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Jadual 1.11: Rumusan ujian model fit bagi model modifikasi
Indeks kesepadanan Nilai Model
Modifikasi
Indeks
479.974
yang 0.000
Sepadan 141
0.127
Absolute fit -
x2 >5.0 0.817
Sig x2
0.622
DF 0.674
Ratio (CMIN (x2)/DF) <5.0
RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of <0.8
Approximation) Increment fit
CFI (Comparative Fit Index) >0.9
Parsimony fit
PNFI (Parcimony Normed Fit Index) >.0.50
PCFI (Parsimony Comparative of Fit Index) >0.50
Berdasarkan Jadual 1.11, petunjuk model fit perlu diambilkira dalam pembentukan model iaitu
Baseline Comparison, RMR CFI, Parsimony-Adjusted Measures PNFI, PCFI dan Root Mean Square
Error of Approximation (RMSEA). Dapatan Jadual 1.11, menunjukkan nilai Parsimony-Adjusted
Measures Parsimony Normed Fit Index (PNFI = 0.622) dan Parsimony Comparative of Fit index
(PCFI = 0.674). Ini menunjukkan bahawa model yang diuji sepadan dengan data kajian kerana nilai
yang diperoleh melebihi nilai fit yang sepadan iaitu > 0.50. Seterusnya nilai RMSEA Root Mean
Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA = 0.127), adalah lebih kecil daripada 0.08, maka data yang
dikumpul adalah sepadan dengan model yang dicadangkan.
Jadual 1.12 Petunjuk Modifikasi Model
e18 <-- e19 M.I. Par Change
> 14.057 .066
e13 <-- e14 14.802 .031
> .040
e1 <-- e21 10.465
>
Jadual 1.12, menunjukkan nilai-nilai petunjuk modifikasi (Modification Indeces, MI) model.
Modifikasi model telah dilakukan dengan menghubungkan dua pemboleh ubah perlu dilakukan bagi
meningkatkan lagi kesepadanan model dengan data kajian berdasarkan pandangan Shumacker dan
Lomax (2010), Garson (2012) dan Chua (2014). Pengkaji telah membuat keputusan dan
menghubungkan e18 dan e19, e13 dan e14 dan e1 dan e21.
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Rajah 1.2: Model Kepimpinan Instruksional, Pola Komunikasi dan Kompetensi Pengajaran
Berdasarkan Rajah 1.2, pemboleh ubah kepimpinan instruksional (KI) diwakili oleh tujuh item yang
terdiri daripada KI2, KI3, KI4, KI5, KI6, KI7 dan KI8. Pemboleh ubah Pola Komunikasi pula
diwakili item-item PK2, PK3, PK4, PK5 dan PK6. Manakala pemboleh ubah Kompetensi
Pengajaran diwakili oleh item-item KP2, KP3, KP4, KP5, KP6, KP7 dan KP8.
KESIMPULAN
Komunikasi berbantukan teknologi peranti mudah alih membolehkan kepimpinan instruksional
dilaksanakan secara digital. Kepimpinan instruksional sebagai tingkah laku pemimpin yang
mengintegrasikan penggunaan teknologi TMK dan teknologi model dalam gaya dan amalan
kepimpinan mereka (Larry, 2002; & Leo, 2010). Evolusi ini adalah selaras dengan aspirasi kerajaan
dalam anjakan keempat dan kelima PPPM (2013-2025) iaitu memanfaatkan TMK bagi
meningkatkan kualiti pembelajaran. Secara tidak langsung dapat meningkatkan produktiviti, ini juga
dapat mengurangkan kos operasi (Huang et al.,2010). Penggunaan aplikasi seperti WhatsApp,
telegram, facebook atau Instagram pemimpin dapat menghebahkan kecemerlangan, pencapaian atau
pengiktirafan kepada warga IPG. Ini jelas menunjukkan berlaku amalan komunikasi digital dalam
kalangan pemimpin atau Ketua Jabatan di IPG.
Penggunaan medium komunikasi digital di IPG menunjukkan pemimpin sentiasa berinteraksi
dengan pensyarah tanpa mengira waktu dan jarak. Segala maklumat, pesanan atau arahan yang
disampaikan kepada pensyarah IPG melalui aplikasi teknologi digital, maklumat yang diterima jelas,
tepat pada masanya dan menggunakan bahasa yang mudah difahami. Proses komunikasi dua hala
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yang wujud dengan pensyarah memberi ruang untuk pensyarah mengemukakan pemdapat dan idea
dengan lebih pantas. Amalan komunikasi begini membolehkan hubungan menjadi semakin erat
antara pemimpin dan pensyarah. Ketua Jabatan dapat berbincang dan membimbing berkaitan PdP,
pencapaian akademik dan sebagainya.
Tahap kompetensi pensyarah adalah tinggi dan ini menggambarkan pensyarah sangat cekap
dalam melaksanakan proses PdP secara digital. Ini berbeza dengan dapatan kajian yang
dilaksanakan terhadap guru oleh Azizi et al. (2010), Hamdi et al.(2012) dan Rohayati et al.(2012).
Keadaan ini adalah disebabkan oleh belum ada satu piawai kompetensi pengajaran guru seperti yang
terdapat di Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom, Jepun, Australia dan Belanda (Mohammed Sani &
Saedah, 2012). Pensyarah sentiasa berinteraksi dengan pelajar, mendengar persoalan, idea dan
cadangan daripada pelajar. Pensyarah yang berkompetensi akan sentiasa memberi maklum balas
kepada pelajar.
Kajian ini juga menunjukkan terdapat saling hubungan kepimpinan instruksional digital,
pola komunikasi dan kompetensi pengajaran pensyarah pada tahap sederhana. Ini menunjukkan
bahawa dalam meningkatkan kompetensi pengajaran pensyarah, peranan kepimpinan instruksional
digital dan pola komunikasi saling memerlukan antara satu sama lain. Dalam kesibukan dengan tugas
pentadbiran, kepimpinan instruksional digital adalah wadah yang terbaik untuk berkomunikasi
dengan pensyarah. Ini adalah kerana elemen komunikasi digital yang wujud membolehkan ketua
jabatan membimbing pensyarah secara atas talian. Ini menunjukkan ketua jabatan berperanan
sebagai komunikator yang aktif dan berkesan. Ketua Jabatan juga berperanan sebagai faslitator yang
bertanggungjawab membimbing dan memberi tunjuk ajar kepada pensyarah untuk meningkatkan
kompetensi pengajaran mereka.
Tuntasnya, model yang dicadangkan terdiri daripada tiga pemboleh ubah iaitu kepimpinan
instruksional maya, pola komunikasi dan kompetensi pengajaran pensyarah. Secara umumnya model
ini menekankan amalan komunikasi maya dalam menjalankan fungsi sebagai pemimpin
instruksional di IPG. Model ini membolehkan fungsi kepimpinan instruksional diaplikasikan secara
digital terutama ketika ketua jabatan menjalankan tugas rasmi di luar. Model ini berupaya
menyerlahkan kepentingan kompetensi pengajaran pensyarah terutama bagi memastikan proses PdP
berjalan dengan lancar terutama ketika negara menghadapi fenomena Covid-19. Justeru, model ini
boleh dijadikan asas dan panduan kepada ketua jabatan untuk menjalankan fungsi kepimpinan
instruksional digital. Penerimaan fungsi-fungsi dalam kepimpinan instruksional maya, pola
komunikasi dan kompetensi pengajaran pensyarah dalam model ini menguatkan lagi bahawa fungsi
kepimpinan instruksional boleh dijalankan secara digital.
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Harris, M. (2000). The International Handbook of School Effective Research. London and New
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JITE- Research 5,(1).
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River, NJ: Pearson.
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Persekitaran web Prosiding Tekonologi Pendidikan. Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Jon P. Howell, Dan L. Costley (2006), Understanding Behaviors for Effective Leadership. Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Kahan, S. (2004). Etienne Wenger on communities of practice: Engagement, identity& Innovation.
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Krizan, B & Merrier, P. (2001). Business Communication. Amozon Book Pub.
Lies, J. (2012). Internal communication as power management in change processes: Study on the
possibilities and the reality of change communications
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Mat Rahimi Yusof, Mohd Yusri Ibrahim (2015). Sumbangan Kepimpinan Instruksional Maya
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Kepuasan Kerja Dalam Kalangan Pemimpin Sekolah Di Sekolah. Seminar Nasional
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Nasreen, S., & Shah, M. (2019). Effect of Instructional Supervisory Practices on Teacher
Motivation in Private Secondary Schools of Lahore, Pakistan. Advances in Social
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Nugent, W, Sieppert, J, & Hudson, W. (2001). Practice Evaluation for the 21st Century, Pacific
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Process: A Review and Synthesis. Journal of Change Management, 10 (2)
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LEADERS AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: A SABAH PERSPECTIVE
Gerturude Jock1 ([email protected])
Rose Patsy Tibok2
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Gaya, Kota Kinabalu1
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 2
ABSTRACT
Although leaders and their brand of leadership are often perceived as integral to the onward direction
and success of any organisation entrusted into their care, there is a very obvious dearth of literature
on effective education leaders’ stewardship in the context of Sabah. This study therefore sought to
investigate and describe the professional growth of three effective local education leaders who had
charted their own particular legacies in education change and development in Sabah. Three retired
JUSA C Sabah education leaders of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, with a combined 96 years
of experience in the education sector, were selected for this study. Centred on a qualitative,
explorative, descriptive and contextual research design paradigm, the personal insights of the three
participants provided an in-depth view of their journey as education leaders and their perspectives
on the attributes of successful leadership. A questionnaire, divided into five parts and thirteen open-
ended questions, was emailed to the participants who were given between June 2020 to September
2020 to complete. Analysis of their questionnaire responses identified IDITGEMS as the themes
outlining their professional growth and journey. Future research could focus on investigating the
relationship between professional growth and leadership principles, and identifying codes of practice
of effective leaders. This study makes available literature on the framework pertaining to excellence
and professional growth that became push factors of renown effective local Sabah education leaders.
Keynotes: Effective Leaders, Principles, Leadership, Transformational, JUSA C.
Introduction
Great leaders could be recognised by how they inspire, excite, engage or leave their legacy. The
quality of their leadership is felt and seen in the manner they impact the lives of their employees or
subordinates. Their professional and personal facets are benched upon standards and expectations
that they set upon themselves and put into practice in their management of work and life. What
constitute great leaders and what are their leadership principles that shake and move employees to
strive beyond their own capabilities? In current realities and future changes in the education world a
closer look at enigmatic leaders and the secret to their success would help educators understand how
they themselves could shape their own positive and progressive leadership styles.
Effective leaders start with the self, modelling behaviour that employees expect to emulate,
customers delight to see and investors value and be confident of (Ulrich et al., 2008). Another
important aspect of effective leadership is enabling employees to lead which help increase the
number of good leaders. Succession planning thus is a critical aspect of any organisation’s sustained
initiative towards creating a dynamic body of abled leaders.
