Malaysian Secondary School Research Articles

The Effectiveness of a Technology-Based Isometrical Transformation Flipped Classroom Learning Strategy in Improving Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills

Isometric Transformation is one of the essential topics in the Malaysian Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum. In general, Malaysia’s achievements in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) were found to be less encouraging, especially in the field of Geometry. This fact clearly implies that the mastery of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) of Malaysian students is still low, especially in the topic of Isometric Transformation. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop Flipped Classroom Learning Strategy (FCLS) activities and evaluate their effectiveness in increasing Malaysian secondary school students’ HOTS in Isometric Transformation. This study was conducted in two stages whereby the first stage involved the development of FCLS activities, while the second stage was run to evaluate the effectiveness of FCLS activities in enhancing students’ HOTS for the topic of Isometric Transformation. The development of activities involved three phases. The first phase was the needs analysis phase which involved a preliminary survey towards students’ learning difficulties at each level of HOTS in the topic of Isometric Transformation. The second phase was the design and development stage of FCLS activities, involving the learning activities inside and outside the classroom in line with the topic of Isometric Transformation. The last phase was the evaluation phase which involved the content validation and evaluation on the suitability of FCLS activities by 11 experts. Next, the second stage was a quasi-experimental design which involved 131 Form 2 students from two secondary schools in Johor. The study sample was divided into two groups which were the treatment group and the control group. The study was conducted over eight weeks. Mann-Whitney test results showed a significant difference (p =.000 <.05) in the overall level and also for all of the four levels of HOTS for both control and treatment groups. The results of this study showed that the teaching and learning process that used FCLS activities successfully created an effective learning situation in improving students’ HOTS in the topic of Isometric Transformation. In conclusion, these FCLS activities should be used as guidelines for educators to increase HOTS in mathematics education.

THE IMPORTANCE AND FACTORS OF ENJOYMENT IN MALAYSIAN ESL CLASSROOM: A MULTISITE CASE STUDY

Affective factors such as emotion and attitudes have long been identified as contributing factors to success and enjoyment in language learning. With the new movement of education in the new norm, a weightage needs to be focused on the affective dimensions among learners. This study aimed to discover the importance and factors of enjoyment in learning English as a Second Language (ESL) among Malaysian secondary school students. This multisite case study took place in five secondary schools in Malaysia. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held among five ESL teachers and an open-ended questionnaire was distributed to 65 students in the respective schools. The findings reveal both teachers and students think enjoyment is important in learning ESL as it bridges up engagement in learning, enhances motivation and for the usefulness of learning the language. Furthermore, the study also discovers the factors of enjoyment in learning ESL namely teacher-factor, sense of achievement and relationship with peers. This study provides valuable information on the of the understudy topic of enjoyment in Malaysian ESL classroom.

Factors Determining Attitude among Non-Malays to Join the Army in Malaysia

Desirably the defense of any nation should encompass citizens from the different ethnic groups as this marks greater patriotism and diversity in the armed forces. Malaysia is targeting to achieve a higher number of non-Malays as army recruits to overcome the low number of non-Malays in this sector. The main aim of this study is to determine the level of attitude among non-Malays to enlist in the Malaysian Armed Forces and its’ influencing factors. This is a quantitative study involving a sample size of 1,033 non-Malay students studying in secondary schools in Malaysia. The instrument was developed based on the previous literature. SPSS was used for the purpose of descriptive and inferential analysis. The study found that the attitude among non-Malays to join the armed forces is at a moderate level. Based on the findings, the study recommends more awareness programs conducted by successful non-Malay army officers to be held at the community level that will further expose and entice young non-Malays to join the army.

