Malaysian Preschool Research Articles

The Influence of Modified Open-Plan Preschool Spaces on Cognitive School Readiness in Malaysia

Modified open-planning to define children’s spaces is important in preschool design. Cognitive school readiness (SR) is an objective of Malaysian preschools. This study investigates the correlation between modified open-plan spaces and cognitive SR in Malaysian preschools. A prospective cohort study involving 378 children at 18 Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) preschools was conducted. Compared to other preschool physical aspects (size, scale, circulation, facilities, indoor environment quality, safety, home bases, activity areas, and play yards), the quality of modified open-plan spaces showed the strongest correlation with children’s cognitive SR (Pearson’s r=0.658, p=0.000). Findings are hoped to promote better preschool designs. Keywords: Modified open-plan, preschool design, children education, school readiness eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2374.

Teacher and students’ translanguaging practices in a Malaysian preschool

ABSTRACT The preliminary study examined teacher and students’ translanguaging practices in a preschool in Sarawak, Malaysia. Analysis of audio-recorded interactions of 15 students with their teachers in two preschool classrooms (1 English, 1 Malay) found 291 instances of teacher talk functions (English, 87; Malay, 204) and 222 instances of student talk functions (English, 71; Malay, 151). As the teachers were teaching English and Malay languages, the communicative function dominated, followed by management and academic functions. The teacher provided participation cues, affirmed students’ responses and assessed their knowledge. However, in the Malay lesson where students were not limited by their language proficiency, the teacher also asked students to give clarification, and provided new information to expand students’ schema. A large percentage of student talk functions in the English and Malay lessons were representational, followed by repetitions. Almost all (92.72%) student talk functions were performed in the medium of instruction in the Malay lesson, compared to 56.34% in the English lesson. The study shows the importance of translanguaging to provide the language support for the preschool students’ less developed language.

Alphabetic Knowledge and Phonological Awareness : A comparison between Malaysian Preschool Children from Public and Private Kindergartens

Alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness are essential skills in learning to read. This research examined the level of acquisition on alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness among 60 preschoolers from private and public preschools in Kuching, Sarawak. The mean age of the children was 5.58. The children were administered letter name and sound knowledge, and letter naming fluency tests to examine their alphabetic knowledge; Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing and Yopp-Singer Phoneme Segmentation Test to examine their phonological awareness. Higher achievement in alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness was found among preschoolers from private preschools compared to those from public preschools. This study discusses the implications for practice and the ways teachers could explicitly foster alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness skills in the classroom.
 Keywords: learning to read, alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, preschool children.

Assessing the Quality of Overall Planning for Public Preschools at Klang Valley in Malaysia

Poor overall planning leads to overcrowding in preschools. Ample space and a low teacher-child ratio in activity spaces are crucial. This paper investigates and proposes improvements to the overall planning quality of 26 Malaysian public preschools in Klang Valley. Four planning aspects were assessed (building size, size of indoor activity spaces, enrolment and quality of modules) using the Children’s Physical Environment Rating Scale. Most preschools were too small and the average planning quality of the studied preschools was only rated Fair. Design recommendations discussed in this paper will help designers devise better planning for Malaysian preschools in the future.Keywords: building size; children’s activity spaces; preschool design; learning environmenteISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI1.2289

CVEMPs and oVEMPs normative data in Malaysian preschool and primary school-aged children

ObjectiveVestibular assessments in children are essential for the early identification of vestibular and balance dysfunctions. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, cervical (cVEMPs) and ocular (oVEMPs) have been reported to be feasible and effective when assessing otolith function in children. The main aim of the study was to obtain normative data for cVEMPs and oVEMPs from preschool and primary school-aged Malaysian children. MethodsA group of 33 healthy children, aged from 5 years 9 months–12 years 4 months (mean ± SD = 8.83 ± 1.92 years), was recruited. Their otolith saccular function was assessed using 750 Hz tone burst for cVEMPs (with ER3A insert phone), while their utricular function was assessed using Brüel & Kjaer Mini-shaker Type 4810 (Naerum, Denmark) for oVEMPs. ResultsFor cVEMPs, the mean value of P13 latency, N23 latency, P13–N23 interamplitude and asymmetry ratio were 12.62 ± 1.38 ms, 19.85 ± 1.95 ms, 92.47 ± 50.35 μV and 14.03 ± 9.75%, respectively. For oVEMPs, the mean value of N10 latency, P15 latency, N10–P15 interamplitude and asymmetry ratio were 9.23 ± 1.07 ms, 14.41 ± 1.04 ms, 10.32 ± 5.65 μV and 15.84 ± 11.49%, respectively. Two-way ANOVA analysis found that ear laterality and gender had no significant effect on all cVEMPs and oVEMPs parameters. No significant correlation was found between age and all VEMPs parameters. ConclusionsThe normative data for cVEMPs and oVEMPs obtained in this study can be used as a guide by health professionals to assess saccular and utricular functions among children age from 5 to 12 years of age.