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Background of Study
Sabah has witnessed a succession of progressive leaders retiring from the education scene and
leaving their legacies that have been inadequately documented, if at all. Their success stories have
not been shared with their vision, mission and actions largely unwritten for the benefit of other
successive leaders. This study documented the highlights and triumphs of Sabah education leaders
and the underlying principles they put into effect in the discharge of their duty. These principles or
codes served as viable reference that could help shape future communities of great educational
leaders.
This study focussed on one man and two women who had served in Sabah as well as other
parts in Malaysia at different levels and capacities in the education sector. Each shared his/her
journey and the important moments or milestones in their career. These sharing enabled the
researchers to identify important leadership themes and highlight how these leaders created and
nurtured the conditions for others to become future leaders.
Opportunities were provided for these leaders to share their opinions on current trends in
education especially during challenging times of online learning and how leaders helped teachers
and students effectively navigate their teaching and learning journey regardless of circumstances and
challenges.
Research Theory
This study highlighted the transformational leadership (TL) (Burns, 1978) and the leadership code
(LC) (Ulrich et al., 2008) as shown in the Figure 1 below.
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IDITGEMS
IDITGEMS IDITGEMS
IDITGEMS
IDITGEMS
IDITGEMS
TL IM IC IS II
(INSPIRATIONAL MOTIVATION) (INDIVIDUALISED (INTELLECTUAL STIMULUS) (IDEALISED INFLUENCE)
CONSDIERATION)
LC Rule 1 Rule 2 Rule 3 Rule 4 Rule 5
(CUROSITY) (ACCOUNTABILITY) (COMMUNICATION) (FUTURE) (AGILITY)
Figure 1: IDITGEMS Diagram
Figure 1 is a representation of the underlying theory derived from the research participants’
journey towards achieving their professional growth and the relationship to transformational
leadership and the leadership code. There were many factors that influenced the professional growth
of an education leader. In an attempt to present the vibrant and complex journey of an educational
leader, three levels were shown.
At the foundation of professional growth, an educational leader had their own sets of rules
to guide them. These rules came from their personal principles in life and enhanced through their
exposure to different experiences and training. The five rules for the leadership code (LC) resembled
the individual growth context. The five rules were summarised under different headings: curiosity,
accountability, communication, future and agility. These rules were for the individual’s skills
enhancement as well as the development of the skills of their students and colleagues. These five
rules were also to some extent a reflection of the four aspects of transformational leadership (TL):
inspirational motivation, individualised consideration, intellectual stimulus, and idealised influence.
The skills in transformational learning were present and magnified in the professional growth of the
educational leaders in this study. The researchers coined the term IDITGEMS to showcase the skills,
motivation, beliefs, practices and influence each of the research participants had during their tenure
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as leaders in their respective institutions. The professional development of the research participants
also benefitted more leaders when they shared their knowledge and best practices as mentors and as
influential leaders. IDITGEMS factors in an education leader’s professional growth stood for
intrinsic versus extrinsic; diversity versus singularity; influence versus conflict management;
training versus incidental learning; glocal versus local networks; emotional intelligence versus
emotional insecurity; mentoring versus isolation; and stressfree versus stressful factors. As the circle
of IDITGEMS continue to grow so too would the development of more leaders who influence one
another’s professional growth. This would strongly indicate the moral imperative of educational
leaders that is to develop more leaders through sharing of best practices and mentoring.
Problem Statement
The National Education Philosophy aims to develop wholesome and balanced students with high
moral standards and the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 - 2025 highlighted the need to develop
leadership skills among students. Although many initiatives to study aspects of successful leadership
had been conducted, there has been little attempt to engage with local experts’ views and
perspectives on leaders and leadership matters. The problem here was due to the local context
becoming a secondary feature (Hassan et al., 2018) and less was written about the underlying
principles that leaders live by.
Furthermore, in 2016 the High Potential Talent Pool, a professional development
programme for future educational leaders was conducted in a nine-month duration. These 62
potentials were the first batch in the Ministry of Education’s plan to establish a sustainable supply
of quality leaders to spearhead the educational transformation (MoE, 2016). The programme was led
by the Aminuddin Baki Institute (IAB) and focussed on enhancing functional competencies such as:
educational management and leadership in the areas of instructional leadership; people management
and development: resource management and allocation; and strategic planning and direction. The
outcome as reflected in one of the participants’ reflection is as follows:
“The most treasured knowledge in this programme for me was the exposure provided on exemplary
leaders and the knowledge sharing during the discussions on the book ‘The Five Practices of
Exemplary Leaders (Kouzes & Posner, 1995) (MoE, 2017).
Although Kouzes and Posner (1995) is undoubtably an excellent reference, it is not localised
and current (the book was published in the mid-90s). This signals an urgent need and a valid reason
why research in the area of local leaders and their leadership principles should be undertaken without
delay. By going local, a legacy of leaders may also be raised (DuFour et al., 2006) through literature
based on local experts and current perspectives.
In addition, school leaders need to demonstrate strong instructional leadership and visionary
stewardship (Pang & Wang, 2016) in developing and communicating a shared vision, shaping a
culture of trust, supporting and monitoring collegial learning; facilitating rather than coercing
change. The researchers believed that the successful leaders who had served and earned their place
in their leadership roles in the local context, Sabah, could show their stewardship through sharing of
their experiences and knowledge. At present, this sharing of local leaders’ expertise was seriously
lacking.
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Objectives of Research
The objective of this study was:
a. To describe the professional growth of three identified effective education leaders in Sabah.
Research Question
a. What was the professional growth of the three identified effective education leaders in
Sabah?
Literature Review
Briefly for this research, the literature review looked at transformational leadership and the
leadership code to provide some of the available literature on leaders and leadership styles.
Transformational leadership could be described as a continual process of influence and
motivation to achieve the best results for the organisation (Burns, 1978). The researchers asserted
that the constant change in education raised the need to be adaptable and meet local expectations. In
relation to this need, educational leaders needed to develop new skills and ways of working (Bush,
2007). As a consequence, transformational leaders needed to empower their followers to obtain
higher levels of accomplishments. This empowerment could be acknowledged as a moral imperative.
As transformational leaders, school leaders could engage every stakeholder in collective decisions
making (Bush, 2007). This engagement could enhance relationships and improve performance.
The researchers emphasised on four elements of transformational leadership by raising the
main focus for each dimension. Inspirational motivation revealed a leader who could communicate,
inspire a shared vision and challenge individuals to achieve high standards, had optimism about
future goals, and created meaningful experiences. Individuals would be motivated with a strong
purpose to take action. The second element of individualized consideration entailed the leader being
sensitive to the staff’s needs, providing coaching or mentoring, listening to individual’s concerns
and needs to grow. The leader would be empathetic and supportive, as well as motivational so that
individuals would be challenged to enhance personal skills and expertise. Contributions to the team
would be appreciated and acknowledged.
Intellectual stimulation involved the leader challenging assumptions, taking risks and
encouraging creativity among individuals. Independent thinking would be nurtured and
opportunities to learn would be valued. Individuals would be expected to question, think and find
better ways to accomplish tasks. Idealized influence would involve leaders becoming role models
with high ethical behaviour, instilling pride, and raising respect and trust among individuals.
The researchers found that these four elements were strongly related to how great leaders
performed. The relationship could be described in terms of learning as a meaning-making process in
the adult world leading to a democratic vision of society and self-actualisation (Dirkx, 1998). In
addition, emotions and feelings were the language to understanding self, social interactions and
experiences, which contributed to one’s learning process and engagement with one’s realities (Dirkx,
1998). There needed to be critical reflection, a recognition and analysis of common assumptions
(Brookfield, 2000). In transformational professional development, mentoring could provide deep
learning for both mentor and mentee. The mentee, the person being mentored would be able to
reflect and learn as well as share knowledge with the mentor, who in turn would learn from the
professional partnership. As mentoring and reflection were tools in leadership, then transformational
leadership could be considered as one of the learning theories in this study.
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In another leadership review, the writers highlighted five rules in the leadership code (Ulrich
et al., 2008). Each of these rules could be represented in the following notes: Rule 1, stay curious
and develop a point of view about your own future; invite your savviest outsiders inside; engage the
organisation – no “one” knows enough; and create strategic traction within the organisations; Rule
2, make change happen; follow a decision protocol; ensure accountability; build teams; and ensure
technical proficiency; Rule 3, communicate, communicate, communicate; create aligned directions,
connect the individual to the organisations; strengthen others, ensure people have the competencies
they need; provide people with the resources to cope with demands; create a positive work
environment, practice spiritual disciplines at work; and have fun at work; Rule 4, map the workforce;
create a firm and employee brand; help people manage their careers; find and develop next-
generation talent; and encourage networks and relationships; and Rule 5, practice clear thinking, rise
above the details; know yourself; tolerate stress; demonstrate learning agility; tend to your own
character and integrity; take care of yourself; and have personal energy and passion.
Research Methodology
The design for this study highlighted a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature.
The qualitative angle offered the opportunity to uncover the nature of the leaders’ experiences,
actions and perspectives of which little was yet documented. The study set out to gain a richer
understanding of the experiences of the leaders, concurrent with the assertion by Burns and Grove
(2001) who viewed descriptive study as a research angle adopted when little was known about the
phenomenon of interest. Mouton (1996) described a contextual study as one in which the
phenomenon under investigation was studied in terms of its intrinsic and immediate contextual
significance.
Research Participants
The researchers invited six potential participants and five agreed to contribute to this study.
However, only three participants returned their questionnaire within a three-month period. The three
research participants served in the Ministry of Education Malaysia under different divisions holding
leadership roles in Kuala Lumpur and in Sabah. These participants retired in their JUSA C posts as
heads of their respective institutions. All three went through their primary and secondary education
in their hometowns of Sandakan and Tawau before completing their sixth forms in Kota Kinabalu.
In the early days, sixth forms were offered only in schools around the Kota Kinabalu district. Two
completed their Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching diploma in University Malaya and one
completed his degree and teaching diploma in New Zealand. All three completed their Masters
degree in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. One completed her Doctor of Philosophy with an
International University based in Kuala Lumpur. All three began their journey with a view of
entering the education field. These three participants were given a code to represent them: Sabah
1/2020, Sabah 2/2020, and Sabah 3/2020.
Instrument
The instrument that was used to gather the data was an open-ended survey questionnaire that was
written in the English Language. Participants were given the questionnaire via email to fill at their
convenience and in their home surroundings. The instrument was administered in June to five
participants who volunteered to take part in the study and only three returned their questionnaire by
September.
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Data collection method
The data was collected via each of the participant’s email. They willingly shared and gave permission
for their responses to be used in this study. The researchers provided their email accounts so that
participants could email to either one or both. This method of data collection lessen the cost of
travelling as well as adhere to the conditional movement controlled order (CMCO) imposed during
the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by the world.
