach more effecti"ely with the inno"ati"e use of technolo+y ,(eon+, #$$5.. Pre"iously, teachers mi+ht use concrete and static manipulati"es in their lessons. 0owadays, with the help of I2T, Bruneian teachers ha"e unlimited access to a "ariety of mathematics information and interacti"e acti"ities a"aila)le on the internet. These can )e accessed from the !inistry of -ducation we)site ,www.moe.edu.+o".)n. and the STA7 !athematics teacher*s +uide )oo's 4A and 4B. <an+ and =>Dwyer ,#$11. e&amined international trends in technolo+y use and e&plored international patterns in how teacher-directed, student-use of technolo+y is related to mathematics achie"ement. They conducted analyses to predict mathematics performance usin+ measures of teacher-directed, student-use of technolo+y and found the lac' of relationship )etween technolo+y use and mathematics performance. (oo'in+ across countries within the TI!SS #$$? and #$$% administrations, or across the two administrations within countries, they found that technolo+y use was infre uently related to mathematics performance. This reinforced findin+s )y (eon+ ,#$$5. that how teachers and students use technolo+y to e&plore mathematics and enhance interactions of uality teachin+ and learnin+ are what matters. The new mathematics assessment includes assessment as learnin+, assessment for learnin+ and assessment of learnin+. These three different approaches emphasi@e the roles of pupils to assess themsel"es and their peers. The roles of teachers and pupils in see'in+ and interpretin+ e"idence are )oth formati"e and summati"e in nature. The new mathematics assessments are intended to pro"ide accurate information a)out different aspects of children*s learnin+ and reduce stress on summati"e assessment practices. Thus, teachers need to monitor pupils* pro+ress, assess readiness or new learnin+, o)tain feed)ac' on the success of particular approaches, identify areas of stren+ths and wea'nesses, and plan effecti"e lessons ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, 3P4, #$$5.. In the old curriculum all Year A pupils had to ta'e the Penilaian Se'olah 7endah ,PS7. e&amination )efore they are promoted to the secondary school le"el. In the new mathematics curriculum, the o"erall e&amination mar' is not only )ased on year si& )ut it also includes year fi"e SPA and special school-)ased mental computation. P r(ose o) *%e S* dy The purpose of the study was to in"esti+ate how well the intended mathematics curriculum of SP0#1 is )ein+ implemented for Year 4 !athematics and how well the pupils ha"e learned !athematics in (am)a'Bera'as Schools. The intended aims and focus of the new mathematics curriculum as stated )y 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, ,#$$5. are as follows. 1. S'ills #. 9nderstandin+ ?. Stimulate pupils* interest 4. A)ility to interpret and communicate B. !athematics Processes A. !ental !athematics %. !athematics Acti"ity ,indi"idual or +roup. 5. !athematics 7easonin+ C. Disualisation 1$. Eroup wor' The use of si& modes of representations in mathematics is also su++ested )y the new curriculum. They are real life, concrete, dia+ram, "er)al, technolo+y and sym)olic representations. This study also in"esti+ated if all the modes of representations are used effecti"ely in mathematics lessons. !c0er+ney and Fer)ert ,1CC5. +a"e e&amples of instructional approaches such as teachin+ pupils how to learn throu+h scaffoldin+ and in uiry learnin+. These approaches are also recommended in the new mathematics curriculum and were in"esti+ated if they are practised )y teachers. <ith these considerations in mind, this study sou+ht to e&plore preliminary issues and challen+es faced )y schools, teachers and pupils in the teachin+ and learnin+ of the new mathematics curriculum. Due to time and resource constraints, this study was also confined to a @one cluster of ten schools. The year #$$C mar'ed the )e+innin+ of implementation of SP0#1. The new mathematics curriculum focus on pupils* a)ility to

communicate findin+s and pro"ide e&planations. The curriculum also focus on pro"idin+ pupils with s'ills and understandin+, stimulate pupils* interest in mathematics, a)ility to interpret and communicate mathematics ideas, de"elop an understandin+ in maths processes, a)ility to use mental maths, practice maths acti"ities ,indi"idual and +roup wor'., ma'e correct decisions usin+ "aried reasonin+, and "isualisation and +roup wor'. Therefore this study sou+ht to e"aluate the e&tent to which the Bera'as-(am)a' mathematics teachers are pro"idin+ the "ital 'nowled+e and s'ills su++ested )y the new mathematics curriculum. In addition, this study e&amined pupils* performance )ased on international adapted TI!SS test uestions. !ore specifically, this study sou+ht to address the followin+ research uestions. 1. Fow prepared are the teachers to implement the new intended curriculum for mathematics in Year 4G ,<hat are the professional de"elopment courses that teachers ha"e attended and how confident are they in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumG. #. Fow do the teachers implement the new mathematics curriculum in Year 4G ?. Fow are pupils performin+ in the school-)ased assessment ,SBA. and school-)ased e&amination ,SB-. as well as in international-le"el types of test uestionsG LITERATURE RE+IE, This study is an in"esti+ation of the implementation of the new mathematics curriculum in Brunei Darussalam. 4ilpatric' ,#$$C. e&plained that HcurriculumI is deri"ed from the (atin word for course or career which refers to actual e&periences and not a)out intentions, )ut reality. !c0er+ney and Fer)ert ,1CC5. defined curriculum as 'nowled+e and s'ills that schools are held accounta)le for helpin+ students master the sylla)us. They also re"ealed that the de"elopment of curriculum is dri"en )y a "ariety of competin+ "alues and philosophies a)out +oals, content, and or+ani@ation of education pro+rams. Fowe"er, curriculum also refers to the e&periences, )oth planned and unplanned, that enhance ,and sometimes impede. the education and +rowth of students ,Par'ay, 1CC5.. Accordin+ to !c0er+ney and Fer)ert ,1CC5. a curriculum has e&plicit, implicit, e&tra and inte+rated contents and elements. Teachers should adopt an interdisciplinary approach ma'in+ connections across su):ect areas, use thematic approaches, and discuss and colla)orate with other teachers. The new SP0#1 mathematics curriculum #$$C has all these elements. Ma*%ema*!-s Lear"!"& Fi+h in the new intended mathematics curriculum are the roles of teachers in de"elopin+ children*s mathematical thin'in+ and reasonin+, and pro)lem-sol"in+ a)ilities throu+h in"esti+ati"eJin uiry acti"ities, and pro)lem sol"in+. In uiry learnin+ ena)les students to try to answer uestions and sol"e pro)lems )ased on facts and o)ser"ations ,!c0er+ney K Fer)ert, 1CC5.. 7eforms in mathematics curricula are more peda+o+ical in intent as in Brunei. Althou+h some reformers aim at a +reater inclusion of topics from applied mathematics in the curriculum, most efforts are aimed at +ettin+ students more acti"ely in"ol"ed in learnin+ the mathematics )y ma'in+ the content more meanin+ful and en+a+in+ them in in"esti+ati"e wor' ,4ilpatric', #$$C.. The aims and o):ecti"es of international contemporary mathematics curricula are complementary to the intended curriculum of Brunei which stress the followin+ elements from the Brunei framewor' and +uidelines for curriculum and assessment ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum 3P4, #$$5.. SP0#1 aims to stimulate children*s interest in mathematics and encoura+e +ood learnin+ ha)its, the a)ility to sol"e mathematical pro)lems and thin' clearly and lo+ically ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. Accordin+ to TI!SS ,1CC%. in nearly e"ery country, an o"erwhelmin+ ma:ority of fourth +raders reported that they li'e or stron+ly li'e mathematics and science. Boys and +irls were e ually positi"e. In addition, for time spent to study and do homewor' for normal school days, fourth +rade students in most countries reported a"era+in+ appro&imately an hour in mathematics and )etween a half-hour and an hour studyin+ science. !oreo"er, teachers in most countries reported that mathematics classes typically meet for three or four hours a wee', on a"era+e. In traditional teachin+ teachers ,includin+ in Brunei. teach and pupils listen without much interaction amon+ them. This limits pupils* in"ol"ement and communication. The new mathematics curriculum for year 4 emphasi@es that the mathematics classroom should pro"ide opportunities for pupils to read a)out, represent, "iew, write a)out, listen to and discuss mathematical ideas. In short, pupils need to communicate mathematical ideas clearly and effecti"ely, orally and in writin+. 2ommunication helps children ma'e connections amon+ different representations of mathematical ideas, namely physical, pictorial, sym)olic, +raphic, "er)al and mental representation ,02T!, #$$$.. 2ommunication is also important for pupils to clarify, reinforce or modify their own thin'in+ a)out mathematics or a)out the way a pro)lem is sol"ed. It is not enou+h to arri"e at an answer. Pupils must )e a)le to communicate effecti"ely how this answer was o)tained usin+ mathematical terminolo+y

