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PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

THE SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING 2017

TEACHING THAT MAKES LEARNING HAPPEN


© 2017 School of Education and Modern Languages, Universiti Utara Malaysia

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Malaysia.

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responsibility for errors, omissions, rights or claims deriving from the papers or their use.

ISBN: 978-983-42061-4-7
PAPER PRESENTATION & PROCEEDINGS COMMITTEE

Head
Azlina Murad Sani
Sub-heads
Lee Seung Chun (Proceedings)
Paramjit Kaur a/p Karpal Singh (Presentations)
Contributing Members
Minah Harun
Nafisah Mahmud
Sarimah Shaik Abdullah

Technical Support
Abdul Hamid Busthami Nur
Surendran Sankaran
Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

CONTENTS

FOREWORD iv

KEYNOTE 1 1
Professor Dr. Tony Harland
Professional Learning for Academics and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

KEYNOTE 2 2
Professor Dr. Nurahimah Mohd. Yusoff
Developing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Community of Practice

PAPERS
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Penggunaan Aplikasi Edmodo dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran di Institut


Pendidikan Guru 3
Muhammad Nidzam Yaakob & Nurahimah Mohd Yusoff

Kefahaman Guru pada Pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013 dalam Membuat Modul


Pembelajaran Di SMKN 3 Kota Banda Aceh 14
Fadhilah Razali, Nurahimah Mohd Yusoff & Rafisah Osman

The Sharing of Practice: Fun and Easy Teaching and Learning of Listening and
Speaking 21
Wan Norhasma Wan Hassan

Penggunaan Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa untuk Menguasai Kemahiran Membaca


dalam Kalangan Murid Pemulihan Khas 27
Roslan Chin & Nurahimah Yusoff

Kesan Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) terhadap Pencapaian Pelajar di Kolej


Komuniti Pasir Mas 40
Wan Farah Aida binti Wan Abdullah & Ida Suriati binti AwangYah

Accounting Undergraduates' Learning Perception in Seeking Additional Professional


Qualification 46
Sitraselvi Chandren, Nor Zalina Mohamad Yusof, Zaimah Abdullah, Muhammad Syahir Abd.
Wahab & Siti Seri Delima Abdul Malak

Using Gamification to Increase Students’ Motivation: Our Experience in Teaching


Research Methodology Class 53
Hadijah Jaffri & Rohaya Talib

The Influence of Problem Based Learning on Students’ Generic Skill 62


Shafarizan Abd Samad, Vinothini Vasodavan, Adegoke Ojeniyi & Eunice M. Oyetade

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

Adapting Thinking Based Learning Approach and 6E Instructional Model in


Implementing Green STEM Project 68
Hartini Hashim, Mohd Norawi Ali & Mohd Ali Samsudin

Kepimpinan Instruksional dan Gaya Komunikasi Pengetua dengan Komitmen Guru


Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Harian di Negeri Kedah 83
Faridah Othman & Norazlinda Saad

Information Behavior among Undergraduates in Sarawak 92


Nurul Muizzah Binti Johari

Peer Tutoring in Mathe matics: Listening to Students’ Pe rceptions and Attitudes to


Improve Programme 99
Constance Yuen & Cheryl Fernando

Peranan Pensyarah Penyelia sebagai Pe mimpin Pengajaran dalam Amalan Profesional


di IPG Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim 108
Wan Roslina binti Wan Ismail & Abdul Rahim bin Othman

Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah 116


Siti Fatimah Omar Bakri & Azlinah Dakarlan

Menyemai Budaya Berfikir dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran 120


Nuraina Mohamed Sin & Haslina Ishak

R.A.F.T. dan Think-Tac-Toe dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran 126


Ibrizi Ishak & Hairani Sani

Explicit Phonetic Instruction in Pronunciation Teaching and Learning in Higher


Education Settings: The Case of Voiceless Dental Fricatives /Ɵ/ and Rhotics /r/ for
Chinese Learners of English 130
Mohd Hilmi Hamzah, Nurul Mardhiah Mohd Nashuha & Abdul Halim Abdullah

How Does Teach for Malaysia’s Student Learning Vision of Empowe rment Translate
into Classroom Practice? 141
Yeong Ru Wong & Nadia Ezzat

Improving Critical Thinking Skills among Accounting Students through Coaching


Approach 148
Danilah Salleh & Hazeline Ayoub

Improving Communication and Critical Thinking Skills among Accounting Students


Through the Use of Flipped Learning 156
Norhaiza Khairudin, Danilah Salleh & Marhaiza Ibrahim

A New Teaching Approach for Improved Learning of Elementary Statistics 161


Zakiyah Zain, Suhaida Abdullah, Kamal Khalid & Rusdi @ Indra Zuhdi Murat

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

The 21st Century Challenge: Empowe ring Boys and Children from Lower Socio-
Economic Backgrounds 165
Joyce Ching Su Ping

Influence of Cooperative Type Model of Group Investigation on Students' Cognitive


Learning Outcomes 174
Derlina & Naimah Hasanah

Pembelajaran Penilaian Teks Naratif 179


Mohammad Fazli Salleh & Khairunnisa Mohamed

Exploring the Use of Structured Reflections in Assessment as Learning For


Postgraduates 184
Azlina Murad Sani

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

FOREWORD

It is indeed a great honour to welcome you to the inaugural International Conference o n the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ICSoTL) 2017. I would also like to take this
opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the keynote speakers and international participants
on the occasion of your first visit to the award winning green campus of Universiti Utara
Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.

This conference aims to provide the quintessential platform for researchers from a spectrum
of educational background to share, discuss and exchange views on issues related to teaching
and learning. Research in education has evolved over the years and it is therefore, most
timely that this inaugural international conference on the scholarship of teaching and learning
is held. With the rich diversity of issues and challenges in education, there is considerable
interest in and in turn, the constant need to advance knowledge in the field.I strongly believe
that it is imperative for practitioners and researchers to respond imaginatively to the current
unprecedented challenges that we face in educating the millennial generation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the generous sponsorship
and strong support of the Chief Minister of Kedah, YAB Dato’ Seri Di Raja Ahmad Bashah
bin Md Hanipah towards the conference.

Once again, welcome to ICSoTL 2017 and it is my fervent hope that we will embark together
on the exciting journey of teaching and learning from each other and help define the
education landscape in good time. To all our guests, have a pleasant and memorable stay in
UUM.

Best wishes

Professor Dr. Nurahimah Mohd. Yusoff


Chairperson
ICSoTL 2017

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

KEYNOTE 1

Professional Learning for Academics and the Scholarship


of Teaching and Learning
Professor Dr. Tony Harland
University of Ottago, New Zealand

Abstract
As a rule, new university lecturers are not qualified to teach, nor or they prepared for teaching
when they take up their first appointment. Three years of research training during a PhD,
possibly with some part-time demonstrating or tutoring, is an inadequate preparation for such
an important part of a lecturer’s job. In times past when higher education was elite and
reserved for the very best minds (or those with a privileged background), ‘teaching’ students
was seen as unnecessary. Students would come to university and learn, either with or despite
their lecturers. However, the neoliberal expansion to mass higher education of recent decades
has altered this position and teaching has taken on new significance for the academic
profession. At the same time as having to teach many more students with a greater range of
abilities, the meaning of higher education itself has been challenged and its role in society
questioned. Teaching now has to have an outcome beyond subject, and the university lecturer
is faced with the double task of working out how to teach disciplinary knowledge and then
how to align student learning with a range of possible outcomes. The question is how do
teachers meet these challenges when there is no pre-service training (typical of high school
education) for the university lecturer? A range of in-service academic development
opportunities have been introduced in many institutions and lecturers can take part in
teaching workshops, attend formal courses with a teaching qualification, or engage in what
has been termed the ‘Scholarship of Teaching and Learning’ (SoTL). SoTL is predicated on
two questions: ‘how can I improve my teaching? and ‘what am I trying to achieve with my
teaching?’ In this keynote I will explain why SoTL is a worthwhile option for academic
professional formation and argue that to be successful, it requires a critical focus on teaching
skills in the context of a reasoned argument about the purposes of a higher education.

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

KEYNOTE 2

Developing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning


Community of Practice
Professor Dr. Nurahimah Mohd. Yusoff
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, also known as SoTL, is currently at an infant
stage in Malaysia. In other parts of the world, several studies (Livshin, 2011; Li, 2011; Sams
and Sams, 2011) pointed out that the promotion of SoTL efforts and other scholarly activities
in this area often is liaised via the centre for the advancement of teaching, academic
development centre, centre for teaching and learning of the respective universities. The study
by Raja Maznah et al. (2012) for example, revealed that the participants in general perceived
the importance of and need for SoTL training. The majority of the participants indicated a
need to develop a comprehensive SoTL training framework and overall, there was a general
consensus on the need to enhance teaching practices through SoTL. However, many
participants were unfamiliar with SoTL literature and generally were exposed to it
informally. Support by the institution seemed to be important to the participants. This
keynote session intends to address some pertinent questions related to SoTL activities. How
do participants develop reflection skills while learning to do SoTL? What is the process that
participants go through when they are engaged in SoTL? How does the process of
transferring SoTL learning take place among participants? And most of all - the key question:
What is the process of developing a Community of Practice (CoP) in Higher Education?

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

Penggunaan Aplikasi Edmodo dalam Pengajaran dan


Pembelajaran di Institut Pendidikan Guru

Muhammad Nidzam Yaakob and Nurahimah Mohd Yusoff

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstrak: Persekitaran Pengajaran Maya dikatakan boleh meningkatkan interaksi antara guru dengan
pelajar yang membentuk komunikasi secara berkesan. Banyak kajian dilaksanakan tentang Persekitaran
Pembelajaran Maya berkaitan dengan penggunaan serta peningkatan pencapaian akademik dalam kalangan
pengguna sistem jaringan sosial. Objektif kajian ialah untuk melihat kesediaan pensyarah dan pelajar dalam
menggunakan persekitaran pembelajaran maya dalam P&P di IPG. Kajian ini menggabungkan pendekatan
kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Dalam kajian ini, Kaedah Fuzzy Delphi dengan menggunakan 5 skala fuzzy
digunakan bagi mengumpul respon 15 orang pakar yang terdiri daripada pensyarah IPG. Analisis temu bual
4 orang pelajar digunakan untuk menyokong dapatan pakar. Data yang dikumpul dianalisis menggunakan
penomboran segitiga fuzzy (triangular fuzzy number) dan kedudukan (ranking) setiap pembolehubah
ditentukan menggunakan ‘defuzzification process’. Konsesus pakar mendapati pembolehubah peluang
penggunaan aplikasi Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk pembelajaran berada di
kedudukan (ranking) pertama. Hasil analisis data temubual pelajar juga turut menyokong dapatan di atas.
Kajian ini dapat memberi manfaat bukan sahaja kepada para pensyarah dan pelajar, malah sebagai rujukan
kepada sistem pendidikan di Malaysia dalam mentransformasikan pendidikan melalui kolaborasi dengan
teknologi rangkaian sosial

Keywords: Konsesus Pakar,Fuzzy Delphi Method, Persekitaran Pengajaran Maya, Generasi Millenial

1. Pengenalan
Abad ke-21 adalah merupakan tempoh antara tahun 2001 hingga 2100. Menurut Mumtaz Begam, 2013
menyatakan abad ke-21 adalah abad yang membawa perubahan kepada satu anjakan paradigma daripada
masyarakat industri kepada masyarakat inovasi, penggunaan teknologi, agihan kuasa dan e-pembelajaran
kepada m-Pembelajaran. Arus dunia teknologi yang semakin pesat pada zaman milinium dan dunia
globalisasi telah menjadikan sistem komunikasi perlu seiring dengan perubahan zaman. Konsep open sky
technology telah menjadikan dunia yang luas menjadi semakin mengecil dengan sokongan sistem
komunikasi terkini yang bersifat maya. Era pembangunan ICT telah membekukan jarak dan masa seperti
tiada had dan tiada batasan waktu (Yusliani, 2012).
Kepesatan pembangunan ekonomi dan dunia pendidikan telah mengubah status dunia untuk lebih
memberi fokus kepada `end product’ berbanding teoritikal. Perubahan ini dikenali sebagai knowledge age
atau k-ekonomi seiring dengan abad ke-21 yang amat mementingkan kreativiti dan inovasi dan informasi
dalam menelusuri kehidupan masyarakat maya. Kepesatan dunia ICT di abad ke-21 menjadikan negara harus
menerima impak isu dan cabaran daripada liberalisasi, globalisasi, liberalisasi dalam era perkembangan
dunia Informatian and Communications Technology atau ICT. Alam pendidikan juga pastinya perlu bergerak
bersama dengan teknologi suapaya tidak ketinggalan dalam cabara dunia tanpa sempadan di era globalisasi.
Irvine & Richards, 2013 berpendapat abad ke-21 kini terdedah dengan konsep pembelajaran atas talian yang
memberi ruang yang lebih terbuka untuk pelajar mengikuti proses pembelajaran.

Teachers will need to change their role in the electronic classroom from being information providers to
counselors to help students develop know how and judgment to select information sources. Key to
success in the Information Age will be making the right judgements between an awesome array of
choices. We are examining our education system to create a curriculum where people learn how to learn
for continuing education throughout their lives. (Tun Mahathir Mohamed, Launch of the Multimedia
Super Corridor, 1 August 1996)

Jadi jelaslah bahawa segala bentuk perubahan akan berhadapan dengan halangan dan cabaran dalam soal
ekonomi, politik dan sosial yang secara lansung turut mempengaruhi status pendidikan sesebuah negara.
Tetapi dengan gelombang ekonomi kini, peningkatan dalam penggunaan smartphone telah membuka ruang
yang luas dalam perubahan era pedagogi tradisi kepada pedagogi maya di alam siber (Specht, 2014).

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2. Penyataan Masalah
Sistem pendidikan di Malaysia telah menunjukkan perubahan yang bersifat drastik dan terbuka
terutamanya dalam perkembangan teknologi tanpa wayar. Ini di sokong pula dengan penggunaan peralatan
mudah alih yang semakin meningkat kadar penggunaanya (Seadah Siraj, 2008). Fenomena ini turut di
sokong oleh faktor harga peralatan mudah alih yang rendah dan mampu dimiliki . Kesannya akan berlaku
kenaikan dalam permintaan yang tinggi terhadap telefon mudah alih. Buktinya jika dilihat kepada statistik
Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia, didapati kadar penggunaan telefon mudah alih telah
mencecah sebanyak 30.144 juta pada tahun 2009. Senario ini jelas menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perubahan
dan juga peningkatan yang drastik secara berterusan terhadap penggunaan telefon mudah alih di Malaysia
(RMK-10, 2010).
Jadi kesannya, dengan berlakunya perubahan dalam teknologi maka perubahan juga akan berlaku kepada
kaedah pembelajaran. Corak pedagogi telah berubah selari dengan perubahan teknologi sesuai dengan
lanskap pendidikan maya pada masa kini. Kini, berlaku perubahan yang ketara yang menjurus kepada
perubahan gaya pembelajaran yang sentiasa bersifat dinamik dalam bidang pendidikan (Mohamed Alley,
2004). Justeru itu, pedagogi maya telah mengambil ruang dan tempat sebagai salah satu alternatif kepada
aktiviti pembelajaran terkini.
Oleh itu bidang pendidikan di Malaysia berhadapan dengan pelbagai cabaran dan isu yang menjadi
tanggungjawab semua pihak selari dengan dunia abad ke-21. Untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai sebuah
negara maju dan bertaraf dunia maka perlulah berlaku perubahan dan pembaharuan dalam bidang
pendidikan. Bertitik tolak dari kesedaran ini, Kementerian Pelajaran membuat pembaharuan dan perubahan
sistematik ini mestilah dilihat secara menyeluruh dalam kontek yang lebih luas. Sebagai contoh, apabila kita
mengubah kurikulum sekolah, faktor-faktor latihan guru, soal fizikal, soal kemasukan teknologi baru, sistem
penilaian, kebajikan guru, profesionalisme dan lain-lain lagi hendaklah diambil kira. Kementerian
Pendidikan akan menyalurkan semua inisiatif ICT untuk meningkatkan produktiviti, kecemerlangan dan
keberkesanan sistem pengurusan supaya boleh dilaksanakan secara cekap dan efektif untuk mengelakkan
pembaziran (KPM, 2011).

3. Objektif Kajian
1. Mengenal pasti apakah peluang menggunakan aplikasi Edmodo dalam kalangan pensyarah di IPG
berdasarkan kesepakatan pakar.

4. Soalan Kajian
1. Apakah peluang menggunakan aplikasi Edmodo dalam kalangan pensyarah di IPG?

5. Metodologi Kajian
Kajian ini merupakan kajian kuantitatif dan juga kualitatif , sampel kajian melibatkan 15 orang pakar
bidang (Adler & Zigler, 1996). Instrumen kajian yang digunakan ialah set soal selidik yang mengandungi 10
item yang diedarkan kepada pakar.
Untuk melaksanakan teknik Fuzzy Delphi dalam kajian ini, pengkaji terlebih dahulu menentukan dan
menyusun item-item yang diubahsuai dari analisis keperluan dalam bentuk yang lebih kemas dan teratur
untuk diteliti oleh panel pakar. Setelah itu, pengkaji menentukan sekumpulan pakar yang bersetuju untuk
memberi sumbangan kepakaran mereka dalam menyatakan idea, mengkritik dan menambah baik kandungan
item yang telah ditentukan oleh pengkaji. Pengkaji mengedarkan instrumen soal selidik yang mengandungi
item-item yang diperolehi menerusi analisis keperluan. Para pakar diminta menyatakan aras persetujuan
terhadap setiap item samada Sangat Setuju, Setuju, Kurang Setuju, Tidak Setuju dan Sangat Tidak Setuju.
Setelah semua pakar menandakan aras persetujuan masing-masing, pakar juga diminta memberikan
pandangan masing-masing terhadap setiap item di dalam brang soal selidik. Data dari Skala Likert yang
diperolehi kemudian diterjemahkan ke dalam bentuk data nombor Fuzzy dan dianalisis menggunakan
perisian Microsoft Excel. Teknik analisis data ini dikenali sebagai teknik Fuzzy Delphi atau Fuzzy Delphi
Method (FDM). Komen dan cadangan pakar juga diambilkira untuk menambah baik item. Kajian ini juga
mengambilkira pandangan seramai 8 orang pelajar dan 2 orang pensyarah. Data diperolehi melalui temubual
semi struktur beradasarkan TUP Model (Roman Bednarik,2002).

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6. Perbincangan Kajian
6.1. Pengumpulan dan penganalisaan data teknik Fuzzy Delphi
Dalam teknik Fuzzy Delphi ada dua istilah yang perlu difahami iaitu Triangular Fuzzy Number dan
proses Defuzzification. Triangular Fuzzy Number mewakili nilai m1, m2 dan m3 dan ia ditulis seperti ini
(m1, m2, m3). Nilai m1 mewakili nilai minimum, nilai m2 mewakili nilai munasabah manakala nilai m3
mewakili nilai maksimum. Manakala Triangular Fuzzy Number digunakan untuk menghasilkan skala Fuzzy
(yang sama seperti skala Likert) bagi tujuan menterjemahkan pembolehubah linguistik kepada nombor fuzzy.
Bilangan tahap bagi skala Fuzzy adalah dalam bilangan ganjil. Lebih tinggi skala Fuzzy, lebih tepat data
yang diperolehi. Ia dapat dijelaskan dalam Rajah 1.

Rajah 1. Aras Persetujuan Skala Fuzzy. Adaptasi dari “Fuzzy Delphi dalam penyelidikan reka bentuk,’’
oleh Mohd. Ridhuan Mohd. Jamil, Saedah Siraj, Zaharah Hussin, Nurul Rabihah Mat Noh & Ahmad Arifin
Sapar, 2014. Kuala Lumpur: Minda Intelek.

Dalam kajian ini, proses pengumpulan dan penganalisaan teknik Fuzzy Delphi dilaksanakan apabila
pakar diberikan item dan setiap instrumen diwakili oleh skala Likert serta ruangan kosong untuk komen serta
cadangan pakar. Data skala Likert yang diperolehi akan dianalisis dengan menggunakan program Excel.
Semua data ditukarkan ke dalam bentuk Triangular Fuzzy Number. Skala Fuzzy lima poin digunakan dalam
kajian ini. Ia dapat dilihat dalam jadual 1.

Jadual 1 Jadual Lima Point Skala Fuzzy


Aras Persetujuan Skala Fuzzy
Sangat Tidak Setuju 0.0, 0.0,0.2
Tidak Setuju 0.0, 0.2,0.4
Sederhana Setuju 0.2, 0.4,0.6
Setuju 0.4, 0.6,0.8
Sangat Setuju 0.6, 0.8,1

Jadual 1 menunjukkan bahawa semakin tinggi nombor pada skala, semakin tepat data yang diperolehi. Di
dalam kajian ini, pengkaji memilih skala lingusitik lima poin seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 2.

Jadual 2 Skala kajian


Aras Persetujuan Skala Fuzzy Skala Likert
Sangat Tidak Setuju 0.0, 0.0,0.2 1
Tidak Setuju 0.0, 0.2,0.4 2
Sederhana Setuju 0.2, 0.4,0.6 3
Setuju 0.4, 0.6,0.8 4
Sangat Setuju 0.6, 0.8,1 5

Data-data kemudian dijadualkan untuk mendapatkan nilai Fuzzy (n1, n2, n3) serta nilai purata Fuzzy
(m1, m2, m3) bagi mendapatkan nilai threshold, peratusan konsensus pakar, defuzzication dan ranking item.
Bagi tujuan mendapatkan kesepakatan pakar untuk setiap item, nilai threshold tidak melebihi 0.2. Peratusan
persetujuan pakar pula perlu melebihi nilai 75% manakala nilai defuzzication bagi setiap item perlu melebihi
nilai α-cut = 0.5.

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Untuk mendapatkan nilai threshold, jarak di antara dua nombor Fuzzy ditentukan dengan menggunakan
formula berikut iaitu :

Rajah 2 Formula penentuan jarak di antara dua nombor Fuzzy

Berdasarkan formula pada Rajah 2, nilai d adalah nilai threshold. Jika nilai d ≤ 0.2, ia bermaksud
kesemua pakar mencapai kesepakatan terhadap item berkenaan. Jika sebaliknya, pusingan kedua perlu dibuat
untuk melihat samada item tersebut diperlukan atau tidak (Chen, 2000 dan Cheng & Lin, 2002). Teknik
Fuzzy Delphi juga melibatkan proses menentukan kesepakatan pakar samada melebihi atau bersamaan
dengan 75% bagi keseluruhan konstruk atau bagi setiap item. Setiap item diandaikan mencapai kesepakatan
pakar jika peratusan kesepakatan pakar untuk item berkenaan adalah sama atau melebihi 75% (Chu &
Hwang, 2008).

Proses defuzzification turut dilakukan dalam proses penganalisaan data kajian teknik Fuzzy Delphi. Ia
adalah proses menentukan kedudukan atau keutamaan bagi setiap item atau untuk menentukan kedudukan
bagi setiap pembolehubah mahupun sub-pembolehubah. Dalam proses ini, terdapat tiga rumus iaitu :

i. A = 1/3 * (m1 + m2 + m3) , atau ;


ii. A = ¼ * (m1 + 2m2 + m3) , atau ;
iii. A = 1/6 * (m1 + 4m2 + m3).

Nilai α-cut = nilai median bagi ‘0’ dan ‘1’, dimana α-cut = (0+1)/2 = 0.5. Sekiranya nilai A terhasil kurang
dari nilai α-cut = 0.5, item akan ditolak kerana ia menunjukkan kesepakatan pakar dalam menolak item
tersebut namun jika nilai A yang terhasil adalah melebihi nilai α-cut = 0.5, item akan diterima kerana ia
menunjukkan konsensus pakar untuk menerima item berkenaan (Bodjanova, 2006).

6.2. Rasional teknik Fuzzy Delphi


Rasional aplikasi teknik Fuzzy Delphi dilakukan berbanding teknik Delphi biasa dalam kajian ini kerana
ia menjimatkan masa dan kos dalam mengendalikan soal selidik. Selain itu, ia turut membolehkan para pakar
memberikan sepenuhnya pandangan mereka secara konsisten (Mohd. Ridhuan Mohd. Jamil et al., 2013).

6.3. Kesepakatan pakar Fuzzy Delphi terhadap peluang pelaksanaan m-pembelajaran di IPG

Jadual 3 Peluang menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara Mobile di IPG


Bil Item
1 Saya percaya kepentingan menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile semasa kuliah.
2 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo sesuai dengan program saya.
3 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk pembelajaran
4 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile akan meningkatkan prestasi akademik pelajar.
5 Saya berminat untuk mempelajari penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dengan lebih mendalam.
6 Saya cekap dalam menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile.
7 Saya merasa yakin apabila menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dalam P&P
8 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile membolehkan kerja disiapkan dengan cepat
9 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile berupaya meningkatkan produktiviti kerja pelajar.
10 Saya berpeluang mengakses aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile pada bila-bila masa dan di mana-mana sahaja.

Nilai threshold (d), peratusan kesepakatan pakar, defuzzification dan ranking item bagi item-item di atas
ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 4.

Jadual 4 Nilai threshold (d), peratusan kesepakatan pakar, defuzzification dan ranking item bagi
peluang pelaksanaan Aplikasi Edmodo di IPG
ITEM
PAKAR A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10
1 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.143 0.122 0.041 0.190 0.020 0.454 0.285

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2 0.041 0.285 0.143 0.448 0.122 0.041 0.190 0.020 0.158 0.020
3 0.041 0.020 0.163 0.163 0.183 0.265 0.190 0.020 0.417 0.285
4 0.041 0.020 0.163 0.163 0.183 0.041 0.454 0.026 0.149 0.020
5 0.265 0.020 0.143 0.448 0.163 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.020
6 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.143 0.183 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.326
7 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.163 0.183 0.265 0.422 0.285 0.158 0.020
8 0.041 0.326 0.163 0.163 0.122 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.149 0.020
9 0.041 0.020 0.163 0.163 0.183 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.020
10 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.163 0.183 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.020
11 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.163 0.183 0.229 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.020
12 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.163 0.183 0.041 0.190 0.285 0.158 0.020
13 0.041 0.020 0.143 0.163 0.122 0.176 0.190 0.020 0.149 0.020
14 0.265 0.285 0.143 0.448 0.122 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.158 0.020
15 0.041 0.020 0.163 0.163 0.122 0.041 0.117 0.020 0.149 0.020

Jadual 4 (sambungan)
ITEM
A7 A8 A9 A10
PAKAR A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6
Peratusan Konsensus
Pakar Berdasarkan Setiap
Item 87% 80% 93% 80% 87% 80% 87% 80% 87% 80%
Peratus Konsensus Kumpulan Pakar = (140/165) x 100% = 85 %

Peratusan Konsensus 140-total iem d≤0.2


Kumpulan Pakar bagi 165-15 expert × 11 item
Keseluruhan Item
Nilai Defuzzification /
Nilai Skor Item
0.587 0.613 0.707 0.693 0.680 0.573 0.529 0.613 0.693 0.587
Kedudukan (ranking)
Item 5 4 1 2 3 6 7 4 2 5

* Kaedah 1: Item A1, A2, A4, A5, A6, A7 dan A10 melebihi nilai threshold (d) = 0.2
** Kaedah 2: Peratus persetujuan pakar menunjukkan kesemua item melebihi nilai 75%
*** Kaedah 3: Kesemua nilai defuzzification bagi setiap item melebihi nilai α-cut = 0.5

Berdasarkan Jadual 4, hanya item A3 dan A5 sahaja yang mempunyai nilai threshold (d) ≤ 0.2. Menurut
Cheng dan Lin (2002), jika nilai purata dan penilaian pakar adalah kurang dari nilai threshold 0.2, item
tersebut telah mendapat kesepakatan pakar. Meskipun dapatan menunjukkan item A1, A2, A4, A5, A6, A7
dan A10 melebihi nilai threshold (d) = 0.2, namun peratus persetujuan pakar menunjukkan kesemua item
berada melebihi nilai 75%. Kesemua nilai defuzzification bagi setiap item juga melebihi nilai α-cut = 0.5. Ini
menunjukkan item-item peluang untuk melaksanakan m-Pembelajaran di Institut Pendidikan Guru mendapat
kesepakatan dari para pakar. Item yang disusun mengikut keutamaan seperti ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 5.

Jadual 5 Item Peluang Melaksanakan Aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile di IPG mengikut keutamaan
Susunan Item Nombor
mengikut Item
keutamaan
1 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk pembelajaran. A3
2 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile akan meningkatkan prestasi akademik A4
pelajar.
2 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile berupaya meningkatkan produktiviti kerja pelajar. A9
3 Saya berminat untuk mempelajari penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dengan lebih A5
mendalam.
4 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile membolehkan kerja disiapkan dengan cepat A8
4 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo sesuai dengan program saya. A2

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5 Saya berpeluang mengakses aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile pada bila-bila masa dan di mana-mana A10
sahaja.
5 Saya percaya kepentingan menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile semasa kuliah A1
6 Saya cekap dalam menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile. A6
7 Saya merasa yakin apabila menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dalam P&P A7

Jadual 6 pula menunjukkan nilai skor defuzification bagi ciri-ciri konstruk peluang pelaksanaan m-
Pembelajaran di IPG. Berdasarkan nilai skor defuzification menunjukkan kedudukan bagi setiap item yang
perlu diberi keutamaan oleh pakar melaksanakan m-Pembelajaran di IPG.

Jadual 6 Item peluang melaksanakan aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile di IPG mengikut nilai fuzzy evaluation
Susunan Item Nilai fuzzy
mengikut evaluation
keutamaan
1 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk 10.6
pembelajaran.
2 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile akan meningkatkan 10.4
prestasi akademik pelajar.
2 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile berupaya meningkatkan produktiviti kerja 10.4
pelajar.
3 Saya berminat untuk mempelajari penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dengan 10.2
lebih mendalam.
4 Penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile membolehkan kerja disiapkan dengan 8.8
cepat
4 Saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo sesuai dengan program saya. 8.8
5 Saya percaya kepentingan menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile semasa kuliah 8.6
5 Saya berpeluang mengakses aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile pada bila-bila masa dan di 8.6
mana-mana sahaja.
6 Saya cekap dalam menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile. 7.9
7 Saya merasa yakin apabila menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dalam P&P 7.4

Hasil daripada nilai skor defuzification bagi setiap ciri-ciri item peluang pelaksanaan m-Pembelajaran di
IPG dilihat memberi nilai yang dipersetujui. Jadual 6 memperlihatkan bahawa item penggunaan perisian
Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk pembelajaran ditempat yang pertama dengan nilai skor
defuzification sebanyak 10.6. Diikuti oleh item saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile
akan meningkatkan prestasi akademik pelajar dan penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile berupaya
meningkatkan produktiviti kerja pelajar dengan nilai defuzification sebanyak 10.4. Dua item ini berada di
kedudukan kedua. Seterusnya item saya berminat untuk mempelajari penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara
mobile dengan lebih mendalam dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 10.2 berada diranking ketiga
Seterusnya item penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile membolehkan kerja disiapkan dengan cepat dan
saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo sesuai dengan program saya dengan nilai skor defuzification
sebanyak 8.8 di kedudukan keempat. Dua item berada di kedudukan yang kelima iaitu saya percaya
kepentingan menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile semasa kuliah dan saya berpeluang mengakses
aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile pada bila-bila masa dan di mana-mana sahaja dengan nilai skor defuzification
sebanyak 8.6. Bagi kedudukan keenam item saya cekap dalam menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile
dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 7.9. Item yang seterusnya ialah saya merasa yakin apabila
menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dalam P&P dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 7.4 di
kedudukan ketujuh.

6.4. Dapatan temu bual pelajar penggunaan Edmodo dalam pembelajaran


Dapatan temu bual bagi responden 1 hingga responden 8 menunjukkan responden merasakan aktiviti
kuiz secara edmodo dengan alat smartphone mampu untuk menjadikan proses pembelajaran menjadi lebih
menarik. Kuiz secara edmodo mampu untuk menjadikan proses pembelajaran amat menarik. Pelajar secara
aktif membuat perbincangan untuk menjawab soalan kuiz yang diberikan secara individu dan juga
berkumpulan. Daripada temu bual juga jelas menunjukkan responden merasakan aktiviti sebegini adalah
menarik dan mampu untuk menjadikan proses pembelajaran adalah selari dengan apa yang berlaku dalam
dunia realiti ICT semasa. Dapatan juga menunjukkan pembelajaran menggunakan platform edmodo mampu
untuk menjawab segala persoalan dengan pantas dalam kumpulan. Apabila terdapat persoalan yang

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dirasakan kurang difahami, pelajar akan menyatakan dalam platform edmodo. Respon yang diperolehi dari
rakan adalah cepat, pantas dan berkesan. Responden juga merasakan seolah-olah mereka berada dalam kelas
untuk berbincang, tetapi sebenarnya perbincangan berlaku di luar waktu pembelajaran.

“Ya..ia amat membantu..dimana kita boleh berbincang dan bertukar-tukar pendapat di dalam
edmodo ini juga tempat untuk kita mendapatkan maklumat yang diperlukan selain daripada nota
yang disediakan..” (TB1/R1)

“Ya..kita boleh bertukar-tukar pendapat didalam edmodo ini macam group study la..kalau ada
assignment yang kita tak paham..boleh la kita berbincang dalam edmodo ni…lebih memudahkan
kerja kita bila dah ramai memberi pendapat..” (TB1/R2)

“Amat membantu…kita boleh berbincang dalam forum ini.. mudah nak bertanya pada rakan-rakan
lain..” (TB1/R3)

“Ya amat membantu.. kita boleh dapat banyak maklumat..lagipun ia membantu dalam menjawab
setiap kemusykilan tentang sesuatu tajuk..” (TB1/R4)

“Ya..kira edmodo ni macam group study la..kita bincang ramai-ramai..segala apa persoalan boleh
kita tanya dalam ni..banyak membantu la..” (TB2/R5, ms5, b111-112)

“Semestinya membantu pembelajaran saya..mudah saya nak berbincang dengan kawan-


kawan…kadang-kadang ada juga lecturer yang joint sama..” (TB2/R6, ms6, b113-114)

“Ya…dengan adanya platform dalam model ini..saya dapat bertanya kemusykilan tentang
pembelajaran saya..ramai yang boleh membantu..” (TB2/R7, ms5, b115-116)

“Ya..edmodo ni boleh di katakan sebagai tempat untuk mendapatkan maklumat dan tempat kita
belajar juga...jadi mudah la untuk kita nak bertanya..” (TB2/R8, ms5, b117-118)

6.5. Dapatan temu bual pensyarah penggunaan Edmodo dalam pembelajaran


Dapatan temu bual bagi pensyarah 1 dan 2 menunjukkan pensyarah merasakan edmodo adalah
merupakan satu bentuk perisian yang lebih bersifat pendidikan dan mesra pengguna. Pelaksanaan kuiz dalam
edmodo amat menarik dan pelajar juga dapat membuat tugasan tersebut di mana-mana sahaja dan pada bila-
bila masa sahaja. Masa yang diberi untuk menjawab menjadikan pelajar mampu untuk menyiapkan tugasan
kuiz mengikut perancangan. Apa yang penting adalah pensyarah dapat melihat perkembangan pelajar secara
personal dan ini akan dapat memotivasikan pelajar untuk terus membaiki kelemahan diri.

“Saya rasa selesa dengan perisian ni….mudah…senang…dan yang penting dapat upload bahan
untuk kerja pelajar…store secara online mudah…space pun sikit….emmm” (TB3/L1, ms3, b58-59).

“Yang bagusnya dalam Edmodo ialah lebih friendly user…markah pun dapat kita
lihat..perkembangan pelajar dapat di pantau…..perisian ini ada di gunakan….tetapi kajian untuk
melihat keberkesannya elok sangat di buat…setuju la…..”(TB4/L2, ms3, b60-62).

Co
nto
h
akti
viti
dal
am
plat
for
m
Ed
mo
do

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Mendaftar akaun sebagai guru / pensyarah Bahan dalam Edmodo

Markah Pelajar Jawapan pelajar

7. Perbincangan dan Kesimpulan


Hasil analisis yang dijalankan item yang berada di kedudukan pertama ialah Penggunaan perisian
Edmodo dalam P&P adalah satu idea yang baik untuk pembelajaran dengan nilai skor defuzification
sebanyak 10.6. Penyataan ini selari dengan kajian oleh Kaushik, Azad, & Vakati , 2014 yang mendapati
teknik pedagogi teleh berubah dan pembelajaran telah berubah sesuai dengan perkembangan semasa.
Pendidikan maya telah berkembang dan lebih banyak sekolah-sekolah dan juga peringkat pendidikan tinggi
yang terlibat. Seterusnya kajian oleh Kamil, Wisam Abduladheem; Fadahl, Zaid Abass; Shukur, Ban
Salman; Al-khafaji, Nassir Jabir; Azeez, & Naofal Mohamad Hassin, 2014 juga mendapati pembelajaran
menggunakan platform secara mobile semakin diterima pakai di institusi pendidikan tinggi untuk membantu
pelajar dalam proses pembelajaran mereka.
Item yang berada di kedudukan yang kedua ialah item saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo
secara mobile akan meningkatkan prestasi akademik pelajar dan item penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara
mobile berupaya meningkatkan produktiviti kerja pelajar dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 10.4.
Kajian oleh Mikulowski, Dariusz; Brzostek-Pawlowska, Jolanta, 2014 mendapati pedagogi moden yang
menggunakan komputer sebagai peralatan mobile adalah merupakan kemudahan penting kepada pelajar.
Seterusnya kajian oleh Chao, Chen, & Huang , 2014 juga menunjukkan bahawa perkembangan pesat dalam
bidang Internet dan alat pembelajaran mobile telah menjadikan interaksi sosial dalam kalangan masyarakat
lebih mudah. Kajian juga mendapati dengan penggunaan platform Edmodo, pelajar boleh menjana kelekitan
pembelajaran dengan penyertaan aktif dan interaksi dua hala dalam komuniti pelajar itu sendiri.
Pembelajaran juga mampu menjadi lebih baik dan menarik dengan menggunakan alatan mobile untuk
memudahkan pelajar mengakses (Trust, 2015). Menurut Fiore, Mainetti, Patrono, & Vergallo, 2012
pendidikan telah berubah dengan ketara untuk memenuhi keperluan baru bagi guru dan pelajar.
Item yang seterusnya ialah saya berminat untuk mempelajari penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile
dengan lebih mendalam dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 10.2. Pernyataan ini dturut disokong oleh
kajian Naaji, Herman, & Mustea, 2013 mendapati pendekatan baru dalam bidang pendidikan tinggi
terutamanya dari segi kaedah pengajaran semakin disasarkan kepada persekitaran maya. Dapatan kajian
menunjukkan manfaat utamanya ialah akses kepada sumber-sumber pendidikan yang tidak memilih lokasi
dan masa. Dengan penyebaran luas teknologi mudah alih, dari telefon mudah alih dan tablet yang
menyokong kepada sistem komunikasi media sosial dan pengajaran menjadikan pengajaran lebih berkesan.
Sistem pengajaran dan pembelajaran perlu disesuaikan dengan cabaran-cabaran baru dalam talian yang lebih
tinggi.
Item yang berada di kedudukan yang keempat ialah item penggunaan perisian Edmodo secara mobile
membolehkan kerja disiapkan dengan cepat dan saya percaya menggunakan perisian Edmodo sesuai dengan
program saya.dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 8.8. Menurut Pozgaj & Vuksic, 2013 platform
pembelajaran terkini telah mengubah cara hidup dan sektor pendidikan dalam tempoh beberapa tahun yang
lalu. Kenyataan ini adalah benar untuk Generasi Y juga dikenali sebagai Generasi Milenium. Menurut kajian

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pada masa kini, pembelajaran secara mobile mewujudkan satu paradigma baru untuk pendidikan. Kajian oleh
Yarandi, Tawil, Jahankhani, & Hosseini, 2012 pula mendapati kemajuan pesat dalam teknologi e-
Pembelajaran membolehkan setiap pelajar untuk mempelajari proses pembelajaran sendiri berdasarkan ciri-
ciri mereka sendiri. Tambahan pula, perkembangan terkini dalam bidang peragaan semantik telah membawa
kepada perhatian yang diperbaharui dengan memberi tumpuan kepada sistem e-pembelajaran berdasarkan
kebolehan belajar, gaya pembelajaran, pengetahuan sedia dan pilihan.
Seterusnya bagi item yang berada di kedudukan yang kelima ialah Saya percaya kepentingan
menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile semasa kuliah dan peralatan mobile membolehkan kerja
disiapkan dengan cepat dan Saya berpeluang mengakses aplikasi Edmodo secara mobile pada bila-bila masa
dan di mana-mana sahaja.dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 8.6. Menurut Tahat, Jamal, Kalbouneh,
& Jaber, 2012 pula melihat kepada gabungan metodologi, aplikasi, dan penggunaan internet untuk
pendidikan bagi pelajar kursus kejuruteraan sarjana muda. Penyelesaian ini menggabungkan beberapa
kaedah penyampaian yang berbeza, seperti muka-ke-muka, kerjasama pasukan, ukuran bidang, digabungkan
dengan mewah perisian simulasi profesional. Pengajaran dilaksanakan secara tradisional dan juga secara
moden dengan teknik pedagogi maya menggunakan aplikasi Edmodo untuk meningkatkan kemahiran
belajar dan juga untuk menggalakkan kerjasama berpasukan dalam pembelajaran (Thongmak, 2013).
Item yang seterusnya ialah saya cekap dalam menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dengan nilai
skor defuzification sebanyak 7.9. Dalam perkara ini pengkaji berpendapat bahawa penggunaan peralatan
mobile semasa pembelajaran tidak mengganggu proses pembelajaran terutamanya dari segi kawalan kelas.
Pandangan ini turut di sokong oleh Kearney, Schuck, Burden, & Aubusson, 2012 yang berpendapat teknik
pedagogi teleh berubah dan pembelajaran telah berubah sesuai dengan perkembangan semasa untuk
membantu pelajar dalam sistem pendidikan maya. Pendidikan maya telah berkembang dan lebih banyak
sekolah-sekolah dan juga peringkat pendidikan tinggi yang terlibat dan kawalan kelas akan menjadi lebih
mudah.Seterusnya bagi item yang berada di kedudukan yang terakhir ialah saya merasa yakin apabila
menggunakan perisian Edmodo secara mobile dalam P&P dengan nilai skor defuzification sebanyak 7.4.
Bagi dapatan temu bual pula, pembelajaran menggunakan platform Edmodo dengan menggunakan
smartphone menjadikan pembelajaran mereka lebih menarik. Dalam hal ini, pelajar dapat berbincang secara
individu dan juga secara berkumpulan untuk menjawab kuiz yang diberi. Mereka berpendapat seolah-olah
berada dalam kelas perbincangan, tetapi realitinya adalah perbincangan secara maya yang berlaku. Dalam
konteks kajian, dapatan temu bual pensyarah menunjukkan edmodo adalah merupakan satu platform yang
bersifat pendidikan dan mesra pengguna. Pensyarah dapat melihat perkembangan pelajar secara personal dan
komen secara online dapat memotivasikan pelajar untuk terus memperbaiki kelemahan diri. Dalam konteks
kajian ini, dapatan kajian ini disokong Enriquez (2014); Paliktzoflou & Suhonen (2014) dan Trust (2015)
yang berpendapat platform Edmodo adalah merupakan platform yang ideal dalam melaksanakan proses P&P
secara mobile.

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Kamil, Wisam Abduladheem; Fadahl, Zaid Abass; Shukur, Ban Salman; Al-khafaji, Nassir Jabir; Azeez,
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(pnyt). Kuala Lumpur: Pearson Malaysia Sdn.Bhd.

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Attewell & C. Savill-Smith (Ed.), Mobile learning anytime anywhere: A books of papers from
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Academic Performance Of College Students. In The Asian Conference on Education 2013 (pp. 1–
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Kefahaman Guru pada Pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013


dalam Membuat Modul Pembelajaran di SMKN 3 Kota
Banda Aceh
Fadhilah Razali1, Nurahimah Mohd Yusoff1 and Rafisah Osman2
1
Universiti Utara Malaysia
2
Universiti Utara Malaysia/FKIP Universitas Syah Kuala, Indonesia

Abstrak: Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji kefahaman guru pada pelaksanaan kurikulum 2013
dalam membuat modul pembelajaran. Kajian ini bertitik tolak dari pada Isu bahawa kurikulum 2013
merupakan kurikulum perubahan. Pada perubahan kurikulum guru diharuskan membuat modul
pembelajaran yang baik, fakta dilapangan menunjukkan bahawa tidak semua guru mempunyai
kefahaman yang sama untuk melaksanakan kurikulum baru, kemampuan guru terhad maka sering
terjadi masalah, oleh itu perlu kefahaman guru dalam melaksanakan kurikulum. Melaksanakan
kurikulum 2013 sangatlah memerlukan kreativiti dan kemandirian guru terutama dalam menyusunnya
dan pelaksanaannya, memang bukanlah pekerjaan mudah untuk melakukannya apabila guru tidak
mempunyai kefahaman yang kuat dan sekolah tidak memfasilitasinya, untuk itulah strategi
pelaksanaan kurikulum 2013 haruslah diarahkan untuk meningkatkan kapasiti guru, untuk
mewujudkan pelaksanaan kurikulum 2013 yang berkesan dan efektif perlu dikaji kefahaman guru
dalam membuat modul pembelajaran di SMKN 3 Kota Banda Aceh. Pada kajian ini menggunakan
kajian kualitatif dengan pendekatan kajian kes, menggunakan kaedah ini membolehkan penyelidik
mengenal pasti kefahaman guru dalam pelaksanaan kurikulum 2013 di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan
(SMKN 3) Kota Banda Aceh, peserta pada kajian ini ditentukan secara persampelan bertujuan
(purposive). Peserta kajian terdiri daripada pengetua dan guru SMKN 3 Kota Banda Aceh, kaki
tangan, sokongan dan pelajar. Data dikumpulkan dengan pemerhatian ikut serta, temubual, analisis
dokumen. Analisis data dilakukan dengan content analisis. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa guru
belum mempunyai kefahaman yang luas tentang Kurikulum 2013 menyebabkan mereka sukar
melaksanakannya. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa guru mendapat kesukaran dalam
merangka modul pembelajaran. Oleh itu diharapkan untuk meningkatkan kefahaman dalam
pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013, sokongan pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013 dari guru sendiri merupakan
faktor penentu untuk memberikan sumbangan dalam kejayaan pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013.
pengetua sekolah diharapkan dapat berhubungan baik secara vertikal atau horizontal dengan Dinas
pendidikan kota, provinsi dan jabatan tingkat pusat untuk mendapat peluang dalam
menyelenggarakan latihan dalam merangka sebuah modul untuk semua guru SMKN 3 Kota Banda
Aceh.

Katakunci: Kefahaman guru, Pelaksanaan kurikulum, Modul pembelajaran

1. Pelaksanaan Kurikulum
Salah satu komponen penting daripada sistem pendidikan adalah kurikulum.Kurikulum
merupakan komponen pendidikan yang dijadikan acuan oleh setiap unit pendidikan, baik oleh
pengurus mahupun penganjur khususnya guru dan guru besar. Oleh itu sejak Indonesia
mempunyai kebebasan untuk menyediakan pendidikan anak bangsanya, sejak saat itu pula
kerajaan menyusun kurikulum. "Dalam hal ini kurikulum dibuat oleh kerajaan pusat secara
sentralistik dan dikuatkuasakan bagi semua anak bangsa di seluruh tanah air Indonesia" (E.
Mulyana, 2007, p.4).
Setelah beberapa lama kurikulum yang sentralistik itu dilaksanakan, beberapa tahun
terakhir ini sepertinya ada kejanggalan berkaitan dengan kurikulum, pertanyaannya apakah
setiap unit pendidikan, pengelola dan penganjur pendidikan, serta guru dan guru besar sudah
menjadikan kurikulum sebagai acuan dalam melaksanakan tugas dan fungsinya? Sejauh

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manakah kefahaman mereka terhadap kurikulum yang dilaksanakan sekarang ini?


"Perubahan kurikulum dalam era otonomi daerah dan desentralisasi pendidikan tidak lagi
menjadi tugas orang-orang pusat, tetapi merupakan pekerjaan setiap unit pendidikan dan
sekolah secara langsung, termasuk implementasinya" (Mulyana, 2009, p. 2).
Di Indonesia sudah beberapa kali berlaku perubahan kurikulum iaitu kurikulum
1968,1978,1984,1994 (kurikulum berasaskan kompetensi) dan 2004 (KTSP), masa sekarang
ini kurikulum dirancang dengan berkerakter. Pelbagai analisis menunjukkan bahawa
pendidikan Nasional Indonesia dewasa ini dihadapkan pada berbagai masalah, inilah krisis
yang perlu mendapat pengendalian secepat mungkin, seperti kefahaman guru dalam
implementasinya. Pada kurikulum baru, dalam penyediaan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran
guru harus mempunyai kefahaman yang tinggi. Subahan (1999) menyatakan bahawa hasil
kajian menunjukkan guru menghadapi masalah untuk memahami bagaimana perubahan itu
harus dilaksanakan, guru tidak akan menentang suatu pelaksanaan sekiranya perubahan itu
tidak menyusahkan guru.
Kefahaman guru pada perubahan kurikulum boleh membuat halangan bagi guru dalam
pelaksanaannya. Menurut Swetz & Subahan (1981), halangan-halangan itu menunjukkan
antara lain bahawa wujudnya kelemahan dari segi kemahiran guru dan pengetahuan guru.
Pada perubahan kurikulum guru menunjukkan halangan pada membuat rencana pelaksanaan
pembelajaran, membuat modul, menggunakan media dan menggunakan model-model
pembelajaran. Siti Hawa (1986) telah menegaskan bahawa suatu perubahan itu dianggap
berjaya jika guru bersedia menerima idea baru dan mampu melaksanakannya di bilik darjah.
Beberapa kajian menunjukkan pelaksanaan awal perubahan kurikulum adalah tidak berkesan.
Sukumaran (1998) mendapati guru sukar melaksanakan perubahan dalam bentuk gaya
pengajaran bukti dari pada kajian menunjukkan terdapat kekurangan keupayaan untuk
melaksanakan perubahan. Dalam kajian inovasi kurikulum di Malaysia, Azizah (1987)
menyatakan bahawa guru mengalami kerumitan dalam melaksanakan pendekatan pengajaran
yang berpusat pada pelajar ini adalah kerana mereka tidak menerima latihan yang mencukupi.
Dengan demikian pengetahuan guru tentang kefahaman membuat RPP, modul, menggunakan
media dan model-model pembelajaran perlu mendapat pelatihan yang memadai.
Pandangan umum memperihalkan kebanyakan guru berasa kurang selesa terhadap suatu
pembaharuan di sekolah kerana bimbang bahawa perubahan itu akan mengganggu
keselesaian dan menjejaskan tugas serta peranan mereka sama ada secara langsung terutama
yang berkaitan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Habib Mat Som (1985) berpendapat
kesediaan guru untuk melaksanakan pembaharuan adalah persoalan penting yang perlu
dipertimbangkan oleh pihak percangan pendidikan supaya wujudnya keharmonisan antara
pihak pelaksana pembaharuan (guru) dan dan perancang inovasi itu sendiri, pelaksanaan
pembaharuan tersekat jikalau pihak berkuasa pendidikan menganggap pembaharuan
kurikulum sebagai satu kemestian, sedangkan guru melihatnya pada sudut pandang
sebaliknya. Walau apapun reaksi guru terhadap pembaharuan kurikulum, namun perubahan
akan terus berlaku, malah sukar untuk dibendung, seharusnya guru mempunyai pandangan
tersendiri supaya mencapai sasarannya, (Sarason, 1991).
Sukmadinata (2002) menyatakan halangan utama dalam pelaksanaan kurikulum di
sekolah terletak pada guru diantaranya kurangnya pengetahuan dan kemampuan guru itu
sendiri. Kelemahan dijumpai jika kurikulum disusun oleh pihak lain, atau bukan guru yang
mengajar seperti penyusunan kurikulum-kurikulum sebelumnya. (1) fakta lapangan
menunjukkan bahawa tidak semua guru mempunyai kefahaman yang sama untuk
mengimplemtasikan kurikulum tersebut. Konon lagi kemampuan guru terhad maka sering
terjadi masalah oleh itu implementasinya perlu dilakukan sama-sama dengan guru sehingga
guru tahu persis apa yang dilakukannya. (2) selama ini setelah kurikulum diubah, semua
pihak menganggap kurikulum itu sudah final, tidak boleh diubah-ubah lagi. "Kejayaan

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pelaksanaan kurikulum sangat bergantung pada guru dan guru besar kerana keduanya
merupakan kunci yang menggerakkan komponen sekolah" (Mulyasa, 2009, p 4).
Melaksanakan kurikulum baru sangatlah memerlukan kreativiti dan kemandirian guru dan
sekolah untuk menyusun dan melaksanakannya, memang bukanlah pekerjaan mudah untuk
melakukan apabila guru tidak mempunyai kefahaman kuat.

2. Kefahaman Guru Terhadap Kurikulum.


Kurikulum merupakan alat yang sangat penting bagi kejayaan suatu pendidikan. Tanpa
kurikulum yang sesuai dan tepat akan sukar untuk mencapai tujuan dan sasaran pendidikan
yang dikehendaki. Dengan kata lain kurikulum yang sesuai dan tepat boleh diharapkan
sasaran dan tujuan pendidikan akan dapat tercapai secara maksimum. Untuk mencapai tujuan
peranan guru sangat menentukan dalam masalah kurikulum, Nasution, (1995) menyatakan
guru selalu merupakan tokoh utama untuk mewujudkan kurikulum agar terjadi perubahan
kelakuan pelajar menurut apa yang diharapkan.
Kurikulum adalah pernyataan tentang tujuan-tujuan pendidikan yang bersifat umum dan
khusus yang materinya dipilih dan disusun suatu pola tertentu untuk kepentingan belajar dan
mengajar. Kurikulum sebagai rencana yang dibuat untuk membimbing kanak-kanak belajar
di sekolah, disajikan dalam bentuk dokumen yang sudah ditentukan, disusun mengikut
peringkat-peringkat regeneralisasi, dapat diaktualisasikan dalam kelas, dapat diamati oleh
pihak yang tidak berke pentingan, dan boleh membawa perubahan tingkah laku. Dengan
demikian dapat dikatakan kurikulum adalah rencana dan pengaturan mengenai tujuan, isi dan
bahan pelajaran serta cara yang digunakan sebagai pedoman penyelenggaraan kegiatan
pembelajaran untuk mencapai tujuan pendidikan tertentu.
Dalam kegiatan pembelajaran semua konsep, prinsip, nilai, pengetahuan, kaedah, alat
dan kemampuan guru diuji dalam bentuk perbuatan yang akan mewujudkan bentuk
kurikulum yang nyata (actual curiculum-curiculum in action). Perwujudan konsep, prinsip,
dan aspek-aspek kurikulum tersebut seluruhnya terletak pada kemampuan guru sebagai
pelaksana kurikulum. Menurut Rusman (2007) menyatakan kemampuan yang harus dimilki
oleh guru dalam implementasi kurikulum meliputi (1) pemahaman dari tujuan yang ingin
dicapai (2) kemampuan untuk menyusun tujuan kurikulum menjadi lebih khusus (3)
kemampuan untuk menterjemahkan tujuan khusus kepada tujuan pembelajaran.
Guru sebagai kunci pemegang pelaksana dalam kejayaan kurikulum, gurulah yang
bertindak sebagai perancang, pelaksana kurikulum yang sebenarnya, untuk masa yang akan
datang guru menghadapi cabaran dalam proses pembelajaran. Arends (2008) menyatakan
bahawa pekerjaan guru pada abad ke-21 dihadapkan pada tujuh cabaran besar iaitu (1)
mengajar dan teknologi (2) mengajar dengan pandangan baru tentang kemampuan, (3)
mengajar dan pilihan, (4) mengajar dan akauntabiliti, (5) mengajar untuk pembelajaran aktif,
(6) mengajar untuk pembinaan makna, (7) mengajar dalam masyarakat multikultural.
Dengan cabaran yang dihadapi guru, maka dalam implementasi kurikulum guru harus
mampu melakukan rekabentuk/rancangan kurikulum yang berkesan dan mampu mencapai
tujuan yang telah ditetapkan serta target-target yang ingin di capai, dengan demikian guru
dituntut untuk memiliki kefahaman dan wawasan yang luas tentang kurikulum baik secara
teori mahupun secara praktikal. Sumantri (1988) menyatakan bahawa tujuan kurikulum tidak
untuk mematikan karsa dan karya guru, tetapi sebaliknya guru itu dipandang sebagai orang
yang menampakkan kreasi dan adaptasinya dalam melaksanakan kurikulum.
Miller dan Seller (1985) menyatakan Implementasi sebagai proses, implementasi meliputi
pengurangan perbezaan antara kenyataan amalan dan harapan praktikal oleh suatu inovasi.
Implementasi adalah suatu proses perubahan perilaku dalam penggunaan anjuran oleh inovasi
terjadi dalam tahap, setiap waktu dan mengatasi halangan dalam perkembangannya.
Pengertian tersebut di atas memberikan pemahaman bahawa kurikulum dalam dimensi

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kegiatan adalah sebagai manifestasi daripada usaha untuk mewujudkan kurikulum yang
bersifat dokumen tertulis menjadi terkini dalam siri aktiviti pembelajaran.
Setiap tahap dalam implementasi haruslah memperhatikan landasan-landasan pokok
kurikulum. Menurut Murray Print (1993) landasan yang berpengaruh pada bentuk dan fikiran
pelaksana kurikulum. Tiga landasan pokok yang harus dijadikan pedoman iaitu: (1) landasan
falsafah iaitu menjelaskan tentang konsep yang boleh digunakan berpunca dari pengetahuan
yang dapat difahami, (2) landasan sosiologi adalah keadaan sosial dan budaya yang
berpengaruh pada bentuk kurikulum, (3) landasan psikologi yang memperhatikan,
menghuraikan, meramal dan mengamati perilaku manusia.
Dalam pelaksanaan implementasi kurikulum harus berpedoman pada isi kurikulum.
Anggapan selama ini yang menyatakan bahawa isi kurikulum adalah kumpulan bahan ajar.
Brady (1992) menegaskan isi kurikulum (1) isi kurikulum dapat di maknai sebagai mata
pelajaran yang termasuk di dalamnya beberapa maklumat faktual, pengetahuan, kepakaran,
konsep, sikap dan nilai, (2) isi kurikulum adalah sesuatu yang penting dalam proses belajar
mengajar di mana dua elemen pokok kurikulum yang terkandung di dalamnya adalah isi dan
kaedah dalam interaksi yang tetap. Zais (1976) menyatakan bahawa isi kurikulum biasanya
terdiri atas tiga elemen iaitu pengetahuan, proses dan nilai.
Kurikulum dan intruksi merupakan dua hal yang tak dapat dipisahkan, sebagai suatu
rencana atau program, kurikulum tidak akan bermakna manakala tidak dilaksanakan dalam
bentuk pembelajaran. Demikian juga sebaliknya, tanpa kurikulum yang jelas sebagai acuan,
maka pembelajaran tidak akan berlangsung secara berkesan. Aktiviti pembelajaran yang
diadakan oleh setiap guru, selalu bermula pada komponen-komponen pembelajaran yang
disenaraikan dalam kurikulum. Siraj (2008) mengatakan bahawa kurikulum adalah seluruh
pengalaman yang diperolehi oleh setiap individu pelajar dalam suatu program pendidikan
yang bertujuan untuk mencapai sasaran yang lebih luas serta tujuan-tujuan tertentu yang
berkaitan dan telah dirancang dalam bentuk satu teori rangka kerja serta kajian ataupun
amalan profesional pada masa lalu dan masa kini.
Aktiviti pembelajaran yang diadakan oleh guru merupakan bahagian utama dari
pendidikan formal yang syarat mutlak harus adanya kurikulum sebagai pedoman. Dengan
demikian guru dalam merancang program mahupun dalam melaksanakan proses
pembelajaran akan sentiasa berpedoman pada kurikulum. Kelly (2004) mengatakan
Kurikulum perancangan pembelajaran yang praktikal, berkesan dan produktif, menawarkan
banyak kandungan pengetahuan atau mata pelajaran yang sekolah ajarkan, tranmisikan atau
ajarkan.
Kurikulum merupakan alat yang sangat penting bagi kejayaan suatu pendidikan. Tanpa
kurikulum yang sesuai dan tepat akan sukar untuk mencapai tujuan dan sasaran pendidikan
yang dikehendaki. Dengan kata lain kurikulum yang sesuai dan tepat boleh diharapkan
sasaran dan tujuan pendidikan akan dapat tercapai secara maksimum. Untuk mencapai tujuan
peranan guru sangat menentukan dalam masalah kurikulum, Nasution, (1995) menyatakan
guru selalu merupakan tokoh utama untuk mewujudkan kurikulum agar terjadi perubahan
kelakuan pelajar menurut apa yang diharapkan.
Kurikulum adalah pernyataan tentang tujuan-tujuan pendidikan yang bersifat umum dan
khusus yang materinya dipilih dan disusun suatu pola tertentu untuk kepentingan belajar dan
mengajar. Kurikulum sebagai rencana yang dibuat untuk membimbing kanak-kanak belajar
di sekolah, disajikan dalam bentuk dokumen yang sudah ditentukan, disusun mengikut
peringkat-peringkat regeneralisasi, dapat diaktualisasikan dalam kelas, dapat diamati oleh
pihak yang tidak berkepentingan, dan boleh membawa perubahan tingkah laku. Dengan
demikian dapat dikatakan kurikulum adalah rencana dan pengatu ran mengenai tujuan, isi
dan bahan pelajaran serta cara yang digunakan sebagai pedoman penyelenggaraan kegiatan
pembelajaran untuk mencapai tujuan pendidikan tertentu.

