THE RURAL SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ USE OF I-THINK IN THEIR CLASSROOM

Abstract

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has introduced the new Education Blueprint with the objective of elevating the Malaysian education standard to international level. The fourth industrial revolution prompts the urgent needs for transformation in the way teachers teach in class. The researcher believes that the use of I-THINK can be an effective approach to teach English in rural schools to promote students’ ability to think critically. However, despite the efforts executed, the level of practice on the use of i-THINK among English language teachers in rural secondary schools after the training and exposure is average. This paper aimed to investigate the attitude and practice level of English language teachers in rural secondary schools on the use of i-Think maps. Data was collected via a questionnaire survey of ESL school teachers in Merlimau Zone, Melaka. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings show that the teachers had positive attitudes towards I-THINK use in the classroom despite the average practice in their teaching. The implication of the study is the Ministry of Education through effective supervision of the District Education Office should ensure the teachers go for I-THINK courses to arm them with ample knowledge to successfully implement I-THINK maps in their practice.