Malaysian Teachers Research Articles

Context, Communities, and Conflict: Novice Language Teachers in Malaysia

AbstractThis narrative inquiry focuses on two Malaysian novice English language teachers whose pre‐service teacher education had included two years of study abroad. The experiences of novice language teachers remain an under‐investigated area and this study furthers our understanding of that experience. Furthermore, while research on the effectiveness of pre‐service language teacher education has reported mixed results, accounts on the impact of studying abroad claim multiple benefits. Thus this study extends the literature on novice language teachers by adding a study abroad dimension. It asks what influences the teachers’ pedagogical decision‐making and how they now view their study abroad. In line with models of language teacher cognition, a dynamic interplay of influences on these novice teachers’ classroom practice emerges. These influences include their ‘apprenticeship of observation’, the national and local context, their professional learning, and support networks. Multiple layers of both context and community were found to influence the teachers. The study abroad experiences features in both positive and negative ways. It conveys status, and raises expectations, but is not always regarded as relevant to teaching in Malaysian primary schools. It can also, however, have an alienating effect. This is a previously unacknowledged effect of study abroad on language teachers.

Readiness to teach and perform CPR: A survey amongst secondary school teachers in Malaysia

Teachers should be trained in resuscitation techniques as they often teach or perform CPR on children during an emergency in the school setting. Still, it was rarely mentioned in the literature, especially in the Malaysian school setting. This study aims to investigate secondary school teachers’ readiness (knowledge, attitude, and willingness) to teach and perform CPR. Through stratified random sampling, 308 secondary school teachers from eleven schools across Petaling Perdana district, Selangor, responded to an online survey. The results showed a low passing rate in CPR knowledge (1.9%), while 84.1% refused to participate in any CPR courses. However, a higher proportion of teachers were willing to teach CPR courses (62.3%). A total of 72.1% of respondents stated that there is no automated external defibrillator (AED) within their school compound. More than half (53.0%) were unwilling to use the AED machine during an emergency. Nevertheless, more than half (65.0%) were willing to start CPR if they witnessed a cardiac arrest incident. A one-way MANOVA analysis showed that there was a significant effect of the courses taught among the secondary school teachers on the knowledge, F (4, 303) = 4.374; p < .05, attitude, F (4, 303) = 5.2; p < .05, and willingness, F (4, 303) = 5.236; p < .05. The teachers who taught language subjects reported significantly higher knowledge (M = 16.50) than others, while those teaching applied sciences and technology reported significantly higher attitudes (M = 9.28) and willingness (M = 31.56) than those teaching humanities and arts, respectively. Secondary school teachers are aware of the importance of CPR, and there is a need to explore how to integrate CPR into the current educational curriculum.

The Impact of Coworker and Supervisor Support on Stress among Malaysian School Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the current COVID-19 crisis, teaching is difficult. The demands from students, parents, the government, and school administrators may be overwhelming. Many Malaysian teachers are experiencing growing mental strain, and they are reluctant to seek help due to social stigma. This quantitative study explored the impact of coworker and supervisor support on stress among primary and secondary school teachers in Malaysia. In addition, the study examined the spill-over impact of stress on teachers’ turnover intention. A sample of 250 Malaysian school teachers completed a questionnaire. The data were analysed using correlation and regression analyses. Results re emphasized the positive impact of coworker support on reducing teachers’ stress, but not supervisor support. Furthermore, it was found that teacher stress was linked to a higher likelihood of turnover. Therefore, it is important for school administrators and policymakers to strengthen the role of coworkers in reducing stress among Malaysian school teachers.

Teachers' Acceptance of Technologies for 4IR Adoption: Implementation of the UTAUT Model

Education departments all around the globe are working to increase the extent to which teachers adopt innovative technology, in order to scale up pedagogical innovation that uses new technologies. However, only a few studies have been done on the adoption and use of these tools for teaching by instructors in non-Western contexts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine teachers’ behavior intention to adopt and use Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) technologies in Malaysia, in accordance with the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology (UTAUT) model. A questionnaire was employed to acquire data from a randomly selected sample of 62 primary school teachers in Malaysia. The findings reveal that only two variables (namely, the facilitating conditions, and social influence variables) have a direct impact on the behavior intention of Malaysian primary school teachers to use IR4.0 technologies. Neither effort expectancy nor performance expectancy have an impact on the intention to use these technologies. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for improving policy and research on teachers’ use of IR4 for education. This work demonstrates how the findings may assist primary school teachers to improve their understanding of 4IR adoption, and provides valuable suggestions for 4IR scholars, producers, and users.