,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. !ental computation is a com)ination of mental strate+ies that enhances fle&i)le thin'in+ and num)er sense. !ental computation in the new curriculum in Brunei can help impro"e computation fluency )ecause it emphasi@es the mental processes in"ol"ed in computation ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. !ental computation pro"ides the )asis for all estimation processes. Throu+h estimation pupils determine appro&imate "alues of uantities and computation throu+h the use of )enchmar's or referents ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. In the teachin+ of computational estimation, the emphases should )e on how, when, and what strate+y to use when estimatin+ or computin+ mentally ,3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum, #$$5.. 2olla)orati"e learnin+ is concerned with constructin+ meanin+ throu+h interactions with others and is an effecti"e teachin+ and learnin+ strate+y for encoura+in+ the sharin+ of ideas and discussion. 2urrent research in the 94 su++est that the use of I2T ,information and computer technolo+y. can )e particularly effecti"e in supportin+ and encoura+in+ colla)orati"e learnin+ and this is )ein+ encoura+ed )y the Department for -ducation and S'ills. In addition, it is useful in helpin+ enhance lan+ua+e s'ills of )ilin+ual pupils which is also the case in Brunei. Thus, the most effecti"e uses of colla)orati"e relationship are when teachers and learners core+ulate one another*s learnin+, offerin+ support, whether wor'in+ alone, in pairs or small +roups that reflect the climate of community and shared pro)lem sol"in+ ,<oolfor', !alcolm, K <al'up, #$$5.. Throu+h mathematical reasonin+ in the new curriculum, pupils are a)le to thin' lo+ically and ma'e sense of mathematics. !athematical reasonin+ fosters pupils to de"elop confidence in their a)ility to reason and :ustify ,3P4, #$$5.. -n+lish ,1CC%. defined reasonin+ as the transfer of structural information from one system, the )ase, to another system, the tar+et. This transfer of 'nowled+e is achie"ed throu+h matchin+ or mappin+ processes, which in"ol"ed findin+ the relational correspondences )etween the two systems. 7easonin+ lies in children*s interpretation of concrete and pictorialJdia+rammatic representation. 2hildren use such reasonin+ as a source of hypotheses a)out unfamiliar situations, as a source of pro)lem-sol"in+ operators and techni ues, and as an aid to learnin+ and transfer ,-n+lish, 1CC% p.4L Falford, 1CC1.. In addition, mathematical reasonin+ also refers to the a)ility to analyse mathematical situations and construct lo+ical ar+uments. It is a ha)it of mind that can )e de"eloped throu+h the applications of mathematics in different conte&ts ,2urriculum Plannin+ and De"elopment Di"ision Sin+apore, #$$A.. In +eneral, mathematical reasonin+ helps pupils to thin' lo+ically and ma'e sense of mathematics. This helps pupils to de"elop confidence in their a)ilities. . a/!*y Tea-%!"& /uality mathematics lessons as recommended in the new mathematics curriculum in Brunei should follow the si& principles su++ested )y the 0ational 2ouncil of Teachers of !athematics, 02T! ,#$$$., that is, school mathematics should address o"erarchin+ themes of e uity, curriculum, teachin+, learnin+, assessment, and technolo+y. In tryin+ to achie"e uality mathematics lessons teachers face many limitations. Accordin+ to TI!SS ,1CC%. in most countries, the factor that teachers mentioned most often as limitin+ how they teach mathematics and science was the challen+e of caterin+ to students of different academic a)ilities. =ther limitin+ factors were a hi+h student-teacher ratio, shorta+e of e uipment for use in instruction, and the )urden of dealin+ with disrupti"e students. Accordin+ to TI!SS ,1CC%. the te&t)oo' was the ma:or written source mathematics teachers used in decidin+ how to present a topic to their classes. In SP0#1 new te&t)oo's and wor')oo's for mathematics from Sin+apore are used. They are attracti"e and colorful. The acti"ities and e&ercises are interestin+ and challen+in+ for pupils and useful for teachers. =n the other hand, TI!SS ,1CC%. also stated that home factors, such as educational resources and )oo's in the home, were stron+ly related to mathematics and science achie"ement in all participatin+ countries. The 0ational !athematics Ad"isory Panel of the 9nited States ,#$$5. in their final report stated that !athematics teachin+ is an e&traordinarily comple& acti"ity in"ol"in+ interactions amon+ teachers, students, and the mathematics to )e learned in real classrooms. It in"ol"es ma'in+ choices a)out materials and tools to use, plannin+ ways to +roup and interact with students of differin+ )ac'+rounds and with differin+ interests and moti"ation. The Instructional Practices ,IP. Tas' Eroup reported that M Different practices and approaches impact different kinds of outcomes, ranging from computational performance, to real-world problem solving, to identifying extraneous problem information, to long-term participation and interest in studying mathematics. In the li+ht of such comple&ities, it is indeed dauntin+ to try to identify the issues and challen+es of implementation of the new Year 4 mathematics curriculum in Brunei. METHODOLO0Y This e&ploratory research in"esti+ated how Year 4 mathematics teachers in Brunei were implementin+ the new curriculum, the successes, issues and challen+es facin+ teachers and schools. The implementation of the new mathematics curriculum was e"aluated )ased on the ten elements hi+hli+hted in the Brunei curriculum, and performance of the pupils in the TI!SS-adapted test uestions. This study is couched in desi+n-)ased research