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Dalam kegiatan pembelajaran semua konsep, prinsip, nilai, pengetahuan, kaedah, alat dan
kemampuan guru diuji dalam bentuk perbuatan yang akan mewujudkan bentuk kurikulum
yang nyata (actual curiculum-curiculum in action). Perwujudan konsep, prinsip, dan aspek-
aspek kurikulum tersebut seluruhnya terletak pada kemampuan guru sebagai pelaksana
kurikulum. Menurut Rusman (2007) menyatakan kemampuan yang harus dimilki oleh guru
dalam implementasi kurikulum meliputi (1) pemahaman dari tujuan yang ingin dicapai (2)
kemampuan untuk menyusun tujuan kurikulum menjadi lebih khusus (3) kemampuan untuk
menterjemahkan tujuan khusus kepada tujuan pembelajaran.
Guru sebagai kunci pemegang pelaksana dalam kejayaan kurikulum, gurulah yang
bertindak sebagai perancang, pelaksana kurikulum yang sebenarnya, untuk masa yang akan
datang guru menghadapi cabaran dalam proses pembelajaran. Arends (2008) menyatakan
bahawa pekerjaan guru pada abad ke-21 dihadapkan pada tujuh cabaran besar iaitu (1)
mengajar dan teknologi (2) mengajar dengan pandangan baru tentang kemampuan, (3)
mengajar dan pilihan, (4) mengajar dan akauntabiliti, (5) mengajar untuk pembelajaran aktif,
(6) mengajar untuk pembinaan makna, (7) mengajar dalam masyarakat multikultural.
Dengan cabaran yang dihadapi guru, maka dalam implementasi kurikulum guru harus
mampu melakukan rekabentuk/rancangan kurikulum yang berkesan dan mampu mencapai
tujuan yang telah ditetapkan serta target-target yang ingin di capai, dengan demikian guru
dituntut untuk memiliki kefahaman dan wawasan yang luas tentang kurikulum baik secara
teori mahupun secara praktikal. Sumantri (1988) menyatakan bahawa tujuan kurikulum tidak
untuk mematikan karsa dan karya guru, tetapi sebaliknya guru itu dipandang sebagai orang
yang menampakkan kreasi dan adaptasinya dalam melaksanakan kurikulum.
Miller dan Seller (1985) menyatakan Implementasi sebagai proses, implementasi meliputi
pengurangan perbezaan antara kenyataan amalan dan harapan praktikal oleh suatu inovasi.
Implementasi adalah suatu proses perubahan perilaku dalam penggunaan anjuran oleh inovasi
terjadi dalam tahap, setiap waktu dan mengatasi halangan dalam perkembangannya.
Pengertian tersebut di atas memberikan pemahaman bahawa kurikulum dalam dimensi
kegiatan adalah sebagai manifestasi daripada usaha untuk mewujudkan kurikulum yang
bersifat dokumen tertulis menjadi terkini dalam siri aktiviti pembelajaran.
Setiap tahap dalam implementasi haruslah memperhatikan landasan-landasan pokok
kurikulum. Menurut Murray Print (1993) landasan yang berpengaruh pada bentuk dan fikiran
pelaksana kurikulum. Tiga landasan pokok yang harus dijadikan pedoman iaitu: (1) landasan
falsafah iaitu menjelaskan tentang konsep yang boleh digunakan berpunca dari pengetahuan
yang dapat difahami, (2) landasan sosiologi adalah keadaan sosial dan budaya yang
berpengaruh pada bentuk kurikulum, (3) landasan psikologi yang memperhatikan,
menghuraikan, meramal dan mengamati perilaku manusia.
Dalam pelaksanaan implementasi kurikulum harus berpedoman pada isi kurikulum.
Anggapan selama ini yang menyatakan bahawa isi kurikulum adalah kumpulan bahan ajar.
Brady (1992) menegaskan isi kurikulum (1) isi kurikulum dapat di maknai sebagai mata
pelajaran yang termasuk di dalamnya beberapa maklumat faktual, pengetahuan, kepakaran,
konsep, sikap dan nilai, (2) isi kurikulum adalah sesuatu yang penting dalam proses belajar
mengajar di mana dua elemen pokok kurikulum yang terkandung di dalamnya adalah isi dan
kaedah dalam interaksi yang tetap. Zais (1976) menyatakan bahawa isi kurikulum biasanya
terdiri atas tiga elemen iaitu pengetahuan, proses dan nilai. idak memfasilitasinya, akhirnya
setiap perubahan kurikulum diharapkan ada pelatihan yang memadai untuk guru, sehingga
dalam pelaksanaannya guru dapat berperan aktif.

3. Membuat Modul Pembelajaran


Hasil pemerhatian awal pada proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang dilakukan oleh
beberapa guru di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK) Negeri 3 Kota Banda Aceh di mana

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guru dalam melaksanakan kurikulum 2013 masih mempunyai kesulitan dalam


pelaksanaannya terutama dalam menyusun program, membuat modul.. Menurut Kunandar
(2007), dalam menyusun kurikulum memberi wewenang kepada kepala sekolah dan guru
untuk mengembangkan kurikulum, membuat komponen-komponen kurikulu, menyusun
silabus dan membuat rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran.
Kurikulum 2013 sebagai kurikulum yang berlaku sekarang ini dan sedang dilaksanakan
disekolah yang ditetapkan oleh kerajaan Indonesia sebagai kurikulum Nasional Indonesia,
untuk terlaksananya pembelajaran sesuai dengan tujuan dan sasaran yang ingin dicapai
kurikulum ini menuntut kemadirian guru. Penerapan kurikulum menuntut perubahan dalam
pembelajaran tidak hanya perubahan konsep, kaedah, dan strategi guru dalam mengajar,
tetapi juga berkaitan dengan pola pikir, falsafah, dan komitmen guru dalam mengajar di kelas
(Kunandar, 2007).
Hamid Hasan (1984), mengemukakan faktor yang mempengaruhi implementasi
kurikulum adalah pengetahuan guru, sikap terhadap kurikulum dan kemahiran
mengarahkannya. Miller dan Seller (1985) menyatakan implementasi sebagai proses meliputi
pengurangan perbezaan antara kenyataan amalan dan harapan praktikal oleh suatu inovasi.
Oleh itu dalam pelaksanaan guru besar dan guru diharapkan mempunyai kefahaman tentang
menyusun program dan kefahaman membuat perangkat pembelajaran seperti kefahaman
membuat modul pembelajaran.
Modul adalah untuk membantu peserta didik menguasai tujuan belajar yang khusus satu
bentuk bahan ajar yang dikemas secara sistimatis, direka dan terancang didalamnya memuat
set pengalaman belajar , modul minimal memuat tujuan pembelajaran, Mater/ subtansi
belajar dan penilaian. Sebagai sarana belajar yang bersifat mandiri modul sangat berfungsi,
sehingga kelajuan masing-masing peserta didik dapat mencapai tujuan, Diknas, (2008).

4. Kesimpulan
Kejayaan pelaksanaan kurikulum sangat ditentukan oleh faktor guru, apabila guru tidak
melaksanakan tugasnya dengan baik walaupun baiknya syarat pendidikan, maka pelaksanaan
kurikulum (pembelajaran) tidak memuaskan. Tugas guru dan guru besar tidak hanya
mengajar saja di sekolah, sebagai seorang yang terlibat dalam pelaksanaan kurikulum, guru
dituntut untuk memililiki kefahaman dan wawasan yang luas secara teori dan praktikal iaitu
antara lain: mempunyai kefahaman dalam membuat modul Pembelajaran.

5. Rujukan
Akinyemi, K. (1986). A Studi of technophobia among primary school teachers in Nigeria.
Programmed learning and educational technology 5 (1), 263-269.
Alwen Bentri. (1998). Pelaksanaan kurikulum di SD kecil dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya
(Studi kasus pada SD kecil dikabupaten 50 kota propinsi Sumatera Barat). Jurnal Pendidikan
IKIP Padang, no 01 tahun XXIII-1998.
Amin Yusuf. (2007). Kesiapan sekolah dalam mengimplementasikan kurikulum KTSP. Jurnal
lembaran ilmu pendidikan, 36, (2), Desember 2007.
Arends, R. (2008). Learning to teach. NewYork: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Fullan, M. G. (1991). The new meaning of education change, New York: Teacher College Press
Published.
Kunandar. (2007). Guru profesional dan pelaksanaan KTSP. Jakarta: PT.Rajawali Persada
Jamil Ahmad. (1993). Tinjauan mengenai kekurangan-kekurangan dalam pelaksanaan sain KBSM di
Sekolah Menengah di Negeri Kedah DarulAman. Thesis. Sarjana Pendidikan. UKM Bangi.
Murniati, AR & Nasir Usman. (2009). Implementasi manajemen stratejik dalam pemberdayaan
sekolah menengah kejuruan. Bandung: Ciptapustaka Media perintis.
Muslich Masnur. (2009). KTSP, Dasar pemahaman dan pengembangan. Jakarta: PT. Bumi Aksara.

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

Min HoYeom, Clementina acedo, Eri Utomo. (2002). The riform of secondary education in Indonesia
during the 1990s basic education expansion and quality improvement through curriculum
desentralization. Asia Fasific. Education review. Jornal Vol 3 no I.
Napsiah, M. (1983). The role of key teacher in implementation of a new history curriculum in
Malaysia. A Study of Perceptions. Thesis. PhD. University of British Collombia.
Narwati. (2012). Panduan menyusun RPP (konsep pelaksanaan). Yogyakarta: Group Relasi Inti
Media
Nurhadi. (2003). Pembelajaran konstektual dan penerapannya. Malang: Universitas Negeri Malang.
Oliva, P. F., & Gordon, W. R. (2013). Developing the curriculum. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Omar, Rasidi, Subahan, Razak, & Alias B. (1999). Kemahiran berfikir dikalangan Guru dan murid
sekolah rendah dalam mata pelajaran saints dan matematik. Laporan Kajian IRPA
Rino. (2010). Strategi pelaksanaan kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan. Indonesia: Thesis Fakultas
Ekonomi Universitas Negeri Padang
Rusman. (2009). Manajemen kurikulum. Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada
Siti Hawa Ahmad. (1986). Implementing A New Curriculum for primary Schools. A case Study from
Malaysia Phd Thesis, Universiti of London (unpublished
Subahan Mohd Meerah. (1999) Dampak penyelidikan pembelajaran sain terhadap perubahan
kurikulum. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

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The Sharing of Practice: Fun and Easy Teaching and


Learning of Listening and Speaking

Wan Norhasma Wan Hassan


Kelantan State Educational Department

Abstract: This study discussed on the action plan done on a group of non-English option teachers who
were not so familiar in the approaches and skills in teaching the language. Assisting the non-English
option teachers in the development of listening comprehension was a very big challenge. It was a
challenge that demands both the trainer's and the trainee's attention because of the critical role that
listening plays, not only in communication, but also in the acquisition of language. It was a kind of
intervention to give those teachers some useful guideline in carry out the listening and speaking lessons
as required in Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR). Teaching listening and speaking is the first
important part in a cycle of lessons in a modular concept for the new standard of the curriculum. The
action plan was carried out in form of a workshop with those 39 teachers who representing 39 primary
schools in the district. It was a sharing session with them on how to carry out the fun and easy teaching
and learning in the classroom. The Fun Teaching and Learning (Listening and Speaking) workshop was
just like a starting point or a platform for the teachers to get and to increase their knowledge in
successfully conducting their teaching. The suggested teaching and learning strategies and the activities
for classroom teaching and learning had been included. They were encouraged to use their own initiative
to plan stimulating and enjoyable lessons suitable to their pupils’ level

Keywords: Fun teaching, Modular concept, Non-English option

1. Introduction
English is taught as a second language in all Malaysian primary and secondary schools. The mastery
of English is essential for pupils to gain access to information and knowledge written in English. That is
why the development in teaching the language had been organized and improvised from time to tome by
the Ministry of Education. The School Improvement Specialist Coaches (SISC+) is a new post in it. I was
appointed as one of them since last year and was posted in the district of Pasir Puteh, Kelantan. Before
that, I was a master teacher and used to be the master trainer for the primary school English teachers
throughout Kelantan. I involved in many courses under the district, the state and at national level. I also
have 9 years of experience as an examiner for English (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah) UPSR paper.
Other than that, in 2008, I was a module writer for English Year 6 Module for Skim Baucer Tuisyen (SBT)
at the National level. Since then, I actively involved as a modules writer for English Primary Year 6 for
Kelantan state.
As the master trainer for English (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah) KSSR for many years, I was
so concern and felt responsible towards the teachers understanding and how far they could accept this
new curriculum and implement it in their classrooms. I enjoyed visiting the schools, got to know many
teachers and shared many things about the teaching and the problems they faced. During my visits to
schools, I found that many of them still didn’t understand on the whole idea and the modular concept of
this new standard curriculum. And so sad to say here that, many of them were not the English-option
teachers. They taught English because they were ordered to do so by the school administrative because

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the school didn’t have enough English teachers. So, they were lack of everything regarding the teaching
of English language.
So, lacking of the knowledge in teaching the language, I took it as a major issue here to be discussed
in this action plan. Actually these teachers were the trained teachers who are very good and presentable in
their own field. They had their skills in teaching based on their option taught but not in teaching English.
For example, one of the experiences that I had during my visits to school, when I was asked by the
teacher herself to be in her classroom during her teaching, I was very surprised to see the way she taught
the students. Just imagine a teacher teaches English using a local dialect. It was hard to believe but that
was the real situation happened in many of the schools here. In the present EFL classroom, the teaching
of listening and speaking relies heavily on the language labs and tape recorders. The main reason for this
is that most EFL teachers are non-native English speakers and thus may lack proficiency in English
(Hajiyeva, 2010). Based on that, I realised it was a very serious issue and I chose to work on it in order to
give those teachers some knowledge and provide them with ideas on how to carry out the teaching in the
classrooms and make them aware of what they need to know about the language teaching. As trainers we
need to help them and may be to force them to step outside of their comfort zone that never helped them
learn to speak a language when they were at school and to do things completely differently. As stated by
Lily Wong Fillmore and Catherine E. Snow (2000), today’s teachers need access to a wide range of
information to function well in the classroom. The challenge of providing excellent teacher preparation
and on-going professional development for teachers is enormous at any time.

2. The Action Plan


What I planned to do in this task is to carry out a one day workshop with the non-English option
teachers in my district because so many of English teachers here were the non-English option teachers
with various skills and qualities. As studies shown, teacher quality is an important factor in determining
gains in student achievement, even after accounting for prior student learning and family background
characteristics (Guerriero, 2012). So those teachers were from various teaching backgrounds but I chose
only 39 teachers from 39 schools. They were called to the District Training Centre for that workshop.
Actually, this is a collaborative work with the English language officer in the district. He was the one who
did all the clerical works and on my part I worked on the workshop contents. The workshop focused only
on the listening and speaking skills. It was called Fun Teaching and Learning (Listening and Speaking)
Workshop. I chose Listening and Speaking skills to be developed in this first workshop because they are
essential for those teachers to begin with basic literacy skills in order to build a strong foundation of
language skills. In teaching and learning the language the basic listening and speaking should be
introduced and trained in order to help them enrich their understanding of the language. The fun teaching
and learning part were highlighted there to make them aware that the teaching and learning are definitely
fun, meaningful and purposeful. ESL teachers have the opportunity to help adult ESL learners practice
listening and speaking in the safe environment of the classroom (Miller, 2010).
There were three main slots in the workshop schedule (Appendix 1).The first slot was the introduction
part to tell them the concept of listening and speaking. I did the activity by giving them the very simple
instructions and the activity started with the ice-breaking session. It was the shouting game which I think
very interesting and really enjoyed by the teachers. They got to know each other and at the same time they
were forced to open their mouth and to shout in fun way. Then, followed with the explanation on why
English is taught as a second language in all Malaysian primary and secondary schools. How important is

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their roles as English teachers. Let them see the goal of the English language curriculum and how it could
help pupils acquire the language in order to help them use it in their daily lives, to further their studies,
and for work purposes. After that, some information on the new standard curriculum (KSSR) was
explained to them including the aims, objectives and the modular concept in the teaching and learning.
The purpose is to give a general view on what is stressed in the curriculum and their role as the teachers
were to provide opportunities for pupils to question, to give responses to what they heard or learnt and
even to evaluate texts that they listen to, read or view. The further explanation is on the concept of
listening and speaking. Asked them some questions about their own experience in order to shaped their
believe that their own experiences are also the source of knowledge for their teaching.
The second slot was Fun and Meaningful Activities for Listening and Speaking. The teachers were
introduced to 5 selected activities (Appendixes 2 – 6) They were provided with a note on how to carry out
the activities and the materials and worksheets needed. After that, they were divided into 5 groups and
each group will do one activity for the listening and speaking lesson. Later on in slot 3, those 5 groups
presented their activities. They will be commented on the strength and weaknesses of the activities by the
other members of the floor. They also will have to think of the purposes of the activities and a few points
on it will be introduced to them such as:

1. get feeling activity


2. get acquainted to each other
3. get to know
4. non-verbal

During the workshop, I was not only giving them all the necessary inputs but I also entertained all the
questions asked by them because I want them to really understand on what they should do in their practice
when they go back to the schools. I also give them a list of instructional language or the classroom
commands that they could use in their classrooms (Appendix 7). In fact, I did one activity with them
when I distributed those notes. I made them listened and followed my instructions in making a 'hot-dog-
book´(appendix 8). It was so fun and they really enjoyed it. At the end of the workshop, I gave them a
yellow form (Appendix 9) just to get some information on what they understand about the teaching of
listening and speaking. In that form they were required to give feedbacks on the overall content of the
workshop.
Listening is a demanding process, not only because of the complexity of the process itself, but also
due to factors that characterize the listener, the speaker, the content of the message, and any visual
support that accompanies the message (Brown & Yule, 1983). So, as the trainer, we need to make the
teachers ready and very well prepared in doing the teaching. It was a great challenge for me as the trainer
because those selected teachers are the non-English option teachers. I need to be a good model for them
on how to do the listening and speaking activities.
Other than that, it is important for all teachers to understand the theories and methods that underlie
and support the techniques and materials recommended in the classroom teaching. This knowledge will
enable them to feel secure and confident with the activities they will carry out in their classrooms. It will
also allow them to be creative or in other words, teachers who are knowledgeable with the methods, the
activities or may be of the theory are more likely to adapt and create materials to suit the needs of the
students they have in front of them. Here are three major theories, Krashen and Terrell's Natural
Approach, the Communicative Approach, and the Whole Language Approach, have influenced the

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development of this curriculum guide. Krashen and Terrell's Natural Approach and the Communicative
Approach have been developed from research in the field of second language acquisition in the last fifteen
years. The Whole Language Approach was developed from research in the areas of reading and writing in
English as a first language. These three approaches have made great contributions to the field of teaching
English as a second language and have been found to complement one another (see underlying principles
in this guide). Nevertheless, the subtle differences among the three approaches have given this guide
flexibility and versatility. Principles quoted here from each one of these approaches will be presented with
an implication for the classroom. This theoretical input should have an enriching effect on teaching.
After a week I managed to go to the 6 schools to get the feedbacks from the teachers. They were
twelve of them out of twenty participants from the workshop. All of them did the activities in their
classrooms and they were quite happy with the students’ participation in the classrooms. Nine of them
carried out only one activity for one lesson of listening and speaking and the other three managed to do
two activities in one hour lesson. I got some feedbacks from the teachers on the activities they did. I was
using the Teacher Coaching Tool (TCT) – (Appendix 10) during the discussion at the schools.

3. Strengths and Limitation


The Fun Teaching and Learning (Listening and Speaking) workshop was just like a starting point or a
platform for the teachers to get and to increase their knowledge in conducting their teaching. The
suggested teaching and learning strategies and activities for classroom teaching and learning had been
included. It was hoped that the teachers will gain some useful ideas to help them carry out their daily
lessons. However, teachers were also encouraged not to rely solely on those suggested activities only
when planning lessons. They were encouraged to use their own creativity and initiative to plan
stimulating and enjoyable lessons suitable to their pupils’ level. So, it was good when the teachers were
so cooperative and willingly to do all the activities assigned to them. Other than that, they wanted to more
workshops in future for the other language skills.
The limitation only on the time constrain. In two weeks’ time of conducting this task, I managed to go
to only six schools and getting the feedbacks from only twelve teachers. Actually I have 39 primary
schools in my district. To gather all the selected teachers from those schools for a one day workshop will
not be a big problem but to go to all schools for the feedbacks and reflections will take more a month.

4. Reflections
I was quite satisfied with the overall process in conducting this task. The suggested activities provided
are merely suggestions and teachers are free to improvise and adapt accordingly to the level and
suitability of their pupils. All the activities selected for this workshop were very easy to conduct and
understand by the teachers. So, the teacher felt confident in practicing them in their classrooms. But still,
in future a lot more of initiative, imagination and creativity are needed by teachers in planning their
lessons in order to extend the experiences of their pupils. The approaches introduced to the teachers still
need to be guided depending on their understanding and proficiency levels. The challenges for those
teachers as they were the non-English option teacher were to find ways to help themselves first with the
understanding of the concept, skills and to have better fluency in using the language before they could
think of finding the appropriate strategies in helping their students develop fluency, accuracy and
appropriateness of language used.

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Other than that, teachers also need to be exposed very well to the needs in the new standard
curriculum documents (KSSR) which are based on the modular approach. From the observations and
feedbacks, they were not really understanding with the flow (modular concept) they need to follow in
conducting the lessons. This modular approach does not exclude integration of skills. Modules are
increasingly being used in many countries as a way of organizing a language curriculum (Sadiq, Zamir,
2014). However, skills integration is exploited strategically to enhance pupils’ development of specific
and specified language skills as described in the content and learning standards in a module. The trainer
need to keep on supporting them to do and to come out with many more interesting activities in their
lessons and hence improve their English language proficiency.

5. Conclusion
As we knew, the listening and speaking skill is crucial for communication at home, at school, as well
as in the community. However, this skill is often neglected or given minimal emphasis during English
language lessons. In order to develop this skill, teachers have to provide their pupils with various
opportunities to listen and to talk about a range of subjects which may include topics on personal
interests, school work and even current affairs. It is hoped that the learning standards will offer teachers
some ideas on how they could provide opportunities for pupils to engage in various listening and
speaking activities (Primary School Standard Curriculum, 2011)
Assisting the non-English option teachers in the development of listening comprehension was a very
big challenge. It was a challenge that demands both the trainer's and the trainee's attention because of the
critical role that listening plays, not only in communication, but also in the acquisition of language.
Knowledge of the listening process and factors that affect listening enable teachers to select or create
listening texts and activities that meet the needs of the their students in schools. Teachers, then, must
weave these listening activities into the curriculum to create a balance that mirrors the real-world
integration of listening with speaking, reading, and writing.

6. Acknowledgements
A very big thank you to the people in Academic Department of Pasir Puteh Educational Office,
especially to Mr.Shahrir Mohamad as the District English Officer for the support. Other than that, the
very special thanks also to all the 39 participants for the great contribution and cooperation.

7. References

Brod, S. (1996). Teaching listening in the workplace English language training program at the Spring
Institute. Unpublished manuscript.

Brown, H. D. (1994). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. Englewood


Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.

Brown, G., & Yule, G. (1983). Teaching the spoken language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Carol Van Duzer, Improving ESL Learners' Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond, Center for
Applied Linguistics, Project in Adult Immigrant Education (PAIE), February 1997

Ministry of Education Malaysia 2011, Primary School Standard Curriculum (Year 1 – 6)

Ministry of Education Malaysia 2013, Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (Preschool to Post-
Secondary Education)

Robert Thornberg, The lack of professional knowledge in values education, Department of Behavioural
Sciences and Learning, Linkoping University,Sweden, Teaching and Teacher Education 24
(2008)

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Penggunaan Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa untuk


Menguasai Kemahiran Membaca dalam Kalangan Murid
Pemulihan Khas
Roslan Chin1 and Nurahimah Yusoff2
1
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Perlis, Malaysia
2
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstrak: Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji penggunaan strategi pembelajaran bahasa berasaskan
kemahiran membaca dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas. Seorang guru Bahasa Melayu dan enam
orang murid Pemulihan Khas dipilih sebagai peserta dalam penyelidikan ini. Kajian kualitatif ini
menggunakan reka bentuk kajian multicase single site. Data diperoleh melalui analisis dokumen,
pemerhatian dan temu bual. Data pemerhatian dan temu bual ditranskrip bagi memperoleh tema,
diuruskan dengan menggunakan perisian Nvivo8. Kesahan data dilakukan secara memeriksa kesan
penyelidik, triangulasi pelbagai sumber data, dan bertaklimat dengan rakan sejawat dan pengesahan
daripada peserta kajian. Kebolehpercayaan data diperoleh melalui audit trail. Hasil kajian menunjukkan
strategi pembelajaran bahasa (SPB) berasaskan kemahiran membaca menggunakan sama ada
pendekatan, kaedah, dan teknik (a) abjad, (b) sebutan suku kata dan dan bacaan perkataan bermakna, (c)
latih tubi, (d) sifir bahasa, (e) bacaan berfokus, (f) Visual Audio Kinesthetic Tactile (VAKT), dan (g)
rakam dan tayang, diaplikasikan oleh peserta kajian bagi menyelesaikan masalah penguasaan kemahiran
membaca dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas. Kajian ini telah menyumbang kepada pendidikan
Pemulihan Khas dalam penguasaan kemahiran Bahasa Melayu melalui strategi pembelajaan bahasa
berasaskan kemahiran membaca.

Kata kunci: Strategi pembelajaran bahasa, kemahiran membaca dan Program Pemulihan Khas

1. Pengenalan
Program Pemulihan Khas telah dilaksanakan oleh Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia semenjak tahun
1960-an bagi membantu pelajar di sekolah rendah yang menghadapi masalah khusus dalam
pembelajaran iaitu menguasai kemahiran asas membaca, menulis dan mengira (3M). Pada tahun 1983,
Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) telah diperkenalkan dalam sistem pendidikan di negara ini.
Kurikulum baru ini merupakan satu usaha untuk kembali semula kepada asas pendidikan dengan
memberi fokus kepada 3M (membaca, menulis dan mengira), dan pelajar yang tidak menguasainya
dibantu melalui Program Pemulihan Khas. Pengajaran dan pembelajaran pada tahap satu (tahun 1-3)
akan membolehkan guru-guru mengenal pasti murid yang mempunyai masalah penguasaan asas 3M.
Seterusnya pihak sekolah berusaha menyediakan Program Pemulihan Khas bagi mengatasi masalah
penguasaan asas 3M. Fokus ke arah membasmi masalah 3M ini turut termaktub dalam Teras Ketiga:
Memperkasakan Sekolah Kebangsaan dan, Teras Keempat: Merapatkan Jurang Pendidikan dalam Pelan
Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan (PIPP) 2006–2010. Melalui kedua-dua teras ini, beberapa pelan
tindakan dirancang untuk memastikan murid-murid menguasai kemahiran asas 3M pada Tahap Satu.
Sehubungan dengan itu, dalam penulisan ini, penyelidik cuba untuk menganalisis dan membincangkan
amalan strategi pembelajaran bahasa (SPB) melalui kemahiran membaca dalam kalangan guru

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Pemulihan Khas dari segi pola penggunaannya dan yang paling efektif dalam pengajaran dan
pembelajaran berkesan. Guru Pemulihan Khas yang dimaksudkan dalam kajian ini merujuk kepada guru
yang mempunyai pengetahuan, kemahiran dan kepakaran yang tinggi dalam mata pelajaran Bahasa
Melayu khususnya.

2. Objektif & Persoalan Kajian


Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang diamalkan oleh
guru terhadap murid-murid Pemulihan Khas. Kajian ini juga ingin melihat SPB berasaskan kemahiran
membaca yang dominan penggunaannya dalam kalangan guru Pemulihan Khas. Di samping itu juga,
kajian dapat mengenal pasti SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang paling efektif penggunaannya
dalam amalan guru terhadap murid-murid Pemulihan Khas. Persoalan kajian yang dikenal pasti ialah (a)
apakah SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang paling dominan dalam amalan guru terhadap murid
Pemulihan Khas? (b) Apakah amalan SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang paling efektif digunakan
oleh guru-guru terhadap murid Pemulihan Khas?

3. Tinjauan Literatur
Di Malaysia, kebanyakan kajian SPB yang dilaporkan sama ada dalam bahasa Melayu atau dalam
bahasa Inggeris adalah lebih bersifat tinjauan dan tidak mewakili keseluruhan SPB yang digunakan oleh
murid, khususnya SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas. Kajian
dijalankan oleh Zamri dan Mohamed Amin (2007), lebih kepada perbandingan SPB antara pelajar Melayu
dengan pelajar bukan Melayu dalam penggunaan SPB bagi mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu. Manakala
kajian Zamri, Jamaluddin dan Mohamed Amin (2006) lebih menjurus kepada kajian kepelbagaian SPB
pelajar pelbagai etnik di Malaysia. Sepengetahuan penyelidik berdasarkan tinjauan yang telah dijalankan,
tiada sarjana atau penyelidik menjalankan penyelidikan SPB dalam kalangan murid Program Pemulihan
Khas di Malaysia. Asas pada kenyataan ini, adalah satu keperluan kepada penyelidik menjalankan kajian
SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca dengan meneroka melalui amalan strategi pengajaran guru
Pemulihan Khas.
Pelbagai label yang berbeza terhadap bagaimana seseorang murid belajar, proses mentafsir dan proses
pemikiran kognitif telah diberi oleh pengkaji-pengkaji dalam SPB (Zamri, Mohamed Amin dan Nik
Mohd. Rahimi, 2010). Strategi pembelajaran merujuk kepada proses kognitif seseorang murid ketika
melakukan aktiviti semasa belajar bahasa. Mohamed Amin (2000), berpendapat istilah SPB merujuk
kepada tiga ciri yang berbeza iaitu; (a) strategi pembelajaran merujuk kepada tabiat pembelajaran bahasa
seseorang murid semasa proses belajar sesuatu bahasa. Contohnya, murid tersebut boleh menerangkan
perkara yang dilakukan ketika beliau mempelajari bahasa. (b) strategi pembelajaran merujuk kepada
pengetahuan yang diperoleh oleh murid ketika mereka diminta mengingat semula aspek pembelajaran
mereka. (c) strategi pembelajaran merujuk kepada pengetahuan am seseorang murid yang mempengaruhi
pemilihan strategi mereka. Mereka boleh mengenal pasti apa yang sukar dan apa yang mudah ketika
belajar bahasa.
Menurut Oxford (1990), perkataan strategi bermula dengan istilah Yunani iaitu “strategia” yang
bermaksud seni peperangan. Istilah ini mengandungi pelbagai maksud lain seperti perancangan,
persaingan dalam mencapai sesuatu sasaran. Istilah ini digunakan dalam bidang akademik dan sekarang
dikenali sebagai strategi pembelajaran. Brown (1994), menyatakan bahawa strategi pembelajaran sebagai

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proses pembelajaran. Chamot (1987) mendefinisikan strategi pembelajaran sebagai teknik dan pendekatan
yang dilakukan oleh murid untuk membantu pembelajaran serta mengingat aspek linguistik dan isi
kandungan sesuatu bahasa. Sementara O’Malley dan Chamot (1990) telah memberikan definisi strategi
pembelajaran sebagai pemikiran atau perlakuan unik yang digunakan oleh seseorang supaya dapat
membantu mereka memahami, mempelajari atau mengekalkan maklumat baharu. Manakala Oxford (1993)
pula mendefinisikan strategi pembelajaran sebagai pemikiran, perlakuan atau aktiviti tertentu yang
digunakan oleh individu untuk membantu mereka memperoleh, menyimpan, mengeluar semula dan
mengguna maklumat. Tegasnya SPB dalam kajian ini ialah strategi pembelajaran berasaskan kemahiran
membaca yang digunakan oleh murid Pemulihan Khas semasa sesi pembelajaran di dalam bilik darjah.
Status murid Program Pemulihan Khas dikategorikan lemah dalam beberapa sudut dengan merujuk
kepada beberapa definisi berikut. Murid Pemulihan Khas ialah kanak-kanak yang menghadapi kesukaran
dalam penguasaan kemahiran asas membaca, menulis dan mengira (3M) disebabkan oleh faktor
persekitaran dan bukan kognitif. Dalam klasifikasi murid Pemulihan Khas, murid tersebut bermasalah
pembelajaran ringan dan tidak menunjukkan sebarang tanda fizikal khas seperti penglihatan dan
ketajaman pendengaran yang boleh diukur (Reschly, 1996). Murid Pemulihan Khas juga adalah murid
yang tidak boleh menguasai kemahiran asas bahasa. Jais Sahok dan Mat Nor Husin, (1990)
mendefinisikan, “kanak-kanak pemulihan sama dengan kanak-kanak lembam yang mempunyai
pencapaian lebih rendah daripada rakan sebaya mereka di dalam kelas. Lembam yang dimaksudkan
bukanlah bermakna lemah dalam semua perkara atau mata pelajaran. Tetapi mungkin lemah dalam satu
mata pelajaran atau mungkin dua mata pelajaran atau juga lemah dalam aspek-aspek tertentu dalam
sesuatu kemahiran asas.” KPM merumuskan bahawa “perbezaan minat, pengalaman, bakat dan gaya
belajar individu murid mengakibatkan segolongan mereka lebih lambat atau terkebelakang menguasai
sesuatu kemahiran berbanding rakan sebayanya. Sekiranya mereka tidak diberi pengajaran pemulihan,
mereka mungkin gagal memperoleh pendidikan yang perlu dan potensi mereka akan terbenam. Susulan
itu, merujuk pandangan Reid (1995) iaitu keberkesanan dan kepentingan menguasai SPB dapat
menyedarkan dan membantu murid menguasai pelbagai SPB secara menyeluruh dan berkesan ketika
belajar di dalam bilik darjah.
Wenden (1987) dan Oxford (1990) menyatakan bahawa SPB mendatangkan beberapa kebaikan
kepada murid dalam menguasai bahasa. Kedua-dua tokoh tersebut menyenaraikan sembilan ciri SPB yang
boleh membantu meningkatkan penguasaan kemahiran bahasa dalam kalangan murid, iaitu; (a)
meningkatkan kecekapan berkomunikasi, (b) menggalakkan pembelajaran kendiri, (c) melibatkan
penyelesaian masalah, (d) meningkatkan pembelajaran dengan aksi-aksi yang lebih khusus, (e)
melibatkan proses di luar kognitif, (f) menyumbang ke arah pembelajaran secara langsung dan tidak
langsung, (g) melibatkan kepelbagaian, (h) menguasai aksi sedar dan tidak sedar, dan (i) menggalakkan
kelenturan.
Kepentingan menguasai kepelbagaian SPB merupakan sesuatu yang perlu dikuasai oleh setiap murid.
Menurut Mohamed Amin (1996), penguasaan SPB banyak berkait rapat dengan cara murid merancang,
cara murid belajar sama ada di dalam bilik darjah, di luar bilik darjah atau semasa menghadapi
peperiksaan. Kepentingan menguasai SPB dapat mempengaruhi pengurusan, cara dan amalan murid
dalam pembelajaran (Zamri, Mohamed Amin dan Nik Mohd. Rahimi (2010). Matlamat pembelajaran
seseorang murid perlu disertai dengan pembelajaran yang berguna dan strategi yang bermotivasi. Shmais
(2003) menyatakan bahawa mana-mana murid yang berada dalam situasi pembelajaran efektif mudah
berjaya. Kajian beliau juga mendapati bahawa mana-mana murid yang berada dalam situasi pembelajaran
dan tahu apa yang hendak dibuat juga mempunyai pencapaian akademik yang lebih baik.

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Menurut Zamri, Mohamed Amin dan Nik Mohd. Rahimi (2010), penggunaan SPB yang berbeza
mengikut tahap pencapaian murid dan strategi yang digunakan turut mendatangkan kesan kepada
pembelajaran bahasa dalam kalangan murid. Dengan mengambil contoh beberapa kajian di Barat seperti
Atkinson (1985), Bejarano (1987), Chamot dan Kupper (1989) mendapati bahawa penggunaan strategi
pembelajaran bahasa yang berbeza mendatangkan kesan positif kepada pencapaian murid. Sementara para
pengkaji tempatan seperti Abu Talib (1998), Mohd. Nazli (1999), Rahani (1999), Norzizah (1999), Yong
Zaharah (1999), Zuriyati (1999), Supian (2003), dan Zamri (2004) dalam pendidikan Bahasa Melayu
menekankan kepentingan penggunaan strategi pembelajaran bahasa dalam meningkatkan pencapaian
bahasa murid.
Dalam konteks pembelajaran murid Pemulihan Khas di negara ini, peranan guru bahasa (Bahasa
Melayu) amat penting untuk membantu murid-muridnya menguasai bahasa dengan cepat dan berkesan.
Menurut Hall (1997), guru harus mempertimbangkan bagaimana murid dan guru boleh menggunakan
sesuatu strategi pembelajaran bahasa. Untuk itu, guru perlu mengenal pasti keupayaan murid-murid dalam
menggunakan strategi pembelajaran bahasa yang berbeza berdasarkan jumlah maklumat atau pengetahuan
yang diterima setiap muridnya.
Sehubungan dengan itu, dalam konteks murid Pemulihan Khas, pengajaran dan pembelajaran
kemahiran membaca amatlah memerlukan strategi kemahiran membaca yang tertentu untuk
meningkatkan penguasaan kemahiran membaca dengan lancar. Maka penyelidikan ini cuba menyelidiki
SPB melalui kemahiran membaca yang telah digunakan oleh guru-guru Pemulihan Khas dalam
pengajaran dan pembelajaran mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu.

4. Metodologi
Penyelidikan ini adalah berbentuk kualitatif dan menggunakan pendekatan kajian kes. Penyelidik
menggunakan kajian penerokaan, penerangan, dan gambaran dengan menggunakan kaedah embedded.
Kelebihan utama penggunaan kajian kes ialah dapat mendalami tentang maklumat sesuatu kes (Mohd.
Majid, 1993). Secara khususnya, kajian ini berbentuk kajian pelbagai kes atau multicase studies.
Pengumpulan data diperoleh melalui kaedah pemerhatian, analisis dokumen dan temu bual bagi
memperoleh gambaran sebenar mengenai amalan strategi pembelajaran bahasa berasaskan kemahiran
membaca oleh guru Pemulihan Khas. Mempelbagaikan kaedah pengumpulan data ini penting bagi
memberi triangulasi atau pengukuhan data kajian. Teknik membuat triangulasi digunakan untuk
meminimakan bias dan memastikan kesahan dalaman dan luaran sesuatu data yang diperoleh dan yang
dianalisis oleh penyelidik (Gay, 1996). Seorang guru dipilih sebagai peserta kajian. Guru yang terpilih
sebagai peserta kajian adalah berpengalaman dan berpengetahuan terhadap perkara yang sedang dikaji
oleh penyelidik kerana terlibat secara langsung dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran pendidikan
Pemulihan Khas bagi mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu. Pemilihan peserta kajian dalam kajian kualitatif
biasanya secara bertujuan atau purposive sampling (Gay 1996; Gay & Airasian, 2000). Peserta kajian
dipilih daripada kalangan mereka yang boleh memberi maklumat yang jelas dan tepat, berpengalaman
sesuai dengan tajuk kajian dan persekitaran yang diperlukan dalam sesebuah kajian.

5. Dapatan Kajian
Kemahiran membaca merentas semua mata pelajaran. Kelemahan dalam kemahiran membaca
memberi kesan kepada pencapaian rendah dalam semua mata pelajaran di sekolah. Bertitik-tolak daripada

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permasalahan tersebut, menjadi tugas guru mengesan kelemahan penguasaan kemahiran membaca
muridnya. Seterusnya merancang SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca. Dalam strategi pengajaran dan
pembelajaran, pelbagai kaedah dan teknik mengajar bacaan boleh digunakan oleh guru untuk mengajar
bacaan. Belajar membaca merupakan asas penting dalam penguasaan kognitif dan persekitaran sosial
manusia (Yahya, Roselan dan Nafi, 2009). \
Penguasaan kemahiran membaca boleh membantu murid membaca dengan lancar dan berkesan. Bagi
mencapai objektif dalam Program Pemulihan Khas agar murid boleh menguasai kemahiran membaca,
maka kaedah atau teknik membaca yang digunakan perlu sesuai dengan minat dan kemampuan murid.
Hasil penelitian yang dijalankan didapati amalan guru Pemulihan Khas dalam melaksanakan SPB Bahasa
Melayu berasaskan kemahiran membaca merangkumi kaedah atau teknik (a) abjad, (b) sebutan suku kata
dan bacaan perkataan bermakna, (c) latih tubi, (d) sifir bahasa, (e) bacaan berfokus, (f) VAKT, (g) rakam
dan tayang.
SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca menggunakan kaedah abjad atau konvensional merupakan
amalan pilihan guru-guru ketika memulakan pengajaran membaca. Bagi peserta kajian, beliau tetap
memulakan pengajaran kemahiran bahasa dengan menggunakan kaedah abjad. Kaedah ini memerlukan
guru memperkenalkan kesemua 26 huruf yang terdapat dalam abjad a hingga z. Murid-murid diarahkan
menghafal setiap lambang abjad. Seterusnya guru akan menarik keluar bunyi-bunyi vokal. Kemudian
guru akan membina suku kata menerusi proses penggabungan bunyi-bunyi vokal dan bunyi-bunyi
konsonan, contoh /ba/ /ju/, /ka/ /ki/, /bo/ /la/ dan sebagainya. Peringkat berikutnya, murid-murid akan
diajarkan pula kemahiran mengeja perkataan-perkataan mudah. Contohnya /baju/, /kaki/, /bola/ dan
perkataan-perkataan mudah yang lain. Contoh data temu bual berkaitan penggunaan kaedah abjad dalam
SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca oleh peserta kajian: “Bergantung kepada murid. Biasanya saya
mula dengan kaedah yang konvensional. Mengeja dan menyebut suku kata. Kalau ada yang tak boleh,
barulah saya cuba kaedah lain.” Penggunaan kaedah abjad oleh peserta kajian, bergantung kepada
kemampuan murid-muridnya. Sekiranya murid-murid tidak mampu menguasainya, baharulah beliau
menggunakan kaedah alternatif yang lain.
Secara umumnya, murid Pemulihan Khas merupakan murid yang tidak dapat menguasai kemahiran
membaca melalui kaedah konvensional. Hal ini berpunca daripada tidak mengenal abjad kerana sebutan
abjad tersebut adalah abstrak. Maka perlu dibantu dengan kaedah atau teknik lain seperti benda maujud
dan perkataan bermakna. Menurut peserta kajian;

Bila suku kata /ka/ /ki/ /ku/. Dia lambat. Sebab abstrak. Dia nak maujud.
Dia nak suatu benda bila sebut. Dia nak nampak. Macam suku kata
/baju/. /ba/ /ta/ /ni/ /nu/, dia lambat dapat. Tapi kalau kita jadikan
perkataan (bermakna), kita sebut ni apa, kita kata /baju/. Sebut dulu
/baju/. Ha, eja /ba/ /ju/. Dia dah set dalam mind dia nak eja /baju/. Tapi
kalau eja /ba/ /bu/ /ka/ /ki/. Dia tak boleh. Itulah yang saya kata abstrak.
Sedangkan budak tu memang dah abstrak dalam kepala dia.

Susulan itu, peserta kajian didapati menggunakan kaedah membatang suku kata perkataan bermakna
dalam melaksanakan SPB kemahiran membaca dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas. Contoh data
pemerhatian kaedah membatang suku kata perkataan bermakna oleh peserta kajian:

GP: Tengok gambar dan sebut kat cikgu. Cuba eja /jari/ /kaki/.”
Rizal dan Shahril: dengan dibimbing menyebut suku kata /ja/ /ri/ /ka/
/ki/ dan membatang perkataan /jari/ /kaki/.

Berdasarkan data pemerhatian di atas, guru memberi arahan kepada muridnya membatang
suku kata bagi perkataan bermakna yang berkaitan dengan fizikal murid dengan berbantukan
gambar yang ditayangkan melalui komputer.

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Dalam data temu bual peserta kajian menyatakan bahawa terdapat murid Pemulihan Khas
yang tidak boleh menghafal. Maka murid tersebut perlu alternatif SPB kemahiran membaca yang
lain. Contoh data temu bual oleh peserta kajian dalam memperkenalkan huruf melalui SPB
berasaskan kemahiran membaca menggunakan perkataan bermakna:

Dia (murid) akan kenal huruf melalui /baju/. Dia kenal huruf melalui
/b//a//j//u/. Lepas tu kita perkenal /batu/. Daripada /j/ dia kenal /t/. Dah
kenal /t/ kita ubah pula kepada /c/. Kita tak boleh jenis hafal. Dia hafal
boleh. /a//b//c/. Tapi tunjuk random, dia tak boleh sebab dia hafal. Kita
tunjuk dia baca balik. Kita ubah. /abc/ kita buh depan. /bcdef/ tang /f/
kita tukar buh /h/.

Sepanjang penyelidikan dijalankan, didapati kaedah latih tubi yang paling kerap digunakan oleh
peserta kajian dalam aktiviti membaca. Latih tubi melibatkan aktiviti pengulangan sama ada sebutan atau
bacaan bagi mengenal pasti sebutan yang betul atau mengingati fakta atau apa yang dipelajari. Latih tubi
dapat membantu murid menguasai kemahiran menyebut huruf, membatang suku kata, perkataan dan ayat.
Melalui latih tubi, murid mengalami proses mendengar, melihat, memikir maksud perkataan-perkataan
serta tugasnya dalam situasi penggunaan perkataan-perkataan yang dimaksudkan. Latih tubi merupakan
amalan paling dominan dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Program Pemulihan Khas. Contoh data
pemerhatian latih tubi oleh peserta kajian.

Proses berulang bagi menyebut suku kata dan membatang perkataan berikut:
/biji/ /saga/, /baca/ /buku/, /bola/ /raga/, /paku/ /besi/, /baju/ /lama/, /feri laju/,
/cili/ /padi/, /meja/ /guru/, /roti/ /kaya/, /kuda/ /padi/, /tali/ /guni/, /sawi/ /muda/,
/guli/ /kaca/.

Berdasarkan data pemerhatian di atas, didapati peserta kajian mejalankan latih tubi sebutan penuh
perkataan yang bermakna dengan berbantukan gambar atau slaid dalam paparan komputer. Peserta kajian
dilihat sentiasa berdamping dengan murid dan sentiasa memberi sokongan bagi membolehkan muridnya
membaca dengan menggunakan bahan bantu mengajar dan lain-lain bahan sokongan. Latih tubi amat
penting diaplikasi dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas di samping
penggunaan bahasa yang jelas. Menurut peserta kajian “ulang-ulang ni macam wajiblah kat murid-murid
pemulihan. Kena ulang. Bukan sekali, tapi banyak kali. Kalau pemulihan tak cukup sekali dua kali, kena
banyak kali cakap.” Selain daripada itu, “… kena cakap dengan bahasa yang jelas, yang dia mudah faham.
Supaya apa yang diberi tu betul, dibuat atau dilaksanakan.”
Data pemerhatian juga menunjukkan peserta kajian melaksanakan latih tubi terhadap sebutan suku
kata terlebih dahulu sebelum membatang suku kata bagi perkataan bermakna. Contoh data pemerhatian
berkaitan latih tubi membatang suku kata sebelum membatang perkataan bermakna oleh peserta kajian:
“Sidek: (mengulang sebut) /pan. dan/ /pandan wangi/.” Peserta kajian memberi arahan kepada muridnya
membatang suku kata kvk iaitu /pan/, dan /dan/, sambil menunjukkan perkataan /Pandan Wangi/ yang
tertera pada kulit bungkusan makanan ringan “Kek Apolo.” Daripada catatan pemerhatian, setelah habis
murid membatang perkataan /pan.dan/, berikutnya murid diberi seorang sebungkus kek Pandan Wangi.
Latih tubi membatang suku kata penuh juga digunakan dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran
Pemulihan Khas dengan berbantukan tayangan video. Cotoh data oleh peserta kajian:

Ni kita nak eja apabila tengok video ni.


GP & murid: /bawa/

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GP: eja /bawa/


Murid: /ba.wa/ /bawa/.
GP: eja lagi.
Murid: /ba.wa/ /bawa/.
GP: kuat-kuat. Lagi kuat (guru mengulang tayang video setiap kali memberi
arahan supaya murid mengulang mengeja).

Peserta kajian memberi arahan kepada murid untuk membatang suku kata sebelum membatang
perkataan bermakna dengan berpandukan aktiviti yang ditayangkan melalui video. Beliau juga
mengulang-ngulang tayang video tersebut bagi memahamkan maksud “bawa” kepada murid.
Latih tubi juga digunakan oleh peserta kajian bagi menangani masalah pengaruh bahasa pasar.
Berikut contoh data pemerhatian latih tubi membatang suku kata kvkvkv oleh peserta kajian.

GP: ha tu! /ba/ /ba/.


Murid: /ba//ba/.
GP: /te//te/.
Murid: /te//te/.
GP: /ri//ri/
Murid: /ri//ri/.
GP: /bateri/
Murid: /bateri/ /bateri/
GP: /bateri/
Murid: /bateri/
GP: eja!
Murid: /ba.te.ri//beteri/
Latih tubi sebutan di atas dilaksanakan bagi tujuan membetulkan kesilapan sebutan muridnya kesan
pengaruh bahasa pasar iaitu mengeja dan membatang suku kata contohnya /ba/te/ri/. Tetapi apabila
menyebut mengikut bahasa pasar contohnya /beteri/. Berdasarkan data pemerhatian di atas, menunjukkan
bahawa peserta kajian memberi arahan kepada muridnya untuk mengulang-ngulang menyebut suku kata
dahulu. Kemudian diikuti suku kata kedua dan ketiga. Seterusnya barulah membatangkan perkataan yang
dieja berdasarkan gambar yang ditunjukkan. Dalam data temu bual, peserta kajian menegaskan bahawa;
“Saya latih tubi. Saya suruh sebut sesuatu perkataan berulang kali. Kadang 10 kali, sampailah dia boleh
sebut dengan betul dan lancar.”

Selain perkataan /bateri/ juga berlaku terhadap perkataan /tomato/. Contoh data pemerhatian:

GP: Tomato
Rizam: /to/ma/to/, /tomato/
GP: Tomato ka tometo
Nabil: Tometo
GP: Eja tengok.
Nabil: /to//me//to/
GP: Betulkah? Dak.
Nabil: Betul. Kenapa tak betul.
GP: Tomato ka tometo?
Rizam & Daniel: Tomato.
Daniel: Tak tau.
GP & murid: Tomato

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Berdasarkan data pemerhatian di atas, murid peserta kajian boleh mengeja dan membatang suku kata
dengan betul. Contohnya /to/ /ma/ /to/. Tetapi apabila menyebut mengikut bahasa pasar contohnya
/tometo/. Maka latih tubi dilakukan bagi menyebut perkataan /tomato/ dengan betul dalam bacaan apabila
membatang perkataan tersebut.

Seterusnya SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang diamalkan oleh peserta kajian ialah sifir
bahasa. Sifir bahasa merupakan satu kaedah belajar membaca dengan membatang suku kata. Kaedah sifir
bahasa diaplikasikan oleh guru Pemulihan Khas bagi menyelesaikan masalah murid yang tidak dapat atau
keliru dalam memenggal suku kata. Dalam penggunaan kaedah sifir bahasa, pada peringkat awal, peserta
kajian menggunakan jari sebagai bilangan suku kata. Contoh data pemerhatian bagi kaedah penggunaan
jari bagi mewakili bilangan membatang suku kata dan seterusnya membunyikan perkataan oleh peserta
kajian: “guru menggunakan jari telunjuk supaya Amir mengeja apa yang ditunjuknya.” Berikutnya data
pemerhatian peserta kajian semasa mengarahkan muridnya meletakkan jari di bawah suku kata yang perlu
dieja:
Amir: (sambil tunjuk dengan dua jari pada dua suku kata iaitu jari
telunjuk, tunjuk pada suku kata pertama /sa/ dan jari hantu ditunjuk
pada suku kata kedua /yur/) /sayur/.

Seterusnya murid membaca menggunakan bilangan mewakili bilangan huruf dalam suku kata.
Contoh data pemerhatian pengajaran melalui kemahiran membaca menggunakan kaedah sifir bahasa oleh
peserta kajian:

GP: hak ni berapa nak baca?


Amir: 2, 2, 3. /pe/ /la/ /jar/.
GP: hak ni berapa?
Amir: 3, 3. /ban/ /jir/, /banjir/.
GP: Hak ni berapa?
Amir: 3, 3. /mak/ /mur/, /makmur/.
GP: hak ni berapa?
Amir: 3, 2, 2. /mer/ /pa/ /ti/, /merpati/.
GP & Amir: 1, 3
Amir: /a/ /sar/, /asar/.
GP & Amir: 2,2,3.
Amir: /ar/ /ki/ /tek/, /arkitek/.
GP & Amir: 2,3
Amir: /ca/ /tur/, /catur/
Amir: 3, 2, 2. /far/ /ma/ /si/, /farmasi/.

Menurut peserta kajian, walaupun menggunakan kaedah sifir bahasa dalam pengajaran Bahasa
Melayu, pendekatan pengajaran iaitu pendekatan induktif tetap diambil kira untuk keberkesanan
pengajaran. Contoh data temu bual kaedah pengajaran Bahasa Melayu menggunakan sifir bahasa oleh
peserta kajian:

GP: Saya susun dari senang kepada susah. Saya ada buku saya susun
sendiri, nama dia “bijak membaca.” Mula dengan suku kata seperti
/bata/, /dahi/, yang ni kena banyak. Lepas kvkv, kemudian kvk. Kvkvk
depa tak tau apa. Saya ajar 2,3. Kalau ada gambar, ok. Kalau tak dak
gambar, kena sebut nombor contoh /hujung/ kita sebut 2,4. Jadi kita
ubah suai kepada angka. Contoh /kan/ /kung/ bunyi dua kali.

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Berdasarkan petikan di atas, menunjukkan bahawa guru mengajar menggunakan kaedah sifir bahasa
dengan mengambil kira pendekatan pengajaran yang sesuai dengan aras kebolehan muridnya. Menurut
peserta kajian, penggunaan kaedah sifir bahasa amat berkesan dalam kemahiran membaca. Contoh data
temu bual keberkesanan pengajaran kemahiran membaca oleh peserta kajian; “Automatik depa tau.
Contoh /huj/, tak boleh. Depa /hu/ takat 2 saja. Lepas tu depa cari 4 pula /jung/. 2, 4 automatik. Setiap
orang boleh baca macam tu.”
Oleh kerana tahap pemahaman murid Pemulihan Khas yang agak lemah, maka guru perlu
mengulang-ngulang menggunakan sifir bahasa dalam pengajaran membaca. Penggunaan jari oleh guru
dalam memberi arahan untuk menyebut bilangan suku kata yang perlu dibatangkan, membolehkan murid
memberi fokus terhadap pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang dilaksanakan. Kesannya murid dapat
menumpukan perhatian terhadap pengajaran guru.
SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca menggunakan bacaan berfokus diamalkan oleh guru Pemulihan
Khas bagi mengatasi masalah murid hilang tumpuan apabila berlaku aktiviti bacaan kuat dalam kumpulan.
Bacaan berfokus juga adalah untuk melatih murid melihat kumpulan kata-kata dalam setiap sebutan yang
dibaca. Disamping itu bacaan berfokus juga bertujuan untuk melatih minda murid memikirkan apa yang
dibaca. Semasa membaca bahan bacaan yang bermakna, murid dapat memberi tumpuan, memahami dan
menarik minat murid. Satu daripada SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang diamalkan oleh guru
Pemulihan Khas ialah “semak bacaan.” Contoh data temu bual bacaan berfokus:

Semua pegang buku ni. Katakan tiga oranglah. Kawan dia baca, kawan
lain akan tengok buku dia. Dia akan beri perhatian. Buku ni dia kena,
akan fokus. Budak pemulihan ni, dia tak nampak. Dia nampak macam
semut. Dia kena fokus. Lepas tu tarik. Kemudian nak tarik perhatian
dia, bila budak ni baca, dia kena semak. Sebab apa, saya akan berhenti
serta merta tang tang mana. Jadi kawan akan sambung. Tidak, dia tak
bagi perhatian. Jadi, dia kena fokus. Fokus satu perkara penting bagi
murid pemulihan. Sebab tak fokus jadi celaru ni.

Menurut peserta kajian, dalam pengajaran kemahiran membaca, hendaklah terlebih dahulu menarik
perhatian murid untuk memberi fokus kepada bahan yang hendak dibaca. Jika tidak, pengajarannya tidak
berkesan. Bagi menarik perhatian murid untuk fokus kepada bahan bacaan, maka beliau menggunakan
teknik semak bacaan. Kaedahnya, apabila seorang murid membaca, murid lain kena semak, sebab mereka
kena sambung apabila mendengar arahan berhenti daripada gurunya.
Bagi mengukuh pengajaran kemahiran membaca, peserta kajian memanfaatkan pendekatan membaca
pelbagai deria (Multisensory Reading Method) atau dikenali sebagai VAKT. V - visual (penglihatan), A -
audio (pendengaran), K - kinestetik (pergerakan), dan T - tactile (sentuhan). VAKT menggabungkan
deria penglihatan dan pendengaran dengan tulisan (kinestetik atau pergerakan). Contoh data temu bual
berkaitan penggunaan kaedah VAKT oleh peserta kajian:

Saya pegang kepada VAKT. V bermasud visual, A= audio, K=


kinestetik, T=tactile. VAKT memang kena dengan murid pemulihan.
Cikgu ajar mesti kena ada VAKT. Kalau abaikan kaedah ini, budak tu
lambat dapat. Kalau guna pendekatan ni, dengan cara-cara yang betul,
budak tu cepat.

Dalam pendekatan ini murid melihat dan menyebut perkataan sambil menulis perkataan
berdasarkan ingatannya. Kaedah VAKT menggunakan prosedur pengajaran iaitu (a) memerhati

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perkataan yang hendak dipelajari, (b) menyebut perkataan itu, (c) cuba menulis perkataan itu berdasarkan
ingatannya, dan (d) membandingkan hasil tulisan dengan perkataan asal. Dirumuskan bahawa pendekatan
VAKT dilaksanakan berasaskan rangsangan beberapa deria yang sensitif bagi mengukuhkan
pembelajaran.

Menarik minat dan perhatian murid Pemulihan Khas amat penting dititikberatkan dalam menentukan
SPB yang digunakan oleh guru Pemulihan Khas. Satu daripada kaedah yang boleh menarik minat murid
yang diaplikasikan oleh peserta kajian ialah rakam dan tayang. Contoh data temu bual kaedah rakam dan
tayang dalam pengajaran kemahiran membaca oleh peserta kajian:

Dalam proses dia membaca, saya rakam. Saya rakam video, saya rakam
suara dia. Kemudian saya tunjuk balik. Contoh video dia bacakan. Saya
tunjuk balik. Tunjuk la la tu juga. Dia tengok, jadi dia rasa seronok.
Pasang video, pasang projektor, kawan-kawan yang lain pun mai
tengok.

Menurut peserta P04, dalam melaksanakan pengajaran kemahiran membaca, beliau merakam murid
membaca. Kemudian tayang semula video yang dirakamkan untuk ditonton murid tersebut dan rakannya.
Melalui rakam dan tayang, beliau telah menarik minat murid-murid Pemulihan Khas untuk respon dan
aktif dalam pengajaran kemahiran membaca khususnya.

6. Perbincangan

Realitinya murid-murid Pemulihan Khas memerlukan bantuan dan sokongan daripada peserta kajian
kerana mereka tidak berupaya untuk belajar sendiri bagi menguasai isi kandungan baharu atau sesuatu
kemahiran bagi setiap sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam bilik darjah arus perdana. Penguasaan
kemahiran membaca dan memahami menentukan tahap penguasaan isi kandungan pelajaran yang mampu
diperoleh oleh murid Pemulihan Khas. Berdasarkan dapatan kajian, penyelidik merumuskan bahawa SPB
berasaskan kemahiran membaca merupakan strategi yang paling difokuskan oleh peserta kajian
berbanding dengan kemahiran lisan dan kemahiran menulis. Peserta kajian menyatakan bahawa matlamat
pengajaran murid Pemulihan Khas adalah bagi membolehkan muridnya pandai membaca.
SPB kemahiran membaca menggunakan kaedah konvensional (abjad) terlebih dahulu diamalkan oleh
peserta kajian. Kaedah ini memerlukan murid mengingat dan mengenal semua 26 huruf iaitu daripada
huruf a hingga z. Peserta kajian menggunakan kaedah konvensional terlebih dahulu sebelum mencuba
kaedah alternatif yang lain sekiranya murid tidak berupaya menghafal atau mengenal huruf yang
diperlukan dalam penguasaan kemahiran membaca.
SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca yang paling dominan dalam kajian ini ialah latih tubi bacaan,
dan bacaan suku kata perkataan bermakna. Peserta kajian didapati kerap mengamalkan dan melaksanakan
kedua-dua strategi tersebut. Latih tubi bacaan yang digunakan ialah latih tubi sebutan penuh perkataan
yang bermakna dengan berbantukan gambar atau slaid dalam paparan komputer, latih tubi sebutan suku
kata berpandukan gambar yang dipaparkan di komputer dan juga merujuk kad suku kata dan kad gambar,
latih tubi membina ayat mudah, dan latih tubi digunakan bagi membetulkan kesilapan pertuturan murid
dalam bacaan kesan dialek daerah.
Selain itu, SPB kemahiran membaca juga diamalkan oleh peserta kajian dengan membaca perkataan
bermakna menggunakan bahan yang terdapat di dalam bilik darjah dan perkataan pada makanan ringan

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(maujud) sebagai rangsangan murid membaca. Daripada perbincangan di atas, didapati dua SPB
kemahiran membaca dikenal pasti yang diamalkan secara dominan oleh peserta kajian iaitu latih tubi
sebutan penuh perkataan yang bermakna, dan sebutan suku kata atau perkataan bermakna. SPB
kemahiran membaca menggunakan sifir bahasa didapati amat efektif diaplikasikan oleh guru Pemulihan
Khas bagi mengatasi masalah keliru dalam memenggal suku kata. Dalam penyelidikan ini berlaku
terhadap murid bukan Melayu. Sehubungan itu, kaedah ini boleh diterapkan dalam pengajaran Bahasa
Melayu sebagai bahasa kedua. Selain daripada itu, pendekatan VAKT didapati amat efektif diaplikasikan
dalam kalangan murid Pemulihan Khas kerana memberi pendedahan multimedia melalui penglihatan,
pendengaran, pergerakan dan sentuhan. Hal ini memerlukan penumpuan semua deria daripada murid
semasa aktiviti membaca dijalankan dan dapat menarik perhatian murid terhadap pengajaran dan
pembelajaran yang dilangsungkan.