Data analysis method
The data collected was viewed and analysed thematically. Words that indicated similar meaning to
the areas of interest would be accepted to be representative of the themes. Every one of themes
comprised of statements given by each participant. Participants forwarded their write-up of their
sharing. The researchers shared their findings for confirmation and verification by the participants
after the whole process was completed. The confirmation from the three helped to triangulate the
data given and provided the validity of the responses from the participants.
Findings
The following statements represented the participants’ description of their professional growth.
These statements were group under eight areas of interests.
1. Intrinsically versus Extrinsically Driven
There was no ambition or even a thought of becoming a principal or an education
officer because I did not know any better & pretty contented with a graduate salary
being single. Papar was good because it was close to Kota Kinabalu where I
continued to socialize with my university mates & classmates who were based or
living there (Sabah 1/2020).
One of the high points in my career is the Super Leadership Training Programme
(SLTP) Meeting with the Education Minister Dato’ Sri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein in
his Putrajaya office. This meeting was a professional recognition for me and served
as a motivation for me which is important because as principals I felt we were always
motivating others and oftentimes in the process we feel “drained’ of energy so it was
important for me as a leader to get the much needed motivation (Sabah 2/2020).
In life, I found out that there can be a few things as significant as making a tangible
difference in shaping the lives of young people, inspiring and guiding them to become
the best they can be. At first, I found myself in a profession that did not seem
meaningful, as my dream was to read law and become a lawyer. It was an unrealised
dream as my parents could not afford it but God blessed me with the Federal
Scholarship to do a degree in education at Malaya University (Sabah 3/2020).
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2. Diversity versus Singularity
And as I settled into a school teacher’s work routine I also quickly interacted with
colleagues in the staffroom in a social situation rather novel to me as newbie because
of the mix of personnel Sabah origin, then those from Semenanjung and a sprinkling
of volunteer teachers from the US, Canada & Australia. The tools of the trade were
basic: blackboard, chalk & talk with textbooks in hand preparing the pupils for
whatever examinations they were going sit at the end of the year (Sabah 1/2020).
As a Senior Principal I was again fortunate to be selected and trained as a Coach and
Mentor under the IAB Leadership Coaching and Mentoring Programme which
involved attending a series of courses and workshops to be certified. The certification
was an added boost to my professional portfolio so to speak. This was a very excellent
programme. I received training on how to be a good coach and mentor (Sabah
2/2020).
Getting a chance to work within the broader educational community was significant
to me too because it was a meaningful way to gain a greater sense of belonging to the
education fraternity outside my own school. Hence, I was happy that I was appointed
by the State Education Department to play the role of Key Personnel or Resource
Personnel for Kurikulum Berpaduan Sekolah Menengah (KBSM) Bahasa Inggeris
when it was implemented in 1988. I had to attend training in the Curriculum
Development Center (CDC) in Kuala Lumpur and returned to the state to conduct
courses to prepare the English teachers in the Secondary Schools to use the new
curriculum. I realised that it would be very different from teaching in the classroom
as I had to shift from the concept of delivering learning to the students using pedagogy
to the concept of using andragogy to enable learning to happen for the teachers
because as adult learners, they were mature, independent and possessed a wealth of
knowledge and experiences. Hence, I had to constantly remind myself that there was
going to be a clear distinction between teaching the adult and the child learner (Sabah
3/2020).
3. Influence versus Conflict Management
In the context of a school, Management by Walking Around (MBWA) means knowing
your staff & families, your students, your non-teaching staff, the condition of your
school, boarding dormitories toilets, equipment from lab to rimbas (the grass slasher)
and every blade of grass on the football field. By keeping your ear close to the ground
& eyes focused on the immediate environment you can determine whether you are
moving forward or otherwise (Sabah 1/2020).
I was ‘invited’ to join the division in Kuala Lumpur as my first posting outside of Sabah.
During the 12 months of my being there it was basically a learning experience of getting
to know the ministry functions as well as an opportunity to establish another level of
networking with the upper echelons in the ministry (Sabah 1/2020).
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We were trained to use the tools of coaching and mentoring. It enabled me to not only
help my teachers in school to become better teachers and leaders, it also gave me the
golden opportunity to again groom future leaders. I was also able to coach and mentor
new principals so they can develop and grow as a high performing leader. I was also
able to helped principals in low performing schools to turn their school around. By
mentoring others I also grow and mature as a leader (Sabah 2/2020).
I learnt to enhance my other communication skills like mastering the art of influence
and conflict management. I became more confident as a leader and found new ways to
inspire and influence my teachers and non-teaching staff whom I led. I found out that
leadership influence was not just about building my own track record of success. The
essence of leadership is helping others to become more successful by inspiring,
influencing and sharing leadership best practises and experiences with others. When
my teachers or staff achieved success, I remembered sharing their wins with everyone
else in school by announcing it in the school assembly and their photos were put on
display in the school gallery as this was a way of how genuine leaders recognize and
celebrate the success of others. When my fellow principals got their promotion to the
DG54 and JUSA C posts, I wasted no time in sharing the good news with other
colleagues and encouraged them to forge ahead in the same direction of their career
(Sabah 3/2020).
4. Training versus Incidental Learning
(a) As a teacher
In my one & a half years as a teacher I was never asked to attend any course of any
sort at all (Sabah 1/2020).
The first In-Service course I attended was the 3 months Teaching English as a Foreign
Language Course for Malaysian Teachers in University of Manchester, UK. Being
overseas for the first time was a significant moment indeed. This course was centred on
methodology and pedagogy practices. It was a course that inspired me and motivated
me to be a creative teacher to always find ways to make my lessons interesting and
learning for my students fun and something to look forward to. This attitude to always
give my best to whatever I do stayed with me till I retired and till this very day. Another
thing that stuck with me was a proverb I read on the wall of one of the rooms in the
university “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. This advice I upheld when I took over schools
I don’t simply change everything for the sake of change but respect and continue
whatever good practices left behind by former heads (Sabah 2/2020).
The KBSM trainings for Kakitangan Sumber BI Kebangasaan in the late 1980’s were
very beneficial to me as a young teacher and I felt proud to be a National Key
Personnel. It gave me the opportunity to be involved in the KBSM curriculum change
by training English Language teachers throughout the state. It was exciting to be in the
forefront of the KBSM curriculum change. I also gained valuable communication and
presentation skills and that built my self-confidence, which stood me in good stead
throughout my career. I became a more effective presenter and a good public speaker,
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a skill that is most helpful to a leader. Learning to speak so your audience will listen is
a useful skill. This has helped me to speak in school assemblies of more than 2000
students and 100 teachers (Sabah 2/2020).
After graduating, I was trying to look for a way to make broader impact on society
without realising that being a teacher meant that I was actually enriching children’s
life not just through core educational skills like reading, mathematics and science but
also responsibility and building their self-confidence. The significant critical moment
came when I read Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs again that one of the most
fundamental human needs was to have a sense of significance. I then realised that my
work as a teacher was important as I was going to have an influence on the students.
Later, after going into the classrooms, I discovered that I had an aptitude for working
with students so while developing a sense of purpose and meaning along the way, I felt
that it was my moral imperative and a calling to go into the teaching profession. When
I realized that the work which I did actually had a purpose beyond myself, I stayed
motivated and passionate about being a teacher. At the Beginning Phase of my
teaching career, I did not think I was the best teacher leader as I did not adapt well to
the school environment but as I gained experience over the years, I developed my
principles for leadership to guide myself to long-term success. (Sabah 3/2020).
I also gained confidence and acquired the skills on how to connect with people
effectively, developing the ability to get constructive feedback and also critically seek
as well as accept frank feedback from my colleagues or teachers about my leadership
style. I remembered getting a constructive feedback from my teachers that I was not
practising effective listening skill as I was too busy signing documents or answering
telephone calls and not paying attention to them when they had suggestions and ideas
to discuss with me. This comment was put forward to the Intellectual Critics Committee
of my school and when I did my reflection, I realised that my teachers were correct so
right after that I paid full attention to them whenever they or anyone came to see me.
Constructive or critical feedback like this had created an awareness of a weakness
which I needed to work on. From this lesson learnt, I found that leaders who were brave
enough to ask for feedback and accept constructive criticisms were seen as being more
confident than those who could not (Sabah 3/2020).
(b) As an administrator
In those early days no one talked about leadership or induction courses for teachers...
But to be fair I think at that time the energies of the Education Department (DE) were
directed towards organising BM classes for teachers to prepare for the switch in the
medium of instruction & also with the introduction of modern mathematics & science
into the curriculum (Sabah 1/2020).
The steep leadership learning curve moment arrived with my shock & unexpected
appointment as principal of SMK Sipitang (soon after renamed Pengiran Omar) in late
December 1973. Initial reaction was to protest & appeal on grounds that I was too
young (25 years old then) & totally inexperienced. I had only been a form teacher &
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nothing else. My appeal for deferment fell on deaf ears & was curtly told ‘kau pergi
saja’ (Sabah 1/2020).
In those days we did not get any training before being appointed a principal. Only after
being appointed, then we get to attend courses in IAB. IAB’s training courses and
programmes on Leadership and School Management that dealt with effective schools,
leadership styles, strategic planning, financial management, and other relevant topics
helped me better understand my role as a principal and how to lead an effective schools
utilizing various management and strategic tools (Sabah 2/2020).
After a few years of being a principal, I was trained to be a facilitator for the
certification Course for School Heads, NPQH, later to be rebranded as NPQEL. Being
a facilitator and involved in the process of selecting potential school heads to train in
NPQH had an impact on me as a leader for I was now deemed a senior principal. I
made sure I was well versed with all the criteria in the selection process and this in a
way enhanced my knowledge in school leadership and made me a better school leader
myself. Given the responsibility to coach the candidates under the School Placement
Programme also gave me the opportunity to support and groom the next generation of
school leaders, something I am proud to be associated with (Sabah 2/2020).
First of all, the numerous training programmes that I had attended had helped me to
identify and improve my leadership style. During training, I was exposed to different
leadership concepts, frameworks, principles, tools and skills that were required to lead.
The more I learnt about leadership, the more confident I became as it had made me
honest and brave enough to develop a realistic self-awareness in knowing my
leadership strengths and weaknesses. Such training had boosted my confidence to be
ready to face up to my developmental needs which had helped me to determine what I
should focus on to be a better leader (Sabah 3/2020).
5. Glocal versus Local
Although I had lived, studied & even worked in New Zealand continuously for five & a
half years, thankfully upon my return I did not experience a ‘NZ hangover’ because I
was able to eased back into our local society & got on with life immediately, not really
missing my previous environment (Sabah 1/2020).
British Council’s programmes such as Dreams and Teams, International Placement of
Head Teachers as well as Leadership courses afforded me an international perspective,
networking with teachers from the UK and learning and exchanging best practices and
widening my worldview and helped me to initiate in my schools “Think local Act
Global” programmes to help prepare the students to be global citizens (Sabah 2/2020).