methodolo+y that is +enerati"e and transformati"e, and attempts to )rid+e theoretical research and educational practice in SP0#1. Such moti"ation has )een espoused )y 2astle and Aichele, 1CC4L 4elly, #$$?L (eon+, 2hon+, A)dullah and 2lements, #$$?L (eon+ and 6errer, ,1CC1.L Siu ,#$1$.L and <hite, 1C55. As succinctly e&pressed )y 2astle and Aichele ,1CC4. researchers colla)oratin+ in such in"esti+ations can de"elop into selfdirected professionals who are familiar with local conte&ts and culture, and search for answers from a need to 'now. They are then a)le to construct their own professional 'nowled+e without ha"in+ to )orrow it from e&perts or imported consultants. Resear-% Des!&" This study used mi&ed uantitati"e and ualitati"e research methods to answer the three research uestions. The uantitati"e research desi+n was used to +ather descripti"e data from the test and uestionnaires ,su):ects measured once. to e&plore associations )etween "aria)les. As with desi+n-)ased research in education, this descripti"e study attempted to )rid+e theory and practice and e&plored possi)ilities for creatin+ inno"ati"e learnin+ and teachin+ en"ironments. These prospects for desi+n-)ased research can also help de"elop theories of learnin+ and instruction that are conte&tually )ased, and increase our capacity for educational inno"ation ,Baum+artner, #$$?L 4elly, #$$?L !c2andliss, 4alchman K Bryant, #$$?.L Sha"elson, Phillips, Towne K 6euer, #$$?.. This research desi+n is a descripti"e uantitati"e research desi+n due to its e&ploratory nature in the early years of implementation of SP0#1. The findin+s could )e used to initiate sin+le-case research desi+ns that in"ol"e repeated, systematic measurement of "arious dependent "aria)les )efore, durin+, and after the acti"e manipulation of an independent "aria)le, e.+., applyin+ an SP0#1-recommended inter"ention. Such sin+le-case desi+ns can pro"ide a stron+ )asis for esta)lishin+ causal inferences ,4ratochwill, Fitchcoc', Forner, (e"in, =dom, 7inds'opf K Shadish, #$1$.. Sin+le-case desi+ns to+ether with re+ression-discontinuity methods and randomi@ed, controlled trials are now considered H+old standardI research )y the 9.S. Department of -ducation*s N<hat <or's 2learin+house* ,Spar's, #$1$.. Information was collected on the professional de"elopment courses that the teachers had attended, and how well they were implementin+ the new intended curriculum for mathematics in Year 4, includin+ the issues and challen+es they faced. Data on professional de"elopment courses for teachers on the new mathematics curriculum were collected from the teachers, schools and !inistry of -ducation. /ualitati"e data from inter"iews of teachers and pupils were used to indicate whether the teachers were implementin+ the recommended features of the new mathematics curriculum. The data were analysed to determine if the teachers were well-prepared and were implementin+ the new mathematics curriculum effecti"ely, and pupils were learnin+ mathematics effecti"ely. These data were trian+ulated to report on the successes in implementation, and issues and challen+es faced )y pupils, teachers and schools. In addition, TI!SS-adapted test uestions and inter"iew protocols )ased on PISA-adapted uestionnaires for pupils, TI!SS-adapted uestionnaires for teachers and PISA-adapted uestionnaire for schools were used to collect uantitati"e data on pupils* performance in mathematics. These data were analysed to in"esti+ate the factors that mi+ht affect the pupils* performance and corro)orate e"idences of effecti"eness of teachin+ and learnin+ of the new mathematics curriculum. Pupils* performance in the TI!SS-adapted test, school-)ased assessment ,SBA. and school-)ased e&amination ,SB-. were also compared within, )etween and amon+ the ten classes in different schools. T%e Sam(/e The pilot study in"ol"ed Year B mathematics teachers and pupils. A total of 4$ Year B pupils and two Year B mathematics teachers in Bera'as-(am)a' area were in"ol"ed in the pilot study. In the pilot study, twenty Year B pupils from each of the two schools were in"ol"ed in the pilot test. In this pilot study, twenty mi&eda)ility pupils were selected from all the Year B classes )y the school teachers in each of the two different schools. The two schools were selected )ecause they were more accessi)le. The main study was conducted in ten schools in the Bera'as-(am)a' area. Ten mathematics teachers, one from each school, were in"ol"ed in the study. In this main study, ten Year 4 classes of these teachers were in"ol"ed. A few pupils with "ery special needs who were una)le to read were e&cluded from the study. These ten schools had a total of #5 Year 4 classes and %A5 pupil-su):ects. A pilot study was carried out in 6e)ruary-!arch #$1$ in )oth primary schools S7D! and S7D!( in the Bera'as-(am)a' area. Year B pupils were chosen )ecause they had learned the new Year 4 mathematics curriculum in the pre"ious year #$$C. The current #$1$ Year 4 pupils were only )e+innin+ to learn the Year 4 topics. The pilot study included TI!SS-adapted test uestions and PISA-adapted uestionnaires for pupils, TI!SS-adapted uestionnaires for teachers and PISA-adapted uestionnaire for school head-teachers. A total of forty Year B pupils and two Year B mathematics teachers in the Bera'as-(am)a' area were in"ol"ed in the pilot study. The mi&ed-a)ility pupils selected )y the teachers were from two different schools. In each of the two schools, one sample school uestionnaire and one teacher uestionnaire were administered. In total, the pilot

study in"ol"ed two schools, two teachers and 4$ pupils. The TI!SS-adapted test uestions included items on num)er, al+e)ra, measurement, +eometry, and data. The items were in four co+niti"e domainsL 'nowin+ facts and procedure, usin+ concepts, sol"in+ routine pro)lems, and reasonin+. A total of #B uestions were +i"en for the test. The pupils were +i"en 4B minutes to answer the test uestions. All the test items were )ased on the Year 4 mathematics sylla)us. The test results were analy@ed usin+ SPSS for <indows. The mean test score was 5.1B ,#4O. ,SDPB.#B.. The relia)ility of the test was $.%C for 2ron)ach>s alpha, and $.5? for split-half relia)ility coefficient. The pilot test uestions were found to )e relia)le for this study. In +eneral, the S7D!( class performed )etter with #%.5AO mean ,SDP1A.#4. compared to the S7D! class with 15.%1O mean ,SDP1#.4#.. There was howe"er +reater "aria)ility of test scores in the S7D!( sample. The test uestions were found to )e rather difficult for all the pupils. The results showed that the mathematics teacher in S7D! had a lar+er +roup of pupils to teach compared to S7D!( with smaller +roups of pupils. S7D! had 1$? pupils in three classes and two mathematics teachers compared to S7D!( with A$ pupils, three classes and two teachers. Resear-% I"s*r me"*s PISA #$$A-adapted school uestionnaires, TI!SS-adapted teacher uestionnaires, PISA-adapted pupil uestionnaires and inter"iew, semi-structured inter"iews, and TI!SS #$$%-adapted test uestions were used to +enerate data for the study. The methods of collectin+ data were desi+ned to answer the research uestions on the teachers* preparation to implement the new intended curriculum for mathematics in Year 4L the teachers* implementation of the new mathematics curriculum in Year 4L and pupils* performance in the school-)ased assessment ,SBA. and school-)ased e&amination ,SB-. as well as in the international-le"el types of test uestions. The pilot and main studies used PISA #$$A-adapted school uestionnaires, TI!SS-adapted teacher uestionnaires and PISA-adapted pupil uestionnaires. These adapted uestionnaires were intended for Year 4 mathematics teachers and school administrators. A total of ten Year 4 mathematics teachers from ten different schools in Bera'as-(am)a' were inter"iewed. The researcher recorded the inter"iews usin+ a "oice-recordin+ de"ice. The inter"iew data were used to+ether with the uestionnaires to +ather information which included courses attended )y the teachersL how useful the courses were to help Year 4 mathematics teachers in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL how confident they were in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL what their teachin+ approaches wereL their preparation in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL and challen+es they faced. The pupil inter"iews were intended for selected pupils. Ten pupils were inter"iewed ,B with hi+h scores, and B with low scores.. Items from the PISA #$$A-adapted uestionnaire for pupils were selected and used in inter"iew. The inter"iew data were used to determine the Year 4 mathematics teacher preparations and how they implemented the new Year 4 mathematics curriculum. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Ten teachers were in"ol"ed in the study. =ne teacher had )een teachin+ for #? years, another had )een teachin+ for 15 years, a few others were at the )e+innin+ of their careers )etween B to % years. =nly one teacher had 4 years* e&perience. In addition, four teachers were Diploma holders, four others were Bachelor de+ree holders, one was a !aster de+ree holder and one a 2ertificate holder. Tea-%er . es*!o""a!re The uestionnaire was administered to ten Year 4 mathematics teachers in the ten primary schools. The mathematics curriculum features pupils are e&pected to learn are s'ills, understandin+, interest, interpret and communicate, mathematics processes, mental mathematics, mathematics acti"ity, reasonin+, "isualisation, and wor'in+ in +roups. The ten teachers rated the ten intended curricular features as "ery important, with a mean score of 5.A out of a ma&imum ratin+ of 1$. Both self-rated teachin+ performance and pupil performance were rated lower than curricular importance. Pupil performance was lower or e ual to teachin+ performance. All the teachers are in full a+reement of the importance of the new curriculum e&pectations. They "iewed that their own teachin+ performance and pupil performance could )e further impro"ed. Tea-%er I"*er1!ews A semi-structured inter"iew was conducted to e"aluate how useful the courses were to assist Year 4 mathematics teachers in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL how confident they were in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL what their teachin+ approaches wereL their preparations in implementin+ the new mathematics curriculumL and challen+es they faced. In addition, the inter"iews were used to elicit implementation challen+es and issues faced )y the teachers. 6our teachers from different schools were