7. Cadangan
Dapatan yang diperoleh daripada penyelidikan ini dapat memberikan gambaran mengenai
pelaksanaan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Pemulihan Khas. Walaupun dapatan ini tidak boleh
digeneralisasikan, tetapi dapat membantu memberikan gambaran atau realiti yang berlaku dalam bilik
darjah Pemulihan Khas. Dari aspek perancangan, guru Pemulihan Khas perlu mengenal pasti masalah
penguasaan kemahiran membaca khususnya, sebelum membuat perancangan pengajaran. Seterusnya
menyediakan rancangan pengajaran individu mengikut keperluan bagi menyelesaikan masalah
penguasaan kemahiran bahasa yang dikenal pasti. Hal ini kerana setiap individu murid Pemulihan Khas
berbeza dari masalah penguasaan kemahiran bahasa semasa aktiviti membaca dan memerlukan SPB yang
pelbagai alternatif. Selanjutnya guru Pemulihan Khas hendaklah menjalankan penilaian berterusan dan
merekodkannya dengan rapi dan tersusun.
Penyelidikan ini juga mencadangkan bahawa penekanan dalam strategi pembelajaran bahasa bagi
murid Pemulihan Khas juga hendaklah melalui pembelajaran berasaskan pengalaman. Sesuatu peristiwa
bermakna yang pernah dialami boleh memberikan ingatan yang kuat kepada murid Pemulihan Khas yang
terlibat. Sehubungan dengan itu, murid hendaklah dilibatkan dengan pelbagai aktiviti dalam dan di luar
bilik darjah. Penglibatan dalam aktiviti-aktiviti tersebut dapat memberikan mereka pengalaman yang
bermakna. Pembelajaran melalui pengalaman merupakan pendekatan yang induktif di mana murid
mengalami satu proses mental melalui memerhati peristiwa-peristiwa tertentu untuk memperoleh satu
generalisasi.
Penekanan dalam strategi pembelajaran berasaskan pengalaman merupakan proses pembelajaran.
Refleksi peribadi tentang pengalaman dan penggubalan pelan untuk mentransformasi pengajaran kepada
konteks yang lain merupakan faktor penting dalam pengalaman pembelajaran yang berkesan.
Pembelajaran melalui pengalaman boleh meningkatkan pemahaman dan pengekalan berbanding dengan
kaedah yang semata-mata melibatkan mendengar, membaca, atau bahkan melihat. Murid biasanya lebih
bermotivasi apabila mereka mengambil bahagian secara aktif dan mengajar antara satu sama lain dengan
menerangkan apa yang mereka lakukan.

8. Penutup
Penyelidikan ini merupakan satu penerokaan kepada kajian dalam bidang pendidikan Pemulihan Khas
khususnya dalam konteks SPB berasaskan kemahiran membaca. Penyelidikan ini mencungkil amalan
sebenar yang berlaku semasa pelaksanaan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu dalam bilik
darjah Pemulihan Khas di sekolah rendah kebangsaan. Dapatan kajian menemukan beberapa SPB

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berasaskan kemahiran membaca dalam amalan guru yang boleh diambil manfaat dan dapat meningkatkan
profesion keguruan khususnya guru yang terlibat dalam pelaksanaan Program Pemulihan Khas. Dapatan-
dapatan kajian ini juga jelas menunjukkan bahawa perancangan yang tepat yakni berasaskan masalah
penguasaan kemahiran bahasa yang dikenal pasti bagi setiap individu, kaedah/teknik serta bahan bantu
mengajar yang sesuai dengan tahap kemampuan murid, SPB yang relevan bagi mengatasi masalah
penguasaan kemahiran bahasa murid boleh memberi impak yang sangat berkualiti kepada pengajaran dan
pembelajaran guru Pemulihan Khas.

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Kesan Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) terhadap


Pencapaian Pelajar di Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas
Wan Farah Aida binti Wan Abdullah and Ida Suriati binti AwangYah
Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas, Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstrak: Sejajar dengan perkembangan sistem pendidikan kolej komuniti yang mengkhususkan kepada
pembelajaran berpusatkan pelajar, satu kajian telah dijalankan untuk menguji kesan kaedah
Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) terhadap pencapaian pelajar. Kajian kuasi eksperimen telah
dijalankan ke atas 81 orang pelajar Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas yang mengambil kursus Prinsip
Perakaunan. Kajian ini melibatkan dua kumpulan iaitu kumpulan kawalan dan kumpulan rawatan.
Kaedah pengajaran PBM telah dijalankan selama lima minggu ke atas kumpulan rawatan, manakala
pengajaran sedia ada dikekalkan bagi kumpulan kawalan. Dalam pasca ujian, para pelajar telah
menjawab ujian pencapaian bagi kursus Prinsip Perakaunan. Data diperolehi dan dianalisis dengan
menggunakan kaedah Ujian t (Independent t-test). Hasil dapatan kajian telah menunjukkan bahawa
pencapaian pelajar dalam kumpulan rawatan iaitu PBM lebih tinggi berbanding kumpulan kawalan.
Oleh demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahawa kaedah PBM memberi kesan terhadap pencapaian pelajar
berbanding dengan kaedah pengajaran sedia ada. Sehubungan itu, kaedah PBM yang diterapkan dalam
kajian ini boleh dimanfaatkan oleh tenaga pengajar Kolej Komuniti dalam meningkatkan kualiti
pengajaran dan pembelajaran pada masa akan datang.

Katakunci: Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah , pencapaian pelajar

1. Pengenalan
Pada abad ke-21 ini, dapat dilihat sistem pendidikan negara semakin berkembang maju dari masa ke
semasa. Corak pengajaran dan pembelajaran telah mula berubah dimana pendekatan pengajaran secara
tradisional semakin berkurangan. Pendekatan tradisional ini lebih menjurus kepada penyampaian kuliah
satu hala sahaja yang berteraskan input atau maklumat dari guru atau buku teks semata-mata (Idris &
Salleh, 2010). Namun begitu, pendekatan tradisional yang diterapkan dalam proses pengajaran dan
pembelajaran ini telah menghasilkan ketidakpadanan antara penyampaian isi kandungan dengan
keperluan dan kehendak semasa industri. Dalam kajian Hassan et al, (2005) telah menjelaskan bahawa
dalam pemilihan dan penerimaan pekerja, majikan bukan sahaja melihat kepada kemahiran teknikal yang
cemerlang semata-mata, namun majikan memerlukan pekerja yang mempunyai modal insan serta
kemahiran insaniah bagi meningkatkan produktiviti dan berdaya saing. Dalam hal ini, kemahiran insaniah
memainkan peranan penting dalam diri seseorang graduan dimana pekerja yang mempunyai kemahiran
insaniah akan cepat dan mudah menyesuaikan diri dengan semua jenis pekerjaan dan bersifat serba boleh
(Pua, 2014).
Bertitik tolak daripada tuntutan ini, kini dapat dilihat sistem pengajaran dan pembelajaran lebih
menumpukan kepada pembelajaran yang proaktif dan inovatif dimana pembelajaran lebih berpusatkan
kepada pelajar. Sistem kurikulum telah ditambahbaik mengikut kesesuaian dan keperluan semasa. Sejajar
dengan arus kemodenan pada masa kini, pihak Kolej Komuniti memikul tanggungjawab yang besar
dalam melahirkan graduan yang bukan sahaja untuk memenuhi keperluan dan kehendak pasaran industri
sahaja, malah turut melahirkan graduan yang berkualiti dan berdaya saing dalam memenuhi piawaian
pihak industri di luar sana. Hal demikian, pendekatan pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang digunakan di
dalam kelas berkait rapat di antara satu sama lain dimana corak pembelajaran yang menarik mampu

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melahirkan pelajar yang berkualiti. Pembelajaran yang menarik adalah berpunca daripada hasil
pendekatan pengajaran yang digunakan oleh guru di dalam kelas (Abu Bakar, 2010).
Dalam meningkatkan keberkesanan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran, institusi-institusi pendidikan
di Malaysia telah mengambil serius terhadap pendekatan melalui Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah
(PBM) atau Problem Based Learning (PBL). Pendekatan ini akan diterapkan kepada pelajar disamping
dapat menangani pelbagai isu dalam aspek pendidikan. Menurut Steinemann (2003) menjelaskan bahawa
PBM merupakan salah satu alternatif yang berkesan dalam menyampaikan ilmu atau maklumat semasa
proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Selain itu, pembelajaran berdasarkan penyelesaian masalah mampu
mewujudkan suasana pembelajaran aktif dalam kalangan pelajar (Ismail & Ashaari, 2010). Menurut
Montgomery (2000), PBM mempunyai kelebihan yang tersendiri berbanding strategi pembelajaran yang
lain. Hal ini kerana kaedah yang digunakan mampu membentuk kognitif pelajar dalam memahami sesuatu
dalam proses pembelajarannya. Sejajar dengan itu, PBM dapat memupuk minat dan motivasi yang tinggi
dalam diri pelajar. Keadaan ini juga turut melatih pelajar untuk berfikir secara kritis terhadap masalah
yang diberi semasa proses pembelajaran. Dalam kajian Hmelo-Silver and Barrows (2006) turut
menjelaskan bahawa melalui PBM, ia dapat memberi peluang kepada pelajar dalam membangunkan
kemahiran berfikir dan pembelajaran secara kendiri. Oleh yang demikian, pendekatan PBM mampu
memupuk sikap tanggungjawab pelajar terhadap pembelajaran mereka sendiri.
Sungguhpun PBM menjanjikan kelebihan berbanding pembelajaran secara tradisional, namun dapat
dilihat pensyarah sudah terbiasa dengan kaedah pengajaran yang sedia ada dimana mereka menjelaskan
langkah demi langkah dalam penyelesaian masalah yang diberi (Stanley & Marsden, 2012). Dalam
keadaan ini, pelajar hanya perlu mengikut langkah dan prosedur yang telah diberikan dalam
menyelesaikan masalah tersebut (Sari, 2004). Situasi ini memberi kesan dimana pelajar akan sukar
menghayati topik yang diajar, kurang faham dan sekaligus menyebabkan pelajar tidak dapat
menyelesaikan masalah yang diberikan. Tambahan pula, pendekatan yang diterapkan ini adalah tidak
selari dengan amalan profesional perakaunan (Stanley & Marsden, 2012). Justeru itu, kajian ini dijalankan
bagi mengkaji kesan Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) terhadap pencapaian pelajar khususnya
pelajar di Kolej Komuniti yang mengambil kursus Prinsip Perakaunan.

2. Metodologi
Kajian yang dijalankan ini merupakan satu kajian kuasi eksperimen bagi menguji kesan Pembelajaran
Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) dalam kalangan pelajar semester dua di Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas. Kajian ini
melibatkan dua kumpulan iaitu kumpulan kawalan dan kumpulan rawatan. Kumpulan kawalan
merupakan pembelajaran sedia ada (tradisional) manakalan kumpulan rawatan merupakan pendekatan
PBM yang diterapkan ke atas pelajar. Pasca ujian dijalankan ke atas kedua-dua kumpulan dimana pelajar
perlu menjalani ujian pencapaian selepas sesi rawatan dijalankan.

2.1. Populasi dan Sampel


Dua kelas iaitu pelajar dari semester dua sesi Julai 2015 dan November 2015 daripada Kolej
komuniti Pasir Mas telah dipilih sebagai kumpulan kawalan dan rawatan dalam menjalankan kajian ini.
Kedua-dua kumpulan ini dipilih secara rawak (randomly assignment) dalam menentukan kumpulan
kajian. Seramai 81 orang pelajar dipilih bagi kedua-dua kumpulan dimana 40 orang pelajar mewakili
kumpulan kawalan manakala 41 orang pelajar mewakili kumpulan rawatan. Kedua-dua kumpulan pelajar
ini adalah setara dan tidak terdapat perbezaan dalam kalangan pelajar (ujian levene, p = 0.69).

2.2. Instrumen Kajian

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Instrumen yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah set ujian pencapaian bagi kursus Prinsip
Perakaunan. Set ujian pencapaian ini digunakan bagi mengetahui markah pencapaian pelajar bagi kedua-
dua kumpulan selepas sesi rawatan diberikan kepada pelajar. Soalan ujian dibina berdasarkan silibus
dalam modul Prinsip Perakaunan yang merangkumi 3 topik pengajaran iaitu topik 2, 3 dan 4. Tahap
kesukaran soalan yang dibina berdasarkan kepada Jadual Penentu Ujian (JPU) dengan berpandukan
kepada aras Taksonomi Bloom yang merangkumi pengetahuan, kefahaman, analisis dan aplikasi (Othman
et al., 2006). Ujian pencapaian ini disediakan oleh pensyarah Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas yang mengajar
kursus Prinsip Perakaunan dan mempunyai pengalaman mengajar melebihi 10 tahun dalam bidang
perakaunan. Seterusnya, soalan ujian yang telah siap dibina disahkan oleh ketua program Kolej Komuniti
Pasir Mas. Kebolehpercayaan bagi ujian pencapaian pelajar ini dilihat melalui koefisien di antara kedua-
dua kumpulan dan hasil analisis telah menunjukkan nilai koefisien (r) = .574**. Ini menunjukkan
kebolehpercayaan ujian pencapaian adalah tinggi dengan nilai koefisien yang besar iaitu di antara .50
kepada 1.0 (Ghafar, 2001). Dengan ini, kajian dapat dijalankan bagi kedua-dua kumpulan kajian.

2.3. Analisis Data


Dapatan kajian dikumpulkan melalui pasca ujian dimana ujian pencapaian Prinsip Perakaunan
dijalankan ke atas pelajar bagi kedua-dua kumpulan. Data-data kajian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan
statistik deskriptif (min, dan sisihan piawai) dan statistik inferensi (ujian t iaitu independent t-test).

3. Keputusan
Jumlah keseluruhan responden yang terlibat dalam kajian ini adalah 81 orang dimana 50.62% dari
kumpulan rawatan manakala 49.38% dari kumpulan kawalan. Bagi kumpulan rawatan, 41 orang pelajar
terlibat dimana 14.6% adalah lelaki dan 85.4% adalah perempuan. Manakala bagi kumpulan kawalan 40
orang pelajar terlibat dimana 20.0% adalah lelaki dan 80.0% adalah perempuan. Hasil dapatan
menunjukkan pelajar perempuan mendominasi kedua-dua kumpulan kajian. Ringkasan perbezaan jantina
seperti dalam jadual 3.1.

JADUAL 3.1: Analisis Jantina Bagi Kumpulan Rawatan dan Kawalan


Jantina Rawatan Kawalan
Lelaki 6 8
Perempuan 35 32
Jumlah 41 40

Hasil daripada analisis yang telah dijalankan, terdapat perbezaan nilai min bagi ujian pencapaian yang
dijalankan ke atas kumpulan rawatan dan kawalan. Nilai min bagi kumpulan rawatan adalah 15.60 (SD =
4.65) manakala min bagi kumpulan kawalan adalah 13.42 (SD = 4.71). Perbezaan nilai min bagi ujian
pencapaian untuk kedua-dua kumpulan adalah sebanyak 2.18. Ringkasan nilai min bagi markah ujian
pencapaian untuk kedua-dua kumpulan adalah seperti dalam jadual 3.2.

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JADUAL 3.2: Nilai Min dan Sisihan Piawai Ujian Pencapaian Bagi Kumpulan Rawatan dan Kawalan
Kumpulan Min Sisihan Piawai (SD)

Rawatan (PBM) 15.60 4.652


Kawalan(Tradisional) 13.42 4.711
Min Perbezaan 2.18

Analisis lanjut ujian t (independent t-test) dijalankan bagi melihat dengan lebih mendalam terhadap
perbezaan pencapaian di antara kumpulan rawatan dan kawalan. Berdasarkan analisis independent t-test,
keputusan ujian Levene menunjukkan bahawa nilai p = 0.69, dimana nilai ini lebih besar daripada nilai α
= 0.05, ini bermakna varian untuk dua kumpulan adalah sama. Maka nilai pada baris pertama (equal
variances assumed) dijadikan sebagai rujukan. Seterusnya, keputusan ujian t telah menunjukkan nilai p (2
tailed) adalah 0.032 dimana nilai ini lebih kecil daripada α = 0.05. Dengan ini, hipotesis nul ditolak
dimana terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara markah ujian pencapaian bagi kumpulan rawatan
dengan kumpulan kawalan. Ringkasan bagi independent t-test adalah seperti dalam jadual 3.3.

JADUAL 3.3: Independent t-test Bagi Ujian Pencapaian Pelajar


Levene’s test for t-test for equality of means
Pasca ujian Equal equality of variances
(ujian variances
pencapaian) assumed F Nilai p t df Nilai p (2 tailed) Perbezaan min
.17 .69 2.19 86 .032 2.18

4. Kesimpulan
Secara kesimpulannya, pendekatan PBM yang diterapkan dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran
telah memberi kesan yang positif kepada pelajar perakaunan yang mengambil kursus Prinsip Perakaunan.
Hal ini dapat dilihat melalui peningkatan pencapaian pelajar dalam kursus Prinsip Perakaunan. Lantaran
itu, ia jelas menunjukkan bahawa pelajar perakaunan dapat menguasai kursus Prinsip Perakaunan melalui
penerapan PBM yang telah dilaksanakan dan pendekatan yang diterapkan ini selari dengan konsep
pembelajaran yang telah digariskan dalam teori konstruktivisme. Justeru itu, para pensyarah khususnya di
Kolej Komuniti Pasir Mas boleh mengambil inisiatif untuk mendedahkan konsep PBM terhadap semua
kursus sebagai satu kaedah yang berkesan dalam meningkatkan pencapaian pelajar. Hal ini kerana gaya
pembelajaran sebegini mampu menyumbang kepada pembelajaran sepanjang hayat dan meransang pelajar
untuk meneroka dengan lebih mendalam terhadap sesuatu topik yang di ajar. Pendekatan PBM yang
diterapkan ini juga adalah sejajar dengan Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan yang ingin menghasilkan
pelajar yang bersedia dari segi jasmani, emosi, rohani, dan intelek dalam memasuki dunia pekerjaan yang
sebenar.

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Rujukan
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Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia: Tesis PhD.

Abu Bakar, Z., Jalil, M., & Rashidi, M. (2011). Keberkesanan kaedah petak sifir dalam penguasaan fakta
asas darab dalam Matematik tahun 4: satu kajian di Sekolah Kebangsaan Mersing
Johor. UNSPECIFIED, 1-9.

Awang, H. (2010). Kesan pembelajaran berasaskan masalah terhadap penguasaan kemahiran generik
dan pencapaian akademik pelajar di Politeknik Malaysia. Universiti Sains Malaysia: Tesis PhD.

Dockter, D. L. (2012). Problem-Based Learning In Accounting. American Journal of Business Education


(AJBE), 5(5), 547-554.

Fattah, A., Afkari, R., Abdullah, M. A., M Khalid, H., Ahmad, S., Khaeruddin, K., & Marfuah, S. (2013).
Aplikasi teknologi di dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran subjek pengajian islam
berasaskan masalah (PBL): suatu perkongsian, analisa dan aspek cabaran semasa di Universiti
Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

Ghafar, M. N.(2001). Pembinaan dan Analisis Ujian Bilik Darjah. Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia

Graaf, E.D., & Kolmos, A. (2003). Characteristics of problem-based learning.International Journal of


Engineering Education, 19(5), 657-662.

Hansen, J. D. (2006). Using problem-based learning in accounting. Journal of Education for


Business, 81(4), 221-224.

Hassan, Z., Abdul, R. M. A., Abdul, G. M. N., Zakaria, K. (2005). Penerapan Kemahiran Generik Dalam
Pengajaran Kejuruteraan di Sekolah Menengah Teknik di Terengganu. Seminar Maktab
Perguruan Batu Lintang, Kuching, Sarawak.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., & Barrows, H. S. (2006). Goals and strategies of a problem-based learning
facilitator. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1), 4.

Idris, A. R., & Salleh, N. A. (2010). Pendekatan Pengajaran Yang Digunakan Oleh Guru Sekolah
Menengah Di Daerah Johor Bahru Dalam Pengajaran Dan Pembelajaran Matematik (1-7)

Ismail, S., & Ashaari, N. I. (2010). Aplikasi Kaedah Penyelesaian Masalah Dalam Pengajaran Kursus
Asas Penyediaan Makanan Dan Pemakanan.Aplikasi Kaedah Penyelesaian Masalah Dalam
Pengajaran Kursus Asas Penyediaan Makanan Dan Pemakanan, 1-7.

Kain, D.L., (2003). Problem-Based Learning for Teachers, Grades K-8. USA: Pearson Education.

Mohamad, H., & Graaff, E. (2013). The Effectiveness of Problem-based Learning Approach on Students’
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Mustapha, R. & Abdul Rahim, Z. L. (2008). Pembelajaran berasaskan masalah bagi matapelajaran
Elektronik: satu kajian tindakan di sekolah menengah teknik. Jurnal Teknologi, 49 (E), 109-127

Nachiappan, S., Jantan. R., & Abdul Shukor. A. Z. (2008). Psikologi pendidikan. Shah Alam, Selangor:
Oxford Fajar.

Othman, M. H., Ahmad, S., & Amnah, S. (2006). Aplikasi Taksonomi Blooms dalam merekabentuk
program pembangunan pelajar.

Pua, P. K. (2014). Tahap kemahiran insaniah dalam kalangan pelajar kejuruteraan tahun akhir di
Politeknik KPM. Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Thesis PhD

Sakka, S. S. & Madar, A.R. (2014). Kesan Aplikasi Pembelajaran Berteraskan Multimedia Terhadap
Pelajar Teknikal dari Aspek Gaya Pembelajaran Visua di Politeknik Malaysia. Universiti Tun
Hussein Onn Malaysia: Tesis Sarjana

Sari, S. (2004). Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) dalam Memberikan Langkah Penyelesaian
Masalah, Motivasi, Minat Pelajar terhadap Bab Litar Arus: SMT Bukit Katil, Melaka. Kolej
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia: Thesis Sarjana

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approaches and attitudes towards learning physics.International Journal of the Physical
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Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn: Tesis Sarjana.

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Accounting undergraduates' learning perception in seeking


additional professional qualification

Sitraselvi Chandren, Nor Zalina Mohamad Yusof, Zaimah Abdullah, Muhammad Syahir
Abd. Wahab and Siti Seri Delima Abdul Malak

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: This study explores and analyses the accounting students’ perception in seeking
additional professional accounting qualification besides their accounting degree qualification. A
survey analysis conducted on 52 accounting undergraduates in third year with two main
questions. The first question is “why the students are seeking additional accounting professional
qualification besides their degree qualification” and the second question is “why these students
choose one particular accounting professional body besides others professional bodies”. The
results for the first question mostly the respondents’ report that the requirement of additional
accounting professional qualifications is for employment advantage. For the second question, the
respondents’ preference is for Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
qualification due to its brand image, global recognition and better career opportunity. These
results collected from undergraduates learning perception point of view indicates that the
additional international professional accounting qualification becomes a necessity for some
undergraduates for career opportunities and advancement. The accountancy degree from public
institutions emphasizes on effective teaching and learning, practices students-centered learning
and case base learning to groom the undergraduates with strong foundations in academic
knowledge and generic skills as strategy to create work-ready graduates. The findings of this
study is important for further development of public institutions to achieve academic excellence
that close the gap between the degree qualification from public institutions and professional
qualification from other professional bodies.

Keywords: accountancy degree qualification, generic skills, professional qualification,


undergraduates

1. Introduction

A degree qualification from higher education institutions is an honorary award for course
completion to qualify undergraduates in the respective area of study. The course completion gives
recognition to the graduates for attaining necessary knowledge and demonstration of generic skills in
the area of study that plays an important role in their future career path. Harvey (2000) p.3 “primary
role of higher education is increasingly to transform students by enhancing their knowledge, skills,
attitudes and abilities while simultaneously empowering them as lifelong critical, reflective learners”.
A degree is a passport to employment (Harvey, 2000). However, there should be a good match with
education and employer expectation in order for graduate employability (Walter, 2004). This is reason
the degree course particularly accounting takes a maximum of four years to complete with a well-
designed curriculum to achieve the high learning standard in the undergraduates’ education process.
The higher learning institutions curriculum is increasingly specialized in accordance with employer
expectation to demonstrate effective learning outcomes to develop undergraduates’ knowledge and
skills. Despite this, an accounting degree qualification isn’t sufficient enough to transform
undergraduates to be work-ready graduates for a brighter career prospect in today’s challenging job
market? Is it necessary to seek additional professional accounting qualification? It is a recent trend
among the higher institutions particularly the public institutions accounting undergraduates with good
CGPA in Malaysia seeking additional professional qualification such as Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants (ACCA), Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Chartered

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Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). More than a decade ago, these professional
qualifications are mostly registered by working accounting staff or private college students without
degree qualification. There is paradigm shift today where undergraduates in higher institutions
learning seeking additional professional accounting qualifications. Why accounting undergraduates
need to register for an additional accounting professional qualifications besides four years of learning
experience to attain accounting knowledge and generic skills. This creates a platform for a significant
finding to investigate from these 52 accounting undergraduates the reason for their perception. Thus,
this study investigates “why the students are seeking additional accounting professional qualification
besides their degree qualification” as the research question 1 and research question 2 is “why these
students choose one particular accounting professional body besides others professional bodies” as
more students enrolling with one particular professional body. The outcome of this study provides
further input to continuous improvement to our teaching and learning in higher learning institutions.
In this study the undergraduates and graduates are referring to accounting field undergraduates and
graduates.

2. Literature Review

The Oxford Dictionary defined education as “the process of receiving or giving systematic
instruction, especially at a school or university” and human capital as “the skills, knowledge, and
experience possessed by an individual or population, viewed in terms of their value or cost to an
organization or country”. Education and training plays important roles in human capital investments
as education at high school or college increases personal income (Becker, 2009). The further progress
in education determines the global outlook of a population (Wolfgang & Samir, 2011). Higher
education is the base for the development of innovative human resources as education provides
knowledge, abilities and skills for human capital benefits and competitive advantage (Tanzharikova,
2012). An effective education is important for human capital development, health, economy
development and democracy (Wolfgang & Samir, 2011). The higher education institutions are
recognized by government and donors for it contributions in social and economic development as able
to nurture creation, processing and dissemination of knowledge (Ajiboye & Tella, 2007). The
graduates with degree from higher institutions have positive effect to quality of life in an area
(Winters, 2011). The university education accommodates undergraduates with qualifications, skills
and experiences in accordance with the employment requirement, thus, the essential outcome of
higher education is the graduates destination (Coates, 2005). The teaching and learning is the core
services for universities and closely link to high undergraduate satisfaction (Douglas, Douglas, &
Barnes, 2006). Further, to meet the world of work requirement, higher institutions include practicum
in the curriculum as valuable part of students/ undergraduates learning experience in their academic
programs (Ryan, Toohey, & Hughes, 1996). Practicum has positive effect to undergraduates in a way
that they are more ready for a job and better chance for employment (Gault, Leach, & Duey, 2010).
Based on intern supervisors expert committee the ten preparation skills for employment are “(1)
reliability, (2) consistency of performance, (3) eagerness to learn new skills, (4) timeliness, (5)
effectively prioritizing tasks, (6) demonstrating initiative/self-motivation, (7) exhibiting ethical
behavior, (8) accepting criticism constructively, (9) commitment to quality work, (10) exhibiting
professional behavior and demeanor (Gault, Leach, & Duey, 2010). Basically for graduates to be
competitive at job market is important to possess academic knowledge and employability skills
(Fallows & Steven, 2000). This is the reason; the higher education institutions promptly review
annual graduates’ employability rate and its curriculum to keep abreast with the job market
competitiveness and for the university’s sustainable development.
The university education for accounting degree is designed for undergraduates to pursue their
career path in accounting profession. The public universities or public institutions of higher education
accounting degree programs are designed in accordance with the accountancy professional body in
Malaysia, Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of
Accountancy Universiti Utara Malaysia (TISSA-UUM) the four year accounting degree programme
has a well-structured curriculum model to develop undergraduates’ academic knowledge and generic
skills through students centered learning, case teaching, internship, overseas students mobility and

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framework based teaching for financial accounting subjects. Further, outcome based education (OBE)
is practiced to align assessment, teaching and learning with learning outcome for achievements of
undergraduates’ learning goal. We do have a good track of graduate employability rate and
curriculums are regularly reviewed for the betterment of our undergraduates. For international
academic reputation TISSA-UUM is in process of applying international accreditation to meet the
international education standard and global recognition. Business has gone beyond the national
boundaries and for accounting remains to be language of business, is important for business and
accounting graduates to move at the same pace (Afolabi, 2014). The accounting curriculum urges to
include generic skills, knowledge and professional attributes that contribute significantly to the
development of accounting graduates exceptional profession (Che Ku Kassim, 2014). Hence, for
graduates’ success, most universities accounting school are working hard to design an effective
curriculum for quality accounting education to meet the employers other stakeholders’ requirement
(Tanaka & Sithole, 2015). In Malaysia, after 4 years degree completion at public universities and
three years approved working experience the accounting graduate is admitted as Chartered
Accountant the membership of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). Under the Part II, First
Schedule of Accountants Act, 1967 in Malaysia there eleven other accountancy professional bodies
such as, MICPA, ACCA, CIMA and Certified Public Accountants (CPA Australia). For example to
become ACCA member students “need to complete: exams - a minimum of five of 14 exams, record
36 months' experience in a relevant role, ethics - the Professional Ethics module. Once the graduate
become a member of any of the eleven professional bodies specified in Part II of the First Schedule is
admitted as Chartered Accountant the membership of the MIA. This indicates that public universities
students upon completing the degree programme with 3 years working experience is able to apply for
MIA membership. Then, why do public universities undergraduates are seeking additional
professional qualification, their perception need to be investigated as it will be a help guide for further
advancement of our public institutions.

3. Research Method

3.1. Purpose
This is an exploratory study that examined the reason accounting undergraduates in third year
with CGPA 3.0 seeking additional professional qualification in accountancy besides their accounting
degree qualification.

3.2. Survey
This survey is conducted for single institution, Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy
University Utara Malaysia (TISSA-UUM) similar to Hoskins, Newstead, and Dennis (1997) study
where the authors used University of Plymouth (one institution) to determine degree performance
with undergraduates’ characteristics. This study has surveyed 52 third year undergraduates from
Bachelor of Accounting with Honours programme with CGPA above 3.0 who have registered with
ACCA in year 2016. The survey consists of two open ended questions to meet the purpose of this
study; the first survey question is “why the students are seeking additional accounting professional
qualification besides their degree qualification”. TISSA-UUM has number of collaborations with
professional bodies namely ACCA, CIMA and MICPA to allow our undergraduates to register with
these professional bodies and to sit for their professional papers examination. Among these
professional bodies, more undergraduates are enrolling with ACCA. Hence, the second survey
question is “why do you choose one particular accounting professional body besides others
professional bodies”.

4. Results Analysis
Similar to Mohd Radzuan and Kaur (2011) study, the results of this study are manually analyzed.
The respondents’ (undergraduates) details are presented in Table 1.The majority respondents are
female Malays and mostly from Peninsular Malaysia.

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TABLE 1: Undergraduates Details


Item Description Frequency Percentage
Gender Male 8 15%
Female 44 85%
Ethnicity Malay 37 71%
Chinese 8 15%
Indian 4 8%
Others 3 6%
Malaysia Peninsular 49 94%
Sabah & Sarawak 3 6%

Table 2 reports on the 52 undergraduates’ motivation for their education success. In terms of
motivation, mostly undergraduates are self-motivated for a successful education, followed by parents,
family and friends. It is encouraging to observe that lecturers are fairly playing their role in
motivating undergraduates’ in education. This reflects that educators’ role are played effectively to
support undergraduates’ development.

TABLE 2: Undergraduates Education Motivation


Item Frequency Percentage
Parents 45 87%
Family 45 87%
Friends 41 79%
Yourself 48 92%
Teacher 27 52%
Lecturer 44 85%
Others - -

Figure 1 presents the results to determine on “why the students are seeking additional accounting
professional qualification besides their degree qualification”. The survey answers from the respondent
been summarized into three categories namely employment advantage, knowledge enhancement (e.g.
critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, more competence) and personal growth (additional
qualification) and competitive advantage (e.g different from others) for career development. In it is
interesting to note that undergraduate’s perception in seeking additional professional qualification
mostly for employment advantage at 58%. This shows that undergraduates have perception that the
additional professional qualification will put them in employer preference list for graduate
employability. The second reason is the knowledge enhancement where undergraduate perceived that
the additional professional qualification is able to build more confidence and competence as the
professional papers examination enhance the accounting knowledge, problem solving and critical
thinking skills. The third reason is for personal growth and competitive edge for career development,
to be different from other undergraduates by having additional professional qualification, added
advantage for their career advancement in future. There are several reasons given by the respondents
for second research question on “why these students choose one particular accounting body besides
others professional bodies”. The common reason given by most respondents is due to its brand image,
global recognition and better career opportunity.

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Reason for Seeking Professional Qualification


Employment Advantage -58%

Knowledge Enhancement -27%

Personal Growth & Competitive Edge -


15%

Fig. 1: Reason for additional professional qualification

5. Discussion
The collection of evidence reveals on the undergraduates’ perception in seeking additional
professional qualification particularly the one common professional body. It’s inevitable that
accounting degree or professional courses enhance the undergraduates’ academic knowledge and
generic skills to be an expert in a particular field and improved career prospect. Based on Industrial
Talk by a Recruitment Officer Miss Teoh Jun Rui, the event organized by School of Computing,
College of Arts And Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia on 23 November 2016. The recruitment
officer had highlighted 10 relevant skills for undergraduates to get into job employment namely “1)
leadership, 2) teamwork, 3) interpersonal skill, 4) critical thinking, 5) passion, 6) organizational skills,
7) emotional intelligence, 8) academic results, 9) working experience and 10) cultural fit”. These are
the important skills that every undergraduates need to attain besides the academy excellence for
brighter career prospect. According to Agus, Awang, Yussof, and Mohamed Makhbu (2011) opine
that undergraduates do possess ICT skills, teamwork skills and ethical values. However,
undergraduates need to enhance “decision making, problem solving, communication, interpersonal,
critical and work planning skills” (Agus, Awang, Yussof, & Mohamed Makhbu, 2011). The action
research study by Chandren and Yaacob (2016) showed a remarkable improvement in accounting
students oral presentation skill. Our undergraduates need to be aware that in a work setting consists of
group of people according to the organization hierarchy. An academic knowledge itself is insufficient;
it also requires the transferable skills in order to work with group of people. Thus, it is important for
fresh graduate to be in institutions to develop their academic and generic skills. Practically,
institutions are the pre-employment training ground for the undergraduates in any field of studies.
Further, academics role in ensuring undergraduates are well-versed with the “employability skills
define as job readiness skills” as employers are looking for multi-skilled graduates (Shafie & Nayan,
2010). With serious involvement of undergraduates by working in group or on individual basis to
accomplish various types combined formative and summative assessments including curriculum
activities involvement and internship, have possibilities to enhance their academic knowledge and
generic skills. Basically, group based assessment projects will assist the undergraduates to develop
some of the 10 recommenced skills by the practioner above namely leadership, teamwork,
interpersonal skill, critical thinking, passion, organizational skills, emotional intelligence, working
experience and cultural fit. Thus, the commitment and ownership shown by the undergraduates will
build up their confidence to be a work ready graduate with excellence in academic and possession of
generic skills. Indeed, these undergraduates soon to be graduates will have higher chances to be in the
employer’s preference list for graduate employability. This positive outlook of accounting
undergraduates will create the employment advantage, knowledge enhancement, personal growth and
competitive edge for career development. In fact, these undergraduates are the brand image and
recognition of public institutions or any institutions.

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6. Conclusion
The undergraduates’ success is the pillar of the public institutions. To produce a quality graduates,
the public institutions need to be at the same pace with business changes and economic development.
On the other end, some accounting undergraduates are seeking additional professional qualification
beside their degree qualification. The survey results emerging from this study on undergraduates
perception is a positive side to public institutions particularly the accountancy schools to move
forward in revisiting the course contents, developing new approaches in teaching and learning for
example framework based teaching for financial accounting subjects and assessment measurements
for example Integrated Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) system. The academic staff
prominent role in the creation of graduates with generic skills and academic knowledge gives a good
impression to potential employers and to the community. Indeed, the accountancy schools in public
institutions are prepared to meet the continuous challenges in developing multi-talented/ skilled
graduates that demonstrates excellence in academic knowledge and generic skills. The outstanding
performance of our accounting graduates creates a brand image for accountancy schools in public
institutions. Further, public institutions possibly earn an international recognition which helps to close
the gap between accountancy degree from public institutions and professional qualifications. To
expand this work further, this study suggests that future research should examine the employers’
perception on the necessity of accounting undergraduates acquiring additional professional
qualifications.

7. Acknowledgements

The authors of this study are thankful to TISSA-UUM for their sponsorship for this conference.

8. References
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Ajiboye, J.O., & Tella, A. (2007). University undergraduate students’ information seeking behavior:
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Becker, G. S. (2009). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to
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Chandren, S., & Yaacob, A. (2016). Action research on enhancing accounting students’ oral
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Che Ku Kassim, C.K.H. (2014). Accounting education change: improving the quality of accounting
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Douglas, J., Douglas, A., & Barnes, B. (2006). Measuring student satisfaction at a UK university.
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Fallows, S., & Steven, C. (2000). Building employability skills into the higher education curriculum:
a university wide initiative. Education + Training, 42 (2), 75 – 83.

Gault, J., Leach, E., & Duey, M. (2010). Effects of business internships on job marketability: the
employers' perspective. Education + Training, 52 (1), 76 – 88.

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Education and Management, 6, 3–17.

Hoskins, S.L., Newstead, S.E., & Dennis, I. (1997). Degree performance as a function of age, gender,
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Mohd Radzuan, N. R., & Kaur, S. (2011). Technical oral presentations in English: Qualitative
analysis of Malaysian engineering undergraduates’ sources of anxiety. Procedia- Social
Behavioral Sciences, 29, 1436-1445.

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higher education: a literature review. Higher Education 31, 355-377.

Shafie, L. A., & Nayan, S. (2010). Employability awareness among Malaysian undergraduates.
International Journal of Business and Management, 5(8), 119-123.

Tanaka, S., & Sithole, M. (2015). Quality in accounting graduates: employer expectation of the
graduate skills in the Bachelor of Accounting Degree. European Scientific Journal, 11 (22),
165-180.

Tanzharikova, A.Z. (2012). The role of higher education system in human capital formation. World
Applied Sciences Journal, 18 (Special Issue of Economics): 135-139.

Walters, D. (2004). The relationship between postsecondary education and skill: Comparing
credentialism with human capital theory. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 34(2),
97-124.

Winters, J.V. (2011). Human capital, higher education institutions and quality of life. Regional
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Wolfgang, L., & Samir, K.C. (2011). Global human capital: integrating education and population.
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Using Gamification to Increase Students’ Motivation: Our


Experience in Teaching Research Methodology Class
Hadijah Jaffri and Rohaya Talib

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Abstract: As academicians, teaching is one of the core businesses other than research and publication.
Improving one’s teaching practice entails a continuous and conscious effort on conducting research in
teaching. This is in line with the spirit of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) which
emphasizes on the active, conscious and continuous act of research in teaching by academic staff with
specific aims to share it with other fellow academic staff later on through scholarly writing or publication.
This paper is about our experience using gamification in our research methodology class which is
perceived as a theories-laden class. Research methodology involves a systematic outline of decisions in
exploring an issue of a research which entails a researcher to be aware of researchable issues and the
processes involve to investigate those issues. Teaching research methodology course demands and
challenges us as instructors to enable the students to understand various concepts related to research
methodology and also to apply what they understand into research actions ethically. However, our post
graduate students who are majority work as teachers find it difficult to stay motivated to read research
methodology textbooks and stay focused in class during lectures and discussions. To engage students to
become more alert and motivated in class, we use gamification to enhance students’ engagement and
motivation until the end of class escpecially when there are discussions based on their reading of specific
topics. The use of Kahoot! and Quizziz at the end of classes not only helps the students to focus on the
discussion but also it serves as formative assessment for the students to assess the progress of their own
learning. The features in online quizzes such as Kahoot! and Quizziz, for example, are easy to use and
unlike pencil-and-paper test, it has game mechanics that are appealing to the students. To assess
students’ perception about gamification, we asked them to provide feedbacks on our classroom activities
using one-minute paper notes. It was found that students enjoy the activities using gamification and the
activities also sparks their interest to improve on their teaching practice as teachers.

Keywords: research methodology, gamification, classroom activity, teaching practice

1. Our Experiences Teaching Research Methodology Course


Teaching a post graduate course on research methodology is not easy. Armed with a PhD within less
than a year, I (the first author) was entrusted to teach a research methodology course in 2013 for the first
time. Since it is a course involving pair-teaching approach, I am paired with another senior (the second
author). Both of us have different background of research methodology based on the research design that
we used during our PhD. My colleague’s specialization in instrument testing necessitates her to use
quantitative research methodology, whereas I used mixed methods design as my research methodology.
Having instructors with different research experiences and skills might give greater benefits for the
students who have not started their post graduate research. That is what we always thought. But even
though we provide class notes such as PowerPoint slides, journal articles and such and conduct our class
using student-centered learning approaches, yet in every semester there would be students who would get
low marks and few get failing grades. As the saying goes, some might pass and some might fail, but the
thought that students get low marks or failing grades never make our hearts at ease.

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In addition, some colleagues who are supervising students for their post graduate research shared their
concern with us about some students who seem do not able to grasp and understand basic concepts in
research methodology such as the differences between quantitative and qualitative research designs even
though students have taken a research methodology course. As supervisors, it makes them wonder what
students learn in class which imply what we teach and discuss in class. To assure ourselves and
stakeholders that we do our best in teaching, we always discuss and reflect what we have done in class
and what could have gone wrong in students’ learning with the intention of improving our teaching
practice.

We are aware that to teach a theories-laden course such as research methodology course is a
challenge in itself because students come from various background, specializations and expectations. For
instance, some students have decided to conduct their research using specific research designs regardless
the research issues that they want to investigate. Some might not even have thought about the issue that
they want to explore yet they have decided to use certain research design for their study. To change this
pre-conceived idea that students have adds up additional task that we have to deal with. When asked
further why they decide to use specific research design even though they have not thought about the
issues that they want to study, some of their responses are as follows:

“I think quantitative research is easier than qualitative research because we do not have to
transcribe interview or observation recording”

“Quantitative research is straight-forward in which we do not have to make interpretation like


qualitative research”

“I found a survey questionnaire that I want to use as my research instrument in a senior’s thesis.
So, I do not have to figure out how to construct my own research instrument”

In addition, other than dealing with students’ learning, as lecturers we are also have to uphold
university mission, vision and policy. In 2013 our university introduces and promotes the use of New
Academia Learning Innovation (NALI) model to be incorporated in teaching and learning practice. New
Academia Learning Innovation model (Zaini et. al., 2013) consists of a framework which combines
student-centered and blended learning philosophy as well as various learning approaches or modes to
inculcate students to possess global, entrepreneurial and innovative mind-set. In incorporating NALI in
our teaching practice, we have to reorganize our teaching strategies and give more emphasis on student-
centered learning approach. In this case, we cannot rely on giving lectures like before. But, some
students perceive this negatively because they can no longer depend on getting information through
lectures. For instance, at the end of one semester in which I (the first author) started to use cooperative
learning in my class, I received a comment by a student who stated “The lecturer did not teach but rather
do lots of class activities” In this sense, the student equated cooperative learning activities such as Think-
Pair-Share and Jigsaw as not a part of teaching and learning process and he/she still much prefers
traditional learning method which is lecturing as a main method of teaching.

The notion that learning should remain the main responsibility of teacher/instructor refers to
traditional view of learning in which teacher/instructor is considered as “knowledge giver” (Novak, 1998).
However, in line with the 21st century learning, student-centered learning emphasizes empowering
students in their learning in which students are in control of their own learning and teachers/instructors
serve as facilitators or mentors that assist students by giving guidance and support in students’ learning.

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Unfortunately, some students are struggling to accept this notion even though majority of our post
graduate students work in education field as teachers, college instructors or tutors.

We believe that it might take a while for students to get used to the new learning approach i.e.
student-centered learning and to assist them to stay motivated in their learning we know that we need to
do something in our teaching when we conduct class activities. We explored several ways to keep
students motivated in learning such as through reinforcement by using rewards and punishments. But,
giving punishments might make students feel uncomfortable in our class and thus, might decrease their
motivation in learning if it is not use appropriately. Our exploration to find more information about
keeping students motivated in class is basically through reading and attending seminars or workshops
from time to time. In early October 2016, I (the first author) came across the use of gamification to
enhance students’ motivation in class in one of the workshops organized by the Centre of Teaching and
Learning (CTL) of our university. After we discuss about the possibility of implementing gamification in
our class, I (the first author) decided to implement it during my turn of teaching a research methodology
class which started from end of October until end of December 2016 (since it is a pair-teaching course,
my colleague taught the first seven week and I taught another seven weeks which began after mid
semester break).

2. What the Literature Says about Gamification


In line with the 21st century teaching and learning practice as ascribed by the Ministry of Education
Malaysia, the use of technology in class has become a norm. With various methods and digital tools that
can be used to engage and gamify classroom activities, gamification which involves game mechanics is
incorporated in classroom teaching to engage students in learning activities and transform the way
instructors such as lecturers to facilitate students’ learning. The term gamification is coined by Nick
Pelling in 2002 (Marczewski, 2011) and it is rapidly gained popularity in recent year. As defined by
Deterding et. al. (2011), gamification is the use of design elements characteristic for games in non-game
contexts. In this sense, the game mechanics elements such as fun, interactive, educational, motivating,
interesting and challenging are incorporated in learning activities through the use of technology.

Even though the ideas of injecting fun and game in learning process are not entirely new, yet with the
advancement of technology, it leads to changes in learning and teaching practices such as the use of
blended learning and gamification. Blended learning integrates traditional learning approaches with web-
based online approaches such as elearning (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005). The concept of gamification is
different from educational approach using games in learning such as game-based learning. In game-based
learning, teachers use games as instructional approaches which balance between subject content and
gaming in relation to stimulating application of subject related concepts in the real world through virtual
realm (Cózar-Gutiérrez & Sáez-López, 2016). Unlike games, gamification has the elements of game
thinking and game design in which it helps to improve students’ engagement and motivation in learning
(Dicheva et. al., 2015).

In educational setting, gamification is used by educational practitioners such as teachers to make


learning process engaging and enjoyable. The use of gamification in learning process is welcome by
educators in their learning because game mechanics enable students to become more engaged in learning
processes which help to enhance problem-solving skills, communication and team working (Dicheva et.
al., 2015). Even though gamification is gaining its popularity in recent years, in terms of the users of

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gamification in education settings, it was found that computer science/IT educators are the early users of
gamification (Dicheva et. al., 2015).

The implementation of gamification in teaching can be materialized with the use of digital tools such
as online quizzes like Quizziz and Kahoot! to replace paper-and-pencil assessment, for example. To
ensure the success of implementation of gamification, Huang and Soman (2013) proposed five steps of
gamification process: understanding the target audiences and the context, defining learning objectives,
structuring the experience, identifying resources and applying gamification elements. This proposition
later serves as a conceptual guideline in our study.

3. Implementation of Gamification in Our Research Methodology Class


At first, I (the first author) was unsure about how to use gamification in our class because there are
various digital tools available can be used for various reasons such as assessments, note taking,
collaboration, saving data, searching information, research and so on. We do not want the students to
feel overwhelmed with the excessive use of internet in class since the wifi connection is unpredictable.
On top of that, since the class was conducted in the afternoon, we believe that the students need to move
around and do not sit on their seats for the rest of the class to avoid boredom and sleepiness. In addition,
to assess students’ learning, we need to conduct formative assessments regularly. Normally, to assess
students’ understanding about the topic discussed in a particular day, we would ask them questions before
the class ends. Unfortunately, we found that only certain students would attempt to answer the questions
that we posed whereas the rest of students would keep quiet and avoid from answering. In this case, we
do not know for certain about the understanding of those who keep quiet in class. We tried to give one-
minute paper questions in which we asked which parts of the discussion are difficult to be understood in
which the students have to write their response anonymously without stating their names. In this case, we
hope to be informed about the concepts or parts of discussion which some students might struggle with.
We would explain or discuss again those parts in the next class. But some students perceived it as a way
to punish them because we discussed concepts or parts of discussion which they might struggle with
again in different session. Some perceive as a waste of time to recap previously discussed topic twice. At
this point, we realize that our attempt to help the students in their learning might backfire because we are
not empowering them to be independent adult learners by spoon feeding them with information.

In this case, we decided to use gamification in which we give the students an online quiz at the end of
a discussion because we want the students to assess their understanding consistently and take charge of
their learning. Rather than giving them questions orally which only some would answer or ask them to
write one-minute papers, we gave them online quizzes in which all of the students can answer at once
either as individually or pair and their scores would give the students and us information about the topic
discussed on that particular session. In this case, since it was non-graded activities, the students did not
feel pressure about the grading rather use the information from the online quiz scores to improve their
learning.

3.1. What was done


In our teaching practice, we adopt Huang and Soman’s five-steps process of gamification (Huang &
Soman, 2013) to implement online quizzes as formative assessment as illustrated in Figure 1. First, to
understand our students better we gave a short survey which contains four open-ended questions. The
survey was given twice in a semester: in the middle of semester and at the end of semester. The questions

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that we asked relating to what students feel about the way the class is conducted and aspects that make
them feel stressed during class which might relate to the contents or it might relate to our style of teaching
the course. Since we start to implement NALI in our teaching practice, lectures are no longer considered
as the main method for content delivery. We want to investigate how do students perceive the changes
and what can be improved to enhance their learning. In addition, the survey also contains questions
relating to students’ understanding about the topics that have been discussed so far. The questions are as
follows:
 What are the things that you like about the way the class is conducted so far?
 What are the things that make you feel stressed during class discussion/activity?
 List three points/aspects/concepts that you do not understand so far?
 List three points/aspects/concepts that you understand most so far?

Understanding the target


audience and the context

Defining Learning Objectives

Structuring the experience

Identifying resources

Applying gamification
elements

Fig. 1: Huang and Soman’s five-steps gamification process (2013)

Second, since the learning objectives are defined at the beginning of the semester and we cannot
change it in the middle of the semester we revisit again the learning objectives through adjusting the
classroom activities including formative assessments. Third, to structure the students’ learning
experience using gamification, we decided to use online quizzes rather than paper-and-pencil tests for
formative assessment. In any situation involving evaluation, students might experience test anxiety but to
help students to improve their learning especially content knowledge, continuous assessment is necessary.

However, we want to break away from normal practice which use paper-and-pencil format to assess
our students. Therefore, we started to explore several available online quizzes. In this case, we identify
resources available that can assist us in applying gamification in our teaching. We found various online
quizzes such as BuzzFeed, ClassMarker, Quizziz, Kahoot! and QuizBean. However, I (the first author)
was introduced to Quizziz and Kahoot! in a workshop on gamification, and thus, we decided to use both
online quizzes for our class. The features in online quizzes such as Quizziz and Kahoot! have the
elements of game mechanics which are engaging, entertaining, informative and easy to be used. In

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addition, for Quizziz for instance has a feature which helps instructors to document students’ performance
based on their individual scores which can be downloaded in an excel file format. In this regards, formal
assessment such as graded test could also be conducted by using online quizzes.

After identifying the resources related to online quizzes, I (the first author) created questions on
Quizziz and Kahoot! for several topics. For each topic, I constructed 10 questions. In our class, I gave
the students an online quiz using Quizziz at the end of a class on Week 10 for the first time. This is a new
experience for them who might be so used to paper-and-pencil assessment format. In addition, since I did
not inform them in advanced about the quiz, they were afraid that it would be graded quiz and thus, the
students seemed to be hesitant because they have to log in to a website to take the quiz. However for this
first quiz, due to an unforeseen problem with the wifi connection, the students had difficulty to log in to
the website using their smart phones. Some had to use their own data plan. Therefore, I instructed the
students to form a pair which consisted of two students per pair and each pair has to attempt the quiz
together. In this case, with a class of 18 students, there were nine pairs of students. The students were
given 10 minutes to answer 10 questions. On the second time I conducted the online quiz using Kahoot!,
the students were no longer feel as anxious as the first time when they took the quiz because they know
what to expect and since it is considered as formative assessment, there was no grading involved. To
keep the students motivated with this activity, I rewarded those who got the highest scores with a candy
after each quiz. Within the period of seven weeks, I managed to conduct the online quizzes using Quizziz
only twice because of time constraint in the other five weeks in which I conducted cooperative learning
activities and thus, did not have time to conduct online quiz at the end of a class.

3.2. What was collected and how it was analyzed


For seven weeks, I (the first author) collected students’ responses based on a survey which contains
four open-ended questions. The survey was given twice on Week 10 (after the second online quiz) and
Week 15 (last class). In addition, the scores from online quizzes which could be downloaded from
Quizziz website in Excel file were also regarded as data in which it is used to assess students’
understanding of weekly topics. The students gave their feedback on the overall classroom discussion
and activities on a survey. In this case, the students were instructed not to write their names or matric
number on the survey and thus, they gave their feedback anonymously which protect their real identity.

I kept a daily journal to note down the progress of each session, challenges and reflections on
planning and actions. The aim of this journal was to identify and track down the course of actions that I
have made and could be improved in the future from the eyes of an instructor. In addition, one of the
students kept in touch with me (the first author) after final examination through WhatsApp. I was able to
ask this student further about why she likes online quizzes which I conducted in class. Even though, the
information gathered was through WhatsApp messages, I regarded it as additional data which I obtained
serendipitously.

Keeping in mind the nature of action research in which this exploration was based on, I (the first
author) analyzed the data through identifying themes related to each questions posed and triangulated the
data from different sources i.e. students’ responses (including WhatsApp message and online quizzes
scores) and my personal reflective notes. According to McAtter (2013), analysing action research data
involves making sense of the process involved in improving teaching practice in which teachers cum
researchers identify ways to demonstrate academic integrity through detailed description of action
research process. As suggested by Oance and Furlong (2007), there are four categories to serve as quality

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indicator of action research: trustworthiness, contribution to knowledge, transparency and explicitness in


design and reporting and paradigmatic consideration.

4. Our Findings
How does gamification help the students to feel motivated in class? This question was posed to
explore the use of digital tools like online quizzes which have games mechanics to enhance students’
motivation. It was found from the survey that students enjoy the online quizzes. One of the students
responded “Quizzes! I love the fact that the lecturer used some sort of assessment to assess students’
understanding of what is taught. It also adds to the competitiveness edge to the class which is nice to
have.” Another student points out he/she likes the online quiz because “It gives me a clear picture of the
lesson of the day”. In this case, this student is able to reflect on what has been discussed in class
regarding specific topic.

Also, it seems the students enjoy the gaming activity because they were reassured about the purpose
of online quiz given to them and thus, students did not feel pressured to participate in taking the online
quiz. One even quipped “Playing quiz in the class” to denote taking the quiz is equated like playing a
game. In addition, it was found that using gamification in this case adds up to the variety of class
activities. One student commented that what he/she liked about the way the class is conducted is because
“Different activities during class such as online quiz, coding activity, take home activities”. Another
student commented that he/she starts to use online quizzes too in her secondary school class. She said
“After you gave us the online quiz, I want to explore using it too in my class. I am teaching English in
secondary school. So, students like it when I use the online quiz because they can use the computer and
internet which is different from the way I normally teach”. In this regards, this student imitates the class
activity that I conducted in my class in her own class.

In general, other than the gamification, students like the way the class was conducted which involved
many hand-on activities which relevant to the lesson of the day. One of the students stated that “Hands-
activities in relation to the task, again for students to gauge whether or not they understand what is
taught”. In this case, this student emphasizes the importance of hands-on activities which relevant to the
topic discussed because it assists students to self-evaluate their learning. An example of hands-on activity
that I (the first author) conducted was coding qualitative data. I gave students a short interview transcript
(two pages) and brief instruction to conduct coding and inter-rater reliability test using Cohen Kappa
analysis. Students perceived such activity as informative and useful. One student explained “Explanation
given with real hands-on practice like coding activity from an interview data open my mind about
qualitative research and to be more prepared about the challenges if using qualitative research as my
own research approach”.

5. Conclusion
When I first discussed with my colleague about the possibility of using gamification in our class even
though it was in the middle of a semester, it means that I have to amend the course constructive alignment
which we have prepared at the beginning of the semester. I was feeling apprehensive and unsure about
using a new approach in our class because I did not want the students to be uncomfortable in our class

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especially with the introduction on new approach like online quiz. However, we decided to try it out and
see how students perceive gamification on enhancing their learning experience and motivation.

Looking back at students’ responses on the way the class was conducted gave me (the first author)
some reassurance that students appreciate the class activities especially involving hands-on activities
relevant to topic discussed. Even though some students perceived that research methodology class is
challenging because there are too many conceptual information needs to be digested, yet giving
comprehensive notes through lectures and reading materials that needed to be read as additional sources
other than textbooks as well as conducting engaging class activities could make the students appreciate
the learning process more, regardless of the challenges and hardship.

It is not easy to promote self-regulated learning among students but using gamification like digital
tools such as online quiz could prompt students to become more aware and focus on regulating their
learning experience. Looking at how students appreciate their learning and become more engage in class
activities give us immense satisfaction even though we need to spend considerable duration of time to
prepare our class. As teachers, nothing more that we could ask from students other than to become more
matured and skilful research students who are able to take charge of their own learning.

6. References
Cózar-Gutiérrez, R. & Sáez-López, J. M. (2016) Game-based learning and gamification in initial teacher
training in the social sciences: An experiment with MinecraftEdu, International Journal of
Educational Technology in Higher Education, 13 (2), doi: 10.1186/s41239-016-0003-4

Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & NAcke, L. (2011) From game design elements to gamefulness:
Defining “gamification”, in A. Lugmayer, H. Fransilla, C. Safran, & I. Hammouda (Eds).
MindTrek 2011, 9-15. doi: 10.1145/2181037.2181040

Dicheva, D., Dichev, C., Agre, G., & Angelova, G. (2015) Gamification in Education: A systematic
Mapping Study, Educational Technology & Society, 18 (3), 75-88. doi: 161.139.222.5

Greener, S. and Wakefield, C. (2015) Developing confidence in the use of digital tools in teaching, The
Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13 (4) 260-267. Retrieved from www.ejel.org

Huang, W. & Soman, D. (2013) A practitioner’s guide to gamification of education. Retrieved from
http://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/behaviouraleconomicsinaction/files/2013/09/GuideGamification
EducationDec2013.pdf

Marczewski A. (2012). Gamification—A simple introduction. Tips, advice and thoughts on


gamification. Amazon.com, Self-published via kdp.amazon.co.jp. Retrieved from Amazon.com.

McAteer, M. (2013) Action research in education, London: Sage

Novak, J. (Ed.) (1998) Learning, creating and using knowledge. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum

Oancea, O. & Furlong, J. (2007) Expressions of excellence and the assessment of applied and practice-
based research, Research Papers in Education, 22 (2), 119-137.

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Oliver, M. & Trigwell, K. (2005) Can ‘Blended Learning’ be redeemed? E-Learning, 2 (1), 17-26.
Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/elea.2005.2.1.17

Zaini, U., Rose Alinda, A. & Baharuddin, A. (Eds.) (2013) Akademic Baru Inovasi Pembelajaran, Johor:
Penerbit UTM

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The Influence of Problem Based Learning on Students’


Generic Skill
Shafarizan Abd Samad1, Vinothini Vasodavan2, Adegoke Ojeniyi3 and Eunice M. Oyetade4
1
School of Education and Modern Languages, Universiti Utara Malaysia
2
Faculty of Education, University of Malaya
3
School of Computing, Universiti Utara Malaysia
4
Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract: Many countries have embraced formal education to confront illiteracy and unemployment
within their society. This is because one major advantage of formal education is the transfer of generic
skills which is the cognitive strategies and domain independent knowledge. Generic skills are vital today
because life and workplaces are in flux and are getting more complex which requires initiative, emotional
mastery, flexibility, creativity, and the ability to take on many different tasks (involve learning by doing
and experience). However, many students are found to be deficient of this skill which is making them unfit
for the labour market and unattractive to employers. In addition, very few schools teach generic skills
which are making students unable to develop them and be employable attractive to employers. Therefore,
this study investigates the impact of generic skills using problem-based learning (PBL). This paper
represents the first part of the study, which is to investigate the influence of students’ PBL on their
generic skills This paper makes used of action research method, while quantitative research approach
using both survey and documentation is employed for the study data collection. The study finding show
that there is a significant influence on problem-based learning (PBL) and generic skills (GS). Similar
significant influence is found on critical thinking (CT) and generic skills (GS). It was further pointed out
that there is no disparity on students’ gender and academic background (science and non-science) with
their generic skills. This implies that problem-based learning (PBL) and critical thinking (CT) enhances
students’ generic skills.

Keywords: Problem-based learning, critical thinking, teaching strategy

1. Introduction
Skill is the enablement to execute a given task with pre-determined outcomes measures with energy
dissipated and time taken or both. Skills are grouped into two namely generic skills (domain-general) and
technical skills (domain specific). Generic skills are basic knowledge that is expected to be acquired by
educated people and these include self-motivation, time management, creativity, emotional mastery,
flexibility, and teamwork. On the other hand, technical skills are useful enablement for certain jobs only
which are not general. Although, technical skills are very vital to companies and organizations, however,
many technical skills are being supported by advancement in technology. This is making many companies
and organizations to usually seek for employees with good generic skills. However, many students are
found to be deficient in generic skills which will make them unattractive to employers and unfit for the
labor market. In addition, very few schools teach generic skills which are making students unable to
develop them and be employable attractive to employers. The rationale for this is that the traditional
method of teaching students is focused on teacher-centred teaching, where the teacher talk about given
theories and students are supposed to comprehend based on given classroom examples. Many studies
nowadays are questioning the success of the teacher-centred learning method (Pobiner, 2016; Amolins et
al, 2015; Knight, 2014; Kurki-Suonio & Hakola, 2007). These authors advocate for innovative
educational methods that will increase students’ motivation and performance most especially in the area
of impact of both generic and technical skills. Thus, this study examines PBL method into the learning
and teaching of students in Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Lagos State, Nigeria. The

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PBL ensures active participation of students in the learning and teaching process in order to ensure a
significant improvement of student understanding and performance (Eddy, Converse & Wenderoth, 2015;
Hazzan, Lapidot & Ragonis, 2014; Kulick, Toussaint, Lang & Lopes, 2013; Kassens-Noor, 2012). Hence,
this paper will investigate the first part of the study on the influence of problem-based learning (PBL) on
students’ acquiring generic skills during learning from their school teachers.

2. Methodology
This study employed action research method as proposed by Avison et al (1999). This research
methodology was utilized because it was found to be most suitable for implementation and evaluation of
problem-based learning intervention (Choi, Lindquist & Song, 2014). The study made use of 117 primary
education college students from two different academic semesters in 2014/2015 academic sessions as
study respondents’. The selection of these students as study respondents’ is based on purposive sample
method as inspired by Topp, Barker, and Degenhardt (2004).
The study respondents are a mixture of both science and non-science backgrounds whereas their poor
performance in generic skills is the major criteria used for their selection. The selection criteria are based
on students’ previous assessments records related to their generic skills which include self-motivation,
time management, creativity, emotional mastery, flexibility, and teamwork. The problem-based learning
intervention was implemented during students’ learning sessions. Data were collected after the learning
sessions based on quantitative research approach.
Data collection for quantitative research approach is done in two different ways, namely survey and
documentation. The documentation makes use of students’ assessment records while the questionnaire
makes use of a survey. The survey contains items on students’ backgrounds, perception and reflection on
their lecturer teaching strategy (problem-based learning), critical thinking abilities and generic skills as
illustrated in Figure 1.

