FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICES OF CONCENTRATION FIELD AMONG LIBERAL STUDIES STUDENTS IN UKM

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is the first public university in Malaysia which takes up the challenge to offer Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies. This degree is the first personalized curriculum degree which entitles students to choose their own curriculum structure, which is called concentration field in this program. The concentration field is created by students to fulfil their future personal goals and career. This paper will highlight the fields chosen for their concentration and factors contributing to their decision. The study will use self -administered survey to registered Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies students. The data collected will be analyzed descriptively. Findings show that there are 52 combinations of concentrations fields which cross-disciplines of science, technology, humanities, and social science. Three main factors which influence decision in choosing the concentration field are interest, future career, and academic ability. Two lowest factors are parents and peers influence. This study suggests a model of success for Liberal Studies students includes three internal factors i.e., interest, ambition and academic ability, and three external support which are parents, peers and the university. This paper will give insights to other higher education institutions that are interested in offering this future-focused curriculum in line with the aspiration of the Malaysian Education Blueprint. Keywords: Liberal studies; Concentration, Citra UKM; Malaysian Education Blueprint; Future-focused curriculum.

How Does Globalization Shape the Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development in Hong Kong’s Education Reform?

There has been a worldwide interdisciplinary curriculum development. By examining several official interdisciplinary curriculum in Hong Kong, this paper argues that curriculum integration which incorporates learning about globalization and global citizenship has gradually developed since the late 1990s. By using cross-sectional focus group interviews with experienced teachers and a sample of students, the author identified benefits such as enhancing students’ interdisciplinary knowledge and applying critical thinking. But limitations can be found in having a weak disciplinary knowledge and difficult to develop transferrable skills, which necessitates teacher training. This paper also discusses the recent Liberal Studies controversy and youth protests. KEYWORDSInterdisciplinary curriculum, competencies-based, knowledge transferable skills, Liberal Studies, globalization, Hong Kong

Ann Snitow (1943–2019)

Ann Snitow, Emerita Lecturer in Liberal Studies and Associate Professor of Literature at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, passionate feminist and scholar for almost five decades in New York City, fearless activist and mentor for three decades in Central and Eastern Europe, died on 10 August 2019.