inter"iewed. All the teachers had attended the Acti"e !athematics in 2lassrooms ,A!I2. for upper primary mathematics where they share classroom e&periences in teachin+ certain difficult and important topics. This series of re+ular wor'shops and seminars was conducted )y the !inistry of -ducation ,!o-. )y teachers for teachers to share their e&periences in teachin+ certain difficult and important topics. All the four teachers "iewed A!I2 as useful, had a lot of acti"ities to choose from and +a"e them a lot of confidence in teachin+ the topics. This colla)orati"e pro:ect had )een initiated :ointly )y !o- and the Sultan Fassanal Bol'iah Institute of -ducation ,SFBI-. de"elopin+ from the earlier Specialist Primary !athematics and Science Teachers* pro:ect ,see (eon+, 6atimah K Sainah, 1CC%. which was action research oriented and colla)orati"e in nature. Participatin+ teachers shared their lesson acti"ities, wor' e&ercises and research findin+s in presentation sessions and in written reports pu)lished in newsletters. All of the teachers inter"iewed had attended certain )riefin+s, wor'shops and seminars rele"ant to SP0#1. All of the teachers found the continual professional de"elopment ,2PD. as informati"e, useful and rele"ant for teachin+ !athematics. The 2urriculum De"elopment Department ,2DD. seminar was mostly re+ardin+ the new curriculum, copin+ with new topics and acti"ities, and understandin+ and 'nowled+e on how to teach the new SP0#1 sylla)us. The acti"ities were more on pupil-centred teachin+ and how to use concrete materials )ased on the uestions. All the teachers who had attended the Primary 0umeracy Initiati"e - Inser"ice Trainin+ ,P0I-Inset. wor'shop "iewed it as interestin+, learner-centred and useful. The wor'shop helped teachers to cope with pupils* pro)lems in ac uirin+ mathematical 'nowled+e. Topics included mental computation and num)er sense, copin+ with pupils* pro)lems in mathematics, esta)lishment of dia+nostic tests, screenin+ tests, mental computation test ,!2T. and +ames. How -o")!de"* are *ea-%ers !" !m(/eme"*!"& *%e "ew ma*%ema*!-s - rr!- / m2 All the four teachers "iewed the wor'shops, )riefin+s and seminars related to the implementation of the new Year 4 mathematics as useful. The scorin+ ran+ed from a low 1 to the hi+hest, 1$. In +eneral, all the teachers "iewed all the courses as interestin+, useful and "alua)le and had de"eloped their confidence in teachin+ Year 4 !athematics. Fowe"er, there appears to )e teethin+ pro)lems with implementation of the new curriculum. Some aspects of SP0#1 need to )e clarified further. !ost of the teachers were still not clear a)out the peda+o+ical aspects and handlin+ of the academically-challen+ed pupils. Teachers stated that they need to prepare for the +roup wor', SBA and SB-, and ha"e to record the pupils* wor' on each of them. They ha"e to record the pupils> mar's and also their attitude and their participation. !oreo"er, teachin+ resources were also inade uate ,e.+., computers and pro:ectors.. In addition, the wor')oo' is rather e&pensi"e and some pupils do not ha"e the )oo'. They e&plained that they try to assist pupils in different waysQ )y pro"idin+ detailed step-)y-step e&planationL +i"in+ indi"idual +uidance, discussion with other teachers, and e&plorin+ alternati"e acti"ities to help the pupils understand the topics. Two difficult topics mentioned are fractions and decimals. The four teachers were as'ed to rate the de+ree of difficulty ,$ to 1$ ; hi+hest difficulty. they faced with the followin+ aspects of instruction, namely, pupils, te&t)oo's, wor')oo's, teachin+ and school pro+ress assessment. The ratin+s were o)tained durin+ the inter"iews. SPA posed the hi+hest difficulty in preparations, re uirin+ a lot of wor' and time. Teachin+ aids or teachin+ resources are important in teachin+ mathematics. The inter"iews re"ealed that teachin+ aids are still inade uate for teachin+. Teachers had to )uy some and made some on their own. Teachin+ mathematics in a forei+n lan+ua+e ,-n+lish. is a common issue in education today. -n+lish lan+ua+e is used in the new STA7 te&t)oo' and wor')oo'. The teacher inter"iews show that teachers are worried a)out the lan+ua+e )arriers in teachin+ mathematics. Pupils uite often find it difficult to understand the uestions in the mathematics wor')oo'. 6urthermore, the uestions in the wor')oo' are not enou+h, especially with fractions, and the uestions are mostly usin+ dia+rams. In addition, some uestions from the wor')oo' are not rele"ant especially in the topic a)out multiplication ta)les. All the inter"iewed teachers thin' that the te&t)oo' and wor')oo' are interestin+, "ery colorful and interest the pupils. The wor')oo' is colorful with a lot of pictures and they ha"e added some new challen+es compared to the old te&t)oo's, for e&ample +ames, so most of the pupils li'e it. In terms of the cost, the new star wor')oo' costs uite a lot, only half of the pupils are a)le to )uy it. This is )ecause of their family )ac'+round and S-S. As a result some teachers ha"e to )uy them the wor')oo's. In addition some schools also help the pupils who cannot afford to )uy the wor')oo's. All the teachers "iewed the SPA and SB- as challen+in+ and need a lot of preparation. Parental in"ol"ement could help the pupils* attitudes to )e more positi"e toward !athematics and to achie"e )etter outcomes. All the teachers a+reed on the importance of pro"idin+ mathematics teachers with more rele"ant and relia)le courses. The 2urriculum De"elopment Department ,2DD. and 9ni"ersiti Brunei Darussalam ,9BD.