Lectures teaching using


Problem Based Learning
(PBL)
Generic Skills
(GS)

Critical Thinking (CT)

Fig. 1: Implemented Framework

Students’ generic skills are measured in term of their self-motivation, time management, creativity,
emotional mastery, flexibility and teamwork which is based on Freudenberg, Brimble and Cameron
(2011), Ballantine and McCourt Larres (2007) and Crebert et al (2004) studies. Critical thinking refers to
students’ ability to intellectually and analytically process the teaching and learning instructions in order to
form their beliefs and influence their actions. The items of students’ critical thinking skills are based on
Stevens (2015), Ernst and Monroe (2004), Terenzini et al (1995). In addition, PBL is measured in terms
of student experiences and perceptions on the intervention provided during teaching periods which is
based on Ravankar et al (2016) and Ferreira and Trudel (2012). Therefore, the questionnaire is made up
of students’ backgrounds, GS, CT and PBL which are used to collect data for the study. These data are
analyzed using SPSS version 19

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3. Findings
The study data depicts that out of the 117 students, 73 are with non-science backgrounds while 44 are
with science backgrounds as shown in Figure 2.

Science
38%
Non-
Science
62%

Fig. 2: Study Respondents’ Academic Background

This implies that most of the study respondents are not science-based students. Nonscience-based
students are those without previous knowledge of both science courses during their secondary school days
and did not offer any science subjects such as physics and chemistry in their secondary school final
examination. Similarly, the study data reflects that out of the 117 students, 93 are female while 24 are
male as shown in Figure 3.

Male
21%

Female
79%

Fig. 3: Respondents’ Gender

This implies that most of the study respondents are majority females with 79 percent compared with
their male respondents with 21 percent. Furthermore, correlation analysis was done in order to investigate
the relationship significance between the three entities in this study. Results of the correlation analysis are
summarized in Table 1.

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TABLE 1: Results of Correlation Analysis


Generic Skills (GS) Critical Thinking Problem-Based
(CT) Learning (PBL)
Pearson Correlation 1 .841 .926
Generic Skills (GS) Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000

Pearson Correlation .961 1 .957


Critical Thinking (CT)
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000

Pearson Correlation .926 .957 1


Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).


*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

The result of the correlation analysis shows that GS has a value of Pearson correlation of .841 with
CT. This means that there is a strong positive relationship between students’ critical thinking and their
generic skills which is found to be significant because of Sig (2-tailed) value of .000. A similar result is
gotten between GS and PBL with .926 which denotes strong positive relationship. Further analysis was
carried out in order to examine students’ data t-test analysis which is presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2: Results of T-Test Analysis


Levene's Test for t-test for Equality of Means
Equality of
Variances
F Sig. T df Sig. (2- Mean Std. Error 95% Confidence
tailed) Difference Difference Interval of the
Difference
Lower Upper
Equal variances
.064 .534 .010 138 .739 .342 .089 .247 .345
assumed
CT
Equal variances not
.010 113.260 .492 .342 .087 .273 .382
assumed

Equal variances
2.535 .614 3.637 138 .862 .529 .145 .241 .816
PBL assumed
Equal variances not
3.544 98.796 .581 .529 .149 .233 .825
assumed

Based on Table 2, the Levene test is not statistically significant in CT and PBL which reflects that the
assumptions of equal variance are not violated. Likewise, the t-test of equality of means indicates that for
both CT and PBL are not significant (p=.739 and .862 respectively). This means that there was no
significant difference between CT and PBL with GS.

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4. Discussion
The correlation analysis of this study has shown that there is unique significance in students’ critical
thinking and problem-based learning with their generic skills. It shows that good performance in both
critical thinking and problem-based learning influence their generic skills positively. This outcome can be
attributed to the implemented intervention which is done by adopting action research during their teaching
and learning sessions. This finding can be interpreted in two ways namely students’ academic background
and their gender.
Firstly, the study respondent academic background as presented in Figure 2 shows that majority
of the respondents are made up of non-science academic backgrounds (which is 62 percent of the total
respondents). This study finding disagree with Craig, Gordon, Clark and Langendyk (2004) that students
with non-science academic backgrounds usually cannot perform better in problem-based learning and
critical thinking skills compare with science background students. Thus, this study argues that with
suitable and efficient teaching and learning strategy, both science and non-science academic backgrounds
can perform excellently in generic skills, problem-based learning, and critical thinking skills.
Secondly based on the study respondents’ gender as illustrated in Figure 3, it is seen that the study
respondents are made up of female students with 79 percent. The finding of this study supports Geist and
King (2008) argument that there is no gender disparity in the issue of generic skills. Thus, it is maintained
in this study that although there are differences in learning styles between female and male students,
however, there is no disparity between female and male students in their display of generic skills, critical
thinking skills, and problem-based learning.
Furthermore, based on the t-test analysis there is no significant difference between students’ critical
thinking and problem-based learning with generic skills. This implies that the implemented intervention
greatly influences students’ generic skills which are evidenced in their generic performance
measurements. This is the rationale for the non-significant difference between students’ generic skills,
critical thinking skills, and problem-based learning.

5. CONCLUSION
This paper has investigated the influence of problem-based learning and critical thinking on students’
generic skills. The study made use of respondents with poor generic skills. The implementation of the
PBL intervention shows that there is positive significance between problem-based learning and critical
thinking with generic skills. The study further pointed out that with appropriate and suitable teaching and
learning strategy there should not be any disparity in academic outcome between science and non-science
background students in term of generic skills. Likewise, it is stated in this study that there is no gender
disparity in the issue of generic skills. Both female and male are able to demonstrate critical thinking,
problem-based skills, and generic skills if they are well tutored. In addition, this finding is further
grounded that the problem-based learning approach intervention has a large influence on the generic skills
of students. Hence, it is concluded that students’ generic skills can be enhanced with problem-based
learning and critical thinking skills which in turn improve students’ performance in their workplaces .

6. References
Amolins, M. W., Ezrailson, C. M., Pearce, D. A., Elliott, A. J., & Vitiello, P. F. (2015). Evaluating the
effectiveness of a laboratory-based professional development program for science educators.
Advances in physiology education, 39(4), 341-351.
Avison, D. E., Lau, F., Myers, M. D., & Nielsen, P. A. (1999). Action research. Communications of the
ACM, 42(1), 94-97.
Ballantine, J., & McCourt Larres, P. (2007). Cooperative learning: a pedagogy to improve students'
generic skills?. Education+ Training, 49(2), 126-137.

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Choi, E., Lindquist, R., & Song, Y. (2014). Effects of problem-based learning vs. traditional lecture on
Korean nursing students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning. Nurse
education today, 34(1), 52-56.
Craig, P. L., Gordon, J. J., Clark, R. M., & Langendyk, V. (2004). Prior academic background and student
performance in assessment in a graduate entry programme. Medical education, 38(11), 1164-1168.
Crebert, G., Bates, M., Bell, B., Patrick, C. J., & Cragnolini, V. (2004). Developing generic skills at
university, during work placement, and in employment: graduates' perceptions. Higher Education
Research & Development, 23(2), 147-165.
Eddy, S. L., Converse, M., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2015). PORTAAL: a classroom observation tool
assessing evidence-based teaching practices for active learning in large science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics classes. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 14(2), ar23.
Ernst, J., & Monroe, M. (2004). The effects of environment‐based education on students' critical thinking
skills and disposition toward critical thinking. Environmental Education Research, 10(4), 507-522.
Ferreira, M. M., & Trudel, A. R. (2012). The impact of problem-based learning (PBL) on student
attitudes toward science, problem-solving skills, and sense of community in the classroom. The
Journal of Classroom Interaction, 47(1), 23.
Freudenberg, B., Brimble, M., & Cameron, C. (2011). WIL and generic skill development: The
development of business students' generic skills through work-integrated learning. Asia-Pacific
Journal of cooperative education, 12(2), 79-93.
Geist, E. A., & King, M. (2008). Different, not better: Gender differences in mathematics learning and
achievement. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 35(1), 43-53.
Hazzan, O., Lapidot, T., & Ragonis, N. (2014). Active Learning and Active-Learning-Based Teaching
Model. In Guide to Teaching Computer Science (pp. 15-22). Springer London.
Kassens-Noor, E. (2012). Twitter as a teaching practice to enhance active and informal learning in higher
education: The case of sustainable tweets. Active Learning in Higher Education, 13(1), 9-21.
Knight, D. B. (2014). Reversing the Logic An Outcomes-Based Student Typology for Determining “What
Works” in Promoting an Array of Engineering-Related Student Learning Outcomes. Educational
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(2), 145-169
Kulick, J., Toussaint, M., Lang, T., & Lopes, M. (2013). Active Learning for Teaching a Robot Grounded
Relational Symbols. In IJCAI.
Kurki-Suonio, T., & Hakola, A. (2007). Coherent teaching and need-based learning in science: an
approach to teach engineering students in basic physics courses. European Journal of Engineering
Education, 32(4), 367-374.
Pobiner, B. (2016). Accepting, understanding, teaching, and learning (human) evolution: Obstacles and
opportunities. American journal of physical anthropology, 159(S61), S232-S274
Ravankar, A. A., Imai, S., Shimamura, M., Chiba, G., Takasuka, T., & Yamanaka, Y. (2016). Nurturing
Problem-Finding Skills in Graduate Students through Problem Based Learning Approaches. In
Advanced Applied Informatics (IIAI-AAI), 2016 5th IIAI International Congress on (pp. 542-546).
IEEE.
Stevens, C. (2015). The Cognitive Neuroscience of Sign Language: Engaging Undergraduate Students’
Critical Thinking Skills Using the Primary Literature. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience
Education, 14(1), A66.
Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Pascarella, E. T., & Nora, A. (1995). Influences affecting the development
of students' critical thinking skills. Research in higher education, 36(1), 23-39.
Topp, L., Barker, B., & Degenhardt, L. (2004). The external validity of results derived from ecstasy users
recruited using purposive sampling strategies. Drug and alcohol dependence, 73(1), 33-40.

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Adapting Thinking Based Learning Approach and 6E


Instructional Model in Implementing Green STEM
Project

Hartini Hashim1, Mohd Norawi Ali2 and Mohd Ali Samsudin2

1
SMK Sultan Ismail, Kota Bahru Kelantan
2
School of Educational Studies, USM

Abstract: Meaningful learning environment should be emphasized by Science educator to generate


creativity among the students. This paper discuss the importance of adapting Thinking Based
Learning (TBL) approached and the 6E model in implementing green STEM project to develop
students’ creativity. TBL provides step by step of skillful thinking procedures and guiding rules by
which a type of thinking can be carried out with a high degree of efficiency and effectiveness. Since
thinking does not happen in vacuum, TBL also provides the acquisition of information on what we
are thinking about, and/where to find it. Thinking based learning which consists of; thinking skill,
habits of mind and metacognition are infused harmonically with the 6E model of instruction which
comprises of 6 phase; engage, explore, explain, engineer, enrich and evaluate during green STEM
project based learning. An example of a lesson plan integrating of thinking based learning approach
with 6E model of teaching in constructing a solar raft project is attached. Skillful thinking would be
the fundamental to nurture students’ creativity through authentic green STEM project based
learning approach.

Keywords: Thinking based learning approach, thinking skills, metacognition, habits of mind, The
6 E Instructional Model, green STEM project based learning

1. Introduction
Teachers are responsible in developing students’ 21st skills which can use in supporting their
contemporary learning environment and need. Wherever their ambitions lead them, they will benefit
from becoming creative problem solvers, analytical thinkers and effective communicators and
collaborators (Wilson & Conyers, 2016). In preparation for their workforce, knowledge in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is becoming increasingly important. Educators
need contemporary approach to enhance rapid development in science and technology and to
adequately addressing challenges such as climate change, over population, resource managements,
agricultural production, health, biodiversity and declining energy and water source.

Although the idea of STEM education has been contemplated since the 1990s in the USA, not
many teachers seemed to know how to operationalize STEM education for past several decades
(Kelly & Knowles, 2016). Many teachers are unfamiliar with engineering and STEM approached,
thus, this has led to great need for professional development for in-service teacher, as well as a focus
on STEM integration in pre-service teachers’ methods and content courses. STEM approach need to
be integrated with thinking based learning and instructional model to fostering students thinking
capability in planning, implementing and evaluating any project. Some of the most vital and versatile
skill, sets we can teach students to develop are the abilities to think about their learning and use their

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particular cognitive strategies and adjust their performance of learning tasks.

Students ability to think and organizing their habit of mind has been continuing becoming a
great concern by educator (Bransford, Goldman, & Vye, 1991; Sternberg, 1998). Term such as
critical thinking, creative thinking and high order thinking have been discussed increasingly in the
educational literature over the past few decades (Beyer, 1988; Costa, 1985; Costa & Kallick, 2009;
Zohar & Dori, 2003)

This conceptual paper explain how the thinking based learning can be infused in content
instruction together with the 6E instructional model in doing STEM project during co-curricular
activity.

2. Thinking Based Learnings


According to Ennis (1989), there were three approaches have been suggested in instructing
thinking skill: the process approach, the content approach and infusion approach. In the process
approach, thinking skill is taught directly and separately from the regular curriculum to encourage
students applying cognitive skills in other disciplines. On the other hand, content approach is based
on perception that certain cognitive skills are specific to particular discipline. Teacher extensive and
diversify knowledge requires here, so that the students can be instructed how to apply their cognitive
skills in their areas and know when to make contextual links with other areas (Chamber, 1988).
Whereas in the infusion approach, also known as thinking based learning, aims in combining the
teaching of thinking skills with instructing the curriculum. In thinking skill it engage in complex
thinking tasks; skills in generating ideas, skills in clarifying ideas and skills in assessing the
reasonable of ideas.

Thinking based learning refer to a teaching method where instruction on skillful thinking is
infused into instruction of science content. In skillful thinking, the proficient and strategic
application of appropriate thinking skills and productive habits of mind and metacognitive are blend
together to develop thoughtful products (e.g.; decisions, arguments, and other analytical, creative or
critical products). Skillful thinking has three components; thinking skills, habits of mind, and
metacognition.

According to social cognition theories such as Vygotsky’s social cognition (Vygotsky, 1978),
cognitive apprenticeship (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989), situated learning (Lave & Wenger,
1991) and everyday cognition (Lave, 1988), social interaction in learning are very importance in
giving positive impact on students learning efficacy and greater potential for cognitive engagement.

2.1. Thinking skill

Thinking Skills are mental processes we use to do things like: solve problems, make decisions,
ask questions, construct plans, evaluate ideas, organise information and create objects. There are
many frameworks of thinking including Bloom's Taxonomy, DE Bono’s thinking tools and Lipman's
modes (Moseley D et al., 2005). The types of thinking skills shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Types of thinking skills

Thinking Skills Overview Skills demonstrated

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Information Student obtains information from Skills demonstrated


Processing reading, listening or observing - and ● locate and collect relevant
records and organises information by information
means of writing or visual ● sort and classify
representation. ● compare and contrast
analyse whole-part
relationships
Reasoning Student makes inferences and Skills demonstrated
connections - and considers the actual ● give reasons for opinions
and potential impact of using and and actions
applying particular information. ● draw inferences and make
deductions
● use precise language
● explain thoughts
make informed decisions
and judgements
Enquiring Student asks questions, plans and Skills demonstrated
pursues a course of action to discover ● ask relevant questions
new and relevant information and ● pose and define problems
connections. ● plan what to do and how to
research
● predict outcomes and
anticipate consequences
test conclusions and
improve ideas
Creating Student applies imagination, extending Skills demonstrated
ideas and making new connections - ● generate and extend ideas
leading to products original to them. ● test hypotheses
● apply imagination
look for innovative
outcomes
Evaluating Student judges the truth, value and Skills demonstrated
usefulness of information, actions and ● evaluate information
products, challenging both others and ● judge the value of things
self. read, heard or done
● develop criteria for judging
value
● have confidence in
judgements

Marzano, Hughes, Jones, Presseisen, and Rankin (1988) suggested that core dimension of
thinking consists of eight types of thinking skills used to gain knowledge and apply in daily live.
These eight types of thinking skills are focusing skills, informatics gathering skills, analysing skills,
generating skills, integrating skills and evaluating skills, remembering skills and organizing skills.

Another viewpoint pointed out that thinking skill as a complex process that cannot be atomized
into specific routines. From this, the concept of higher-order thinking that consists of some general
characteristics as follows; non-algorithmic, complex, yields multiple solutions, requires the
application of multiple criteria, self-regulation and often involves uncertainty was introduced to
avoid precise definition of thinking (Resnick, 1987). Regarding to the concept of higher-order
thinking the following examples pattern in inquiry-oriented science education was include such
formulating a research question, planning experiments, controlling variables, drawing inferences,
making and justifying arguments, identifying hidden assumptions and identifying reliable sources of
information (Zohar & Dori, 2003).

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2.2. Habits of mind (HoM)

Costa (2001) defines habit of mind as deposition towards behaving intelligently when confronted
with problems or behavioural habits associated with effective learning. According to Costa and
Kallick (2009), habits of mind is a lifelong journey, a journey of a growing capacity to be more
skillful and strategic as we use the habits.

Habits of mind are not fixed traits but capable to be developed. Dweck (2006) viewed that
learning performance can be improved through deliberate effort and practice, who contrasts the
growth mind set of those who believe that their abilities can change, who work hard, try different
strategies when they get stuck and see failure as an opportunity to grow, with the fixed mind set of
learners who have come to believe that intelligence is fixed and that abilities cannot be developed.
According to Costa and Kallick (2009), there are 16 habit of minds as described below as:

1. Persisting
Have students identify characteristics of persistence shown by individuals in well-known events,
or imagine what might have occurred if more or less persistence was shown in a given scenario.

2. Managing Impulsivity
Model the use of patience in the classroom, including wait time during discussion, or using
helpful sentence stems that reflect intentional choice (such as "After reviewing all of the possible
solutions . . . ").

3. Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy


Identify the most common "listening set-asides" in conversation so that students can begin to
recognize common "errors" that occur in everyday communication. These errors might include
comparing, judging, placating or giving advice instead of really listening and understanding a
message.

4. Thinking Flexibly
Where students must consider a situation, letter, speech or poem from a perspective other than
their own, or that of the original speakers.

5. Thinking About Our Thinking


Ask students to map out their own thinking process. This can be done simply at first, e.g.,
diagramming the relationship between a want and a need, a gesture and a need to gesture. Then
make it increasingly complex -- mapping out how characters from books or thinkers in history
might have arrived at certain starting or stopping points in thought.

6. Striving for Accuracy and Precision


Use "three before me," a strategy that insists on any important assignment being checked by at
least three other people before being handed in.

7. Questioning and Posing Problems


Create a "parking lot" area in the classroom -- stocked with post-it notes -- where students can
post questions that may not fit into the pace or format of a given class. Then highlight the better
questions periodically, or use them as jumping off points for discussion or even lesson planning.

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8. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations


Use question stems like "What do you remember about . . . ?", "When have you ever seen
anything like this?" or "Tell me what you know about . . . " Whether you consider this activating
schema, prior knowledge, or simply getting students more comfortable and in tune with what
they already know, it can be a huge boost to the learning process.

9. Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision


Remind students to avoid the vagueness and abstraction -- and imprecision -- of terms
like always, never, all, everybody, teachers, celebrities, technology, they, we, should and must.
Post these kinds of words or phrases where students can be reminded of them -- and know to
avoid them. And hopefully know why they should avoid them.

10. Gathering Data Through All Senses


Playfully allow students to "cite" sources from sensory data in addition to traditional textual
sources. Also consider including the compelling use of such data in a rubric for formal
assessment.

11. Creating, Imagining and Innovating


Offer persistent sources of inspiring thought, design, art or multimedia through writing prompts,
discussion points or simply as a daily class closure. This models not only creativity, but also
expertise, and is readily available on YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

12. Responding with Wonderment and Awe


Don't just allow opportunities for student choice in topics, formats or learning pathways -- insist
on it. Refuse to move the class forward until they are bringing their own passions into the
learning experience.

13. Taking Responsible Risks


Create an environment where failure is analyzed, not punished.

14. Finding Humor


Point out humor where it is not immediately apparent, especially in stories and examples from
your own life. This can help establish the "relativity" of "things," which supports more accurate
analysis. Humor makes everything better.

15. Thinking Interdependently


Using digital and social media imposes at least a topical need for interdependence from the
beginning. The more thinking is published and shared, the more opportunity there will be for
cognitive interdependence, though even opportunities aren't guarantees that it will happen.

16. Learning Continuously


Intermittently revisit old ideas, writing and projects to identify areas for development,
improvement or revision.

2.3 Metacognition

Metacognition is an essential component of a 21st century education that teaches students how to

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learn, but often neglected. Metacognition involves thinking about one’s thinking or cognition, with
the goal of enhancing learning (Wilson & Conyers, 2016). Learning can be envisioned as taking
place across three phases and the table show how metacognitive can guide students through the
phases as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Guiding students’ behaviour using metacognitive

Phase How metacognitive can guide students


Input  Identify what they already know
The learner identify what they need to know  Set goals and monitor their progress
and gather the information needed for
successful outcomes.

Processing  Articulate what they learned


The stage in which learner examine, analyse  Transfer learning from one context to
and elaborate on the information gathered in another.
the input phase.

Output  Communicate their knowledge, skill and


Where learners communicate, apply and abilities to a specific audience such as a
demonstrate their newly developed hiring committee.
knowledge and skills  Identify and implement effective
learning strategies.

3. The 6 E Model of Instruction


Many are familiar with the BSCS 5E Instructional Model, which is developed by Biological
Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), the 5E model is a learning cycle based on constructivist view of
learning (Rohrich & Morgan, 2007). In the 5E model, students was placed at the centre of learning
experiences, encouraging them to explore, construct their own understanding of scientific concepts
and relate those understandings to other concepts. Based on 5E instructional model, new modified
model 6E was proposed to maximize the concepts of design and inquiry in an integrative way
(Sanders, 2009) which provides a student-centred framework for instruction that leverages the T and
E of STEM as it integrates content in a purposeful and informed way. There were six phase in the 6E
learning by Design TM model; engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate.

3.1. Engage

The purpose of the engage phase is to pique student interest and get them personally involved in
the lesson, while pre-assessing prior understand. At this stage student will be placed into a group.
Their group consists of four, each of them will be given their responsibility as general manager,
engineer designer, graphic designer and accountant. The purpose of this is to encourage them to
work collaboratively. During the engage stage of the instructional model, activities are created to
stimulate thinking and access their prior knowledge. This phase also to make students becomes
familiar with concepts besides that checking for their understanding. At this phase, teacher relate the
concept to be taught with students’ experience. For examples during the rainy season, their place will
face flooding problem, what happen during that season? What did they see on that season? How they
go one place to another place? The teacher is trying to generate student creative thinking by

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generating their ideas and solutions among them. Before going further, the concept of density will be
discussed. Students will be introducing to floating and sinking concept first. They will be giving a
grape and oranges. Which one they think will be floating? They should give a reason why they said it
so. They have to find out why oranges with skin feel will sinking. The concept of buoyancy and
density will be introduce in this part. By using simple graphic organizer in Table 1 they will record
their ideas.

Table 3: Graphic organizer about floating object

Materials Floating/sinking Explanation

Grapes

Oranges

Oranges with skin feel

3.2. Explore

The purpose for the EXPLORE phase is to provide students with the opportunity to constructing
their own understanding of the topic by directly involved with phenomena and materials. In this
exploration phase, students will be given with a clump of clay, they put the clump of clay into the
water, and make an observation. Then they build a clay boat from the same clump of clay, looking
for floating and sinking. They will form their generalizations about major concepts. By using simple
graphic organizer the students will record their observation and explanation in Table 4.

Table 4: Graphic organizer about clay boat

Material Sinking/floating Explanation

Clamp of clay

Boat from clamp of clay

With an energy crisis that the world faced now and the depleted of petroleum, teacher will try to
help their students develop important thinking skills and mental habits that will make their students
become a better critical and creative thinkers. The teachers will point out here: “I want you to
imagine that you have been appointed by the government of Malaysia to be a member of a special
committee. Our government is concerned with the availability of energy and our sea environment. So
your committee has been asked to gather as much data you can to make a recommendation about
what should be our energy source for the future and to protect our river environment from pollution.”
The students will be asking to make strategy decision making by using question guided below.

At this phase teachers invites students to express their opinion. Here the teacher is approaching
the students to use thinking skill in making decision about energy source. The teacher breaks the
student into collaborative thinking groups with unit thinking task that will combine and contribute to

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overall process, for their thinking devices various graphics will be use as reflection and recording
and the teacher also guided them with oral guidance. So in making our river safe from pollution and
petroleum depleted crisis the students suggest to use solar energy for their raft. Here the students will
decide the material they need to use for construct their raft. Using a simple graphics organizer a
standard T-bar diagram the students record their idea in Table 5.

Table 5: Graphic Organizer- Option and Factor to Consider

OPTIONS FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Cork
Popsicle stick
Polystyrene

Students will relate to their experience during flooding season. They try to make sense of it and
link it to what they have already know, an active process occur. The ability of students to transfer
knowledge from one context to another and use knowledge in different forum to diverse the
situations is one of habits of mind.

Meanwhile the teachers acts as a facilitator, guiding the students’ focus. Besides that
participates in team and class discussion can build a set of common experience that’s prompt sharing
and communicating. During this phase also each group will be given popsicle stick. Students will
construct the raft frame by drawing and get touch with the materials they are going to use it. In this
phase also we insert with habits of mind; discussion skill. Students will discuss among them to
clarifying needed, investigating contexts and verifying it before explains to their friends. Interactions
among them help to understand the topic of their study. Skillful teacher questioning helps students
see connections between the ideas relate to real-world examples (Brown, 1994; Eggen & Kauchack,
1999).

3.3. Explain

The purpose for the explain phase is to provide students with an opportunity to explain and
refine what they have learned so far. In this phase also students will begins to communicate what
they have learned. Communication will occurs between peers and facilitator. This communication
bring to discussion. Discussing learning as a process that occurs in phases offers students a useful
framework for applying a metacognitive approach to their project work (Wilson & Conyers, 2016).
Discussions also encourage students to verbalize their own thinking and share it with others (Tiong,
Netto-Shek, Cheong, & Agnes, 2004). This phase also will correct and redirects misconceptions that
occurs. In this phase students will use their drawing design in applying concepts, principles and
theories related to the system and explain to their friends. During explanation from their friends, they
need to listen with respectfully for understanding and thinking collaboratively, this habits of mind
can facilitate beneficial social interaction.

3.4. Engineer

The purpose of the engineer phase is to provide students with an opportunity to develop great
depth of understanding about the problem topic by applying concepts, practices and attitudes. They

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use concepts learned about the natural world and apply them to the man-made world. Students will
use inquiry and integrate with the concepts of engineering to design their solution. In this project
based learning, the students will construct the prototype of solar raft which green to our environment
to solve the problem during flooding. Students will use creative solutions with design, systems,
modelling, resources and human values as the basic of development. We insert thinking skill by
stimulate students to think creatively to problem solving. They will apply technique from theory,
generating ideas with others and seeing engineering as a team sport. Make them think like an
engineer. They also will use critical thinking whereby the deep, intentional and structured thinking
process that is aimed at analysing and conceptualising, information, experiences, observations and
existing knowledge for the purpose of creating original and creative solutions for the challenges
encountered (Al-Atabi, 2014).

3.5. Enrich

The purpose of the phase is to provide students with an opportunity to explore in more depth
what they have learned and to transfer concepts to more complex problems. After understand design
process students can apply to new situations. At this phase students can make alteration or
improvement to their model. For solar raft prototype, students will see does the size and shape will
influence the floating of the raft? They also will find out how to make their solar raft move faster. In
this phase we apply metacognitive approach, where they analyse their raft and gather additional
information for improvement.

3.6. Evaluate

The purpose of the phase is for both students and teachers to determine how much learning and
understanding has taken places. Evaluate is ongoing diagnostic process that allows the teacher to
determine if the learner has attained understanding of concepts and knowledge. Evaluation and
assessment is not linear and should occur at all points (all phases) along the continuum of the
instructional process. Some of the tools that’s assists in this diagnostic process are; rubrics, teacher
observation, students’ interviews, portfolios, projects and problem based learning products (Bybee,
1997).

4. PROJECT BASED LEARNING


Project based learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based teaching approach where the learner is provided
with a well define outcome but limited information about how to accomplish the task (Barroso et al.,
2016). Student-centered approach with active learning strategy was used to engage students in
problem solving that was substantially different from the traditional classroom and emphasizes the
use of knowledge in a context. PBL can enhanced the knowledge application of students where this
knowledge of application can help them make a connection between the classroom and real life. PBL
is especially relevant in engineering education and the use of project-based learning as a key
component of engineering programs should be promulgated as widely as possible (Mills & Treagust,
2003) while engaging in an engineering project, following an engineering design process will allows
systematic learning and assessment simultaneously exposing to experience the cognitive processes of
an engineer (Tate, Chandler, & Fontenot, 2010).

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A project is a depth study of a particular topic that consists of exploring a topic or theme and it
should extend over a period of days or week. The content or topic of a project is usually drawn from
the world that is familiar to the students. This approach can cultivate the life of the young child’s
mind, knowledge, skills, emotional, moral and aesthetic sensibilities (Lilian & Sylvia, 1990). It
encourages them to pose questions, pursue puzzles and increase their awareness of significant
phenomena around them. The idea of learning through projects originally gained popularity in the
United States, where it was advocated by both Dewey and Kilpatrick (Lilian & Sylvia, 1990).

The main goals of project learning based learning are to develop students’ understanding and
ability to investigate a question or problem systematically, beside that to the develop self-directed
students (Eggen & Kauchack, 1999). In the first goal; by participating in structured problem-based
activities, students learn how to solve problems in a comprehensive and systematic manner. For the
second goal; self - directed learning is a form of metacognition, which involves knowing what we
need to know, knowing what we know, knowing what we don’t know and devising strategies to
bridge these gaps.

5. Integrating thinking based learning in Solar Rafting STEM Project


The Solar Rafting STEM project take about 5 weeks to be completed. Students are require to
carry out tasks and solve problem that replicate the real world in the sense using their knowledge and
skills. The instructional 6E learning model; engage, explore, explain, engineer, enrich and evaluate
are integrated with the skillful thinking as shown in Table 6.

Example of Five Weeks Lesson Plan


Solar Rafting STEM project

Theme: Scientific method

Standard of content:

Density

Standard of Learning:

Construct the innovation object based on density concept

Learning outcomes based on project:

a. Students understand the concept of energy transfer and change.


b. Students able to construct a raft using Popsicle stick and hot glue.
c. Students able to complete the journal on density concept and buoyancy through construction
of solar raft.
Thinking based learning:

Skillful thinking

Critical and Creative thinking

Metacognition

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Question purpose concept

Habits of mind

Discussion skills
Gathering data through all the sense
Thinking collaboratively

Table 6 Example of Five Weeks Lesson Plan

Phase Standard of learning Teaching & learning activity Thinking Based


Learning
Engage Construct innovation Students 4 person per group, they Thinking skill:
object will be given this follow portfolio Creative thinking:
as:
1.General Manager Students will generating
2.Engineer designer ideas and solutions with
3.Multimedia designer others.
4.Accountant
Teacher will be explain about the
Listening is a skill that
Solar Rafting project.
can be learned and
improved.
Before that, teachers will introduce
the concept of density and
buoyancy.

Introduce concept of density and


buoyancy
Material given:
oranges
grapes
clumps of clay
They will observe which one will
floating or sinking.
Students will make observation
table to show which objects
floating or sinking.

Exploration Making a clay boat Each group will be given a clump Habits of mind:
With a clumps of clay of clay. From a clump of clay Discussion skill:
given, students have to given, they have to make clay boat They need to discuss why
make a clay boat and which can float. a clump of clay sinking,
make sure their boat but a clay boat from a
floating. By using cork, the designer will same clump of clay
decide how to build the cork boat floating.
Making a cork boat and the accountant will calculate
Each groups will be given the cost they need. The multimedia
cork, rubber band, hot designer will prepare for the
glue, stick. The engineer presentation.
designer will decide in
group how they are going
to build their cork boat.
Each group will be given chance to
use any material they like to build
the raft.
Making a raft They have to draw their raft Thinking skill:
Each group will decide design. Use their prior knowledge Analysing skill
the material they want to about floating and sinking. Students clarifying needs,
use to build the raft. investigating contexts and
Students have opportunity Students construct the raft frame. verifying before explain
to get involved directly The engineer designer will discuss to their friends.
with materials. They with their group about the design
work in teams, build a set Thinking skill:

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of common experiences they want but still use density and gathering data.
that prompt sharing and buoyancy concept. Gathering data through all
communicating the sense.
Students forms generalizations
about major concepts.

Students participate in team and


class discussion.

Explain Applies concepts, By using the concept of density Habits of mind that
principles and theories and buoyancy they will gathering facilitate beneficial
related to the system. more information to make social interaction:
explanation to other group. The
engineer designer and multimedia Listening respectfully for
designer will play an important understanding. Listening
role here. Students should do their is a skill that can be
listening slowly and carefully learned and improved.
during explanation.
During the presentation the
Thinking collaboratively
students from other group can ask
by generating ideas and
any question if they need more
solutions with others.
information.

Engineering Density concept Students construct the raft model. Thinking skill:
Creative problem solving.
Buoyancy concept Using density and buoyancy Applying technique from
concept the raft should be floating. theory, generating ideas
with others, seeing
engineering as a team
sport.

Metacognition:
Students analzying their
raft model

Enrich Measurement size of the Student measure the size of the raft Metacognition:
raft model whether it will influence their
floating or not. Students analyzing their
model include their size
Students explore in more depth and their shape.
what they have learn and transfer
concepts to more complex
problems.

Evaluate Writing the reflective Students write their reflective Metacogniton:


journal journal Students writing their
answer in booklet
Write the worksheet given in the engineering given.
polio.
Analyzing and comparing
Engineering booklet. their answer.

Base on Table 6, there are thinking skill, a few habits of mind, and metacognition are integrated
during specific phase in the 6 E Instructional model.

In the engage phase (1), students are divided into four person per group. The are assigned different
role to plan for building the Solar Raft. They are brainstorm among themselves to generate creative
idea based on their prior knowledge. In the exploration (2) phase, there a few habits of mind we can
infuse here, which is discussion skill, gathering data through all the sense and thinking

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collaboratively. Central for this habits is the considering an idea from the point view of several
different of others rather than just our own. This include be open minded, tolerating ambiguities,
avoiding and understanding the pull of the dominant or popular idea (Anderson, 2010).

In the explain phase (3), students will be given an opportunity to explain and refine what they
have learned and determine what it means. At the beginning of the project, discussion in explain
phase enable the teacher explore the student’s present understanding. They may use their drawing to
show their explanation. In engineering phase (4), students will be given opportunity to develop
greater depth of understanding about the problem given by applying concepts, practices and
attitudes. In this phase we infuse analysing concept which is under metacognition. Other abilities
that fall under the umbrella of metacognition are; comparing and contrasting, picturing thinking,
describing thinking which refers to knowledge about and regulation of one’s thinking. Teaching
students to become more metacognitive equips them with skills to drive their brains and become self-
directed learners (Wilson & Conyers, 2016).

In enrich (5) phase students transfer understanding and purpose to new situations and
applications. The concepts of design, modelling, resources and system will be apply to human value
in ways that enrich their understanding and their ability to transfer learning to new situations and
problems (Bybee, 1997). A student uses metacognition when they analysing their model about size
and shape. In evaluate phase (6), students write their reflective journal about their experience
gain during the project milestone. The also write the worksheet given in the portfolio.

6. Conclusion
Skillful thinking would be the fundamental to nurture students’ creativity through
authentic green STEM project based learning approach. Appropriate skillful thinking need
to adapt and adopt during the specific phases in the 6 E Instructional Model in order to
systematic thinking among students. By having balance thinking skills, and goof habits of
mind and awareness about oneself thinking would allow students to progress in developing
quality engineering product through the facilitation of the teacher. Student with skilful thing
are capable to become future innovator rather than become user.

7. References
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Brown, A. (1994). The advancement of learning. Educational Researcher, 23, 4-12.
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Tiong, H. B., Netto-Shek, J. A., Cheong, C. S., & Agnes. (2004). Managing Project Work In
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Kepimpinan Instruksional dan Gaya Komunikasi Pengetua


Dengan Komitmen Guru Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK)
Harian di Negeri Kedah
Faridah Othman dan Norazlinda Saad

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti pengaruh kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua
terhadap komitmen guru di sekolah menengah kebangsaan (SMK) harian di negeri Kedah. Kajian ini berbentuk
tinjauan untuk mengumpul data. Instrumen utama kajian ini iaitu soal selidik yang terdiri daripada 144 item dan
mempunyai nilai kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi (α = 0.98). Seramai 120 orang guru dari SMK di negeri Kedah telah
dipilih secara rawak sebagai responden kajian. Data dianalisis dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan analisis
regresi berganda. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan tahap
komitmen guru adalah tinggi. Dapatan juga menunjukkan gaya komunikasi peramah sering dipraktikkan oleh
pengetua di negeri Kedah. Analisis regresi berganda mendapati terdapat pengaruh kepimpinan instruksional dan
gaya komunikasi pengetua yang signifikan terhadap komitmen guru. Secara keseluruhan, dapatan kajian ini
menjelaskan bahawa kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua yang berkesan meningkatkan komitmen
guru di sekolah.

Kata kunci: Kepimpinan Instruksional, Gaya Komunikasi, Komitmen Guru

1. Pengenalan
Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia (PPPM) 2013-2025 merupakan satu pelan transformasi pendidikan
untuk mencapai pendidikan bertaraf dunia. Anjakan kelima dalam PPPM 2013-2025 bertujuan memastikan
kepimpinan berprestasi tinggi ditempatkan di semua sekolah di seluruh Malaysia dan anjakan kelapan memberi
penekanan terhadap kualiti guru bagi meningkatkan keberhasilan murid (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia,
2012). Kajian menunjukkan bahawa pemimpin di sekolah berkesan mengamalkan tahap kepimpinan
instruksional yang tinggi (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985). Di Malaysia, kepimpinan instruksional telah diperkasa di
seluruh negara (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2007) dan peranan pengetua sebagai pemimpin instruksional
telah diperjelaskan dalam aspek 1.7 dalam Standard Kualiti Pendidikan Malaysia (SKPM, 2010). Di samping itu,
pengetua bertanggungjawab membina hubungan interpersonal dengan guru-guru melalui gaya komunikasi yang
berkesan kerana kemahiran berkomunikasi merupakan asas kepimpinan yang efektif (Hoy & Miskel, 2001).
Sebagai rumusan, ke arah merealisasikan aspirasi PPPM 2013-2025, pengetua harus mengamalkan kepimpinan
instruksional dan gaya komunikasi yang berkesan bagi meningkatkan komitmen guru.

2. Penyataan Masalah
Kajian menunjukkan amalan kepimpinan instruksional pemimpin sekolah di Malaysia berada pada tahap
rendah (Mohd Suhaimi Mohamed Ali & Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie, 2007; Mohd Yusri Ibrahim, 2012; Nor
Asikin Salleh, 2011; Quah, 2011; Hussein Ahmad, 2012). Antaranya, kesibukan tugas pentadbiran merupakan
halangan pengetua mengamalkan kepimpinan instruksional (Jamelaa Bibi Abdullah & Jainabee Md Kassim,
2012) dan menghalang komunikasi berkesan kerana pengetua jarang berbincang dan memberi bimbingan
berkaitan pengajaran kepada guru di sekolah (Arsaythamby, Komuji & Rozalina Khalid, 2013). Kajian lepas
menunjukkan kemahiran interpersonal pengetua melalui gaya komunikasi yang berkesan dapat meningkatkan
kompetensi pengajaran guru (Teviana, 2011; Sathiamoorthy, 2012; Mohd Sani Ibrahim et al., 2013; Supyan
Hussin, 2014). Walau bagaimanapun, tahap komitmen guru di Malaysia tidak memberangsangkan (Sii Ling,
2012; Nurulaim Asyikin Zakaria & Suhaida Abdul Kadir, 2013). Kajian lepas juga mendapati tahap komitmen
guru di SMK harian di negeri Kedah adalah pada tahap sederhana (Norazlinda Saad, 2010; Norazlinda Saad &
Surendran Sankaran, 2013). Dengan itu, penyelidik berhasrat menentukan tahap kepimpinan instruksional
pengetua dan tahap komitmen guru serta mengenal pasti pengaruh kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya

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komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen guru sekolah menengah harian di negeri Kedah kerana masih kurang
kajian yang melibatkan ketiga-tiga pemboleh ubah tersebut dalam satu kajian.

3. Tinjauan Literatur
3.1. Kepimpinan instruksional
Sarjana dalam bidang kepimpinan instruksional, Hallinger dan Murphy (1985) menjelaskan bahawa
kepimpinan instruksional terdiri daripada tiga dimensi iaitu (a) mendefinisi matlamat sekolah, (b) mengurus
kurikulum dan pengajaran dan (c) memupuk iklim pengajaran dan pembelajaran di sekolah. Guerra (2014)
menjalankan kajian yang memfokuskan bagaimana guru memahami amalan kepimpinan instruksional dan
membentuk kemahiran interpersonal melalui amalan menetapkan matlamat, mengekalkan komunikasi terbuka
dan membina kepercayaan guru terhadap pengetua. Kajian perbandingan oleh Sahin (2011) menunjukkan
pengetua di Amerika Syarikat mengamalkan kepimpinan instruksional pada tahap tinggi berbanding pengetua di
Turki. Seterusnya, Halinger dan Lee (2014) menegaskan transformasi pendidikan di Thailand menyebabkan
pengetua kurang melaksanakan kepimpinan instruksional secara aktif. Kajian Yasser dan Amal (2015)
mendapati amalan kepimpinan instruksional di Oman adalah pada tahap sederhana. Pengetua sebagai pemimpin
instruksional seharusnya menjalankan penyeliaan yang berkualiti kerana amalan penyeliaan pengajaran
merupakan peramal ke atas perubahan amalan pengajaran guru (Lineburg, 2010). Walau bagaimanapun, Lokman
Mohd Tahir, M. Al Muzammil dan Mislina Salleh (2013) mendapati pengetua cemerlang kurang menjalankan
fungsi penyeliaan di sekolah. Oleh yang demikian, untuk menjadi sekolah berkesan, pemimpin di sekolah
sewajarnya mengamalkan kesemua dimensi kepimpinan instruksional.

3.2. Gaya komunikasi


Norton (1983) menjelaskan terdapat sepuluh gaya komunikasi pengetua iaitu peramah, meninggalkan kesan,
tenang, suka berbincang, prihatin, ketepatan, ekspresif, dramatis, terbuka dan dominan. Penyelidik mendapati
masih kurang kajian yang melihat pengaruh kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi dengan komitmen
guru. Kajian tentang gaya komunikasi dengan komitmen guru oleh Zahari Jaafar (2002) dan Maslinah Mohd
Taib (2011) menggunakan alat ukur Communicator Style Measure (CSM) oleh Norton (1983) hanya melihat
hubungan antara pemboleh ubah gaya komunikasi dan komitmen guru sahaja. Dapatan kajian Zahari Jaafar
(2002) menjelaskan terdapat hubungan antara gaya tenang dan gaya prihatin dengan komitmen guru. Kajian oleh
Maslinah Mohd Taib (2011) menunjukkan gaya suka berbincang tidak mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan
dengan komitmen guru. Eng Lee (2011) mendapati komunikasi tidak formal merupakan kaedah yang efektif
untuk menggalakkan penglibatan ibu bapa dengan sekolah. Tengku Marini (2007) juga mendapati staf
pentadbiran di tiga universiti yang dikaji kerap mengamalkan gaya berkomunikasi peramah dan gaya
berkomunikasi secara peramah merupakan penyumbang tertinggi terhadap iklim organisasi . Hal ini menjelaskan
bahawa pengetua sebagai pemimpin di sekolah sewajarnya mengamalkan gaya komunikasi yang berkesan.

3.3. Komitmen guru


Celep (2000) menyatakan empat faktor yang paling dominan dalam menentukan komitmen guru ialah (a)
komitmen terhadap sekolah, (b) komitmen terhadap tugas mengajar, (c) komitmen terhadap kerjaya dan (d)
komitmen terhadap rakan setugas. Kajian oleh Collie, Shapka dan Perry (2011) menjelaskan faktor jantina
merupakan peramal yang konsisten terhadap komitmen guru. Kajian lain menunjukkan tidak terdapat perbezaan
komitmen antara guru lelaki dan guru wanita (Tan Meow Huang, 2011). Sebaliknya Madiha Shah (2011)
mendapati guru wanita lebih komited berbanding guru lelaki. Miarkolaei dan Miarkolaei (2014) menjelaskan
bahawa wujud hubungan yang signifikan antara kepuasan kerja dan komitmen organisasi. Di samping itu, wujud
hubungan positif yang kuat antara kesejahteraan organisasi sekolah dengan komitmen guru (Shirali, Feizi &
Alipour, 2013; Hayat, Kohoulat, Javad & Faraji, 2015). Kajian oleh Nafei (2014) menegaskan bagi
melaksanakan perubahan, pekerja harus mempunyai komitmen yang tinggi. Kajian lain oleh Mohd Ramzan
Awang (2014) menyatakan iklim sekolah yang sihat mempunyai pengaruh ke atas komitmen guru. Aslamiah
Muhammad Ismail Ahmad (2014) juga menjelaskan persekitaran pembelajaran mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat
ke atas komitmen guru. Oleh yang demikian, setiap guru harus mempunyai komitmen yang tinggi demi
mencapai matlamat sekolah.

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4. Metodologi Kajian
Kajian ini berbentuk deskriptif dengan menggunakan kaedah tinjauan. Populasi kajian ini adalah guru-guru
SMK Harian di negeri Kedah. Seramai 120 orang guru dipilih dengan menggunakan kaedah persampelan rawak
mudah. Pemilihan sampel kajian ini adalah berdasarkan kepada dua kriteria iaitu sampel yang dipilih terdiri
daripada guru yang terlatih dan telah berkhidmat di bawah pengetua berkenaan sekurang-kurangnya satu tahun.
Memandangkan reka bentuk kajian ini adalah kajian kuantitatif, maka analisis statistik deskriptif telah digunakan
untuk mendapatkan frekuensi dan peratusan ke atas demografi responden. Min dan sisihan piawai telah
digunakan untuk menerangkan tahap kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan komitmen guru. Statistik inferensi
seperti regresi berganda telah digunakan untuk mengenal pasti pengaruh yang signifikan antara kepimpinan
instruksional pengetua, gaya komunikasi pengetua dan komitmen guru. Dalam kajian ini, satu set soal selidik
yang terdiri daripada 144 item telah digunakan sebagai alat ukur untuk mengutip data. Analisis kajian
menunjukkan soal selidik ini mempunyai nilai kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi iaitu α = 0.98. Jadual 1
menunjukkan instrumen kajian ini.

JADUAL 1: Instrumen Kajian


_________________________________________________________________________________
Bilangan Item Sumber α
_________________________________________________________________________________
Kepimpinan Instruksional 76 Mohd Yusri Ibrahim (2012) .97
Gaya Komunikasi 40 Zahari Jaafar (2002) .96
Komitmen Guru 28 Mohd Ramzan Awang (2014) .95
________________________________________________________________________________
.98
________________________________________________________________________________

5. Dapatan Kajian
5.1. Demografi responden

JADUAL 2: Demografi Responden


_________________________________________________________________________________
Demografi Responden Frekuensi Peratusan (%)
_________________________________________________________________________________

Jantina
Lelaki 25 20.8
Perempuan 95 79.2

Kumpulan Umur
Kurang 30 Tahun 3 2.5
30-39 Tahun 42 35.0
40-49 Tahun 53 44.2
Lebih 49 Tahun 22 18.3

Pengalaman Mengajar
1-5 Tahun 9 7.5
6-10 Tahun 20 16.7
11-15 Tahun 26 21.7
16-20 Tahun 30 25.0
Melebihi 20 Tahun 35 29.2

Kelulusan Akademik
Diploma 2 1.7
Ijazah Sarjana Muda 102 85.0
Ijazah Sarjana 16 13.3

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________________________________________________________________________________

Jadual 2 menunjukkkan bahawa bilangan guru perempuan yang terlibat dalam kajian ini melebihi bilangan
guru lelaki. Jumlah responden lelaki adalah 25 orang (20.8%) manakala responden perempuan adalah 95 orang
(79.2%). Berdasarkan kumpulan umur, bilangan guru yang berumur dalam lingkungan 20 hingga 29 tahun
adalah paling sedikit iaitu 3 orang sahaja (2.5%) dan umur 40 hingga 49 tahun merupakan responden yang
paling ramai terlibat dalam kajian ini iaitu 53 orang (44.2%). Dari segi pengalaman mengajar pula, dapatan
menunjukkan bahawa seramai 9 orang guru (7.5%) mempunyai tempoh mengajar kurang dari lima tahun
manakala 35 orang guru (29.2%) mempunyai pengalaman mengajar melebih dua puluh tahun. Berdasarkan
kelulusan akademik, hanya 2 orang guru iaitu 1.7% berkelulusan diploma dan majoriti responden iaitu 102 orang
(85.0%) berkelulusan ijazah sajana muda. Selain itu, terdapat 16 orang guru (13.3%) berkelulusan sarjana.

5.2. Tahap kepimpinan instruksional


Kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dikategorikan kepada tiga tahap iaitu tahap rendah sekiranya nilai skor
min adalah di antara “1.00 hingga 2.33”. tahap sederhana antara “2.34 hingga 3.67” dan tahap tinggi jika skor
min adalah di antara “3.68 hingga 5.00”.
JADUAL 3: Tahap Kepimpinan Instruksional Pengetua
_________________________________________________________________________________
Min Sisihan Piawai Tahap
_________________________________________________________________________________
Kepimpinan Instruksional Pengetua 3.86 0.47 Tinggi
________________________________________________________________________________

Dapatan kajian dalam Jadual 3 menunjukkan bahawa tahap keseluruhan bagi dua belas fungsi kepimpinan
instruksional pengetua SMK harian di negeri Kedah adalah pada tahap tinggi dengan min = 3.86.

5.3. Gaya komunikasi pengetua


Berdasarkan Communicator Style Measure (CCM) oleh Norton (2010), sepuluh jenis gaya komunikasi yang
dikaji adalah peramah, meninggalkan kesan, tenang, suka berbincang, prihatin, ketepatan, ekspresif, dramatis,
terbuka dan dominan.

JADUAL 4: Gaya Komunikasi Pengetua


_________________________________________________________________________________
Min Sisihan Piawai
_________________________________________________________________________________
Peramah 4.09 0.57
________________________________________________________________________________

Dapatan kajian dalam Jadual 4 menunjukkan gaya komunikasi peramah sering dipraktikkan oleh pengetua di
negeri Kedah dengan min = 4.09.

5.4. Tahap komitmen guru


Tahap komitmen guru diukur menggunakan skor min iaitu tahap rendah sekiranya nilai skor min adalah di
antara “1.00 hingga 2.33”. tahap sederhana antara “2.34 hingga 3.67” dan tahap tinggi jika skor min adalah di
antara “3.68 hingga 5.00”.

JADUAL 5: Tahap Komitmen Guru


____________________________________________________________________________________
Min Sisihan Piawai Tahap
____________________________________________________________________________________
Komitmen Guru 4.06 0.53 Tinggi
____________________________________________________________________________________

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Berdasarkan Jadual 5, tahap keseluruhan bagi komitmen guru SMK harian negeri Kedah adalah tinggi
dengan min = 4.06.

5.5. Pengaruh kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen guru
Keputusan analisis data menunjukkan bahawa kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua
merupakan peramal bagi komitmen guru.

JADUAL 6: Model Summary


Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate e
1 .308a .095 .087 14.206
2
.391b .153 .139 13.799

a. Predictors:(Constant),Kepimpinan Instruksional
b. Predictors:(Constant), Kepimpinan Instruksional, Gaya Komunikasi
c. Dependent Variabel: Komitmen Guru

Jadual 6 menunjukkan bahawa korelasi antara kepimpinan instruksional dengan komitmen guru adalah .31
manakala korelasi bagi kombinasi kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi dengan komitmen guru
adalah .39. Kepimpinan instruksional menyumbang sebanyak 9.5 peratus varians (R2 = .095) terhadap komitmen
guru. Walau bagaimanapun, kombinasi kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi meramalkan sebanyak
(15.3 - 9.5) peratus iaitu 5.8 peratus perubahan varians tambahan dalam variabel komitmen guru.

JADUAL 7: ANOVAa
____________________________________________________________________________________
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig
____________________________________________________________________________________
1 Regression 2490.291 1 2490.291 12.339 .001b
Residual 23814.509 118 201.818
Total 26304.800 119
____________________________________________________________________________________
2 Regression 4025.123 2 2012.562 10.569 . 000c
Residual 22279.677 117 190.425
Total 26304.800 119
____________________________________________________________________________________
a. Dependent Variable : Komitmen Guru
b. Predictors: (Constant), Kepimpinan Instruksional
c. Predictors: (Constant), Kepimpinan Instruksional,Gaya Komunikasi

Keputusan Ujian ANOVA dalam Jadual 7 menunjukkan bahawa variabel kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya
komunikasi merupakan faktor yang signifikan kepada komitmen guru pada aras kesignifikanan p < .05. Bagi
kepimpinan instruksional, keputusan ujian adalah signifikan [F(1,118) = 12.34, P < .05]. Selain itu, keputusan
analisis menunjukkan kombinasi kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua juga signifikan
[F(2,117) = 10.57, P < .05]. Dapatan kajian ini jelas menerangkan kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya
komunikasi pengetua merupakan peramal yang signifikan terhadap komitmen guru SMK harian di negeri Kedah.

JADUAL 8: Coefficients
=============================================================
Model Unstandardized Coefficient Standardized Coefficient
B Std. Error Beta t Sig.

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_____________________________________________________________________________________
1 (Constant) 76.046 10.769 7.0 62 .000
Kepimpinan Instruksional .128 .036 .308 3.513 .001
____________________________________________________________________________________
2 (Constant) 82.753 10.724 7.717 .000
Kepimpinan Instruksional .321 .077 .772 4.188 .000
Gaya Komunikasi -.406 .143 -.523 -2.839 .005
____________________________________________________________________________________
a. Dependent Variable : Komitmen Guru

Jadual 8 menunjukkan keputusan yang signifikan iaitu kepimpinan instruksional ( = .77, t = 4.19, P < .05)
dan gaya komunikasi ( = -.52, t = -2.84, P < .05). Dapatan ini menerangkan bahawa variabel kepimpinan
instruksional dan gaya komunikasi merupakan faktor kepada komitmen guru. Keputusan yang signifikan
menunjukkan bahawa model yang boleh dibentuk diwakili oleh persamaan di bawah:

Komitmen Guru = 82.75 + .32 (Kepimpinan Instruksional) - .406 (Gaya Komunikasi).

Berdasarkan keputusan analisis kajian, penyelidik mendapati bahawa kepimpinan instruksional pengetua
( = .77, t = 4.19, P < .05) dan gaya komunikasi pengetua ( = -.52, t = -2.84, P < .05) menambah sebanyak 5.8
peratus (15.3 – 9.5) kepada varians (R2 = .095) dalam variabel komitmen guru [F(2,117) = 10.57, P < .05]. Hal
ini menjelaskan bahawa kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua merupakan faktor yang
mempengaruhi komitmen guru di SMK harian di negeri Kedah. Guru-guru menunjukkan komitmen yang tinggi
apabila pengetua mengamalkan kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi yang berkesan di sekolah.

6. Perbincangan dan Implikasi


6.1. Perbincangan
Kajian ini menerangkan bahawa tahap kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan tahap komitmen guru SMK
harian di negeri Kedah adalah tinggi. Namun begitu, kajian ini tidak selari dengan dapatan Yasser dan Amal
(2015) yang menjelaskan para pengetua mengamalkan kepimpinan instruksional pada tahap sederhana di Oman.
Hasil analisis menunjukkan tahap komitmen guru SMK harian di negeri Kedah adalah pada tahap tinggi dan
dapatan kajian ini bertentangan dengan kajian lepas yang mendapati tahap komitmen guru di Malaysia adalah
rendah (Sii Ling, 2012; Nurulaim Asyikin Zakaria & Suhaida Abdul Kadir, 2013). Selanjutnya, hasil kajian ini
menjelaskan gaya komunikasi peramah paling kerap diamalkan oleh pengetua dan menyokong dapatan kajian
Tengku Marini (2007) yang mendapati staf pentadbiran di tiga universiti yang dikaji juga kerap mengamalkan
gaya komunikasi peramah.

Seterusnya, kajian ini menunjukkan terdapat hubungan antara kepimpinan instruksional dengan komitmen
guru. Dapatan ini selari dengan kajian oleh Siregar (2013) yang menjumpai wujud hubungan langsung secara
positif antara kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dengan komitmen guru. Selain itu, Madriaga (2014) juga
mendapati terdapat hubungan antara penyeliaan pengajaran yang merupakan fungsi kepimpinan instruksional
dengan komitmen terhadap tugas mengajar. Namun begitu, dapatan kajian ini tidak selari dengan Sukarmin
(2010) yang menjelaskan tidak terdapat hubungan antara kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dengan komitmen
guru.

Kajian berkaitan gaya komunikasi menunjukkan terdapat hubungan antara gaya komunikasi dengan
komitmen guru. Dapatan kajian ini juga menyokong kajian Zahari Jaafar (2002) dan Maslinah Mohd Taib (2011).
Penyelidik mendapati masih kurang kajian yang melibatkan kombinasi kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya
komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen guru. Dapatan terbaru memperlihatkan terdapat hubungan antara
kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen guru. Akhir sekali dapatan juga
menjelaskan bahawa kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua secara signifikan mempengaruhi
komitmen guru SMK harian di negeri Kedah.

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6.2. Implikasi
Dapatan kajian ini memberi implikasi positif kepada Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Oleh yang demikian,
pihak IAB boleh merangka kursus-kursus yang dapat meningkatkan kemahiran dalam pengurusan pendidikan
dan program berkaitan komunikasi berkesan kepada pengetua dan bakal pengetua. Hasil kajian ini boleh juga
dimanfaatkan oleh pihak Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri dan Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah untuk merancang aktiviti
berkaitan komunikasi dan kepimpinan.

Seterusnya, kajian ini juga telah memberi implikasi yang positif kepada pengetua. Ini kerana kajian ini
menyumbang ilmu baharu dalam bidang sains sosial dan boleh dijadikan rujukan berkaitan kepimpinan
instruksional, gaya komunikasi dan komitmen guru kerana masih kurang kajian yang mengkaji tiga variabel ini
secara serentak dalam satu kajian. Para pengetua telah diberi pendedahan tentang peranan mereka sebagai
pemimpin instruksional serta kepentingan mengamalkan gaya komunikasi yang berkesan agar dapat
meningkatkan komitmen guru. Selain itu, dapatan ini juga membantu guru-guru mengetahui keperluan untuk
mengekalkan komitmen terhadap sekolah, tugas mengajar, kerjaya dan rakan setugas.

Akhir sekali, hasil kajian ini dapat dijadikan rujukan kepada pengkaji akan datang dan memberi maklumat
tambahan yang berguna kepada para pelajar dalam bidang sains sosial.

7. KESIMPULAN
Secara keseluruhan, kajian ini menunjukkan min kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan komitmen guru
adalah pada tahap tinggi. Gaya komunikasi peramah sering diamalkan oleh pengetua SMK harian di negeri
Kedah. Terdapat hubungan antara kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen
guru. Berdasarkan hasil analisis regresi berganda, jelas menunjukkan kepimpinan instruksional pengetua
merupakan fungsi yang paling dominan dan menyumbang 9.5 peratus terhadap komitmen guru. Kombinasi
kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan gaya komunikasi pengetua pula menambah sebanyak 5.8 peratus kepada
varians dalam variabel kriterion komitmen guru. Hal ini menjelaskan terdapat pengaruh yang positif dan
signifikan antara kepimpinan instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua dengan komitmen guru SMK harian
di negeri Kedah. Kesimpulannya, dapatan kajian ini mencapai objektif kajian untuk menentukan tahap
kepimpinan instruksional pengetua dan tahap komitmen guru serta mengenal pasti pengaruh kepimpinan
instruksional dan gaya komunikasi pengetua terhadap komitmen guru SMK harian di negeri Kedah

8. Penghargaan
Jutaan terima kasih diucapkan kepada penyelia, Dr Norzlinda Saad yang banyak memberi bimbingan dan
tunjuk ajar sepanjang penyelidikan ini. Penyelidik juga mengambil kesempatan untuk mengucapkan terima kasih
kepada Bahagian Tajaan Pendidikan, KPM yang telah membiayai pengajian penyelidik di peringkat PHD.
Seterusnya, terima kasih juga kepada semua pihak yang membantu dalam penyelidikan ini.

9. Rujukan

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Celep, C. (2000). Teachers’ organizational commitment in educational organizations. National Forum of


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Instructional Leasdership. Phd Thesis, University of Rhode Island.

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Hallinger, P. & Lee, M. (2014). Mapping instructional leadership in Thailand: Has education reform impacted
principal practice?. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 42(1), 6-29. doi:
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Hayat, A.A., Kohoulat, N., Kojuri, J, & Faraji, H. (2015). A study on the relationship between schools’ health
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Kaparou, M. (2014). Instructional leadership in a cross-country comparative context : case studies in English
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Kamsiah Kamin & Che Su Mustaffa. (2014). Pengurusan Institusi Penjara: Peranan dan Implikasi Komunikasi
Pegawai-Subordinat. Sains Humanika, 3(1), 1-12.

Miarkolaei, H. S. & Miarkolaei, H. S. (2014). An investigation on relationship between employees’ job


satisfaction and organizational commitment. Management Science Letters, 669-674.

Mohd Ramzan Awang. (2014). Pengaruh Amalan Kepimpinan Penolong Kanan Pentadbiran dan Iklim Sekolah
Sihat ke Atas Komitmen Guru di Sekolah Menengah Kluster Kecemerlngan. Tesis doktoral yang tidak
diterbitkan. Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Mohd Yusri Ibrahim. (2012). Model Kepimpinan Pengajaran Pengetua, Efikasi dan Kompetensi Pengajaran.
Tesis doktoral yang tidak diterbitkan. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

Nafei, W.A. (2014). Assessing employee attitude towards organizational commitment and change: The case of
King Faizal Hospital in Al-Taif Governorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Management and
Sustainability, 4(1), 204-219.

Norazlinda Saad & Surendran Sankaran. (2013). Pengaruh sikap guru terhadap komitmen guru di sekolah:
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Norton, R. (1983). Communication Style: Theory Applications and Measures. Beverly Hills: Sage.

Quah Cheng Sim. (2011). Instrctional leadership among principals of secondary schools in Malaysia.
Educational Research, 2(12), 1784-1800.

Sahin, S. (2011). The relationship between instructional leadership style and school culture. Educational Science:
Theory and Practice, 11(4), 1920-1927.

Sii Ling @ Mee Ling. (2012). The influence of transformational Leadership on teacher commitment towards
organization, teaching profesion, and student learning in secondary schools ini Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia.
International Journal of Educational Studies, 4(2), 155-177.