An Investigation on the Perspectives of Teachers Using Facebook: A Case of Malaysian Academics

Education fields have rapidly transformed since the year 2020 from the traditional method to adapting more Web-based tools. Facebook has been regarded as one of the most popular social platforms teachers and learners use in education. It is perceived by teachers and learners as a tool that improves the teaching and learning processes significantly through its several features. This study aims to explore the Malaysian teachers’ views on Facebook in their teaching. Eighty teachers from different levels of Malaysia’s institutions participated in this study. This study adopted the quantitative method to gather teachers’ views on the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook and their reflections on Facebook usage in teaching and learning. Findings showed that teachers had a positive perception of the use of Facebook. This study also found no significant difference between male and female teachers in their perception of Facebook use. This study suggests that teachers optimise this tool in their teaching based on the advantages of using Facebook.

Exploring the Implementation of Teaching and Learning Using Virtual Learning Among Elementary School Science Teachers in Malaysia

This paper discusses the implementation of Interactive Virtual Learning (VL) among elementary school teachers in Malaysia. The qualitative method of unstructured interviews and observation was chosen as the way for gathering information to discover the existing challenge that teachers confront in excelling in science, as well as the necessity for any new instructional tactics. Two primary school science teachers from two different schools were selected to participate in this interview. The results of this preliminary investigation confirm that modern science teachers confront challenges in their classrooms. The findings suggest a scarcity of high-quality learning materials on which they may rely. Furthermore, a lack of time for revision and exploration of each topic is a problem that must be addressed to improve student performance in science. Finally, the integration of VL with various learning strategies must be designed and developed to facilitate and boost students' learning abilities in the topic of science.

ASSESSING GRIT AND WELL-BEING OF MALAYSIAN ESL TEACHERS

Purpose – Seligman’s well-being theory of PERMA has been proven fruitful in defining various well-being constructs across different fields of study. With a growing interest in teacher psychology research abroad, PERMA has been unveiled as a rewarding prospect for the well-being of second language (L2) teachers. Nonetheless, the contribution of PERMA to the well-being and grit of L2 teachers in Malaysia remains unclear. Thus, this study (1) examined the influence of PERMA on the well-being and grit of Malaysian teachers of English as a second language (ESL); and (2) analyzed the mediating impact of positive emotion in the relationship between grit and well-being. Methodology – A priori power analysis was conducted to identify the sample size for this study. Hence, a convenience sample of 91 primary ESL teachers from Kuala Lumpur participated in this cross-sectional study. Data obtained were analyzed via multiple regression and mediation analysis using SPSS v20. The analysis of the indirect effects of the mediation model was complemented with a bootstrap procedure based on Hayes’s PROCESS Macro. Findings – The regression analysis confirmed the significant impact of PERMA on both well-being and grit. Analysis of the regression coefficients (β) displayed that engagement and accomplishment influenced significant changes in grit. Engagement was also a significant predictor of well-being. The mediation model portrayed positive emotion as a partial mediator in the association between grit and well-being. Significance – The meaningful interaction of PERMA with well-being and grit may not only encourage ESL teachers to flourish, correspondingly, it may elevate the well-being of learners in L2 classrooms.

Level of ESL Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Skill and Attitude towards Technology

Technology integration in teaching and learning activities has become a contentious issue among educators in recent years and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a dynamic framework for explaining teachers’ knowledge needed for developing, implementing, and reviewing technology-assisted curriculum and instruction. The development of TPACK by teachers is paramount to teacher’s attitude. This study aimed to examine the TPACK skill and attitude towards technology among ESL teachers in Malaysia. A total of 65 responses from English teachers of various educational sectors in Malaysia were analyzed by employing a quantitative approach. The findings show that the ESL teachers’ TPACK level is amazingly high. Additionally, it also shows that the teachers’ attitude towards technology is also promisingly significant. Apart from that, findings also disclosed that there is a significant relationship between ESL teachers’ TPACK skills and attitudes towards technology. It is suggested that future research studies incorporate the administration of the questionnaire to analyze attitudes before and after the implementation of a long-term professional development plan for technology integration.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Web 2.0 Tools as an Alternative Instruction for Science in Secondary Schools