play important roles of pro"idin+ more useful and rele"ant courses to the mathematics teachers. 6urthermore, parents need to )e )riefed more often. In addition more resources, for e&ample, computers and teachin+ aids need to )e pro"ided )y the !inistry of -ducation. Im(/eme"*a*!o" !ss es a"d -%a//e"&es Data from the lesson o)ser"ations, teacher inter"iews and school uestionnaire were analysed to pro"ide information on how well the new curriculum was )ein+ implemented. =ut of ten schools, nine lesson o)ser"ations were completed. All the nine o)ser"ations focused on Year 4 mathematics lessons from nine different schools in Bera'as-(am)a'. The researcher was una)le to o)ser"e one of the lessons )ecause the teacher was on maternity lea"e. Three of the o)ser"ed lessons were a)out fractions, another three lessons o)ser"ed were related to +raph, two lessons o)ser"ed were a)out di"ision and one lesson was on multiplication. Based on the lesson o)ser"ation chec'list the fre uency of occurrences of the followin+ e"ents ta'in+ place e"ery #$-minute inter"al of a A$ minute lesson was scored to determine the attention de"oted to each of the recommended curriculum features in SP0#1 mathematics. A #$-minute inter"al was used to parallel the )e+innin+, middle and end parts of a A$-minute lesson. 6or each inter"al an e"ent could )e chec'ed twice as occurrin+. This means that a certain e"ent could )e scored A times in a lesson. Since nine teachers were o)ser"ed, the ma&imum score for each e"ent would )e B4. In all lessons the first author o)ser"ed that the ma:ority of teachers used rele"ant methods and peda+o+ical s'ills appropriate for SP0#1 mathematics teachin+. A ma:ority of them were a)le to implement the new mathematics curriculum for Year 4 as intended. Fi+h fre uency occurrences of all the recommended acti"ities for teachers and learners in SP0#1 mathematics lessons were recorded. The fre uency scores for mental mathematics, "isuali@ation and +roup wor' were somewhat lower ,less than B$O of B4 possi)le occurrences. than the others )ecause they mostly occurred durin+ the )e+innin+ of a lesson. A school uestionnaire was administered to ten head teachers in the ten +o"ernment primary schools in"ol"ed in the study. There were #4C? )oys and #?C# +irls enrolled in the ten schools. There were 1$1 more )oys than +irls. =nly one of the schools reported that the pupils were streamed into classes )ased on their performance in all the su):ects. All the school teachers were trained certified teachers. =ne of the schools reported that they did not ha"e enou+h computers which ha"e access to the internet. Si& of the schools responded that they did not ha"e enou+h ualified mathematics teachers to teach in -n+lish. -i+ht schools reported that they did not ha"e ade uate wor'in+ computers for instruction. Parents in all the ten schools showed concern a)out the achie"ement of their children. So teachers in the schools ha"e to constantly stri"e to prepare their pupils to perform well in their school tests and e&aminations. P (!/s3 (er)orma"-e !" *%e "ew - rr!- / m In the most recent Student Pro+ress Assessment ,SPA. for mathematics two students were identified as showin+ little pro+ress, scorin+ #B and 45 percenta+e points. -i+ht pupils scored A$ to AC percent. Twenty-four pupils scored percenta+es )etween %$ to 5C percent. Thirteen pupils scored C$O and a)o"e, the hi+hest score )ein+ C% percent. Eenerally, the pupils were showin+ +ood pro+ress in their studies. TI!SS-adapted test uestions which included items on num)er, al+e)ra, measurement, +eometry, and data was administered to the same B$ pupils from two of the schools. The test items are in four co+niti"e domainsL 'nowin+ facts and procedure, usin+ concepts, sol"in+ routine pro)lems, and reasonin+. A total of #B uestions and ?4 mar's were +i"en for the test. The pupils were +i"en 4B minutes to answer the test uestions. All the test items were )ased on the Year 4 mathematics sylla)us. The test results were analy@ed usin+ SPSS for <indows. The mean score was B.BJ#B items ,##O.. The pupils did not perform well in this challen+in+ TI!SS test. Ta)le 1 shows no pupil was a)le to answer correctly uestions 1, A, C and 1%. These "ery difficult uestions were a)out decimal-fraction con"ersion, multiplication concept, perimeter concept of rectan+le, and unit-"olume measure. =n the other hand, many pupils were a)le to answer uestion 1A which was on shadin+ a fraction on a )o&ed fi+ure. Si&ty-four percent of the pupils were a)le to answer uestion 1A correctly, that is ?# out of B$ pupils. The teachers had stated that fraction and decimals are difficult topics in Year 4 mathematics. Their statements were rele"ant to the test as the results show that all of the pupils were una)le to answer uestion num)er 1 a)out decimal-fraction ,see (eon+, 6atimah K Sainah, 1CC%.. Pupils* performance in the school-)ased assessment ,SBA. and school-)ased e&amination ,SB-. were correlated to their performance in the international-le"el type of test uestions, Pearson correlation, r P $.4#, si+nificance ,#-tailed. P $.$$?. Althou+h the pupils were showin+ +ood pro+ress in school mathematics, their le"el of performance accordin+ to international standards is uite low. The pupils were not a)le to perform well in challen+in+ word pro)lems in -n+lish. The wea'ness could )e in )oth the content 'nowled+e in sol"in+ mathematics pro)lems, and understandin+ the pro)lems written in -n+lish ,Parm:it, Ar)a K Teoh, #$1$L (eon+,

et al., #$$?..

Ta)le 1 Descriptive !tatistics for "dapted #$%!! #est &esults 0 /1 /# /? /4 /B /A /% /5 /C /1$ /11 /1# /1? /14 /1B /1A /1% /15 /1C /#$ /#1 /## /#? /#4 /#B B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ B$ !ean .$$ .#4 .?4 .?4 .4$ .$$ .#4 .B4 .$$ .#$ .#$ .14 .$# .14 .$4 .A4 .$$ .4A .1A .B4 .$A .#A .#$ .1A .## Std. De"iation .$$ .4? .45 .45 .B$ .$$ .4? .B$ .$$ .A1 .4$ .?B .14 .?B .#$ .4C .$$ .B$ .BB .5C .#4 .44 .4$ .BB .4#