Shatzer, R.H., Caldarella, P., Hallam, P.R. & Brown, B.L. (2014). Comparing the effects of instructional and
transformational leadership on student achievement: Impication for practice. Educational Management
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Siregar, M. (2013). The effect of instructional leadership, knowledge of educational management, work
motivation and job satisfaction to organizational commitment of head of junior high school in Medan,
North Sumatera, Indonesia. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(21), 99-116.

Teviana, T. (2011). Pengaruh gaya kepemimpinan dan komunikasi internal terhadap efektivitas kerja pegawai
pada RS. Estomihi Medan. Jurnal Keuangan & Bisnis, 3(3), 200–2011.

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Yasser, F.A. & Amal , R.A. (2015). Teachers’s perceprion of principals’ instructional leadership in Omani
schools. American Journal of Educational Research, 3(12), 1504-1510. DOI: 10.12691/education-3-2-4
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Sekolah: Satu Tinjauan di Beberapa Buah Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan di Daerah Kuala Krai
Kelantan Darul Naim. Tesis Sarjana yang tidak diterbitkan, Universiti Utara Malaysia.

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Information Behavior among Undergraduates in Sarawak


Nurul Muizzah Binti Johari

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: Information communication and technology (ICT) is well embraced by all field of knowledge
nowadays. Knowledge exploration is one of the fields that makes used of ICT as well as evolved with it.
Information behavior is divided into information sharing and information seeking and there are many
researcher are into this topic. However, the gap from previous research shows that less research found in
Malaysia conducted on local undergraduate student. The purpose of this study is to explore on information
behavior of undergraduates in Sarawak. The design of this research is quantitative research and has been
conducted through purposive sampling whereby only undergraduates are selected as participants from
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 95 sets of questionnaire were returned with minor differences in gender
distribution. From the inferential analysis, it shows that there are no significant differences in information
behavior based on gender. The overall analysis indicates that male respondents have a high tendency
towards information seeking compare to female and it is vice versa for information sharing whereby female
scores higher than male. It is supported by previous research where male likely to engage with the computer
and have high curiosity upon new things. This research has provide insight on the current situation of
undergraduates’ information behavior which are needed for academic purposes and helps educators to plan
their teaching to suit the information demand of learners.
Keywords: Information behavior, Information seeking, Information Sharing

1. Introduction
Information and communication technology (ICT) has made work quality executable, well-organized,
and time-efficient. Since the technology has evolved, information can be transfer, shared and received by
anyone at any place on the globe. Academic field in one of the sector that has utilized technology in the
process of teaching and learning. ICT helped learners and educators to construct and aid their learning
session to become interactive and meaningful. Such implementation has been done on traditional classroom
setting which only promote one-way interaction and more to chalk-and-talk. As a result, learners now could
learn in interactive environment which visual and audio has been incorporated into the session.

Information behavior has been studied since 1970’s which investigate n the usage of library resources
and services (Rubinic, 2014). Then, during the last two decades, researchers started to develop interest on
expanding the study on information behavior to multiple disciplinary. Concern has risen upon research on
information behavior due to demand and the benefits that it hold. Sharing knowledge and information could
help to support individual’s learning and innovation skills (Riege, 2005; Wai Ling, Sandhu, & Kishore Jain,
2009), enhance learner’s performance (Srivastava, Bartol, & Locke, 2006), increase skills and proficiencies
levels (Ketvirtis, 2011), and also diffusing knowledge among personnel in the same or outside the entity
(Argote & Ingram,2000).

This research aim to investigate the information behavior pattern holds by the undergraduate in Sarawak
based on gender. Information behavior is divided into two; information seeking and information sharing.

2. Problem Statement
Evolution of technology occurs every day. The process also affecting education system likewise in teaching
and learning session. Usage of chalk-and-talk method is considered as traditional style of teaching. Per say,
the modern method are involving the use of both traditional and technology to promote understanding and
interactive learning. Mills and Knezek (2012) mentioned that technology act as the main, formal and
informal information seeking, content sharing and self-expression of the 21st century.

Information is a piece of knowledge that have significant role in both formal and informal occasion
where each personnel meant to take control of the information. The piece of information could be used for

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work, leisure, and everyday decision ad demand (Bruce, 2005). Information behavior is an attitude which
possessed and needed in everyday life. It is classified into information seeking and information sharing.
Research upon information behavior has been conducted around the world. As in Malaysian context, most of
the research carried out only focusing on information seeking.

Suraya Hamid and Sarah Bukhari (2015) has executed a research to discover on information seeking of
international students who interact with online material, local students, fellow international peers, as well as
local community to help them to encounter the challengers of being away from home. The outcome shows
that information seeking had play its role to provide platform for interaction at anytime and anyplace through
the use of social media (O’Farrell & Bates, 2009). Most of the research found, shows that researcher are
keen to focus on information seeking compare to information sharing. In Malaysia, such research only done
towards international students.

Hence, this research aim to provide view of information behavior status from local undergraduate’s
perspective based on gender. It focuses on both information seeking and information sharing. Studies are
from academic perspective where students are literally engaged in dissertation, thesis, as well as assignments.

3. Literature Review
3.1 Information behavior
Information behavior model has introduced by Wilson (1981). It focuses to outline multiple areas covered by
“information seeking behavior”. The model has suggested that information-seeking behavior ascends as a
concern of a need perceived by an information user, who wants to satisfy their need, makes request on
formal and informal information sources or services, that then resulting in success or failure to obtain
relevant information.

The model also portrays the element of information-seeking behavior that might include other personnel
through information exchange. The information then will be perceived as useful may be passed to other
personnel and could be used by the person himself or herself instead. However, there are some restriction
for this model. The model itself only providing the mapping of the area and drawing attention to the gaps in
any research. Besides that, it does not provide suggestion of contributing factors in information behavior and
also did not directly suggest hypotheses to be tested.

Figure 1. Wilson’s model of information behavior

Kuhlthau (1991) has created Information Search Process (ISP) Model. This model explains on the
stages of learners’ information activity that is initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection, and

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presentation. The model highlighted that human information behavior is a process and by understanding the
cognitive and affective component can help to form human information behavior.

TABLE 1. Information Search Process (ISP) (Kuhlthau 1991)

Stages in ISP Initiation Selection Exploration Formulation Collection Presentation


Common Uncertainty Optimism Confusion, Clarity Sense of Relief,
feeling frustration, doubt direction or satisfaction or
confidence disappointment
Common General / Narrowed / Increase Clearer or
thought unclear clearer interest focused
Common Seeking background Seeking relevant information Seeking relevant focused
action information information
Appropriate Recognize Identify Investigate Formulate Gather Complete
task

Information behavior is divided into information seeking and information sharing. Information seeking
behavior covers individual information inquiry by using different ways to get information (Heinström, 2005).
Wilson (1981) has construct a second model of information behavior which this model closely related and
explaining on information-seeking behavior. it has two main premises which are (1) information need is the
main need, but a secondary need that appear out of need of a more basic kind, and (2) in the process to
discover information to please a need, the enquirer might meet with different kinds of obstacles. The model
also has proposed that the basic needs of this model can be defined as physiological, cognitive of affective
need.

Information sharing behavior is one of the main process of knowledge management (Nonaka & Takeuchi,
1995) which it is considered as the strategies for sharing is the gist to organizational and individual
improvement (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Earl, 2001). Erdelez (1997) define information sharing as a method of
securing information in an academic setting as information encountering.

Mesmer-Magnus and DeChurch (2009) has listed both conceptual and operational definition for
information sharing. It is varied from each researcher. However, the most significant definition to this
research is conceptual definition. Miranda and Saunders (2003) refer information sharing as both oral and
written discussion of information among the members of the community (p.90). While, Johnson et. al. (2006)
defines information sharing as the extent of sharing information among team members.

Kim and Ju (2008) identified the main factors of knowledge sharing among member in higher educational
institution. It is perception, trust, and openness in communication, collaboration, reward systems and
communication channel. There are four types of information sharing; strategic sharing, paradigmatic sharing
directive sharing, social sharing, and no sharing (Talja, 2002).

TABLE 2. Information Sharing

Types of information sharing Explanation


Strategic sharing  A mindful strategy of maximizing efficiency in a research group
Paradigmatic sharing  Establishing new and distinguishable information
Directive sharing  Information shared between teachers and students
Social sharing  Information sharing as a bonding and community building activity

3.2 Information behavior and gender


There is gender differences exist in all aspects of society. Eagly (1987) stated that each gender attempts to
gain definite skills and resources for successful role enactment based on gender. It is also helps in adaptation
of social behavior to comply with the requirement set for each gender.
In a research on information searching, McClelland (1975) mentioned that males have a tendency to be
insistent, independent, and egocentric. While, female is classified as having tendencies to seek for
endorsement from others, generate encouragement relationships with others, and maintain interpersonal
connection. The researcher also emphasized that, the implication of the observation; 1) males spend less
time to search for information, hence there is possibility of less information sources and topic searched,

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because of their high level of self-reliance; 2) females are more motivated to search for information from
friends and kin because of their predisposition of getting consent from others.

Agosto (2001) has presented a model of information behavior based on gender. It shows that young
women use the information from electronic resources such as Web resources has been manifest into several
main beliefs; collaboration, social networking, tractability and movement, attachment to community,
contextually and personal involvement. In an eye-tracking study by Lorigo et al. (2006, p.1123-1131), it
shows that men had greater average complex durations on selected Web documents compared to women.
Women said to have significantly longer probe while using Google search engine than males. Urquhart and
Yeoman (2010) classified gender as one of the moderating factors which affecting information seeking.

4. Methods
Cross-sectional research design was used as the research aim to measure differences between groups,
subjects, or events (Labaree, 2009). This research has been conducted quantitatively by using survey and
questionnaire. Items in the close-ended questionnaire are adopted from research by Mills and Knezek (2012).
Pilot study has been conducted to ensure that data collected are reliable. 106 undergraduates are selected
randomly from seven (7) faculties available in the main campus of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS);
Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Resource
Science and Technology, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Applied
and Creative Arts, and Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology. The rate of turnover is 89%
since only 94 sets of questionnaire is usable and returned.

Pilot test that conducted prior the actual data collection shows that Cronbach’s Alpha Value for the items
in questions related to information behavior is 0.835 as shown in Table 1 which indicate that the items are
acceptable.

TABLE 3. Reliability Analysis

Variables Number of items Alpha


Information and Communication Technology Learning 15 0.835
Information Seeking 7 0.709
Information Sharing 8 0.714

5. Results
The data collected has been analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. It is divided into two section
which are demographic information and a section which contain items for Information Communication
Technology Learning (ICTL). This section has adopted from Mills and Knezek (2012). There are two types
of information behavior that used in this research is information seeking and information sharing.

5.1 Demographic information


Based on the demographic information presented in Table 2, most of the respondents were male (50.5%). A
total of 55.80% are among 22 years old, and the majority was Malay (71.60%) and followed by ethnic group
in Sarawak like Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh and Kedayan (16.80%).

TABLE 4. Respondents’ Demographic Information

Variable Classification Frequency Percentage


Gender Male 47 49.50
Female 48 50.50
Age 20 years old 5 5.30
21 years old 24 25.37
22 years old 53 55.80
23 years old and above 13 13.70
Ethnicity Malay 69 71.60
Chinese 7 7.40
Indian 4 4.20
Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Kedayan, Rungus, Sungai, and others 16 16.80

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5.2 Information behavior


The main objective of this research related information behavior holds by undergraduates. The research
wanted to investigate if there is any differences between information behaviors of undergraduates based on
gender. An independent t-test was used to analyze the data collected. Table 3 shows that the mean values of
information behavior of undergraduates based on gender and the t-test (Table 4) confirm that there is no
differences between gender for information behavior as it is stated that p-value (0.316) is greater than 0.05.
The values portray that there is no significant difference for information behavior based on gender.

TABLE 5. Group Statistics

Variable Gender N Mean Std. Deviation


Information Behavior Male 48 3.85 0.55
Female 47 3.94 0.40
Information Seeking Male 48 3.68 0.60
Female 47 3.79 0.41
Information Sharing Male 48 3.76 0.55
Female 47 3.86 0.40

TABLE 6. Independent Sample T-test

Variable T-test for Equality of Means


t df Sig. (2- Mean Difference 95% Confidence Interval of
tailed) the Difference
Lower Upper
Information -1.009 93 0.316 -0.10053 -0.02981 0.09734
Behavior
Information -0.827 93 0.410 -0.08815 -0.29978 0.12349
Seeking
Information -1.055 93 0.316 -0.11292 -0.32544 0.09734
Sharing

6. Discussion and Conclusion


The results of the analysis have revealed that undergraduates at the local university in Sarawak on gender
basis have different type of information behavior. Most of the student more to information seeking behavior.
Based on the data collected, it shows that most of male (30 person) tend to be information seeker compare to
female (29 person) while for information sharing, it is dominated by female (17 person) compared to male
(14 person).

The descriptive analysis done on information behavior based on gender shows that male is
dominating for both information seeking and information sharing behavior compare to female. This finding
is supported by Dubi and Rutsch (1998). The research was done to examined the Internet search information
behavior among students from different level of academic background and the result shows that female
students is lack on self-confidence as they felt lacking of skill to deal with search engine by describing it as
difficult and it is supported by Shashaani and Khalili (2001). Female learner are less likely to engage with
technology devices as they underestimate their abilities compared to male learner as they repeatedly
overestimate their abilities to use technology (Bannert & Arbinger, 1996; Copper & Stone, 1996).

To conclude, this research has brought insight on undergraduate level of information behavior
particularly in Sarawak. Information behavior are needed in order to assist learner searching for information
based on the correct flow and ethic as well on sharing it to others. However, this research only being carried
out within Kota Samarahan, Sarawak context and thus, the result might not representing the whole
population of higher education learners in Sarawak and importantly in Malaysia. The size of sample are
rather small since it is due to time constraint and it only covers the faculty that located in main campus
whereby the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science is located at Kuching, Sarawak.

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Therefore, for future researcher, an extension of location for the research should be taken into
consideration to allow representation of the whole population of higher education learners from both public
and private institution as well. Another suggestion is the research could be done in all states in Malaysia per
concern of diversity of culture and races.

7. Acknowledgement
I would like to thank undergraduates from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), who has attended
the survey. The gratitude also goes to my former supervisor, Mr. Mohd Hafizan Hashim and my current
supervisor, Dr. Surendran s/o Sankaran for their time, attention, support, valuable and helpful suggestion
during the preparation of this article.

8. References
Agosto, D. E. (2001). Propelling young women into Cyber Age: gender considerations in the evaluation of
Web-based information. School Library Media Research, 4. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume42001/agosto.htm

Alavi, M., & Leidner, D. E. (2001). Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management systems:
Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS quarterly, 107-136.

Argote, L. & Ingram, P. (2000). Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantages in firms.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82(1), 150-169.

Bannert, M., & Arbinger, P. R. (1996). Gender-related differences in exposure to and use of computers:
Results of a survey of secondary school students. European Journal of Psychology of Education,
11(3), 269-282.

Bruce, H. (2005). Personal, Anticipated Information Need. Information Research: An Internation Electronic
Journal, 10(3), n3.

Copper, J., & Stone, J. (1996). Gender, computer-assisted learning, and anxiety: With a little help from a
friend. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 1591), 67-91.

Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex Differences in Social Behavior: A Social-Role Interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.

Earl, M. (2001). Knowledge management strategies: Towards a taxonomy. Journal of Management


Information Systems, 18(1), 215-233.

Erdelez, S. (1997, August). Information encountering: a conceptual framework for accidental information
discovery. In Proceedings of an international conference on Information seeking in context (pp. 412-
421).

Heinström, J. (2005). Fast surfing, broad scanning and deep diving: The influence of personality and study
approach on students’ information-seeking behavior. Journal of documentation, 61(2), 228-247.

Johnson, M. D., Hollenback, J. R., Humphrey, S. E., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Cutthroat cooperation:
Asymmetrically adaptation to changes in team reward structures. Academy of Management Journal,
49, 103-120.

Ketvirtis, S. (2011). Knowledge sharing: Leveraging trust and leadership to increase team performance.

Kim, S., and Ju, B. (2008). An analysis of faculty perceptions, attitudes towards knowledge sharing and
collaboration in an academic institution. Library and Information Science Research, 30 (4), 282-290.

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Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking form the user’s perspective. Journal
of the American Society for Information Science, 42(5), 361.

Labaree, R. V. (2009). Research Guides: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Types of
Research Designs.

Lorigo, L., Pan, B., Hembrooke, H., Joachims, T., Grnaka, L., Gay, G. (2006). The influence of task and
gender on search and evaluation behavior using Google. Information Processing & Management, 42,
1123-1131.

McClelland, D. C. (1975). Power: The Inner Experience. New York: Irving.

Mesmer-Magnus, J. R. & DeChurch, L. A. (2009). Information sharing and team performance: a meta-
analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 535.

Miranda, S. M., & Sanders, C. S. (2003). The social construction of meaning: An alternative perspective on
information sharing. Information System Research, 14, 87-106.

Nadzir, M. M., & Othman, N. (2015). Undergraduates’ Needs and Seeking Behavior. A Preliminary Study.
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Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge creating company. New York: Oxford University Press.

O’ Farrell, M., & Bates, J. (2009, May). Student information behaviors during group projects: A study of LIS
students in University College Dublin, Ireland. In I. Cornelius (Ed.), Aslib Proceedings (Vol. 61, No.
3, pp. 302-315). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Riege, A. (2005). Three-dozen knowledge-sharing barriers managers must consider. Journal of knowledge
management, 9(3), 18-35.

Rubinić, D. (2015). Information behaviour of university students: a literature review. Libellarium: časopis za
istraživanje pisane riječi, knjige i baštinskih ustanova, 7(1), 105-118.

Shashaani, L., & Khalili, A. (2001). Gender and computers: Similarities and differences in Iranian college
students’ attitudes toward computers. Computers & Education, 37(3), 363-375.

Srivastave, A., Bartol, K. M., & Locke, E. A. (2006). Empowering leadership in management teams: Effects
on knowledge sharing, efficacy, and performance. Academy of management journal, 49(6), 1239-
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Suraya Hamid & Sarah Bukhari (2015). Information seeking behavior and international students: The role of
social media in addressing challenges while abroad, 590-596.

Talja, S. (2002). Information sharing in academic communities: Types and levels of collaboration in
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Urquhart, C., & Yeoman, A. (2010). Information behavior of women: theoretical perspective on gender.
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Peer Tutoring in Mathematics: Listening to Students’


Perceptions and Attitudes to Improve Programme
Constance Yuen and Cheryl Fernando
EduNation Malaysia
Abstract: This study examined the perceptions and attitudes of students in a reciprocal peer tutoring
programme in Mathematics in Malaysia. Focus groups and reflection journals with open-ended questions
were used. The study found that students’ perceptions and attitudes were generally positive, but this differ
slightly according to the students’ ability. This student feedback is used to improve the programme.
Implications for practice and for future research, especially for interventions that engage students to give
feedback for the programme, are discussed.

Keywords: peer tutoring, problem solving, student feedback.

1. Introduction
Malaysian students’ poor performance in international mathematics assessments (The World Bank,
2013; OECD, 2014) have prompted schools and teachers nationwide to search for interventions to address
the decline in Mathematics performance. Some teachers have looked to peer involvement due to its ability
to attend to the needs of several students at a time at a low cost. Peer tutoring, a peer-mediated
intervention, is the practice of students helping other students to learn and in the process, learning
themselves (Topping, 1996). Peer tutoring has been found to benefit both tutors and tutees, but research
has highlighted that tutors benefit more than tutees (Roscoe & Chi, 2007). Reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT),
maximises these benefits by providing students the opportunity to alternate between student and teacher
roles, thus allowing them to acquire learning, teaching and also interaction skills in the process (Fantuzzo,
Riggio, Connelly, & Dimeff, 1989).
The success of any intervention however, does not only depend on teachers, the common decision-
makers in education, but also on students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward the intervention. If students
like the intervention and believe that it is effective, they would be more eager to participate and may even
benefit more from the programme. Asking students for feedback also empowers them to take ownership
of their learning. As such, students should be consulted in any decision to plan or improve the
implementation of a programme. This research aims to examine student perceptions and attitudes toward
RPT in Mathematics to guide the continuous improvement of the programme.

2. Literature Review
2.1. Theoretical perspectives
Various theories and convictions of how and why RPT works have been proposed. Vygotsky (1978)
posits that we learn through interactions with more knowledgeable others in the Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD), which is the area between our actual and potential development level (Vygotsky,
1978). In peer tutoring in Mathematics, the tutor scaffolds the learning of the tutee by modelling the
strategies and metacognitive skills necessary to solve problems. Piaget’s theory (1950) suggests that
children form new structures or concepts through interactions with the environment. Interaction with
peers during peer tutoring can lead to the development of new cognitive structures when peers disagree

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about how to solve a problem (O’Donnell & Hmelo-Silver, 2013) or when incorrect reasoning are
exposed (Slavin, 1995). Another theory, the cognitive elaboration theory (Slavin, 1989), theorizes that
compared to passive learning, students learn more effectively if they have the opportunity to actively
engage with the material by elaborating on it (Bridges & Hallinger, 1998). Tutoring others essentially
intensifies fundamental information processing activities such as encoding, rehearsal, metacognition and
retrieval (O’Donnell, 2006), and feedback from peers enables the tutors to check their understanding of
the concepts they are explaining (O’Donnell & Dansereau, 1992).
Vygotskian theory and the cognitive elaboration theory offer an explanation of the learning processes
of tutees and tutors respectively, while Piagetian theory expounds on the learning that happens through
the interaction between tutors and tutees. Together, these theories point to the possible benefits peer
tutoring has to both tutors and tutees accrued to tutoring, being tutored and the interaction between pairs.
Indeed, RPT maximises these benefits by giving students the opportunity to take on the role of a tutee and
a tutor.

2.2. Research on reciprocal peer tutoring in mathematics


Studies on RPT in Mathematics, which are mostly randomised controlled trials, showed that students
in the RPT groups performed better in Mathematics assessments of basic computations and perceived
themselves as more socially and academically competent and of better conduct compared to the control
group (Fantuzzo, King & Heller, 1992; Fantuzzo, Davis & Ginsburg, 1995; Ginsburg-Block & Fantuzzo,
1997; Menesses & Gresham, 2000).
Fantuzzo, et. al., (1995) compared the performance of students in parent involvement (PI)+RPT, PI
only and practice control (PC) groups. The study found that the PI+RPT group performed better in a
curriculum-based assessment of Mathematics and reported that they are more socially accepted than the
PI or PC groups, while PI+RPT and PI students also reported higher ratings of scholastic competence and
behaviour. In another research, Ginsburg-Block & Fantuzzo (1997) investigated the observable
behaviours in RPT that led to academic outcomes in at-risk students. It was found that RPT students were
engaged at a higher rate and showed more problem solving behaviour than control group students. These
students also outperformed the control group in basic computations and self-report of social competence
and behaviour. It was also demonstrated that tutees’ engaged behaviour correlated positively with
Mathematics achievement, tutors’ inattention negatively correlated with tutee’s active participation, and
tutees inattention were negatively correlated with the tutor’s active participation. This research shed some
light on the interactional processes in RPT that enabled positive outcomes for students.
All the RPT studies reviewed used randomised control trial, the gold standard of research, and all of
them found positive outcomes for RPT, establishing the effectiveness of RPT in increasing achievement
in basic computations and positive student perceptions of social competence for students at-risk.

2.3. Adaptation of reciprocal peer tutoring to local context


Interventions that are research evidenced need to be adapted to suit the local context to better address
the needs of the stakeholders. The suburban school chosen by funders for this intervention wanted to raise
the achievement level of their Form 3 students in the national examination. The new version of the
examination includes a bigger proportion of questions termed higher order thinking skills (HOTS)
questions that require thinking critically, logically, reflectively, creatively and with metacognition (King,
Goodson & Rohani, 1998), which many students are not familiar with. To help students succeed in the
examination, it was decided that the RPT programme should focus on solving these questions.
The Polya (1945) method of problem solving was introduced to support complex problem solving
skills. It was also included to create stronger structures around the RPT programme, which is crucial as

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evidenced by research (Fantuzzo et al., 1992). This method recommends that students go through four
stages to solve problems - understand the problem, make a plan, carry out the plan and look back at the
solution. These prompt students to describe and reflect on their problem solving processes, and develop
flexible thinking and problem solving skills (Hensberry & Jacobbe, 2012).
The inclusion of the Polya method in RPT is new and it would be interesting to examine what
students think of this method. It would also be important to provide some depth to previous quantitative
research on RPT as students’ academic performance, behaviour, and self-perception are complex factors
that should also be explored qualitatively. Also, as all four studies focused on basic mathematics
computation, it would be interesting to see the effectiveness of RPT for complex problem solving.
This study aims to address the gaps in research and to adapt RPT to the local school context by
investigating students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward RPT in Mathematics. Specifically, the research
questions that will guide the study are: 1) What are students’ perceptions about RPT? 2)What are
students’ perceptions about the implementation of the RPT programme in their school? 3) What are
students’ perceptions about the impact of RPT on their academic, social and personal development? 4)
What are students’ attitudes towards RPT? In an effort to empower students and to give them a voice in
the programme, the research results will be used to improve the programme.

3. Methodology
3.1. Research methodology and design
This study employs a qualitative research methodology using focus groups and reflection journals
with open-ended questions to examine students’ perceptions and attitudes toward RPT. As discussed in
the previous sections, RPT allows learning through tutoring, being tutored and interaction between pairs.
As such, the focus group and reflection journal methods are specifically chosen because they allow the
study of the interaction between pairs as well as the experiences of individuals in the pairs. In addition, to
ensure that participants in the focus group are homogenous and that experiences of individuals in the pair
are captured, students in the pairs will be separated into two focus groups based on relative ability – the
higher ability (HA) and lower ability (LA) group. Furthermore, the focus group and reflection journal
methods are chosen because they complement each other, enabling the generation of a wide range of
discussions without neglecting the voices of reserved individuals.

3.2. Setting and participants


A formal permission to conduct research in the school was obtained. Form 3 students were selected
on a first-come first-serve basis from students identified by the Mathematics teacher based on their Form
2 examination performance. Student and parent consent were obtained from the 38 students who
registered (23 female and 15 male; 29 with failing grades of E or F and 11 with passing grades of A, B, C
or D). Although the intention was to have an equal number of HA and LA students, the sample is skewed
towards at-risk students because passing rates were very low in the school. This, however, will enable us
to better examine the impact of RPT on students at-risk of failing Mathematics.
The participants in the programme were paired up to form mixed-ability pairs. Students were ordered
according to their performance in a diagnostic test and the list was cut in half. The best performer in the
HA half was paired with the best performer in the LA half and so forth. Purposive sampling was used to
ensure that data from students who have adequately participated in the programme can be examined. Out
of students with good attendance, 5 pairs (6 female and 4 male students) were randomly selected and only
data from these 5 pairs was examined. Note, however, that students’ ability labels only describe the
relative ability within the pair as the sample is skewed towards at-risk students.

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3.3. Procedures
Students attended 5 hours of training on how to tutor each other and on using the Polya model. After
that, two-hour weekly RPT sessions were carried out after school. Students took turns to be the tutor and
the tutee in solving problems categorized as HOTS questions according to Form 3 reference books.
Students were given a simple worksheet that encourages them to use the four steps of the Polya model. As
this research is part an initiative to incorporate the views of students for the continuous improvement of
the programme, the research only examined the first 3 sessions of RPT.

3.4. Instrumentation and data collection


At the end of every session, students in both ability groups were given these open-ended prompts in
their weekly journals: a) What was good about tutoring today? b) What was hard about tutoring today? c)
In your opinion, what could you and your partner have done to improve today’s tutoring and learning
process?
The focus group was carried out after the third peer tutoring session. Structured questions adapted and
added upon from Cheng and Ku (2009) were used. The questions corresponded to the research questions:
1. What is your perception of RPT? (understanding of RPT, what they like/dislike about it)
2. What is your perception of the implementation of RPT in your school? (what went well or did not go
well, training, Polya model and suggestions for improvement)
3. What is your perception of the impact of RPT on your academic, social and personal development?
4. Do you like RPT? Would you recommend it to your friend?
All the questions used in the reflection journal and focus groups were presented in both English and
Malay. The translation of the questions was done by the researcher who is bilingual, in collaboration with
a bilingual graduate student. Responses were audio recorded.

3.5. Data analysis


Responses were transcribed and coded in their original language to allow relevant concepts and
nuances in the original language to be captured. The transcription of data was done by a bilingual
transcriber and the transcribed data were then imported into NVivo 10. The researcher in collaboration
with a bilingual graduate student coded the data and identified themes, which were translated into English.
Triangulation is achieved by obtaining data from two sources ̶ students from the HA and LA group.
Data from the focus groups also triangulate data from the reflection journals. In addition, member check
for journal and focus group responses were carried out to improve the validity of the data.

4. Results and Discussion


A total of 25 reflection journals were collected. A summary of the results, together with themes and
subthemes identified, is presented in Table 1. If quotations from journal reflections and/or focus groups
are relevant to these themes, a sample of those quotations and their sources were also included. (Note: LA
= low ability group; HA = high ability group; FG = focus group; and R = reflection).
TABLE 1: Results
Themes and Sub-themes LA/HA/ Source & Example Quotations
description Both
Student Perceptions of RPT
RPT involves Assisting peers Both FG: teaching friends to be good at something; guiding friends so
peer learning that the get better
(learning with

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and from each Role taking Both FG: He teaches me when I don’t understand and I teach him
other) when he doesn’t understand
R: I got to discuss with my friend to solve a challenging
question. We asked and answered questions from each other
Assisted by LA R: I succeeded in answering the challenging questions with the
peers help of my friend
RPT requires Active Both FG: I like my partner because he works hard and tries; I don’t like
certain participation my partner because he does not cooperate;
individual and R: Partners need to communicate more to improve sessions
partner Patience LA FG: When I don’t understand, my partner teaches me again; I
characteristics don’t like my partner because she gets angry easily
to be effective Good tutoring HA FG: Peer tutoring was difficult because I do not know how to
skills in self teach, how to explain things
Good tutoring LA FG: My partner’s explanations are not very clear. He taught in a
skills in partner confusing way
R: The session was easy because my friend guided me in
answering questions that I did not understand
Preparation Both R: Students should revise at home to improve sessions.
Student Perceptions about the Implementation of RPT
HOTS questions HOTS questions Both FG: HOTS is more challenging
are challenging, are challenging R: There were difficult HOTS questions that needed detailed and
need high-level thinking
scaffolding, but HOTS questions Both FG: Give 2 basic questions or three. If we go straight into
lead to need scaffolding HOTS questions, we won’t understand. If we are first given
achievement in basic questions, it’s an introduction to the chapter
Maths HOTS questions Both FG: These questions increased our expertise, trains our minds
leads to to think critically, to understand the hidden meanings
achievement in R: I was able to answer questions that are of the same level as
Maths HOTS questions and I’m happy. It challenges my mind
Polya is useful Polya is useful Both FG: It helps to use the strategies step by step before answering; It
only in certain helped for certain chapters for example fractions.
situations Polya is not Both FG: It takes time. If we use the strategies during exam, I’m
useful afraid we won’t have enough time.”
Training is not Training is not Both FG: I don’t remember. I don’t know. Not really beneficial
useful useful
Student Perceptions on the Impact of RPT
RPT improves Improvement in Both FG: My grades improved in the recent examination
academic Maths
performance, Mixed Both FG: No improvement; Some improvement. We used the Polya
especially performance in method in English. Read the questions carefully.
Maths other subjects
RPT improves Improvement in Both FG: If we see that they are stressed, we will talk to them, ask them
social outcomes relationship about their problems
with others
RPT increases Increase in Both FG: We are more motivated to do revision.
motivation motivation
Student Attitudes toward RPT
Positive Positive Both FG: I like peer tutoring; I will definitely continue with the
attitudes attitudes programme until the end of the year; I will recommend it to friends.

As a whole, student responses are quite similar across ability groups and data collection methods.
Peer learning as identified in student responses mirrors the actual definition and nature of peer tutoring
(Topping, 1996), showing that these students have sufficient knowledge of the programme after the
training and 3 tutoring sessions. Interestingly, when asked about aspects that they liked, students

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specifically mentioned role taking, an element that is unique to RPT, suggesting that students are in
favour of learning that happens both from tutoring and being tutored. The individual and partner
characteristics crucial for peer tutoring also featured similarly across groups and methods. Active
participation is perceived to be important for RPT, which is in harmony with the coded behaviours of
attention and participation that were found to improve the performance of students (Ginsburg-Block and
Fantuzzo, 1997). This demonstrates that students are aware of behaviours that lead to better performance.
Both ability groups across methods also identified that HOTS questions need scaffolding. This
suggests that just focusing on HOTS is inadequate for students to master concepts and that lower-order
problems should also be included in the programme. This is especially relevant to students at-risk of
failing Mathematics, who may not have mastered basic computational skills and for whom higher-order
thinking skills may be beyond their current ZPD (Vygotsky, 1978).
Perceptions by both ability groups that the Polya method was only useful in certain cases and that the
training (which also includes the Polya method) was not useful suggest that the method may not be
effective with the RPT programme for problem solving. It is interesting to note that based on literature
review, Lesh and Zawojewski (2007) proposed that the method should not be used as a list of strategies
for problem solving, but to develop students’ thinking and reflection skills. Another possibility is that the
method may not have been implemented consistently during sessions as implementation integrity
measures were not taken. If students do not follow the structure of a programme, Topping (2005) cautions
that questioning will be limited in terms of frequency and quality, correction of errors will be infrequent
and positive feedback will be given inappropriately. To improve the RPT programme, teachers should
monitor implementation integrity and also consider using a new set of prompts to guide problem solving.
The research also found that overall, students from both ability groups have positive perceptions of
the impact of RPT on Mathematics performance, relationships between peers and self-motivation. This is
in harmony with previous quantitative research in RPT (Fantuzzo et al., 1992; Fantuzzo et al., 1995;
Ginsburg-Block & Fantuzzo, 1997; Menesses & Gresham, 2000).

4.1. Lower ability versus higher ability


The responses of students from the HA and LA groups differ markedly in regards to individual and
partner characteristic crucial for the effectiveness of RPT. The HA group perceives that tutoring skills in
self is very important while the LA group perceives that patience and tutoring skills in their partner are
important. The difference in responses may point to the heavier reliance on the HA partner to tutor the LA
partner, even though RPT allows both partners to be on an equal plane. This reliance was also apparent
when only LA students reported that they liked RPT because they are assisted by peers. As mentioned, as
some HOTS may be beyond the ZPD of LA students, they may appreciate the guidance of a more
knowledgeable other i.e. HA students. Teachers planning to implement RPT with HOTS questions should
then consider pairing mixed-ability students instead of randomly assigning them into pairs.

4.2. Reflection journals versus focus groups


Overall, data from reflection journals were similar to those from focus groups for questions relevant
to both sources. However, reflection journal responses were found to be more specific to the sessions
compared to focus group responses, which addressed broad and long-term aspects of the programme. The
fact that responses from these two sources matched also shows that the level of trustworthiness is
substantial.

4.3. Self-regulated learning and student empowerment

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The theme of self-regulated learning was identified in students’ responses from both the reflection
journal and focus group. Self-regulated learning is learning guided by metacognition, motivation and also
self-initiated actions such as planning, monitoring and evaluating (Zimmerman, 1990). In their responses,
students employed metacognition to reflect on their mastery of HOTS, strategies that were useful and also
their motivation. As reflection journals have been linked to self-regulated behaviour (Cazan, 2012),
teachers may consider using them not only to elicit feedback about the programme, but also to develop
self-regulated learning among students.
In addition to regulating their own learning, giving students a voice in the process to improve the
programme also empowers them to take charge of their learning. In the research, students were very
willing to give their opinions and suggestion about the programme. It is recommended that programme
coordinators include students as much as possible in the decision-making processes of the programme so
that students can take ownership of the programme, too.

5. Conclusion and Future Research


This qualitative research shows that students generally have positive perceptions of and attitudes
toward RPT and these differ slightly according to the ability of the students in the pair. This research will
be useful for teachers who are looking for ways to adapt RPT to the needs of their students and to their
school contexts. Teachers should always try to incorporate students’ views and suggestions into the
implementation of the programme.

6. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) for funding the RPT programme in the
school in this research. We would also like to thank the Malaysian Collective Impact Initiative (MCII)
and Thoughts in Gear for their support and resources.

7. References
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R. Fogarty (Ed.), Problem-based Learning: A Collection of Articles (pp. 3-21). Arlington Heights,
Illinois: SkyLight Training and Publishing.

Cazan, A. (2012). Enhancing self regulated learning by learning journals. Procedia – Social and
Behavioural Sciences 33, 413-417.

Cheng, Y., & Ku, H. (2009). An investigation of the effects of reciprocal peer tutoring. Computers in
Human Behaviour, 25, 40-49.

Fantuzzo, J. W., Riggio, R. E., Connelly, S., & Dimeff, L. A. (1989). Effects of reciprocal peer tutoring
on academic achievement and psychological adjustment: A componential analysis. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 81, 173–177.

Fantuzzo, J. W., Davis, G. Y., & Ginsburg, M. D. (1995). Effects of parent involvement in isolation or in
combination with peer tutoring on student self-concept and mathematics achievement. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 87(2), 272–281.

Fantuzzo, J. W., King, J. A., & Heller, L. R. (1992). Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring on Mathematics
and school adjustment: A component analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 331–
339.

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Ginsburg-block, M., & Fantuzzo, J. (1997). Reciprocal Peer Tutoring : An Analysis of “ Teacher ” and
“ Student ” Interactions as a Function of Training and Experience, School Psychology Quarterly,
12(2), 134–149.

Hensberry, K. R. & Jacobbe, T. (2012). The effects of Polya’s heuristic and diary writing on children’s
problem solving. Mathematics Education Research Journal 24, 59-85.

King, F.J., Goodson, L., & Rohani, F. (1998). Higher order thinking skills: Definitions, strategies,
assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.cala.fsu.edu/files/higher_order_thinking_skills.pdf

Lesh, R., & Zawojewski, J. (2007). Problem solving and modeling. In F. K. Lester Jr. (Ed.), Second
handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 763–804). Greenwich: IAP.

Menesses, K. F., & Gresham, F. M. (2000). Relative Efficacy of Reciprocal and Nonreciprocal Peer
Tutoring for Students At-Risk for Academic Failure. School Psychology Quaterly, 24(4), 266–
275.

O’Donnell, A. M., (2006). The role of peers and group learning. In: P. A. Alexande, & P. H. Winne (Eds.),
Handbook of educational psychology, (2nd ed.). (pp. 781- 802). New York: Routledge.

O’Donnell, A. M., & Dansereau, D. F. (1992). Scripted cooperation in student dyads: A method for
analysing and enhancing academic learning and performance. In R. Hertz-Lazrowitz & N. Miller
(Eds.), Interaction in cooperative groups: The theoretical anatomy of group learning (pp. 120-
141). New York: Cambridge University Press.

O’Donnell, A. M. & Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2013). Introduction: What is collaborative learning? An


Overview. In C. E. Hmelo-Silver, C. A. Chinn, C. K. K. Chan & A. M. O’Donnell (Eds.),
International Handbook of Collaborative Learning (pp. 1-14). New York, NY: Routledge.

OECD. (2014, February). PISA 2012 results: What students know and can do – Student performance in
mathematics, reading and science (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014). Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201118-en

Piaget, J. (1950). The Psychology of Intelligence. London: Routledge.

Polya, G. (1985). How to solve it. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Roscoe, R. D. & Chi, M. T. H. (2007). Understanding tutor learning: Knowledge-building and


knowledge-telling in peer tutors’ explanations and questions. Review of Educational Research,
77(4), 534-574.

Slavin, R. E. (1989). Cooperative learning and achievement: Six theoretical perspectives. In C. Ames and
M. L. Maehr (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement (pp. 161-177). Greenwih, CT: JAI
Press.

The World Bank. (2013, December). Malaysia economic monitor: High-performing education. Retrieved
from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/12/13/
000442464_20131213121538/Rendered/PDF/832910WP0P14640Box0382083B00PUBLIC0.pdf

Topping, K. J. (1996). The Effectiveness of peer tutoring in further and higher education: A typology of
the literature. Higher Education, 32(3), 321–345.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Mind in Society: The
Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Zimmerman, B. J. (1990). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: An overview. Educational


Psychologist, 25(1), 3-17.

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Peranan Pensyarah Penyelia sebagai Pemimpin Pengajaran


dalam Amalan Profesional di IPG Kampus Sultan Abdul
Halim
Wan Roslina binti Wan Ismail and Abdul Rahim b Othman

Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim, Kedah, Malaysia

Abstrak: Amalan praktikum merupakan latihan mengajar yang wajib dilalui oleh setiap pelajar Program
Pendidikan Guru di Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) di setiap kampus pendidikan guru. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk
meninjau persepsi pelajar Semester 7 Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim kursus Pengajian
Melayu terhadap kepemimpinan pengajaran pensyarah penyelia mereka semasa diselia semasa praktikum di
sekolah-sekolah. Kajian melibatkan seramai 30 orang pelajar Pengajian Melayu, Ambilan Jun 2013. Kajian ini
berbentuk kajian tinjauan yang menggunakan soal selidik sebagai instumen kajian yang dibina berdasarkan
panduan amalan praktikum di IPG. Soal selidik menggunakan skala likert dan mengandungi tiga bahagian kajian
iaitu maklumat diri pelajar, peranan pensyarah penyelia semasa praktikum dan kesedian menghadapi praktikum.
Data dikumpul dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan perisian SPSS versi 20. Keseluruhannya, soal selidik yang
diterjemahkan menunjukkan kebolehpercayaan dan kesahan yang tinggi. Analisis deskriptif turut digunakan untuk
mengukur min, sisihan piawaian, kekerapan dan peratus. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pensyarah penyelia
memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin pengajaran. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pensyarah penyelia
bertindak menyemak buku persediaan mengajar dan mencadangkan penambahbaikan yang perlu dibuat, di samping
memberi pandangan yang bernas terhadap isu-isu yang diketengahkan oleh pelajar.

Kata kunci : pensyarah penyelia, kepemimpinan pengajaran, praktikum, penyeliaan

1. Pengenalan
Praktikum merupakan latihan mengajar yang wajib dilalui oleh setiap pelajar Program Pendidikan
Guru di Institut Pendidikan Guru. Latihan praktikum ini memberi peluang kepada pelajar untuk
mengamalkan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan nilai keguruan secara reflektif dalam situasi sebenar bilik
darjah dan sekolah. Pelajar akan menumpukan sepenuh perhatian kepada proses pengajaran dan
pembelajaran dengan bantuan bimbingan oleh pensyarah penyelia. Latihan praktikum merupakan salah
satu komponen yang terdapat dalam amalan profesional, selain daripada komponen Pengalaman
Berasaskan Sekolah dan Internship .
Amalan ini membolehkan pelajar menguasai dan mengamalkan segala konsep, prinsip, teori,
kemahiran dan nilai yang diperlukan untuk menjadi seorang guru yang profesional dan memiliki sahsiah
guru yang unggul. Pensyarah berperanan membantu meningkatkan perkembangan potensi pelajar supaya
mempunyai daya tahan sebagai persiapan diri dalam menghadapi pelbagai cabaran di sekolah. Amalan
profesional sebagai pelengkap Program Pendidikan Guru bawah kendalian Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG)
selaras dengan aspirasi Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia 2013-2025.

1.1. Pernyataan masalah


Penyeliaan bertujuan untuk membentuk guru pelatih yang kompeten dan berkualiti dengan menguasai
aspek pedagogi pengajaran ketika mereka menjalani praktikum (Duke et al. 2006; Hashim & Mohd Daud
2001; Jamaluddin et al., 2006). Pelbagai masalah telah dikenal pasti dihadapi oleh guru pelatih ketika
mereka menjalani praktikum. Tahap kesediaan dan pengetahuan pedagogi guru pelatih dikatakan kurang
memuaskan (Abdul Razak & Ahmad Shukri 2002; Hazil1995); minat, sikap, pengetahuan dan kemahiran
mengajar yang sederhana (Baharin 2006; Halimah 2006; Shariff et al., 1994) merupakan elemen yang
telah dikenal pasti menjadi masalah utama kepada guru pelatih. Selain itu, keyakinan diri mereka dalam
menyampaikan isi pelajaran juga didapati masih rendah (Hashim & Mohd Daud 2001); prestasi guru
pelatih ketika praktikum kurang memuaskan (KPTM & KPM 2005). Malahan terdapat juga guru pelatih

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tidak berusaha untuk meningkatkan kualiti pengajaran dan membuat penambahbaikan mutu pengajaran
(Zakaria et al. 2001). Dalam hal peranan pensyarah penyelia wajar diketengahkan agar mereka dapat
memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin pengajaran. Kajian mengenai peranan pensyarah penyelia sebagai
pemimpin pengajaran begitu terhad dikaji oleh penyelidik-penyelidik tempatan. Oleh yang demikian,
kajian ini untuk meninjau persoalan, bagaimana pensyarah penyelia dapat memainkan peranan sebagai
pemimpin pengajaran semasa mereka menyelia pelajar-pelajar praktikum.

1.3 Objektif kajian


Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meninjau persepsi pelajar terhadap peranan pensyarah penyelia sebagai
pemimpin pengajaran semasa menyelia praktikum pelajar-pelajar Semester 7 Pengajian Melayu.

1.4 Persoalan kajian

Apakah persepsi pelajar terhadap kepemimpinan pengajaran pensyarah penyelia semasa


praktikum?

2. Tinjauan Literatur
2.1 Penyeliaan
Penyeliaan pengajaran merupakan aktiviti atau kegiatan yang dijalankan oleh penyelia untuk
mempertingkatkan tugas pengajaran guru. Proses penyeliaan pengajaran dilakukan terhadap guru-guru
yang terlatih, yang bertugas secara tetap di sekolah dan penyeliaan terhadap guru-guru pelatih yang
menjalani latihan. Penyeliaan terhadap guru-guru pelatih dilakukan oleh penyelia daripada institusi yang
memberikan latihan kepada pelajar kerana pelajar perlu kemahiran pengajaran (Khairil Awnar, 2014).
Latihan keguruan praperkhidmatan di Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG), biasanya dikaitkan dengan
bimbingan pengajaran. Proses penyeliaan pengajaran yang diwajibkan terhadap guru pelatih adalah
bertujuan untuk memudahkan pencapaian matlamat dengan mengekalkan kualiti persekitaran yang sesuai
dengan kebolehan kumpulan guru pelatih ( Glickman et al. 2004). Kejayaan bimbingan dan penyeliaan
pengajaran melibatkan proses pengaruh sosial untuk mengurus, mengarah dan memotivasikan guru
pelatih (Page 2002; Park & Henkin 2005; Southworth 2002; Suseela 2005).

2.2 Peranan Penyelia


Garis panduan amalan profesional telah menggariskan tujuh tanggunjawab yang perlu dilakukan
oleh pensyarah penyelia. Antaranya ;
a. Menerima surat pelantikan sebagai pensyarah penyelia daripada Pengarah IPG.
b. Menerima maklumat berkaitan praktikum daripada Unit Praktikum.
c. Berbincang dengan pelajar tentang urusan bimbingan dan penyeliaan praktikum.
d. Merancang jadual bimbingan dan penyeliaan praktikum.
e. Mengadakan perbincangan dengan pengurus sekolah dan guru pembimbing secara
berterusan untuk menjalinkan hubungan profesional.
f. Melaporkan kemajuan dan kes-kes disiplin pelajar dari semasa ke semasa kepada Unit Praktikum.
g. Menyemak dan membimbing pelajar

Pada pandangan guru pelatih, penyelia mempunyai pengetahuan yang luas dalam teori dan kaedah
pengajaran. Selain itu, pelajar mengandaikan penyelia yang lebih berkebolehan dalam membimbing,
memberi jawapan dan memberi cadangan-cadangan untuk menyelesaikan masalah-masalah berkaitan
dengan pengajaran guru-guru pelatih. Pengetahuan penyelia tentang teknik mengajar menjadi kriteria
utama (Syed Ismail Syed Mustafa, 2012).

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2.3 Kepemimpinan pengajaran


DeBevoise (1984) mendefinisikan kepemimpinan pengajaran sebagai tindakan yang diambil oleh
pengetua atau mengagihkan kuasa yang diperolehinya kepada guru-guru untuk tujuan penambahbaikan
mutu pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Kepemimpinan pengajaran merupakan satu perlakuan yang dirangka
untuk mempengaruhi pengajaran guru di bilik darjah (Leithwood, 1994), menjelaskan misi sekolah,
menetapkan anggaran dan matlamat kepada program pengajaran sekolah dan mewujudkan persekitaran
pembelajaran yang menggalakkan (Calabrese, 1991).

2.4 Model kepemimpinan pengajaran


Kajian ini mengadapatasikan model kepemimpinan Hallinger dan Murphy (1985) untuk melihatkan
peranan pensyarah penyelia sebagai peminpin pengajaran kepada pelajar-pelajar Semester 7, Pengajian
Melayu. Walaupun model ini banyak digunakan kepada penngurusan sekolah tetapi jika dilihat kepada
skop bidang tugas pensyarah penyelia, model ini boleh diadaptasikan.

2.4.1. Dimensi 1: Mentakrif matlamat organisasi


Dimensi ini terdiri daripada dua subdimensi yang merangkumi matlamat organisasi yang jelas dan
menyebarkan kepada seluruh warga dan komuniti setempat. Visi dan misi IPG adalah untuk melatihkan
guru yang Setiap organisasi perlu menetapkan satu matlamat yang dibentuk dan dirangka secara
bersama-sama antara pengetua dengan seluruh warga organsasi yang kemudiannya diterangkan dengan
jelas dan difahami oleh seluruh warga sekolah serta masyarakat setempat yang berasaskan keupayaan dan
tanggungjawab staf untuk melaksanakan tugas di organisasi (Weber, 1996; Hallinger & Murphy, 1985).
Dalam hal ini pengarah IPG mengupayakan kepemimpinan pengajarannya kepada pensyarah-pensyarah
penyelia untuk memantapkan pengajaran pelajar.
Peranan pemimpin untuk bekerja dengan staf bagi memastikan visi dan misi difahami secara jelas
dan menjadinya asas utama kepada kemajuan akademik pelajar (Hallinger, 2005). Visi dan misi perlu
ditulis, dipamerkan serta disebarkan di organisasi kepada seluruh warga organisasi, ibu bapa dan juga
komuniti setempat (Weber, 1996; Ramiah, 1992). Hal ini selaras dengan visi IPG sebagai peneraju
kecemerlangan pendidikan guru. Di samping misi utama untuk melahirkan guru yang kompeten dan
berjiwa pendidik melalui program pendidikan guru yang dinamik ke arah pendidikan sekolah bertaraf
dunia. Misi ini telah dipegang oleh semua pensyarah, dalam konteks melahirkan guru yang kompeten dan
berjiwa pendidik bertaraf dunia.

2.4.2. Dimensi 2: Mengurus kurikulam dan pengajaran


Dimensi kedua iaitu pengurusan program pengajaran yang mencakupi tiga fungsi iaitu pencerapan dan
penilaian pengajaran dan pembelajaran, pengurusan kurikulum dan pengawasan pelajar. Dimensi ini
menjadi keutamaan pensyarah dan dikongsi bersama-sama guru di sekolah, di samping menghabiskan
masa untuk membantu guru-guru menyelesaikan masalah-masalah pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam
bilik darjah (Little, 1995, York & Duke, 2004). Sebagai pengurus kurikulum dan pengajaran , pensyarah
wajar mengetahui skop bidang pengurusan kurikulum dan pengajaran. Penguasaan pedagogi pengajaran
dan pembelajaran perlu mantap dan menjadi elemen utama kepada proses penyeliaan pelajar semasa
menjalani praktikum .

2.4.4. Dimensi 3: Pemupukan iklim pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang positif


Hallinger dan Murphy (1985) telah menyenaraikan sebanyak lima subdimensi yang perlu diberi
penekanan oleh pemimpin pengajaran. Subdimensi dalam memupuk iklim pengajaran dan pembelajaran
yang positif yang dikemukakan oleh Hallinger dan Murphy (1985) adalah mengawal masa pengajaran
supaya tidak terganggu, memupuk perkembangan profesionalisme guru, menyediakan pelbagai insentif
kepada guru, menyediakan intensif pembelajaran kepada pelajar dan berusaha untuk kerap berada di
sekolah agar sentiasa kelihatan berada di sekolah.

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Iklim sekolah yang berada dalam keadaan positif seperti yang dimaksudkan oleh Hallinger dan
Murphy (1985) merupakan keadaan guru-guru dan pelajar-pelajar menggunakan sebanyak yang mungkin
masa untuk pengajaran dan pembelajaran dan mereka berasa gembira untuk berada di sekolah.
Perkembangan iklim yang positif dan sihat perlu dipupuk oleh pemimpin dengan mengadakan program
perkembangan staf dari semasa ke semasa di peringkat dalaman dan luaran (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985).
Sebagai pemimpin pengajaran mereka perlu menjadi pemantau kemajuan akademik pelajar yang dibuat
penilaian melalui penyeliaan yang dijalankan di sekolah-sekolah.
Selaku pemimpin pengajaran pensyarah penyelia juga perlu menyemak ujian sama ada ujian
formatif atau sumatif telah dijalankan oleh pelajar semasa latihan praktikum, di samping menyemak hasil
kerja pelajar. Ujian-ujian yang digunakan adalah untuk mengukur sejauh mana pelajar dapat menguasai
pelajaran yang diperolehinya di bilik-bilik darjah (Hallinger & Murphy, 1995).

2. Metodologi
Reka bentuk kajian ini berbentuk kaedah tinjauan. Kaedah tinjauan dipilih kerana sampel telah
dikenal pasti, memudahkan penyelidik untuk mengumpul maklumat dan menganalisis, di samping bagi
menjawab persoalan kajian. Hal ini kerana kaedah ini kerap digunakan dalam pelbagai bidang
penyelidikan bagi tujuan pemerihalan.

3.1. Sampel Kajian


Pemilihan sampel kajian adalah kepada pelajar yang terlibat secara langsung dalam praktikum.
Kajian rintis telah dibuat untuk mendapatkan kesahan dan kebolehpercayaan Sebanyak 15 orang pelajar
telah diberi peluang menjawab soal selidik pada semester 6 yang lepas. Cronbach aplha yang diperolehi
menunjukkan .70. Instrumen ini boleh digunakan untuk meninjau persepsi mereka terhadap
kepemimpinan pengajaran pensyarah. Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 30 orang pelajar yang menjalani
praktikum Fasa 3 selama 3 bulan. Mereka terdiri daripada pelajar major Bahasa Melayu IPGK Sultan
Abdul Halim, Sg. Petani. Sampel terdiri daripada 10 orang lelaki dan 20 orang perempuan. Sampel
mempunyai pengalaman praktikum pada Fasa 1 (4 minggu) dan Fasa 2 (8 minggu). Mereka ini terdiri
daripada 12 pelajar bangsa Melayu, 10 pelajar Cina dan lain-lain 8 orang.

3.2. Instrumen Kajian


Soal selidik diberikan kepada pelajar yang menjalani praktikum Fasa 3. Sebanyak 30 borang soal
selidik telah diedarkan kepada pelajar tersebut. Instrumen kajian terdiri daripada set soal selidik yang
ditadbir kepada pelajar-pelajar di IPGK Sultan Abdul Halim yang menghadapi Praktikum Fasa 3. Soal
selidik ini diadapatasi dari Buku Panduan Amalan Profesional dan diubahsuai oleh penyelidik
berdasarkan pemerhatian dan pengalaman penyelidik sebelum menjalani penyeliaan praktikum. Soal
selidik ini mengandungi dua bahagian, iaitu Bahagian A : Maklumat Pelajar, dan Bahagian B : Peranan
Pensyarah Penyelia Skala Likert telah digunakan dalam kajian ini. Skala Likert 1 = Sangat Tidak Setuju
(STS), 2 = Tidak Setuju (TS), 3 = Kurang Setuju (KS), 4 = Setuju (S) dan 5 = Sangat Setuju (SS). Skala
ini digunakan untuk responden menjawab soalan kajian ini.

4. Analisis Kajian
Soal selidik yang dikumpul dianalisis menggunakan perisian SPSS versi 20. Analisis deskriptif untuk
mengukur min, sisihan piawai bagi melihat persepsi terhadap penyeliaan pensyarah penyelia semasa
latihan praktikum dan meninjau peranan pensyarah penyelia sebagai pemimpin pengajaran semasa
membimbing pelajar-pelajar ketika praktikum. Nilai kebolehpercayaan alpha yang tinggi telah dicapai
bagi setiap item soal selidik yang dikemukakan menunjukkan cronbach alpha =.76. Hal ini bermakna
item-item yang dikemukakan mempunyai kebolehpercayaan yang sederhana.

4.1. Apakah persepsi pelajar terhadap kepemimpinan pengajaran pensyarah penyelia


semasa menjalani praktikum ?

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Berdasarkan persoalan di atas, kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa penyeliaan yang dibuat oleh
pensyarah penyelia sememangnya meninggalkan impak yang positif terhadap guru-guru pelatih. Dapatan
menunjukkan aspek-aspek yang disarankan oleh model kepemimpinan pengajaran Hallinger dan Murhpy
(1985) sememangnya dijalankan oleh pensyarah penyelia. Berdasarkan min bagi penetapan tarikh
penyeliaan oleh pensyarah penyelia menduduki tempat teratas berbanding dengan item-item yang lain.
Faktor ini meninggalkan kesan positif kepada guru-guru pelatih. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa guru-
guru pelatih amat gembira sekiranya penyeliaan berlaku dengan penuh persediaan. Mereka agak kurang
senang jika mereka diselia tanpa diberitahu tarikh penyeliaan oleh pensyarah penyelia.
Dapatan ini juga mendapati item keempat iaitu pensyarah penyelia menyemak buku persediaan
mengajar dan mencadangkan penambahbaikan yang perlu dibuat. Proses semakan yang dibuat oleh
pensyarah penyelia telah membantu guru-guru pelatih memantapkan perancangan pengajaran dan
meningkatkan pengetahuan guru-guru pelatih tentang kaedah pengajaran yang sesuai dan tepat
berdasarkan Dokumen Standard Bahasa Malaysia. Perkara ini secara langsung telah meningkatkan
keyakinan guru-guru pelatih untuk mengajar dengan berkesan dan teratur.
Hasil kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa guru-guru pelatih mendapati pensyarah penyelia telah
memberikan pandangan yang bernas terhadap isu yang diketengahkan oleh mereka. Pemahaman mereka
terhadap sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang dipantau oleh pensyarah penyelia membantu guru pelatih
meningkatkan kemahiran mengajar. Berdasarkan item keempat guru-guru pelatih mendapati pensyarah
penyelia telah membantu mereka meningkatkan kemahiran mengajar melalui pandangan yang diutarakan
oleh pensyarah penyelia. Di samping itu, pensyarah penyelia mempunyai kesediaan untuk mendengar
masalah yang dikemukakan oleh guru-guru pelatih. Perkara ini ditunjukkan melalui item ketujuh iaitu
bersedia mendengar masalah yang dikemukakan oleh pelajar dan bertimbang rasa. Keadaan ini membantu
meningkatkan motivasi guru-guru pelatih untuk menyatakan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi ketika
mereka menjalani praktikum. Kesediaan pensyarah penyelia mendengar masalah-masalah yang dihadapi
oleh guru-guru pelatih telah meningkatkan kesediaan mereka mengajar dan efikasi diri mereka.
Walaupun item kesembilan menunjukkan min yang rendah berbanding min yang lain iaitu pensyarah
sentiasa memberikan motivasi dan membimbing pelajar ke arah perkembangan sahsiah yang baik, tetapi
penting kerana dapat menunjukkan bahawa pensyarah penyelia bukan sahaja bertindak sebagai penyelia
tetapi berupaya meningkatkan motivasi dan perkembangan sahsiah mereka. Hal ini penting kerana
motivasi pelajar akan meningkat sekiranya mereka sering diingatkan dan dipupuk.
Item yang mendapat min tertinggi ialah item keenam, ”Penyelia perlu mempunyai kepakaran yang
tinggi dalam subjeknya”. Berdasarkan dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan guru-guru pelatih memerlukan
bimbingan daripada pensyarah yang mempunyai kepakaran dalam bidangnya. Faktor ini membantu guru-
guru pelatih untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan, pengalaman dan kesediaan mengajar kerana kepakaran
yang dimiliki oleh pensyarah penyelia akan membantu guru-guru mengajar dengan baik dan berkesan.
Keseluruhan item menunjukkan min yang tinggi, namun begitu terdapat tiga item yang menduduki
item yang terendah berbanding dengan item-item yang lain. Item kelima menunjukkan pensyarah
melakukan pencerapan klinikal kepada guru pelatih. Item kedua iaitu pensyarah perlu tegas semasa
membuat penyeliaan terhadap pelajar terletak pada kedudukan kedua terendah. Item, pensyarah
menyemak dan membincangkan portfolio praktikum bersama pelajar. Berdasarkan kedudukan item-item
yang dinyatakan, jelas menunjukkan bahawa guru pelatih meletakkan harapan yang positif terhadap
pensyarah penyelia mereka. Hal ini menunjukkan bahawa pensyarah penyelia telah memainkan peranan
sebagai pemimpin pengajaran. Bermula daripada aspek pendedahan kurikulum sehinggalah kepada
kepada pembentukan motivasi guru-guru pelatih. Hasil dapatan ini menunjukkan bahawa pensyarah
penyelia telah bertindak sebagai pemimpin pengajaran. Jadual 1 menunjukkan persepsi pelajar terhadap
kepemimpinan pengajaran pensyarah penyelia sewaktu menyelia praktikum.

