101 Moreover, as Satriana et al. (2018) mentioned, students would be confused by the effect of pressure on a system at equilibrium; our matriculation students exhibited a similar problem. These are a couple of excerpts of the students’ responses verbatim to depict the issue (pseudonyms are used to conceal identities): “…sometimes I forgot that when decreasing the volume of the system, the pressure will increase and not decrease.” – Wilson “…I don’t really understand if volume is increase, equilibrium will shift to the side with more no. Of gaseous mole or less no. of gaseous mole.” – Yusnizah In predicting how the equilibrium system would accommodate the changes in pressure or volume, both moles coefficient for reactants and products will be the deciding factor. Satriana et al. (2018) stated that misconceptions about gaseous mixtures arise when students cannot tie on how the three variables – pressure, volume, and moles coefficient react to any disturbances introduced to the system. Other than the technical aspect of LCP, we assessed our matriculation students in their ability to provide explanations for their answers. For the students to decide how the equilibrium system counteracts the imposed changes, a series of reasoning must take place to ensure they reach the correct conclusion. The study by Mensah and Morabe (2018) highlighted the importance of first implementing instructional strategies that contribute to mastering the qualitative aspects of the concept. They argued that students become more competent problem-solvers when they develop conceptual understanding. Following that, it is also crucial for the students to be exposed to accurate vocabulary in their development of conceptual understanding of LCP. Quílez (2019) emphasised how language can affect one’s understanding of chemical concepts. Furthermore, in another study by Quílez (2021), he demonstrated the complexity of language used became one of the potential barriers that hinder the learning process. The vagueness and ambiguity of language used during teaching and learning LCP affect the student’s ability to predict the disturbed chemical equilibrium system correctly. Counting in this factor, the accuracy of vocabulary used was also reflected in the instructional strategy utilised in the current study. From the above arguments, two (2) concerns were raised in teaching the concept of LCP; to provide our students with the correct method of obtaining answers and, at the same time, assist them in organising their justification. From this point, the “Shift2Excel (S2E) Programme”
102 was designed as a remedial (i.e., intervention) to accommodate our matriculation students’ learning needs. FOCUS OF THE PROJECT For the current study, we purposely chose to implement the remedial-investigative project as technical action research (TAR). Kemmis (2009) explained that a teacher applies TAR to improve students’ performance. Thus, our TAR focused on materialising an instructional method (i.e., intervention) that was used to enhance students’ understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts and LCP in particular. LCP was chosen as the subject matter for this TAR project after we discovered our previous matriculation students categorised the topic as one of the most problematic. This concerned us because, as teachers, we viewed LCP as one of the most straightforward topics, but students would think otherwise. PROJECT OBJECTIVES & QUESTIONS GENERAL OBJECTIVE To promote matriculation students’ mastery of LCP using the S2E Programme. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES i. To improve the matriculation students’ understanding of LCP using the S2E Programme – from 0.0% to 100.0% distinction grades. ii. To create positive perceptions among the matriculation students on learning LCP online using the S2E Programme. RESEARCH QUESTIONS (RQ) OF THE PROJECT i. Does S2E Programme improve matriculation students’ understanding of LCP? ii. How does the S2E Programme impact matriculation students’ perceptions of learning LCP via online means? IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY In the initial stage of the study, we recruited 133 matriculation students who were part of the science modules at Labuan Matriculation College (LMC). Thus, we taught LCP to the students
103 using the conventional instructional method, i.e., teaching via exemplification of questions. After that, we narrowed the number to seventy-five (75) matriculation students who were identified as the non-distinction performers (i.e., merit, pass, and fail) in the pre-intervention test (Pre-IT). Hence, these students were part of the target group (TG). Table 1 shows the grading system explicitly designed for this TAR and the Pre-IT profile. Table 2 presents the number of male and female students selected as TG. Table 1 Grading system of the TAR and matriculation students’ Pre-IT profile Mark Range Grade Level Pre-IT Profile 100 – 80 A Distinction 58 out of 133 students 79 – 75 A- (43.6%) 74 – 70 B+ 69 – 65 B Merit 23 out of 133 students 64 – 60 B- (17.2%) 59 – 55 C+ Pass 13 out of 133 students 54 – 50 C (9.8%) 49 – 45 C- Fail 39 out of 133 students 44 – 40 D (29.3%) 39 – 35 E 34 – 0 F Table 2 Number of TG students based on gender Gender Number of Students Male 33 (44.0%) Female 42 (56.0%) Total 75 (100.0%) ACTION IMPLEMENTATION We implemented a five-phase AR in an effort to assist the TG students in improving their level of understanding of LCP. Ergo, this AR employed the remedial-investigative approach as follows: i. Initial action – A group of 133 matriculation students was recruited, and they were taught the LCP (i.e., all factors were included – concentration, temperature, and pressure) using the conventional method (i.e., questions exemplification). The
104 session was conducted via Google Meet. ii. Pre-IT – The 133 students were given a set of LCP questions with fifteen (15) marks total. These questions had to be answered within thirty (30) minutes. A group of seventy-five (75) students were identified as TG and were asked to give feedback on the most problematic areas of LCP. The Pre-IT was conducted online (Google Form). iii. Intervention – The t&l involving TG using the S2E Programme. The intervention was conducted online using an amalgamation of means, i.e., Edpuzzle, Quizizz, and Google Meet. iv. Post-IT – The TG students had been given the same questions as the Pre-IT. The set carried fifteen (15) marks in total, and they were allotted thirty (30) minutes to answer all questions. The Post-IT was conducted online (Google Form). v. Survey and focus group – The TG students were instructed to provide feedback. They documented their S2E Programme experiences in a mini journal (i.e., not less than 150 words) and submitted the responses via Google Form. A group of ten (10) TG students were chosen as part of a focus group to get more details on the TG students’ perceptions of the intervention. Table 3: presents the timeline for implementing the AR project in detail. Table 3 The TAR project’s timeline No. Action Date of Implementation 1. Initial action 8 – 12 November 2021 18 – 19 November 2021 20 November 2021 22 – 28 November 2021 2 December 2021 7 – 9 February 2022 10 – 20 February 2022 2. Pre-IT and interview 3. Data analysis 4. Intervention: S2E Programme 5. Post-IT 6. Survey and focus group 7. Data analysis What is S2E Programme? – We designed the programme by considering the mandatory implementation of lessons via online means due to the imposed COVID-19 restrictions (i.e., the first semester of LMC Batch 2021/2022 – 26 July until 16 December 2021). The
105 programme was built based on the amalgamation of synchronous and asynchronous operations. Figure 1 shows the framework of the S2E Programme, and Figure 2 depicts how students proceed from AO Level 1 to AO Level 2. Synchronous Operation (SO) The teacher teaches students LCP using the "LCP Flowcharts" via Google Meet. The flowcharts summarise the concepts for all factors, i.e., concentration, temperature, and pressure. This operation is implemented via Google Meet and lasts an hour. Asynchronous Operation (AO) After the SO, the students are enrolled on Google Classroom for the AO. For the AO, students engage in three (3) Edpuzzle activities that cover the effects of concentration, temperature, and pressure, respectively (AO Level 1). The Edpuzzle videos are kept short (i.e., less than 10 minutes long), and contents made by other teachers are used. Upon completing the Edpuzzle activities, the students must engage in a formative self-assessment via Quizizz (AO Level 2). The students are given seven (7) days to complete the AO. This encourages them to complete the AO at their own pace within a time limit. Figure 1: The S2E Programme’s framework of operations AO Level 1 • Three (3) Edpuzzle activities cover concentration, temperature, and pressure. • Edpuzzle videos are less than 10 minutes long. • Edpuzzle videos are by other teachers. AO Level 2 • Self-assessment via Quizizz. Figure 2: The flow of AO for the S2E Programme We designed the programme based on two (2) theoretical perspectives (refer to Figure 3). Firstly, we were informed by connectivism, which explained how e-learning technologies were used in the programme to generate new learning possibilities and encourage successful learning (Downes, 2019). Secondly, as science education is deemed a conceptual change agent (Carey, 2000), we embedded the conceptual change model into the theoretical framework of the S2E Programme. Posner et al. (1982) clarified that classical conceptual change indicates that learners become cognitively conflicted when their prior beliefs and conceptions do not match the new conception. They must find clever, credible, and fruitful
106 concepts to describe new ideas that may replace or integrate existing ones. In the current study, we assisted the TG students in achieving this using the S2E Programme. Connectivism S2E Programme Conceptual Change Model Figure 3: The theoretical framework of the S2E Programme PROJECT OUTCOMES & IMPLICATIONS Quantitative analysis to answer RQ(I) – Based on the comparison between the TG students’ scores in the Post-IT and Pre-IT, the S2E Programme was seen to be a practical remedial approach. The analysis of the Post-IT data showed that the TG students’ ability to answer questions regarding LCP correctly had significantly improved. Figure 3 presents a scatterplot graph of the difference in performances between Pre-IT and Post-IT among the TG students. TG students’ Post-IT scores are higher than their Pre-IT scores. Figure 4: Scatterplot comparing TG students’ performances in Pre-IT and Post-IT Table 4 provides additional information on the improved performances of the TG students after learning LCP using the S2E Programme. The TG students were selected because they were those who did not manage to obtain a distinction grade in the Pre-IT. The table shows that 52.0% of the TG students failed the Pre-IT. The TG students’ highest grade was a B for PreIT, i.e., merely 13.3% of the students obtained the grade. After we implemented the S2E Programme as a remedial instructional strategy, the Post-IT results revealed that all TG
107 students managed to score distinction grades. 22.7% of the TG students obtained a B+ grade, and 77.3% passed the Post-IT with flying colours, i.e., achieving an A. Table 4 Comparison of the TG students’ performances in Pre-IT and Post-IT Score Range Grade Pre-IT Post-IT No. of Students % No. of Students % 0 – 49 Fail 39 52.0 0 0.0 50 – 54 C 13 17.3 0 0.0 55 – 59 C+ 0 0.0 0 0.0 60 – 64 B- 13 17.3 0 0.0 65 – 69 B 10 13.3 0 0.0 70 – 74 B+ 0 0.0 17 22.7 75 – 79 A- 0 0.0 0 0.0 80 – 100 A 0 0.0 58 77.3 We were interested in finding out whether or not the TG students' Post-IT scores were noticeably more significant than their Pre-IT levels. Because of this, we conducted an analysis using the paired samples t-test with the JASP version 0.16.3, a freeware statistical analysis application developed by the University of Amsterdam (Love et al., 2019; JASP Team, 2022). The reliability of the tool in computing statistical data and, as a result, producing accurate conclusions has been demonstrated by several investigations (Han et al., 2018; Quintana & Williams, 2018; Zolotov et al., 2020; Bibah Dzahari & Kadum, 2022). The TG’s Post-IT scores (meanpost = 12.360 and distinction = 100%) were significantly higher than the Pre-IT scores (meanpre = 7.493 and distinction = 0%; ∆mean = 4.867 and p < 0.001). Table 5 shows the descriptive data, and Table 6 presents the inferential analysis outcome. We were inspired by the AR done by Bibah Dzahari and Kadum (2022), in which they used raincloud plots to visualise raw data. Allen et al. (2019) stated, “These raincloud plots can visualise raw data, probability density, and key summary statistics such as median, mean, and relevant confidence intervals in an appealing and flexible format with minimal redundancy”. Ergo, we utilised the JASP statistical tool to generate the raincloud plots for this study (refer to Figure 4). From the raincloud plots, we could conclude two (2) things. Firstly, it is obvious that (on the right-hand side) the TG students’ Post-IT performance “cloud” overlapped very little with their Pre-IT performance “cloud” (i.e., indicating a significantly different performance due to the intervention); secondly, on the left-hand side of Figure 4, the “rain dots” of the TG students’ scores for Post-IT were much more closely clustered if compared to the “rain dots” of the
108 students’ Pre-IT scores (i.e., signifying that the intervention managed to close the gap of performance between the TG students). Table 5 Descriptive data N Mean SD SE Pre-IT 75 7.493 1.743 0.201 Post-IT 75 12.360 0.995 0.115 SD = standard deviation; SE = standard error Table 6 Paired samples t-test outcome Measurement 1 Measurement 2 t df p Mean Difference SE Difference Pre-IT Post-IT 20.704 74 < 0.001 4.867 0.235 *significance p < 0.001 Figure 5: Raincloud plots comparing the TG students’ Pre-IT and Post-IT scores Qualitative analysis to answer RQ(II) – We instructed the TG students to tell us about their experiences learning LCP using the S2E Programme after the Post-IT had concluded. We initiated a thematic analysis of the TG students’ mini journals and the focus group interview transcripts. The written documents were coded according to the coding system – open → axial → selective (Williams & Moser, 2019). The generated codes were distilled into categories and subsequently grouped into two (2) themes that encapsulated the TG’s experiences of learning LCP using the S2E Programme.