Development of a framework to assess preschool children’s numeracy

Children numeracy refers to the ability to do basic arithmetic operations, understanding the simple mathematical ideas and applying the knowledge and skills in mathematics in daily life. It requires an understanding of the ability to process, interpret and communicate numerical in ways that are appropriate for a variety context. This paper will discuss research that was undertaken with the primary purpose of developing the children’s numeracy framework in the following components: comparison, classification, one-to-one correspondence and seriation. The framework was developed based on the existing framework from other researchers and modified to suit with Malaysian preschool curriculum. Feedbacks were obtained from experts and preschool teachers on the suitability of the framework in relation to the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (2010). Six preschool children from 5 to 6 years old were interviewed to ascertain their representation (manipulative model, symbolic, static pictures, written language and spoken language) while answering the question given. The framework that was developed will be presented together with the pilot findings from the interviews.

Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) Among Malaysian Children: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Oral caries is a major public health issue around the globe, and it is the most prevalent noncommunicable disease (NCD). Children are mostly the population affected by this disease, which affects their quality of life. Therefore, measures to quantify this aspects of quality of life should be established to investigate the current status and to develop future intervention and prevention. The objective of this article is to systematically review the studies related to children's quality of life with regard to their oral health among Malaysian population. Materials and Method: Scopus-indexed articles were retrieved following an advanced search with the following search string, TITLE-ABS-KEY((oral OR dental) AND (child* OR kid* OR (primary dentition)) AND (quality of life) AND Malaysia*), resulting in a final of eight shortlisted and reviewed articles based on the review objective. Results: A few valid and reliable instruments were tested and validated, namely Malaysian version of Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), Malay Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Malay Child-OIDP), Malaysian version of the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14), and the most commonly used child oral-health-related quality-of-life (OHRQoL). However, Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) score did not predict the effect of malocclusion on the OHRQoL. Oral caries was highly prevalent among Malaysian Orang Asli children. Oral health did not only have an impact on quality of life in Malaysian preschool children, but also on their caregivers. A health-promoting school model namely the Doktor Muda Programme for primary schools in Malaysia showed some positive impacts on children’s oral health related quality of life. Conclusion: Further research among Malaysian children population with regard to their oral health related quality of life should be continued for the benefits of communities at large.

Learn Programming Framework for Malaysian Preschoolers

Learning computer programming is a good way to develop Computational Thinking, but many students assumed that computer programming is a complicated subject, which leads toward their disinterest in computer science. We believe that this assumption can be overcome if the students were introduced to the concept of programming earlier during preschool years. The best programming method for children to learn programming is the tangible programming method but current Malaysian preschool syllabus does not contain a framework for preschoolers to learn tangible programming. This paper introduces the developmentally-appropriate Learn Programming Framework (LPF) for preschoolers to learn programming concepts. The structured syllabus in LPF involves a series of controlled-play activities to be used with the novel tangible board game. Once the framework has been successfully implemented, extensive evaluation of LPF will be done to test its effectiveness in teaching children about programming

Parents' performance using the AAPOS Vision Screening App to test visual acuity in Malaysian preschoolers