TikTok Use as Strategy to Improve Knowledge Acquisition and Build Engagement to Learn Literature in ESL Classrooms

The introduction of literature into English classes is an attempt to improve students' language skills. In Malaysian schools, students’ interest in the chalk-and-talk method of teaching and learning literature has waned, leading to a decline in students' knowledge acquisition and a reduction in their engagement in learning. One of the ways to solve this problem is to integrate technological platforms, such as social media platform TikTok, into literature assignments. However, there are not many studies that have investigated the use of this application in literature learning for Malaysian secondary school students. In this quasi-experimental quantitative study, the researchers used TikTok as a strategy in teaching literature to 150 Form Two students, selected through purposive sampling, to determine students' engagement in learning literature and improve their knowledge acquisition. The two instruments used were an adopted questionnaire, and pre-tests and post-tests administered to control and experimental groups. Descriptive statistics, such as number, percentage, independent and paired t-tests, were used to analyse the results. The results of the study show that the overall mean of students' engagement with TikTok in learning literature is very high and students' knowledge acquisition in learning literature is positive. The study elucidates how teachers can improve their students' knowledge and promote engagement in literature using TikTok. Both the teaching and learning literature become fun and foster creativity as an appropriate medium, like TikTok, enables student-centred learning.

A curriculum-based laboratory kit for flexible teaching and learning of practical chemistry

Abstract Laboratory practical is an essential component for effective learning of science. To provide laboratory experience can be a challenge to some rural schools with limited laboratory facilities. The situation was exacerbated when schools were close due to the COVID pandemic. This paper reports a laboratory kit designed based on the Standard Curriculum for Secondary Schools in Malaysia (KSSM). The kit was evaluated by students and experienced teachers from town and rural schools. Pre- and post-test was conducted with the students before and after using the kit. A questionnaire was disseminated to appraise the students’ perceptions on practical learning. There was a significant improvement (p &lt; 0.05) in the overall score of the post-test comparing to the pre-test. Both rural and town schools demonstrated a marked increase in the overall mean scores in the post-test. There was also improvement in affection for chemistry among students after using the kit. The practical kit can be deployed in schools with laboratory constraints and to be used outside the school settings. It was designed to be affordable, safe and environmental-friendly, providing individualized hands-on exposure.

Measuring Teacher Competency for the Era of Education 4.0: A Study in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Measuring Teacher Competency for the Era of Education 4.0: A Study in Malaysian Secondary Schools

An Investigation on the Online Learning Engagement of Malaysian Secondary School Students from Different School Types

This study explored the perceptions of students from different types of schools in Malaysia towards their online learning engagement during COVID-19's movement control order using Fredricks et al.'s framework of behavioural, cognitive, and emotional engagement. In addition to these variables, external support provided to the students was also considered. To this end, a questionnaire that examined the students' general online practices and online learning engagement was administered. Seven hundred sixty-eight students from four different types of secondary schools (national, Chinese, international, and high performing schools) responded to the questionnaire. The findings from the ANOVA analysis indicated that generally the respondents demonstrated positive online learning practices. However, the amount of time spent interacting with teachers online should be much improved. The findings also indicated significant differences in perceptions towards online learning engagement and external support based on school types.

Teachers’ Interpersonal Behaviour in Classroom: An Assessment of Teachers’ Leadership and Attitudes in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Teachers use a seemingly limitless array of interpersonal attitudes to achieve academic goals. The broad conceptualization of behavioral characters of teachers in the classroom could be narrowed down to what is essential and existing in a positive learning environment. This research aims to evaluate school teachers’ leadership skills and their interpersonal attitudes with the students in a conducive classroom learning environment. In addition to the qualitative data from the interviews, this study sought the perception of 199 students on classroom environment and teacher’s leadership skills from national-type secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. A sequential 36-item survey questionnaire was used to collect the data from students, and SPSS v23 was used for data analysis. The descriptive statistical analysis found that students perceive their teachers to have strong leadership skills, as well as high levels of understanding, friendliness, openness, and strictness. Inferential statistics rendered that teachers’ leadership has a significant relationship with teachers’ interpersonal attitudes. To further explore the quantitative results, qualitative findings from interviews with students revealed that being caring, humorous, patient, and fair were crucial aspects of teachers’ attitudes to consider in enhancing classroom learning environment. Hence, this study hopes to inspire schoolteachers to improve their attitudes and practices to create a better learning environment in multicultural urban schools to improve student learning outcomes. Keywords: teachers’ attitudes; classroom learning environment; multicultural; secondary schools; Malaysia