109 i. Theme 1: Positive learning engagement – The TG students reported positive learning engagement during the online t&l of LCP using the S2E Programme. This was based on the existence of positive identifiers in their responses, such as “become more confident”, “intervention activities are good”, “well-explained notes”, and “short but packed with information”. This is an excerpt of the students’ responses verbatim. (pseudonym is used to conceal identity): “…At first, I was confused about the shifting between the products and the reactant combine with the different factors such as the temperature, concentration, pressure etc. After joining the Intervention Activities… it certainly help me to understand more clearly for each of the factors.” – Amber ii. Theme 2: Effective synchronous-asynchronous learning – The TG students viewed the S2E Programme as an effective way to learn LCP online via an amalgamation of synchronous and asynchronous means. They also wished that other teacher would use the same method to teach. This is an excerpt of the students’ responses verbatim. (pseudonym is used to conceal identity): “…It was a great learning experience as it was efficient, short and informative all in all. Doing both, the synchronous session (an online lecture/teaching) and the asynchronous session (a short question and answer) really helped to make us understand.” – Johnny CONCLUSIONS After going through the TAR process for the current study, we agreed with the notion stated by Meor Ibrahim Kamaruddin and Nurhidayah Ismail (2009) – mastering chemistry concepts and getting them right is challenging. Since chemistry is a discipline that is continually changing and evolving, it provides a fertile ground for students' misconceptions, which in turn might cause them to struggle with mastering the subject. As a result, we established this TAR project to assist our matriculation students in overcoming their misunderstandings with LCP. The findings revealed that the S2E Programme had successfully achieved its objectives. Firstly, the programme improved the TG’s performance in LCP from 0.0% to 100% distinction grades. Moreover, they performed significantly better than their Pre-IT. Secondly, the programme nurtured positive student perceptions toward learning LCP online. Since the objectives were achieved in a single TAR cycle, we concluded that a subsequent cycle was unnecessary. Nonetheless, we agreed that in the next phase of TAR for LCP, we would focus on developing an innovation to assist matriculation students in learning the effect of adding inert gases to a system at equilibrium more efficaciously.
110 This TAR benefited not only the matriculation students but also us teachers. We have developed a better knowledge of conducting online chemistry lessons effectively using digital means. The TAR taught us the potency of combining synchronous and asynchronous t&l approaches provided if they are merged with careful considerations. Besides that, we learned a valuable lesson on developing an intervention to remedy a situation by empathising with students’ needs. This is in line with the spirit of “design thinking” whereby it emphasises the materialisation of human-centric innovations via user empathy (Brown, 2008; Wolcott & McLaughlin, 2020). We encourage other chemistry teachers to use the S2E Programme to teach LCP in their lessons. The programme also serves as a t&l model for other subjects as well. Thus , regardless of subjects, other teachers may adopt the model and administer modifications to suit their t&l objectives. We hope that this TAR project will inspire future efforts to empower hybrid learning as a way to develop a future-proof education. REFERENCES Allen, M., Poggiali, D., Whitaker, K., Marshall, T. R., & Kievit, R. A. (2019). Raincloud plots: A multiplatform tool for robust data visualization. Wellcome Open Research, 4, 63. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15191.1 Andriani, Y., Mulyani, S., & Wiji, W. (2021). Misconceptions and troublesome knowledge on chemical equilibrium. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1806(1) 012184, Article 012184. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1806/1/012184/pdf Bernal-Ballen, A., & Ladino-Ospina, Y. (2019). Assessment: A suggested strategy for learning chemical equilibrium. Education Sciences, 9(3), 174. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030174 Bibah Dzahari, & Kadum, B. M. M. (2022). The application of MY MAMOVONO technique to enhance Malaysian pre-university students’ mastery of the mole concept. Asian Journal of Contemporary Education, 6(1), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.55493/5052.v6i1.4445 Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 84. Carey, S. (2000). Science education as conceptual change. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21(1), 13-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(99)00046-5 Downes, S. (2019). Recent work in connectivism (EJ1245809). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1245809.pdf Han, H., Park, J., & Thoma, S. J. (2018). Why do we need to employ Bayesian statistics and how can we employ it in studies of moral education?: With practical guidelines to use JASP for educators and researchers. Journal of Moral Education, 47(4), 519-537. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2018.1463204 Huang, J. (2020). Successes and challenges: online teaching and learning of chemistry in higher education in China in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2810- 2814. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00671 JASP Team (2022). JASP (Version 0.16.3)[Computer software]. Johnstone, A. H. (1991). Why is science difficult to learn? Things are seldom what they seem. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 7(2), 75-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365- 2729.1991.tb00230.x Jusniar, J., Effendy, E., Budiasih, E., & Sutrisno, S. (2020). Misconceptions in rate of reaction and their impact on misconceptions in chemical equilibrium (EJ1272391). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1272391.pdf
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112 XPERIMENT BOOTCAMP KIT NOORSEIAH BINTI MOHAMAD SMK Megat Dewa, 06100 Kodiang, Kedah [email protected] ABSTRAK Penguasaan murid Tingkatan 5 Tasawwur terhadap kemahiran penyiasatan saintifik dan Kemahiran Proses Sains (KPS) adalah di tahap yang sangat lemah dan ini sangat membimbangkan pengkaji. Melalui kajian tindakan, penggunaan inovasi Xperimet BootCamp Kit Sains SPM diperkenalkan bagi mengatasi masalah tersebut. Inovasi ini memfokuskan bagaimana melaksanakan eksperimen wajib dalam mata pelajaran Sains SPM Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah (KSSM) dan seterusnya dapat memperkukuhkan kemahiran penyiasatan saintifik dan KPS murid. Bahan-bahan dan langkah-langkah yang sistematik dan terperinci di dalam kit ini bersesuaian dengan aras dan keupayaan kognitif murid serta memudahkan penguasaan fahaman murid. Seramai 28 orang murid terlibat sebagai sampel kajian dalam merancang eksperimen Sains dan memperkukuhkan kemahiran proses Sains menggunakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit. Bagi tujuan berikut, beberapa maklumat telah dikumpul seperti pemerhatian, ujian-pra, ujian-pos, temubual dan soal selidik. Analisis maklumat tersebut menunjukkan bahawa prestasi murid telah meningkat sebanyak 36% dalam Bahagian A (No. 1 - 4) dan 82% dalam Bahagian C (No. 11). Malah penggunaan kit ini telah memudahkan murid dalam membina dan merancang jawapan bagi soalan mengeksperimen Sains. Namun terdapat beberapa masalah telah dikenal pasti iaitu terlampau banyak eksperimen yang perlu dipelajari dalam tempoh yang singkat dan kekangan masa untuk menjalankan eksperimen secara fizikal di samping murid tidak berkemampuan menjawab soalan berkaitan penyiasatan saintifik dan KPS dengan betul dan tepat. Ini adalah disebabkan oleh penutupan sekolah kerana penularan Covid-19 yang semakin meningkat. Keadaan ini menimbulkan kebimbangan kepada pengkaji kerana peperiksaan sebenar Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) yang semakin hampir tetapi penguasaan KPS dan merancang eksperimen masih di tahap yang sangat lemah. Kit ini juga perlu ditambah baik sesuai dengan soalan SPM format terkini. Tuntasnya, kit ini merupakan salah satu alternatif bagi meningkatkan pencapaian prestasi murid dalam menjawab soalan Sains SPM kertas 2 (1511/2) bagi Bahagian A (No. 1 - 4) dan Bahagian C (No. 11) dengan mudah dalam tempoh yang singkat. Kata kunci: Xperiment BootCamp Kit, Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah (KSSM), Kemahiran Proses Sains (KPS), Kemahiran Penyiasatan Saintifik PENGENALAN Kemahiran Proses Sains (KPS) merupakan satu proses mental yang menggalakkan pemikiran secara kritis, analitik dan sistematik. KPS merangkumi kemahiran-kemahiran mentafsir data, mendefinisi secara operasi, mengawal pemboleh ubah, membuat hipotisis dan menjalankan eksperimen (Zurida, 1998). Terdapat beberapa kajian yang dijalankan mengenai tahap pencapaian KPS dalam kalangan murid di Malaysia. Kajian oleh Chan(1984); Tan & Chin (1992) dan Zurida (1998) menunjukkan bahawa penguasaan KPS oleh murid di Malaysia adalah tidak memuaskan dan lemah. Ini kerana murid tidak dapat mempraktikkan kemahiran saintifik disebabkan Pengajaran Dan Pembelajaran di Rumah(PdPR), corak pengajaran kurang menekankan kepada KPS dan guru sendiri kurang berkemahiran tentang KPS.
