University Foundation Year Research Articles

Study on the Application of SPOC Flipped Class in Teaching Pattern of Ethnic Minority University Foundation Year Teaching—Taking Financial Management Course as an Example

As the core course of accounting specialty, financial management course plays a very important role in the teaching of ethnic minority University Foundation Year. This paper puts forward three concrete design ideas originating from the flipped class teaching pattern design. That is: self-regulated learning based on financial management network resource, teachers and students co-construction based on SPOC curriculum resource and curriculum model transformation based on case teaching. The above three aspects of the design, is of great significance in expanding the Financial Management teaching model of ethnic University Foundation Year reform.

Raising Saudi Students’ (Energy) Sustainability Awareness through ESL – Teachers’ Thoughts

Abstract This inaugural qualitative study solicited English as Second Language (ESL) teachers’ thoughts about using ESL to teach Saudi Arabian (SA) university foundation year students about and raise their awareness of energy and sustainability issues. Fourteen participants from three higher education institutions in the Eastern Province of SA prepared typed responses in a word office document to 15 questions pertaining to ESL teachers’ perceptions, opinions, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and values of using ESL to teach sustainability. Data returned by email were iteratively read and insights culled to provide an inaugural profile of ESL teachers’ thoughts about this pedagogical innovation in SA higher education preparatory-year programs. The findings indicated a positive picture towards incorporating sustainability topics into Saudi Arabian ESL curriculum. Participants were enthusiastic about such tasks and about seeking knowledge related to sustainability by various means to augment lack of knowledge. They were of the opinion that this is a legitimate role for ESL teachers and believed that they would be effective and bring value to students’ learning. They readily suggested rich ideas about what a sustainability-infused ESL curriculum would look like. This study was an original one in that it solicited and shared the voices of ESL teachers in SA about the idea of concurrently teaching language and sustainability. Nominal research addresses this pedagogical approach meaning the findings are valuable to ESL training schools, SA university foundation program planners, SA higher education curriculum developers and higher education human resource managers who recruit and hire ESL instructors.

Attitude toward mathematics among the students at Nazarbayev University Foundation Year Programme

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the attitude toward mathematics among the students enrolled in the Foundation Year Programme at Nazarbayev University. The study is conducted quantitatively and an inventory developed by Tapia and Marsh II is adopted in this research. The inventory consists of 40 statements on the five-point Likert scale. Gender, specialization and final high school score in mathematics are collected. The number of valid returned questionnaires is 108. There are 55 males, 53 females, 73 Mathematical-Physics (MP), 22 Biology-Chemistry (BC) and 13 International Relations-Economics (IRE) students. Generally, they have a positive attitude toward mathematics, with the score mean and standard deviation are 3.999 and 0.531 out of five, respectively. We confirm a hypothesis on a positive correlation between previous high achievement in mathematics and favorable attitude toward it. The correlation value is r = 0.300, its effect size is medium and it is extremely significant (p-value = 0.0008 < 0.001). There is no significant difference between male and female students in terms of their attitude toward mathematics (t = 0.6804, p-value = 002489 > 0.05). There is a very significant difference between students who specialize in IRE and MP in terms of their attitude toward mathematics (F(2, 105) = 5.6848, p-value = 0.0045 < 0.01).

University Choice: Implications for Marketing and Positioning

The research upon which this paper was based was aimed at find ing out the factors students consider important in their college choice decision and to provide marketing implications for educational ad min istrators. Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), General Cert ificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A -Level), Un ited Examination Cert ificate (UEC), d iplo ma holder and university foundation year participated in the study. Four hundred sixty three questionnaires were used for analysis of which the survey was based on five-point Likert scale. Results suggested that prospective students consider programme, cost (financial aid), location, high school personnel, peers and friends and campus visit as important criteria in their college choice decision. The findings have imp licat ions for private higher education institutions (PHEIs) positioning in a recruit ment market, and for a reconsideration of marketing and recruit ment strategy at institutional levels. Future research suggested to be carried out is on other aspects that influence student college choice decision such as university ranking, academic achievement, educational consultant, and accreditation. Also, future studies can explore a med iating variable such as parents' expectation and encouragement on college choice decision. Lastly, exploring the college choice decision research in a qualitative manner would also be a direction of future research.