The training experiences that I had received especially the three-month course on
trainer development in the University of Manchester and the attachment course with
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Schools in particular had definitely boosted my
confidence and equipped me with leadership skills and training expertise so when I
received the added duty and responsibility to play a multifaceted role as a Master
trainer, state and national resource personnel, facilitator and mentor, I was well
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prepared. In my reminiscences, as I traced my professional growth in areas of training
and leadership, I had acquired valuable skills which had developed me to become
(Sabah 3/2020).
6. Emotional Intelligence versus Emotional Insecurity
MBWA involves talking to staff & students in a non-formal & unstructured way which
allows them to be relaxed & perhaps more forthcoming with unintended information
e.g. something was broken or lost but no report was made because they are afraid of
being scolded by someone. In one case, the amahs told me they were in need of new
brooms and other cleaning stuff but were too scared to ask for fresh supplies for fear
of being told off because their supervisor was prone to questioning their requests. So
they just kept quiet until I happened to chat with them while inspecting the hostel
dormitory. Time & again in different context I have been able to sort out issues on the
spot without the need to convene a committee meeting (Sabah 1/2020).
The one month mandatory Advanced Leadership and Management Programme for
Premier JUSA C officers organized by INTAN was intensive and challenging.
Participants only emerged with enhanced and new skills and competencies but also
an understanding of current issues and latest development in the administration. This
programme was for the Premier JUSA C officers from all the Ministries and this was
a valuable exposure for me to study and work with officers from different background
and fields, the Directors from the customs Department, the army, the Head ofs
Hospitals, Ambassadors etc. This broaden my awareness and understanding of area
within and beyond our civil service milieu and helped me to widen my professional
network and collaboration. The physical side of the programme with participants
going on a hike and to go caving was a frightening experience but I did it despite my
claustrophobia . We were also required to undertake a study on a department and
present our findings and recommendations. I chose to study the counter service
system at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and was able to do so through the
network made during the course. The Sabah Director of Immigration opened the
doors for me to carry out the study. This programme is meaningful to me because it
broadens my perspective and network. I emerged Fifth in the class of 60 high
performing participants and this was a moral boost for me and motivated me to go
the extra mile in my career (Sabah 2/2020).
Self-confidence is the mark of an emotionally intelligent leader and the training
experiences and my reading of the book EQ At Work by Daniel Coleman had helped
to develop my Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Such leadership knowledge and practical
tips gave me the capability to recognize my own emotions and those of others.As a
result, I was able to understand, use and manage my own emotions in positive ways
to relieve stress ( as it was never easy heading a failing school or any education
institution for that matter), to communicate effectively and empathize with others to
overcome challenges (Sabah 3/2020).
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7. Mentoring versus Isolation
...engaged in dialogue with colleagues, principals & teachers, parents’ teachers
associations, school management boards and governors as well as other
stakeholders...; built on the network I established when I was at the Education Ministry
e.g. the minister, the secretary general, the director general and others who were
helpful to Sabah’s needs...; enhanced teambuilding efforts on both formal & informal
platforms; made myself visible and approachable by gracing functions, visiting
schools, offices in every district and division as well as making myself readily
accessible to the public at my office (Sabah 1/2020).
I was privileged to be involved in the Super Leadership Training Programme (SLTP)
tailored designed for 11 principals with potentials to be groomed by JUSA C Principal
Mary Yap. The regular meetings, discussions, sharing of be excellent practices,
reflection sessions, journal writing, book and article review with an emphasis on
awareness raising approach made us reflect on our practices and the level of our
leadership in order to address our weaknesses (Sabah 2/2020).
My appointment as one of the Local Coordinator in organizing the International
Placement of Head Teachers ‘Leadership in School Education Seminar and in the
Placement of UK Head teachers in Sabah was the first time I got involved in organizing
an event at the international level. It also opened opportunities for Sabah Principals
to work along side with their UK counterparts and in learning about developing school
leaders in a national context (Sabah 2/2020).
Having a personal mentor in Sabah 1/2020 was instrumental in my developing and
maturing into the leader I was and is. Her mentoring has helped me realize not only
excellence for the schools I led but also enhanced my personal excellence, which is an
important criteria for a JUSA C Pengetua Cemerlang (Sabah 2/2020)
In retrospect, my training and mentoring experiences had pushed my own personal and
professional growth to new heights. After I had invested in my own leadership growth
I was better equipped to lead, inspire and influence many of my fellow school leaders
to evolve and increase their leadership impact in their respective organizations. I had
gained a personal sense of deep satisfaction from knowing that I had helped other
fellow school leaders to also emerge as great leaders. To me, this is ultimate
leadership in action at its best as this was where I had really experienced the value
of developing others after achieving the highest level of leadership myself. I believe
that those leaders whom I had developed would in turn lead and develop their fellow
school leaders as well (Sabah 3/2020).
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8. Stress-free versus Stressful
I cannot recall a defining moment in the first 18 months of my career, which was rather
carefree & unstressful with an undemanding schedule of work like 26 slots per week in
my timetable. It was just a matter of following orders/instructions. If anything, I
remember playing a lot of basketball, football, badminton & tennis (Sabah 1/2020).
I was appointed as one of the 4 Lasallian Women Leaders in the Asia-Pacific to be the
Organizers of the 1st ever Asia-Pacific Lasallian Women Symposium held in Pattaya
Thailand. Back then I had to learn to have meetings through Skype with the 3 other
members from Australia, Pakistan and the Philippines. It was a success and paved the
way for other Lasallian Women Symposiums in the world. This symposium was an eye-
opener for me, to hear of the work of many fellow Lasallians in the Asia Pacific with
the underprivileged, “the last the lost and the least” in society was a humbling
experience for me...(Sabah 2/2020).
Other significant moments of my teaching career related very much to my sense of duty
and responsibility. My hard work was recognized in a variety of small ways throughout
my teaching years e.g. parents would send a thank you card on Teacher’s Day, a
colleague would inform me that he appreciated a comment I made to further improve
the welfare of the teachers in the school, the principal would send a note of
congratulations on the brilliant results of my students in the public exams, students
would present notes of thanks, flowers or gifts on Teacher’s Day, or at the end of the
year term and teachers and staff would shower me lovely bouquet of flowers or cakes
on my birthday etc. These were actually not really ‘small’ things at all but rather
significant ways that people were showing me that my work had mattered to them. It
was not the cost of the tokens of appreciation that had mattered but it was the thought
that had counted and such thoughts were special and invaluable (Sabah 3/2020).
Conclusion and Discussion
The three Sabahan education leaders’ professional growth was summarised under the acronym
IDITGEMS that signalled eight areas of interests. The first, instrinsicallly versus extrinsic driven
strongly suggested that each of the leaders in this study hold fast to their personal drive towards
achieving the best of themselves in whatever they were given in terms of the responsibilities of
teaching and leading. However, in achieving teamwork and collaboration, there was also need for
extrinsic rewards to serve as recognition and personal gratification of their achievements. Once, these
leaders achieved a higher level of skills and performance, the rewards they perceived was more of
the achievement of their staffs and the growth of more leaders among teachers. Thus, educators must
first look into themselves, what drive them towards achieveing excellence in their work before
putting more weight on external rewards.
Second, diversity versus singularity actually referred to the diverse experiences that an
education leader should experience. These successful leaders were involved in so many different but
enriching ventures that the benefits were enjoyed by all staff and students in the institutions that they
were involved in. Therefore, all educators should move towards diversifying their experiences and
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moving out of their comfort zones. As variety adds spice so would the varied programmes and
activities would help leaders grow stronger in carrying out their role.
Third, influence versus conflict management emphased on the need for leaders to understand
the needs of others rather than self. The staff under one’s responsibility needed more mortivation
and inspiration which could be achieved through sharing of leadership best practices and experiences
with everyone who needed the guidance. Through such sharing of best practices, better
understanding would be promoted that would lessen conflict among members of the institutions.
Fourth, training versus incidental learning stressed on the fact that formal training
throughout one’s training would lead to enhancement of leaders’ skills such as instructional,
administrative and communication skills. Indirectly these training sessions helped to increase their
confidence and multiplied their learning outcomes. Some learning were incidental because it was
learning achieved by both trainer and trainee or by leader and follower. Therefore, training sessions
should be considered as a means of continuing professional development and growth.
FIfth, glocal versus local networks were important factors in the leaders’ journey. They were
trained internationally and these provided them the impetus for futher networks that were maximised
in their institutions. They also continued to ensure that new networks were started to provide the
extra exposure for their students and staff to experience new learning and upgrading of skills
especially in terms of leadership. Links with local schools and community were also crucial in
developing their professional growth. Therefore, international and local networks would be
beneficial in providing varied and diverse learning opportunities.
Sixth, emotional intellingence versus emotional insecurity could impede development of a
leaders. All three leaders in this study provided evidence of high emotional intelligence that
propelled them further in their leadership success stories. In contrast, emotional insecurities were
implied to be from the lack of experience and the instrinsic drive that an individual might have.
Indirectly, one’s emotional intelligence needed to be addressed before a leader can grow
professionally.
Seventh. mentoring versus isolation in the lives of leaders were fundamental towards
individual leaders’ growth. All three participants in this study crossed paths and influenced each
other’s lives indirectly or directly as indicated in the sharing. This again placed emphasis on the need
for leaders to be open to become mentors and to create more leaders instead of isolating themselves
from their staff or students. The moral imperative of a leader is to create more leaders instead of
more followers.
Finally, the eight area looked at the leaders’ personal approach towards ensuring that work
life was stressfree despite the stressful nature of their job. Leaders needed to ensure that they took
up an activity that they enjoyed from walking to golf. Taking up a sport or two would ensure a
healthy body and a healthy mind. Hence, leaders needed to schedule in exercise into their daily
routine to provide that balance between mental health and their stressful responsibilities.
The rich sharing by these three distinguished education leaders provided eight areas of
interests, IDITGEMS that were significant in their professional development from a young educator
to great leaders in the institutions that they held during their tenure as heads of their respective
institutions. These insights highlighted their industrious journey towards achieving excellence. Their
descriptive sharing would be sources of inspiration for all students and lecturers in the Institute of
Teacher Education as well as the fraternity of teachers in Sabah and Malaysia. More importantly,
their visionary stewardship helped to create a shared vision, shape a culture of trust, supporting and
moniotoring collegial learning and facilitating change. The findings in this study would serve to
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kickstart two other research papers and a proposed publication of the educators’ achievements in a
book.
Suggestion
The study highlighted the beginning phase of the school leaders journey. For the researchers, future
researches would concentrate on how professional growth influence educational leaders’ leadership
principles and identifying codes for effective leaders. The final product for this study would be a
published book. More importantly for lecturers in the Institute of Teacher Education, there need to
be a re-examination of their journey towards their profession, how they started their humble journey
as a teacher and what future role and impact they hope to contribute to the development of a
professional body of learned educators of future teachers and leaders. Finally, the future roles of
lecturers who attained the JUSA C appointments should also be investigated as to how they could
build a valued research and innovation bridge between theory and practice that would be impactful
to practicing teachers.