113 PERNYATAAN MASALAH Hasil analisis kertas Sains (1511/2) peperiksaan percubaan SPM 2021, di dapati seramai 28 orang murid gagal mendapat markah penuh pada Bahagian A (Soalan no. 1-4) dan Bahagian C (soalan no. 11). Soalan yang ditanya adalah soalan berkaitan kemahiran proses Sains bagi Bahagian A dan merancang satu eksperimen Sains bagi Bahagian C. Hasil temubual menunjukkan bahawa status kefahaman mereka adalah kurang faham dan tidak faham untuk menjawab soalan tersebut (Jadual 1). Jadual 1 Skor markah Murid Peperiksaan Percubaan Sains SPM 2021 Bil Nama Bahagian A (Soalan No. 1- 4) Bahagian B (No. 11) Markah penuh Markah diperolehi Markah penuh Markah diperolehi 1 Murid 1 20 8 10 0 2 Murid 2 20 10 10 1 3 Murid 3 20 3 10 0 4 Murid 4 20 6 10 0 5 Murid 5 20 6 10 0 6 Murid 6 20 7 10 0 7 Murid 7 20 4 10 0 8 Murid 8 20 7 10 0 9 Murid 9 20 3 10 0 10 Murid 10 20 4 10 0 11 Murid 11 20 T 10 T 12 Murid 12 20 6 10 0 13 Murid 13 20 2 10 0 14 Murid 14 20 7 10 0 15 Murid 15 20 0 10 0 16 Murid 16 20 6 10 1 17 Murid 17 20 T 10 T 18 Murid 18 20 5 10 2 19 Murid 19 20 2 10 0 20 Murid 20 20 1 10 0 21 Murid 21 20 5 10 0 22 Murid 22 20 1 10 0 23 Murid 23 20 2 10 0
114 24 Murid 24 20 1 10 0 25 Murid 25 20 5 10 0 26 Murid 26 20 1 10 0 27 Murid 27 20 4 10 0 28 Murid 28 20 3 10 0 Pengkaji mendapati seramai 26 orang murid (93%) mendapat markah kurang daripada 15 dalam Bahagian A (soalan no. 1 - 4) dan 25 orang murid (86%) tidak mendapat markah langsung dalam Bahagian C (soalan no. 11). 2 orang murid mendapat 1 markah dan seorang murid mendapat 2 markah dalam Bahagian C (soalan no. 11). Dua orang murid tidak hadir untuk menjawab soalan peperiksaan. MENENTUKAN PUNCA MASALAH Maka wujudnya kerisauan pengkaji kepada kefahaman murid terhadap kemahiran proses Sains dan merancang eksperimen Sains. Persoalannya, adakah kaedah pengajaran saya kurang berkesan semasa PdPR? Apakah kesilapan saya semasa menjalankan eksperimen Sains yang melibatkan kemahiran proses Sains? Adakah penjelasan secara teori tanpa menjalankan eksperimen secara fizikal kurang berkesan? Melalui analisis keputusan peperiksaan percubaan SPM, pengkaji telah merefleksi diri untuk menjawab semua persoalan yang timbul. Kemungkinan kaedah pengajaran saya semasa PdPR terlalu fokus kepada menghabiskan silibus tanpa mengambil kira keupayaan murid menguasai sepenuhnya merancang eksperimen dan kemahiran proses Sains. Lanjutan daripada ini, mungkin saya terlalu yakin bahawa kesediaan murid untuk menjawab soalan tersebut adalah terlalu tinggi. Seterusnya, barangkali saya terlalu fokus kepada beberapa eksperimen sedangkan soalan yang dikemukakan merangkumi eksperimen yang tidak pernah dipelajari oleh murid. Lantaran itu, pengkaji tercari-cari kaedah alternatif untuk mengatasi isu yang timbul dan mengukuhkan lagi kefahaman dan penguasaan murid walaupun masa yang diperlukan adalah sangat singkat iaitu dalam tempoh dua bulan sebelum peperiksaan SPM yang sebenar. MENENTUKAN PROJEK Kemahiran proses Sains ialah kemahiran yang diperlukan untuk mencari jawapan kepada sesuatu masalah atau membuat keputusan secara bersistem. Penguasaan kemahiran proses
115 Sains bersama dengan sikap dan pengetahuan yang sesuai menjamin keupayaan murid berfikir secara berkesan. Dalam kurikulum Sains Tingkatan 5, kemahiran saintifik merupakan kemahiran penting untuk menjalankan sebarang aktiviti mengikut kaedah saintifik seperti menjalankan eksperimen (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum, 2018). Terdapat 14 eksperimen wajib yang perlu dilaksanakan oleh murid dan merupakan soalan popular yang akan diuji dalam peperiksaan SPM. Justeru, isu kemahiran proses Sains dalam merancang eksperimen perlu segera ditangani melalui kaedah yang bersesuaian dengan konsep dan konteks murid Tingkatan 5. Demi mencapai sasaran tersebut, pengkaji telah mengkaji kaedah yang terbaik untuk membantu murid. Akhirnya pengkaji menemui satu kaedah yang praktikal iaitu menghasilkan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM yang mengandungi semua soalan eksperimen wajib yang melibatkan kemahiran proses Sains. Bahan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM ini terdiri daripada modul Ekspresiasi bercetak, video teknik menjawab, video mengeksperimen yang dilaksanakan oleh murid dan guru-guru di Youtube, soalan-soalan pengukuhan Sains Bahagian A dan Bahagian C dan borang rekod prestasi murid . Bahan-bahan ini mudah dicapai oleh murid dan guru Sains hanya dengan mengimbas QR-Codes pada sekeping kad seperti pada Rajah 1. Rajah 1: Xperiment BootCamp Kit
116 OBJEKTIF PROJEK Kajian ini dilaksanakan bagi mengatasi masalah kemahiran penyiasatan saintifik dan kemahiran proses Sains semasa menjalankan eksperimen Sains bagi murid-murid Tingkatan 5 Tasawwur SMK Megat Dewa dengan menggunakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit. i. Meningkatkan kefahaman dan kemahiran proses Sains murid. ii. Meningkatkan prestasi pencapaian murid dalam merancang eksperimen wajib Sains. iii. Menilai tahap persetujuan murid menggunakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit dalam Pembelajaran dan Pemudahcaraan (PdPC). METODOLOGI Pengkaji menjalankan kajian tindakan berpandukan Model Kemmis dan McTaggart (1988) seperti dalam Rajah 2 yang mengandungi empat langkah berdasarkan gelungan, iaitu Mereflek (Reflect); Merancang (Plan); Bertindak (Action) dan Memerhati (Observe). Rajah 2: Model Kajian Tindakan Sumber: Diadaptasi daripada Kemmis dan McTaggart (1988) Mereflek (Reflect) Sepanjang proses PdPC yang lalu, pengkaji memerhati tingkah laku murid terhadap jawapan murid mengenai kemahiran proses Sains dan mengeksperimen. Di dapati murid ragu-ragu menjawab soalan tersebut. Oleh itu, pengkaji merefleksi diri bagi melihat kelemahan pengajaran yang dilaksanakan. Pengkaji telah menyemak hasil jawapan murid dan mendapati beberapa kemusykilan pada jawapan murid. Pengkaji mengenal pasti tiga masalah utama yang dihadapi oleh murid semasa menjawab soalan iaitu tidak menjawab soalan langsung, tidak menjawab dengan tepat dan menjawab tetapi silap konsep.
117 Merancang (Plan) Maka pengkaji telah merancang tindakan yang perlu diambil bagi mengatasi isu yang timbul dengan menyediakan jadual yang dirancang seperti dalam Jadual 2. Jadual 2 Perlaksanaan Kajian Tindakan Bil Aktiviti Tarikh perlaksanaan 1. Membuat refleksi terhadap pengajaran lepas 03 Januari 2022 2. Mengumpul data – keputusan peperiksaan percubaan SPM 05 Januari 2022 3. Merancang tindakan 10 Januari 2022 4. Mengendalikan Kem Gempur Amali Sains dengan menggunakan Modul Ekspresiasi Sains SPM 15 Januari 2022 5. Menyediakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit untuk bahan sokongan murid di rumah. 16 Januari hingga 10 Februari 2022 6. Melaksanakan soal selidik untuk mendapatkan maklum balas murid 03 Februari 2022 7. Mengadakan pentaksiran 2 untuk mengesan pencapaian murid 16 Februari 2022 8. Menganalisis data pentaksiran dan soal selidik 23 Februari 2022 9. Menemu bual murid yang terpilih 28 Februari 2022 10. Membuat refleksi kajian 03 Mac 2022 11. Menulis laporan 10 Mac 2022 Bertindak (Action) Pengkaji membincangkan isu dengan rakan-rakan guru dan menghasilkan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM. Seterusnya pengkaji mengendalikan Kem Gempur Amali Sains selama 5 jam dengan menggunakan Modul Ekspresiasi Sains SPM dan menjalankan 18 demonstrasi eksperimen secara fizikal di dalam kumpulan. Seramai lapan orang guru Sains telah membantu dalam perlaksanaan kem tersebut. Seterusnya pengkaji menjalankan soal selidik dan pentaksiran kepada murid. Memerhati (Observe) Pengkaji memerhatikan tingkah laku murid sepanjang pengajaran dan pemudahcaraan dengan menggunakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM. Pemerhatian ini bertujuan untuk menilai keberkesanan modul dan kit untuk tujuan penambahbaikan. Hasil temubual dengan murid terpilih dapat membantu pengkaji untuk mengetahui kesan penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM terhadap mereka.
118 Beberapa kaedah digunakan untuk menilai keberkesanan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM seperti pentaksiran/ujian, pemerhatian dan temubual. Pengkaji telah melaksanakan Pentaksiran 1(Peperiksaan Percubaan SPM) untuk mengesan masalah yang dihadapi oleh murid. Berdasarkan data yang telah dianalisis, pengkaji telah dapat mengesan dan mengenal pasti masalah yang timbul. Bagi membandingkan pencapaian murid sebelum dan selepas pentaksiran/ujian maka Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM diperkenalkan dan Pentaksiran 2 yang setara dengan Pentaksiran 1 telah dijalankan. Pengkaji memberi fokus kepada soalan SPM Bahagian A (soalan No. 1-4) dengan pemberatan 20 markah dan Bahagian C (soalan No. 11) dengan pemberatan 10 markah. Jika murid dapat menjawab dengan cemerlang Bahagian ini maka mereka mampu untuk lulus kertas Sains SPM. Borang soal selidik (rujuk lampiran 1) juga diedarkan kepada murid untuk mendapatkan maklum balas murid terhadap penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM. Soal selidik ini telah diubahsuai daripada instrumen yang digunakan dalam kajian Norhayati Che Hat, Shaferul Hafes Sha’ari dan Mohd Fauzi abdul Hamid (2013). Terdapat dua Bahagian dalam soal selidik iaitu Bahagian A: Maklumat asas dan Bahagian B: Kesan penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM dalam PdPC yang menggunakan Skala Likert lima. Murid menjawab soal selidik merujuk kepada tahap persetujuan kendiri mengikut skor dalam Jadual 3. Jadual 3 Tahap Persetujuan Responden Skor Tahap persetujuan Singkatan 1 Sangat tidak setuju STS 2 Tidak setuju TS 3 Kurang setuju KS 4 Setuju S 5 Sangat setuju SS Daripada soal selidik, pengkaji telah menemu bual beberapa orang murid yang terpilih secara rawak dan sistematik. Disamping itu, murid yang kurang bersetuju terhadap pernyataan dalam soal selidik juga turut ditemu bual supaya pengkaji mendapat maklum balas yang lebih terperinci. Setiap murid diberi soalan melalui panggilan telefon atau secara bersemuka.