The Importance of Teaching Culture in German as an International Language Classroom in Malaysia

This study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions of the importance of culture in teaching German as an international language in secondary schools in Malaysia based on the interrelationship between language and culture which are closely related. The quantitative method through questionnaires was conducted to collect data. A total of 66 Malaysian secondary school German teachers were involved in this study. The results show that teachers agreed on the involvement of German culture in the German language curriculum. They are generally aware of the importance of teaching and integrating culture in the foreign language classroom and they often conducted cultural language activities in their teaching practice. Based on the results, some implications are obtained from the study on the importance of integrating culture in the German language classroom and recommendations are made for future studies.

Trainers’ Characteristics Affecting Online Training Effectiveness: A Pre-Experiment among Students in a Malaysian Secondary School

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the implementation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), especially in the educational system, in which online learning can also be used as online training among school students. Interestingly, prior studies have highlighted trainers’ role as the most important factor affecting online training. However, prior studies that reported the effectiveness of online training among school students and the right trainers’ characteristics to sustain its effectiveness have been very limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine online training effectiveness among 150 students in a Malaysian high school using pre-experimental research. Trainers’ characteristics perceived by participants were also determined and compared between classroom and online training. Findings indicated that online training was significantly effective regardless of gender and race differences; trainers’ characteristics explained 40.5% of variance in online training effectiveness. However, the school students preferred classroom training compared to online training; trainers’ characteristics were better in classroom training. Hence, it can be concluded that online training among school students can be effective; however, the characteristics of trainers can be improved to sustain the effectiveness of online training. These results have implications for the sustainability of effective 4IR in the educational system for the post-pandemic era.

Integration of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Components and Inventive Skills among Malay Language Teachers

This study focuses on the components of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Inventive Skills (IS) among secondary school Malay language teachers in Malaysia. TPACK is eight elements related to teacher knowledge to integrate technology, pedagogy and content components in a subject. Meanwhile, IS is a skill dimension that needs to be mastered by Malay language teachers in Malaysia. IS marks one of the most important parts of 21st century skills. Malay language teachers need to be sensitive to every transformation in the national education system in order to be in line with current needs. Therefore, this study tries to analyze the influence of TPACK components on IS among Malay language teachers. This study uses a survey research design and the study sample consists of 400 Malay language teachers of national secondary schools in Malaysia who were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. This study conducted Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis through SmartPLS 3.0 software. Overall, these eight components of TPACK can be important predictors of IS among Malay language teachers. In addition, this study also provides a clear picture to all Malay language teachers in Malaysia regarding proactive measures to master TPACK and IS components comprehensively. The knowledge and teaching skills possessed by teachers will develop in line with their experience in the national education system. Therefore, TPACK components, namely technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological pedagogical content knowledge and contextual knowledge will be able to further highlight the teacher's IS during the teaching and facilitation process in the classroom especially among Malay language teachers in Malaysia.

Constative Speech Acts Analysis of Female Student Leaders in a Malaysian Secondary School

Speech act is a branch of pragmatics in which spoken words or utterances play an important role beyond the function of language in communication. In leadership, speech acts enable leaders to initiate a desirable action or behaviour among their followers, and at the same time, convey information more effectively. As such, constative speech acts are commonly used by leaders to describe or depict facts or states of affairs which are either true or false. As to investigate how the different constative speech acts could be used in this context, a qualitative study was conducted with an objective to analyze the constative speech acts of female student leaders in a Malaysian secondary school based on Theory of Speech Acts by Bach &amp; Harnish (1979). Purposive sampling was used to select the research participants and data was gathered from them through a focus group discussion with the researcher. Findings showed that the research participants used various constative speech acts including predictive, assertive, ascriptive, responsive and suggestive in describing the behaviour and characteristics of a good leader. As a conclusion, constative speech acts of the research participants suggest that they could be analytical, firm and sensitive school leaders.