To evaluate parents' performance in using the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) Vision Screening App (application) as a vision screening tool among preschool children and to evaluate the reliability of this app. A total of 195 5- and 6-year-old preschoolers were recruited from children attending Hospital Selayang, Selangor, Malaysia, to test the app. Uncooperative children and those with visual acuity of >logMAR 0.6 were excluded. Results from parents and the screening doctor using the app (Lea symbols) to test visual acuity were compared to each other and to gold standard vision testing by an optometrist using the Lea symbols chart. Children 5years of age represented 46.7% of the study population. The mean age of parents was 37.27±7.68years. Bland-Altman scatterplot agreement between assessors mainly was within the 95% confidence interval for bilateral eyes screening. Parents obtained a sensitivity of 86.6% (right vision) and 79.5% (left vision) and specificity of 78.9% (right vision) and 71.8% (left vision). Parents took a mean of 191.2±70.82seconds for bilateral screening. The intraclass correlation coefficient between optometrist and parents in bilateral eyes screening was good (P<0.001). Cronbach's α for all three assessors was >0.7, indicating high internal reliability of the app. Most parents (178/195 [91.3%]) strongly agreed on the app's acceptability and ease of use. The AAPOS Vision Screening App used by parents is a promising tool for visual acuityscreening among Malaysian preschool children and a reliable app for vision screening.

Learning Performance Assessment using Mobile-Based Augmented Reality Application for Preschool Environment

In the past ten years, technology and research in augmented reality (AR) have rapidly evolved in various fields, which led to a significant advancement in AR technology and application development. However, most of the recent development in AR are mainly focusing on how to overcome hardware and software issues. It is undeniable that overcoming technical problems are crucial in AR development and rapid development for technology advancement; however, it neglects the end user. This study presents learning performance assessment using mobile-based augmented reality application for Malaysian preschool in rural areas. This study used non probability sampling and a paired t-test to compare the data collected from the sample test. The students showed a significant interest in learning using augmented reality technology

THE EFFECTS OF SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S SELF-EFFICACY AND PERFORMANCE IN EARLY WRITING

To enhance the will and the skills to express thoughts explicitly and effectively in early writing among preschool children, self-regulated learning (SRL) was suggested for preschool children as one of the effective learning approaches. This quasi-experimental study involved seventy-five preschool children (5-6 years old) from two public preschools in Selangor, Malaysia. This study investigated the effects of SRL strategies on early writing self-efficacy and early writing performance among preschool children. Interview data was engaged and supported the quantitative result to obtain a deep insight of the findings. Two-way Repeated Measure ANCOVA was employed and confirmed the effectiveness of self-regulated learning intervention with an interaction effect between the test and group for early writing self-efficacy being statistically significant (F(1, 72) = 12.665; p = 0.001, 2= 0.150), with Cohen’s d = 0.84; and early writing performance statistically significant (F(1, 72) = 110.801; p &lt; 0.001, 2= 0.606), with Cohen’s d = 2.84. The result also confirmed that self-monitoring and controlling (F (5, 69) = 17.934, p &lt; 0.001), with an adjusted R² = 0.534, was a strong predictor for early writing self-efficacy, and planning and goal setting (F(5, 69) = 12.706, p&lt; 0.001), with an adjusted R² = 0.442, were a strong predictor for early writing performance. Eleven self-regulated learning strategies used emerged from the interviews’ data pertaining to different contexts. According to the participant children, planning and goal setting, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation were the strategies that will assure their writing quality. These responses supported the results produced by the quantitative data. The findings of this research provide a useful insight into early writing and self-regulated learning instructions in the Malaysian preschool context.

Further Study on Implementing Thematic Teaching in Preschool: A Needs Analysis Research

Thematic teaching has been introduced through the Malaysian Preschool Education Curriculum Guidelines (KPM, 1993) since 1993. This research is a preliminary review aimed at looking at the need to conduct further studies on the implementation of thematic teaching and to determine the focus of the research. This research explores the current understanding and practice of eight teachers from eight preschools in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in implementing thematic teaching. Data collected for this research was based on document analysis, observations, and interviews. Findings of the research show that there were various levels of understanding and methods employed in implementing thematic teaching in the selected preschools. Teachers’ understanding is divided into several categories: 1) understanding thematic teaching as curriculum; 2) understanding thematic teaching as an approach; 3) the minimum understanding of thematic teaching; and 4) no understanding of thematic teaching at all. In terms of planning, only two of the teachers integrated thematic teaching in their annual, weekly, and daily lesson plans. The findings on the implementation of thematic teaching also show that teachers: 1) used thematic teaching as the basis of the curriculum; 2) applied thematic teaching as one of the teaching approaches; 3) used thematic teaching based on the requirements of the teaching and learning; and 4) had not used thematic teaching. This finding supports the need for further research on thematic teaching. A detailed research on the implementation of more practical and friendly thematic teaching for teachers that also fulfills the principles of implementation of such teaching and the overall developmental needs of children should be undertaken.