119 DAPATAN DAN IMPLIKASI ANALISIS DATA Selepas intervensi dijalankan, murid telah menduduki Ujian Pentaksiran 2. Topik yang ditanya dalam soalan Ujian Pentaksiran 2 telah dibincangkan menggunakan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM. Didapati pencapaian dalam Ujian Pentaksiran 2 menunjukkan peningkatan skor markah Bahagian A (No. 1 – 4) dan Bahagian B (soalan No. 11) seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam Jadual 4 dan Jadual 5. Jadual 4 Perbandingan Skor markah Bahagian A bagi Pentaksiran 1 dan Pentaksiran 2 Julat skor markah Pentaksiran 1 Pentaksiran 2 15 - 20 0 3 11 - 14 0 7 6 - 10 11 18 0 - 5 17 0 Rajah 3: Perbandingan Skor Bahagian A (No. 1-4) Pentaksiran 1 dan Pentaksiran 2 Berpandukan Jadual 4 dan Rajah 3, bilangan murid yang menunjukkan peningkatan markah antara julat skor 11-20 bagi soalan Bahagian A (No. 1 - 4) telah meningkat sebanyak 36%, yakni dari 0% pada ujian Pentaksiran 1 kepada 36% pada ujian Pentaksiran 2. 0 10 20 15 -20 11 - 14 6 -10 0 - 5 BILANGAN MURID SKOR MARKAH Perbandingan Skor Bahagian A (No. 1-4) Pentaksiran 1 dan Pentaksiran 2 Pentaksiran 1 Pentaksiran 2
120 Jadual 5 Perbandingan Skor markah Bahagian C (soalan No.11) bagi Pentaksiran 1 & 2 Julat skor markah Pentaksiran 1 Pentaksiran 2 7 - 10 0 9 4 - 6 0 14 0 - 3 28 5 Rajah 4: Perbandingan Skor Bahagian C (No. 11) Pentaksiran 1 dan Pentaksiran 2 Berpandukan Jadual 5 dan Rajah 4, bilangan murid yang menunjukkan peningkatan markah antara julat skor 4-10 bagi soalan Bahagian C (No. 11) telah meningkat sebanyak 82%, yakni dari 0% pada ujian Pentaksiran 1 kepada 82% pada ujian Pentaksiran 2. Berdasarkan dari hasil jawapan murid sebelum dan selepas intervensi dijalankan, pemerhatian pengkaji mendapati bahawa murid-murid sudah boleh menjawab soalan KPS (Rajah 5) dan soalan mengeksperimen (Rajah 6) dengan lebih baik. Ini sebenarnya dapat membantu murid untuk mengutip markah dan seterusnya untuk lulus dalam peperiksaan nanti. Sebelum Intervensi Selepas Intervensi Rajah 5: Perbandingan Skor murid bagi soalan Bahagian A (No. 1 – 4)
121 Sebelum intervensi Selepas intervensi Rajah 6: Jawapan murid bagi soalan Bahagian C (soalan No. 11) Berdasarkan hasil soal selidik yang dilakukan, 22 orang murid sangat bersetuju dan 3 orang murid sangat bersetuju (Rajah 7) dalam mengaplikasikan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM dapat meningkatkan kefahaman dan penguasaan kemahiran proses Sains dalam menjawab soalan kemahiran proses Sains dan merancang eksperimen. Keseluruhan murid bersetuju dengan penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM dapat membantu mereka untuk menjawab soalan kemahiran proses Sains dan mengeksperimen. Namun terdapat 2 orang murid kurang bersetuju dan murid ini telah ditemu bual oleh pengkaji bagi mendapatkan pandangan mereka. Kedua-dua murid ini menyatakan bahawa modul ini berkesan tetapi mereka terpaksa mengingati banyak eksperimen dalam tempoh 3 bulan sebelum peperiksaan sebenar SPM. Rajah 7: Bilangan Murid Mengikut Tahap Persetujuan 0 5 10 15 20 25 Sangat setuju Setuju Kurang setuju Tidak setuju Sangat tidak setuju BILANGAN PESERTA TAHAP PERSETUJUAN Bilangan peserta mengikut tahap persetujuan
122 Semasa Kem Gempur Amali Sains SPM dilaksanakan, pengkaji mendapati murid-murid sangat berkeyakinan, bersemangat dan teruja menjalankan eksperimen dan membincangkan dapatan jawapan berkaitan KPS (Rajah 8). Akhirnya murid-murid berjaya melengkapkan 18 eksperimen semasa kem berlangsung. Pengukuhan kandungan KPS dan membina atau merancang eksperimen di dalam Modul Ekspresiasi Sains SPM dilaksanakan lagi semasa sesi PdPC di bilik darjah. Rajah 8: Murid menjalankan eksperimen berbantukan Modul Ekspresiasi Sains SPM semasa Kem Gempur Amali Sains Murid-murid juga boleh memperkukuhkan pemahaman mereka tentang kemahiran proses Sains dan mengeksperimen apabila mereka diberikan bahan sokongan seperti video teknik menjawab Sains SPM, video mengeksperimen yang dilaksanakan oleh murid dan guru-guru di Youtube, soalan-soalan pengukuhan Sains Bahagian A dan Bahagian C. PERBINCANGAN Saya dapati bahawa penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit membolehkan murid belajar KPS dan melaksanakan eksperimen secara maya dengan bimbingan yang minimum daripada guru. Murid dapat mengenal pasti maklumat-maklumat penting tentang mengeksperimen, mengakses dan memahami maklumat yang betul tentang KPS. Seterusnya murid juga dapat menjawab soalan Sains SPM dengan teknik dan format yang betul. Perkara ini selari dengan kehendak dalam DSKP Sains Tingkatan 4 dan 5 iaitu aktiviti murid mencari dan mengumpul maklumat melalui pelbagai aktiviti yang telah dirancang secara tidak langsung akan dapat meningkatkan ilmu pengetahuan dan kemahiran yang lebih bermakna, berkesan dan bersifat saintifik (KPM, 2018). Secara tidak langsung, kit ini juga dapat menarik minat murid terhadap matapelajaran Sains kerana pelbagai bahan dapat dicapai dengan mudah hanya dengan mengimbas QR Codes. Walaupun pengalaman menghasilkan Xperiment BootCamp Kit merupakan satu cabaran besar kepada saya kerana saya perlu menghasilkan bahan KPS
123 dan mengeksperimen secara holistik dan lengkap untuk persediaan murid saya menghadapi peperiksaan SPM yang semakin hampir. Namun saya rasa sangat berbangga kerana kit ini sangat membantu murid saya dalam meningkatkan prestasi markah Sains untuk Bahagian A (no. 1-4) dan Bahagian C (no. 11) Sains SPM. IMPLIKASI PROJEK Sepanjang menjalankan kajian tindakan ini, pengkaji mendapati minat murid untuk menjawab soalan kemahiran proses Sains dan mengeksperimen semakin meningkat. Dapatan kajian secara keseluruhannya menunjukkan bahawa perancangan dan usaha yang bersungguh melibatkan semua ahli panitia Sains mampu merubah persepsi murid bahawa Sains adalah mata pelajaran yang sukar. Hasil analisis Peperiksaan SPM 2021, di dapati 26 orang murid telah lulus mata pelajaran Sains SPM (1511) dengan seorang mendapat gred B+, seorang mendapat gred B, seorang mendapat gred C+, empat orang mendapat gred C, lapan orang mendapat gred D, sebelas orang mendapat gred E, seorang tidak hadir dan seorang sahaja gagal seperti ditunjukkan pada rajah 8. Murid yang gagal ini merupakan murid yang ponteng sekolah tegar dan hanya hadir sewaktu peperiksaan kertas Sains SPM sahaja. Jadual 6 Analisis Perbandingan Keputusan Mata Pelajaran Sains bagi Peperiksaan Percubaan SPM (PPC) 2021 dan Peperiksaan SPM 2021 Tingkatan 5 Tasawwur Jumlah Murid TH A+ A A- B+ B C+ C D E G PPC 28 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 SPM 28 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 8 11 1 KESIMPULAN Pengkaji juga berhasrat meneruskan penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM bagi tahun seterusnya dengan membuat penambahbaikan dari segi meningkatkan bilangan klon soalan sebenar format terkini Sains KSSM SPM dan contoh-contoh video mengeksperimen supaya murid mudah mengakses bahan untuk pembelajaran kendiri. Pengkaji juga ingin berkongsi penggunaan Xperiment BootCamp Kit Sains SPM dengan guru-guru Sains SPM dari sekolah-sekolah di seluruh Malaysia memandangkan impak yang sangat besar untuk kebaikan dan peningkatan prestasi murid dalam peperiksaan SPM. Kit ini sangat mudah
124 digunakan kerana bahan-bahan boleh diimbas hanya pada sekeping kad sahaja. Kit ini juga bukan sahaja boleh dilaksanakan untuk mata pelajaran Sains SPM tetapi boleh diadaptasi kepada mata pelajaran lain seperti Sains menengah rendah, Fizik, Kimia dan Biologi. RUJUKAN Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (2018). Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah, Dokumen Standard Kurikulum dan Pentaksiran Tingkatan 4 dan 5. Putrajaya. Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Bahagian Perancangan dan Penyelidikan Dasar Pendidikan (2008). Buku Manual Kajian Tindakan Edisi Ketiga. Putrajaya. Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Norhayati Che Hat, Shaferul Hafes Sha’ari & Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid (2013). Persepsi Pelajar Terhadap Penggunaan Animasi Dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab. Jurnal Teknologi (Social Sciences), 63(1), 25-29 Thiam Yew, W., & Binti Tajuddin, S. (2015). Tahap Pencapaian Kemahiran Proses Sains Bersepadu Dalam Mata Pelajaran Sains Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Tingkatan Lima. Journal of Science and Mathematics Letters, 3, 7-14. Chan, S. G. (1984). Acquisition Of Science Process Skills Among Form 4 Students In Kota Bahru. Unpublished Master of Education dissertation, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Tan, M. T., & Chin, T. P. (1992). Satu Kajian Awal Konsepsi Kemahiran Proses Sains Di Kalangan Guru Sains PKPG 14 Minggu Di Maktab Perguruan Batu Lintang.Sarawak: Unit Sains, Maktab Perguruan Batu Lintang. Zurida Ismail (1998). Penguasaan Kemahiran Proses Sains Di Kalangan Pelajar Sekolah Rendah Dan Menengah. Jurnal Kurikulum, 1(1), 109-120.
