THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MALAYSIA ORANG ASLI PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES

Purpose - The Malaysian government has allocated a large budget for Orang Asli primary school education via the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) to help improve Orang Asli pupils’ academic performance including mathematics. Teachers face challenges in ensuring that Orang Asli pupils become competent learners of mathematics. Hence, this study examined the teachers’ perspectives on the issues and challenges in the teaching and learning of mathematics at Orang Asli primary schools in Malaysia. Methodology - In this qualitative study, Two Orang Asli primary schools were randomly selected from eight primary schools within an Orang Asli Settlement in the District of Sungai Siput. The data were collected via focus group discussions and interviews, which were carried out during enculturation visits and were fully transcribed and thematically analysed. The research participants were purposively selected and comprised the schools’ administrators and mathematics teachers. Findings - The results of the data analysis showed that there were two main themes, namely classroom challenges and school challenges, in determining mathematics competence among Orang Asli pupils. Classroom challenges consisted of five sub-themes namely coverage of mathematics syllabus, mathematics teaching and learning resources, pupil engagement, language barrier, and mathematics learning culture. School challenges consisted of two sub-themes namely school attendance and discipline. To enhance mathematics competence among Orang Asli pupils, it is deemed important to conduct programmes and community engagement. Significance - This study contributes to the knowledge of the teaching and learning of mathematics at Orang Asli primary schools. It is recommended that teachers allow Orang Asli pupils to take home their mathematics textbooks so that they can complete their homework at home. Teachers are highly encouraged to conduct mathematics teaching and learning activities in groups to develop meaningful and engaging lessons.

AN EXPLORATORY SEQUENTIAL SENTIMENT ANALYSIS OF ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER IN MALAYSIA

Purpose – Online learning is an essential platform to support varying learning conditions, anytime and anywhere. It helps connect online communities regardless of one’s geographical location and time zone. During the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia, the use of online learning platforms has become a crucial option for accomplishing learning objectives. During this challenging time, universities have been looking for suitable solutions to address issues regarding the online learning process. This paper discusses the challenges in online learning, as well as the importance of collaborative learning activities during the Movement Control Order (MCO). Challenges in emotion and changes of routine among students have been detected during the MCO imposed by the government of Malaysia. Methodology – An exploratory sequential approach was carried out in this study to obtain students’ feedback in terms of their emotions and routine changes during the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent implementation of the MCO. Convenience sampling was used for this research, and in order to obtain feedback on online learning during the MCO an online interview was conducted with 42 students from the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA branch in the state of Kelantan. The feedback items were recorded and transcribed in Excel format. Next, sentiment analysis was carried out using Rapidminer software. Findings – The results showed that higher education institutions or universities had to play their part in providing a virtual learning environment as convenient as possible during the Movement Control Order period. The results also showed that educators had to ensure the success of online learning by maintaining the motivation of their students Significance – The findings in this study can also benefit educators and higher education institutions or universities in executing suitable teaching and learning plans during the COVID-19 outbreak.

ONLINE SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES AMID A GLOBAL PANDEMIC: INSIGHTS FROM INDONESIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Purpose – At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of life, including education. In response, the Indonesian government mandated all educational institutions, including universities, to implement online learning. Through online learning, many university students experienced considerable changes in the way they regulated their knowledge-seeking process. This research examined the level of EFL university students' self-regulated learning during their online learning activities for an English academic writing course, as well as the difficulties encountered and strategies developed in the online learning context. Methodology – This research employed a convergent mixed-method research design by adapting the Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (Barnard et al., 2009) and an open-ended questionnaire to discover the students' difficulties and strategies during online learning. The study involved 307 students of the English 3 (Academic Writing) course at President University, Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the quantitative data sets, while the qualitative data sets were systematically coded and thematically analysed. Findings – The statistical analysis indicated that the students had a medium level of self-regulated learning skills. The qualitative analysis revealed that in the context of online self-regulated learning, the issues they faced included technical, material, time management, study space, and motivation issues. At the same time, the students attempted to alleviate these issues by improving collaboration and time management, and adopting technical, academic, and affective strategies. Significance – By exploring the level of students' self-regulated learning skills, this study provides insights for universities and lecturers into students’ ability to regulate their learning in an online learning context. Additionally, this study has identified the difficulties students face in the online learning process and their strategies to overcome these issues, which can practically inform educational institutions about the necessary support that should be provided to facilitate students' self-regulated learning skills in the online learning context.