P (!/ I"*er1!ews In the pilot test, the pupils were una)le to pro"ide sufficient information on the uestionnaires. Thus, the pupil inter"iews were conducted for selected pupils to collect more information. Ten pupils were inter"iewed ,B with hi+h scores, and B with low scores.. Appropriate items from the PISA #$$A-adapted uestionnaire for pupils were selected and used in the inter"iew. The pupil inter"iews re"ealed that their parents were wor'in+ in lower income employment. Si& mothers were housewi"es, one a cler', one cashier, one wor'in+ as a li)rarian and one a reli+ious teacher. All the parents neither had diploma nor de+ree. At home, all of the pupils only spea' !alay. Three of the fi"e hi+h performin+ pupils> parents had proper :o)s. All the mothers of the lower performin+ pupils were housewi"es. Both the parents of one of the low performin+ pupils did not ha"e a proper :o). It is li'ely that the pupils> S-S could )e a factor that influences pupils> performance. Stacey ,#$$C. has reported that students from families with a more ad"anta+ed socio-economic )ac'+round perform )etter than others ,a consistent findin+ in sur"eys.. In Brunei, primary school pupils from hi+her socio-economic )ac'+round are enrolled in non-+o"ernment schools and they achie"e hi+her scores in the year A pu)lic e&amination. The pupil inter"iews re"ealed that all of them spent si& or more hours a wee' for re+ular mathematics lessons in their schools. But the pupils spent less than two hours a wee' for )oth out-of school time lessons in mathematics and study or homewor' in mathematics )y themsel"es. 0one of them had any type of out-ofschool-time lesson ,tuition.. Parental in"ol"ement and commitment appear to )e important in promotin+ positi"e outcomes for their children*s education achie"ement. =ne pupil did not appear to spend any time learnin+ at home or doin+ homewor'. CONCLUSION

1$

Accordin+ to the !inister of -ducation Brunei, Pehin =ran+ 4aya Seri 4erna Dato Seri Setia F: A)u Ba'ar )in Apon+, teachers play an important role to help the pupils. Fence teachers* continual professional de"elopment ,2PD. are important to raise the uality of teachers ,Rareena, #$1$.. This statement shows that the !inistry of -ducation, Brunei is plannin+ to impro"e the uality of teachin+ in Brunei )y pro"idin+ the teachers with more rele"ant 2PD. This aside, teachers need to )e more creati"e. <hen commercial teachin+ aids are inade uate, impro"ised resources from recycled material could )e used. Althou+h parents in all the ten schools show concern a)out the achie"ement of their children, there was no e"idence that pupils were spendin+ enou+h time at home on their studies. Parental in"ol"ement, moti"ation and +uidance are "ery important for children to e&cel in their studies. Teachers and schools cannot do it alone. Ade uacy of wor')oo's, teachin+ aids and inte+ration of I2T in teachin+ could help to minimi@e learnin+ difficulties. The inte+ration of Information, 2ommunication and Technolo+y ,I2T. is an important issue in learnin+ societies and in SP0#1. In Brunei, the !inistry of -ducation spent millions of dollars on the de"elopment of I2T. Their efforts were clearly documented when Yan+ Berhormat Pehin =ran+ 4aya Seri 4erna Dato Seri Setia Fa:i A)u Ba'ar Bin Apon+, the Brunei !inister of -ducation, hi+hli+hted the importance of I2T as a priority in the #1st 2entury 0ational -ducation System ,SP0#1. durin+ the openin+ of the 1? th Southeast Asian !inisters of -ducation =r+anisation 7e+ional =pen (earnin+ 2entre ,Seamolec.. The !inister ac'nowled+ed the need to optimise the e&istin+ infrastructure )y de"elopin+ more sophisticated courseware, lin'in+ data)ase in schools, maintainin+ and up+radin+ hardware and e&tendin+ networ'in+ facilities ,7asidah, #$1$.. !oreo"er, instructional resources and facilities need to )e further impro"ed in order for teachers to )e )etter a)le to implement the new curriculum and raise the le"el of achie"ement of all pupils ,see (eon+, #$$A, #$$5.. Althou+h all the pupils found it easy to understand the mathematics tau+ht, they were less confident of doin+ well and +ettin+ correct answers. The pupils appear to )e a)le to understand new ideas in school mathematics easily and show +ood pro+ress in learnin+ mathematics as seen in their school SPA results. This was not the case with TI!SS test items. (an+ua+e could )e the main pro)lem they face in answerin+ international-le"el mathematics word pro)lems in -n+lish, especially if the pro)lems are too wordy and meant for first lan+ua+e learners in their conte&ts. (ar+e amounts of funds were used to o)tain similar results from the Australian 2ouncil for -ducation 7esearch ,A2-7. in #$$5 to measure the literacy and numeracy le"el in primary and secondary schools. It concluded then that %B percent of pupils in Year 4 and 4$ percent in Year A, had only )asic literacy s'ills ,!inister of -ducation Pehin =ran+ 4aya Seri 4erna Dato Seri Setia F: A)u Ba'ar )in Apon+ ,Rareena, #$1$.. 2ould this )e for first lan+ua+e, second, or third lan+ua+e usersG Parental in"ol"ement, moti"ation and +uidance are "ery important for children to e&cel in their studies. Parents who do not ha"e the necessary academic )ac'+round may not )e a)le to pro"ide the 'ind of support and +uidance needed )y their children. The pupils were also not spendin+ enou+h time on their studies at home. 2onsistent independent practice at school and at home is necessary for pupils to do well in mathematics. Thus home-learnin+ acti"ities could )e one of the methods to )e used as parental +uidance to in"ol"e them in their children>s studies. 7esearch has shown that home-learnin+ acti"ities ha"e positi"e effects for educators, parents and the pupils where parents are concerned a)out their children>s education ,Smith, 1CC?.. 7esearch indicates that parents influence their children>s education and that in"ol"in+ parents has a positi"e influence on achie"ement ,Broc' K Dodd, 1CC4L 4o'os'i K Downin+-(effler, 1CCB.. Parents report )ein+ e&cited a)out the time they spend with their children participatin+ in home-learnin+ acti"ities ,4o'os'i K Patton, 1CC%.. They were also found to en:oy readin+ stories to their children ,!c0eill K 6owler 1CCA.. Some countries such as 6inland, 3apan, South 4orea, Fon+'on+-2hina and Sin+apore ha"e )een a)le to e&cel in TI!SS and PISA in different ways. Some attri)ute their success to teacher uality, salaries, structured curriculum and te&t )oo's, an autonomous school system, and detailed lesson plans ,see Stacey, #$1$.. Schools should send teachers who really need the 2PD on more appropriate and specific courses. Teachers who attend the seminars and wor'shops are re uired to share their 'nowled+e with collea+ues in their own schools. Such school-)ased 2PD should continue with pro)a)ly teachers tryin+ out some of the new ideas in teachin+. Both the te&t)oo's and wor')oo's are from two pu)lishers in Sin+apore. They ha"e )een found to )e rather e&pensi"e for some pupils and parents. (ocally pu)lished )oo's could )e cheaper. They need not )e usin+ too many hi+h uality colour pictures. In fact, online )oo's and other resources would )e e"en more economical and they can )e easily re"ised fre uently, li)raries in the world are +oin+ di+ital and can )e online. Bilin+ual "ersions could also )e made a"aila)le for the )enefit of those who need them, especially the wor')oo' for acti"ities that are more a)stract in nature. These a"enues should )e researched )y teachers and educators to de"elop suita)le local resources. There ha"e )een many teachin+ and learnin+ materials de"eloped )y teachers and educators o"er the years. Selected uality resources from A!I2 in Brunei could )e trialed and compiled online for use )y schools, teachers and pupils. Inte+ration of I2T in mathematics may in"ol"e the use of more effecti"e and informati"e software, such as those pro"ided )y B-2TA in the 94 and the 0ational (i)rary of Dirtual !anipulati"es in 9SA. Prior research in Eermany usin+ the teachin+ software H!athemati'us 1I ,(oren@, #$$$ cited in (adel, #$$A. showed