125 COLP VIA GOOGLE DRIVE IN ESL CLASSROOMS Khalipah Mastura Binti Khalid Kolej Matrikulasi Kejuruteraan Kedah [email protected] ABSTRACT This study investigated students’ perceptions towards the collaborative online learning writing environment using COLP VIA GOOGLE DRIVE IN ESL CLASSROOMS at Kedah Engineering Matriculation College. Qualitative case study method was employed using semi-structured interview, online discussions and observation. Nine Engineering students were selected to participate in this 3-week study. To learn how to write collaboratively, the students followed the procedures of the writing process. In groups, they went through the writing process in online learning modes via Google Drive and Telegram applications. Data collected were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the students had positive perceptions towards the collaborative learning writing environment they had experienced. They perceived that the activities had helped them reduced their writing apprehension and improve their writing performance as they experienced and learnt multiple knowledge and they also viewed that their online discussion and collaboration on writing using The COLP had assisted them greatly in their writing task. Keywords: online learning writing environment, Google Drive, Telegram, writing apprehension, writing performance INTRODUCTION Effective communication and collaboration are essential to becoming a successful learner. It is primarily through dialogue and examining different perspectives that students become knowledgeable, strategic, self-determined, and empathetic. Collaborative learning affords students enormous advantages not available from more traditional instruction because a group, whether it be the whole class or a learning group within the class, can accomplish meaningful learning and solve problems better than any individual can alone. Writing is the most challenging area in learning a second language. It is based on appropriate and strategic use of language with structural accuracy and communicative potential. It is considered an important language skill and an essential productive activity specifically for second English language learners. In order to be competent writers, second language learners not only need intellectual strategies but also certain linguistics and vocabulary knowledge as well as appropriate writing convention that would help them express themselves effectively (Erkan & Saban,2011). Writing has been propagated to be one of the most arduous language skills learners are expected to master. Despite many years developing their writing skills, most second language learners (L2) of English are confronted with obstacles in their endeavor. Due to the complexity of writing and its various requirements, both novice and advanced English learners usually have negative perceptions towards writing which is generally known
126 as writing apprehension or writing anxiety. Consequently, writing apprehension will lead to poor writing performance. They also suggested that factors contributing to second language apprehension might be tackled via the use of online learning environments and that the second language learners in such learning environment gain benefits in two ways. Firstly, they could get writing assistance during the revision and editing stages in the form of feedback and comments from their peers and lecturers. Secondly, they would be able to gather information from the Internet and share knowledge and writing experience through the online discussion. Subsequently, learners would be able to reduce their writing apprehension and enhance their writing performance in these learning environments. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM According to the Matriculation Division, students are required to take WE013 in semester 1 and WE023 in semester 2. This course aimed to train students to write a n e xte n d e d e ssa y b a se d o n a g i ve n st im u lu s. This project is to be conducted in groups. Each group should consist of a minimum of 3 and maximum of 4 members. Within duration of 3 weeks, they will be requested to write extended essays which contribute 20 percent of the overall score. Despite several inputs and assistance given by the lecturers before and during the task, students still face several constraints in producing the written assignment. Since the Extended Essay is a group project and with only 3 contact hours per week and the duration to complete it, which is considered very short, lecturers and students always have some problems. First and foremost, in 3 hours teaching and learning sessions, students are not able to complete a lot of tasks given in order to come up with the essay writing group work and they always complained that they do not have enough time. Lecturers, on the other hand have problem accessing their work after lecture hours in term of participation and contribution as it is a group project, therefore the probability to award suitable marks for individual participation is highly questionable. Hence, this aroused an unsatisfactory feeling among the students if some of the group members did not contribute equally and gave full contribution and support to the project assigned to them. Checking and giving feedback manually on each draft printed by the students is another constraint faced by the lecturer as the process is too time consuming as well as wasting a lot of printed materials. The problems faced drew us to look for alternative methods of course delivery beyond the constraints of the face-to-face, teacher-fronted, rote learning mode. We used to have students working in collaborative groups in face-to-face conventional tutorial classes, what remained was to enable students to work more on their own, to help lecturers be able to give more support by giving more frequent feedback beyond the tutorial contact hours and providing
127 links to diverse materials and sources and, especially, to create avenues for greater interaction amongst students and lecturers in the target language. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COLP The initial outbreak of novel disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in December 2019 from the Wuhan city of China ( Sahu, 2020), globally all educational institutions have moved from physical to online delivery mode (Gewin, 2020). It is happening in Matriculation colleges as well so the researcher has created a program which is called THE COLLABORATIVE ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAM (COLP), and it was introduced to achieve the objective of having a collaborative learning writing environment in the teaching and learning process for the second language learners. This is due to certain limitation in carrying out the writing group project in a normal conventional classroom. This intervention is also to overcome some problems faced by the lecturers in dealing with the teaching of writing skills such as inability to trace the active or passive contributions among the students in group projects, writing apprehension, lack of time for lecturer-student discussion and face-to-face interaction due to the present pandemic, lack of time to access and give comments or feedback on the draft, and wasting of too many printed materials. The students were introduced to the concept of the Google Drive application from the first week of class in the induction period. They were instructed on how to create their groups and add group members as well as familiarizing themselves with all the functions of the application. Besides using the personal computers or notebooks, they were also instructed to install the application on their mobile phones to ensure flexible usage of the program. The students can continue their work in the language lab or cyber room using the personal computers (PCs) provided or using their mobile phones after their English tutorial classes if condition is back to normal after the pandemic is over. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Through the problems identified and the scope as described in the above sub-sections the objectives are listed as below: 1.3.1 To investigate students’ perceptions on the usage of The COLP as an intervention to improve their writing based on the aspects of: i. functionality and usability ii. peer review
128 1.3.2 To investigate whether The COLP promotes a collaborative environment which is conducive in developing writing skills. Research Questions Through the problems identified and the scope as described in the above sub-sections the objectives are listed as below: 1.4.1 How can The COLP as an intervention improve students’ writing based on the aspects of: i. functionality and usability ii. peer review 1.4.2 How can The COLP promotes a collaborative environment which is conducive in developing the writing skills. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study provides a well-founded approach in preparing English lecturers for teaching writing in a collaborative learning writing environment This, in turn, allows this study to make possible recommendations to matriculation administrators and directors on how to best prepare and support teachers for teaching in this new learning environment. This is a valuable contribution because the already ongoing trend of transitioning matriculation college courses to an online learning model is likely to continue and to significantly increase in the coming years. Another possible contribution of this study centers on the conceptual framework used for evaluating the productiveness and learner perceptions of a blended learning environment. The final potential contribution of this study concerns the investigation of how teacher practice and behavior may influence student perceptions of a collaborative language learning environment, which few, if any, studies have investigated to date. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY This case study focused on only nine selected students as it was a starting point to venture into a collaborative learning writing environment and the time was limited which was only 3 weeks for the lecturer and students to get adjusted to the new learning session. The limitations of sampling methods and the number of samples must be acknowledged. Therefore, the process of generalizing these to the other students’ groups is limited.
129 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The proposed theoretical framework serving as a foundation for this work is drawn from two learning theories – the social-constructivist learning theory and the community of practice – and their reciprocal relationship to collaborative tools. The framework identifies two major elements and how they might relate to each other: firstly, learning theories that help to understand the very nature of collaborative learning in terms of learner engagement, group discussion, collaboration, participation in communities of practice, language and culture, and negotiation of meaning; secondly, collaborative tools that serve as means of communication for collaborative learning activities where group members use various techniques to write collaboratively, share their knowledge, post information, and discuss issues of common interest. The framework specifies collaborative learning processes and collaborative tools in a dialectical relationship. The quality of collaboration depends both on students’ prerequisite knowledge in terms of collaborative skills, on the one hand, and the potential capabilities of the tools in supporting students’ collaborative learning in terms of user-friendliness and effectiveness, on the other hand. Collaboration presupposes a trouble-free interaction with the tool in order for the students to work collaboratively. Theories of collaborative learning are based on the socio-constructivist theory that knowledge is socially produced by communities of people and that individuals can gain knowledge if they join knowledge communities (Vygotsky, 1978). From a social constructivist point of view, learning is considered an active process in which people construct their knowledge by relating it to their previous experiences in real situations through interaction with the social environment. Thus, learning occurs as learners improve their knowledge through collaboration and information sharing in authentic contexts. According to Vygotsky, language and culture play essential roles in human collaboration and communication. As a result, the socioconstructivist learning theory is essentially a collaborative learning theory. In education, collaborative learning is seen as a process of peer interaction that is mediated and structured by the teacher. LITERATURE REVIEW Blended learning The student-centered learning approaches are a modern leading trend in the contemporary realm of education. gain their popularity due to the emphasis on the flexibility of learning by taking into account learners’ individual differences in learning, their learning styles, learning habits and learning pace. The student-centered learning approaches also believe in providing
130 students with self-paced online learning opportunities along with traditional face-to-face classroom in enhancing students’ learning performance in the English language. This integration of online and face-to-face is known as Blended Learning which propose innovative ideas and educational practices and alter the roles to be played by the lecturer as well as students (Krasnova & Ananjev,2015). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms Originally informed by the sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978), Collaborative Writing is defined as an activity in which two or more learners interact with each other throughout the writing process to jointly produce a single text. It requires mutual engagement between learners, sustained peer interaction and cooperation, shared decision-making processes, and shared responsibility for the completion of the task (McDonough, Crawford, & De Vleeschauwer, 2015). Previous research suggests that CW benefits language learning in multiple ways. First, the collaboration process encourages learners to verbalize their deliberations on language use and negotiate for meaning and form with peers (Li & Kim, 2016). Collaborative writing can also be defined as a process of social negotiating among several writers for the purpose of constructing meaning, knowledge and content of the text to be written (Ansarimoghaddam & Bee, 2013). As such the writers collaboratively contribute to all aspects of the written text: content, structure, organization and language In developing writing skills collaboratively, students will benefit from the interaction during the various writing stages. For example, in brainstorming of ideas as a pre-writing activity, students will be motivated to write if it is done in a group. Group planning, for example, engages students in working collaboratively to organize content and discuss the pros and cons while making a decision. In addition, collaborative writing endorses group ownership of the written text, increases students’ awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses and encourages collective learning. Moreover, writing collaboratively helps students to have multiple perspectives on the topic of writing and simultaneously shares ideas and knowledge easily. Consequently, this will develop their self-confidence and decreases the anxiety level associated with the challenges of the writing task itself especially when completing the task alone (Ansarimoghaddam & Bee, 2013). METHODOLOGY Research Design A qualitative case study method was employed for the present study. Specifically, a descriptive single-case holistic research design was adopted. It is descriptive because the