Language Attitude among Form Four Students in ESL Classroom at Tebedu Secondary School, Sarawak

Language attitude is one of the important aspects in language learning. It is the understanding of the linguistics position, perception and action towards the language. Therefore, as part of a significant role in language learning, this study is aimed to identify the language among the Malaysian secondary school students in ESL classrooms. A total of 30 participants from the form four classes in Tebedu secondary school participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data by determining the mean score. The study was employed by survey questionnaires. Overall, the finding suggested that the students have moderately positive language attitudes towards English language learning. The cognitive attitude obtained the highest mean score followed by the affective and conative attitude. The study also highlighted a few implications which concern the role of the teacher, parents and the school authority in developing a positive language attitude among the students. The findings of the study will be beneficial to those in the education field to develop an effective remedy for the problem. Keywords: language attitude; rural school; language learning; ESL classroom; target language

SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS OF FEMALE STUDENT LEADERS IN A MALAYSIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL

The speech act is a study of pragmatics whereby utterances serve an essential function beyond verbal communication. It is an act of performing some activity through spoken words. In leadership, speech acts play a crucial role in the interaction between leaders and their followers. It not only conveys information but also initiates a desirable action or behaviour among the followers. Thus, leaders must be capable of utilizing different speech acts effectively to influence their followers to act or behave in a specific way and accomplish their leadership goals. This study has been undertaken in response to previous researchers who have found significant differences in speech acts of male and female leaders, with an objective to analyze the speech acts of female student leaders in a Malaysian secondary school according to Theory of Speech Acts by Bach &amp;amp; Harnish (1979). We collected data through in-depth interviews with three research participants who had been selected via purposive sampling. These participants were female students aged 17 years old with at least four years of leadership experience. After an in-depth qualitative analysis of interview data, we have demonstrated that speech acts of the research participants varied among constative, directive, commissive. Constatives, informative, assertive, and predictive acts. Among them, informative, assertive, and predictive speech acts dominated their utterances. In conclusion, the participants' speech acts indicated that, in general, they wished to be persuasive in their leadership roles and responsibilities.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0945/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Managing Diversity in Malaysia: Readiness of Non -Malay Youths to Join the Malaysian Armed Forces

This article examines the readiness level of non-Malay youths in Malaysia in joining the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) with regard to several factors, namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control. The findings presented are based on a quantitative study involving a total of 1033 respondents who are currently pursuing formal education at selected secondary schools in Malaysia. In general, the study discovered that attitude and subjective norms of respondents towards the ATM are at a moderate level while their perceived behavioural control towards joining the ATM in the future is low. There is a significant difference on respondents’ attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control towards the ATM based on where they live permanently. Respondents residing in rural areas were seen to have a slightly higher readiness than respondents residing in urban areas in joining the ATM in the future based on the attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of behaviour control factors among them. To summarise, the findings of the study verify that the issue on the involvement of the non-Malay in the ATM, in particular among the youths, is indeed a national issue that has previously been raised. In fact, the findings of the study indicate that this issue will remain relevant as a subject of interest that can be studied further from time to time. Therefore, the current study suggests that efforts to foster positive attitudes and increase subjective norms and perceived behavioural control for a career in the ATM should be carried out continuously in a more structured and systematic way to increase the readiness of non-Malay youths in Malaysia to join the ATM. This is important in order to celebrate ethnic diversity in the nation defense sector as well as to foster the spirit of patriotism among non-Malay youths in Malaysia.

Positive School Climate and Emotional Engagement: A Mixed Methods Study of Chinese Students as Ethnocultural Minorities in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement among minority ethnocultural Chinese students in Malaysian secondary schools. We employed quantitative surveys with 724 students ( Mage = 16.1 years; 47.9% female), followed by qualitative interviews with a subset of 25 students ( Mage = 16.1 years; 52% female). Path analysis indicated that feelings of safety, socio-emotional support from teachers and peers, and student voice were predictors of emotional engagement for Chinese students, which further predicted cognitive engagement, academic performance, and school behavior. Thematic analysis further revealed that language and communication barriers and bullying negatively impacted students’ sense of safety and engagement. Caring, respectful relationships with teachers led to students having opportunities to direct their own learning and make decisions on schoolwide activities, promoting students’ feelings of engagement. Support from peers increased students’ emotional engagement by reducing school-related stressors. The findings suggest that a mutually respectful, caring school climate and opportunities for student voice can enhance critical school experiences for ethnocultural minority high school students.