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the role of computers as effecti"e "isual tools to promote independent wor' and study. 2omputers, cooperation, communication, trou)le-shootin+, +oals, moti"ation and commitment, effect of mathematical learnin+, mathematical su):ects, teams, efficiency of teams, and animation are +enerally )eneficial in elementary school mathematics lessons ,(adel, #$$A.. Thus suita)le and useful software need to )e resourced for more effecti"e lessons. In addition, the use of Apple iPod and iPad are additional ways to enhance and promote pupil-centred learnin+. Some applications in those de"ices can )e "ery useful for literacy and numeracy. These alternati"e technolo+ies could )e used to address pro)lems raised )y the !inister of -ducation in Brunei. As reported )y (eon+ and Eans'e ,#$$%. 2entres of -&cellence are needed to handle inno"ations or study aspects of the IT resource system in an intensi"e way in Brunei. The +rowin+ issues on parental in"ol"ement and partnership on homewor' are )ecomin+ more interestin+ in Brunei. The main reason is simply )ecause the #1 st 2entury 0ational -ducation System ,SP0#1. emphasi@es homewor' as part of the Student Pro+ress Assessment ,SPA.. Instead of usin+ paper-and pencil tas's it can )e transformed to hands-on acti"ities, and the introduction of the N)ac'pac'* concept is one such creati"e method. These )ac'pac's are Mmo)ile learnin+ centersM ,4o'os'i K Downin+-(effler 1CCB, p. ?%.. They usually contain se"eral acti"ities centered on a theme or concept. Acti"ities create a cooperati"e learnin+ en"ironment for the child and parents ,4o'os'i K Patton, 1CC%.. The )ac'pac' contains a letter for parents, in"entory list, e"aluation form, and directions for each of the acti"ities. !aterials needed to complete the acti"ities are included ,4o'os'i K Downin+-(effler, 1CCBL 4o'os'i K Patton, 1CC%.. Acti"ities such as N2ritter <atch*, NBu))le 6un*, and NThere>s a 6un+us Amon+ 9s* were de"eloped to encoura+e in uiry )ased learnin+ and to promote adult-child discussions. 2PD wor'shops could )e pro"ided for teachers for +uidance on authentic and appropriate assessments suita)le for a ran+e of learner a)ilities with Nmust do*, Nshould do* and Ncould do* assessment tas's. Policyma'ers, administrators, educators and teachers in Brunei should )e co+ni@ant of the 0ational !athematics Ad"isory Panel ,#$$5. recommendation that there is no one ideal approach to teachin+ mathematicsL the students, the mathematical +oals, the teacher*s )ac'+round and stren+ths, and the instructional conte&t, all matter. Their findin+s do su++est that it is especially important toQ

monitor what students understand and are a)le to do mathematicallyL desi+n instruction that responds to students* stren+ths and wea'nesses )ased on research when it is a"aila)leL and employ instructional approaches and tools that are )est suited to the mathematical +oals, reco+ni@in+ that a deli)erate and conscious mi& of strate+ies will )e needed.
Also, it is important for teachers, teacher educators, school administrators, and the pu)lic to understand the importance of helpin+ to formulate research uestions and to participate in sin+le-case desi+ns, re+ressiondiscontinuity methods and randomi@ed, controlled trials now considered H+old standardI research )y the 9.S. Department of -ducation*s N<hat <or's 2learin+house* ,Spar's, #$1$.. REFERENCES Baum+artner, -., K The Desi+n-)ased 2ollecti"e ,#$$?.. Desi+n-)ased researchQ An emer+in+ paradi+m for educational in uiry. 'ducational &esearcher, (ol. )*, +o. ,, pp. --.. Broc', D. 7., K Dodd, -. (. ,1CC4.. A family lendin+ li)raryQ Promotin+ early literacy de"elopment. /oung 0hildren, 123)4, 1A-#1. 2astle, 4., K Aichele, D. ,1CC4.. Professional de"elopment and teacher autonomy. In D. B. Aichele K A. 6. 2o&ford ,-ds.., Professional development for teachers of mathematics 3pp. ,-.4 &eston, ("5 +ational 0ouncil of #eachers of %athematics. 2ole, D. ,#$$5.. !tar mathematics textbook 1", Sin+aporeQ Star Pu)lishin+ Pte (td. 2ole, D. ,#$$5.. !tar mathematics textbook 16, Sin+aporeQ Star Pu)lishin+ Pte (td. 2ole, D. ,#$$5.. !tar mathematics workbook 1", Sin+aporeQ Star Pu)lishin+ Pte (td. 2ole, D. ,#$$5.. !tar mathematics workbook 16, Sin+aporeQ Star Pu)lishin+ Pte (td. 2urriculum Plannin+ and De"elopment Di"ision Sin+apore. ,#$$A.. %athematics syllabus primary. 7etrie"ed !arch #$, #$1$, from httpQJJwww.moe.+o".s+JeducationJsylla)usesJsciencesJfilesJmaths-primary-#$$%.pdf -n+lish, (. D. ,1CC%.. %athematical reasoning 3analogies, metaphors and images4. (ondonQ (awrence -rl)raum Associates, Pu)lishers. Falford, E. S. ,1CC1.. 0hildren7s understanding5 #he development of mental models . Fillsdale, 0ew 3erseyQ (awrence -rl)aum Associates. International Association for the -"aluation of -ducational Achie"ement ,I-A., Trends in International