131 researcher was keen in giving a detailed and comprehensive description to the phenomenon under study in its actual setting. It is a single-case holistic research design because the researcher had focused on one case (single-case) and had analyzed it as a whole entity as one unit of analysis (holistic) (Yin, 2010). The main aim is to get in-depth and vivid information about the participants’ experiences, feelings and thoughts and their perception of that situation. As such, researcher focused on describing a particular event relevant to the case under study as well as describing all the actors or group of actors who participated in the event as well as their perceptions of the event. Population and Samples The participants of the current study were nine engineering students enrolled in Matriculation College since May 2021. They were in their first semester of the academic year 2021/2022. The students were purposively selected out of 57 students representing the total number of students in four tutorial classes taught by the researcher. The rationale behind this sampling procedure is to select information-rich case as emphasized by Cohen et al. (2007) that purposive sampling is helpful in obtaining in-depth information from those who are in a position to give it. Its purpose is getting saturation data rather than representing the population or generalizing the collected data to the whole population. The students were selected according to a predetermined criteria assigned by the present researcher depending on the variables of the study. These criteria were; students’ level of writing apprehension, their writing ability, computer and Internet efficiency and the status of English language. Instruments The current study had employed several data collection instruments to collect detailed information about the phenomenon under study and to triangulate, validate and cross-check the data obtained from the various research instruments. As such, the researcher had utilized a focus group semi-structured interview, online discussions and observations to gather the required data for answering the research questions. With respect to data collection tools, Creswell (2014) reiterates that qualitative researchers usually use multiple sources for data collection purposes such as interviews, observations, diaries and other qualitative data collection tools rather than depending on a single data source. In line with this, a post-study focus group semi-structured interview was conducted involving the participants of the study after dividing them into three groups with equal number of students. Data Analysis To learn how to write collaboratively, the students followed the procedures of the writing
132 process. In groups, they went through the writing process in online learning modes via Google Drive and Telegram applications. Data collected were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Data Collection For the writing task, all participants were asked to continuously record their feelings, experiences and perceptions and the problems that they encountered throughout The COLP immediately after completing each online writing task. The researcher also compiled observation notes throughout the semester documenting the important events and activities in the online modes that also serve as data for the study. Procedures Researcher briefed the students on how The COLP works. Selected students who participated in the program followed the main stages and sub-stages of the process approach to writing based on the Hayes and Flower (1981) model; pre-writing, drafting and post writing stages. The lecturer and the students met online three times a week, each meeting lasting 60 minutes. For other times, they met online for individual and/or group discussion via a platform called Google Drive, w h i ch provided a fairly convenient channel for interactions between the lecturer and the students and among the students. Via this platform, the lecturer could make announcements, upload course materials, create new learning content, assign homework, check assignments, organize discussions, and answer questions. The lecturer and the students could communicate anytime and anywhere, commenting on each other’s work, reflecting, editing, revising and re-publishing After dividing them into groups, they were assigned to do extended essay writing project in 3 weeks’ period of their first semester of the academic year 2021/2022. During this period of time, the researcher provided guidance to students on how to carry out the extended essay writing project by guiding them to a group of writing activities and online discussion in each stage of the writing process. For example, in the pre-writing stage, the students did the online brainstorming discussion via Google Drive application installed on their hand phones or desktops. The aim of this discussion is to brainstorm ideas, discuss the ideas, make decisions and filter them, cluster, map and outline these ideas to be drafted in the next writing stage. Students then joined their normal class to discuss the ideas outlined and wrote the first draft of their essay online. At this stage the students in the groups did online peerreview activity following the guidelines of peer-review guide adopted from Moloudi (2011). At this stage group members collaborated in the writing task and scaffolding session also took
133 part where the high-achievers assisted the low-achievers. By using Google Drive application, all their discussion can also be seen and read by all group members and the lecturer. It was brought to the next meeting in their normal online classroom to be discussed after which the students wrote the second draft of their essay in the Google Drive. The researcher also reviewed their written task along the way and gave comments and constructive feedback until the groups are able to complete it as a final form. Then, the final form of the essay was published in the shared document as a motivation for them to see their final form of essay published for others to view. Along the way, the lecturer observed the online discussion through The COLP and Telegram application and interviewed them to elicit information concerning their perceptions about their learning constrained with respect to time, place and activity. FINDINGS The findings are described based on the objectives mentioned: To investigate students’ perceptions on the usage of The COLP as an intervention to improve their writing based on the aspects of : i. functionality and usability ii. ii.peer review i. Functionality and usability A clear indication of The COLP functionality and usability was the way in which students used the application outside the tutorial class. Initially, the students only used the application in class but quickly as their confidence grew, they started to participate outside the tutorial classes. Furthermore, by using the application at home it increased motivation for some students to complete written homework tasks as they saw it as being ‘easier editing than by hand’ and ‘more natural.’ Moreover, it seemed a more preferable approach to doing homework. The lecturer also found that she could detect the level of contribution among her students even when she was not with them for certain reasons as she always kept track of her students’ activities during the progress of writing using her mobile phone. Google Drive application gives the advantages of knowing who is online, doing some editing, adding new inputs and scaffolding the other team members. Besides, this practice saved a lot of papers which happened formally due to printing and reprinting of drafts and questionnaires to collect data for their projects. The added motivational force that The COLP introduced was the idea of writing for an audience instead of traditionally for their lecturer only. This can be seen when the student
134 stated, ‘To encourage for you to write more because more people can read it’. Publishing work for other students in the class to read was considered an advantage of using the application over other tools. Despite the apparent benefits they could see of writing for an audience, in the early interview’s students expressed concern at publishing their work for others to read, they said that they were ‘hesitant at first’ and were ‘worried to start’ and did not want their peers to ‘find their mistakes’. All of the students agreed that due to the fact that they were writing for other people they felt that they had to push themselves to do their best and that it was, ‘a bit like extra pressure but in a good way.’ They added that despite this extra push they did feel that it was worth it as they were exposed to other people’s writing styles, opinions, new vocabulary or expressions and that this could help them to improve their writing. Students identified the stronger students in the class, people that they considered to be better than themselves and felt they could learn from them and looked at these people’s writing when they logged on each time. (Refer to Table1) Table 1 Response on functionality and usability aspects. Theme Students Comments Functionality and usability aspects S1 Easier editing than by hand S2 More natural S3 It is not as strict as if you just have paper at home S4 To encourage for you to write more because more people can read it S5 Not too bothered, I use it for learn and I don’t care if people are going to read because in one way it’s going to help me. S6 An exchange with experience between each other S7 Hesitant at first S8 Worried to start S9 A bit like extra pressure but in a good way ii. Peer review a. Giving Comments Even though the students were keen to learn from each other’s work and did enjoy the
135 exposure to other people’s comments, one area of concern was the peer reviewing and commenting on their peers’ posts. The initial interview revealed that students found commenting difficult as they were not confident informing their peers about their mistakes because this was something they did not have experience of. Student 1 revealed that even though he looked at the posts and could identify errors he had a tendency not to write a comment but to simply tell the student in the next class as it seemed ‘friendlier to tell face-toface’. The students’ written ability in English also seemed to be one of the main reasons that some students felt unable to leave comments early on in the year. In the interview Student 3 explained that, ‘If I am more sure of my writing I think I will be more sure to make comments for everyone.’ On the other hand, Student 2 said; “I think I can comment now, at the beginning it was difficult because writing was not my strongest skill, but now, yeah, I can comment.” Student 6 confidently stated that “The comments helped me to correct my mistakes and so it’s one way I can improve” At the early stage of the program Student 5 said, ‘I’m afraid if I write something my comment will be a mistake, so I have to be sure first before I write anything.’ This student only left five comments throughout the project and it seemed that not only did students lack confidence in their own ability in English but was also worried that other students would question his ability and this, it appears, discouraged him from leaving comments. Therefore Student 4 said; “People will trust you (the lecturer) more than me, that’s for me as well.” Upon further investigation of this point it was noticed that the comment given by “Sometimes I highlighted my f r i e n d s ’ mistakes and left them comments. This was very useful for me to increase my knowledge” by Student 7 showed that they are very happy knowing that by giving comments to their friends, they are actually learning as well. Students were encouraged to comment on these areas in order to help other students improve on their overall style and format of their text and their grammar, punctuation and spelling, as these are the criteria that would be assessed in the writing exams at the end of the year. Student 8 stated that “ I do not know what to comment actually so I just praised them” This answer showed that he did not leave feedback that other students could use to improve their writing skills each time but made more personal comments of encouragement and approval of what he had read. On the other hand, “I corrected and thought about why it was right” was the answer given by Student 9 proving that he really gave a lot of thought before giving his comments.(Refer to Table 2)
136 Table 2 Response on giving comments to peers aspects. Theme Students Comments Giving Comments S1 Friendlier to tell face-to-face S2 I think I can comment now, at the beginning it was difficult because writing was not my strongest skill, but now, yeah, I can comment S3 If I am more sure of my writing, I think I will be more sure to make comments for everyone S4 People will trust you (the lecturer) more than me, that’s for me as well S5 I’m afraid if I write something my comment will be a mistake, so I have to be sure first before I write anything S6 When I give comment, it helped me to correct my mistakes as well and so it’s one way I can improve S7 “Sometimes I highlighted my f r i e n d s ’ mistakes and left them comments. This was very useful for me to increase my knowledge” S8 I do not know what to comment actually so I just praised them S9 I corrected and thought about why it was right RECEIVING COMMENTS In contrast to the initial apprehension students showed at leaving comments it was very apparent that the students interviewed, enjoyed receiving comments on their posts, whether from peers or solely from the lecturer. Student 1 considered the comment facility to be ‘useful’, ‘a nice experience’ and he received the largest number of comments at twenty-three and just less than three quarters of these addressed areas of his writing that could help him to improve. Student 2 did not receive a large number of comments and the comments she received were mainly praising her on her standard of English. However, she did receive a few comments focusing on sentence and text and despite the struggle technology had been in the early months she replied to these comments thanking them each time and responded to the interview stating that ,”I can improve my writing based on the comments given”. Nevertheless, the students were keen to reflect upon the comments and their mistakes before editing their texts and republishing them to make sure the comments left were correct but also to understand their mistakes.
137 Student 3 said; “The comments helped me to correct my mistakes and so it’s one way I can improve. I corrected and thought about why it was right.” Student 4 stated that “Sometimes they highlighted my mistakes and left me comments” while Student 5 revealed that “This was very useful for me to increase my knowledge.” Student 4 did not receive a lot of comments, only ten and this may reflect the fact the he did not leave many comments for the other students. However, the comments he received did address text, sentence and word errors in the post allowing him to improve his writing. Undoubtedly, the students could see the worth in receiving comments as it helped them to see their mistakes more easily. However, there were occasions when th e students received a comment that they did not agree with and the reaction to this was very different from each of them. Some of the responses stated that on this occasion he laughed as he knew it was right, another explained that she left a comment to explain why her work was not wrong while the other’s reaction was more emotional where he expressed his mistrust with anyone except an expert in English when it came to leaving comments. The students were given time in class to reflect upon their mistakes and this process of editing the texts was seen as a fundamental part of the writing experience. Students highlighted that through this they really did improve their writing skills and they tried to avoid making the same mistakes in future posts. Student 6 noted that through the editing process his common errors were highlighted and this allowed him to identify his area for development in his writing; “I now know the mistakes I make every time and Student 7 stated that “I can change the spelling of words I always got wrong, sometimes I put extra articles in and it made me realize through the comments.’ The use of the computer in the process approach to writing seemed invaluable as Student 8 expressed that they would not necessarily have done the corrections if they had to do them on paper but using the computer was ‘easier’ and ‘quicker’. Student 9, being more motivated, expressed as “A great source of encouragement”. They demonstrate how he tried to encourage other students to think about their writing to help them improve and did not just highlight their mistakes. (Refer to Table 3) Table 3 Response on receiving comments from peers aspects. Theme Students Comments Receiving comments S1 Useful and a nice experience S2 I can improve my writing based on the comments given. S3 I corrected and thought about why it was right. S4 Sometimes they highlighted my mistakes and left me comments.