COVID-19 pandemic had caused an unprecedented impact on teachers and students in their teaching and learning process. Diverse teaching and learning tools are essential to ensure that education continues. This confinement provides an opportunity to enculture a new norm for learning among Malaysian students and teachers. Usage of web 2.0 tools has indirectly encouraged students to study on their own and communicate dynamically with peers and teachers during online lessons. A mixed-method quasi-experimental study involving pre-test and post-test was conducted to investigate the impact of using web 2.0 tools on students’ achievement. 60 Form Two students were divided into control and experimental groups where the experimental group had lessons using The Product, Process, Person, and Press model of creative approach with web 2.0 tools while the control group was taught using the teacher-centered instruction. The creative approach using web 2.0 tools has not only produced advancement in students’ achievement in the science subject but has also motivated them to complete the assessments given during online lessons. The findings also emanated that students’ motivation to learn science through online learning was due to the usage of 2.0 tools. Hence, science teachers ought to be better prepared with the skills as well as better-designed learning modules and experiences to incorporate integrated online learning and face-to-face class with a blended learning approach seamlessly.

E-Learning: Satisfaction, Acceptance and Experience among Pre-Service Teachers in Malaysia

This quantitative study aims to identify the relationship and influence of two independent variables which are acceptance and experience with satisfaction of e-learning as the dependent variable among pre-service teachers in Malaysia. The Technology Acceptance Model and Gratification Model were used as the basis to develop the research framework. A total of 616 respondents were involved in this study which employed questionnaires as the instrument. The descriptive and inferential analysis were carried out using statistical technique such as Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between acceptance (r=0.817, p<0.01) and experience (r=0.879, p<0.01) with satisfaction. Despite of both independent variables significantly influenced the dependent variable, regression analysis showed that experience had more influence (β=0.525, p<0.01) on satisfaction of e-learning compare to acceptance (β=0.200, p<0.01). A comprehensive understanding of this study can help the policy makers, administrators and lecturer to improve the level of acceptance and experience of the pre-service teachers in order to enhance the satisfaction of e-learning among them in this country.

Construct Validity of the Knowledge and Skills in a Geography STEM Education Instrument among Prospective Teachers: Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects refer to school education policies and curriculum options to increase competitiveness in science and technology for students. Geography connects STEM disciplines with the application of geographical technology and tools, which can better understand cross-disciplinary phenomena to address critical problems. This study was carried out to validate the construct of the knowledge and skills in a geography STEM education instrument among prospective teachers in Malaysia. The respondents consisted of 400 students of semesters one to eight from the Bachelor of Education in Geography program, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia, who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The constructs studied were the knowledge and skills in geography STEM education. The data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for item component grouping. The analysis results showed that the reliability value of Cronbach's alpha was at a high classification, which exceeded 0.70. The result of the EFA showed two components generated from the knowledge construct: STEM Knowledge and Applied Knowledge, and one component from the skill construct known as STEM Skill. Regarding the measurement model, CFA results showed that the solution was suitable and acceptable based on the suggested indicators. Therefore, the 25-item measurement model developed is suitable to measure the knowledge and skills in geography STEM education among prospective teachers in Malaysia.

Teachers Experiences on Blended Learning: a Case Study of a Group of Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia and Indonesia

The purpose of this study is to identify the experiences and challenges of teachers in using the blended learning method during the teaching and learning process. This study used a case study method with a qualitative approach. This case study was conducted through interview with 6 of respondents involves the group of secondary school teachers from Malaysia and Indonesia. The instrument used is open-ended questions. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive. The results showed that the blended learning environment was built with a combination of face-to-face and online sessions. This case study found common challenges that was faced by teachers are the students’ lack of devices and equipment. From the results, teachers explained how dissatisfied they were in order to deliver information towards their students. Teachers' experiences of engaging the students in a blended learning class by getting attention and students interest with fully applying technology. Practice with technology-mediated learning creates challenges that must be taken into account when planning and implementing integrated teaching and learning. The challenges that the teachers face in engaging the students in a blended learning class from 3 factors: First factor from environmental factors is lack of internet connection so that it hinders the blended learning process, second factors that come from students are lack of students' interest and student motivation, take a lot more time, students lazy during online class, students pay less attention and maintain consistency of participants in the class, and the last factor that comes from the teacher is unable to be assessed students task. However, it provides a good opportunity to enhance student learning using blended learning methods.