Jadual 1 : Persepsi Pelajar Terhadap Kepemimpinan Pengajaran Pensyarah Penyelia_______


No Item Min Sisihan Paiwai____
1 Pensyarah memberi penerangan dan berbincang tentang
penyeliaan yang akan dijalankan 4.73 .449
2. Pensyarah perlu tegas semasa membuat

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penyeliaan terhadap pelajar. 4.63 .556


3. Pensyarah menyemak dan membincangkan
portfolio praktikum bersama pelajar. 4.50 .861
4. Pensyarah menyemak buku persediaan mengajar
dan mencadangkan penambahbaikan yang
perlu dibuat . 4.83 .379
5. Pensyarah sentiasa memberi bimbingan berasaskan
unsur-unsur pencerapan klinikal. 4.70 .595
6. Pensyarah penyelia praktikum perlu mempunyai
kepakaran tinggi dalam subjeknya. 4.73 .691
7. Pensyarah bersedia mendengar masalah yang dikemukakan
oleh pelajar dan bersikap timbang masa. 4.80 .480
8. Pensyarah selalu memberikan pandangan yang bernas
terhadap isu yang diketengahkan. 4.83 .379
9. Pensyarah sentiasa memberikan motivasi dan membimbing
pelajar ke arah perkembangan sahsiah yang baik. 4.60 .480
10. Pensyarah perlu menyatakan tarikh penyeliaan yang
akan dibuat. 4.90 .402

5. Perbincangan
Dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa pensyarah penyelia telah memainkan peranan sebagai
pemimpin pengajaran yang efektif kepada pelajar-pelajar di bawah seliaan mereka. Kajian ini
menjelaskan bahawa amalan penyeliaan berlaku setiap kali penyeliaan dibuat oleh pensyarah. Beberapa
elemen yang penting amat diperlukan oleh pelajar-pelajar Semester 7 ini, mereka suka sekiranya
penetapan tarikh menyelia ditetapkan oleh pensyarah. Item ini menunjukkan min yang tertinggi oleh guru
pelatih. Hal ini kerana guru pelatih berasa lebih bersedia dan yakin sekiranya pensyarah penyelia
menetapkan tarikh untuk menyelia. Hal ini ditunjukkan dengan jelas daripada proses menyemak
portfolio pratikum, dapatan penyeliaan, menyemak buku persediaan mengajar dan mencadangkan
penambahbaikan, memberi pandangan yang bernas terhadap isu yang diketengahkan, memberi
bimbingan secara pencerapan klinikal dan memotivasikan mereka dalam penyampaian pengajaran.
Dapatan kajian ini menyokong kajian-kajian terdahulu yang menunjukkan bahawa guru pelatih
memerlukan bimbingan dalam aspek perancangan pengajaran (Ramli et al.2006), pendedahan terhadap
cara menulis persediaan mengajar dengan baik (Zakaria et al. 2001), dan keberkesanan pengajaran
bergantung kepada perancangan (Clarke 2000) awal guru pelatih. Dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan
bahawa pensyarah penyelia telah memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin pengajaran yang mampu
memberi bimbingan mengenai aspek pengajaran, pengetahuan, kemahiran dan kefahaman. Dapatan ini
selari dengan dapatan kajian Khairul Anwar Bin Abu Bakar (2014) bahawa pensyarah penyelia mampu
membimbing guru pelatih dalam aspek-aspek perancangan pengajaran, pelaksanaan pengajaran, sikap dan
sahsiah, nilai profesionalisme keguruan, pengetahuan dan kefahaman, dan kemahiran pengajaran dan
pembelajaran) berada pada tahap yang tinggi.
Oleh hal demikian dapat dirumuskan bahawa bimbingan pengajaran oleh pensyarah dalam aspek
perancangan pengajaran semasa mengikuti praktikum adalah sangat diperlukan oleh guru pelatih.
Pensyarah penyelia telah menunjukkan peranan mereka sebagai pemimpin pengajaran. Pemimpin
pengajaran merupakan pemimpin yang menurunkan ilmu dan kemahiran yang dimilikinya kepada
pengikut-pengikutnya. Kepemimpinan dan bimbingan pensyarah terhadap penyeliaan guru pelatih
merupakan elemen yang penting untuk menghasilkan guru pelatih yang berkualiti. Seiring dengan
kehendak negara untuk menghasilkan guru yang bukan sahaja berkualiti tetapi mampu menghadapi
cabaran masa hadapan. Di samping membolehkan guru pelatih memperkembangkan kompetensi diri dan
seterusnya berupaya menjadi guru pelatih yang berkualiti seperti yang digariskan dalam matlamat
program praktikum IPG.

6. Cadangan dan Implikasi


Pensyarah penyelia disarankan mengamalkan sikap yang terbuka dan sentiasa berinteraksi dengan
guru pelatih semasa memberi bimbingan pengajaran yang mantap kepada guru-guru pelatih bawah

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seliaannya. Antara langkah-langkah yang boleh digunakan oleh pensyarah penyelia kepada guru pelatih
bawah seliaanya seperti: (1) berkongsi pengalaman ketika memberikan bimbingan, (2) menyampaikan
maklum balas bimbingan secara jelas, telus dan terbuka demi meningkatkan kualiti guru pelatih, (3)
menjadikan tugas memberikan bimbingan pengajaran ketika praktikum sebagai sebahagian daripada tugas
hakiki yang harus dilaksanakan dengan baik dan sempurna.

7. Kesimpulan
Pensyarah penyelia mampu menjadi pemimpin pengajaran kerana mereka mempunyai kemahiran,
pengetahuan, pedagogi dan pengalaman mantap dalam bidang pengurusan kurikulum pengajaran bahasa
Melayu. Kepemimpinan pengajaran yang berkesan perlu dimiliki oleh pensyarah dalam proses
menyediakan guru pelatih menguasai kemahiran pengajaran serta penguasaan pedagogi yang mantap
untuk menyampaikan ilmu di sekolah-sekolah.

8. Rujukan
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Khairul Anwar bin Abu Bakar. 2014. Tahap Kesediaan Guru Pelatih Institut Pendidikan Guru
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Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restricting. Education Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 498-
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Wan Roslina Wan Ismail. (2011). Korelasi Amalan Kepemimpinan Pemimpin Pertengahan dengan
Iklim Sekolah, Sikap Kerja Guru dan Komitmen Organisasi Di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan.
Tidak diterbitkan, tesis PhD. Sintok: Universiti Utara Malaysia

York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two
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latihan mengajar. Suara Pendidik 23: 20-30.

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Proceedings of ICSoTL 2017

Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah


Siti Fatimah Omar Bakri dan Azlinah Dakarlan

Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura


Sekolah Rendah Xinmin

Abstrak: Kajian berkaitan Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBL) ini dilaksanakan dengan hasrat
untuk meningkatkan kemahiran lisan, khususnya penerangan berdasarkan gambar bagi murid Darjah 6.
Seramai 16 orang murid Darjah 6 terlibat dalam kajian ini. Berdasarkan pemantauan guru semasa
aktiviti lisan dalam kelas, murid-murid yang terlibat mengalami kesukaran membentangkan hasil
perbincangan mereka. Hasil tinjauan menunjukkan bahawa murid-murid membentangkan hasil
perbincangan mereka dengan menggunakan ayat yang ringkas dan kosa kata yang tidak sesuai. Objektif
kajian ini adalah untuk membantu murid menerangkan gambar dengan menggunakan kosa kata yang
tepat dan berstruktur. Konsep PBL telah dipilih untuk membantu murid kerana konsep PBL meneliti
masalah yang mirip dengan yang berlaku dalam kehidupan nyata. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan
keberkesanan PBL dalam meningkatkan kemahiran murid bertutur semasa aktiviti perbincangan dan
penyampaian lisan.

Kata Kunci: PBL, penerangan berdasarkan gambar, kemahiran bertutur

1. Pengenalan
Proses pembelajaran dan pengajaran di sekolah memerlukan murid berinteraksi antara satu sama
lain dan juga bersama guru. Malah, Siti Hajar Abdul Aziz (2009) ada menyatakan bahawa kemahiran
bertutur merupakan kemahiran yang penting dan perlu dikuasai oleh semua orang. Kini, setiap murid
perlu mempunyai kemahiran lisan yang dikaitkan dengan kemahiran bertutur dalam kurikulum bahasa
Melayu. Malah, komponen lisan yang akan dinilai mengandungi pemberatan yang agak besar iaitu
25% bagi markah keseluruhan. Menurut Yahya Don (2005) pula, kemahiran bertutur merangkumi
keupayaan murid untuk menyampaikan maklumat, pendapat dan perasaan serta idea yang kreatif dan
kritis secara lisan dengan sebutan dan intonasi yang betul secara spontan.
Untuk melengkapkan murid dengan kemahiran lisan tidaklah mudah. Ia merupakan satu cabaran
bagi guru. Oleh itu, pengajaran lisan tidak seharusnya sekadar menunjukkan cara bertutur dengan
baik sahaja tetapi peluang harus diberi kepada murid untuk menggabungjalinkan pengetahuan dan
kemahiran yang dipelajari daripada mata pelajaran lain. Melalui pendekatan PBL, guru akan dapat
meningkatkan kemahiran berfikir murid seperti menyelesaikan masalah, pemikiran analitis dan kritis
seperti yang diharap dalam Sukatan Pelajaran Bahasa Melayu Sekolah Rendah 2015.

2. Tujuan Kajian
Kajian yang dijalankan ini bertujuan untuk:
1. meningkatkan kemahiran bertutur murid bagi bahagian penerangan berdasarkan; dan
2. menyediakan kaedah berstruktur untuk membantu murid membina kemahiran berfikir dan
menyelesaikan masalah dengan menggunakan konsep PBL.

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3. Pernyataan Masalah
Murid sentiasa ketandusan idea ketika membuat penerangan berdasarkan gambar. Guru pula
akan mengajar murid cara-cara untuk menerangkan gambar dalam aktiviti lisan. Guru pula akan
mengajar kaedah yang berbeza bagi kepentingan setiap murid. Namun, pelbagai kaedah yang diajarkan
kepada murid bukan dapat membantu malah, membingungkan murid kerana terlalu banyak kaedah yang
diajarkan. Justeru itu, murid akan menerangkan gambar lisan dengan menggunakan pelbagai kaedah
yang diajarkan dengan menggunakan ayat yang ringkas dan mudah. Keterbatasan kosa kata murid juga
turut menjejas pertuturan murid dan menyebabkan murid akan bertutur dengan menggunakan ayat-ayat
mudah dan tidak menarik. Murid juga sering tidak menyokong idea-idea mereka dengan penjelasan
lebih lanjut mungkin kerana mereka tidak terdedah pada situasi atau konteks gambar yang diberi.
Murid yang sering ketandusan idea dan sering tidak menyokong idea- idea mereka akan
menyebabkan pencapaian mereka tidak begitu baik. Guru yang mengajar kelas subjek kajian mengenal
pasti bahawa murid sebenarnya tidak pasti apa yang dikehendaki dalam komponen penerangan
berdasarkan gambar. Dengan ketidak pastian itu, murid membuat penerangan dengan cara yang
berbeza-beza. Ada yang murid yang berjaya menerangkan gambar dengan padat dan ada juga murid yang
hanya menerangkan gambar secara ringkas.
Justeru itu, guru yang mengajar kelas subjek kajian menginginkan murid dapat menerangkan
gambar lisan dengan padat. Guru perlu menyediakan satu kaedah berstruktur untuk membantu murid
membina kemahiran berfikir dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dipaparkan dalam gambar lisan.

4. Kajian Lepas
Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBL) bermula dengan sebagai satu metodologi pendidikan di
Universiti McMaster Kanada pada tahun 1969. PBL adalah satu genre pembelajaran Konstruktivis
kerana didapati tidak selaras dengan konstruktivisme. Individu membina pengertian kerana dia belajar.
Menurut Howard Barrows, PBL merupakan proses pendidikan yang memerlukan seseorang
pelajar mengalami aktiviti pembelajaran yang berguna dalam alam kehidupan yang nyata. Matlamat
utama ialah mencabar pelajar melalui masalah sebagai stimulus kepada pembelajaran yang dapat
digunakan pada masa hadapan.

“An education process that requires the learner to go through the same activities
during learning that are valued in the world...The intent is to challenge the
learner with problems found in practice but as a stimulus for learning and as a
focus for oraganising what has been learned fo later recall and application for
future work”
(Boud & Feletti, 2001)

Piaget (1970), mencadangkan bahawa salah satu motivasi untuk perkembangan intelek seseorang
adalah ‘konflik kognitif’ yang timbul di antara pengalaman kanak-kanak itu dengan dunia dan
memahaminya. Konflik ini merupakan perjuangan yang pengalaman pelajar apabila berhadapan dengan
jurang dalam pengetahuan yang mereka perlu tahu untuk menyelesaikan masalah. Pelbagai perkara-
perkara yang penting telah dikenal pasti dalam PBL, antaranya adalah:

1. Murid perlu bertanggungjawab dan merancang pembelajaran mereka sendiri;


2. Masalah adalah titik permulaan pembelajaran pengetahuan yang baharu;
3. Guru memudahkan pemikiran murid;
4. Murid harus melakukan cerminan; dan
5. Murid perlu belajar melalui proses penyelesaian masalah.

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5. Kaedah Kajian
Dalam kajian ini, perkara utama yang telah dilakukan ialah mengenal pasti pencapaian murid bagi
markah lisan memfokuskan kepada bahagian penerangan berdasarkan gambar sahaja. Markah lisan ini diambil
sebelum murid didedahkan atau menjalani proses PBL. Tinjauan lanjut dilakukan untuk memahami dengan
lebih mendalam masalah yang dihadapi murid. Keputusan Ujian lisan SA2 Darjah 5 murid dianalisis dan
didapati kelakonan murid bagi bahagian penerangan berdasarkan gambar kebanyakannya berada di banda
sederhana. Pencapaian ini telah menjejas kelakonan murid untuk mencapai sekurang-kurangnya banda baik.
Pencapaian ini tidak melepasi sasaran yang ditetapkan oleh jabatan sekolah. Justeru itu, bagi meningkatkan
prestasi murid, murid harus dilengkapi dengan abad kemahiran abad ke-21, di mana murid menjadi lebih
berkeyakinan, mempunyai arah kendiri, memberi sumbangan secara aktif dan menjadi warganegara yang
prihatin.
Borang soal-selidik digunakan untuk mengenal pasti aspek kelemahan murid dalam kemahiran
lisan. Satu strategi pembelajaran yang konstruktif telah dilakarkan bagi membantu dalam peningkatan
kemahiran lisan telah dihasilkan. Justeru itu, perancahan seperti penyediaan sokongan secara kontekstual
bagi pemahaman makna menerusi penggunaan bahasa yang mudah, tunjuk ajar oleh guru, penglibatan
pembelajaran secara kolaborasi dan sesi amali telah disediakan untuk murid. Ini menyokong apa yang
ditegaskan oleh Ovando, Collier dan Combs (2003) di mana pembelajaran lisan harus diterapkan dengan
perancahan melalui aktiviti yang pelbagai dan bertahap-tahap bagi mengukuhkan proses pembelajaran.

5.1. Subjek kajian


Kajian ini melibatkan sekumpulan 16 orang murid Darjah 6 daripada kemahiran pelbagai yakni
kemahiran sederhana dan kemahiran rendah (Middle progressive, low progressive). Pemilihan ini
dilakukan berdasarkan markah keseluruhan murid-murid ini bagi komponen lisan (penerangan berdasarkan
gambar). Murid-murid ini didapati menerangkan gambar dengan menggunakan ayat mudah, tidak padat dan
tidak memberikan respons peribadi mereka. Teknik Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah dijalankan di dalam
kelas agar murid terlibat dalam pembelajaran secara aktif dengan menyelesaikan masalah yang memerlukan
penyertaan mereka.

5.2. Instrumen kajian


Murid akan menjalani proses konsep PBL iaitu penjanaan idea, isu pembelajaran, pembelajaran kendiri,
sintesis dan aplikasi, maklum balas dan pencerahan. Murid perlu melalui proses PBL bagi menyediakan kaedah
berstruktur untuk membantu murid membina kemahiran berfikir dan menyelesaikan masalah. Klip video,
keratan-keratan akhbar yang sesuai dan aktiviti menjana kecerdasan minda juga digunakan dalam kajian
ini bagi membantu murid untuk mendapatkan kosa kata yang sesuai dan tepat untuk menerangkan
gambar. Slaid PowerPoint tentang penerangan teliti bagi proses PBL juga digunakan dalam kajian ini. Proses
PBL dicetak dijadikan kad-kad mini untuk membimbing dan membantu murid semasa melalui proses PBL.

5.3. Prosedur kajian


Murid-murid melalui aktiviti yang pelbagai dan bertahap-tahap bagi mengukuhkan proses pembelajaran.
Guru membuat pemantauan keberkesanan penyelesaian masalah, mutu kerja murid dan guru memudahcarakan
proses penyelesaian masalah. Murid akan melalui enam tahap dalam proses PBL.
Pertama, murid akan dikemukakan dengan masalah yang harus diselesaikan. Di tahap ini, murid perlu
kenal pasti masalah yang dikemukakan dan senaraikan fakta-fakta, butiran-butiran penting dalam permasalahan
yang dikemukakan.
Pada tahap kedua pula, murid perlu senaraikan idea-idea yang berkait dengan masalah yang
dikemukakan. Tahap ini merupakan tahap sumbang saran di mana murid boleh kemukakan soalan-soalan.
Idea-idea murid boleh berbentuk hipotesis, penerokaan dan kreatif tetapi yang pasti harus dapat
menghuraikan masalah yang dikemukakan.
Pada tahap ketiga murid diminta untuk melihat isu pembelajaran dengan perspektif yang pelbagai. Murid
harus tentukan apa yang perlu dicari untuk selesaikan masalah yang dikemukakan agar dapat menyelesaikan
masalah yang wujud.
Pada tahap keempat memberi ruang bagi pembelajaran kendiri. Murid akan mencari maklumat yang
diingini melalui pelbagai sumber. Segala maklumat relevan yang diperoleh akan dibentangkan dan
dibincangkan dalam perbincangan seterusnya.
Pada tahap yang kelima, murid perlu meneliti dan merenung maklumat yang dikumpulkan.
Murid perlu menganalisis, mengkritik dan menambah maklumat untuk membina dan berkolaborasi

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mengenai pengetahuan yang berkaitan dengan masalah. Di tahap ini juga murid perlu membina jawapan
atau penjelasan yang diingini.
Akhir sekali, murid perlu membuat maklum balas dan pencerahan. Murid perlu merenung semula
huraian dan penjelasan masalah bagi masalah yang dikemukakan.

6. Dapatan Kajian dan Perbincangan


Data-data bagi kajian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan pendekatan analisis kuantitatif. Markah murid
yang menjalani Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah dipantau. Perbandingan markah Darjah 5 SA2 diambil dan
dibandingkan dengan markah Darjah 6 SA2 di mana struktur Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah baru
diajarkan kepada murid-murid. Guru-guru mendapati 70% murid telah berjaya melangkaui band cemerlang.
Bagi memastikan keberkesanan proses PBL yang berlangsung di dalam bilik darjah bagi latihan lisan, kajian
bagi proses PBL dijalankan sekali lagi sebelum ujian prelim. Guru-guru pemeriksa bersependapat bahawa
penerangan dan respons yang diketengahkan murid-murid baik dan padat. Murid-murid juga tampil
yakin semasa menerangkan gambar lisan.
Berdasarkan dapatan kuantitatif seperti yang dibincangkan di atas, jelas menunjukkan kemahiran murid
dalam bahagian penerangan berdasarkan gambar telah meningkat. Murid dapat mengikuti proses PBL yang
diperkenalkan kepada mereka dengan berkesan. Murid tidak lagi teragak-agak dalam menyatakan pendapat,
idea dan penyelesaian yang diketengahkan dalam gambar dan bukan hanya menerangkan aktiviti tanpa
penyelesaian. Proses PBL yang telah murid-murid lalui telah membantu murid supaya lebih berkeyakinan
untuk menyampaikan idea-idea mereka.

7. Kesimpulan
Kajian ini telah mencapai matlamat yang ingin dicapai. Dengan menyediakan ruang bagi murid untuk
menjalani proses PBL, murid lebih berupaya memberikan respons yang lebih padat dengan memberikan
penyelesaian bagi masalah yang diketengahkan dalam gambar. Struktur dalam proses PBL berjaya
merangsang murid untuk menyampaikan idea-idea mereka dengan lebih menarik, teratur dan memberikan
respons peribadi yang baik.
Dengan ada struktur dalam proses PBL, murid lebih berkeyakinan untuk bertutur dan menerangkan
gambar. Hasilnya terbukti jika dilihat pada perubahan markah dari band baik ke band cemerlang yang
signifikan. Proses PBL ini bukan hanya memberi manfaat kepada murid-murid malah kepada guru-guru
juga dalam menjalankan pengajaran lisan. Justeru itu, proses PBL akan dijalankan dalam lebih banyak bilik
darjah.

8. Rujukan
Ovando, C., Collier, V., & Combs, M. (2003). Bilingual and ESL classrooms: Teaching Multicultural Contexts
(3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill

Siti Hajar Abdul Aziz. (2009). Siri Pendidikan Guru: Bahasa Melayu II. Selangor Darul Ehsan: Laser Press
Sdn Bhd.

Yahya Don (2005). Kepimpinan Pendidikan di Malaysia. Wangsa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur: PTS
Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd.

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Menyemai Budaya Berfikir dalam Pengajaran dan


Pembelajaran
Nuraina Mohamed Sin dan Haslina Ishak

Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura


Sekolah Rendah Fuhua

Abstrak: Kertas kajian ini membincangkan keberkesanan dalam menggunakan pendekatan interaktif di
bilik darjah secara berfasa dengan murid-murid Darjah 5. Kaedah Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah
dan teori ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ oleh Richard Paul (1992) telah diperkenalkan kepada murid
untuk menerapkan budaya berfikir dalam diri mereka dan menjana pemikiran yang kritis dan kreatif.
Dapatan kajian menunjukkan murid lebih berupaya untuk memberikan idea dengan lebih baik. Mereka
juga dapat melakukan refleksi berkaitan idea yang mereka dan rakan sedarjah dengan jelas. Mereka juga
lebih aktif dalam perbincangan di bilik darjah. Tambahan pula, mereka juga mampu mengutarakan
pendapat yang lebih bernas hasil daripada perbincangan dengan guru dan rakan-rakan berdasarkan
kaedah pemikiran yang digunakan. Kini, murid-murid tidak lagi kelihatan bosan bila diajak berbincang
dan dapat menjawab soalan-soalan yang ditanyakan oleh guru dengan lebih yakin serta menjelaskan
jawapan awal yang diutarakan.

Kata Kunci: proses berfikir, menjana pemikiran, kritis, kreatif

1. Pengenalan
Jawatankuasa Semakan Bahasa Ibunda 2004 telah menyarankan agar Kurikulum Bahasa Ibunda
menggunakan pendekatan yang berpusatkan murid yang memerlukan pengajaran bersifat interaktif dan
memberikan mereka peluang untuk menggunakan Bahasa Ibunda dengan fasih dan yakin dalam
situasi yang berbeza-beza. Kaedah Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah mampu untuk memberi
peluang kepada murid untuk belajar dalam situasi yang autentik. Hal ini memberi ruang buat mereka
untuk memikirkan perkara- perkara yang dekat dengan pengalaman sedia ada mereka. Secara tidak
langsung, murid menjadi lebih selesa dalam menggunakan Bahasa Ibunda ketika mengutarakan
pendapat dan pandangan mereka meskipun berbeza daripada pandangan rakan-rakan yang lain.

2. Tujuan Kajian

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk:


1. menilai keberkesanan pendekatan komunikatif di bilik darjah menerusi Kaedah
Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah;
2. memberi peluang kepada murid untuk melalui proses pembelajaran yang relevan; dan
3. menilai keberkesanan membantu murid berfikir secara kritis dan analitis menerusi teori ‘The 8
Elements of Reasoning’ oleh Richard Paul (1992).

3. Pernyataan Masalah
Murid perlu dididik untuk mengenal pasti masalah berdasarkan situasi yang diberikan demi
memastikan mereka dapat memahami konteks atau situasi yang diberikan. Lazimnya mereka mahu
menjawab soalan yang diutarakan guru dengan cepat namun jawapan yang diberikan kurang bernas
dan mereka juga tidak mampu memberikan penjelasan bagi apa yang telah mereka nyatakan. Hal yang
sama juga dilihat semasa latihan dan penilaian bagi kemahiran lisan. Mereka sering gagal
mengembangkan idea yang disampaikan dengan baik dan meyakinkan.

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4. Kajian Lepas
Menurut Cindy E. Hmelo Silver (2004), murid yang diberi peluang untuk belajar menerusi
pengalaman untuk menyelesaikan masalah, mampu untuk memahami isi pengajaran yang hendak
disampaikan dengan baik serta boleh menguasai strategi berfikir. Hal ini disokong oleh Barrows dan
Tamblyn (1980) yang berpendapat bahawa pembelajaran berasaskan masalah sangat sesuai bagi
menghasilkan pelajar aktif kerana memberi penekanan terhadap masalah atau situasi yang autentik dan
memberi peluang kepada mereka untuk bertanggungjawab atas pembelajaran mereka sendiri.
Richard Paul (1992) pula menyatakan adalah sukar bagi seseorang untuk membuat
perbandingan antara fakta dan pendapat dalam kehidupan sehariannya. Namun, hal ini akan menjadi
mudah dengan adanya andaian atau pemikiran yang rasional oleh individu itu. Pemikiran yang
rasional ini sering dipengaruhi oleh kepercayaan dan sebab-sebab tertentu seperti pengalaman
peribadi yang dialami olehnya. Andaian dan pemikiran seperti ini yang bakal membantu seseorang
individu itu mencorak pemikiran yang boleh dianggap lebih berasas.

5. Kaedah Kajian
Subjek kajian ini terdiri daripada 51 orang murid Darjah 5 daripada dua buah kumpulan.
Kumpulan pertama telah menjalani sesi pembelajaran pada awal tahun 2015 sementara yang kedua
pula pada pertengahan tahun 2015. Kedua-dua kumpulan dibimbing oleh dua orang guru yang
berlainan. Kajian bagi setiap kumpulan murid telah dijalankan selama satu penggal. Pengumpulan data
telah dilakukan berdasarkan perbincangan kumpulan, hasil kerja individu milik murid, pemerhatian
guru dan refleksi murid yang dijalankan di bilik darjah. Keberkesanan kajian yang berbentuk
kualitatif ini telah diukur khususnya melalui hasil kerja murid.

5.1. Instrumen kajian


Kebolehan murid untuk mengutarakan sebab serta pendapat mereka turut perlu diasah.
Richard Paul (1992) menyarankan agar menggunakan ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ bagi merangsang
murid untuk berfikir secara kritis kerana ianya berupaya untuk menjana pemikiran yang lebih baik
dan terarah. Maka itu dalam fasa kedua murid terlibat dalam proses berfikir secara kritis yang lebih
mendalam dan berstruktur. Fasa ini memerlukan mereka menjelaskan sebab atau pemikiran di sebalik
setiap pandangan yang mereka nyatakan. Teks sastera Badang telah digunakan bagi membolehkan
murid berbincang tentang tema, nilai dan pencirian watak yang terdapat dalam teks tersebut. Dalam
fasa ini ‘8 Elements of Reasoning’ oleh Richard Paul (1992) dijadikan sebagai struktur atau protokol
yang menjadi sandaran untuk murid berfikir secara kritis tanpa terlalu banyak bergantung kepada guru.
Rujuk Rajah1.

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Rajah 1: Lapan unsur pemikiran yang diadaptasi dari Richard Paul 8 Elements of Reasoning

1. Tujuan Berfikir (Purpose of Thinking)


2. Menyoal Masalah (Question at Issue)
3. Maklumat – data, pengalaman, pemerhatian (Information)
4. Intepretasi dan Inferens (Interpretation and Inference)
5. Konsep (Concepts)
6. Andaian (Assumptions)
7. Kesan dan Akibat (Implications and Consequences)
8. Sudut Pandangan (Point of View)

5.2. Prosedur kajian


Kajian ini dijalankan dalam dua fasa. Pada fasa pertama, murid didedahkan kepada kaedah
Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah. Menerusi kaedah ini mereka diharapkan terdedah kepada budaya
berfikir secara kritis dan kreatif. Selama dua minggu murid diberikan situasi yang memerlukan mereka
mengenal pasti masalah yang bakal dihadapi mereka dan kemudian mencari jalan penyelesaian bagi
masalah tersebut. Soalan-soalan yang berkait rapat dengan diri mereka diajukan bagi memudahkan
mereka memahami konteks atau situasi dengan mudah dan mampu mengaitkan pengalaman sedia ada
mereka dengan apa yang dibincangkan. Rujuk Jadual 1 bagi contoh situasi dan Jadual 2 bagi respons
murid.

Jadual: Contoh-contoh Situasi

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Jadual 2: Respons Murid

Dalam fasa yang kedua, murid mengupas cerita Badang dengan memberikan penekanan kepada
salah satu elemen sastera, iaitu pencirian watak. Menerusi rutin reflektif, ‘Dahulu saya berpendapat
bahawa…, kini saya berpendapat bahawa ...’ (‘I Used to Think…, Now I Think…’) oleh Ron Ritchhart
(1992), mereka diminta untuk merenung pandangan yang diberikan tentang watak utama dalam teks
tersebut. Pada awalnya, guru mengajukan pelbagai soalan bagi mencabar pemikiran murid berdasarkan
pendapat yang mereka utarakan. Aktiviti ini bertujuan untuk merangsang murid menilai pandangan dan
pemikiran mereka sendiri. Pada akhir pelajaran, murid akan mencatatkan perubahan pandangan atau
pendirian mereka untuk dikongsi bersama guru dan rakan-rakan yang lain. Perubahan ini terhasil
apabila murid berkongsi pendapat berdasarkan soalan sokratik yang diajukan guru. Proses ini
kemudiannya diulang bagi bahagian teks yang lain. Murid pula diberi peluang untuk menyoal dan
mencabar pendapat atau pandangan rakan-rakan mereka.

6. Dapatan Kajian dan Perbincangan


Pada fasa pertama, kupasan atau pandangan murid terhadap situasi yang diberikan kepada murid
dilihat sekadar pada tahap permukaan sahaja. Mereka gagal mengutarakan pandangan yang lebih
kritis. Mereka hanya mampu memikirkan kesukaran yang bakal dihadapi berdasarkan kehendak dan
keperluan mereka pada dasarnya sahaja. Walaupun kaedah Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah mampu
mengajak murid berfikir namun mereka tidak mampu berfikir secara kritis tanpa adanya panduan serta
rangsangan guru. Mereka juga tidak mampu bertanyakan sebarang soalan bagi memahami situasi atau
konteks dengan lebih mendalam. Penyelesaian yang disarankan juga kurang menarik dan tidak kreatif.
Setelah menggunakan ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ oleh Richard Paul (1992), murid semakin
selesa dan yakin untuk mengajukan soalan- soalan yang membantu mereka memahami situasi yang guru
berikan dengan lebih baik dan teliti. Soalan yang diajukan kemudiannya dijawab guru dan jawapan-
jawapan itu menjadi maklumat tambahan untuk murid bagi membantu mereka mengenal pasti apakah
sebenarnya masalah yang lebih tepat yang harus diselesaikan oleh mereka.
Murid tidak hanya mengenal pasti masalah tetapi turut mencari penyelesaian. Selain itu, mereka
mula menyoal apakah sebab atau perkara-perkara yang mempengaruhi pemikiran mereka ketika
mengenal pasti masalah yang dinyatakan. Hal ini dilakukan secara individu, berkumpulan dan
kemudiannya dengan guru serta rakan-rakan sedarjah mengikut ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ oleh
Richard Paul (1992). Pendekatan ini memberi ruang kepada murid untuk menilai sama ada pandangan
mereka itu sebenarnya kerana terpengaruh pendapat orang lain atau berdasarkan fakta sebenar. Mereka
juga lebih terangsang dan berminat untuk mengutarakan pendapat mahupun soalan dan tidak rasa
terbeban bila diminta berfikir menerusi soalan-soalan guru. Pendekatan ini telah membolehkan murid
memberikan hasil pendapat yang lebih baik jika dibandingkan pada peringkat awal kajian ini.

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Rutin refleksi ‘I Used to Think…, Now I Think…’ oleh Ron Ritchhart yang digunakan memberi
ruang kepada murid untuk mencatatkan apa yang mereka fikirkan. Mereka mampu untuk menyatakan
perubahan idea atau pandangan a s a l mereka dan turut memberi sebab bagi perubahan tersebut. Murid
menunjukkan tahap persediaan yang lebih baik semasa mengupas teks sastera yang dipilih. Mereka
lebih selesa menerima soalan-soalan guru dan mampu memberikan respons yang positif bila dirangsang
bagi mengenal pasti isu seperti, tema, dan pencirian watak. Mereka juga mampu membuat kaitan
antara isi teks dengan pengalaman mereka sendiri berdasarkan perkongsian pengalaman atau
pandangan mereka terhadap sesuatu perkara yang ditimbulkan guru.
Dapatan kajian menunjukkan apabila murid didedahkan kepada proses berfikir secara
berstruktur, mereka dapat memberikan idea dengan lebih baik. Mereka juga dapat membuat refleksi,
lebih aktif dalam perbincangan dan mampu mengutarakan pendapat yang lebih baik yang terhasil
daripada perbincangan dengan guru dan rakan-rakan berdasarkan kaedah dan pendekatan yang
digunakan. Kini, murid tidak rasa bosan atau terbeban bila disoal baik oleh guru mahupun rakan-
rakan. Malah, mereka sendiri semakin banyak bertanya untuk memahami situasi yang sedang mereka
alami. Mereka turut menggunakan ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ dalam latihan seharian mereka bagi
mereka fahami kehendak dan keperluan petikan yang dibaca mahupun soalan-soalan yang diberikan.
Semasa proses kajian ini dijalankan, terdapat beberapa cabaran yang dihadapi guru. Guru harus
bersedia dan bijak mencungkil isi-isi penting menerusi perkongsian untuk dijadikan bahan mengajar
agar tidak lari daripada fokus setiap pengajaran yang dijalankan. Kebolehan atau teknik menyoal guru
juga memainkan peranan yang penting bagi memastikan murid terus aktif dalam perbincangan dan
dalam masa yang sama masih dapat merangsang mereka mencapai objektif pembelajaran. Selain itu,
guru juga berhadapan dengan murid yang mempunyai ebolehan yang pelbagai yang mana kadang kala
boleh menimbulkan kesukaran bagi guru untuk membentuk pemikiran kritis dalam diri murid seperti
yang diharapkan. Guru perlu mampu menguasai teknik menyoal dengan baik kerana kemahiran ini
penting bagi menentukan atau mempengaruhi pemikiran murid dalam sesuatu pelajaran.

7. Kesimpulan
Kajian ini telah membuktikan bahawa kebolehan berfikir murid boleh dan perlu diasah.
Pendekatan komunikatif di bilik darjah menerusi kaedah pembelajaran berasaskan masalah yang
dijalankan dengan menggunakan pendekatan ‘The 8 Elements of Reasoning’ oleh Richard Paul (1992)
telah membolehkan murid untuk berfikir dengan lebih terarah dalam memberikan idea yang bernas dan
bersebab. Pendekatan ini telah mampu merangsang murid untuk berfikir secara kritis dan kreatif selaras
dengan Hasil Pendidikan yang Diingini bagi kecekapan abad ke-21. Selain itu, mereka dapat mengenal
pasti isu-isu yang terdapat dalam teks sastera yang digunakan serta mengaitkannya dengan pengalaman
mereka sendiri bagi membentuk atau mengubah pandangan mereka sendiri dalam sesuatu perbincangan. Rutin
refleksi yang digunakan turut membantu murid untuk menilai pandangan mereka dan bagaimana mereka
menguasai kebolehan untuk menjelaskan idea mereka dengan lebih berkesan.

8. Penghargaan
Kami mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada pihak Sekolah Rendah Fuhua dan Pusat Bahasa Melayu
Singapura yang memberi kami peluang membentangkan hasil kajian kami di peringkat persidangan serantau.
Terima kasih juag kepada dengan Cikgu Haslina Ishak yang telah terlibat dalam sesi pemantauan dan
menjalankan kajian ini dengan kumpulan murid yang kedua.

9. Rujukan

Hmelo Silver, C.E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational
Psychology Review, 16 (3), 235-266.

Dunlap, J. C. (1970). Problem-based learning and self-efficacy, Denver: Educational Technology Research
and Development.

Quah May Ling & Ho Wah Kam (1998). Thinking Process: Going Beyond the Surface Curriculum, Upper

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Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Paul, R. & Elder, L. (1992). The Critical Thinking Community, Dillon Beach, CA: The Foundation for
Critical Thinking.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M. & Mirrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible, San Francisco, CA: Jossey
Bass.

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R.A.F.T. dan Think-Tac-Toe dalam Pengajaran dan


Pembelajaran
Ibrizi Ishak dan Hairani Sani

Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura


Sekolah Rendah Woodlands

Abstrak: Tugasan menulis karangan berasaskan gambar bersiri merupakan sebahagian latihan yang
sering murid lakukan. Hal ini boleh menimbulkan rasa bosan dalam kalangan mereka. Tambahan pula
apabila mereka diminta menulis mengikut format kertas peperiksaan, dan pengajaran dilakukan tanpa
mengambil kira keupayaan murid yang berbeza-beza dalam sesebuah kelas. Lantas, kajian ini bertujuan
untuk menarik minat murid menulis melalui pengajaran pembezaan yang berkesan dan menyeluruh.
Kajian ini juga bertujuan meningkatkan pemahaman murid dalam pembelajaran melalui kaedah Think-
Tac-Toe dan RAFT – role, audience, format dan topic memberi peluang kepada murid meletakkan diri
mereka dalam peranan tertentu untuk menulis dengan lebih teratur. Kedua-dua kaedah ini dilakarkan
dengan mengambil kira pengajaran pembezaan bagi membantu murid mempelajari sesuatu topik dengan
mengikut tahap kesediaan dan keupayaan masing-masing. Kajian ini melibatkan murid Darjah 1 hingga
Darjah 6. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan murid lebih tertarik dan bersedia untuk mempelajari Bahasa
Melayu. Murid terangsang untuk melakukan aktiviti yang disediakan dan dapat memahami pengajaran
dengan lebih menyeluruh.

Kata Kunci: R.A.F.T. Think-tac-toe, pengajaran pembezaan, kreatif

1. Pengenalan
Pengajaran pembezaan ialah pendekatan yang telah luas dilaksanakan di kelas kerana
keberkesanannya. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan pengajaran pembezaan, guru mengharapkan pengajaran
lebih bermakna, menarik dan lebih difahami murid-murid. Pembezaan dalam pengajaran penting agar setiap
murid dapat belajar dengan lebih berkesan. Dua kaedah yang dicuba ialah Think-Tac-Toe dan RAFT yang
bermakna Peranan (Role), Audien (Audience), Format (Format) dan Topik (Topic). Kedua-duanya dapat
digunakan dalam bilik darjah dengan menyesuaikan pengajaran mengikut topik-topik di dalam buku teks
Mekar.

2. Tujuan Kajian
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk:
1. menekankan pentingnya guru menjalankan pengajaran pembezaan bagi memenuhi keperluan
pembelajaran murid yang mempunyai latar belakang, keupayaan dan kesediaan yang berbeza.
2. membantu guru lebih yakin dan tahu cara melaksanakan pengajaran pembezaan;
3. meneliti keberkesanan kaedah Think-Tac-Toe dalam pembelajaran murid; dan
4. meningkatkan penulisan murid dengan menggunakan kaedah RAFT.

3. Pernyataan Masalah
Penulisan sering menjadi satu cabaran bagi murid. Murid-murid secara umum kurang berminat dalam
penulisan kerana mereka dapat jangkakan bentuk penulisan yang perlu ditulis, iaitu penulisan berpandukan
gambar. Murid- murid kurang didedahkan kepada penulisan kreatif oleh kekangan yang dinyatakan lebih
awal. Selain itu, murid mudah bosan dengan kertas latihan yang guru berikan kerana terlalu banyak
komponen yang perlu diselesaikan. Tahap kesediaan murid pula kurang diambil kira apabila guru memberi
latihan kepada murid-murid. Oleh itu, dengan pendekatan pengajaran pembezaan, diharapkan murid dapat
menggarap pengetahuan, menyelesaikan latihan mengikut kesediaan mereka dan memilih sendiri latihan
yang mereka mahu lakukan.

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4. Kajian Lepas
Menurut Carol-Ann Tomlinson (2016) Think-Tac-Toe ialah kaedah yang mudah untuk memberikan
murid-murid cara alternatif dalam meneroka dan meluahkan idea-idea penting dan menggunakan kemahiran
tertentu. Santa (1988) menyatakan kaedah R.A.F.T memberikan murid cara yang baharu bagaimana murid
memikirkan cara menulis. Strategi ini seimbang dengan cara penulisan karangan yang sering diajarkan
kepada murid dan juga yang sangat kreatif. R.A.F.T menggabungkan kedua-dua cara penulisan murid.
R.A.F.T juga membantu murid memahami idea utama, mengukuhkan organisasi karangan, dan memberi
penerangan lanjut dan kesinambungan isi.

5. Kaedah Kajian
Kajian ini memberikan tumpuan pada pengumpulan data yang berupa maklum balas murid. Selain itu,
hasil pemerhatian guru turut dijadikan data dapatan kajian. Memandangkan kajian ini dilakukan bagi setiap
murid, pemerhatian guru dan temu bual diberikan penekanan untuk mendapatkan data. Waktu Professional
Development, iaitu pembangunan profesional diperuntukkan bagi guru untuk merancang pengajaran dan
meneliti bahan pengajaran. Selepas pengajaran dilakukan, guru akan memberi maklum balas dan
menganalisis data yang dikumpulkan.

5.1. Subjek kajian


Subjek kajian terdiri daripada semua murid yang mempelajari bahasa Melayu dari Darjah 1 hingga
Darjah 6. Lapan orang guru bahasa Melayu terlibat dalam kajian ini. Lapan orang guru menjalankan kaedah
Think-Tac-Toe dalam penggal 1 dan 2 sementara dalam penggal 3 dan 4, semua guru menggunakan kaedah
R.A.F.T dalam pengajaran mereka.

5.2. Instrumen kajian


Strategi Think-Tac-Toe dan R.A.F.T ini digunakan sebagai instrumen kajian. Guru mendapatkan
maklum balas murid dengan membuat tinjauan yang melibatkan murid memberi pendapat mereka tentang
kaedah yang digunakan oleh guru.

5.3. Prosedur kajian


Sebelum kaedah ini dijalankan di dalam kelas, guru diberikan latihan tentang cara-cara
menggunakannya. Guru-guru diberikan bimbingan secara amali dan diberikan contoh-contoh untuk
menyusun soalan dalam grid 3 x 3 seperti permainan tic-tac-toe.
Semasa merancang pengajaran, guru perlu menentukan jenis soalan yang ingin diajukan. Dengan
menggunakan kaedah ini, murid perlu menjawab hanya tiga soalan. Guru perlu menyusun soalan agar murid
perlu menjawab soalan pelbagai kepayahan. Bagi murid melebihi aras keupayaan, guru boleh menambah
grid daripada 3 x 3 kepada 4 x 4. Guru juga boleh menurunkan tahap kepayahan soalan dengan menurunkan
jumlah grid kepada 2 x 2.
Contoh soalan grid 3 x 3 di bawah ini merupakan soalan kefahaman bagi peringkat Darjah 6.
Berdasarkan petikan kefahaman yang diberikan, murid diberikan soalan-soalan grid ini. Terdapat beberapa
soalan yang memerlukan murid melukis dan ada juga yang memerlukan murid memberikan kosa kata atau
makna perkataan. Guru juga boleh menetapkan syarat bagi soalan yang mesti dijawab. Guru perlu menyusun
grid yang mana, murid perlu menjawab soalan wajib itu walau arah garisan mana yang murid pilih. Biasanya
soalan wajib itu diletakkan di kotak tengah. Guru boleh memberi arahan supaya murid harus melepasi
kotak tengah untuk menyelesaikan tugasan mereka. Murid boleh memilih soalan kolum tengah dari atas ke
bawah, kanan ke kiri atau menyendeng tetapi harus melepasi kotak tengah. Soalan yang wajib itu sebaik-
baiknya soalan yang guru harapkan semua murid boleh menjawabnya. Guru perlu peka bahawa soalan yang
diisikan di dalam petak hanyalah untuk menguji pemahaman murid lantaran ada soalan yang memerlukan
murid melukis sebahagian daripada petikan dan memberikan kosa kata. Soalan-soalan kefahaman yang

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sempurna boleh diberikan dalam format yang biasa apabila murid sudah memahami sepenuhnya petikan
yang dibaca. Contoh soalan seperti dalam Jadual 1.
Seperti yang telah disebut, RAFT adalah singkatan bagi Peranan, Audien, Format dan Topik. Peranan
bermaksud, peranan murid sebagai penulis, contohnya, murid menjadi Leftenan Adnan ataupun Si Tanggang,
lantas menulis dari sudut pandangan Leftenan Adnan atau Si Tanggang. Audien atau pembaca pula ialah
penerima hasil tulisan murid itu. Misalnya, Leftenan Adnan sempat menulis surat kepada kawannya di
kampung sebelum pergi berperang, justeru audiensnya ialah kawannya. Kemudian, formatnya boleh dalam
bentuk penulisan surat, dialog ataupun guru juga boleh meminta murid berlakon. Guru perlu menetapkan
topik atau tajuk yang ingin dihasilkan oleh murid.
Guru boleh memulakan pelajaran dengan menayangkan video atau mana-mana bahan rangsangan
yang boleh dijadikan topik perbincangan. Guru dan murid berbincang tentang bahan rangsangan yang
ditunjukkan dan kemudian membincangkan topik pembelajaran. Setelah perbincangan dijalankan, guru
memberikan murid peranan yang mereka ingin pegang, audiensnya dan juga format tugasan berdasarkan
topik yang telah dibincangkan. Sebagai contoh, murid Darjah 4 diberikan tugasan contohnya
‘Bayangkan kamu Leftenan Adnan. Tuliskan surat kepada rakan kamu di kampung tentang
pertempuran yang kamu hadapi.’
Melalui topik soalan yang diberikan, murid diberikan peranan sebagai Leftenan Adnan, audiensnya
ialah rakan sekampung, formatnya ialah surat dan topiknya ialah tentang pertempuran yang telah berlaku.
Justeru, murid harus menulis mengikut RAFT yang telah diberikan.

6. Dapatan Kajian dan Perbincangan


Dapatan kajian menunjukkan, berdasarkan pemerhatian guru terhadap respons dan pelibatan murid
dalam kelas serta tugasan yang dihasilkan oleh murid menunjukkan kesan yang menggalakkan. Murid lebih
terangsang dan memahami cara menjawab soalan-soalan yang diberikan.
Murid juga menunjukkan sikap yang positif menggunakan kaedah Think-Tac-Toe dan RAFT dalam
pembelajaran. Hasil pemerhatian ini menunjukkan bahawa strategi ini membawa kesan yang amat baik.
Murid memberikan maklum balas yang positif pada kedua-dua kaedah tersebut. Murid yang lemah juga
dapat belajar mengikut tahap keupayaan mereka.
Refleksi murid juga didapati amat memberangsangkan. Rata-rata murid berasa seronok melihat hasil
kerja mereka dimuat naik ke dalam blog dan dapat membaca penulisan rakan yang lain. Dengan berkongsi
hasil kerja mereka, murid dapat melihat contohan hasil kerja yang lebih baik dan boleh menjadi panduan
kepada mereka.
Guru juga berpendapat kaedah Think-Tac-Toe telah membina keyakinan murid untuk menjawab
soalan kefahaman kerana mereka diberikan pilihan untuk menjawab soalan. Soalan yang dilakarkan dalam
permainan Think-Tac-Toe juga pelbagai dari aspek tahap kepayahannya supaya semua murid yakin
menjawabnya.
Selepas menjalankan kaedah RAFT, guru mendapati bahawa penulisan murid lebih kreatif dan murid
menulis secara sedar akan kehendak situasi yang dibentangkan kepada mereka. Daripada hasil kerja murid,
guru mendapati bahawa kebanyakan murid menulis dengan lebih memahami proses penulisan dan lebih
fokus.

7. Kesimpulan
Kaedah Think-Tac-Toe dan RAFT jelas memberikan kesan yang positif terhadap pembelajaran murid
dan pada masa yang sama menimbulkan keseronokan. Dengan melaksanakan kedua-dua kaedah ini,
keyakinan guru telah dapat ditingkatkan dan dapat menjalankan pengajaran pembezaan dengan lebih
berkesan. Guru-guru lebih peka dengan profil murid, kesediaan dan cara pembelajaran mereka Murid-murid
pula lebih berminat untuk mengambil bahagian dalam aktiviti di dalam kelas dan lebih yakin menjawab
soalan- soalan yang lebih mencabar.

8. Penghargaan

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Kertas kajian ini telah diusahakan dengan rakan sekerja saya, Cikgu Hairani Sani. Saya ingin
mengucapkan setinggi penghargaan kepada Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura yang telah memberikan saya
peluang untuk membentangkan hasil kajian saya di peringkat persidangan serantau. Saya juga amat
berterima kasih kepada Guru-guru Pakar dari Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura yang banyak membantu dalam
kertas kajian ini.

9. Rujukan
Tomlinsson, C. A. & Imbeau, M. (2010). Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria,
Virginia: ASCD.

Differentiated Instruction with Think-Tac-Toe http://www.teachingwithsimplicity.


com/2014/01/differentiated-instruction-with-think-tac-toe.html dipetik pada 18 Januari 2016.

Using the Tic-Tac-Toe Strategy to Differentiate Instruction


http://study.com/academy/lesson/using-the-tic-tac-toe-strategy-to-differentiate-
instruction.html dipetik pada 18 Januari 2016.

Classroom Strategies RAFT Writing http://www.adlit.org/strategies/19783/ dipetik pada 18 Januari 2016.

The RAFTs Technique http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Instruction-and-Assessment-


World-Class-Standards/Transition/EIA-CCSS/ScarpelliD-RAFT_toolbox.pdf dipetik pada 18
Januari 2016.

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Explicit Phonetic Instruction in Pronunciation Teaching


and Learning in Higher Education Settings: The Case of
Voiceless Dental Fricatives /Ɵ/ and Rhotics /r/ For Chinese
Learners of English

Mohd Hilmi Hamzah 1, Nurul Mardhiah Mohd Nashuha 1 and Abdul Halim Abdullah2

1
School of Languages, Civilisation & Philosophy, Universiti Utara Malaysia
2
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Abstract: In the development of effective pedagogy in English language classrooms, little attention is
given to pronunciation teaching and learning, especially in higher education settings in Malaysia. This
paper attempts to explore this issue by investigating the pronunciation of Chinese learners of English
after receiving an explicit instruction in English phonetics. The subjects were undergraduate Chinese
students of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) who were grouped according to their countries of origin,
i.e., Malaysia and China. 20 participants were recruited for this study and these participants had two
distinct learning backgrounds: [1] English as a second language (ESL) for the Chinese participants from
Malaysia; and [2] English as a foreign language (EFL) for the Chinese participants from China. The
target phones were voiceless dental fricatives /θ/ and rhotics /r/ that are known to be problematic for both
groups of Chinese speakers learning English. The participants’ production of the target phones was
measured in a pre-test and post test design using a word-list reading task and technology-enhanced
materials, i.e., computer-assisted language learning (CALL). The findings revealed that explicit phonetic
instruction facilitated effectively in speech learning improvement. This empirical data will be seen as a
contribution to SOTL research in pronunciation teaching and learning.

Keywords: Explicit phonetic instruction, Chinese learners, CALL

1. Introduction
Miscommunication often occurs among second languages (L2) learners who have inadequate
phonological awareness in communication (Plakans, 1997; Gravois, 2005). An L2 learner should be able to
identify and use the linguistically significant phonemes of the language appropriately in order to avoid
miscommunication and unintelligibility resulting from inadequacy of phonological awareness. For instance,
there are common problems among Chinese learners of English who cannot differentiate certain sounds in
minimal pairs in English. For example, the word think versus sink (voiceless dental fricative versus voiceless
alveolar fricatives), and rice versus lice (rhotics versus laterals), which can potentially hinder
communication process. These problems may be prevented or remedied by explicit phonetic instruction on
phonemic distinction in L2 sounds. Phonetic instruction emphasises the differences between learners’ first
language (L1) and L2 phonological systems with regard to phonemic inventories, articulation of analogous
phones, grapheme-phoneme correspondences and phonological processes.
Explicit phonetic instruction is a central method used in ESL classroom, especially in pronunciation
teaching and learning. Explicit instruction is an emphasis on the phonetic parameters relevant to the
segmental sounds (i.e., isolated consonants and vowels) which are illustrated with drawings (e.g., Clark,
1967) or animated diagrams of the vocal tract and waveforms and spectrograms produced with acoustical
analysis software (e.g., Lord, 2005). DeKeyser (2003) maintained that “an instructional treatment is explicit
if rule explanation forms part of the instruction (deduction) or if learners are asked to attend to particular
firms and try to find the rules themselves (induction)” (p.321).

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Pronunciation practice varies considerably from word reading to jazz chants, and feedback varying
from teacher-fronted pronunciation modelling to the visual and individualised feedback provided by
acoustical analysis software packages. All these exercises, in addition to the core component of explicit
lessons, have been thought to facilitate acquisition of target-like L2 pronunciation (Arteaga, 2000; Elliott,
2003).
The extent to which targeted instruction helps learners improve their L2 accent is still an empirical
question. While the amount of general language instruction does not seem to affect global accent (Piske,
MacKay, 8c Flege, 2001), pronunciation instruction has been shown to improve L2 production accuracy
(Neufeld, 1977; Piske et al., 2001) in L2 as well as foreign language contexts, including English (Pennington
& Richards, 1986), French (Clark, 1967; Walz, 1980), German (McCandless & Winitz, 1986; Moyer, 1999),
and Spanish (Elliott, 1995, 2003; Lord, 2005), leading some researchers to suggest that most adult L2
learners do not achieve native-like pronunciation without the help of explicit instruction (Bon-gaerts et al.,
1997; Fullana, 2006). Drawing learners' attention to particular acoustic features of the L2 system, even
briefly, seems more expedient than merely exposing them to L2 sounds in the hope that they will discover
those relevant acoustic features for themselves (Wipf, 1985).
The present study evaluated the effectiveness of explicit teaching of English phonetics. Other
researchers have examined various elements and methodologies of pronunciation instruction. Chung (2008)
compared explicit, implicit, and noticing instruction for improving Chinese learners' production of English
word stress and found that all groups improved equally on the post test, but the explicit group was
significantly better in the delayed post test. It seems particularly relevant to question the effectiveness of
explicit instruction in phonetics because it is precisely this element of pronunciation instruction that is least
appealing to those who view it as overly form-focused and in opposition to their communicative, meaning-
focused methodology (see discussions in Arteaga, 2000, and Morin, 2007) and argue that pronunciation
instruction needs to be better integrated into communicative activities (Isaacs, 2009). Alternatives for
bringing learners' attention to the L2 sound system, perhaps through targeted exposure, focused listening,
dictation, transcription, or other means, should be explored and weighed against the potential benefits of
explicit phonetics instruction.

2. Research Methodology
It’s Fry Not Fly: English Pronunciation Tutorial (IFNFEPT) is newly developed software that
helps learners pronounce target sounds correctly. The idea of developing this software is to integrate the use
of technology in English classroom, such as videos, games and practices, or in other words, using
multimedia elements in language teaching in order to make the teaching and learning more interesting. The
researchers used the ADDIE design model (Molenda, 2003) in order to build and develop the software. The
reason of using the ADDIE instructional design model was because it was simple and clearly depicted the
phases involved in the development of IFNFEPT. There were five main phases in ADDIE Model which were
the analysis phase, design phase, development phase and evaluation phase. The IFNFEPT software
development process based on the ADDIE model is summarised in Fig. 1.

2.1. Phase 1: Analysis


In this phase, researchers built an understanding on the needs of the software users, developing and
building the software content, the goals of the software, the strengths and the weakness of the software. The
problems of pronouncing target sounds were identified so that the software could help solve the
pronunciation of the sounds. The target group of the software was Chinese learners of English from Malaysia
and China who have problems in pronouncing the /θ/ and /r/ sounds. Therefore, the topic or content chosen

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for this software was the introduction to English phonetics and the target sounds, which included the native
speaker’s way of pronouncing the /θ/ and /r/ sounds.

2.2. Phase 2: Software design


The design phase was implemented after the analysis of needs and contents were completed. At this
phase, the learning and teaching materials related to phonetics and the target sounds were put into sequence
and arranged accordingly. The researchers used International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) charts, video tutorials
and also hands-on practices as the teaching aids included in IFNFEPT. There were three modules included in
IFNFEPT, which was built using Microsoft Words as a basic illustrator or a storyboard for the software.

Analysis

  Consumer needs
 Topic content

Software Design

  Teaching and learning strategy


 Software flowchart
 Storyboard

Software Development

  Developer Instructions
 Adding Interactive Functions

Implementation

  Research Session
 Teaching and Learning through IFNFEPT

Evaluation

 Questionnaires

Fig. 1: Research Methodology

2.3. Phase 3: Software development


Development refers to process of developing IFNFEPT software. This software was developed and
produced by integrating existing applications such as authoring, graphics, audio recordings, video tutorials
and other interactive functions. This software was developed with the help from a multimedia company,
Hiblox Sdn. Bhd. situated in Sibu, Sarawak. During this phase, a lot of instructions were given to the module

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developer in order to get the best product ready for testing. Many fixing and tuning processes were done at
this stage. The combination of the provided materials and the soft skills possessed by the experts
complemented each other in developing the software.

2.4. Phase 4: Implementation


The IFNFEPT software was presented in its actual form to 20 users to test its effectiveness and
smoothness. Through this implementation, the researchers were able to detect any problems in the software
and were able to improve the software for future users. The researchers were able to identify any problems
that might be overlooked during its development. This would allow the researchers to identify the weakness
of the software and its quality before it was officially released or being set in websites.

2.5. Phase 5: Evaluation


The evaluation process involved getting feedbacks, opinions and reviews from users. This process
was completed by 20 participants who were from China and Malaysia. The participants were Chinese
learners of English. The evaluation process was useful to ensure that the software was effective and enabled
the researchers to evaluate the sustainability of the software’s design, content, text, colour and audio. This
process also helped the researchers to measure the practicality of the practices and tutorial in this software,
whether they were too redundant or not.

3. Research Findings
Discussed below are the parts developed in the IFNFEPT software.

A. Software Title Display

Title display (see Fig. 2) was the main display that users first saw when they opened the software.
The welcome homepage displayed the IFNFEPT title, the welcome messages, the outline of the tutorial, and
acknowledgement. From the homepage, participants were able to know the subject matter and the focus of
each module.
B. Module 1: Introduction Display

After the participants were briefed on the reasoning of the title display, they were directed to Module
1: Introduction page (see Fig. 3). Here, the participants were explained on the objectives of Module 1 and its
focus. There were five parts in this module which focused on the introduction of phonetic symbols such as
the vowels and consonants sounds, the articulators, the different target sounds and their substitutions, and the
practices of listening and voice recording. There were three modules in the IFNFEPT and each module
presented the same introduction page with different focus and objectives.
C. Module 1: Introduction of Phonetic Symbols

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart was introduced to the participants who mostly saw the
symbols for the first time (see Fig. 4). This chart was very interactive in which the participants were able to
listen to each sound of the symbols when they clicked on the symbols. This chart was adopted from British
Council website and was fully used to let the participants try and listen to the sounds and clicked on the
examples.
D. Module 1: Consonant and Articulators Display

On the next page, page 2, participants were directed to the introduction of consonants and
articulators (see Fig. 5-6). The articulators were labeled for each part to let the participants be informed.
Here, the participants were also directed to watch a video on organs of speech and their functions.

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Fig. 2: Software Title Display/Homepage

Fig. 3: Module 1 Introduction Display

Fig. 4: International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart

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Fig. 5: Articulators

Fig. 6: The Organ of Speech and Their Functions

E. Practice Display

In each module, there was a section where the participants were able to listen to the native speaker’s
pronunciation of minimal pairs, and then they were able to record and playback the recording in order to
listen and compare their pronunciation with the native speaker’s pronunciation (see Fig. 7). This type of
practice was presented in each module, according to the focus on each module.

Fig. 7: The Minimal Pairs Practices

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F: Modules 2 and 3 – the /θ/ and /r/ tutorial display

For Modules 2 and 3, participants were directed to watch tutorial videos on the /θ/ and /r/ sounds
(see Fig. 8). In these videos, a native English speaker demonstrated the accurate way to pronounce the
sounds and provide examples and explanation on the target sounds. Here, the participants had the
opportunity to watch, listen and practice verbally to pronounce the words.

Fig. 8: The /θ/ and /r/ video tutorials

G: Modules 2 and 3 – Listen and Click Practices

For Modules 2 and 3, there was a session where the participants were required to do the listening
practice (see Fig. 9). This practice required the participants to click and listen to the words being pronounced,
and then, they had to choose the right words which were represented by the voice. After they had chosen the
answers, they clicked on the ‘check your answer’ button to see the right answers.

Fig. 9: Click, Listen and Choose Practice

H: Tongue Twisters and Poem Recital Games

In Modules 2 and 3, there were tongue twisters and poem recital games based on each focus (on the
target sounds) in the modules (see Fig. 10 & 11). The participants were required to say the tongue twisters
out loud after listening to the native speaker’s demonstration. While reading the tongue twisters and poem
aloud, they were required to record their voice by clicking on the record button before they started.

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Fig. 10: Tongue Twisters

The implementation phase was done when 20 participants explored and tested the IFNFEPT. These
participants were given enough time to explore the IFNFEPT and were given a set of questionnaire after they
had finished exploring. Evaluation phase was done on the content prepared, the practicality of the practices
and the modules itself, whether the software was easy to use and understand, and whether the software helps
to enhance their pronunciation of the target sounds or not. The items in the questionnaire used the five-level
Likert Scale: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2= Somewhat Disagree, 3= Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4= Somewhat
Agree, and 5= Strongly Agree. Research findings are shown in Table 1.

Fig. 11: Poem

TABLE 1: User Opinions on the IFNFEPT Software

Items Statement Mean

1 These modules are easy to understand and follow. 4.55

2 These modules are boring. 1.4

3 These modules help me a lot in improving my English 4.5


pronunciation on the target sound /r/.

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4 I can pronounce the target sound /θ/ correctly after 4.65


learning from these modules.

5 These modules do not enhance my knowledge on 1.25


English sounds.

6 I’m not interested in learning English phonetics. 1.25

7 The videos in the modules are interesting. 4.2

8 I don’t like the practices in the modules 1.25

9 These modules are not suitable for Chinese learners of 1.6


English.

10 I would recommend my English teachers to use these 4.35


modules in their classrooms.