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MENGEKSPLORASI TEKNIK PENYOALAN DALAM PdPc GURU DI
SEKOLAH AGAMA BANTUAN RAKYAT (SABK)
Mohd Syukri Aliff bin Mohd Aziz ([email protected])
Ahmad Shidki bin Mat Yusoff ([email protected])
Amni Safiah bt Ab Halim ([email protected])
Md Sajaretulmutaha bin Mat Nor ([email protected])
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Mizan, Besut, Terengganu
ABSTRAK
Kajian kualitatif ini bertujuan mengeksplorasi teknik penyoalan guru di Sekolah Agama Bantuan
Rakyat (SABK). Kaedah persampelan bertujuan digunakan dalam kajian ini. Responden yang dipilih
memberikan sumber maklumat yang maksimum bagi membantu memahami fenomena yang dikaji.
Responden yang dipilih merupakan tiga orang guru yang berpengalaman dan telah mengajar lebih
daripada enam tahun. Responden juga secara sukarela bersedia untuk terlibat dalam kajian.
Dapatan yang diperolehi menunjukkan guru mengambil berat dan menyedari kewujudan pelbagai
aras soalan di samping menggunakan pelbagai teknik penyoalan di dalam kelas. Sebagai
kesimpulan, para guru perlu merancang soalan yang ingin diutarakan semasa proses PdPc
berlangsung. Ini kerana penggunaan pelbagai aras soalan menjadikan proses pengajaran mereka
lebih menarik, tersusun dan mampu meningkatkan pembelajaran pelajar.
Kata kunci: teknik penyoalan, PdPc, Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan (SABK)
PENGENALAN
Transformasi dalam sistem pendidikan negara telah bermula pada tahun 2011 lagi dengan
pelaksanaan Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) bagi menggantikan Kurikulum Baharu
Sekolah Rendah (KBSR). Perubahan ini juga menekankan konsep pengajaran pemikiran kritis dan
kreatif dalam pelaksanaan teknik penyoalan KBAT kepada sekolah-sekolah di seluruh Malaysia
(Chew Fong Peng & Shashipriya Nadaraja 2014). Selain itu, perubahan ini juga adalah suatu bentuk
transformasi dalam bidang pendidikan di Malaysia dengan memberi fokus kepada pemikiran kritis
dan kreatif serta inovatif (Sharifah Nor 2012).
Melalui transformasi PPPM (2013-2025) ini, kementerian juga telah menggariskan strategi yang
boleh diberi perhatian bagi meningkatkan kemahiran berfikir murid dan salah satu strategi tersebut
adalah teknik penyoalan guru semasa PdPc. Teknik ini penting bagi menghasilkan kualiti murid yang
benar-benar berkualiti dan bertaraf dunia, sebagaimana yang dinyatakan Noor Rohana (2009), iaitu
soalan dan penyoalan yang sangat berperanan dalam kurikulum pendidikan negara ke arah membina
penguasaan kemahiran berfikir dengan lebih berkesan kepada pelajar. Dalam pengajaran dan
pembelajaran, guru-guru didapati guru kurang mahir dalam teknik penyoalan di dalam kelas (Zambri
Mahamod dan Nor Razah Lim, 2011). Guru lebih banyak menggunakan kaedah pengajaran secara
tradisional, iaitu bersyarah untuk memberi maklumat. Kegagalan guru untuk merangsang pemikiran
pelajar telah menyebabkan kurangnya penglibatan pelajar dalam mengikuti proses P&P guru Bahasa
Melayu. Kajian Seman (2005), Waheedawati (2003) dan Roselan (2001) menunjukkan penggunaan
penyoalan guru hanya berkisar pada aras kognitif rendah atau sederhana sahaja. Sebagai contoh,
kajian Waheedawati (2003) mendapati segelintir guru tidak dapat menguasai atau mengabaikan
penyoalan di dalam bilik darjah. Soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan adalah dalam jumlah yang kecil
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dan kurang merangsang daya pemikiran pelajar. Kajian Seman (2005) juga menunjukkan pola soalan
yang diajukan kepada pelajar adalah soalan-soalan beraras rendah, iaitu pada peringkat pengetahuan.
Guru juga kurang menerapkan aplikasi kemahiran berfikir melalui kaedah penyoalan yang
digunakan (Zambri Mahamod dan Nor Razah Lim, 2011). Menurut Balakrishan dan Muhundhan
(2002), aplikasi kemahiran berfikir melalui kaedah penyoalan guru semasa P&P adalah kurang.
Apabila teknik penyoalan guru kurang mengandungi unsur kemahiran berfikir, hal ini menyebabkan
pemikiran pelajar kurang berkembang melalui soalan yang dikemukakan oleh guru. Terdapat juga
dapatan pengkaji terdahulu yang menunjukkan guru mengabaikan penggunaan kemahiran
penyoalan. Selain daripada itu, kajian juga mendapati guru tidak menyedari kepentingan ‘masa
menunggu’ semasa mengemukakan soalan kepada pelajar. Guru memberikan tempoh masa kurang
daripada 30 saat untuk pelajar mencari dan memikirkan jawapan (Nazrulhaiza dan Waheedawati,
2003). Untuk mendapatkan jawapan yang betul dan tepat, guru sepatutnya memberikan tempoh
yang secukupnya kepada pelajar. Satu lagi aspek yang diabaikan ialah penglibatan pelajar dalam
mengemukakan soalan adalah sangat kurang.
Kajian Nazrulhaiza (2003) menunjukkan pelajar kurang menanyakan soalan. Penguasaan 100
peratus guru dalam menggunakan penyoalan tidak membuka ruang kepada pelajar dan akan
menyebabkan mereka bersikap pasif. Oleh itu, penyoalan guru mestilah dirancang dengan baik bagi
menepati penggunaan soalan dalam proses P&P yang berkesan. Guru boleh menggunakan soalan
untuk mencabar pemikiran pelajar atau menimbulkan perasaan ingin tahu dan minat pelajar pada
awal pengajaran hinggalah membawa kepada menjawab soalan guru yang dikemukakan secara
bertulis (M. Mojibur 2010). Penggunaan penyoalan dalam proses P&P akan membawa kepada
proses mendapatkan jawapan yang betul, sekaligus membantu pelajar mendapatkan idea serta
mengukuhkannya dalam bentuk pertuturan dan penulisan.
Hal ini selari dengan pandangan Yahya (2014) yang menjelaskan penguasaan dan amalan terhadap
kemahiran berfikir menjadi sangat penting bagi membentuk dan membina kualiti murid yang mampu
bersaing di pentas global yang kian mencabar. Dalam sesuatu PdPc, pastinya penyoalan adalah
elemen yang tidak dapat lari daripada amalan pengajaran seseorang guru. Hal ini kerana teknik
penyoalan sebenarnya telah lama tergolong dalam proses Pdpc sehinggakan teknik ini menjadi nadi
dan paling diminati dalam sesuatu pengajaran (Nathesan, 2010). Namun hakikatnya, didapati guru
tidak menggunakan bentuk penyoalan yang bersesuaian semasa mengajar kemahiran bahasa. Hal ini
turut disebut dalam kajian Supramani (2006) bahawa para guru hanya bergantung pada penggunaan
buku teks semata-mata dan mengguna pakai soalan-soalan yang disediakan sahaja. Perkara ini
sebenarnya membantutkan proses pemikiran aras tinggi murid di dalam kelas.
Permasalahan kebergantungan guru kepada buku teks juga menyebabkan ruang lingkup pemikiran
murid tidak dikembangkan kepada aras yang lebih tinggi seperti aspek penganalisisan, sintesis,
mahupun reka cipta. Begitu juga dengan proses penyoalan semasa proses PdPc. Roselan (2003)
menjelaskan bahawa masalah dalam pengajaran guru adalah proses penyoalan namun perkara ini
tidak disedari sehingga menjadi masalah utama kebanyakan guru. Masalah yang mengaitkan guru
yang tidak melaksanakan pengajaran KBAT turut dinyatakan oleh Musliha Salma Mohd Radzi
(2010), iaitu pengajaran guru yang tidak sistematik dan tidak berkesinambungan dengan pelajaran
sebelumnya menyebabkan murid tidak mampu menggunakan KBAT seperti analisis, sintesis, dan
penilaian dengan sempurna.
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Berdasarkan masalah yang dinyatakan, adalah jelas menunjukkan KBAT perlu dijadikan budaya
dalam teknik penyoalan guru semasa PdPc bagi menghasilkan kualiti murid yang benar-benar
berkualiti dan bertaraf dunia, sebagaimana yang dinyatakan Noor Rohana (2009), iaitu soalan dan
penyoalan yang sangat berperanan dalam kurikulum pendidikan negara ke arah membina
penguasaan kemahiran berfikir dengan lebih berkesan kepada pelajar.
TINJAUAN LITERATUR
Dalam kajian terhadap teknik penyoalan guru sains oleh Sumayao dan Niez (2016), dapatan
menunjukkan guru sains cenderung mengutarakan soalan aras rendah (78.42%) kepada pelajar iaitu
soalan aras kognitif pengetahuan yang bersifat konvergen yang memerlukan jawapan yang sangat
ringkas iaitu satu patah perkataan atau frasa. Kajian berbentuk kualitatif terhadap teknik penyoalan
guru fizik oleh A Halim et. al. (2018) mendapati kemahiran menyoal guru fizik masih pada tahap
sederhana. Mohamad Hisyam et. al. (2017) menjalankan kajian bagi mengenalpasti latihan dan
kemahiran yang dimiliki guru sains dalam menilai KBAT pelajar dan mendapati kemahiran dalam
memupuk pemikiran kritis dan aras tinggi dalam diri para pelajar adalah lemah.
Kajian Supramani (2006) juga melaporkan, guru yang mengajar kemahiran bahasa hanya bergantung
kepada soalan-soalan di dalam buku teks semata-mata. Ini disokong oleh Zamri dan Nor Razah
(2016) yang menyatakan penyoalan guru Bahasa Melayu lebih tertumpu pada soalan aras rendah dan
sederhana berbanding dengan soalan aras tinggi. Lingkaran soalan yang digunakan oleh guru Bahasa
Melayu juga kurang bersifat global. Hal ini membataskan tahap pemikiran murid dan tidak
menggalakkan amalan budaya berfikir. Walaubagaimanapun, kajian dari perspektif murid oleh
Chew dan Zul Hazmi (2018) menunjukkan tahap guru Bahasa Melayu mengaplikasikan teknik
penyoalan KBAT dalam PdPc adalah tinggi. Deshmukh et al. (2019) mengkaji aras penyoalan guru
prasekolah dan tindak balas kanak-kanak mendapati guru cenderung bertanyakan soalan yang hanya
memerlukan jawapan Ya atau Tidak iaitu soalan aras rendah. Soalan-soalan aras tinggi seperti
‘mengapa’ atau ‘bagaimana’ jarang diutarakan. Hasil analisis juga mendapati kanak-kanak
memerlukan masa yang lebih lama dan memberi respon yang lebih panjang kepada soalan aras
tinggi. Meskipun respon yang diberikan kanak-kanak adalah kurang tepat, mereka mendapat manfaat
daripada interaksi pembelajaran yang mencabar kemampuan kognitif mereka (Vygotski 1978) di
dalam Deshmukh et al. (2019).