Item Generation Stage: Teachers’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Discussion on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among teachers has gained much interest among scholars. However, a review of past literature indicates no specific instrument developed for measuring teachers’ OCB in Malaysia. Most studies pertaining to the OCB of teachers in the country have adopted instruments previously developed in the Western context. Therefore, this study aims to generate items that can truly measure the OCB of teachers in the Malaysian context. This study employed two types of research approaches involving the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Stage one involved 64 secondary school teachers, while stage two comprised 14 teachers who participated in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The result found 35 behaviors that have been identified as the OCB of teachers in Malaysia, where 18 behaviors were specific to the OCB of teachers in Malaysia and 17 behaviors were adapted from existing instruments developed in the Western context. A total of 24 items measuring teachers’ OCB in the Western context were dropped because they were considered tasks related to the performance of teachers in Malaysia. The findings show that OCB among teachers in this country should be measured using an instrument specifically designed to suit the local context. Furthermore, there are several differences in behavior with regards to teachers’ OCB in Malaysia compared to those in the Western context. Therefore, this study extends the existing body of knowledge about measuring OCB.

TRANSLATION PEDAGOGY VERSUS PEDAGOGICAL TRANSLATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

This conceptual paper presents the review of literatures of a study related to Translation in Language Teaching (TILT) and Translation Training, It reviews related literature on translation theories and practices in bilingual/multilingual classrooms as well. The interplay of translation, multilingualism, multiculturalism and globalisation in today’s ESL pedagogical reality demands translation to be employed in improving students’ English language proficiency. Unfortunately, research indicates that teachers do not possess adequate knowledge on appropriate translation models to enable them to perform translation in language teaching (TILT). As a result, they ended up employing unplanned code switching and code-mixing techniques throughout their English language lessons. Studies have shown that translation educators also do not possess adequate competencies in training language teachers to translate due to discrepancy between the chosen modules and teachers’ motivation. As a result, teachers failed to understand the purpose of such training. This conceptual paper, thus, attempts to conjure up two important concepts in translation studies: Pedagogical translation and translation pedagogy. Translation Pedagogy refers to the acquired knowledge on how to translate, whereas pedagogical translation refers to the actual process or practice of translation either in written or verbal form. The relevance of these two concepts in TILT are highlighted and discussed throughout this paper. A translation model is suggested as a guideline in providing training in TILT area. The result of this upcoming study may provide a direction in translation training for language teachers in Malaysia. It suggests that the concepts of Pedagogical Translation (PT) and Translation Pedagogy (TP) should be incorporated into translation training modules. By doing so, both translation trainers and teacher trainees are able to understand the actual processes of translation itself in TILT.

Teacher Readiness in Assessing Students for Malay Language Writing: An Exploratory Study

This study explores the knowledge, understanding, and mastery of writing skills assessment among Malay language secondary school teachers in Malaysia. A total of 182 respondents from 91 secondary schools from seven different zones in Malaysia were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Survey design with a five-point Likert scale questionnaire instrument used in the study consisted of 117 items related to writing skills assessment. Statistical analysis is explained using standard deviation and mean score. The results of the study indicated that the determinants of the mastery level of writing skills assessment recorded the highest mean (M=3.92, SD=0.494). Then, it is followed by the second construct, which involves the implementation aspects of the evaluation was also rated highly (M=3.91, SD=0.482). The results also showed a significant and positive relationship between all respondents’ knowledge and their understanding of writing assessment implementation and their mastery of writing skills assessment. The findings showed that the role of teachers as school-based appraisers is established and consistent with the guidelines outlined by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. Future research focusing on the implementation of writing skill assessment is suggested to ensure that the evaluation done is systematic and reliable.

FORMING APPROPRIATE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS: TOWARDS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY OF LITERARY RESPONSE IN L2

The aim of this study is to look into the notion of literary reading and response in L2 by pre-service teachers in Malaysia in order to improve teacher education. The researchers will provide an outline of Reader Response theories and how they affect the learning of literature in L2 in this study. The researchers will go over their conceptual framework, which was developed based on past research. This conceptual framework will be developed in order to conduct in-depth research on pre-service teachers' perceptions of literary reading in L2 and to assist them in improving their practises in the classroom. Using the conceptual framework, based on Reader Response Theory, it allows researchers to explore what types of responses pre-service teachers have to literary texts while they are involved in the reading process. Hoping that the experience will aid in the improvement of teaching and learning.