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!athematics and Science Study ,TI!SS.. ,#$$%.. !chool 8uestionnaire 3grades 14. 7etrie"ed April 14, #$1$, from httpQJJnces.ed.+o"JtimssJpdfJ#$$%S4thS+radeSSchoolS/uestionnaire.pdf International Association for the -"aluation of -ducational Achie"ement ,I-A., Trends in International !athematics and Science Study ,TI!SS.. ,#$$%.. #eachers 8uestionnaire 3grades 14. 7etrie"ed April 14, #$1$, from httpQJJnces.ed.+o"JtimssJpdfJ#$$%S4thS+radeSTeacherS/uestionnaire.pdf 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum. ,#$$5.. 9ramework and guidelines for curriculum and assessment. Brunei DarussalamQ 3P4, 4ementerian Pendidi'an. 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum. ,#$$5.. !mart mathematics textbook 1". Brunei DarussalamQ 3P4, 4ementerian Pendidi'an. 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum. ,#$$5.. !mart mathematics textbook 16. Brunei DarussalamQ 3P4, 4ementerian Pendidi'an. 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum. ,#$$5.. !mart mathematics workbook 1". Brunei DarussalamQ 3P4, 4ementerian Pendidi'an. 3a)atan Per'em)an+an 4uri'ulum. ,#$$5.. !mart mathematics workbook 16. Brunei DarussalamQ 3P4, 4ementerian Pendidi'an. 4elly, A. -. ,#$$?.. 7esearch as desi+n. 'ducational &esearcher, (ol. )*, +o. ,, pp. )-1. 4ementerian Pendidi'an. ,#$$%.. :orking visit by ;is %a<esty !ultan ;a<i ;assanal 6olkiah %u7i==addin :addaulah !ultan and /ang Di-Pertuan +egara 6runei Darussalam to !>"! 0ollege. 7etrie"ed !arch 1B, #$1$, from httpQJJwww.moe.edu.)nJwe)JmoeJnewsJ#$$%J:ulyJ$%th 4ilpatric', 3. ,#$$C.. #he mathematics teachers and curriculum change . 7etrie"ed !arch 5, #$1$, from httpQJJwww.pna.esJ0umerosJpdfJ4ilaptric'#$$CThe.pdf 4o'os'i, T. !., K Downin+-(effler, 0. ,1CCB.. Boostin+ your science and math pro+rams in early childhood educationQ !a'in+ the home-school connection. /oung 0hildren, -?3-4, ?B ?C. 4o'os'i, T. !., K Patton, !. !. ,1CC%.. Beyond homewor'Q Science and mathematics )ac'pac's. Dimensions of 'arly 0hildhood, *-3*4, 11-1A. 4ratochwill, T. 7., Fitchcoc', 3., Forner, 7. F., (e"in, 3. 7., =dom, S. (., 7inds'opf, D. !., K Shadish, <. 7. ,#$1$.. <hat <or's 2learin+houseQ Sin+le-case desi+n technical documentation "ersion 1.$. httpQJJies.ed.+o"JnceeJwwcJpdfJwwcSscd.pdf (adel, S. ,#$$A.. -ine unterrichtliche -rpro)un+ @um 2omputereinsat@ im !athemati'unterricht derersten Erundschul'lasse. In A. Bec'mann ,Frs+.., "usgew@hlte Anterrichtskon=epte im %athematikunterricht in unterrichtlicher 'rprobung *??B ,S. B-?5.. FildesheimQ 6ran@)ec'er. (eon+, Y. P. ,#$$A.. Some policy issues on I2T in education. !tudies $n 'ducation,,,,1??-14$. BruneiQ 9ni"ersiti Brunei Darussalam. (eon+, Y. P. ,#$$5.. /uality of technolo+y use in science and mathematics teachin+. Cournal of "pplied &esearch in 'ducation, 1#A-144. (eon+, Y. P., 2hon+, 0., A)dullah, (., K 2lements, 4. ,#$$?.. 6runeian bilingual child pro<ect5 #echnical report. BruneiQ 9ni"ersiti Brunei Darussalam. (eon+, Y. P., 6atimah, P. F. I., K Sainah, F. 0. ,!ay, 1CC%.. P (!/s4 )ra-*!o"a/ -o""e-*!o"s !" ma*%ema*!-s5 $nnovations in !cience and %athematics 0urricula. BruneiQ 9ni"ersiti Brunei Darussalam. (eon+, Y. P., K 6errer, (. !. ,1CC1.. :orking towards teacher change. Penan+Q S-A!-=-7-2SA!. (eon+, Y. P., K Eans'e, (. ,#$$%.. An instructional technolo+y policy paradi+m. Curnal Pendidikan 6runei Darussalam, (ol.,*, #5-41. !c2andliss, B. D, 4alchman, !., Bryant, P. ,#$$?.. Desi+n e&periments and la)oratory approaches to learnin+Q Steps towards colla)orati"e e&chan+e. 'ducational &esearcher, (ol. )*, +o. ,, pp. ,1-,B. !c0eill, 3. F., K 6owler, S. A. ,1CCA.. 9sin+ story readin+ to encoura+e children>s con"ersations. #eaching 'xceptional 0hildren, *!314, 4?-4%. !c0er+ney, 7. 6., K Fer)ert 3. !. ,1CC5.. 9oundation of education. BostonQ Allyn and Bacon. !ullis, I.D. S., !artin, !.=., K 6oy, P. ,#$$5.. #$%!! *??D $nternational %athematics &eport 5 9indings from $'"7s #rends in %athematics and !cience study at the fourth and eighth grades ,Ado)e reader "ersion.. 7etrie"ed April 11, #$1$, from httpQJJtimss.)c.eduJ =r+ani@ation for -conomic 2ooperation and De"elopment ,=-2D., Pro+ram for International Student Assessment ,PISA., 2ross-Disciplinary Assessment. ,#$$A.. !tudent 8uestionnaire. 7etrie"ed April 1?, #$1$, from httpQJJsh)iep)l.wordpress.comJ Par'ay, 6. <. ,1CC5.. 6ecoming a teacher. Be"erly Fardcastle Stanford BostonQ Allyn and Bacon. Parm:it, S., Ar)a, A. 7., K Teoh, S. F. ,#$1$.. (an+ua+es and mathematics achie"ements amon+ rural and ur)an primary four pupilsQ A !alaysian e&perience. Cournal of !cience and %athematics 'ducation in !outheast "sia, (ol. )) +o. ,, AB-5B. 7asidah, FAB. ,#$1$, Septem)er #C.. !o- prioritises I2T in education. #he 6runei #imes, 13.24, p. AB. Sha"elson, 7. 3., Phillips, D. 2., Towne, (., K 6euer, !. 3. ,#$$?.. =n the science of education desi+n studies.

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'ducational &esearcher, (ol. )*, +o. ,, pp. *--*.. Siu, 4. <. !. ,#$1$.. !eetin+ the new needsQ Desi+n research education in 2hina. &esearch in ;igher 'ducation Cournal. httpQJJwww.aa)ri.comJmanuscriptsJ$C?C$.pdf Smith, 2. 4. ,1CC?.. Parents and teachers in partnershipQ Pro:ect stepup educational opportunities for children and families. Eifted 0hild #oday, ,B3B4, 1A-1C. Spar's, S. D. ,#$1$.. N<hat <or'sI )roadens its research standards. 'ducation :eek +ovember *?,?. httpQJJwww.edwee'.or+JewJarticlesJ#$1$J1$J#$J$5wwc.h?$.html Stacey, 4. ,#$1$.. !athematical and scientific literacy around the world. Cournal of !cience and %athematics 'ducation in !outheast "sia, (ol. )) +o. ,, 1-1A. The 0ational 2ouncil of Teachers of !athematics. ,#$$$.. >verview5 Principles for school mathematics. 7etrie"ed !arch $C, #$1$, from httpQJJstandards.nctm.or+JdocumentJchapter#Jinde&.htm The 0ational !athematics Ad"isory Panel ,#$$5.. #he final report of the national mathematics advisory panel. 9.S. Department of -ducation. httpQJJwww#.ed.+o"Ja)outJ)dscommJlistJmathpanelJreportJfinal-report.pdf TI!SS International Study 2enter, Boston 2olle+e. ,1CC%.. #$%!! highlights from the primary grades ,Third international mathematics and science study.. 7etrie"ed April 1#, #$1$, from httpQJJtimss.)c.eduJtimss1CCBiJTI!SSPD6JP1Fi(ite.pdfstudy <an+, Y., K =>Dwyer, (. ,#$11.. Teacher-directed student-use of technolo+y and mathematics achie"ementQ -&aminin+ trends in international patterns. Cournal of 0omputers in %athematics and !cience #eaching, )?,1., %C-1?B. 2hesapea'e, DAQ AA2-. <hite, 7. T. ,1C55.. Theory into practice. In P. 6ensham ,-d.., Development and dilemmas in science education. Philadelphia, PAQ 6almer Press. <oolfor', A., Fu+hes, !., K <al'up, D. ,#$$5.. Psychology in education. -sse&Q Pearson educational limited. Rareena, A. ,#$1$, 0o"em)er 11.. !inister, School (eaders In Dialo+ue To Share -ducation Best Practices. #he 6runei #imes, 13,)*4, p. A5. 6or citationQ Kamarudin, A., & Leong, Y. P. (2011, May). Implementation of year mat!emati"# "urri"ulum in $runei %aru##alam. Proceedings 16th International Conference on Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

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