Kurikulum dan pendekatan pedagogi mata pelajaran sains yang bersifat inkuiri adalah bertujuan
menanam sikap saintifik dan memupuk literasi sains yang bermakna dalam diri murid melalui
amalan pengajaran guru yang berkualiti (Kamisah et al. 2007). Penyoalan guru merupakan satu alat
dalam memberi rangsangan dan mencetuskan pemikiran murid agar murid terbimbing untuk
membina kefahaman dan pengetahuan yang baharu seperti yang dilaporkan oleh Crowe dan Stanford
(2010) di mana penggunaan soalan yang berkesan sebagai alat pembelajaran oleh guru berupaya
mewujudkan persekitaran pembelajaran yang dinamik dan interaktif di mana murid menganalisis
dan memproses maklumat secara aktif untuk menjawab soalan yang diutarakan oleh guru.
Penguasaan teknik penyoalan yang baik oleh guru akan memandu pemikiran murid dari aras rendah
ke aras yang lebih tinggi. Collins (2014) menyatakan, berpandukan kepada Aras Taksonomi,
pengajaran kemahiran berfikir boleh dilaksanakan secara berstruktur oleh guru dengan merancang
penyoalan di dalam bilik darjah agar soalan-soalan yang ditanya lebih terarah, berpandu dan
berupaya membina kemahiran berfikir dalam diri murid.
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Selain itu, penggunaan kepelbagaian soalan untuk tujuan yang berbeza oleh guru dapat
meningkatkan tahap pemikiran kritis murid. Soalan yang dibina dengan baik dan bertujuan akan
mencerminkan pemikiran yang lebih tinggi dan menyokong pembinaan pengetahuan dan kefahaman
(Weiss & Pasley, 2004). Tujuan atau matlamat sesuatu soalan akan membantu menentukan soalan
yang sesuai untuk diutarakan (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2000; Bloom, 1956). Tambahan pula,
integrasi pelbagai tahap soalan semasa pengajaran memberi peluang untuk guru membuat proses
penilaian dan pembezaan semasa proses pengajaran berlaku (Rogers & Abell, 2008). Memahami
dan menggunakan pelbagai jenis dan tahap soalan iaitu pengetahuan, pemahaman, aplikasi, analisis,
penilaian, dan sintesis akan menyokong perkembangan strategi penyoalan guru secara sistematik
(Hill & Flynn, 2008). Murid-murid akan dipandu oleh guru untuk meneroka pemikiran yang lebih
mendalam dan meluas dengan soalan-soalan yang berkesan dan berkualiti semasa sesi pengajaran
berlaku.
Penyoalan yang berkesan mampu mewujudkan persekitaran yang mendorong pembelajaran dan
mengujakan murid-murid (Costa 2000). Penyoalan dan pemikiran aras tinggi memberi gambaran
kepada pengolahan maklumat dan idea yang berlaku yang seterusnya membuka peluang untuk
mewujudkan kefahaman yang baharu (The State of Queensland Department Education 2004).
Menurut Beyer (2000), terdapat hubungan antara aras penyoalan guru dan prestasi murid kerana
tahap penyoalan mencerminkan tahap pemikiran yang diterapkan di dalam bilik darjah. Stigler dan
Hiebert (2004) menghuraikan kualiti penyoalan guru dan kebolehan guru membuat perkaitan yang
eksplisit memberi kesan kepada jurang pencapaian murid bukan hanya tahap sosioekonomi,
kemajuan teknologi mahupun kurikulum semata-mata. Walaubagaimanapun, kajian menunjukkan
pelajar di lokasi bandar yang mempunyai mempunyai pendedahan dari aspek infrastruktur seperti
komputer, capaian internet, tuisyen serta maklumat lebih pantas dan mudah berbanding lokasi luar
bandar memiliki tahap KBAT yang lebih tinggi berbanding di luar bandar (Farah Aida & Che
Nidzam 2014). Menurut Mohd Zaidi et al. (2020), aras pengajaran guru yang terpaksa direndahkan
semasa PdPC di kawasan pedalaman. Aras yang rendah ini tidak bermaksud guru mengulang
kurikulum sekolah rendah tetapi guru menggunakan pengajaran bersifat mudah agar mudah diproses
oleh pelajar.
METODOLOGI
Data dikutip menggunakan kaedah temu bual dan senarai semak (check list) yang diadaptasi daripada
kajian Zamri Mahamod dan Nor Razah Lim (2011).. Sampel: Kaedah persampelan bertujuan
digunakan dalam penyelidikan ini. Creswell (2002) dan Bogdan dan Biklen (2003) menyatakan
bahawa melalui pensampelan sebegini, responden yang dipilih merupakan responden terbaik yang
dapat memberikan sumber maklumat yang maksimum bagi membantu memahami fenomena yang
dikaji. Pengkaji mengunakan tiga orang guru yang berpengalaman yang telah mengajar lebih
daripada enam tahun dan secara sukarela bersedia untuk menjadi responden kajian. Populasi:
Sekolah Agama guru di Sekolah Agama Bantuan Rakyat (SABK). Data dianalisis menggunakan
kaedah tematik bagi menjawab persoalan dalam kajian ini.
DAPATAN KAJIAN
Dapatan kajian yang dibentangkan ialah data yang diperolehi daripada tiga orang guru sebagai
responden kajian dan dibentangkan mengikut setiap peserta kajian iaitu Guru A (responden kajian
1), Guru B (responden kajian 2) dan Guru C (responden kajian 3). Perbincangan dapatan kajian tidak
membandingkan antara Guru A, Guru B dan Guru C tetapi mengabungkan kedua-dua analisis data
untuk memperkayakan kefahaman atas tujuan memahami fenomena kajian dengan lebih mendalam.
Dapatan temu bual telah dibahagikan kepada tiga kategori bagi menjawab tiga persoalan kajian iaitu;
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Adakah guru mengambil berat pengkelasan aras soalan dalam PdPc? Adakah wujud aras penyoalan
guru mengikut mata pelajaran dan Apakah teknik penyoalan yang digemari oleh guru?
Bagi menjawab persoalan kajian pertama, Adakah guru mengambil berat pengkelasan aras soalan
dalam PdPc? Hasil kajian mendapati ketiga-tiga responden mengambil berat mengenai pengkelasan
aras soalan dalam PdPc. Berdasarkan dapatan kajian ini juga dapat disimpulkan bahawa guru
merancang terlebih dahulu soalan yang ingin diajukan kepada murid semasa proses PdPc
berlangsung. Ini disokong melalui respon dari Guru A “Aras soalan (pengetahuan) memberi kesan
kepada pelajar saya dalam kelas. Pelajar sederhana suka bertanyakan soalan yang mudah (aras
rendah) dan memerlukan jawapan pendek (aras rendah). Manakala pelajar pandai lebih suka berdiam
diri”. Responden 2 pula menjawab: “penyoalan saya tidak sampai kepada menghasilkan sesuatu
(aras mencipta), tetapi saya bermula dari aras bawah. “Pelajar lebih faham (aras memahami) bila
saya buat hands-on..kalau saya tanya aras tinggi sahaja mereka tak nampak..”. Guru C pula
memberikan respon “saya akan cuba bertanyakan soalan mula dengan aras bawah dulu (aras rendah),
nak tengok respon pelajar dan nak tarik (perhatian) dia dalam kelas”.
Penggunaan soalan merupakan salah satu cara guru menyampaikan kandungan pelajaran kepada
para pelajarnya. Soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan berpotensi untuk membantu pelajar untuk
mencapai keupayaan kognitif optimum. Melalui soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan oleh guru dalam
proses pembelajaran dan pengjaran (P&P) dapat mendedahkan pelajar menggunakan pengetahuan
sedia ada dan membandingkan maklumat yang diperoleh dan kemudian menggunakannya untuk
penyelesaian masalah. Pelajar bertindak secara aktif dan bukannya bertindak secara pasif dalam
proses pembelajaran mereka. Berdasarkan respon para guru, hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa guru
di SABK mengambil berat mengenai pengkelasan aras soalan dengan terlebih dahulu merancang
dengan bertanyakan soalan bermula dari aras rendah sehingga aras tinggi. Pengkelasan ini mengikut
para guru yang mengajar adalah satu keperluan dengan kepelbagaian tahap pelajar dan bagi menarik
minat pelajar di dalam PdPc. Oleh yang demikian, guru perlu mengetahui kewujudan pelbagai aras
soalan atau pemeringkatan aras soalan sebelum bertanyakan kepada pelajar mereka. Menurut Zamri
Mahamod dan Nor Razah Lim (2011), soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan oleh guru mestilah dapat
menguji atau menilai apa yang telah disampaikan oleh guru semasa proses P&P. Seseorang guru
yang mahir ialah seorang penyoal yang berkesan kerana beliau dapat menggunakan soalan-soalan
yang membimbing para pelajar memberikan idea yang jelas, mengembangkan potensi berfikir, serta
dapat menggerakkan daya imaginasi pelajar.
Bagi menjawab persoalan kedua kajian, “Apakah wujud pelbagai aras penyoalan guru mengikut
mata pelajaran?” Respon yang diberikan oleh para responden adalah amat baik di mana guru
menyedari kewujudan aras soalan mengikut konteks dan masa guru. Ini dapat dilihat melalui Guru
A “Saya lebih suka menyoal soalan yang memerlukan pelajar berfikir”. “Bergantung kepada masa
kelas, kalau satu masa, saya lebih fokus aras rendah (sedar). Guru B pula memberikan respon “saya
soal pelajar berkaitan pengetahuan dan kefahaman (sedar)…contohnya apa nama struktur
tersebut..nama sel atau organ. Kalau kefahaman (sedar) saya tanya berkaitan fungsi”. Guru C juga
memberikan respon yang positif dimana “saya selalu tanya soalan yang pendek-pendek (sedar),
nanti bila pelajar bagi jawapan baru saya tanya soalan lain pulak lepas tu (soalan lanjutan)”
Berdasarkan respon para guru, hasil menunjukkan bahawa guru di SABK menyedari wujudnya
kepelbagaian aras penyoalan dan menyesuaikan dengan tahap pelajar dan konteks persekitaran
seperti masa yang diperuntukkan. Menurut Mohd Syaubari Othman dan Ahmad Yunus Kassim
(2017), penyoalan merupakan sebahagian kemahiran pedagogi yang perlu ada pada setiap guru.