Self-Regulated Learning Strategies And Pre-University Math Performance Of International Students In Malaysia

This study is an attempt to compare the use of self-regulated learning strategies and their math performance between home and international students in the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) and determine the self-regulated learning strategies that are significantly associated with their math performance. The participants of the study were 80 home students and 76 international students, where majority of the participants were in their first semester. The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) was used to measure students’ self-regulated learning strategies, while the math performance was measured by the final score of Fundamental Mathematics A taken in the pre-university program. The results of statistical analysis revealed that the pass rate of home students was significantly better than international students, and international students scored significantly higher than home students in Anxiety, Self-Testing and Time Management subscales of the LASSI. The results also revealed that Attitude and Self-Testing subscales were significant predictors of home students’ math performance, while Attitude and Test Strategies subscales were significant predictors of international students’ math performance. The results have significant implications for academic advising and counseling of newly arrived students, both home and international students, in the pre-university program.

Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Their Effects on Math Performance of Pre-University International Students in Malaysia

The study examined any differences in self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies between two groups of international students in the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) program in Malaysia, in which one group of 58 international students in their first semester, and another group of 18 international students in their second and third semesters. It followed by examining the effect of the use of SRL strategies on math performance for both groups. The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) was used to measure the use of SRL strategies among international students, and the final score of the most manageable mathematical subject was used to measure their math performance. The result indicated that first-semester international students used as many SRL strategies as second- and thirdsemester international students, and no significant difference in math performance between the groups was found. The result also revealed that attitude towards academic tasks; motivation level and test taking strategies were positively associated with math performance of first-semester international students, while anxiety towards tests, attitude towards academic tasks and test taking strategies were positively associated with second- and third-semester international students’ math performance. Moreover, math performance of first-semester international students was significantly predicted by attitude towards academic tasks and test taking strategies, but second- and third-semester international students’ math performance was not significantly predicted by any SRL strategies.

Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Their Effects on MUFY Math Performance

The study firstly examines the differences on the use of self-regulated learning strategies between Malaysian and international students at the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY). The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) is used to measure self-regulated learning strategies of 65 MUFY students who registered for Fundamental Mathematics A. Secondly, to identify which LASSI subscales are the best predictors of the performance of Malaysian and international students in Fundamental Mathematics A. The results show that international students have a significantly higher anxiety level than Malaysian students, and the remaining nine subscales of the LASSI are the same for the two groups. For Malaysian students, the test-strategies subscale is the only best predictor for the final score of Fundamental Mathematics A. The self-testing subscale is the only best predictor of the performance of international students in this mathematical subject.

Validation of AMAIS Mathematics Placement Test on MUFY Fundamental Mathematics A

In an effort to determine the validation of the Mathematics Assessment for International Students (AMAIS) designed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), in advising students on the enrollment of Fundamental Mathematics A (FMA) at the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY), a study is conducted to compare the passing rate of FMA for students who score above the cut-off point in the AMAIS test and those who score below cut-off point. The study also investigates the relationship between the FMA score and the AMAIS score and the scores of the AMAIS individual math levels. The results reveal that the passing rate of FMA for those who score above the cut-off point is higher than those who score below cut-off point. The relationship between the FMA score and the AMAIS score is stronger than the relationship between the FMA score and each of the scores of the AMAIS individual math levels.

Math Anxiety on MUFY Math Performance: A Comparison between Malaysian and International Students

The study firstly examines the difference in math performance between Malaysian and international students in Fundamental Mathematics A classes at Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY). Secondly, to examine the difference in math anxiety level between Malaysian and international students. Thirdly, the study investigates the correlation on the relationship between math performance and math anxiety in Malaysian and international students. 29 Malaysian and 36 international students at MUFY participated in this research study. The result shows that Malaysian students perform better than international students in Fundamental Mathematics A. No significant difference in math anxiety level between these two groups. The final score of Fundamental Mathematics A decreases as math anxiety increases for each group. The correlation between math performance and math anxiety of Malaysian students is stronger than that of international students.

Providing transparency and credibility: the selection of international students for Australian universities. An examination of the relationship between scores in the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT), final year academic programs and an Australian university’s foundation program

Throughout 2003–04 five cohorts of students in their final year of school studies in various Malaysian colleges and a group of students completing an Australian university foundation year in Malaysia sat the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT). The ISAT is a multiple‐choice test of general academic abilities developed for students whose first language is not English. Both sets of scores were examined to investigate the relationship between skills measured by the academic programs and the generic reasoning skills measured by the ISAT. The data were examined by looking at correlations and patterns of the ISAT scores, and the total academic program scores and individual subject scores. As well, multiple regression was used to examine if the ISAT could act as a predictor for academic program scores. Although the ISAT and measures of achievement in the academic programs are two completely different instruments, the study showed that: (i) the scores were positively and significantly correlated; (ii) patterns of co‐variation of the ISAT and academic program scores demonstrate a positive relationship; and (iii) there is evidence that achieving a high score in the academic programs requires high reasoning skills, as measured by the ISAT. The findings of this study indicate that the ISAT is a useful predictor of student ability for use in the university selection process for international applicants.