Reliability of Sullivan Emotional Intelligence Scale for Children in Malaysian Context Using Rasch Measurement Model

Emphasizing only on intellectual intelligence without stressing on feelings and emotions could negatively affect an individual’s emotional development. Development of stable emotion regulation strategies is important for an individual to function appropriately in different contexts. Although there are many scales developed to measure emotional intelligence (EI), there is a dearth of instruments to measure EI in preschool children. One instrument that taps EI in preschool children is The Sullivan Emotional Intelligent Scale for Children (EISC). EISC was developed for use in the United States and there is no such instrument available in Malaysian context (to the best of our knowledge).The aim of the current study was to adapt EISC to measure Malaysian preschool children’s emotional intelligence. EISC was translated into Malay Language and the reliability value of the instrument was then tested using the Rasch Model. There are 50 respondents (preschool children) was random selected from the research area (Johor Bahru) which had same features with the real respondent for this purpose. The results show a high ‘item reliability’ of 0.94 and also a high ‘person reliability’ of 0.93 after distillations (37 out of 59 items retained). The results suggest that The Sullivan Emotional Intelligent Scale for Children (EISC), adapted for Malaysian children, can be used to determine the level of Malaysian preschool children’s EI with psychometric soundness.

Perception of Teachers and Parents on Appropriate Physical Environment for Learning Through Play in Malaysian Preschools

As physical environments play a role in supporting learning though play (LTP) in preschools, users and interest group’s perceptions of appropriate physical environment features for LTP become significant. This article examines perceptions of teachers and parents concerning an appropriate indoor physical environment for LTP in Malaysian preschools.A five-point Likert scale and preference ranking were employed to understand teachers’ and parents’ perception of six features including sizing of spaces; material availability; spaces for creation and respite; indoor-outdoor connection; and provision of challenges. The findings included; variety of materials, spaces for personalization, spaces for challenges and good indoor-outdoor connection.

Preschool teachers’ training and attitudes towards multicultural education in Malaysia

Multicultural education is crucial in promoting cross-cultural understanding, recognition, and celebration of diversity in Malaysia-one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Preschool teachers play central roles in laying the foundation for cultural acceptance and positive racial interaction during early childhood. This study aims to explore Malaysian preschool teachers’ training and attitudes towards multicultural education. A quantitative questionnaire survey approach was used to gather the required data. The participants consisted of 1,067 preschool teachers from 267 private and government preschools providers in the country. Two validated instruments were employed to measure the variables in this study. The trainings received by the preschool teachers were measured by the Teachers’ Training Multicultural Education Scale (TTMES) while their attitudes towards multicultural education were gauged by the Multicultural Teaching Scale (MTS). Findings showed that preschool teachers were positive about the trainings that they received in relation to multicultural education. However, the extent to which they actually understood the concept of multiculturalism was doubtful in view that two thirds of the teachers demonstrated misconception about the fundamental principles of multicultural education when their attitudes towards multicultural education were examined. Significant differences were found in teachers’ training and attitudes according to the categories of preschools; teachers from mono-cultural preschools displayed the least positive attitudes towards multicultural education. Implications of the study were discussed in the paper.