Teknik penyoalan yang berkesan mendorong dan merangsang pemikiran pelajar. Guru yang
mempunyai kemahiran menyoal bukan sahaja berupaya mendorong dan merangsang pemikiran
pelajar malah mampu meningkatkan keyakinan diri dan pelajarnya daripada bersifat pasif atau
pendiam. Kaedah penyoalan merupakan kaedah pengajaran dan pembelajaran (PdP) yang mampu
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merangsang daya pemikiran seseorang pelajar menerusi berbagai bentuk pendekatan seperti
penyoalan secara terus, penyoalan secara kumpulan, penyoalan proses, penyoalan penilaian dan
sebagainya.
Bagi menjawab persoalan ketiga kajian, di mana pengkaji ingin melihat “Apakah teknik penyoalan
yang digemari oleh guru?”, maklum balas yang diterima adalah Guru A “Saya buat statement ,
kemudian bagi ruang pelajar fikir, (masa menunggu) tunggu reaction dia dan mimik muka dia”
(maklum balas). Guru B pula memberi respon “Saya selalu tanya soalan yang pendek-pendek, nanti
bila pelajar bagi jawapan baru saya tanya soalan lain pulak lepas tu (soalan lanjutan). Kalau tanya
panjang-panjang pelajar tak jawab…” manakala Guru C pula “saya akan tanya pelajar dengan
soalan pendek dulu..bila pelajar jawab saya minta dia ulas (soalan lanjutan)”
Berdasarkan respon para responden, jelas menunjukkan bahawa para guru SABK lebih menggemari
bentuk soalan lanjutan yang mana soalan yang diajukan adalah dibina dari jawapan atau maklum
balas pelajar. Teknik ini dilihat lebih digemari kerana teknik ini dilihat mampu menggalakkan
interaksi guru dan pelajar secara berkesan dan kemahiran komunikasi lisan ini dapat mengukur
keupayaan dan kebolehan seseorang pelajar itu berkomunikasi dengan baik ataupun sebaliknya (M.
Mojibur, 2010).
PERBINCANGAN
Para responden menunjukkan bahawa ketiga-tiga guru SABK mengambil berat mengenai aras soalan
di mana mereka terlebih dahulu merancang soalan yang ingin ditanyakan semasa proses PdPc
berlaku. Penggunaan pelbagai aras di dalam soalan lisan semasa mengendalikan PdPc juga
diamalkan oleh para guru dan ini menunjukkan bahawa mereka menyedari dan mengetahui
kewujudan pelbagai aras soalan. Ini bermakna kedua-dua guru percaya bahawa penggunaan pelbagai
aras soalan menjadikan proses pengajaran mereka lebih menarik dan mampu meningkatkan
pembelajaran pelajar. Semasa proses pdpc berlangsung, antara amalan para guru di SABK dalam
taknik penyoalan adalah dengan menggunakan teknik soalan lanjutan iaitu guru akan menunggu
maklum balas pelajar sebelum membina soalan baru berdasarkan maklum balas pelajar. Amalan ini
juga dilihat mampu menarik minat pelajar di dalam kelas dan berupaya membina komunikasi yang
baik antara guru dan pelajar. Soalan lanjutan yang dibina adalah bermula dari aras rendah sehingga
aras tinggi dan ini bergantung kepada jumlah masa yang diperuntukkan bagi sesuatu kelas dan
konteks yang diajar.
RUMUSAN
Keseluruhan kajian ini memberikan maklumat mengenai teknik penyoalan dalam kalangan guru
SABK. Teknik penyoalan penting kerana penyoalan merupakan sebahagian daripada kemahiran
pedagogi yang perlu ada pada setiap guru. Teknik penyoalan yang berkesan mendorong dan
merangsang pemikiran pelajar. Guru yang mempunyai kemahiran menyoal bukan sahaja berupaya
mendorong dan merangsang pemikiran pelajar malah mampu meningkatkan keyakinan diri
pelajarnya daripada bersifat pasif atau pendiam. Kepelbagaian aras penyoalan disertakan dengan
kandungannya yang menepati aras pemikiran tahap tinggi mampu mencetuskan elemen pemikiran
dan cetusan yang berstruktur dan berkualiti. Walaupun kajian hanya menggunakan analisis kualitatif,
namun hasil yang diperolehi menggambarkan kedalaman pendekatan penyoalan yang digunakan
oleh guru dan proses bagaimana kefahaman yang dibentuk oleh pelajar daripada soalan yang
dikemukakan.
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dan Kesusasteraan Melayu Kali Ketiga, 7-14. Bangi: Penerbit Fakulti Pendidikan, Universiti
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(MyLEJ) (51-65)
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Financial Knowledge, Financial Attitude and Financial Behaviour of IPGK Ipoh
Lecturers
Noradzimah bt. Abdul Majid, Ph.D. ([email protected])
Roslan b. Saari,
Kamaruddin b. Ilias Ph.D.
Ravikumar a/l Varatharaj, Ph.D.
Noor Aini bt Nasaruddin, Ph.D.
Ho Wen Jye
Institut Pendidikan Guru, Kampus Ipoh
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the level of financial literacy among the lecturers of Institut
Pendidikan Guru, Kampus Ipoh and also the relationship between the variables. A survey via Google
Form was administered to 169 lecturers. A correlation test was used to analyse the data collected
using SPSS Version 23. The findings revealed that the respondents had moderate level of financial
knowledge and high level on financial attitude and behaviour. The result of this study showed that
there exists significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitude with high
correlation (0.7). On the other hand, there exists significant relationship between financial
knowledge and financial behaviour, but with moderate correlation (0.504). This study enriched the
financial literature by identifying factors that influenced financial behaviour and provided
suggestions to be practiced by IPGKI in developing good financial attitude and financial behaviour
of the lecturers.
Keywords: Financial Literacy, Financial Knowledge, Financial Attitude, Financial
Behavior, Financial Well-being
Introduction
Financial literacy is very important to everybody nowadays. In this modern world of increased
individual financial responsibility where workers are in charge of their financial well-being and
where financial markets offer new and complex financial products, financial literacy is essential.
People need to secure their own financial well-being; therefore financial literacy is particularly
severe in certain demographic groups especially teenagers and elderly (early baby boomers) who
face retirement soon. Low financial literacy will lead to heavy debt, therefore there is a need to instil
good financial literacy to everybody as to avoid from excess use of money on credit cards, stocks
investment, mutual funds and other forms of borrowing. Financial literacy is more towards financial
knowledge and financial attitudes which lead to financial behaviour and decision making.
According to the life-cycle model, people should be forward-looking and look ahead, anticipate the
drop in income after retirement, and calculate how much they need to save in order to maintain a
constant stream of consumption over their lifetime. This requires the ability to make projections
about future variables (such as income growth, inflation, and pension benefits) as well as the ability
to determine present discounted values. Tang Ruxyn (2017) in his research stated that Malaysians
are incapable of making responsible financial decisions for their own financial well-being and
Malaysians are vulnerable to financial frauds and scams due to their poor financial management
practices. Financial Stability and Payment Systems Report (2015) also reported that 76% of
Malaysians were not able to raise at least RM1000 in an emergency situation. Also majority of youths
depend on high cost borrowings, personal loans and credit card borrowings (Asian Institute of
Finance, 2015). Despite increasing life expectancy in Malaysia, only 40% are financially ready for
their retirement (Financial Stability and Payment).
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Surveys conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Bank
Negara Malaysia indicate that Malaysians have low financial knowledge and myopic "live for today"
attitude when it comes to personal financial management (Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Financial
Education Network, 2019). The Financial Education Network (FEN) which was formulated in 2018
and had introduced The National Strategy for Financial Literacy (2019-2023), a move in raising
financial literacy to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their
financial well-being. Improving the financial well-being of all Malaysians is an important priority in
order to realise the country full potential and thus to elevate the levels of financial literacy; promote
responsible financial behaviour and healthy attitudes towards financial management. The
Government hopes to see Malaysians live well and contribute productively to the building of a
resilient and an inclusive economy. Therefore, the national strategy supports the government's
aspiration for shared prosperity by ensuring that Malaysians are empowered with the right
knowledge and skills to confidently make responsible financial decisions at every stage of their life.
It is imperative that financial education is accessible to Malaysians across all ages and life stages.
Problem Statement
Financial literacy among Malaysian nowadays is very low which problems to the nation become.
Due to lack of financial literacy, young adults who just leave university and begin to enter the
workplace always face many challenges and problems. According to Chinen, et. al (2012), young
workers were less capable in handling their own personal finances and some of them are in trouble
to handle their money spending and often are short of money. Chinen and Endo (2012) stated that
college students and young workers were less capable in handling their own personal finances and
thus, often are short of money. Studies such as the level of financial knowledge effect of financial
literacy on individual savings (Anthony & Sabri, 2015); demographics and personal financial
wellbeing measures (Mahdzan & Tabiani, 2013); individual financial knowledge (Loke, 2015) and
impact of financial socialisation factors and gender differences (Yew, Yong, Cheong, & Tey, 2017)
concluded that overall, financial literacy among Malaysians is lower compared with rest of the world
and with differences among ethnic groups and gender. Hung, Parker and Yoong (2009), stated that
it is important to understand how an individual develops an ability to make correct financial
decisions. Incorporating financial knowledge, attitude and behaviour together in a model will
generate a comprehensive understanding of financial literacy (Serido, Shim & Tang, 2013). Vieira
and Mendes-Da-Silva (2016) emphasised the need for various measures to enhance financial literacy
that targets minimum financial knowledge, attitude and behaviour.
As financial literacy is very low among the people, and that it affects financial behaviour, it is a
need to improve financial literacy and raise financial knowledge among the students in the schools
and the workers in the workplace. This will stimulate saving among low-income workers, decrease
the heavy debt among young people who are normally those least likely to save and increase
retirement planning which have a large effect on saving. Financial literacy enables people to
understand what is needed to achieve a lifestyle that is financially balanced, sustainable, ethical and
responsible. The ability to make sound financial decisions is vital to our everyday lives, enabling us
to provide for current and future financial needs. Thus, it is hope the current study will enlighten
upon the financial literacy among IPG lectures and further, they then could inculcate and impart
positive behaviour, knowledge, and attitude among the IPG students.
Objectives
This study seeks to examine:
1. The level of financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour of
the lecturers in Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ipoh (IPGKI).
2. The relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitudes, and also
between financial knowledge and financial behaviour.
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Research Questions
1. What is the level of financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour of the
lecturers in Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ipoh (IPGKI)?
2. What is the relationship between of financial knowledge with financial attitudes and
financial behaviour among the lecturers of Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ipoh
Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1: There is significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial
financial attitudes
Hypothesis 2: There is significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial
behaviour
Literature Review
Financial literacy is a combination of knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, awareness and capabilities
required to make financial decisions and for individuals achieving wealth (OECD, 2012). Human
and McQuitty (2009) have developed a conceptual model of financial literacy, which includes three
components: capacity, prior knowledge, and proficiency. Based on this model, financial education
contributes to financial literacy through enhancing consumers’ ability to learn, obtain, and apply
financial knowledge. Anjali (2016) posit that financial literacy level of an individual depends on
one’s financial needs and behaviour. Potrich et al. (2016) suggests that financial literacy is a
combination of three components i.e. financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour.