TABLE 2: User Opinions of IFNFEPT according to Questions

QUESTION/ Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
PARTICIPANT
P.1 5 1 5 5 1 1 4 1 2 4
P.2 4 1 5 4 1 1 5 1 1 4
P.3 5 1 5 4 1 1 4 1 1 5
P.4 4 1 4 3 3 2 5 2 1 5
P.5 5 2 3 5 2 2 3 3 2 4
P.6 5 1 5 5 1 1 4 1 1 5
P.7 5 1 5 5 1 1 5 1 4 5
P.8 4 2 4 5 1 1 3 1 5 5
P.9 5 2 4 5 1 1 4 1 1 5
P.10 4 2 4 5 2 2 4 2 2 3
P.11 3 1 5 4 1 1 4 2 1 3
P.12 5 2 4 5 2 2 4 1 1 4
P.13 5 1 5 5 1 1 5 1 2 5
P.14 5 4 3 5 1 1 4 1 1 5
P.15 4 1 4 5 1 1 4 1 1 3
P.16 5 1 5 5 1 1 5 1 1 3
P.17 5 1 5 5 1 2 4 1 1 5
P.18 5 1 5 5 1 1 5 1 1 5
P.19 4 1 5 4 1 1 3 1 1 4
P.20 4 1 5 4 1 1 5 1 2 5
Mean 4.55 1.4 4.5 4.65 1.25 1.25 4.2 1.25 1.6 4.35

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Based on Tables 1 and 2, for Question 1, 12 participants strongly agreed that these modules were easy
to understand and follow; 7 participants somewhat agreed and only 1 participant was not sure about it. For
Question 2, 14 participants strongly disagreed that the modules were boring; 5 participants chose to
somewhat disagree and only 1 participant chose to somewhat agree with the statement. When it comes to
Question 3, 12 participants strongly agreed that these modules help them a lot in improving their English
pronunciation on the target sound /r/; 6 participants somewhat agreed and 2 participants chose to neither
agree nor disagree with the statement.
Question 4 tested whether the participants could pronounce the target sound /θ/ correctly after learning
from these modules; 14 of the participants strongly agreed, while 5 participants somewhat agreed and only 1
participant was not sure with the statement. For Question 5, 16 participants strongly disagreed with the
statement that suggested these modules did not enhance their knowledge on English sounds; 3 participants
somewhat disagreed and only 1 participant was not sure. When it comes to Question 6, 15 participants
strongly disagreed they were not interested in learning English phonetics; 5, however, somewhat disagreed.
Question 7 stated the videos in the modules were interesting and this statement was strongly agreed by 7
participants and somewhat agreed by 10 participants; 3 participants were not sure with the statement.
For Question 8, 16 participant strongly disagreed that they did not like the practice in the module; 3
participants somewhat disagreed and only 1 participant was not sure with the statement. Question 9 stated
that these modules were not suitable for Chinese learners of English and this was strongly disagreed by 13
participants; 5 somewhat disagreed, and 1 participant strongly agreed, and only 1 somewhat agreed. The last
Question 10 asked the participants to recommend their English teacher to use these modules in their
classroom; 11 strongly agreed, 5 somewhat agreed, and 4 neither agreed nor disagreed.

4. Conclusion
From the findings, IFNFEPT software helped enhance the pronunciation of English target sounds and
the participants could easily explore and follow the tutorial in the software. Most of the participants found it
interesting and some of them would recommend this software to be used in English classrooms. Its
effectiveness of helping learners to enhance their pronunciation of the target sounds were evident from the
questionnaire responses and also from their improvements in the word-lists reading session. However, there
are many things that need to be improved and fixed in the software that may polish its potential in helping
L2 learners in the future, before it is officially established and published.

5. Acknowledgements
This tutorial was designed by researchers from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). It was part of the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant provided by UUM (S/O Code: 13392). The project was
led by Dr. Mohd Hilmi bin Hamzah (hilmihamzah@uum.edu.my) and assisted by Ms. Nurul Mardhiah
Mohd Nashuha (mardhiahnashuha@gmail.com). We would like to thank Hiblox Sdn. Bhd. for developing
this tutorial for the benefits of English language learners.

6. References
Arteaga, D. (2000). Articulatory phonetics in the first-year Spanish classroom. Modern Language Journal, 84,
339–354.

Chung, W. L. (2008). The effectiveness of explicit, implicit, and noticing instruction: Mandarin speakers’
perceptions and production of English sentence stress. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Alliant
International University, San Francisco, CA.

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Clark, J. L. (1967). Empirical studies related to the teaching of French pronunciation to American students.
(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA.

DeKeyser, R. (2003). Implicit and explicit learning. In M. Long & C. Doughty (Eds.), Handbook of second
language acquisition (pp. 313–348). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Elliott, R. A. (2003). Staking out the territory at the turn of the century: Integrating phonological theory,
research, and the effect of formal instruction on pronunciation in the acquisition of Spanish as a
second language. In B. A. Lafford & R. Salaberry (Eds.), Spanish second language acquisition: State
of the science (pp. 19–46). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Gravois, J. (2005, April 8). Teach impediment: When the student can’t understand the instructor, who is to
blame? The Chronicle of Higher Education, Retrieved February 15, 2008, from
http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i31/31a01001.htm

Isaacs, T. (2009). Integrating form and meaning in L2 pronunciation instruction. TESL Canada Journal, 27,
1–12.

Kissling, E. M. (2013). Teaching pronunciation: Is explicit phonetics instruction beneficial for FL learners?.
The modern language journal, 97(3), 720-744.

Kruse, K. (2002). Introduction to instructional design and the ADDIE model. Retrieved January, 26, 2005.

Lord, G. (2005). (How) can we teach foreign language pronunciation? On the effects of a Spanish phonetics
course. Hispania, 88, 557–567.

Molenda, M. (2003). In search of the elusive ADDIE model. Performance improvement, 42(5), 34-37.

Morin, R. (2007). A neglected aspect of the standards: Preparing foreign language Spanish teachers to teach
pronunciation. Foreign Language Annals, 40, 342–360.

Piske, T., MacKay, I. R. A., & Flege, J. E. (2001). Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2: A
review. Journal of Phonetics, 29, 191–215.

Plakans, B. (1997). Undergraduate’s experience with and attitudes toward international teaching assistants.
TESOL Quarterly, 31(1), 95-119.

Wipf, J. A. (1985). Towards improving second-language pronunciation. Die Unterrichtspraxis, 18, 55–63

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How Does Teach for Malaysia’s Student Learning Vision


of Empowerment Translate into Classroom Practice?
Yeong Ru Wong and Nadia Ezzat

Teach For Malaysia

Abstract: Teach for Malaysia strives towards the vision: 'One Day all children in Malaysia will
have the opportunity to attain an excellent education'. But how do we make this possible for all
children? What opportunities are required and what is an excellent education in our context? Over
the past 5 years, TFM has gathered data on impact and outcomes on the students we serve to
understand better. Notably, TFM has implemented a bi-annual student survey, 'Tripod', developed by
Harvard University using years of research on teacher effectiveness, supported by the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and in partnership with the global education group Teach for All. The
survey asks students to evaluate their teachers practice based on statements that measure the
effectiveness of the teacher; the results of which equips teachers to be able to evaluate and improve
their practice by correlating the survey findings with their classroom observations and student
achievement data. In addition to this, TFM met with students, parents, teachers, community leaders
and the wider educational landscape to develop a contextualised Student Vision for all children in
Malaysia, focusing on key areas of student voice, values and capabilities. This has translated into key
tools for classroom observation and development trackers to support Fellows to lead their
pedagogical development as a reflective practitioner. This study shares the principles and findings of
this research, and why we feel student empowerment sits at the heart of our work on nation-building.

TFM Fellow/LDO numbers

Ratio of LDO to Fellows 1:13


% Fellows who stayed in teaching (Teaching Alumni) 35%
Total number of fellows 301

1. Introduction

TFM is founded on the vision of all children having the opportunity to attain an excellent
education. This inevitably raises the questions: what is an excellent education in the context of a
system that is actively trying to transform itself? How can we move towards a new criteria of success,
which both keeps us accountable and takes on board the interests of the communities we were trying
to serve? This paper outlines the process through which TFM has tried to address this challenge and
what we have learnt from the process.
The first essential step in our research was to develop a locally contextualised vision of what an
‘excellent education’ would really look like in Malaysia. As our remit was cross country and in band
4-7 schools, we also realised that we needed to fully understand what ‘disadvantaged’ meant in our
context in order to make a real difference. This was a real challenge, as ‘little continues to be known
about what actually happens in classrooms, particularly from a national perspective,’ (Tee, Samuel,
Nor & Nadarajan, 2016). In light of this, we conducted an in-depth research in communities around
the country, in order to establish what Malaysian citizens felt they needed in education to succeed in
life. As students were key stakeholders, we knew that we needed to reach out to them and their
families. We conducted interviews and focus groups with students, parents and communities; we
wanted to speak to the beneficiaries of the education as often they are the ones not spoken to, and yet
they are the ones most affected. We also consulted school staff, shadowed students in schools and

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sought the opinions of community leaders. In addition, we used our global network research, data on
student impact and outcomes, as well as the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, in order to
really determine what Malaysian students needed.
What we discovered throughout our investigation, was that as in many developing education
models globally, the Malaysian education blueprint strives to shift the focus of excellent education
from merely grades to the holistic development of the child. But school systems still remained
focused on passivity and grades (typically leading to outcomes around textbook knowledge and
memory); and this came in direct contrast to the stakeholder feedback from students to local
government officials, who described wanting the success of children to include more ownership,
active engagement, collaboration and self- initiative.
This desire for student agency showed us that ‘an excellent education’ in a disadvantaged
Malaysian context is about having voice, values and capability and hence we created our Student
Vision (Fig. 1).

Fig.1: TFM Student Vision

Our TFM Student Vision: A Malaysia where all children are empowered to be leaders of their own
learning, their future and the future of Malaysia.

Student leadership and empowerment therefore, is the core of our work at TFM; it is this that we
believe will ultimately improve the future of this country and make a difference to the lives of our
children. ‘Success in life requires the capacity and propensity to take purposeful action. In other
words, it requires agency’(Ferguson, Phillips, Rowley, & Friedlander, 2015).

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2. What is the Student Vision about?

Before we examine how Teach for Malaysia has begun to work on achieving this vision, let’s
explore the concepts of student leadership and empowerment in more detail, to establish what that
reality would look like for our students in classrooms and schools on a daily basis. ‘Empowerment’ is
about giving our students the permission, power and the right to do something; it is about giving them
the confidence and strength to act; by enabling them to increase their control over their own life. This
then makes them ‘leaders; those who are leading their classrooms, schools, and eventually the nation.
At its heart it is about making pupils active participants in their learning, rather than recipients. This
concept is also well known globally as the key to a successful future, “the more we increase the active
participation and partnership with young people, the better we serve them. … And the more
comprehensively we work with them as service partners, the more we increase our public value to the
entire community” (Carmen Martinez).
We have translated these concepts into our TFM Student Learning Vision (Fig.2) in order to
understand further what this would look like in classrooms. In a classroom where the students’
outcomes are manifested, we would expect our students to say, ‘I know what I have learned so far and
where I am now. I know what I want to learn and I am aware of how much I need to progress. I know
who can help me and what I can do to get where I want to.’ This student centred vision has become
the cornerstone of our work, our vision for the classroom and our for fellowship programme.

Fig.2: TFM Student Learning Vision

The aim of this study, therefore, is to explore how this vision of student empowerment and agency
translates into classroom practice and to examine the tools and strategies that we believe are effective
in building this culture across the nation.

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3. Achieving our Student Learning Vision


Once our Student Learning Vision was articulated, an observation rubric to assess classroom and
teacher alignment with this vision was then required. Teacher observation as we know, is one of the
key methods through which we assess the quality of teaching, and in turn, learn how to develop our
practice further. There has been extensive research to evidence this over the last few decades, but the
quality of the observation tool used and the subsequent feedback from the observer can make a real
difference to the outcome. TFM used a teacher observation rubric for this purpose starting originally
as the Guru Cemerlang Rubric and then made into the Fellow Cemerlang Rubric in 2015. This initial
development to the tool was brought about by research on ‘Teaching as Leadership’ (Steven Farr,
Teach for America) where the role of the teacher extends beyond classroom practice but into
leadership of change. The framework supports educators to be leaders in their classrooms and schools,
gives clarity on what it means to be an effective teacher, describes key elements of practice and
provides a clear vision of success. We used the research from this well regarded global theory and, in
turn, combined the aspects of the Teaching as Leadership framework into our existing Fellow
Cemerlang rubric.
This rubric, however, still did not represent the specific needs of students in the Malaysian
disadvantaged context; we required a tool that would tell us explicitly whether our Student Learning
Vision was being realised in classrooms on a daily basis; a tool that was fully aligned with what are
aims are. Thus, we worked on creating a rubric with the Student Vision and Student Learning Vision
as the central-focus. We kept the visual familiarity of the Guru and Fellow Cemerlang for buy-in from
our stakeholders, but this new rubric was aligned with our visions and described what we wanted to
be visibly seen and explicit in classrooms from our teachers. The First three aspects of the rubric were
original but the others created by us; most recently, we added the ‘Presentation’ aspect, as this was the
element that describes how the teacher behaves in the classroom and facilitates learning in ways that
enable student leadership and empowerment. Our SLV Rubric can be accessed via the below link.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_6V1ZRSafshFpB6jaZL4ordRAhU8zoCOUcjaK7gi1Cw/edi
t#gid=0

Our SLV Rubric forms a core part of how we are working to achieve our vision on a day to day basis;
we use it to inform our Pre-Service Programme, our LDO training and to inform our continuous
fellow development.

4. Measuring our Progress

It was then clear that we needed a form of evidence that could bolster and measure this type of
approach, in particular bridging the local context with global standards.
One of our most utilised tools that measures student outcomes in recent years is the Tripod
Survey, a tool that was developed by Harvard University, using years of education research. This tool
surveys students on several key categories of teaching and learning, known as the 7Cs: care, confer,
captivate, clarify, consolidate, challenge and classroom management (Ferguson et al., 2015). Tripod is
highly regarded globally and is endorsed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who carried out
research on The Measures of Effective Teaching Project wherein it was discovered that the Tripod is a
highly effective way to measure teacher effectiveness, ‘teachers’ student survey results are predictive
of student achievement gains.’ This offers huge potential; if Tripod surveys are implemented early
enough in the academic year, teachers can shift their practice as necessary and make immediate
improvements to student performance.
Of course, there are inevitably challenges that we continue to face with student surveys and these
challenges tie in with the very heart of our work at TFM. Students in Malaysia as we know, ‘are
generally not accustomed to completing surveys or to giving their opinions on the quality of their

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teacher.’ (TFM LD Focus Group on Tripod, 2017) At times, this makes them feel uneasy and in turn,
may affect their survey responses. It is imperative, however, that we endorse these surveys as a key
part of measuring progress, as we know that they are an extremely meaningful tool for teacher
feedback. The Measures of Effective Teaching Project also confirmed that, ‘students know an
effective classroom when they experience one’ but beyond that, ‘student surveys produce more
consistent results than classroom observations or achievement gain measures (Kane & Cantrell,
2010). These are powerful findings that have informed us that these surveys can be used as an
extremely effective tool to improve teacher performance. In light of this knowledge, we need to
ensure that we continuously and consistently encourage voice, agency and leadership in our
classrooms so that our students are empowered to give us meaningful feedback.
For TFM, Tripod is paramount; in itself, it promotes student empowerment as it is based solely on
student voice and opinion. It also informs TFM and our fellows of areas of classroom practice and the
programme as a whole that need to be developed further. In addition, the individual teacher is
empowered, having their pupils directly speaking out directly to them allows them to take action
immediately.
The data we collect from Tripod is something that we use in our everyday work at TFM; our
LDOs use the language and format of the survey (7Cs) to lead coaching conversations with fellows.
In addition, we analyse the metadata in order to determine what elements we want to change within
our Pre-Service Programme, LDO support and fellowship design. Additionally, the fact that Tripod is
a recognised and widely used tool all over the world, means that it is something that truly supports our
education to be world class and allows TFM to share our best practice globally too. Teachers and
schools using Tripod also have access to reflection questions and simple and applicable classroom
strategies that they can use to improve their daily practice in each category of the survey. Here are
some outlined below from the category ‘confer:’

4.1 Reflection questions


Consider these questions as you reflect on your classroom practice:
• How often do you invite students to share their ideas and opinions in the context of learning
activities? • How often do you ask students to answer questions or solve problems together and
discuss their responses? • How do you ensure that all students have opportunities to express their
views? • How do you model respect for diverse viewpoints? • How do you respond when students ask
unclear or unexpected questions or share divergent views? • How often do you provide students with
opportunities to share their thoughts about how learning activities should proceed? • How often do
you seek feedback from students about the effectiveness of learning activities?

4.2 Sample strategies


Try implementing teaching strategies like these in your classroom:
• Establish and model expectations for respectful classroom exchanges, especially in the context
of disagreement. For example, ask students what respectful communication looks like, sounds like,
and feels like. • Incorporate small group and whole class discussions into learning activities. • Invite
students to share their views about how to structure specific learning activities or how to handle
classroom dilemmas. • Ask students to give each other feedback about how their work meets
established criteria.

5. What the data has revealed so far


Our data on Tripod shows us our progress in comparison to other Teach For networks, but most
importantly, it tells us the areas in which are teachers are succeeding in the classroom and the areas in
which more training and development is required. We have shown below as an example, our highest
and lowest scores within Tripod from 2016, using the two categories, care and classroom control.
These two are in fact, the key areas to focus on, as recommended by Harvard University as the basis
of effective teaching (Ferguson & Danielson, 2014). What we can see here is that we are scoring
highly on the ‘care’ category, which tells us that our relationship building is having a positive effect
on our students learning. Classroom Management, however, is an area where we need to improve in

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order to provide the best opportunities for our students. We use our Tripod data in partnership with
the SLV Rubric to enable us to gather a full picture of our progress towards achieving our student
vision of empowerment and leadership.

Fig. 3: Tripod Score for the Control Category

Fig.4: Tripod Score for the Care Category

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6. How we aim to use the tools to investigate further


This year we will continue to analyse the SLV Rubric observation data and Tripod data in a
variety of ways in order to measure our progress towards our Student Vision and make developments
accordingly. We are training fellows to now carry out more than one Tripod survey per year in order
to elicit feedback sooner. Fellows will also now begin to input their Tripod scores into our new
Fellow Development Tracker and use their respective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to
get share the learning on the data and discuss best practice. We are also leading focus groups with
LDOs to find out what student behaviours and teacher behaviours are observable in classrooms
demonstrating the aspects of the SLV rubric. We will then break down these behaviours into simple
teaching strategies to support our fellows in these areas. The constant use and development of these
tools are providing valuable opportunities to achieve our visions.

7. Moving Forward

As we have seen, the combination of Teach for Malaysia’s student surveys and teacher
observation tool, is core to realising our vision of empowerment and leadership. Going forward, we
aim to see empowered teachers in classrooms across Malaysia using this data to constantly reflect and
improve their classroom practice. Effective teachers will then, in turn, have a positive impact on
academic results and student agency will improve. In order to really transform the future lives of our
students, however, we not only need highly reflective practitioners, we also need schools and
ministries to enable this transformation. Student agency needs not just to be recognised by this nation,
but to be fundamental to success in the Malaysian education system. In other words, if our
examinations continue to assess memory and knowledge, in what ways are we valuing skills? TFM
sought to define and implement a transformational vision for educational excellence, which is
grounded in the views of the students and communities we seek to serve. But the only way we can
truly achieve this vision is if we are united.

9. References
Ferguson, R. F., & Danielson, C. (2014). How framework for teaching and tripod 7Cs evidence
distinguish key components of effective teaching. Designing teacher evaluation systems, 98-
143.

Ferguson, R. F., Phillips, S. F., Rowley, J. F., & Friedlander, J. W. (2015). The Influence of Teaching
Beyond Standardized Test Scores: Engagement, Mindsets, and Agency. Retrieved from The
Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University website: http://www. agi. harvard.
edu/publications. php.

Kane, T. J., & Cantrell, S. (2010). Learning about teaching: Initial findings from the measures of
effective teaching project. MET Project Research Paper, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 9.

Tee, M. Y., Samuel, M., Nor, N. B. M., & Nadarajan, S. (2016). A methodological approach for
researching national classroom practices, Journal of International and Comparative Education, 5(1),
1-16.

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Improving Critical Thinking Skills among Accounting


Students through Coaching Approach
Danilah Salleh and Hazeline Ayoub
Tunku Puteri Intan Syafinaz School of Accountancy
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: Critical thinking is the skill to think evidently and reasonably about what to do or to have
confidence in which involve in reflective and independent thinking. Realizing that the importance of
critical thinking skill to accounting student, the researcher do a study to improve the skills by using one of
the effective learning tool, which is coaching approach. Coaching approach is a method that directly
involves the learner, by actively encouraging them to do something in order to achieve their goals. A
culture of mentoring and coaching will, over time, have an impact on young people and their learning.
The approach can increase reflectivity and clarity of thinking, improved psychological wellbeing and
confidence and better problem-solving skills or decision-making. This study employed action research
with the use of ‘Grow Coaching Model’. A management accounting students comprised of 29 participants
were under studied. The instrument used to measure the attitude of critical thinking skills is Universiti
Utara Critical Thinking Skills Rubric. In this study, the researcher’s reflection and observation checklist
was used to gather data throughout the intervention. This provides information of changes /improvement
on how well the students develop critical thinking skills ability, reaction and understanding. Results
showed that students’ critical thinking skill are enhanced through coaching approach. Effective
bonding/closeness between student and lecturer as well as longer time per student are needed to make
this approach successful.

Keywords: Coaching approach, Education, Action research.

1. Introduction
In the higher education institutions, effective teaching and learning is an important topic of discussion
among the educators to ensure the students get the best learning experience and outcome from the
sessions. Researchers in the education field have developed variety of teaching strategies to facilitate the
achievement of effective teaching and learning sessions. Among the strategies proposed are the
cooperative learning (Johnson, Johnson and Smith, 1989), experiential learning by Kolb (2014),
problem-based learning (Albanese and Mitchell, 1993), peer learning (Boud, Cohen and Sampson, 2014),
spatial learning (Holley and Dansereau, 2014) and the most current strategies is digital learning through
games. Using these various teaching methods, educators found variety of implications on students
learning experience and understanding of the subjects under discussion.
Recently, Othman and Chia (2015) proposed another innovation to the teaching and learning
strategies that is by applying a coaching technique into the teaching and learning session. Their study
indicate that the teaching strategy have a positive effects on the students understanding and skill.
However, studies on the integration of coaching model as a teaching strategy is very limited. Coaching is
more popular in sports, medical and business industry compared to education. Therefore, this study aims
to explore the effects of integration of a coaching model in teaching and learning to students’ critical
thinking skills.

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2. Critical Thinking Skills


Critical thinking is “the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It
includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking” (Lau & Chan, 2017). Critical
thinking is important to students in providing them to become an excellent employee or entrepreneur
because with the skills they are able to identify issue/ problem in a complex situation and able to assess
and justify the situation, able to think beyond boundaries at most times and to provide challenging views
and able to make decision based on real solid evidence and to identify the source of evidence (Edwards,
2015; Flood, 2015; Facione, & Gittens, 2015; Whiley, Witt, Colvin, Sapiains Arrue & Kotir, 2017).
Braun (2004) suggests that “empirical assessment data on the success of techniques for developing
critical thinking skills are minimal” (p. 235) and Sormunen and Chalupa (1994) stressed that “increasing
pressure to produce employees who can think critically” (p. 172). The World Economic Forum issued a
report (January 2016) "The Future of Jobs". It says:
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes developments in previously disjointed fields such
as artificial intelligence and machine-learning, robotics, nanotechnology, 3-D printing, and genetics
and biotechnology, will cause widespread disruption not only to business models but also to labour
markets over the next five years, with enormous change predicted in the skill sets needed to thrive in
the new landscape.”

Realizing that the importance of critical thinking skill to accounting student, the researcher do a
study to improve the skills by using one of the effective learning tool, which is coaching approach.

3. Effective Learning Techniques


Learning is the lifelong activities for everyone to be successful our life. Therefore, an effective
learning process is vital to ensure the learning process leads to its intended goals. Various techniques and
strategies has been introduced and applied in the classroom to ensure effective teaching and learning
activities. Discussing the issue of effective teaching requires us to firstly understand the definition and
ultimate goal of teaching and learning. Atkins, Brown and Brown (2002) defined that teaching is an
activity that concerned with providing students with opportunities to learn and the objective of learning
are to gains knowledge and skills, deepening of understanding, the development of problem-solving and
changes in perception, attitudes, values and behaviour. In addition, Brown also highlighted another
important goal of learning that is to develop the capabilities to learn to the students. Clear understanding
of these definitions will improve our understanding on the criteria for effective teaching and learning in
our teaching and learning sessions.
The effectiveness of a particular teaching methods such as the experiential learning, problem-based
learning and co-operative learning have been discussed by many authors. For instance, Albanese and
Mitchell (1993) provide evidence on the impact of using the PBL on medical students. They found
positive and negative impacts of PBL as a teaching method in a medical school setting. Their study shows
that medical students who have gone through the PBL learning methods perform well on clinical
evaluation and faculty evaluations. However, they scored lower on basic sciences examination; view
themselves as less well prepared for the examination. The PBL students also tend to engage in backward
reasoning rather than forward reasoning and appeared to have gaps in their cognitive knowledge compare
to their traditional learners’ counterparts. Slavin (2010) found that the positive impact of co-operative
learning is depending on two key factors that are the availability of a clear group objective and the
effective individual learning skill of every members. Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) categorised the
experiential, problem-based and inquiry-based teaching as the less instructional teaching methods. They
commented that these teaching methods as less effective to learners compare to the instructional or guided
teaching methods. However, they did not provide any specific method that are considered as more
instructional or guided methods.

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Knowing the implication of these teaching techniques of students’ learning, this paper attempt to
improve accounting students’ critical thinking skill by understanding the effectiveness integrating a
coaching model that is the ”G.R.O.W” model into the teaching activities on students ability to gains
knowledge and skills among the accounting students in UUM. The implications of teaching on students’
ability to gain knowledge and skills is one of the outcome of teaching and learning activities mention by
Atkins, Brown and Brown (2002).

4. Coaching
Coaching is defined by Whitmore (2002) as a technique to train or tutor others to “unlocking a
person’s potential to maximize their own performance” (p8). Coaching helps a person to learn rather than
teaching them.
CIPD (2009) define coaching as a technique used to develop a person’s skills and knowledge so that
their job performance improves. Coaching activities usually lasts for a short period and focuses on
specific skills and goals. Coaching is not a popular topic of discussion among educators as a teaching
strategy. It is more popular and applied in the sports, business and psychology field of studies. However,
a recent study by Othman and Chia (2015) supported the integration of coaching model into teaching
activities. Their study shows that the coaching strategies in their teaching activities improved students’
understanding and skills.

4.1 Coaching models


There a few coaching models available in practice such as STRIDE, OSKAR and GROW models
(Othman and Chia, 2015). Shaker (2012) highlighted three models that are the EQ, EXACT and GROW
models. Among these, the GROW is more popular and widely used by coaches worldwide (Othman and
Chia, 2015). According to Shaker (2012) the first coaching model is the EQ model that emphasized more
on leadership while the GROW model is the core to coaching. This section will discuss only the GROW
model as this is the model selected to be used in this study for its easy to understand and implement and
suit with the learning process of accounting subject.

The GROW model.


The GROW model is developed by Sir John Whitmore (2002). Figure 1 below shows the cycle of the
model.

Figure 1: GROW model (Withmore, 2002)

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Figure 1 illustrates the GROW model from Whithmore (2002). The coaching activities are
categorised into four stages that are; the Grow, Reality, Options and Will. Each stages have its own goals.
At the grow stage, the coach guided the coachees to identify what they want from the session. The focus
is more on the solutions rather than problems. At the reality stage, the coachees need to review his or her
current situations with regards to the topic under discussion. In the option stage, the coachees are guided
to explore on the available options they have to achieve their intended goals and finally in the will stage,
the coachees are helped to identify their own best options to achieve the goals.
This study suggested that this model can be integrated into teaching sessions as it is expected to
drive the students to actively learn in class. In the Grow stage, teachers are expected to guide the students
to understand the goals of the session for example to understand the learning outcome from the class. By
setting this early in the class, students are expected to actively learn, process and able to evaluate their
own learning from the class. In the second stage, the reality stage, teachers should help the students to
understand their level of knowledge with concerning the topic. Understand their level of knowledge on
the topic is expected to open up their mind on the wider reality of that knowledge that they can or should
learn. Thirdly, in the options stage, teachers are expected to guide the students to search for alternatives or
other relevant or comparable knowledge related to the topic under discussion. This is expected to develop
students thinking skills in which they can make comparison and evaluations on the topic discussed.
Finally, in stage will, teachers are expected to guide the students to make their own judgement or decision
on the application of the knowledge in their daily activities as the product of knowledge learned from the
class. Applying this strategy in class is expected to lead the students to actively learn, unlearn and relearn
any topic and apply it for good reasons.

5. Methodology
This study employed action research. According to Mc Niff (2010), action research is done by the
practitioner. It involves oneself thinking about and reflecting on his/her work. Action research is an
enquiry conducted by oneself where the practitioner think about his/her own life and work. In action
research report, it shows how practitioner has carried out a systematic investigation into his/her own
behaviour, and the reasons for that behaviour. In this study, the lecturer observation, checklist and
interviews were used by the lecturer/ researcher to gather data throughout the intervention.
A management accounting students comprised of 29 participants were under studied. In this study,
the lecturer is acting or behave as if she is ‘the coach’ in the learning session. The instrument used to
measure the attitude of critical thinking skills is Universiti Utara Critical Thinking Skills Rubric. In this
study, the researcher’s reflection and observation checklist was used to gather data throughout the
intervention. This provides information of changes /improvement on how well the students develop
critical thinking skills ability, reaction and understanding. Students were asked to reflect on their
experience and feelings and comments on the effectiveness of the teaching session based on the four
GROW teaching stages.

Below were the phases/stages used in this study:

Phase 1: Beginning
Stage 1 – Grow – Before starting the session, students were asked to provide their ideas on the
goal of the class (pre-assessment). The lecturer guided the students on the real
objectives of the class. Get to an agreement on the objectives between the lecturer and
the students. Students’ goals may be different from the lecturer’s intended goals. –
asked the students to rewrite the goals after explanations.
Stage 2 – Reality – The lecturer guided the students to search and think of their own available
knowledge on the topic under discussion. Dig further to get more – the lecturer asked the
students to reflex on their own knowledge regarding the topic.

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Phase 2: Middle
Stage 3 – Option – In the class/teaching session, the lecturer guided the students to relate,
compare and contrast with the available knowledge that the students have. - asked the
students to write the goals. The lecturer guided the students to search for other possible
topic or concepts that may be in the same line to the topic under discussion. For example,
if the topic is about a specific performance management system – guide the students to
find for more performance management system in practice to widen their knowledge on
that topic.
Stage 4 –Will - The lecturer guided the students on what can they do with that knowledge?
Practicing the knowledge will sharpen their understanding on that topic. The lecturer
assessed the students understanding of the topic using critical thinking rubric. By using
critical thinking rubric, the lecturer can understand the students’ ability to identify and
analyse issue/ problem in a complex situation and able to assess and justify the situation,
clearly explain a situation and assess the discussion, think beyond boundaries at most
times and to provide challenging views and able to make decision based on real solid
evidence and to identify the source of evidence.
Phase 3: Observation and Reflection
For every stages students were asked to mention/write their feedbacks on their learning
experience and how they think it helped them to understand their topics with the use of coaching
approach. Semi structured interviews were conducted with the students to explore more on their
feelings about the class and the effectiveness of that teaching session. The reflections were done
by the lecturer on every stages.

6. Findings and Conclusion


The purpose of this study is to use coaching approach to improve accounting student’s critical
thinking skills with the use of Grow Model. This study is divided into three phases; Beginning phase
where it includes stage 1-Grow and stage 2-Reality, Middle phase where it includes stage 3-Option and
stage 4-Will and Final phase where the observation and reflections take place.
The beginning phase:
In stage 1: Grow - What do you want to achieve. At the beginning of the session, the lecturer as
students on their goal for the lesson. Most of them expressed their view, which are quite general
perspective;

“I want to be expert and fully understand the topic”

Acting as a coach, the lecturer try to ensure that at the first stage, the students understand the goal
of the lesson under study by giving clear explanation. So that students’ goals are specific and aligned
with the lesson’s goal or course learning outcome which is ‘Students are able to calculate techniques
in long term decision making’.

This action had created awareness and readiness on the expected goal. The feedback from
students showed that only two third of the students understand the goal of the lesson under study even
after the lecturer give explanations on the expected goal.

In stage 2: Reality – Current situation. In order to enhance the students’ understanding of the
topic/lesson under study, the coach/lecturer tried to understand the level of knowledge and experience
that the students had. The feedback showed that current knowledge and experience of the students on
the topic under study are considerably medium-low. With this understanding, the coach/lecturer
enhance the explanations and discussions of the topic.
The middle phase:

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In stage 3: Option – What could you do. Understand that students’ level of understanding are low, the
lecturer enhance the discussion of the topic. There were about ten different scenario exercises done
during the session. Every students were guided on every exercises. The lecturer will only move to the
next exercises clarifying with students whether they understand or not.

During discussions of the exercises, the coach/lecturer imposed other options to enhance students’
understanding. The lecturer searches for other possible topic or concepts that may be in the same line
to the lesson under study. This has enhanced students’ understanding in solving the given exercises.
The students able to identify and analyze issue/ problem in a complex situation and able to assess and
justify the situation in the exercise given.
In stage 4: Will – What will you do. Students were guided on what they can do with the knowledge
and how practicing the knowledge can enhance their understanding on the topic. The feedback
showed that students able to think beyond boundaries at most times and to provide challenging views.

After the completion of lesson, all 29 students were given a quiz with the use of critical thinking
rubric. All participants score full mark on the quiz.

The full marks of quiz is 5%.

P1: 5% P7: 5% P13: 5% P19: 5% P25:5%


P2: 5% P8: 5% P14: 5% P20: 5% P26: 5%
P3 :5% P9: 5% P15: 5% P21: 5% P27: 5%
P4: 5% P10:5% P16: 5% P22: 5% P28: 5%
P5: 5% P11:5% P17: 5% P23: 5% P29: 5%
P6: 5% P12:5% P18: 5% P24: 5%

Critical Able to identify Able to analyze Able to develop and Able to think Able to make
thinking issue/ problem in a issue/problem in improve thinking beyond decision based
criteria complex situation a complex skills. Able to boundaries at on real solid
and able to assess situation and analyze and clearly most times and evidence and to
and justify the able to assess explain a situation to provide identify the
situation and justify the and assess the challenging source of
situation. discussion. views. evidence.
Participant 29 29 29 29 29

The final phase: Observation and Reflections


At the beginning, students felt awkward when they were asked about their goals or what they want to
achieve from the topic since nobody else asked about their goals before started a new topic. They were
quite confused why the lecturer asked the question. After giving some explanation on coaching approach,
they felt relax and started mention/writing their goals. After they had done written their goals, the lecturer
explained the goal to be achieve for the topic/lesson. Their faces looked relief after the lecturer give clear
explanation on what to aspect or to achieve for the topic/lesson under study.
Since the students had been explained about this coaching approach, they were not asking further
questions when they were asked about their previous knowledge on the topics under study. Instead, they
were just mention/write about their previous knowledge on the topics. Understanding the students’
previous experience is important in measuring how much efforts must the coach/lecturer must put in
coaching the students.
After understanding the level of understanding of the students, the coach/lecturer explained/discussed
repeatedly on different kinds of exercises. The coach/lecturer would move to the next exercises after
clarifying with students whether they understand or not on the existing exercise. During teaching session,

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every students take part and concentrated on the explanation and exercise given. They looked focus on the
topic since the topic is related to real life circumstances. The coach/lecturer tried the best to link or
connect the discussion with real situation. From observation, most students felt comfortable with this
teaching approach since the lecturer keep repeatedly explained on any parts that they were not understood
and only move to the next exercise only if every students said they understand and grant permission to
proceed to the next techniques.
In written feedback after the lesson finished, there are few students who put rate ‘medium’ or ‘low’ in
their understanding with the remark that they feel uncertain on their understanding if they were to do
other new exercises. This shows that, even though the coach/lecturer keep explaining and asking if the
student understand or not, some student are not telling the whole truth in front of their coach/lecturer.
This might relate to bonding/closeness aspects where the trust must be built first in order for the student
to follow the coach/lecturer’s guidance. Trust allows student to share their genuine selves with the
lecturer, without fear of being judged or mistreated. It put confidence in coachee- coachrelationship
(Hauer, K. E., Oza, S. K., Kogan, J. R., Stankiewicz, C. A., Stenfors ‐Hayes, T., Cate, O. T., &
O'sullivan, 2015; Netolicky, 2016; Zhang, Z., & Surujlal, J. ,2015). The researcher/lecturer also felt that
the time spending per student is important in ensuring the coaching process can take place since this
approach needs the coach/lecturer guides the students exclusively.
In conclusion, coaching approach has enhanced the critical skills of accounting students in identifying
and analyzing issue/ problem in a complex situation and able to assess and justify the situation. Students
have more opportunity in discussing topic under study more effectively. With the constant help/guidance
from coach/lecturer, students are also able to think beyond boundaries at most times and to provide
challenging views.
Coaching approach however, need ‘bond’ or closeness between students and coach/lecturer. It is
important to develop a trust based connection but establishing and maintaining the connection is quite
complex and challenging. By developing trust, students confidently can express their problems or give
their views more effectively. Longer time per student are needed to make this approach successful since
more time are spent in each students. Thus small groups are more applicable in a limited session.

7. References
Albanese, M. A., & Mitchell, S. (1993). Problem-based learning: a review of literature on its outcomes
and implementation issues. Academic Medicine, 68(1), 52-81.

Atkins, M., Brown, G. A., & Brown, G. (2002). Effective teaching in higher education. Routledge.
Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (Eds.). (2014). Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and
with each other. Routledge.

Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1999). Reflection in Service Learning: Making Meaning or Experience.
Educational Horizons, 179.

Holley, C. D., & Dansereau, D. F. (Eds.). (2014). Spatial learning strategies: Techniques, applications,
and related issues. Academic Press.

Hauer, K. E., Oza, S. K., Kogan, J. R., Stankiewicz, C. A., Stenfors‐Hayes, T., Cate, O. T., ... &
O'sullivan, P. S. (2015). How clinical supervisors develop trust in their trainees: A qualitative
study. Medical Education, 49(8), 783-795.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (1989). Cooperative learning. Interaction Book
Company.

Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (1982). The coaching of teaching. Educational leadership, 40(1), 4-10.

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Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not
work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and
inquiry-based teaching. Educational psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.

Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT
Press.

Netolicky, D. M. (2016). Coaching for professional growth in one Australian school:“oil in water”.
International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 5(2), 66-86.

Othman, N, & Chia, S.Y. (2015). Empowering Teaching, Learning and Supervision Through Coaching in
Action Research. Journal of Management Research, 7(2), 98-108.

Slavin, R. E. (2010). Co-operative learning: what makes group-work work. The Nature of Learning, 161-
178.

Lau, J. & Chan, J. (2017). http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php

DE, H. D. R. C., DE CONTABILIDADE, A. L. U. N. O. S., DE, H. D. R. C., & DE CONTABILIDAD,


A. L. U. M. N. O. S. (2007). Critical thinking skills of accounting students.

Whiley, D., Witt, B., Colvin, R. M., Sapiains Arrue, R., & Kotir, J. (2017). Enhancing critical thinking
skills in first year environmental management students: a tale of curriculum design, application
and reflection. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 1-16.

Edwards, L. C. (2015). The craftsmanship of infusing critical thinking skills: A mixed methods research
on implementation, student outcome, and faculty confidence (Doctoral dissertation, REGENT
UNIVERSITY).

Flood, P. A. (2015). Critical thinking skills and information literacy skills: Discerning online information
among high school students. Liberty University.

Kong, S. C. (2014). Developing information literacy and critical thinking skills through domain
knowledge learning in digital classrooms: An experience of practicing flipped classroom strategy.
Computers & Education, 78, 160-173.

Facione, P., & Gittens, C. A. (2015). Think critically. Pearson.

Braun, N. M. (2004). Critical thinking in the business curriculum. Journal of Education for Business,
79(4), pp. 232-236.

Sormunen, C. & Chalupa, M. (1994). Critical thinking skills research: Developing evaluation techniques.
Journal of Education for Business, 69(3), pp. 172-177.

Whitmore, J. (2002). Coaching for Performance: Growing People Performance and Purpose. Nicholas and
Brealey Publishing. London

Zhang, Z., & Surujlal, J. (2015). The influence of justice, benevolence, integrity, and competence in the
coach-athlete relationship in a South African context: sport psychology. African Journal for
Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 21(Issue-11), 173-185.

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Improving Communication and Critical Thinking Skills


among Accounting Students Through The Use Of Flipped
Learning
Norhaiza Khairudin, Danilah Salleh and Marhaiza Ibrahim
Tunku Puteri Intan Syafinaz School of Accountancy,
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: Many researchers have attempted to study the efficiency of e-learning and blended learning
concepts on teaching and learning processes. One of the most recent developments in technology
enhanced method in teaching and learning is a method called flipped learning. It is an approach where
the traditional one-way lecture is flipped to make room for active learning opportunities where educators
shift learning into the individual learning space facilitated by technology. This study attempts to
implement flipped learning approach in the effort to enhance communication and critical thinking skills
among accounting students in Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accounting (TISSA) in Universiti
Utara Malaysia. The study involved 49 students from BKAL1013 Business Accounting Group O class
from the first semester of 2016/2017. The objective of this study is to examine how the use of flipped
learning can help to improve communication and critical thinking skills in problem solving among
students taking the accounting subject.

From this study, the results showed that students’ communication and critical thinking skill has developed
with the use of flipped learning. Sufficient time however, is needed for students to understand the content
from the lectures given in the form of a video used as the media in this project used as an e-learning
platform in this project, as well as the ‘catchy’ contents should be created to enhance interest from the
students to watch the video.

Keywords: Flipped learning, technology in education, action research

1. Introduction
The use of technology in delivering university’s courses has become ubiquitous in this era of
knowledge enhancement. Since the 1980’s the use of technology to deliver accounting courses were
strongly recommended (Friedman, 1981). Nevertheless, the use of technology in university courses has
been reportedly to be largely focused in delivering contents rather than as a medium to interact among
students. This style of teaching and learning is still considered as traditional with technology used only as
a means of delivering information and course contents.
In the traditional teaching method which is also known as the teacher-centred learning approach, the
teacher or instructor delivers knowledge in a classroom in a one-way direction. This method urges
students to be passive learners where they solely rely on learning by listening, memorising and knowledge
repetition.
Particularly, in the accounting education sector, the traditional mode of teaching relates to the method
of teaching where the accounting courses are taught in the classroom lecture mode, where the students
complete their assignments without the aid of technology or other tutorial devices (Friedman, 1981). A
number of studies have been done to investigate the students’ achievements differences when using
technology to aid the teaching and learning processes in accounting courses (Dowling, Godfrey, & Gyles,
2003; Du, 2011; Jones & Chen, 2008; Freeman & Hancock, 2013; Musallam, 2010; Warter-Perez &

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Dong, 2012). Friedman (1981), did a study to determine whether there is a significant difference in the
achievement between two groups of students, the groups which uses computers as a tool as problem-
solving tool for their assignments and the control group which used the traditional method of teaching
accounting courses. Their results show that the group that used the computer as problem-solving tool
achieved significantly higher scores compared to the control group.

2. Communication and Critical Thinking Skills among Students


There are several issues and problems related to the traditional learning and teaching method and one
of them being students not able to fluently address their problems in class. In the traditional settings of
lecturer centred learning, students tend to remain inactive and the communication flow tends to be a one
way communication. The students would therefore tend to wait for the solution to any assignment and
exercises answer from the lecturer, while some students are actually not doing their homework/tasks at all.
Some students are merely shy in explaining their answers in class and have difficulty in answering the
"how" and "why" questions.
Through the flipped learning approach, the lectures on the topics are given in the form of video, audio
or other multimedia, for the students to listen and understand the topics while the ‘homework’ or
questions are discussed in class. It is hoped that by incorporating flipped learning in teaching and learning,
the method could be an effective strategy to assist students to reflect about what they have learned in class
during discussions, thus the critical thinking and communication skills of the students would developed.
This is important in order for the students to be successful by improving their communication and critical
thinking skills and becoming life-long learners.
Therefore, this study attempts to implement flipped learning approach in the effort to enhance
communication and critical thinking skills among accounting students in Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz
School of Accounting (TISSA) in Universiti Utara Malaysia.

3. Flipped Learning Approach


More recently, the enhancement in technology used in teaching and learning has rapidly evolved.
Many researchers have attempted to study the efficiency of e-learning and blended learning concepts on
teaching and learning processes. Particularly in accounting courses taught in higher learning institutions,
researchers have attempted to investigate the effect of the use of blended learning in delivering
accounting courses and mixed results have been found (Dowling, Godfrey, & Gyles, 2003; Du, 2011;
Jones & Chen, 2008; Keller, Hassell, Webber, & Johnson, 2009). Du (2011) who examined the
comparison between the traditional and blended learning in an introductory principals of accounting
course, found that the course that blended learning approach improves the students’ final exam
performance.
One of the most recent developments in technology enhanced method in teaching and learning is a
method called flipped learning. It is an approach where the traditional one-way lecture is flipped to make
room for active learning opportunities (Freeman & Hancock, 2013). Several researchers have provided
definitions of flipped learning (Freeman & Hancock, 2013; Musallam, 2010; Warter-Perez & Dong,
2012). For example, Musallam (2010) described that in the flipped learning approach, the educators shift
learning into the individual learning space facilitated by technology. This includes the process of
recording and narrating class lecture videos and audios or curate video lessons from the internet thus,
subsequently the videos are accessed by students in their own convenience. Using this approach, students’
study time which traditionally used to complete their homework given by teachers or lecturers, are used to
engage with the class lecture using videos or other media prepared by the lecturers. Conversely, the

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activities such problem solving, knowledge application and collaborative exercise, traditionally done as
homework after class sessions, are now conducted in class with the presence of the lecturer to guide them.

3.1. Previous studies on flipped learning approach


Researchers have demonstrated positive impacts resulted from their studies done to examine the
effect of flipped learning approach on students’ learning processes (Ferreira-Meyers, 2015; Musallam,
2010; Warter-Perez & Dong, 2012). From the results of their survey, Warter-Perez and Dong (2012)
demonstrated that students felt that the flipped class learning environment was more interactive and that
the new learning environment allowed them to gain better hands-on skills and they also agreed that the
flipped class helped them to learn the content better. In addition, Ferreira-Meyers (2015) contended that
the flipped learning model can enable educators to make the shift from teacher-driven instruction to
student-centred learning where the excellence in students’ communication and critical thinking skills are
the centre of concern.
In line with this, the area of focus for this study is therefore to improve students’ communication and
critical thinking skills through the use of flipped learning. It is strongly believed that without solid
foundation of communication and critical thinking skills, students will likely be faced with a huge
struggle throughout their studies and working life. As the traditional method of teaching and learning
does not promote communication and critical thinking skills, it its felt that enhancement on this approach
should be implemented. In the traditional method, the class meeting time is occupied with lecturer
delivering lessons through class activities using PowerPoints. From the researchers’ experience and
observation, students usually pay less attention on the presentation or explaining method used by the
lecturer. This is because the students are not participating in the process of learning. To the lecturers, most
of the time in class has been utilized for lecturing and catering on any questions arises by the students. In
reality, the students rarely ask the lecturer. Using flipped learning, the lecturer will upload the lecture in e-
learning portal and the students then will do the ‘homework’ in the class. Therefore, it is deemed that by
using the flipped learning approach, more time can be allocated to develop students’ skill in
communicating the subject or problem.

4. Methodology
This study employed action research. According to Mc Niff (2010), “Action research is a term which
refers to a practical way of looking at your own work to check that it is as you would like it to be”. Action
research is done by the practitioner. It involves oneself thinking about and reflecting on his/her work.
Action research is an enquiry conducted by oneself where the practitioner think about his/her own life and
work. In action research report, it shows how practitioner has carried out a systematic investigation into
his/her own behaviour, and the reasons for that behaviour.
Action research is open ended. It does not begin with a fixed hypothesis. It begins with an idea that
the practitioner develop. The research process is the developmental process of following through the idea,
seeing how it goes, and continually checking whether it is in line with what the practitioner wish to
happen. Seen in this way, action research is a form of self-evaluation. It is used widely in professional
contexts such as appraisal, mentoring and self-assessment.
The study involved 49 students from BKAL1013 Business Accounting Group O class from the first
semester of 2016/2017. This class is chosen because Business Accounting subject is the most
fundamental accounting subject and the subject requires students to have hands on technical
understanding on accounting knowledge therefore suits the objective of this study. The objective of this
study is to examine how the use of flipped learning can help to improve communication and critical
thinking skills in problem solving among students taking the accounting subject. The evaluation for the
result of this study will be based on the communication and critical thinking rubric assessment currently
used in accounting subjects in TISSA. An evaluation of the suitability of the current rubric to evaluate the

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aspect of communication and critical thinking skills in the implementation of flipped learning is also
examined. In this study, the lecturer observation, checklist and interviews were used by the lecturer/
researcher to gather data throughout the intervention. There are three phases of data collection, Pre-
Implementation, During Implementation and Post Implementation. In each phases, reflections were taking
placed. Qualitative data analyses which include thematic analysis and content analysis are used to analyse
the qualitative data.

5. Findings and Discussion


From the results, it has been found that most of the students’ communication and critical thinking
skill enhance with the use of flipped learning. They react positively toward the video uploaded. They said:
“I like it because the video discuss the topic and make me understand about the questions and
answers.”
“I feel more alive in my classroom.”
“It gives me a good experience in understanding the question provided.”
The result on exercise assessment showed that students able to demonstrate passion for the topic
presented. The classroom became lively where the students can actively communicate with each other on
the exercise given. This is consistent with previous studies which shows that through flipped learning, the
students actually are able to identify issue/ problem in a complex situation and able to assess and justify
the situation (Kashefi, Ismail and Mohammad Yusof, 2012).
“I discuss with my friend and frequently ask the lecturer on solutions”
“It assists me in answering the exercise because I can repeatedly watch the example question”
During the class session, it is found that not all students are able to watch the video. This is due to
limited time given for the students to watch the video. They also stressed that they need more time to
watch the video repeatedly in order to understand. Reflectively, not all students can understand the
content of the video since their level of understanding are at different level.

6. Conclusion
As a conclusion, through flipped learning approach, students can prepare earlier by watching the
lecture video and if they cannot understand, they can watch the video again to understand the specific
section that they need more understanding.
Based on the findings, it is also concluded that through flipped learning, the lecturer can have more
time to focus on each student as the class session in conducted by having the students to solve the
exercises questions. The videos are given earlier therefore the students can understand the topic before
they enter the class session. They can also have more time to think critically in solving the problems in
class.
In the first session, the students did not know what to expect because they do not the awareness of
how flipped learning session is done. After the first session, students have more understanding on how the
flipped learning is conducted therefore they are more prepared before they enter the class in the second
session.
After the reflections, it is concluded that the videos that is going to be developed in flipped learning
sessions should be created in a more simple, easy to understand and more interesting with enhanced
technology such as Biteable.com, Powtoon.com and others.

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7. References
Chen, C. C., & Jones, K. T. (2007). Blended Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Settings: Assessing
Effectiveness and Student Perceptions in an MBA Accounting Course. Journal of educators online,
4(1), n1.

Dowling, C., Godfrey, J. M., & Gyles, N. (2003). Do hybrid flexible delivery teaching methods improve
accounting students' learning outcomes? Accounting Education, 12(4), 373-391.

Du, C. (2011). A comparison of traditional and blended learning in introductory principles of accounting
course. American Journal of Business Education (AJBE), 4(9), 1-10.

Ferreira-Meyers, K. (2015). What emerging technology can do for learning environments: the case of
MOOCS. Journal of English Literacy Education, 1(2), 12-24.

Freeman, M., & Hancock, P. (2013). Milking MOOCs: Towards the right blend in accounting education.
The Virtual University: Impact on Australian Accounting and Business Education, part B, 86-100.

Friedman, M. E. (1981). The effect on achievement of using the computer as a problem-solving tool in
the intermediate accounting course. Accounting Review, 137-143.

Grandzol, J. R. (2004). Teaching MBA statistics online: A pedagogically sound process approach. Journal
of Education for Business, 79(4), 237-244.

Jones, K. T., & Chen, C. C. (2008). Blended-learning in a graduate accounting course: Student
satisfaction and course design issues. The Accounting Educators' Journal, 18.

Kashefi, H., Ismail, Z., & Yusof, Y. M. (2012). The Impact of Blended Learning on Communication
Skills and Teamwork of Engineering Students in Multivariable Calculus. Procedia-Social and
Behavioral Sciences, 56, 341-347.

Keller, J. H., Hassell, J. M., Webber, S. A., & Johnson, J. N. (2009). A comparison of academic
performance in traditional and hybrid sections of introductory managerial accounting. Journal of
Accounting Education, 27(3), 147-154.

McNiff, J. (2010). Action research for professional development: Concise advice for new action
researchers. Dorset: September books.

Musallam, R. (2010). The effects of screencasting as a multimedia pre-training tool to manage the
intrinsic load of chemical equilibrium instruction for advanced high school chemistry students.
University of San Francisco, San Francisco.

Warter-Perez, N., & Dong, J. (2012). Flipping the classroom: How to embed inquiry and design projects
into a digital engineering lecture. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2012 ASEE PSW Section
Conference.

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A New Teaching Approach for Improved Learning of


Elementary Statistics
Zakiyah Zain, Suhaida Abdullah, Kamal Khalid and Rusdi @ Indra Zuhdi Murat
School of Quantitative Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: Elementary Statistics is offered as a servicing course every semester, involving over a
thousand students in classes of about fifty. The persistent issue of high failure rates among students
continues to add burden to resources as the repeaters must retake the course until they pass in order to
graduate. This study revisits the teaching and learning methods and proposes a new teaching approach
by incorporating e-learning and student-centred learning to engage students effectively for better
understanding and promote critical thinking. The new teaching approach was effective in improving
overall affect: students’ feelings about statistics. Students felt more comfortable in class, and the teaching
and learning process became more fun. Their anxieties towards statistics were also reduced when they
realized that the calculations were not that complex. To conclude, a student-centered learning approach
with daily motivation and continuous quality improvement efforts is possible to change the attitudes of
students towards statistics: from fear to fun effective learning.
Keywords: teaching statistics, learning empowerment, e-learning

1. Introduction
The importance of Statistics in every field of knowledge and practice is undeniable; statistical skills
are critical for university graduates to survive and excel in their chosen career. Accordingly, Statistics is a
pre-requisite course for graduating especially for business and management fields. As an eminent
management university, UUM under the School of Quantitative Sciences (SQS) offers servicing course of
SQQS1013 Elementary Statistics every semester, involving over a thousand students in classes of about
fifty. Several problems have been persistent for many years, primarily high failure rates for example,
more than 20% in semester A121. Another is lack of motivation as evident by poor attendance. These
problems require corrective actions in order to sustain our academic reputation as well as enhancing
customer satisfaction. Thus, this research study is undertaken to resolve the main issue of high failure
rates by improving the teaching and learning of the course.
Generally, the subject of statistics is sub-divided into main categories: collection of data, analysis of
data, and inference from data (Moore, 2006). Among factors affecting student performance are English
competency, attitude towards course, attendance and participation, as well as math anxiety (Zimmer &
Fuller, 1996). The fear of mathematics interferes with learning mathematics which leads to more
negative math experiences (Preis & Biggs, 2001) A study on workbook curriculum (Carlson & Winquist,
2011), required students to read content before and during class and then work in groups to complete
problems and answer conceptual questions pertaining to the material they read. Researchers have
presented evidence that students’ exam scores are higher when taught with an active learning approach
than when taught with more traditional approaches (Ryan, 2006; Christopher & Marek, 2009).

2. Teaching and Learning of Elementary Statistics


2.1. Current teaching scenario
The current method of teaching is teacher-centered learning, which is passive learning. Lecturers use
visual aids in the form of presentation slides, whiteboard and visualizer. To encourage participation,

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interactive class activities are sometimes initiated by individual lecturer, but the overall lessons remain
teacher-centred. The final course marks are composed of 50% coursework and 50% final examination.
The former consists of 5% Quiz, 20% Group Assignment and 25 % Test. Currently, the approach of
group assignments is examination-oriented and does not encourage in-depth statistical thinking. To
improve the teaching and learning of this course, we propose to enhance the overall teaching approach to
better engage learners.
Based on feedback from the former students, the following issues have been regarded as causes of
their difficulties in learning statistics. These are English proficiency, fear of numbers and symbols, and
lack of practice or exercises especially on the last two chapters. The first two items are very much
student-dependent as they concern self-competency as well as perception and attitude. It is mandatory that
the course be taught in full English. A way to alleviate the problems is to consistently motivate them
while delivering the lessons in ways that make learning easy (or seemingly). For example, the slides are
provided upfront and students are reminded to look up the meaning of any unfamiliar words or symbols.
Upon further probing, the lack of practice of the last two chapters stems from poor understanding of the
prior chapters on probability. This is critical for fix because the last two chapters often make up 50% of
the final examination. In-process feedback gathered from the current group also revealed similar
responses.
Discussions with lecturers who have taught the course contributed the following findings. Students
often prefer to sit and work in group with their own friends; this does not facilitate effective learning as
quite often the weak students are in the same groups formed by themselves. Although the group
assignment (20%) is intended to promote cooperative learning within groups, some common issues hinder
its objective. Among those are: lack of participation from each member, often resulting in only one or two
members completing the bulk of the work, and also last minute compilation of isolated work pieces just
before the submission deadline. The individual student’s poor understanding is only revealed when
grading their mid-semester test (25%). It is vital to detect such students much earlier in the process or best
to strategize group work and activities in order to maximize participation.

2.2. The new approach


Based on prior teaching experiences and students feedback gathered during previous semesters, the
following approach was developed and implemented on a group of students during semester A142.
“Attitude matters most” is a common saying and student attitudes towards a subject lead to academic
success (Popham, 2005). First and foremost, students’ attitudes were worked on by resetting their
mindset and belief system. Short inspiring stories or motivational quotes were shared at the beginning of
lessons. Learning objectives by each chapter were emphasized to all students for preparation and
monitoring. Facebook group was created upon students’ agreement to facilitate timely communication
concerning the course. Statistics was repackaged in a form of story-telling: begin with real life
applications that students can relate to. For instance, M&M’s games of throw/catch and counting within
each team managed to demonstrate the basic probability concepts as well as the descriptive statistics,
while relating to sample representativeness in statistical inference.
The guiding principles in redesigning the course conduct follows three standards (Cobb, 1992)
recommended by the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Mathematical Association of
America (MAA): (i) emphasize statistical thinking (ii) more data and concepts; less theory, fewer recipes
and (iii) foster active learning. The course promotes students to explore data and discover statistical ideas
and draw inferences from the data by experiences they received in group discussions and activities.
Aligned with Malaysia’s CAPs and NKRA, the use of technology such as web tool 2.0 (Embi, 2011) in
teaching and learning of this course was implemented.
Constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999) and student-centred learning through in-class explorations and
discussions were also considered. Students construct meaning from what they do to learn and instructor
aligns the planned activities and assessments with the intended learning outcomes. Students learn a
specific topic via web 2.0 tools as appropriate to have better understanding on that topic. They are

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encouraged to explore data and discover statistical ideas and draw inferences from the data by
experiences they received in group discussions and activities.
A pre-assessment test consisting of eight multiple choice questions on basic algebra was given to the
students on week 1. The results were used to form teams of four comprising a student with lowest mark,
one with the highest mark and another two in the middle. The weaker was paired with the stronger as
twins, and similarly for the other two with average marks. Twins were briefed on their roles and
responsibility to learn and discuss among them. Team members sat together in class and the leader of
each team was empowered to ensure full participation of members; any problems must be escalated to the
lecturer timely. At the end of the course, team leaders were to complete evaluation for each member.
A list of formulae was provided to students and referred to as their “best friend” to psychologically
de-alienate the often-feared symbols. While learning each topic, the relevant formula was introduced with
emphasis on its meaning. Interpretation of values was emphasized instead of just the calculation part.
Adding meaning to symbols and values does simplify learning. The various chapters were consistently
linked-up to each other and were related to real applications. Examples of Statistics in practical
applications such as Hans Roslings’ youtube videos and info-graphics were shared on facebook. Students
were encouraged to share statistics around them randomly in class or on facebook group. Some good
videos on basic probability such as Venn diagram from the website of patrickjmt.com were helpful for
student revision.
In the past, a group assignment (20%) was given with submission deadline before the end of semester.
This did not promote timely assessment and feedback to students. The new approach attempts to facilitate
students learning by working together throughout the entire process. The group assignment was split into
two parts (2 x 10%): both submitted before the mid-semester test. The assignments were submitted in soft
copies, marked, commented and made available to all students; this promotes students to learn from
everyone’s mistakes and keep improving. Some common mistakes and key learnings were discussed
either on facebook group or during class. To address the issues of “copy and paste” among students, the
assignments required real data collection within the class and each team investigates different variables.
Use of an important tool, Microsoft Excel was made mandatory to promote analysis and presentation of
real data, as well as to equip them with the commonly sought after skills at work.

2.3. Results of implementation


Based on students’ feedback, the assigned team and twin structure worked well. Story telling of
statistics in practice exposed them to the big picture, enable relation to daily life. They appreciated the
timely grading and feedback of results for quizzes, test and assignments which was effective for their
learning process. Split group assignments allowed ample time for recovery and improvement as their
submission dates were timely to intercept mid-semester test. Sharing of marked soft copies promoted
learning and competition among teams. Games engaged and facilitated learning and deeper understanding
of the topics, while online videos assisted understanding of some topics. Facebook group improved
participation among students, and anonymous online feedback mechanism via padlet.com gathered honest
opinions/comments for continual improvement. Use of Microsoft Excel in recording students marks
enabled progress tracking, and timely identification of potential failures for remedial process. Students
were rewarded for progress and achievement by giving them tokens during class or acknowledgement via
facebook group. “Focus! Think! Refocus! Rethink! Practice! Practice! Practice!” was like a mantra in the
class. Strong teamwork was evident among them as they cared for each other’s learning.
This new approach was well received by the students and their final examination results were very
encouraging. None of them gave up on any of the questions especially the feared last two chapters; the
two students (3%) who failed the course managed to obtain more than 40% in overall marks.

3. Acknowledgements
Gratitude goes to the students and lecturers involved in the study during semester A142, University
Teaching Learning Centre (UUM UTLC) and last but not least, Universiti Utara Malaysia for awarding us

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with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant (SO Code: 13015) to carry out this research
project.

4. References
Biggs. J. (1999) Teaching for Quality Learning at University – What the Student Does (1st Edition)
SRHE, Buckingham: Open University Press.

Carlson, Kieth A. & Winquist, Jennifer R., (2011), Evaluating an active learning approach to teaching
introductory statistics: A classroom workbook approach, Journal of Statistics Education, 19(1).

Christopher, A. & Marek, P. (2009), “A palatable introduction to and demonstration of statistical main
effects and interactions,” Teaching of Psychology, 36(2), 130-133.

Cobb, G. (1992). Teaching Statistics in Heeding the Call for Change: Suggestions for Curricular Action,
ed. Lynn Steen. MAA Notes, Number 22, 3-43.

Embi, M. A. (2011), e-Learning in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions: Status, Trends, &
Challenges. Malaysia: Department of Higher Education Ministry of Higher Education.

Moore, David S. (2006). The Basic Practice of Statistics, 4th Edition, New York, NY: W. H. Freeman
and Company.

Popham, W. (2005). Students’ attitudes count. Educational Leadership, Feb., 84-85.