MENEROKA TINGKAH LAKU UNIK PELAJAR PINTAR CERDAS BERBAKAT AKADEMIK

Tujuan - Kajian lepas membuktikan bahawa pelajar-pelajar pintar cerdas memiliki tingkah laku unik yang boleh membantu meningkatkan pencapaian mereka. Kajian ini bertujuan meneroka tingkah laku unik pelajar pintar cerdas yang ditunjukkan semasa berada di rumah, proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran dalam kelas, dan pergaulan bersama rakan di sekolah. Metodologi - Kajian dijalankan menerusi pendekatan kualitatif di Kolej GENIUS@Pintar Negara yang merupakan tempat pengajian pelajar pintar cerdas berbakat akademik dari seluruh Malaysia. Responden terdiri daripada lima orang ibu bapa cerdas, tiga orang pensyarah, dan enam orang pelajar pintar cerdas. Pengumpulan data melalui kaedah temu bual mendalam dan temu bual kelompok mengikut protokol temu bual. Dapatan - Keputusan menunjukkan tingkah laku unik pelajar pintar meliputi lakuan membaca dalam masa yang lama, suka menyendiri menyiapkan tugasan, suka bertanya sehingga memperoleh jawapan yang konkrit, berhujah untuk mempertahankan jawapan, memberi fokus dalam masa yang lama, dan menyiapkan tugasan melebihi jangkaan. Signifikan - Kajian ini menjadi panduan kepada ibu bapa, guru-guru dan masyarakat untuk memahami pelajar pintar cerdas dengan lebih dekat lagi seterusnya mengelakkan risiko peminggiran pelajar pintar cerdas. Implikasi terhadap kaedah dan strategi pengajaran guru untuk disesuaikan dengan keunikan tingkah laku pelajar pintar cerdas di sekolah. Kajian seterusnya dicadangkan untuk membincangkan langkah mengatasi tingkah laku negatif pelajar pintar cerdas, membina kurikulum khas pendidikan pintar cerdas dan penerokaan terhadap bidang pintar cerdas.

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOBILE ADDICTION, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR AMONG YOUNG ADULTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Purpose – Smartphones have become part and parcel of life in the 21st century. Since there has been limited research exploring the relationship between mobile addiction, interpersonal relationship, and academic behaviour among young adults in tertiary institutions, the present study has embarked on an exploration of the relationship between these three variables in the Malaysian higher education context. Methodology – A descriptive correlational research design was employed to collect and analyse the data, which came from a total of 150 young adults who responded to an online Google form distributed through a WhatsApp link. The items in the questionnaire were adapted from various doctorate studies. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as the mean and standard deviation, correlation, and multiple regression. Findings – The study found that young adults in tertiary institutions in Malaysia experienced a case of moderate mobile addiction. The results also established that the three variables, namely mobile addiction, interpersonal relationship, and academic behaviour, were interrelated. The findings revealed that interpersonal relationship has positively contributed to the variance of academic behaviour, while mobile addiction has negatively impacted young adults’ academic behaviour in tertiary institutions. Significance – The findings have provided valuable insights into how to help facilitate the monitoring of disruptive mobile usage among young adults in tertiary institutions.

SELF-REGULATION IN QUR’AN LEARNING

Purpose – The emergence of academic anxiety and poor learning outcomes among Indonesian first-year students at higher education institutions emphasized the need to measure the level of self-regulated learning (SRL). This study was part of a larger SRL research project in the area of ​​learning Qur’an recitation, where we attempted to explore further on how students applied SRL. By using a new perspective of SRL as a social process that emphasized interaction, we investigated how the situated environment influenced learning. Method – Quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied. A set of questionnaires generated from the adaptation process was successfully validated through rigorous psychometric testing. A total of 420 first-year students responded to the questionnaire. Then semi-structured observations and interviews were conducted among eight students. Finally, data obtained from observation checklists and interviews were triangulated. Findings – The SRL level for first-year students in learning Qur’an recitation was insufficient, with a score of 3.37 out of 5.00. The highest score on the Meta-Affective dimension was M = 3.64, and the lowest score on the Sociocultural-Interactive dimension was M = 2.98. These results indicated that although anxiety was not a serious problem, yet it was still an obstacle for some students with low SRL to achieve targeted learning goals. Furthermore, these students did not have the awareness to seek help for their learning difficulties. This situation was further aggravated by the lack of assistance from instructors in creating conducive learning environments for students to interact with each other. Significance – The standard deviations on all SRL dimensions identified in this study were high, showing a large gap between students who had high and low SRL. This condition requires instructors to provide significant assistance. We suggest heterogeneous grouping to enable more intensive interactions between students to increase the sociocultural-interactive dimension. We believe that seamless interaction is the most tangible support for promoting SRL.