138 S5 This was very useful for me to increase my knowledge S6 I know the mistakes I make every time S7 I can change the spelling I always got wrong, sometimes I put extra articles in and it made me realize through the comments. S8 Easier Quicker S9 A great source of encouragement It is clear from this discussion that the program does provide students with a collaborative environment where both peers and the lecturer can help to develop an individual’s writing skill .Each of the students interviewed expressed that throughout the year their writing had improved and that the approach had been ‘interesting’ and resulted in them feeling ‘more confident in writing’. The program allowed them to interact with an audience and learn from it and in turn help others to learn. Writing collaboratively can help develop students’ writing ability since the process of peer writing and reviewing contributes towards improvement in organization and syntactical elements of the written text. The most important merit of collaborative writing is that it produces independent writers since they have acquired the important skills of self-editing and revision of their own written work. In short, it can be safely concluded that through collaborative writing, students can learn various language and writing skills more effectively than by working individually. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that with the current technological advancements and the use of computer and Internet in the language classrooms, students have more opportunities to practice online collaborative writing activities and their collaboration is not only restricted to the classroom setting. They can share information and construct and exchange knowledge and meaning with each other in all stages of the writing process. An example of these activities is that learners can gain knowledge and feedback from the teacher and peers via online interactive programs irrespective of time or place. Online peer review allows room for flexibility for students and this can reduce their writing anxiety and emotional pressure when sharing feedback verbally which they normally experienced in a traditional face-to-face classroom. CONCLUSION In summary, the evidence suggests that the use of the computer alone could be considered a motivational force for the students in their writing tasks. However, this coupled with the process approach to writing and the collaborative element of the Google Drive and Telegram
139 application has definitely had a big impact on the students and their writing skills. Comments from students at the end of the academic year included, ‘a great idea’ ‘a brilliant thing’ ‘a good way to learn’ and ‘a necessity in the language classroom’ even though initially there were some hesitation and confidence issues. REFERENCE Ansarimoghaddam, S., & Bee, H. T. (2013). Co-constructing an essay: Collaborative writing in class and on wiki.3L; Language, Linguistics and Literature, The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 19(1),35-50. Gewin, V.(2020),”Five tips for moving teaching online as COVID-19 takes hold”,Nature,Vol.580 No.7802,pp.295-2undergraduate university students. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 10(1),121- 136. Hussin,S.,Abdullah,M.Y.,Ismail,N.,& Yoke,S.K.(2015). The Effects of CMC Application on ESL Writing Anxiety among Postgraduate Students. English Language Teaching,8(9), 167- 172.http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n9p167 Krasnova,T.,& Ananjev,A.(2015). Students’ perception of learning in the online discussion environment. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(6 S1), 202- 207 http://dx.doi.org/10.5901/mjas.2015.v6n6s1p202 Sahu, P. (2020),Closure of universities due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 hotspot”, New Straits Times, available at : https//www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/575560/how-sri-petaling-tabligh- becamesoutheast-asias-covid-19-hotspot (accessed 28 May 2020) Storch, N. 2013. Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters Vygotsky, L. S. 1978. Mind in society: The development of higher mental process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
140 KIT MY AFWAH SITI KHALIJAH BINTI DOSAH ABSTRAK Kit MY Afwah merupakan sebuah bentuk pembelajaran berkonsepkan Didik Hibur yang menggabungkan elemen ICT dan permainan fizikal. Dalam usaha guru menjelaskan pembentukan Malaysia, konsep dan peruntukan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan, amalan demokrasi dan sistem pentadbiran Persekutuan Perlembagaan di dalam subtopik Malaysia Kekal Berdaulat, kit inovasi ini dibangunkan. Penggunaan kad khas yang berwarna Jalur Gemilang dapat merangsang pelajar untuk membina strategi agar dapat memenangi aktiviti ini. Para pelajar 6BK1 ambilan 2022 seramai 54 orang merupakan kumpulan sasar bagi inovasi ini. Dengan penghasilan inovasi ini, guru dapat memperbaiki teknik pengajaran guru di dalam bilik darjah dan sekali gus ianya dilihat berpotensi untuk dibangunkan untuk pelajar di peringkat sekolah rendah, menengah mahu pun kolej-kolej. Kata kunci: didik hibur, teknologi, kit inovasi, kit my afwah PENGENALAN Kajian inovasi tahun 2022 ini merupakan kesinambungan inovasi pengajaran subjek Pengajian Am dari setahun ke setahun. Proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang berpusat kepada guru dilihat kurang sesuai diamalkan kepada anak murid Gen-Z masa kini. Ini adalah disokong oleh Rohaila Mohamed Rosly dan Fariza Khalid (2017) yang menyatakan perkembangan pendidikan sering dikaitkan dengan perubahan generasi. Apabila berlaku perubahan generasi, maka akan wujudlah perubahan kepada strategi pendidikan. Pembelajaran berasaskan permainan mampu menggalakkan penglibatan dan memberi motivasi secara luar sedar kepada pelajar dalam proses pembelajaran (Erhel dan Jamet, 2013; Ma & Oikonomou, 2017). Pelaksanaan PdPR di awal semester satu ambilan 2022 berlangsung dengan ceria dan bersemangat. Kehadiran subjek Pengajian Am merupakan antara peratusan kehadiran yang tertinggi di SMK Tun Haji Abdul Malek, Melaka berbanding subjek lain. Walau bagaimana pun ianya kelihatan sedikit berbeza semasa persekolahan bersemuka berlangsung. Pelajar kelihatan tidak bersemangat dan memberi maklum balas dengan lambat. Sesama pelajar dilihat kurang komunikasi seperti malu-malu untuk berinteraksi antara satu sama lain apabila diberi peluang berbincang secara berkumpulan. Situasi ini menyebabkan guru mengubah strategi pembelajaran agar ianya seiring dengan perubahan generasi terkini. Kit MY Afwah merupakan sebuah permainan kad yang menggalakkan pembelajaran penerokaan (discovery learning) terhadap topik Malaysia Kekal Berdaulat merangkumi subtopik 2.1 Negara berdaulat; 2.2 Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan 2.3 Tadbir urus negara.
141 OBJEKTIF Fokus kajian tindakan saya kali ini adalah untuk menambah baik amalan pengajaran saya terhadap murid bagi mengingati dan memahami ciri-ciri proses pilihanraya Malaysia dengan betul. Fokus kajian ini turut membantu mengatasi masalah pengajaran saya dalam menjawab soalan berkaitan proses Pilihanraya. Ini adalah disokong oleh Rohaila Mohamed Rosly dan Fariza Khalid (2017) yang menyatakan perkembangan pendidikan sering dikaitkan dengan perubahan generasi. Apabila berlaku perubahan generasi, maka akan wujudlah perubahan kepada strategi pendidikan. Kajian ini hanya berfokus kepada meningkatkan amalan pengajaran saya terhadap pelajar tingkatan enam bawah terhadap pembentukan negara Malaysia. Pelajar sering tidak mengendahkan soalan berkaitan pembentukan Malaysia kerana menganggapkan subjek Sejarah SPM adalah sukar memandangkan tajuk ini merupakan kesinambungan kepada Pengajian Am STPM ini. Kajian ini penting untuk dijalankan bagi membantu mengatasi masalah amalan pengajaran saya dalam menjawab soalan struktur berkaitan Pembentukan Negara Malaysia. Objektif kajian ini adalah: i. Meningkatkan kemahiran mengingat murid tentang pembentukan Malaysia ii. Membantu memahami konsep dan peruntukan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan iii. Menggalakkan perbincangan murid terhadap amalan demokrasi dan sistem pentadbiran Persekutuan Perlembagaan iv. Memperbaiki teknik pengajaran guru di dalam bilik darjah v. Meningkatkan minat murid terhadap subjek Pengajian Am METODOLOGI/ STRATEGI PELAKSANAAN Semasa pembelajaran Pengajian Am, kelas saya sentiasa berjalan dalam suasana ceria dan hidup. Walau bagaimana pun, saya mendapati pelajar kurang berusaha memperolehi pembelajaran secara kendiri. Setiap yang guru sediakan, akan diterima bulat-bulat tanpa menganalisanya sama ada bersama guru atau rakan-rakan mereka sendiri. Hal ini dapat dilihat apabila semakan tugasan diadakan. Guru mendapati murid kurang pengetahuan am dan kurang inisiatif memperolehi maklumat di luar bilik darjah. Selain itu, kelas yang ceria berubah apabila jadual waktu berubah. Empat masa sebelum balik yang bermula jam 12:20 tengah hari menyebabkan murid kelihatan lesu dan mengantuk. Guru juga merasa tidak wajar untuk menjalankan kuliah bersemuka apabila melihat keadaan
142 murid tersebut. Aktiviti kumpulan tidak boleh dilakukan memandangkan SOP yang ketat perlu difahami dan diikuti. Berikut adalah hasil temubual bersama beberapa orang murid. M1Pa : Bila dah hujung, kami rasa penat cikgu. Semua kena duduk kerusi masing-masing. Kurang bergerak. M2Lh : Cuaca panas, cepat mengantuk. M3Ph : PA banyak kena belajar la cikgu. Esok lusa dah STPM. Macam mana? Situasi ini semua sangat menginsafkan guru. Saya perlu mengubah amalan saya di dalam bilik darjah. Cabaran saya adalah menghasilkan bahan pembelajaran yang boleh digunakan semasa PdP dan di luar waktu PdP. Saya berharap dapat membantu murid meningkatkan kemahiran mencari maklumat mereka, memahami kandungan pembelajaran seterusnya meminati subjek Pengajian Am. Tambahan lagi, dalam menyokong pembelajaran atas talian dan ir4.0, saya perlu menyediakan bahan pembelajaran dan bahan penilaian bagi membantu para pelajar saya secara berterusan dan holistik. Maka dengan ini, saya telah menginovasikan Kit MY Afwah ini bagi membantu menambah baik amalan pengajaran saya di dalam mahu pun di luar bilik darjah. Di dalam kit MY Afwah ini, saya menggabungkan bahan pembelajaran, latihan kendiri, latihan pengukuhan dan alat bantu mengajar bagi aktiviti berkumpulan murid. Di dalam kit ini, terdapat komik pengajian am (KOMPA), e-Flash Card dan satu dek kad Malaysiaku meliputi subtopiksubtopik subjek ini yang boleh ditambah dari semasa ke semasa. Permainan ini mengambil masa antara 10-20 minit sekali pusingan. Ini sangat mambantu saya menyelesaikan pengajaran dengan lebih cepat dan berkesan mengikut konsep pembelajaran penerokaan “discovery learning”. Fokus kajian tindakan saya kali ini adalah untuk menambah baik amalan pengajaran saya terhadap pelajar bagi mengingati dan memahami ciri-ciri proses pilihanraya Malaysia dengan betul. Fokus kajian ini turut membantu mengatasi masalah pengajaran saya dalam menjawab soalan berkaitan proses Pilihanraya. Ini adalah disokong oleh Rohaila Mohamed Rosly dan Fariza Khalid (2017) yang menyatakan perkembangan pendidikan sering dikaitkan dengan perubahan generasi. Apabila berlaku perubahan generasi, maka akan wujudlah perubahan kepada strategi pendidikan.