Rethinking Preschool Physical Design: Enhancing environmental stewardship among children

Children are the future guardian of the Earth. Environmental Education (EE) at preschool level is crucial for instilling environmental stewardship. This paper discusses how preschool designs can be manipulated to facilitate and enhance the EE implementation. In summary, it is suggested that preschool settings should be designed to maximise children’s interaction with nature. It not only helps to optimise children’s development and literacy but also contributes to the prediction of their intentions to appreciate and to protect the environment. Findings are useful for Malaysian policy makers and designers in designing preschools that are sustainable and support EE.Keywords: Malaysian preschool; green preschool design; children environmental behavior; environmental education.eISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning &amp; Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v3i13.150

Factors for consideration to achieve a contextually appropriate physical environment in Malaysian preschools

ABSTRACTWith studies on the physical environment of preschools concentrating mostly on settings in the Western world, before establishing minimum standards of quality, developing contextually appropriate physical environment factors become pertinent in Malaysia as a universal and possibly unaffordable high-quality standard may lead to ill-informed policy decision and allocation of funds (UNESCO 2006. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007. Strong Foundations : Early Childhood Care and Education). As a preliminary study, this conceptual paper sets out to uncover factors for consideration to achieve a contextually appropriate physical environment. In this article, ‘preschool’ denotes establishments for children aged four to six years in diverse educational settings. This article draws from two major fields: preschool education and physical environment of preschools. After secondary analysis of data, preliminary findings critically analysed from reviews of literature through a cross-disciplinary approach indicated that factors for consideration to achieve contextual appropriate physical environment include understanding the curriculum content; learning belief and culture of learning; physical environment factors (including allowable premise for establishing preschools, spatial planning, environmental condition and interior fit out) and statutory requirements (including health and safety factors and existing guidelines). Recommendations for future direction are discussed.

An Ethnographic Qualitative Study On The Malaysian Preschool And Special Needs Children’s Home And School Reading Habits

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: medium;"&gt;This research is a qualitative research, exploring the reasons behind why the level of literacy in Malaysian students are quite low. The research delved into identifying ways to implement reading habits to preschool and special education children. The purpose which guides this research is that according to thestaronline.com on August 18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;th&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: medium;"&gt; 2012, an online version of The Star newspaper from Malaysia, the average Malaysian only reads 2 books per year in 1996. This has made the Department of Higher Education worry about the level of proficiency in Malaysian students. This is a qualitative research utilizing open ended questionnaires and interviews as the main form of data collection. Parents were asked to document their open ended questionnaire and participate in an interview session in regards to their home reading habits with their children. In descending order, the themes found most important were &lt;em&gt;implemented into school curriculum, parents should play a bigger role in children’s reading habits and early exposure&lt;/em&gt;. Results also indicated that parents in Malaysia do face problems when trying to implement reading culture into their daily lives. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Exploring Issues On Teaching And Learning In Malaysian Private Preschools

The Malaysian government, as with the rest of the world is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of early childhood education towards nation building. This involves constant monitoring on the quality of preschool education. To improve the Malaysian preschool system, it is crucial to identify the issues encountered in the preschool teaching and learning in actual practice. Hence, this study aimed to explore the issues regarding teaching and learning in Malaysian private preschool settings. Three in-service preschool teachers from the Klang Valley were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through open-ended interviews. Observation was also carried out to triangulate the survey findings. Thematic analysis of the findings then resulted in four themes and eight sub-themes. Findings indicated the structured and formal preschool environment with excessive emphasis on academic outcomes, which contradict the established principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) as well as requirements in the national preschool curriculum. Mismatch between teachers’ beliefs of the ideal practice and the actual practice was also discerned. Recommendations for stakeholders were included to tackle the identified issues towards developing a more conducive environment for the optimal development of Malaysian pre-schoolers. This present study will benefit policymakers, curriculum developers and relevant authorities related to early childhood education to catch a glimpse of the actual practice in many private preschools in Malaysia. Most importantly, it is hoped that this study would be a platform for a revamp in the Malaysian preschool education towards a more effective and holistic education for all Malaysian pre-schoolers.&nbsp

Preschool Design and School Readiness

Preschool physical environments significantly affect children behavior and development. Efforts by the Malaysian Government to improve the quality of preschool education shows a lack of emphasis on the physical learning environment - despite overall improvements, school readiness remains moderate. In Malaysia, the impact of preschool physical learning environments on children's school readiness is still unclear; thus, this paper aims to investigate, highlight and conclude a clear theoretical relationship between these two aspects through literature review. Findings are hoped to lay the groundworks for future research into this matter to improve preschool education in Malaysia.