Preis, Christy & Biggs, Bobbie T. (2001) Can Instructors Help Learners Overcome Math Anxiety? ATEA
Journal, Vol 28(4), 6-10, Apr/May.

Ryan, R. S. (2006), “A hands-on exercise improves understanding of the standard error of the mean,”
Teaching of Psychology, 33(3), 180-183.

Zimmer, J. C., & Fuller, D. K. (1996). Factors affecting undergraduate performance in statistics: A
review of literature. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational
Research Association, Tuscaloosa, AL.

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The 21st Century Challenge: Empowering Boys and


Children from Lower Socio-economic Backgrounds
Joyce Ching Su Ping
UCL Institute of Education/Teach For Malaysia

Abstract: Historical trends within the South East Asian region show that given equal access to formal
schooling, boys and children of lower-socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have poorer academic
outcomes as compared to their counterparts i.e. girls and those from higher-socioeconomic backgrounds.
Focusing on Malaysia, a cross-sectional study was conducted drawing on quantitative analysis of the
1999 - 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The findings of this study
show that (1) the underachievement of boys could be explained by a lack of kinesthetic learning elements
in classrooms and (2) the underachievement of lower-SES children is due to their lack of cultural capital.
Tentative recommendations are put forward to empower these groups of learners.

Keywords: achievement gap, boys, low socioeconomic status

1. Introduction
Since the turn of the century, student performance on international educational surveys such as the
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International
Student Assessments (PISA) has been central to public discourse. Achievement in basic skills such as
reading, mathematics and science are said to be fundamental for improving an individual’s employability
and a nation’s ability to compete in the global economy (Beech, 2001; Fadel, Bialik & Trilling, 2015).
While foreign ‘best practices’ are readily gleaned from cross-national comparisons, little is known about
the extent to which national education systems provide all children with quality outcomes.
In the South East Asian region, achievement gap studies are scarce, with clear distinction in the focus
of the disparity over time. During the 1980s, developing countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and
Indonesia all showed marked disparity along gender (King and Hill, 1993) and socioeconomic lines
(United Nations Development Program, 1995). Parents have traditionally preferred to educate sons over
daughters due to the perception that boys grow to become bread-winners while girls gravitate towards
housekeeping and caregiving (King and Hill, 1993). Meanwhile, children from lower socioeconomic
status (SES) who struggle with poverty, malnutrition and child labour tend to drop out of school (Post and
Pong, 2009, Symaco, 2014).
While the gender gap has successfully narrowed, even reversed, to favour girls since the 1990s (Pong,
1993; Knodel, 1997; Mullis et al., 2012; Martin et al., 2012), the gap between children from low- and
high-SES backgrounds persist, and in some instances widened (Saw, 2016; Pattaravanich, Williams,
Lyson and Archavanitkul, 2005).
Focusing on Malaysia, Ismail and Awang (2007, 2009, 2012) found that fourteen-year-old girls tend
to outperform boys, non-native speakers tend to outperform Malay-native speakers, while those from
higher SES backgrounds tend to outperform those from lower SES backgrounds (as measured by parental
education). While this series of studies have succeeded in capturing the disparity in educational outcomes

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(specifically, Mathematics), they remain largely at a descriptive level, do not track developments over
time and do not attempt to relate the findings to any existing theories.
Saw (2016) advanced Ismail and Awang’s (2007, 2009, 2012) findings by investigating the
Mathematics and Science achievement of fourteen-year-old students across four cohorts. Drawing on the
TIMSS 1999-2011 data, it was found that there is a trend favouring girls, non-Malays and children from
high-SES backgrounds. Saw’s (2016) most intriguing find was that over the years, the SES gap has
widened much more than the gender and racial gaps. Albeit a significant contribution to the literature,
Saw’s (2016) work also did not move beyond the descriptive level nor relate to any theories.
Therefore, this paper is significant as it is one of the first attempts to explain the gender and SES
achievement gaps in Malaysia from existing theories. Four hypotheses will be derived and tested in this
paper. The theories reviewed are not exhaustive and more studies are necessary to examine other existing
explanations.

2. Explaining the Underachievement of Boys


2.1. Biological and hormonal differences
One theory on the underachievement of boys stems from biological and hormonal differences
between the sexes (Lloyd, 2011). Puberty is a universal milestone in child development characterized by a
surge of testosterone hormones in boys and estrogen in girls. During the early adolescence period (10-14
years), girls show earlier physical and sexual maturation and this trend is also mirrored in brain
development (Blakemore, Burnett and Dahl, 2010; Giedd, Raznahan, Millis and Lenroot, 2012). Giedd et
al. (2012) demonstrated that the frontal and parietal lobes reached peak gray matter volume during the
onset of puberty, which occurs one to three years earlier in girls than in boys. While the frontal lobe
regulates executive functions such as reasoning and decision making, the parietal love is concerned with
sensation and perception as well as the integration of sensory inputs; processes which are essential for
academic success.

Hypothesis 1: This biological determinism hypothesis predicts that fourteen-year-old Malaysian boys
will perform poorer than girls on all four TIMSS studies because of their latent brain development.

2.2. Different learning styles


An alternative theory is given by the concept of learning styles. Learning styles refer to ‘the
manner in which individuals choose to or are inclined to approach a learning situation’ (Cassidy, 2004:
420). It follows that students learn and perform best when teachers teach and assess them according to
their learning styles. Decades of research on gendered learning styles among Western children show that
boys are kinesthetic learners (i.e. prefer learning through physical movements), excel in classrooms that
have competitive elements, are ICT focused and have short-term academic targets (Bleach, 1998; Gurian,
Henley and Trueman, 2001; King and Gurian, 2006). Girls on the other hand, are generally better at
‘verbal-emotive’. ‘sit-still’, ‘take-notes’ and ‘listen-carefully’ types of tasks (Gurian et al., 2001; King
and Gurian, 2006).

Hypothesis 2: Based on this assumption, fourteen-year-old Malaysian boys will outperform girls in
Science but not in Mathematics because Science classrooms afford boys with more kinesthetic learning
elements e.g. laboratory and field work.

3. Explaining the Underachievement of Low-SES Children


3.1. Child labour
Children from low-SES backgrounds tend to engage in part-time work during schooling in order to
help their families earn a living (Pattaravanich et al., 2005; Post and Pong, 2009). In a comparative study
of 8 countries, Post and Pong (2009) found that students from lower-SES backgrounds were more likely

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to work up to 20 hours per week. The authors found that the Mathematics and Science achievement gap
between working and non-working children in South East Asian and African countries were larger as
compared to the gap in Western countries. In Indonesia for example, this is due to the labour-intensive
nature of working in the fishing and agricultural industries (Agus, Suryahadi and Sumarto, 2005, as cited
in Post and Pong, 2009). A ‘zero-sum’ relation between the allocation of resources to employment and
studies was proposed; more time and energy devoted to work will necessarily detract from academic
achievement.

Hypothesis 3: This hypothesis predicts a negative relationship between time spent in part-time work
and Mathematics and Science achievement. We would also expect children from low-SES families to
engage in more part-time work as compared to their higher-SES counterparts.

3.2. Cultural capital


Alternatively, Bourdieu (1977) argues that low-SES children underachieve because they lack
familiarity with the dominant culture in society and are particularly unable to understand and use
‘educated’ language. The author argues that schools assume that all children possess similar levels of
cultural capital when in reality, there are distinct class differences favouring those from higher-SES
families. Thus, ‘pedagogic transmissions’ are received unequally as students from low-SES families
simply do not understand what their teachers are trying to get across (Bourdieu, 1974, as cited in Sullivan,
2001). Bourdieu (1986) argues that parents transmit cultural capital to their children in three forms: (1) in
the embodied state i.e. long-lasting dispositions of the mind and body, (2) in the objectified state i.e.
cultural goods such as pictures, books and dictionaries and (3) in the institutionalized state i.e. educational
qualifications.

Hypothesis 4: The cultural capital theory posits that children from high-SES families will
outperform children from low-SES families. SES would be the greatest individual-level predictor of
Mathematics and Science achievement.

4. Data, indicators and methods of analysis


4.1. TIMSS
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a cross-national study
organized by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).
Conducted once every four years since 1995, there are now more than 60 countries participating in
TIMSS, making it one of the most extensive international educational surveys on student achievement.
TIMSS uses a two-stage stratified sampling design whereby each country randomly selects a
certain number of schools to be tested, one class is randomly selected, and all students within the class sit
for both the Mathematics and Science tests (Olson, Martin and Mullis, 2008). Thus yielding a nationally
representative sample.
TIMSS test items were constructed by subject-matter experts in close collaboration with member
states (Olson et al., 2008). Questions were designed to examine three cognitive domains i.e. knowing,
applying and reasoning. The test duration is 90 minutes and no one student sat for all test items as they
were randomly assigned to different booklets based on TIMSS matrix sampling approach.

4.2. The Malaysian sample


Malaysia only enrolled her eighth-grade students on TIMSS starting in 1999. This paper examines
the achievement of students on TIMSS 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Students have a mean age of 14.3
years.
The Malaysian sample met TIMSS precision requirements of at least 150 schools and 4000
students. The number of schools included in the study ranged from 152 in the year 1999 to 180 in 2011

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(see Table 1 below). The number of students who participated in the study ranged from 4466 in 2007 to
5733 in 2011. Excluding missing data, all students were included in the analysis.

TABLE 1: The Malaysian TIMSS sample


1999 2003 2007 2011
Number of schools, n 152 150 165 180
Number of students, n 5577 5314 4466 5733

4.3. Indicators
Gender: Based on students’ response to the question ‘Are you a boy or a girl?’, the proportion of girls
included in the analysis were 54.4% in 1999, 57.8% in 2003, 53.3% in 2007 and 50.7% in 2011.
Socioeconomic status (SES): Four items from the TIMSS student questionnaire were used as
indicators of family SES: (1) father’s education, (2) mother’s education, (3) number of books at home and
(4) home educational resources i.e. calculator, computer, study desk and dictionary. On each study, these
variables were measured using the same scale except for parental education. In order to obtain a
standardized score across all four cohorts, data was translated into estimated number years of schooling.
For example, ‘finished primary’ and ‘ISCED 1’ were recoded as 6 years of schooling while ‘finished
university’ or ISCED 5A’ were recoded as 16 years of schooling. Each indicator was then standardized to
have a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. With equal weights assigned to each indicator, an
index of family SES was computed.
Mathematics and Science achievement: TIMSS uses the Item Response Theory to compute five
plausible values which indicate student performance. These plausible values have a mean of 500 and a
standard deviation of 100. Mathematics and Science scores were analyzed separately using the aggregate
scores. Davier, Gonzales and Mislevy (2009) stated that this allows researchers to obtain reliable mean
scores. However, the sampling variance reported would be an underestimation of the dispersion of the
data.
Child Labour: Child labour was indicated by the question “On a normal school day, how much time
do you spend before or after school work[ing] at a paid job”. Participants could select one out of five
responses: (1) no time, (2) less than 1 hour, (3) 1-2 hours, (4) 2-4 hours and (5) 4 or more hours. These
are translated into mean estimated hours of work per week. For example, ‘less than 1 hour’ was recoded
as 2.5 hours per week while ‘more than 2 but less than 4 hours’, 15 hours per week. A standardized score
was then obtained. This test item was omitted by the test administrators in 2011.

4.4. Methods of analysis


Data was subject to sampling weight adjustments prior to analysis. The TOTWGT variable
computed by TIMSS was used. This study mainly utilizes the independent-samples-of-means test to
compare the mean scores of dichotomous groups i.e. boys versus girls, low-SES versus high-SES children.
Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between child
labour, academic achievement and socioeconomic status.

5. Results
5.1. The underachievement of boys
Mathematics
As demonstrated by previous research, Malaysian students’ Mathematics achievement on TIMSS
decreased drastically from 1999 to 2011 (see Table 2 below). Examining the gender gap, it was found that
fourteen-year-old boys performed significantly poorer than girls starting in 2003. Using the independent
samples of means test, we observe that in 2003 boys scored a mean of 504.5 points while girls scored a

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mean of 512.1 points; t(3420) = 3.420, p = .001. This gap favouring girls increased to an 18.6-point
difference in 2011; t(3908) = 6.661, p <.001.

TABLE 2: Gender Difference in Mathematics


1999 2003 2007 2011
Girls Mean 521.4 512.1 478.9 449.0
Standard deviation (75.5) (69.9) (74.5) (82.1)
Boys Mean 516.7 504.5 468.2 430.4
Standard deviation (78.9) (72.9) (78.1) (93.4)
Mean difference
(Girls-Boys) 4.7 7.6** 10.6*** 18.6***

Science
Malaysian students’ Science achievement on TIMSS showed a slight increase in 2003 followed by a
sharp decrease up to 2011 (see Table 3 below). Examining the gender gap in Science, it was found that
fourteen-year-old boys performed significantly better than girls in 1999 and 2003. In 1999, boys scored a
mean of 497.6 while girls scored a mean of 488.1; t(3819) = -4.016, p < .001. This 9-point difference
favouring boys was also observed in 2003. However, in 2007, girls outperform boys by a mean of 475.0
to 466.0; t(4204) = 3.579, p<.001. By 2011, this gender gap in Science increased to a 15-point difference.

TABLE 3: Gender Difference in Science


1999 2003 2007 2011
Girls Mean 488.1 505.5 475.0 433.9
Standard deviation (73.0) (62.0) (80.1) (90.2)
Boys Mean 497.6 515.4 466.0 418.9
Standard deviation (75.2) (62.0) (88.9) (102.8)
Mean difference
(Girls-Boys) -9.5*** -9.9*** 9.0*** 15.0***

Do boys underachieve because of biological and hormonal differences?


This claim can be refuted as boys performed as well as girls in the 1999 Mathematics test and further
outperformed girls in the 1999 and 2003 Science tests.

Do boys and girls learn differently?


There is some evidence in support of this hypothesis. Adhering to predictions, the 1999 and 2003 data
show that girls outperformed boys in Mathematics while boys outperformed girls in Science. However,
from 2007 onwards, the gender gap in Science had reversed to favour girls followed by a widening trend.
A closer examination of the TIMSS data reveal that students were equally likely to engage in laboratory
work across all four cohorts. In other words, boys underachieve in the latter cohorts despite having similar
exposure to kinesthetic learning elements.

5.2. The underachievement of low-SES children


Mathematics
As an extension to Saw’s (2016) finding, quintile analysis was conducted to demonstrate the extent of
the disparity. Table 4 shows a narrowing trend between 1999 and 2003. However, any gains made during
this period was soon reversed. In 2011, children from the lowest-SES quintile (M = 396.5) were lagging
behind their highest-SES quintile peers (M = 504.6) by a staggering 108.1 points; t(1006)=-23.05, p <.001.

TABLE 4: The gap between low- and high-SES children in Mathematics

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1999 2003 2007 2011


Lowest Quintile 491.8 480.4 439.5 396.5
(68.5) (65.2) (63.5) (76.8)
Second Quintile 507.7 497.9 464.2 420.8
(71.4) (70.2) (66.0) (82.6)
Third Quintile 520.8 509.9 481.0 452.8
(71.7) (67.5) (71.2) (81.7)
Fourth Quintile 537.9 530.7 499.2 485.7
(73.6) (65.7) (69.4) (78.6)
Highest Quintile 574.4 548.2 522.0 504.6
(67.5) (68.3) (71.2) (72.1)
Mean difference
(Highest-lowest) 82.6*** 67.8*** 82.5*** 108.1***

Science
Similarly in Science, children from low-SES backgrounds performed significantly poorer than their
high-SES peers on all four cohorts. Table 5 shows a similar narrowing trend between 1999 and 2003.
Children from the lowest quintile (M= 487.6) seem to be ‘catching up’ to their peers in the highest
quintile (M = 550.6); t(1239) = -19.03, p<.001. However, from 2003 onwards, there was a stark reversal
and the gap between the lowest and highest-SES children was 123.2 points in 2011.

TABLE 5: The gap between low- and high-SES children in Science


1999 2003 2007 2011
Lowest Quintile 470.4 487.6 438.1 383.1
(64.0) (57.3) (69.4) (91.8)
Second Quintile 481.6 496.5 462.9 408.7
(65.8) (60.2) (71.1) (89.1)
Third Quintile 488.4 510.8 476.5 436.5
(66.7) (56.0) (78.2) (87.1)
Fourth Quintile 511.1 526.3 494.1 470.9
(69.6) (55.3) (73.5) (81.7)
Highest Quintile 550.8 550.6 529.3 506.3
(67.3) (59.2) (75.6) (74.6)
Mean difference
(Highest-lowest) 80.4*** 63.0*** 91.2*** 123.2***

Can the underachievement of low-SES children be explained by child labour?


The findings of this study support the aforementioned hypothesis. Table 6 below shows that the greater
the amount of part-time work, the lower the scores on Mathematics and Science, and the higher the
likelihood it represents low-SES children. Using Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient, data
can be interpreted as follows. In 2007, part-time work was negatively correlated to Mathematics
achievement by a magnitude of r = -0.188, p < .001 and with Science achievement by a magnitude of r = -
.244, p <.001. Part-time work was also negatively correlated to SES (r = -0.068, p < .001). Although these
correlations are statistically significant, they represent a small to medium effect.

TABLE 6: Correlation between hours of part time work with academic achievement and SES
1999 2003 2007
TIMSS Mathematics -0.080*** -0.107*** -0.188***
TIMSS Science -0.076*** -0.244*** -0.244***
SES -0.066*** -0.108*** -0.068***

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However, a closer look at the cross-sectional data showed that only up to 6 per cent of students engaged
in more than 2 hours of part time work per week. This modest figure coupled with the relatively small
effect in the correlation coefficients suggest that child labour does not fully explain the SES achievement
gap.

Can a lack of cultural capital explain the underachievement of low-SES children?


The findings of this study lend support to Bourdieu’s (1977; 1986) cultural capital theory. Using parental
education, home educational resources and number of books at home as indicators of cultural capital,
jarring disparities between children from the lowest- and highest-SES quintiles were observed in both
Mathematics and Science across all four cohorts.

6. Conclusion and Discussion


This study offers preliminary explanations for the underachievement of boys and low-SES children in
Malaysia. The former could be explained in part by a lack of kinesthetic learning elements in classrooms.
As I have shown elsewhere (Ching, 2016), the enactment of the Teaching and Learning of Science and
Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy which places huge emphasis on the English language affects
boys whose language abilities are inferior to girls, negatively (Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974; Lloyd, 2011).
To empower boys, this paper proposes that more activities which incorporate physical movements be
introduced into lessons and assessments.
The underachievement of low-SES children in 21st century Malaysia can best be explained by a lack
of cultural capital, and not engagement with part-time work. Cultural capital, as defined by the ability to
use and understand ‘educated’ language in classrooms, ingrained patterns of learning, and access to
learning resources, is a greater predictor of achievement as compared to gender and race (Ching, 2016).
As such, to empower children from lower-SES groups, teachers should use simple language while
teaching, strive to establish a positive learning culture in classrooms and facilitate access to a variety of
learning resources.

7. References
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Unpublished Masters’ thesis. Institute of Education, London.

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Human Brain Mapping, 31(6), pp. 926-933.

Bleach, K. (1998): Raising Boys’ Achievement in Schools. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.

Bourdieu, P. (1977). Reproduction in education, society and culture. London: Sage Publication.
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Bourdieu, P. (1986). “The Forms of Capital”, In J. Richardson (ed) Handbook of Theory and Research for
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Cassidy, S. (2004). Learning styles: An overview of theories, models and measures, Educational
Psychology, 24 (4), pp. 419-444.

Ching, J. S. P. (2016). Gender, race and socioeconomic status in Malaysia: Explaining the Science and
Mathematics achievement gaps and the trends from 1999 to 2011. Unpublished Masters’ thesis.
Institute of Education, London.

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Fadel, C., Bialik, M., & Trilling, B. (2015). Four-dimensional education. Boston: Center for Curriuclum
Redesign.

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (2011). Many styles, one goal: Using learning style theory to achieve
academic success in the middle grades. Online at:
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theory-to-achieve-academic-success-in-middle-grades.aspx

Giedd, J. N., Raznahan, A., Mills, K. L., & Lenroot, R. K. (2012). Review: Magnetic resonance imaging
of male/female differences in human adolescent brain anatomy, Biology of sex differences, 3
(19), pp. 1-9

Gurian, M., Henley, P., & Trueman, T. (2001). Boys and girls learn differently! San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass

Ismail, N. A., & Awang, H.(2007). Differentials in mathematics achievement among eighth-grade
students in Malaysia, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 6(3), pp.
559–571.

Ismail, N. A., & Awang, H. (2009). Mathematics achievement among Malaysian students: What they
can learn from Singapore, International Education Studies, 2(1), pp. 8–17.

Ismail, N. A., & Awang, H. (2012). Student factors and mathematics achievement: Evidence from TIMSS
2007, Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 8(3), pp. 249–255.

King, E. M., & Hill, M. A. (1993). Women's Education In Developing Countries. Baltimore: Published
for the World Bank [by] the Johns Hopkins University Press.

King, K., & Gurian, M. (2006). Teaching to the minds of boys, Educational leadership, 64 (1), pp. 56-61.

Knodel, J. (1997). The Closing of the Gender Gap in Schooling: The Case of Thailand, Comparative
Education, 33 (1), pp. 61-86.

Lloyd, T. (2011). Boys’ underachievement in schools: Literature review. Online at:


http://www.boysdevelopmentproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Boys-and-
underachievement-literature-review-edited-in-pdf.pdf

Maccoby, E., & Jacklin, C. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. California: Stanford University
Press.

Martin, M. O., Mullis, I. V. S., Foy, P., & Stanco, G. M. (2012). TIMSS 2011: International Results in
Science. Boston College: TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center.

Mullis, I. V.S., Martin, M. O., Foy, P. & Arora, A. (2012). TIMSS 2011: International Results in
Mathematics. Boston College: TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center.
Pattaravanich, U., Williams, L. B., Lyson, T. A., & Archavanitkul, K. (2005). Inequality and educational
achievement in Thai children, Rural sociology, 70 (4), pp. 561-583.

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Pong, S. (1993). Preferential policies and secondary school attainment in Peninsular Malaysia,
Sociology of Education, 66(4), pp. 245-61.

Post, D., & Pong, S. (2009). Student labour and academic proficiency in international perspective,
International Labour Review, 148 (1-2), pp. 93-122.

Saw, G. K. (2016). Patterns and trends in achievement gaps in Malaysian Secondary Schools (1999–
2011): gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, Educational Research for Policy and
Practice, 15, pp. 41-54.

Sullivan, A. (2001). Cultural capital and educational attainment, Sociology, 35 (4), pp. 893-912.

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Academic, pp. 119-136.

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University Press

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Influence of Cooperative Type Model of Group Investigation


on Students’ Cognitive Learning Outcomes
Derlina and Naimah Hasanah

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences


University of Medan, Indonesia

Abstract: This study aims to determine the effect of cooperative learning model of Group Investigation
(GI) on learning outcomes and student interpersonal communication development. The study is quasi
experimental, with two group pretest post-test design. The study population was all students of class XI
SMA Negeri 11 Medan in academic year 2016/2017. Samples were taken from two classes of the
population by random sampling technique. One class is the experimental class taught by cooperative
learning model GI and the control class was taught by conventional learning. The research instruments
consisted of cognitive tests. Achievement test used to measure learning outcomes. Cognitive learning
outcomes were analyzed by t-test. The results showed that there was an influence of cooperative learning
model GI on learning outcomes. Through the cooperative model GI type, atmosphere to learn was more
effective, cooperative relationships in the learning group inspired students to have courage to express
opinions, communicate and share information with friends in solving learning problems.
Keywords: cooperative learning type group investigation, cognitive learning outcomes

1. Introduction
The main support for the achievement of development goals is the quality of Indonesian human
quality education. Quality education is not done only through the transformation of knowledge in science
and technology, but among others supported by the development of the ability of learners to help
themselves to choose and make decisions in the achievement of its goals. The ability of the participants is
not only the academic aspect, but also concerning aspects of personal development, social, intellectual
maturity, and value systems.
Factors that lead to less success in academics is not only intelligence, but also character issues,
namely self-confidence, ability to cooperate, social skills, ability to concentrate, empathy and
communication skills. A person's ability to interact is called interpersonal communication skills.
Teachers should ask questions that lead students to think and ask scientifically oriented questions,
open-ended questions that get them to carry out investigations to find scientific answers (Li & Arshad,
2015. p.154). This can be done to improve learning outcomes and student interpersonal communication.
According to Siska, Sudardjo & Purnamaningsih (2003, p.70), one of the factors that affect a person's
interpersonal communication skills is confidence. The higher the confidence, the lower the interpersonal
communication anxiety, and vice versa.
Physics is a science that includes clumps of Science, therefore, has the same characteristics with the
physics of Science; these characteristics are the objects of physics, how to obtain and use.

1.1. Learning physics in SMA / MA


There are two issues related to physics that are inseparable, namely physics as a product (in the form
of facts, concepts, principles, laws, and theories) and physics as the process (scientific work). Therefore, a
physics lesson is a lesson that teaches a wide range of knowledge that can develop the power of reason;
the analysis so that almost all the problems connected with nature can be understood.
From my observation, there are still many students who find difficulty in studying physics because
they cannot understand the physics of matter taught by teachers as a whole, resulting in low student

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learning outcomes. In learning physics, the conventional learning model is still used, with an average
value of less than satisfactory. Low student learning outcomes is due to the learning process that is only
centered on the teacher (teacher centered) so that students just listen to the teacher's explanation.
Teachers also rarely provide the opportunity for students to interact with classmates or with teachers.
Students mostly memorize the subject matter without relating the lessons to everyday life. The learning
model used is less varied, resulting in the student being bored and less active when learning. Because
they rarely do practicum or an experiment in understanding physics lessons, learning physics becomes
less meaningful for students. Astra, Wahyuni and Nasbey (2015, p.75), and Akcay and Doymuş (2012,
p.110) describe that the process of learning physics in a teacher-centered school causes teachers actively
involved not to directly transfer the information to the students during the course of interaction.
Low student learning outcomes is because the process of learning to this day still gives dominance to
the teacher and does not provide access for students to develop independently through the discovery and
thinking processes (Sakinah & Purwanto, 2014, p.84; Irwan & Sani, 2015, p.42; & Wahyuningsih, Sarwi,
& Sugianto, 2012, p.2).
The problems of students who find Physics difficult and are less active, and the lack of interaction
and interpersonal communication skills to lessons need to be pursued. The solution is to perform actions
that can change the atmosphere of learning that engages students. Students think that physics is boring
and difficult to understand because there are too many formulas to be memorized and symbols that they
do not understand, so that students are less interested in studying physics (Folina, Indrawati, & Astutik,
2012, p. 348; Musthofa, 2013, p. 56).
One effort to improve student learning outcomes through the implementation of working together to
develop students' interpersonal communication, i.e., to implement a cooperative learning model.
Cooperative learning model is an approach to learning that is appropriate to increase the activity and
communication of students during the learning process that takes place. This learning comes from the
concept that students can easily find and understand difficult concepts if it were in discussions with a
friend. The main idea in cooperative learning is students working together to study and take responsibility
for their learning progress. Akcay & Doymuş (2014 p.18) explains that the cooperative learning is a
method of learning where students are assigned to small groups in the classroom as well as other
environments and where they are helped to learn together. Students achieve more and increase individual
confidence, develop communication skills and participate actively.

2. Methodology
The type of research was quasi experiment by two group pretest – posttest design. The study
population was all students of class XI SMA Negeri 11 Medan in academic year 2016/2017. The sample
in this study consists of two classes, namely the experimental class and control class, determined by
random sampling technique. The study involved two classes that were given different treatment. One
class was used as an experimental class and other class used as a control group. The results of student
learning was found by giving a multiple choice test in second grade before and after treatment, which was
analyzed using t-test (Sudjana, 2005).

3. Result and Discussion


In the implementation stage, teachers implemented cooperative learning model of GI appropriate
lesson plant. Researchers divided the students into several groups, each group to guide experimentation
and discussion. After that, each group presented their report. During the learning activity, the researchers
conducted observations of the cognitive learning. The results of these observations were analyzed to see
the effect of cooperative learning model GI during the learning process. The results showed that the
effects of using cooperative learning model type GI on learning outcomes. It can be seen from the posttest
results of the experimental class and control class.

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TABLE 1: The average value of the experimental class and control


Average Value
Class Data
Pretest Posttest
Experiment 43.46 77.89
Control 37.17 72.60

The above table shows that the average value resulting from the experimental class is higher than the
average value generated from the control class, so it can be concluded that the learning outcomes of
experimental class that learned using cooperative learning model type GI was better compared with the
control class that learned with conventional models. This is consistent with research by Sakinah and
Purwanto (2014) which stated that the learning outcomes in the experimental class was better than in the
control class. Student learning outcomes were better in the experimental group than the control class
because of some of the benefits of cooperative learning model GI compared to conventional learning,
cooperative learning model GI focused more on students, who will be more active to construct direct
knowledge through any activities that have been designed. In the control class which was teacher-
centered learning, while students only heard, not too many students were involved in the work.
According to research conducted by Risnawati, Yulianti, Dwijananti (2012:13); Praptiwi &
Handhika (2012:47); Mahardika, Subiki, & Mukharomah (2013:227), which states that the GI is a form of
cooperative learning model that emphasizes the participation and activities of the students to find their
own material (information) lessons will be learned through the materials provided. Students are involved
from the planning, both in determining the topic as well as a way to learn through investigation.
The purpose of cooperative learning is to improve self-confidence and communication skills of
individuals, strengthening the power of problem solving and critical thinking, and students actively
participate in the educational process (Simsek, 2013: 5; Wahyuningsih, et all, 2012: 2).
A study conducted by Tsoi & Chia (2004) states that through the GI model, students interact with a
lot of information while working collaboratively with others in a cooperative situation to investigate the
problem, planning and presentation, and evaluate the results of their work. All members of the group in
cooperative learning GI have tasks. This causes each member of the group to be active, there is
interaction between students and students, and students with teachers. Students are trained to develop
social communication skills, encouraging students to appreciate other people's opinions, and improve the
academic skills of students, and students are trained to speak to the class. Therefore, GI cooperative
learning model does not only affect the cognitive learning, but also on the development of interpersonal
communication and psychomotor learning outcomes of students. According to Akcay & Doymuş (2012:
116). the main purpose of the implementation of cooperative technique is to give responsibility to the
students and interaction with one another.
The existence of interactions between students causes interpersonal communication with each other.
So during the investigation process, students are required to have good skills in communication. The
development of students' interpersonal communication happens because students become more active, as
the subject of learning in the classroom, actively studying the learning material, opinions, questions and
answers, to promote knowledge, solve problems, discussions, and draw conclusions.
Through the activities of designing, researching, studying and doing practical work, students will
gain work experience that is valuable and likely to apply kefahaman theories that have been learned
through the tasks are accounted for (Chiu, Mahat, Hassan, Chik, & Yahya, 2010: 134).
The success of the GI cooperative learning model is based on many things i.e., this model stressed on
the involvement of students in full. Investigation or inquiry conducted as learning activity, which gives
students the possibility to develop understanding through various activities and learning outcomes in
accordance with the development of the students. Learning activities traversed by solving problems or

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issues assigned by the teacher, while the subsequent learning activities tend to be open, meaning not
strictly structured by the teacher, which in practice refers to various theories of the investigation.
Although cooperative learning model of GI results in better learning and development of
interpersonal communication which tends to increase as compared to conventional learning, there are
some obstacles in conducting research: the relatively large amount makes the researcher unable to
maximize managing time so there is a learning activity that is less effective, particularly in terms of
control, drive and discipline students.

4. Conclusion
Based on an analysis of data from studies conducted, it can be concluded that student learning
outcomes of students who were subjected to cooperative learning model type group investigation was
better than the learning outcomes of students who were subjected to the conventional learning models. It
can be seen from the average post-test students after being treated.

5. Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements to the school, SMA Negeri 11 Medan and all those who have helped in this
research.

6. References
Akçay, N. O., & Doymuş, K. (2012). The Effects of Group Investigation and Cooperative Learning
Techniques Applied in Teaching Force and Motion Subjects on Students’ Academic
Achievements. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 2(1), 100-116.

Akçay, N. O., & Doymuş, K. (2014). The Effect of Different Methods of Cooperative Learning Model on
Academic Achievement in Physics. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 11(4), 18.

Astra, I. M., Wahyuni, C., & Nasbey, H. (2015). Improvement of Learning Process and Learning
Outcomes in Physics Learning by Using Collaborative Learning Model of Group Investigation At
High School (Grade X, SMAN 14 Jakarta). Journal Of Education And Practice, 6(11), 75.

Chiu, L. K., Mahat, N. I., Hassan, S., Chik, A. R., & Yahya, M. A. (2010). Penilaian terhadap Prestasi
Pelajar dan Pengurusan Program Praktikum Universiti. Malaysian Journal Learning and
Instruction, 7, 134.

Folina., Indrawati., dan Astutik, S,. (2013). Peningkatan Keterampilan Proses dan Hasil Belajar Fisika
dengan Model Inkuiri Terimbing Berbasis Authentic Assessment pada Siswa Kelas X D MAN 2
Jember Tahun Ajaran 2012/2013. Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika, 2(3), 348.

Irwan, N., & Sani, R. A. (2015). Efek Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Group Investigation dan
Teamwork Skills terhadap Hasil Belajar Fisika, Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika, 4(1), 42.

Li, W. S. S., & Arshad, M. Y. (2015). Inquiry Practices in Malaysian Secondary Classroom and Model of
Inquiry Teaching Based on Verbal Interaction. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction,
Vol. 12, 154.

Mahardika, I. K., Subiki., & Mukharomah, L. (2013). Penggunaan Model Kooperatif Tipe GI (Group
Investigation) disertai Media Animasi untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Representasi Verbal,
Matematik, Gambar, dan Grafik Siswa dalam Pembelajaran Fisika di SMA. Jurnal Pembelajaran
Fisika, 2(2), 227-231.

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Musthofa, K. (2013). Pembelajaran Fisika dengan Cooperative Learning Tipe Jigsaw untuk
Mengoptimalkan Aktivitas dan Kemampuan Kognitif Siswa Kelas X-6 SMA MTA Surakarta.
Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika, 1(1), 56.

Praptiwi., & Handhika, J. (2012). Efektivitas Metode Kooperatif Tipe GI dan STAD ditinjau dari
Kemampuan Awal. Jurnal Penelitian Pembelajaran Fisika, 3(1), 47.

Risnawati., Yulianti, D., & Dwijananti, P. (2012). Penerapan Group Investigation pada Pembelajaran
Sains untuk Mengembangkan Karakter Siswa SMP Kelas VIII. Unnes Physics Education Journal,
1(1), 13.

Sakinah, F. dan Purwanto. (2014). Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Group Investigation
terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa pada Materi Pokok Suhu dan Kalor Kelas X SMA Negeri 1
Perbaungan. Jurnal Inpafi, 2(3), 84-86.

Şimşek, U. (2013). The Effects of Cooperative Learning Methods on Students’ Academic Achievements
in Social Psychology Lessons. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their
Implications, 4(3), 5.

Siska., Sudardjo., & Purnamaningsih, E. H. (2003). Kepercayaan Diri dan Kecemasan Komunikasi
Interpersonal pada Mahasiswa. Jurnal Psikologi, (2), 70.

Sudjana. (2005). Metoda Statistika. Bandung : Tarsito.

Tsoi, M. F, Goh, N, K., & Chia, L. S. (2004). Using Group Investigation for Chemistry in Teacher
Education. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 5(1).

Wahyuningsih, I., Sarwi., dan Sugianto. (2012). Penerapan Model Kooperatif Group Investigation
berbasis Eksperimen Inkuiri Terbimbing untuk Meningkatkan Aktifitas Belajar. Unnes Physics
Education Journal, 1, 2.

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Pembelajaran Penilaian Teks Naratif

Mohammad Fazli Salleh dan Khairunnisa Mohamed

Pusat Bahasa Melayu Singapura


Sekolah Rendah East Coast

Abstrak: Kefahaman membaca adalah salah satu aspek dalam pengejaran dan pembelajaran bahasa
yang masih menjadi kegusaran dalam kalangan guru dan murid. Murid didapati tidak dapat menjawab
soalan-soalan dengan baik, terutama bagi soalan-soalan inferens. Murid gagal memahami kandungan teks
akibat kurang upaya menganalisis teks dengan teliti. Kajian Pengajaran ini melibatkan murid Darjah 5
dan bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemahiran murid menganalisis teks naratif melalui kaedah W.P.S.
Kaedah W.P.S. yang selaras dengan Taksonomi Bloom telah didedahkan kepada murid sepanjang kajian
ini. Kajian ini diusahakan untuk menggilap kemahiran murid membaca dengan lebih berkesan. Murid
didedahkan kepada langkah-langkah untuk membantu mereka mengenal pasti watak-watak dalam cerita
dan menyusun peristiwa-peristiwa yang terkandung dalam cerita. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa
kaedah W.P.S. telah membantu guru mengajar kemahiran menganalisis teks naratif dengan lebih berkesan
dan berjaya membantu murid menjawab soalan-soalan inferens.

Kata Kunci: bacaan, inferens, kognitif, kefahaman, metakognitif

1. Pengenalan
Komponen Kefahaman adalah antara faktor utama yang menjejas prestasi kertas peperiksaan Bahasa
Melayu. Perkara ini amat ketara sekali sewaktu pemeriksaan kertas peperiksaan di peringkat PSLE. Dari
pengalaman pengkaji-pengkaji sendiri, terutama sekali pada tahun 2014 dan 2015, prestasi keseluruhan
untuk Kertas 2 Buku B Bahasa Melayu tidak begitu menggalakkan untuk kebanyakan murid.
Kajian pengajaran ini adalah usaha guru-guru dari sekolah kami dan bertujuan untuk meluaskan lagi
proses pembelajaran dan pengajaran dalam memperlengkapkan para pelajar dengan kemahiran yang dapat
membantu mereka menangani latihan kefahaman dengan lebih berkesan. Pemahaman teks memerlukan
seseorang pembaca itu menganalisa kandungan yang ada dan ini penting untuk mencetuskan proses
pemikiran yang membolehkan para pelajar untuk membentuk pendapat.
Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan kaedah W.P.S kepada para pelajar. Kaedah W.P.S.
membeir tumpuna kepada proses metakognitif seseorang dalam membina pemahaman yang baik dalam
bacaan. Kaedah ini diperkenalkan sebagai alat untuk membina pemahaman kepada teks bacaan. Kaedah
juga dirancang untuk membantu murid-murid mengapresiasikan sesebuah teks melalui watak-watak. Kajian
ini juga dipengaruhi oleh satu aspek penulisan, yakni pembinaan watak, untuk membantu murid lebih
menghayati bahan bacaan. Harapan para pengkaji adalah usaha ini akan melahirkan murid yang berfikiran
kritis.

2. Tujuan Kajian
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemahiran memahami teks dalam kalangan murid. Selain itu,
kajian ini juga mahu meneliti keberkesanan W.P.S dalam membina pemahaman murid. Kajian ini dijalankan
dengan harapan dapat memperluas lagi usaha guru-guru Bahasa Melayu di sekolah dalam proses pengajaran
kefahaman di dalam kelas. Kemahiran menganalisa teks perlu lebih berstruktur. Bacaan yang berkualiti
memerlukan lebih dari kemahiran membaca. Untuk mengecapi tahap bacaan yang berkualiti, seseorang itu
harus memiliki kemahiran pemahaman yang baik. Kemahiran pemahaman yang baik memastikan para
pembaca dapat membaca dengan lebih berkesan. Selain daripada membantu guru-guru, kajian ini juga
bertujuan untuk memperlengkapkan murid dengan kemahiran menganalisa teks lantas memenuhi kehendak
soalan-soalan inferens dalam latihan.

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3. Pernyataan Masalah
Kajian ini didorong oleh kegusaran guru-guru terhadap kemerosotan prestasi murid-murid dalam
peperiksaan pertengahan tahun 2015. Antara beberapa bahagian yang menyumbang pada kemerosotan
prestasi ini adalah Kertas 2 Bahasa Melayu. Setelah menjalankan penilaian pascapeperiksaan, guru-guru
mendapati bahawa punca utama kemerosotan ini adalah kelemahan murid dalam bahagian kefahaman.
Antara faktor yang menyumbang kepada kegusaran ini, adalah keterbatasan kosa kata dalam kalangan
murid. Keterbatasan ini menjejas kebolehan para pelajar untuk membina pemahaman yang baik dan
mengungkapkan idea mereka dalam bentuk tulisan lantas menghambat para pelajar untuk mengapresiasikan
teks.
Keterbatasan ini secara khususnya merujuk kepada golongan kata adjektif. Sebagai contoh, perkataan
“baik” digunakan secara sewenang-wenangnya untuk menggambarkan sesuatu perbuatan positif. Akibatnya,
murid tidak tepat mengungkapkan idea mereka serta memenuhi kehendak soalan-soalan inferens.

4. Kajian Lepas
Kaedah W.P.S. memberi tumpuan pada proses metakognitif seseorang dalam membina pemahaman yang
baik dalam bacaan. Proses metakognitif membolehkan seseorang itu melakarkan langkah-langkah tertentu
yang dapat membantu mereka dalam berfikir. Fikiran yang berstruktur pula akan membantu seorang pelajar
itu untuk membina pemahaman yang baik dalam bacaan. Beberapa kajian telah dijalankan untuk menguji
keberkesanan strategi-strategi metakognisi dalam pembelajaran.
Antara strategi yang tidak asing adalah kajian yang telah dijalankan Gillett dan Temple (1982). Strategi
metakognisi kerap digunakan oleh guru-guru bahasa dalam kelas. Proses pemenggalan diterapkan dalam
kemahiran membaca. Strategi ini didedahkan kepada murid untuk membantu mereka membaca, mengingat
dan dan mentafsir bahan bacaan. Dapatan kajian ini telah meningkatkan pemahaman seseorang pembaca.
Sebuah kajian telah dijalankan oleh Houtveen dan Grit (2007). Kajian ini melibatkan dua kumpulan
para pelajar. Seramai 334 pelajar dikumpulkan dalam kumpulan eksperimen dan 225 lagi murid
dikumpulkan dalam kumpulan sampel. Murid dari kumpulan sampel tidak menerima pendedahan dengan
latihan kemahiran metakognisi sepertimana yang dilalui oleh kumpulan eksperimen. Hasil kajian
menyokong peri pentingnya kemahiran metakognisi dalam meningkatkan pemahaman para pelajar dalam
bacaan. Ini adalah kerana murid dari kumpulan eksperimen mempamerkan tahap pemahaman yang lebih
baik berbanding daripada kumpulan sampel.
Satu lagi kajian yang serupa pernah dijalankan oleh Boulware-Gourden (2007). Kajian ini dijalankan
untuk melihat sebesar manakah keberkesanan strategi metakognisi dalam pengajaran bacaan yang berkesan.
Boulware-Gourden membahagikan kumpulan sasaran kepada kumpulan kawalan dan kumpulan intervensi.
Kumpulan intervensi dianggotai oleh murid yang memiliki kebolehan akademik yang sederhana dan telah
diajarkan strategi metakognisi. Kumpulan kawalan pula terdiri dari peringkat murid yang sama tetapi tidak
diajarkan strategi metakognisi. Latihan ujian kefahaman kemudiannya dijalankan kepada kedua-dua
kumpulan sasaran ini. Di akhir kajian, dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa strategi metakognisi membantu
para pelajar untuk membina pemahaman yang baik. Kumpulan intervensi mempamerkan keputusan yang
lebih baik berbanding kumpulan sasaran.
Dapatan daripada kajian lepas ini membuktikan peri pentingnya kemahiran metakognitif yang perlu
ada pada setiap orang murid. Usaha-usaha untuk membina dan memperhaluskan strategi-strategi ini perlu
diteruskan agar dapat dimanfaatkan oleh para pelajar kita supaya mengecapi tahap bacaan yang berkualiti.

5. Kaedah Kajian
Kajian ini dijalankan dalam masa 2 bulan dari Mac hingga Mei 2015. Subjek kajian terdiri daripada 44
orang pelajar darjah 5 yang mengambil subjek Bahasa Melayu. Subjek dibahagikan kepada dua kumpulan,
kedua-dua kumpulan ini terdiri daripada murid-murid yang mempunyai tahap kebolehan yang pelbagai.
Kumpulan kajian ini terdiri daripada 5 orang murid yang bertahap kebolehan rendah, 20 murid daripada
tahap kebolehan sederhana dan 19 pelajar daripada tahap kebolehan yang tinggi.
Kajian pengajaran yang menggunakan kaedah W.P.S ini merupakan usaha sepadu yang dijalankan untuk
mengasah kemahiran menganalisa teks bagi murid serta membantu guru untuk mengajar kemahiran tersebut
dengan lebih berstruktur.
Kajian pengajaran ini dijalankan sebanyak dua sesi (Lesson Study Cycle 1 and 2) Guru-guru yang terlibat
sama dalam kajian turut melakukan pemerhatian sewaktu kajian pengajaran dilaksanakan. Setelah guru
selesai melaksanakan sesi pengajaran yang pertama, kesemua guru-guru pemerhati yang terlibat dalam kajian
tersebut akan membuat refleksi tentang pengajaran dan pembelajaran tersebut. Guru-guru juga akan

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berbincang tentang keberkesanan pengajaran tersebut dengan melihat kekuatan dan kelemahan proses
pengajaran. Objektif guru pemerhati adalah untuk memantau proses pembelajaran murid semasa kajian
dijalankan.
Pascapersidangan diadakan untuk mendapatkan maklum balas guru-guru berkenaan dengan
pelaksanaan kajian serta keberkesanan pendekatan yang digunakan agar kajian ini dapat diperhalusi dengan
penambahbaikan. Oleh itu, penambahbaikan telah dilakukan dengan memperbaiki rancangan pelajaran.
Seterusnya, sesi pengajaran yang kedua dilakukan dengan merujuk kepada rancangan pelajaran yang telah
dimurnikan. Rajah 1 menunjukkan proses kajian pengajaran yang dijalankan:

Rajah 1: Proses kajian

Kajian ini menggabungkan penggunaan metode kuantitatif dan kualitatif untuk mengumpul dan
menganalisa data. Sesi pemantauan di dalam kelas dan lapor balik daripada borang tiket keluar (‘exit ticket’)
menjadi sumber utama data kualitatif. Sesi pemantauan akan proses pembelajaran dan pengajaran dilakukan
sebanyak dua kali oleh guru-guru pengkaji. Untuk mendapatkan data kuantitatif pula, guru memperolehi data
melalui hasil kertas latihan kefahaman murid. Data-data tersebut menjadi sandaran untuk menentukan
keberkesanan dan kerelevanan kajian pengajaran yang telah dijalankan.

6. Dapatan Kajian Dan Perbincangan


Tujuan kaedah W.P.S adalah untuk memperlengkapkan murid dengan proses berfikir yang lebih kritis.
Kaedah W.P.S diusahakan untuk mempergiatkan lagi proses berfikir sewaktu bacaan. Murid perlu
“membongkar” kandungan yang sedia ada dan membentuk pemahaman mereka.
Hasilnya, perbincangan antara guru dengan murid dalam kelas lebih aktif. Walaupun ada kalanya
agak payah untuk mengungkapkan idea-idea dalam kekata, murid lebih proaktif dan cuba berkongsi
pandangan mereka bersama rakan-rakan sedarjah. Jadual 1 dan 2 menunjukkan markah bagi soalan-soalan
inferens (38 - 40) sebelum dan selepas kajian pengajaran dijalankan.

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Jadual 1: Markah bagi Prakajian

Markah S38 S39

3–4 12 12
markah 27.3% 27.3%

2 7 16
markah 15.9% 36.4%

0-1 25 16
markah 56.8% 36.4%

Jadual 2: Marklah bagi pascakajian

Markah S38 S39

3–4 34 25
markah 77.3% 56.8%

2 8 17
markah 18.2% 38.7%

0-1 2 2
markah 4.5% 4.5%

Kemerosotan purata untuk murid yang mendapat markah 0-1 adalah peningkatan yang amat ketara.
Berdasarkan dapatan kajian di atas, kaedah W.P.S adalah suatu strategi metakognisi yang dapat
meningkatkan tahap pemahaman dalam bacaan.

7. Kesimpulan
Kajian yang telah dijalankan ini telah memperkukuh keberkesanan strategi metakognisi yang perlu
diterapkan dalam pembelajaran di dalam kelas. Kemahiran metakognisi yang didedahkan dalam
pembelajaran menjadi landasan untuk memungkinkan daya pemikiran yang lebih kritis.
Kaedah W.P.S. telah dapat dimanfaatkan oleh murid dalam mempertingkatkan mutu pemahaman
mereka sewaktu membaca. Sedikit pengubahsuaian mungkin perlu dilakukan agar lebih mudah diterapkan
mengikut kebolehan murid. Usaha ini akan diluaskan penggunaannya kepada para peringkat yang rendah
untuk memberi pendedahan seawal mungkin kepada para pelajar. Proses pembelajaran kefahaman lebih
berkesan apabila murid lebih aktif berfikir dalam perbincangan.

8. Penghargaan
Ribuan terima kasih kepada Pengetua Sekolah Rendah East Coast, Puan Jessie Lim Chien Chin kerana
telah memberi peluang ini kepada kami. Sokongan beliau telah memberi kami membantu kami
mempertingkat pengajaran dan pembelajaran di bilik darjah melalui kajian ini.
Kami juga turut ingin berterima kasih dengan guru teman seperjuangan kami, Cikgu Rozanah Kasnan
dan Cikgu Azhar Abdul Rashid kerana telah banyak membantu dan memberi tunjuk ajar kepada kami
sepanjang tempoh menyiapkan kertas kajian ini. Pengalaman yang diraih sepanjang proses ini telah
memperkukuhkan lagi semangat kami sebagai pendidik bahasa Melayu.
Akhir sekali, kalungan terima kasih kepada Pusat bahasa Melayu Singapura yang memberi peluang
kepada kami untuk membentangkan hasil kajian ini di persidangan serantau dan membantu kami
memurnikan kertas kajian ini. Tunjuk ajar, kerjasama dan dorongan yang diberikan oleh semua pihak
membolehkan kami berjaya menyiapkan kerja kerja ini dengan jayanya.

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9. Rujukan
Abbas bin Mohd. Shariff. (2012). Strategi pengajaran & pembelajaran Bahasa (Cetakan kedua).
Singapore: Alfa Media.
Yahya Othman & Dayang Raini Pakar. (2013). Keberkesanan Strategi Metakognisi dalam Pengajaran
Bacaan dan Kefahaman Menggunakan Teks Ekspositori. GEMA Online Journal of Language
Studies Volume 13(3).

Gillet, T. dan Temple, C. (1982). Understanding Reading Problem. Litle Brown and Co. Boston.

Marsh, C.J. (2010). Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum, Routledge. USA.

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Exploring the Use of Structured Reflections in Assessment as


Learning for Postgraduates
Azlina Murad Sani
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Abstract: This paper will share an assessment as learning strategy that was put into practice to support
postgraduate students’ active and critical engagement with course content. Synergizing elements of
reflective writing and assessment as learning, the strategy was based on two basic assumptions: firstly, that
reflection would generate deeper thinking about the subject matter, and secondly, that an appropriate form
of assessment would engage learners in the kind of learning that should be taking place. At periodic
intervals throughout a 14-week semester, a group of master’s degree students wrote rubric-based in-class
reflections on pre-selected topics as part of their regular coursework. Analysis of student writing and
instructor feedback showed a positive change in the nature of reflection, from descriptive to dialogic, over
the task period. This suggests a deeper engagement with course content.

Keywords: learning-oriented assessment, reflective writing, postgraduates

1. Introduction
In addition to multiple work and family commitments, mature learners who advance to the
postgraduate level face unique challenges that influence academic learning. These may include attitudinal
barriers (e.g., feeling too old, too busy, or uninterested), pedagogical barriers (e.g., lack of instructional
support to integrate new knowledge and skills), as well as academic barriers (e.g., rusty attention and
memory skills, critical thinking and reflection skills) (McKeracher, Suart & Potter, 2006). The existence
of the latter barriers indicate the importance of enhancing and nurturing academic learning skills among
postgraduate students.
Studying for a higher degree requires the ability to assess ideas critically, and to rationalize beliefs
and actions (Johnstone, 2008). As such skills weaken from lack of practice, it would be useful for
professionals returning to academic study to relearn how to engage more deeply with subject matter, to
question existing knowledge and ideas, and propose novel perspectives. The challenge for me was to
create opportunities to support my education postgraduates’ critical engagement with course content, so
that they would transition from surface learning to deeper learning. This paper shares a classroom
strategy that was put into practice for this purpose, and reports on the outcomes of its implementation.
The strategy concerned incorporated the notions of assessment as learning and reflective writing.

1.1 Assessment as learning


Assessment as learning (AaL) is a learning-oriented form of assessment (Carless, 2007) that
emphasizes metacognitive processes, i.e., students’ thinking about their learning, and the strategies and
mechanisms they use to support and advance learning (Earl, 2006). Dann, (2014, p. 150) observes that
AaL “offers a process through which …involvement in assessment can feature as part of learning.” To
facilitate rethinking and adjusting for further improvement, AaL tasks may incorporate opportunities for
learners to self-assess the extent of their capabilities, including knowledge, level of understanding and
strategies for learning (Earl, 2006).

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Feedback is always an important feature in assessment. When relevant and timely feedback is
incorporated into an AaL task, it is expected to ‘feed forward’ for students’ learning enhancement
(Carless, 2007). Besides conventional written feedback from peers or an instructor, rubrics can also be
used since its core elements, namely criteria, quality indicators and score, help students not only to
visualize what success at a task means, but also to make dependable judgements about the quality of their
own work (Reddy & Andrade, 2010; Stiggins, in Andrade & Du, 2005).

1.2 Reflections
Sen (2010) draws attention to different types of reflective practice, and distinguishes between the
nature of reflective writing for work situations and academic contexts. For academic learning, Moon (as
cited in Sen, 2010) suggests that reflections would comprise a subject matter, a specified purpose, and the
learning, action or clarification that is required from the learner. The inclusion of these components is
consistent with the view that reflective writing is a means of learning how to learn (Bourner, 2003), or
how to take ownership of ideas from lectures and academic books (Bolton, 2010). The fact that reflective
writing expectations differ according to context also suggests that students who are more familiar with
practical, professional reflections would benefit from some concrete guidance as they embark on
reflective writing for academic learning. Guiding questions, for example, have been effectively applied to
improve writing quality (Moussa-Inaty, 2015).

Hatton and Smith (1995) classify reflective writing into four types:
(1) descriptive writing, which merely describes events or literature, and is therefore not reflective;
(2) descriptive reflection, which combines descriptions with justifications, and may reflect awareness
of ideas from the literature in these justifications;
(3) dialogic reflection, which involves a more careful consideration of situations, and is characterized
by judgements, alternative explanations or hypothesizing;
(4) critical reflection, in which there is recognition that perspectives and actions are influenced by
contextual factors, and should be understood in relation to them.
Hatton and Smith’s framework of reflective writing distinguishes between the depth of thinking involved
during the reflective writing process, and allows the identification of levels of reflection achieved by
students. Rivera (2017) suggests that these reflection types exist on a continuum. The same assumption is
applied in this paper.

2. Aim
I believed that my postgraduate students needed to engage at a deeper level with content. To learn to
do so, they should be able to critically assess their current way of engaging with new ideas and further
utilize that knowledge for personal improvement (Earl, 2006).
This small classroom research explored the potential of using structured reflective writing to support
the students’ engagement with subject matter. I devised and implemented the task, and systematically
gathered evidence to understand (a) the nature of students’ reflections on content/subject matter over the
task period, and (b) the influences of structured reflective writing on the students’ learning.

3. Task Implementation
An intact class of 12 postgraduate students, comprising mainly primary to tertiary level English
teachers participated in the reflective writing task as part of their assessed coursework. This paper reports
on the reflective writing of six of the students, with 3 to 9 years of teaching experience, who were from
the upper, middle and lower third of the class on course performance.
The task contributed 10% towards their total course marks, and was implemented in the following
way: In the second week of class, students were ‘re-familiarized’ with the expectations of reflection for
academic learning via a student reflection guide and the assessment rubric that would be used for scoring
their writing. The reflection guide comprised a selection of ‘reflective writing sentence starters’ adapted

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from internet sources (see, for example, reflective-writing-sentence-starters.html). The students may use
these ‘stems’ to structure responses that would fulfil the reflection elements, i.e., to record what was
learned, give insights about the idea, show deeper thinking and draw conclusions. The reflection scoring
rubric, accessible at any time, informed them of the assessment criteria--quality of content understanding
and quality of reflection-- and related descriptors. Reflections were scored by me, on a range of 0-5 from
novice, to amateur, to reflective. The students could refer to both the guide and the rubric at any time to
facilitate their thinking-to-write.
Between weeks 3-10 of the semester, the students wrote four scheduled 15 to 20 minute reflections at
the end of class, based on a specific question pertaining to the topic coverage of the day. Reflection 1
provided the baseline data on how the students reflected. In Week 11, they wrote a final reflection in
which they provided reactions on having to undergo the reflection task.
Instructor feedback was provided a week before the following reflection. This comprised the
individual scores on the rubric, written comments relating to their understanding of content, as well as
direct or indirect suggestions for further improvement in the nature of reflection. The guide, rubric and
feedback provided a structure to support learning and metacognitive processes.

4. Data Analysis and Findings


4.1 Nature of student reflections on content over the task period

The students’ reflections and my written feedback to them were qualitatively analyzed against Hatton
& Smith’s (1995) framework. The students’ baseline writing was found to be largely in the descriptive to
descriptive reflective range. There was a tendency to summarize content from the class discussion and
describe experiences. Based on the feedback data, areas that needed improvement included
comprehension of concepts and (lack of) personal insights such as taking a stand, focusing and thinking
through to add depth to personal views.
Before the second reflection task, the students were able to reassess their ability to reflect based on the
lecturer’s feedback. As they personally worked out how engage more deeply with the material, some
students incorporated more personal and concrete examples of events and actions, but neglected to
connect to concepts covered in class. Yet others attempted to demonstrate understanding of the material
with a more elaborate theoretical description, but lacked concrete real life connections. Despite a slight
improvement in the quality of writing, the second reflection was, as a whole, still mainly descriptive to
descriptive reflective.
The feedback data from the third reflection showed that students still needed direction to think from
different angles. However, there was some evidence of comprehension monitoring, as well as reflections
of a more dialogic nature, such as questioning their own assumptions or expanding on their own
interpretation of an idea.
In the fourth reflection, students’ views and opinions tended to be more concrete and focused. There
were clearer attempts at dialogic reflection such as venturing questions and issues, and speculating on
impact. Elements of critical reflection, although sparse, did emerge in some explanations and
justifications.
Overall, a positive change was observed in the nature of reflections over the time period, from mainly
descriptive towards mainly dialogic. This suggests that while there were individual differences in quality,
structured reflections with timely feedback had the potential to facilitate deeper thinking.

4.2 Influence of structured reflective writing on student learning


To explore the influences of the structured reflective writing on learning, the students’ final
reflections were analyzed thematically following Braun & Clarke (2006). The findings suggests that the
reflective writing possibly influenced both metacognitive process as well as content of learning. Students
reported that having to write reflectively led to increased attention during class, and also prompted self-
assessment. Three forms of self-assessment emerged, as shown in the sample extracts below:

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1. Level of understanding:
“Every time I write the reflection, I am able to see where I stand, I mean how clear I
understand the content of the topic I learned on that day.” (S9)
2. Capacity as a student:
“ …reflect on my strengths and weakness as a student as well as a teacher.” (S8)
3. Learning effort:
“I am a last minute person…this activity has led me to the thought about consistency in
readings, revising and checking my own learning.” (S11)

In relation to content learning the recurring theme was ‘drawing personal connections’. Students
expressed that they thought deeper in order to relate newly learned concepts with existing knowledge and
experiences, as suggested by the rubric descriptors (“…makes me to think deeply about my students.”
(S6)). Nonetheless, some pressure also was felt by being assessed, and by writing under time constraints
(“I will be stressed up also thinking over what the questions will be and how to answer them” (S7)).

5. Conclusion
An assessment as learning strategy incorporating reflective writing was explored to guide and support
students’ towards deeper thinking about subject matter covered in a taught course. At the initial stage,
writing was found to be mainly descriptive, consistent with an earlier finding (Gomez, as cited in Bolton,
2010, p.12) that education students’ reflections were “unchallenging” and “non-risk taking,” focusing on
personal narratives and personal points of view. At the end of the task period, there was generally better
engagement with content, despite individual differences in the quality and manner of reflection. The final
outcome of the task supports the assertion that both reflective writing and learning oriented assessment
positively influences self-development, metacognitive awareness and academic learning (Earl, 2006; Sen,
2010). It is also worth noting that writing in-class rather than take-home reflections might have had some
effect as well. The anticipation of having to write on a topic immediately and be assessed on it probably
led to attentiveness in class. Paying attention would have resulted in better understanding, which
consequently enabled students to think, question and connect with the subject matter more meaningfully.
As a student (S1) remarked in her final reflection, if she and her peers had been asked to write the
reflections out of class, they would have had access to plenty of resources for ideas, or even to copy from.
However, being forced to reflect “without any help from google or anything… we learn to understand.”

6. Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the contribution of her students, whose reflective writing provided data for this
study.

7. References

Andrade, H. & Du, Y. (2005). Student perspectives on rubric referenced assessment. Practical
Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 10 (3), 1-11.
Bolton, G. (2010). Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. Los Angeles: Sage.
Bourner, T. (2003). Assessing Reflective Learning. Education + Training, 45 (5), 267-272
doi:10.1108/00400910310484321
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Research in Psychology, 3 (2),
77-101.

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Carless, D. (2007). Learning–oriented assessment: conceptual bases and practical implications.


Innovations in Teaching and Learning International, 44 (1), 57-66
Dann, R. (2014). Assessment as learning: blurring the boundaries of assessment and learning for theory,
policy and practice. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 21(2), 149-166.
Earl, L. M. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind. Winnipeg: Manitoba
Education, Citizenship and Youth.
Hatton, N. & Smith, D. (1995). Teacher education: Towards definition and implementation. Teaching &
Teacher Education,11 (1), 33-49.
Johnstone, M. (2008). Postgraduate students and critical thinking: Some validation. Proceedings of the
EDU-COM 2008 International Conference. Sustainability in Higher Education: Directions for
Change. Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, 19-21 November 2008.
MacKeracher, D., Suart, T., & Potter, J. (2006). State of the field report - Barriers to participation in adult
learning. Canada: University of New Brunswick.
Moussa-Inaty, J. (2015). Reflective writing through the use of guiding questions. International Journal of
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27 (1), 104-113.
Rivera, R. (2017). The reflective writing continuum: Re-conceptualizing Hatton & Smith’s types of
reflective writing. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 6(2), 49-67
Sen, B. A. (2010). Reflective writing: a management skill. Library Management, 31 (1/2) 79-93.

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