143 Kajian ini melibatkan 30 orang pelajar 6BK1 Pengajian Am Semester Satu STPM yang terdiri daripada 4 orang murid lelaki dan 26 orang murid perempuan dengan bilangan 4 orang murid berbangsa Cina sahaja. Dalam melaksanakan kajian tindakan ini, penyelidik boleh memilih satu reka bentuk kajian yang sesuai mengikut penelitian penyelidik. Untuk kajian saya kali ini, saya telah memilih Model Kemmis & Mc Taggart (1988) sebagai asas panduan saya dalam melaksanakan proses kajian. Menurut model ini, terdapat 4 langkah yang perlu diikuti sebagai prosedur kajian iaitu; i. Tinjauan awal ii. Merancang Tindakan iii. Melaksanakan tindakan dan memerhati iv. Mereflek Rajah 1: Model Kemmis & McTaggart (1988) DAPATAN DAN IMPLIKASI Murid menjadi seorang warganegara Malaysia yang ceria dan peka dengan persekitaran dan pengetahuan am tentang negara tercinta melalui; i. Pembacaan umum melalui soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan ii. Usaha membantu sahabat memperolehi jawapan dengan betul iii. Kerjasama yang ditunjukkan dalam membincangkan soalan di kad dengan lebih mendalam dan bermakna iv. Kreatif memainkan kad-kad dengan strategi tersendiri untuk memenangi permainan.
144 Jadual 1 Penilaian Pencapaian Murid Nama Pra ujian Pasca ujian Beza (%) Pelajar 1 37 43 6 Pelajar 2 33 48 15 Pelajar 3 32 38 6 Pelajar 4 36 43 7 Pelajar 5 TH 33 33 Pelajar 6 33 34 1 Pelajar 7 27 38 11 Pelajar 8 48 49 1 Pelajar 9 27 28 1 Pelajar 10 29 56 27 Pelajar 11 33 35 2 Pelajar 12 33 40 7 Pelajar 13 31 40 9 Pelajar 14 TH 31 31 Pelajar 15 29 36 7 Pelajar 16 37 40 3 Pelajar 17 37 39 2 Pelajar 18 31 40 9 Pelajar 19 42 46 4 Pelajar 20 32 39 7 Pelajar 21 37 40 3 Pelajar 22 37 46 9 Pelajar 23 37 39 2 Pelajar 24 26 31 5 Pelajar 25 36 37 1 Pelajar 26 36 39 3 Pelajar 27 36 38 2 Pelajar 28 33 43 10 Pelajar 29 40 42 2 Pelajar 30 26 31 5
145 KESIMPULAN Kajian inovasi ini sungguh pun berjaya mencapai objektifnya dengan baik, saya masih berharap agar ianya dapat ditambahbaik seperti berikut: i. Meningkatkan tahap penyoalan kandungan Pengajian Am STPM (S1-S3) ii. Menambahkan soalan pengetahuan am dari semasa ke semasa iii. Menambahkan soalan Sejarah SPM bagi menyokong elemen merentas kurikulum iv. Menambahkan unsur permainan strategi yang lebih berwarna-warni v. Menghasilkan aplikasi permainan yang boleh dimainkan secara luar talian Kit MY Afwah ini menjadi kebanggaan saya sebagai guru kerana keunikkan tersendirinya. Ianya dibangunkan berdasarkan sukatan pelajaran pengajian am yang baharu. Setiap sub tajuk dan hasil pembelajaran merupakan tunjang kepada produk ini. Setiap pusingan permainan dapat membantu pelajar mencapai objektif yang diharapkan MPM. Dalam aspek yang lain pula, teori konstruktivisme kognitif dan sosial pelajar dapat ditingkatkan. Murid mampu memahami dan menghayati isu dalam pelbagai perspektif ilmu secara berkumpulan. Murid-murid dilihat mampu menghubung kait ilmu daripada pelbagai disiplin dan berupaya menyepadukannya apabila mereka menggunakan kit ini. Akhir sekali, pelajar akan digilap kemahiran berkomunikasi dan mengumpul maklumat secara bersamasama rakan mereka. Di samping berusaha membina strategi untuk menjadi pemenang "Malaysia Bertuah", para pemain saling memberi maklum balas dan membincangkan soalan secara berkolaboratif. Sebagai kesimpulannya, saya berharap kajian inovasi ini akan dapat membantu lebih ramai pelajar Pengajian Am STPM dan Sejarah SPM pada masa hadapan. Semoga lebih ramai guru-guru positif melihat dunia pendidikan ini agar Malaysia terus gemilang, maju dan sejahtera. Sesungguhnya dalam menghasilkan sebuah generasi dan golongan warganegara yang bertanggungjawab, sokongan dari semua pihak pendidikan dan komuniti sangat-sangat digalakkan. RUJUKAN Erhel, S., & Jamet, E. (2013). Digital game-based learning: Impact of instructions and feedback on motivation and learning effectiveness. Computers & Education, 67, 156–167. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu. 2013.02.019 Ma, M., & Oikonomou, A. (2017). Serious games and edutainment applications: Volume II. Serious Games and Edutainment Applications: Volume II. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51645-5
146 VIDEO KEBERKESANAN KIT MY AFWAH KEPADA MURID IMBAS KOD QR UNTUK MELIHAT PENGGUNAAN KIT MY AFWAH IMBAS KOD QR UNTUK MEMBACA KOMIK SECARA ATAS TALIAN
147 THE INTEGRATION OF WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN THE FORM 4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE COLLABORATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE WRITING SKILLS AMONG LOW PROFICIENCY LEARNERS : AN ACTION RESEARCH Mohana Ram Murugiah SMK Perempuan Methodist Ipoh [email protected] ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the use of web 2.0 tools for collaborating writing activities during online learning sessions. The study involves 24 low – proficiency four form students who underwent three cycles of intervention after problem was identified in the teacher’s style of teaching. The activities for the intervention were carried out taking into account the process writing approach. Before the collaborative writing tasks pupils were required to develop the elementary skills required for writing such as grammar, vocabulary as well as sentence structures. Students’ development was assess by examining their essays in the pretest and posttest, student interviews as well as teacher’s own reflective journal. The outcome of the study showed that the use of online tools to develop writing skill sthrough collaborative writing activities were proven to be effective. Keywords: writing, webtools 2.0, intervention, writing skills, teaching INTRODUCTION Being the lingua franca of the 21st century, the English language has found a permanent place in the globe as a language for trade, education and social standing (Dewi, 2015). It has become a language that connects individuals, organisations and countries alike, that mastering the language has become a necessity in the 21st century. Though mastering the language has become important especially at school levels, the acquisition of the language is not something that of a natural process like a first language, instead scholars and practitioners have experimented various approaches that can be implemented in the classroom to ease the process of mastering the language as a second or other language. Besides, there have been various studies in the area of psychology, linguistics and psycholinguistics that have also contributed in finding ways to enable learners to master the English language. Although mastering the English language can be put into four categories of skills namely reading, writing, listening and speaking, the writing language has always been a skill that learners’ struggle to acquire. The writing skill has always been a struggle among low proficiency learners who are struggling to cope with writing skills. As such, this action research study is looking at how low proficiency learners’ interest in writing was roused using the web 2.0 tools to improve their writing skills. Hence this action research study wishes to find answer to the following questions : a) To what extend does the web 2.0 tools help in improving students’ writing skills when it is integrated with the English language writing module?
148 b) To what extend does the web 2.0 tools help in developing students’ motivation towards writing skills? Reflection on Past Practices The COVID19 pandemic has altered the face of education and the way knowledge had been imparted for centuries. The pandemic has pushed students and teachers alike to continue the teaching and learning process in the online platform, which was not a bed of roses to many. Reflecting on my own practices in the beginning of the year, it was found that pupils had started losing interest in the writing lesson that was conducted in the online platform known as Google Meet. The lesson was mostly a one – way communication without students’ interaction and when questions were asked students do not respond despite a longer wait – time is given. It was also noticed that students’ submission on the written work was not up to the expectations. Grammatical errors, lack of vocabulary as well as structural errors were found in students’ essay. Despite having lessons online with all the elements combined and thought for writing, it could be seen that students are unable to grasp the knowledge imparted. It is evident that there is a problem in the writing lesson here as students are unable to follow the writing lesson’s online. Teacher reflection on classroom practice was required in order to understand what may have gone wrong during the lessons. The lessons were often conducted complying to textbook content and teaching support materials using Canva, Powerpoint or Google Slides. The reason teacher support materials were combined with the textbook lesson was to enable pupils to understand the lesson better so that the learning outcome could be achieved. However, despite the effort and preparation made from the teacher’s part, students seem to not be able to grasp the content and frequently make the errors despite already being explained. It could be seen that students are unable to understand the content being taught. Looking at the problems the students are facing in mastering writing skills, the teacher tried to change his classroom approach to enable students to write better. As writing skill is one of the most important components in the higher secondary writing language class, he felt there was an urgency to build my students writing skills. Taking into consideration all the issues that was being faced in the language particularly writing lessons, there was a need for the teacher to identify what the problem was with the students and to plan further actions that need to be taken so that students will not be left behind in developing their writing skills.
149 Problem Identification The main goal of an action research is to identify the problem in classroom and act accordingly to find solution to the problem (Mertler, 2009). In order, to identify the problem and to make sure there was a problem the teacher carried out a classroom questionnaire survey, analysis of students essays, online classroom observation and a diagnostic test. Questionnaire Survey Fielding (2004) has stated that a students’ voice was relevant as they are the main source of a classroom action research. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was carried out to identify students’ problem and what they think of the English language lesson, particularly the writing lesson. According to British Council, (2015) a questionnaire survey would be the most simplest way possible to identify a problem in classroom. A ten question survey was administered to the students and their responses are shown in the table below : Table 1 The table below shows the result of the questionnaire survey done by the teacher to identify problem in the class. Statement Yes No 1 I like this years’ English Language lesson. 15 10 2 I like to develop my writing skills. 17 8 3 I like to attend online class. 13 12 4 I can develop writing skills in the online class. 5 20 5 I have learnt new writing techniques since the beginning of the year. 6 19 6 My teacher is teaching us writing in an interesting way. 4 21 7 I find writing to be very interesting. 2 23 8 I want to write more. 2 23 9 I always complete my writing tasks. 3 22 10 I like to attend the writing lessons. 3 22 Based on the table above it could be seen from the survey that was carried out with the 25 students. The survey result shows that their writing lessons to be too daunting and lack of interest in developing their writing skills. However, most of the students in the table have indicated that they have interest in learning English which is a positive attitude. However, from the responses in statement 6 till 10, it could be summarised that students find that English
150 language writing lessons are less interesting and they have also indicated that they did not learn anything from the writing lessons. Analysis of Students’ Work The next course of action that was carried out was to analyse students’ work that was carried out (Cindrić & Kolobarić ,2020). The pictures shown below are examples of work of students who had submitted their work: Table 2: The table below shows students essays before the intervention was done From the analysis of students’ works it could be seen errors are rampant in students essays in term of grammar, vocabulary as well as the structure of the sentences (Cindrić & Kolobarić ,2020). Besides, the essays are too short, and they are unable to develop and elaborate their ideas longer which is an evident that the current classroom practice does not make an impact in improving students’ writing skills. Teacher reflection on classroom practices As the teacher reflects his own classroom practices, and think what went wrong, he tried to understand what was first done in the classroom. Teacher reflection his own practices help in identifying the issues in the classroom that can be sorted (Kaymakamoglu,2018). The following are the activities that the teacher has always done during his writing lesson which is deduced based on his reflection and his lesson plan prepared for his writing lessons. The highlighted phrases below are examples from the teachers lesson plans which shows his classroom practices for writing lesson: i. ‘online presentation tools, and used sample essays to explain to the students on how to write well’