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ INQUIRY SKILLS IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION THROUGH HIKMAH PEDAGOGY AND COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY

Purpose – Empowering students has become one of the primary goals of education in the 21st century. The current trend of education is moving towards student-centred and independent learning. The core success of student empowerment lies in the teaching and learning approaches used to engage students. Thus, the present study aims to examine how Hikmah pedagogy, a philosophical inquiry approach, empowers students through the development of a community of inquiry and students’ inquiry skills in learning Islamic Education. Method – This study employed a case study design on a Form 4 class comprising 24 students. The method of data collection involved classroom observation and students’ reflective journaling. Analysis of classroom discourse was conducted according to Bloom’s Taxonomy to identify higher-order levels of thinking engaged by the students. Meanwhile, students’ journals were analysed thematically to examine how Hikmah pedagogy empowered their thinking. Findings – The study found that after four Hikmah pedagogy sessions, students’ thinking improved from lower-order to higher-order thinking (HOT) based on the students’ level of questions posed in the Hikmah sessions. Questions posed by the students also indicated an improvement in terms of the quantity and quality of the questions. Finally, analysis of the students’ journals showed that students found Hikmah pedagogy a provoking approach that continuously engaged them to be independent in their thinking. This is most useful when learning Islamic Education since it deals with many abstract concepts that require deep understanding. Significance – Results of the study have shown that Hikmah pedagogy can empower students by improving their HOT, developing their inquiry skills and independent thinking, which directly assist in realising the objectives of Islamic Education, which are to understand, internalise and practise Islamic principles and values.

INTEGRATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN TEACHING PRACTICE AMONG UNIVERSITY TEACHERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Purpose – Emotional intelligence abilities of university teachers are more likely to establish suitable emotional teaching and learning environments through their teaching practice, thus promoting learning motivation and engagement among students. Despite the emphasis on the importance of teachers’ emotional intelligence abilities in teaching, it continues to be under-acknowledged and underdeveloped. This is evidenced in a few studies reported on the relationship between emotional intelligence and teaching practice particularly in higher education. Guided by the Four-Branch Emotional Intelligence Ability Model, this study aimed to explore the integration of emotional intelligence in teaching practice among university teachers in higher education. Method – A qualitative design of a descriptive case study was applied on 10 university teachers recruited through purposeful sampling. The data gathered from semi-structured interviews conducted with the university teachers was analyzed through five phases of analysis namely; raw categorization of individual interviewees, group categorization of interviewees, raw key points, refined key points and themes. The credibility and trustworthiness of the data were achieved through prolonged engagement, member check, and interrater reliability. Results – Seven themes namely implementation of structured teaching flow, empathetic pedagogical approach, fostering student learning engagement, consideration of students’ emotions, reflection of university teachers’ characteristics, mutual teaching and learning sessions and meaningful learning sessions were generated. Significance – The study demonstrated the importance of developing emotional intelligence abilities among university teachers as these abilities directly influence teaching and learning processes. In fact, these abilities are subconsciously embedded and demonstrated through teaching practice. Thus training on emotional intelligence needs to be developed by including it as one of the competencies required for university teachers.

ACHIEVEMENT GOALS AND EXTRANEOUS LOAD PREDICT GERMANE LOAD: THE MEDIATING EFFECTS OF ACHIEVEMENT EMOTIONS

Purpose – Achievement emotions have been shown to mediate the association between achievement goals and learning performance, but no research to date has tested whether there is a similar process in predicting germane cognitive load. Based on the control-value theory of academic emotions (Pekrun, 2006), the present study tested a model to determine whether goal orientation and extraneous load were mediated by achievement emotions in predicting germane load. Methodology – This survey study involved 487 voluntary university students (N = 487; 61% women; ages 17-23) who were enrolled in a statistics class and these study participants were selected using the cluster random sampling technique. They responded to three adapted scales which were translated into Bahasa Indonesia. The scales were, namely the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), and Cognitive Load Questionnaire. Data were collected 20 minutes before the statistics class ended and the data was then analyzed using bootstraped bias corrected (CI = 95%; N=5000) in Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Findings – The results of the structural equation modeling indicated that a mastery-approach goal was associated with higher germane load through higher enjoyment and lower anxiety, and a performance-avoidant goal was associated with lower germane load through higher anxiety. Moreover, extraneous load was negatively associated with germane load through enjoyment, but was positively associated with germane load through anxiety. Significance – These findings have implications in educational settings: for most students with a mastery-approach goal, and enjoyable activities are helpful, as with those that increase cognitive performance in processing learning information. The present research is the first study to show that achievement goals are linked to the capacity to process learning-relevant information, in part due to the emotions the student experiences in the learning environment.