Assessing Graphic Stories as Indicators of Creative Thinking and Literacy Level among Malaysian Secondary School Students

With the current uncertainties of future employment and Malaysian poor literacy rates, effective reading activities, which embed creative thinking, must be reconsidered in teaching and learning. While studies on creative thinking and assessment are available, none considered graphic stories as an assessment of creativity. Based on two short stories, graphic stories produced by secondary school students are assessed for creativity using a rubric of creativity. The assessment consists of four – Novelty, Utility, Aesthetic and Authentic. Findings revealed that Novelty was indicated in the interpretation of the texts to show understanding based on the given resources. Aesthetic was also indicated through the form of graphic stories presented through careful planning. The creative assessment on the participants’ graphic stories provided a glimpse of literacy level among the rural high school students in Malaysia. This paper contributes perspective on creativity among ESL students and guides for further research on literacy in Malaysia.

Integrating Computational Thinking and Empowering Metacognitive Awareness in Stem Education.

Education digitization highly enthuses learners for deeper learning and developing thought processes in formulating problems and their solutions effectively in their real-life circumstances. Implementing computational thinking skills through programming in Malaysian primary and secondary school STEM curriculum create huge challenges, especially among STEM educators. This study highlights the integration of four major theories in developing the Metacognitive Empowerment by Computational Thinking (ME-CoT) learning module by cultivating computational thinking through programming skills to promote metacognitive awareness in Biology students. Pilot research was conducted to investigate the reliability of the ME-CoT learning module. Since the study sample was less than 30 students then, the consistency of the measurements, Pearson’s r was calculated to identify stability reliability. Findings revealed that the ME-CoT learning module has very strong stability reliability with a value of r = 0.974 and provides advantages such as assisting students to understand the content of the lesson more actively and in a fun way.

Secondary School Students’ Online Activities and Their Experience in Cyber Risks

Today's technology and communications (ICT) facility has seen the creation of various social media platforms, chat application and even online entertainment platforms. So, more and more generations are accessing these platforms in search of entertainment, information and even communicating with others. This situation actually opens the door to cyber risk when it is not used wisely and responsibly. As a result, in recent times, various incidents have been reported in adolescents that involve cyber risk, affecting psychological, mental and physical health. These include cyberbullying, digital games and social media addiction, pornography, grooming, cybersex and the misuse of personal information. The purpose of this research is to investigate the online activities among school students and to examine their online risks experienced by Malaysian secondary school students. A total of 1376 form four students (16 years old) were involved in this research. The research data was collected using a set of questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 software. The findings show a high trend of online student activities for communicating, socializing, watching videos and finding information. Although students' experiences of cyber risk are low, steps to control the situation need to be taken in order to prevent the any risks when they are online. Therefore, this research paper also discusses the role of all parties in ensuring that the cyber world is used wisely and responsibly.

A Study of Technostress Levels of Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study examined the level of technostress of teachers in secondary schools in Malaysia. The COVID-19 pandemic altered human life patterns, and the Movement Control Order restricted most community activities. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of Education had exposed teachers to online learning and encouraged them to use it. This study focused on five sub-variables of technostress, that is orientation towards the learning-teaching process, profession, technical issues, individual and social orientation. A total of 1,185 teachers from 13 states were selected as a study sample using a stratified sampling technique. Items for each variable were constructed, based on literature related to technostress and expert validation. Findings show that teachers’ technostress levels are high (M=3.670, SD=4.30), and the results of the t-test analysis show that there were no significant differences in technostress of secondary school teachers in Malaysia in terms of gender (t (1185)=1.762, p&gt;0.05) and location (t (1185)=1.962, p&gt;0.05). Understanding technostress and how technology affects individuals may help to reduce the potential physical and psychological harm that could be caused by technostress.