The Motivations and Barriers of Teachers’ Professional Development Activities during the Movement Control Order (MCO) – A Preliminary Insight

Due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) or COVID-19 pandemic, the education sector in Malaysia opted for the practice of online communication as a new norm. However, even during the pandemic, teachers in Malaysia are obliged to involve with professional development (henceforth, PD) activities for at least 42 hours annually. This article is prepared from a preliminary study to report the motivating factors and barriers on teachers’ PD activities during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (henceforth, MCO). Also, this article studied the prevalence and trend of the teachers’ online communication during the period. A survey was conducted as a pilot study on 35 teachers from Sri Laksamana Primary School (henceforth, SLPS) in Melaka. The data gained were analysed descriptively using the SPSS software. In general, the results indicate that teachers are motivated to involve with online PD activities by getting rewarded with annual performance evaluation marks, which is beneficial for their career mileage. Next, the most significant barrier for their online PD is time limitation due to other workloads. In conclusion, even though the teachers are well-accepting online PD activities, teachers should be given a higher portion of evaluation marks regarding their annual PD involvement than the current five per cent portion. Next, the school’s administrators should act on teachers’ work distribution issues that became the main challenge for effective online PD, thus creating a favourable working ecosystem.

HOTS in Quadratic Equations: Teaching Style Preferences and Challenges Faced by Malaysian Teachers

The purpose of this study is to identify the teaching styles and problems faced by teachers as they attempt to cultivate higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in the topic of quadratic equations. This study used a qualitative approach via structured interview involving four participants who are experienced mathematics teachers from three districts in Malaysia. Data obtained were analysed using the ATLAS.ti 8 software by dividing the transcripts into small codes based on thematic analysis. The results revealed that Malaysian teachers have limited and general understanding about higher-order thinking skills for the topic of quadratic equations. The interview results also found that existing teaching styles mainly involve teacher-centred strategies that emphasise on the memorisation of procedures or facts as well as steps to solve quadratic equation problems. Among the challenges faced by teachers were stated as students’ acceptance, lack of teaching aids, teaching strategies in the classroom, and students’ thinking skills. The findings of this study can help to refine and improve several shortcomings and weak students can be exposed to the learning of higher-order thinking skills in quadratic equations via real-life projects. It is proposed for future research to focus on integrating digital literacy, such as Desmos Graphing Calculator, in cultivating higher-order thinking skills for quadratic equations.

Acceptance, Readiness and Intention to Use Augmented Reality (AR) in Teaching English Reading among Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia

Abstract: This research reports on Malaysian English teachers’ readiness and acceptance in using Augmented Reality (AR) in English instruction and their intention to use AR in teaching English reading. Through a survey on 181 Malaysian English language teachers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, it was found that Malaysian English teachers possess quite a high level of acceptance in using Augmented Reality in the teaching of English reading with 60.8 % (n = 110); and have a high level of readiness in using Augmented Reality in the teaching of English reading at 63.0% (n = 114). The researchers also found significant correlation between level of acceptance and behavioral intention (r = .935**, p = .00, p < .05) between teachers’ acceptance with their intention to use Augmented Reality in teaching of English reading at .05 level of significance. There is also high correlation between teachers’ readiness with intention to use augmented reality in teaching English reading, with the correlation coefficient (r), at .924. In conclusion, Malaysian secondary school teachers’ acceptance and readiness to use Augmented Reality (AR) in teaching English reading are high and there is a positively significant relationship between acceptance and readiness with intention to use AR in teaching English reading.
 
 Keywords: Acceptance, Augmented Reality, English Language Learning, English Reading, Readiness, Intention to Use

E-portfolio Implementation in Malaysian School: A Need Analysis

The uncertainty about assessing student learning outcomes is one of the concerns frequently discussed in education during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The use of technology in assessing student learning has become a new paradigm in transforming traditional assessment to digital assessment. The E-portfolio has been one of the tools that can be used to conduct digital assessments. However, E-portfolios are still uncommon among Malaysian teachers. As a reason, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges of integrating ICT in classroom assessment, to examine current E-portfolio implementation practises among teachers, and to investigate teachers' perceptions of E-portfolio use as a digital assessment tool in teaching and learning. This is a quantitative approach that uses a set of questionnaires distributed online. The sample for this study is composed of 97 teachers who teach Asas Sains Komputer in Terengganu. The frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation of the data were analysed using the Statistical Package For Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0. Findings show that: i) Appropriate facilities and equipment are important in implementing ICT in classroom assessment; ii) Current practice of E-portfolio among teachers is low, and iii) Teachers have positive perceptions of using E-portfolio in assessing the Asas Sains Komputer subject. Hence, it is suggested that a module, model or guidelines be developed for teachers using E-portfolios in the classroom as a reference.