They developed three models of financial literacy and make comparisons of the models for assessing
financial literacy of students in Brazil. Their best model demonstrated that financial attitude and
financial knowledge influenced financial behaviour of the students. Hogarth (2002) defined financial
literacy as the ways how people manage their money in terms of insuring, investing, saving and
budgeting. It is the understanding and knowledge of basic financial concepts, and the ability to use
them to plan and manage their financial decisions. Mahdzan (2013) stated that financial literacy is
determined by experience, expertise and person’s need and can have a positive impact on
consumers’ personal involvement in financial markets and service.
There have been many studies carried out among young people and students on financial literacy.
There is considerable evidence that financial education increases financial literacy and encourages
desirable financial behaviours of individuals (Lusardi & Mitchell, 2007). Previous research shows
that higher financial literacy and good financial behaviours benefit the nation (Lusardi & Mitchell,
2007). Sholehah et al (2017) found that family influence, financial attitude and financial knowledge
have significant positive relationship towards financial literacy. Albeerdy & Gharleghi (2015)
showed that financial education, financial socialization instruments and the attitudes towards money
had a direct impact on financial literacy of university students in Malaysia.
Large-scale programmes studying the financial literacy of students were the projects supported by
the OECD and World Bank. Surveys conducted by the OECD and Bank Negara Malaysia (2019)
indicate that Malaysians have low financial knowledge and myopic "live for today" attitude when it
comes to personal financial management. The Financial Education Network (FEN), namely - the
Ministry of Education Malaysia, Employees Provident Fund, Perbadanan Insurans Deposit
Malaysia, Permodalan Nasional Berhad and Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit work
together in articulating the strategic priorities and action plans within the National Strategy for
Financial Literacy 2019-2023, which aspires to elevate the levels of financial literacy, promote
responsible financial behaviour and healthy attitudes towards financial management. Improving
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financial literacy across all segments of society requires a systematic, sustained and coordinated
approach that focuses on engendering long-term behavioural change. The National Strategy
identifies the key priorities for achieving this, and serves to align and harness synergies across
initiatives with the ultimate goal of elevating the financial well-being of all Malaysians. According
to the Co-Chairs of the FEN, Nor Shamsiah Yunus and Syed Zaid Albar, raising financial literacy is
key to empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their financial
well being. The ability to make sound financial decisions is vital to our everyday lives, enabling us
to provide for current and future financial needs. The National Strategy ultimate aim is to intensify
financial education to elevate the financial literacy of Malaysians, one of the prerequisites needed to
improve their financial well-being. The National Strategy, a holistic five-year plan, sets out strategic
priorities and broad action plans to develop a financially literate nation. The findings revealed that
university and school students have a low level of financial literacy in general or in some of its
aspects, such as personal earnings, consumer lending and investment (Langrehr, 1979 & Thompson,
1965).
While financial literacy refers to how such knowledge and abilities are used, Potrich et al. (2016)
defined financial education as a development process in order to facilitate people to make correct
decisions using the knowledge and thereby successfully manage personal finance. One of the most
important roles of financial education is to act as a preventive measure to manage debt (Anderloni
& Vandone, 2011). In Malaysia, the level of education, type of profession and government pensions
scheme have significantly impacted the financial knowledge of working adults (Loke, 2015).
Atkinson and Messy (2012) considered knowledge, attitude and behaviour as components of
financial literacy. It is evident financial behaviour can be changed with better financial knowledge
and attitude and in turn, positive financial attitude results in better financial management practices
(Bir, 2016).
Sabri, et. Al (2010) stated that Malaysian college students had low levels of financial literacy;
therefore they always face problems in their university life. Besides young people, older people also
have low level of financial knowledge as stated in the survey by Iris Ben David (2015). In his survey
on 283 lecturers who work at universities and colleges in Israel, there exist positive relationships
between their background characteristics, financial behaviour and financial awareness. About 42%
of the participants answered all the questions correctly, reflecting a low level of financial literacy.
Educators who were less exposed to financial information via the media also displayed lower levels
of financial literacy. Another research was done by Irma Setyawati (2017) on 2,611 lecturers in Java
Island, Indonesia. Based on the data obtained, overall, the lecturers have a high level of personal
financial management, most of them have enough knowledge and understanding of the financial
concepts, especially the concept of division, time value of money, profit sharing, the risks and return,
inflation, diversification, financial management, retirement and estate planning, and general
management. From the findings, lecturers with a doctorate will have a personal financial
management higher than lecturers who hold a master’s degree. The result is supported by the
descriptive analysis, shows that the higher level of education lectures had an average score of
financial knowledge than lower levels of education.
It is very important to improve the financial literacy of the college students and the lecturers so that
they have positive financial management attitudes. In Malaysia, there is an effort made by the
government to enhance financial literacy among its nation by integrating Economic Transformation
Program (ETP) into school curriculums. Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK)
was formed to help those who need financial advices (Bank Negara Malaysia, 2013). AKPK is an
agency set up by Bank Negara Malaysia to help individuals take control of their financial situation
and gain peace of mind that comes from the wise use of credit card. Through AKPK’s Debt
Management Programme (DMP), the counsellors will work with the clients to develop a personalised
debt repayment plan in consultation with their financial service providers. The intentions of the
programs launched are to create financial awareness and to improve financial knowledge among
Malaysians. Unfortunately, out of all efforts being made by the government, the bankruptcy cases
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increased from 16,228 cases in year 2010 to 19,588 cases in year 2016 (Department of Insolvency,
2016). The increasing trend of the bankruptcy cases represent that there is an unsolved problem and
there is a need to improve financial literacy skills of Malaysian.
Research Framework
This study adopted Yong, Yew and Wee (2018) research framework (Figure 1) whereby their proposed
model consists of two dimensions of financial literacy: knowledge and application. Perceiving
financial literacy as a process, the input, throughput and output are conceptualised. The model
proposed that an individual’s financial knowledge leads to financial behaviour. The first path
presumes the changed attitude is due to improved financial knowledge and the second path is a direct
path where the increased knowledge will generate an immediate change in behaviour. The
proposition in their model was that when individuals’ knowledge on financial matters increases, it
will empower them through a positive change in attitude towards finance. This ultimately can
produce accepted financial behaviours.
Knowledge Dimension Application Dimension
Input Throughput Output
Financial Knowledge Financial Attitude
Financial
Financial Behaviour Literacy
Figure1: Research Framework (adapted from Yong, Yew & Wee (2018).
Methodology
This study adopted descriptive research approaches to analyse the level of financial literacy among
the lecturers of Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ipoh and to investigate whether there is a
relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitudes and between financial knowledge
and financial behaviour. This research uses convenience sampling with quantitative research
approach. This approach concerns with the collection and analysis of data in numeric form from a
given questionnaire. The mean and standard deviation for each questionnaire will be calculated,
followed by calculating the whole mean of each part using Statistical Package for Social Scientist
(SPSS) computer software programme. Out of 290 lecturers in IPGK Ipoh, 165 of them are chosen
as the sample of this research according to determining sample size made by Kretcie & Morgan
(1970). Based on the background and the formulation of the problem as well as the characteristic of
objects that are examined, this research is classified using hypothesis. The source of data used in this
study is primary data obtained directly from the respondents.
The research instrument used in this study is survey which is depicted as methods of data
accumulation. The survey strategy will allow the researchers to collect quantitative data which can
be analysed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics. The set of questionnaires are
composed to four parts. Part A consists of questionnaires to collect demographic information. Part
B consists of twenty questions with a five-point likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree
) that will measure financial behaviour. These questions will be used to analyse the lecturer’s
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behaviour regarding the use of personal credit, planned consumption, investments and savings. Part
C will measure financial knowledge which consists of twenty items concerning personal finance that
were adapted from Sabri et al (2010). Questions related to respondents’ knowledge about financial
records, credits, savings, investment, and time value of money, wills, insurance, retirement, and other
general knowledge on personal finance. Five-point likert scale answer (1=strongly disagree, 5=
strongly agree ) are also given to respondents where the higher the score, the better is the level of
financial knowledge. The final part of the questionnaire, Part D consists of nine questions to evaluate
financial attitude which will also utilize a five point Likert scale that range as before where higher
scores indicate good financial attitude.
Findings
1. Reliability Test for the Questionnaires
According to Hair (2003), the level of acceptance of the reliability of a research instrument shows
that respondents have answered questions or statements in a consistent manner. He has given
guidelines on Cronbach's Alpha values which explain the strength of the relationship as in Table 1.
Table 1: Cronbach Alpha Size Coefficient (General Rules)
Alpha Coefficient Range Strength of Relationship
< 0.6 Weak
0.6 < 0.7 Moderate
0.7 < 0.8 Good
0.8 < 0.9
0.9 ke atas Very Good
Excellent
Source: Hair et al., (2003): Essential of Business Research Method
The findings for the reliability test is as below
Table 2: Values of reliability coefficients of financial knowledge, financial behaviour and
financial attitudes
Tools/ Variables Value of Alfa Cronbach
Financial Knowledge 0.76
Financial Attitude 0.87
Financial Behaviour
0.70
Whole value 0.86
Based on Table 1 above, the reliability coefficient of Alpha Cronbach for this study is: financial
knowledge measuring instrument 0.76, financial attitude measuring tool 0.70 and financial behaviour
measuring tool 0.87. The overall Cronbach’s alpha of this measuring instrument is 0.86 for 38 items.
The result of this Cronbach’s alpha coefficient value exceeds 0.65 and the reliability is at a good
level and the items in the questionnaire can be used in the study.
ii. Respondent background
The following is the profile of the respondent in terms of demographics, namely gender.
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Table 3: Distribution of respondents by demographics
Profile Male Frequency Percentage
Gender Female 65 39.4
100
60.6
iii. Level of financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour
Using descriptive statistic, the mean for each part is stated as below.
Table 4: Level of financial knowledge, financial attitude and financial behaviour
No ITEM MEAN LEVEL
1 Financial Knowledge 3.30 Moderate
2 Financial Attitude 3.47 High
3 Financial Behaviour 4.01 High
WHOLE MEAN 3.59 High
Referring to Table 4, the mean of financial knowledge is 3.30 which are at a moderate level while
the mean of financial behaviour is 4.01 and the financial attitude is 3.47 which are both at a high
level. The whole mean is 3.59 and is considered as the financial literacy of the lecturers. Therefore
the financial literacy of the lecturer is at moderate level.
iv. Correlation Analysis
For this study, correlation analysis was done on the relevant variables to see if there is a significant
relationship between the three variables, which is needed to answer the hypothesis of this study.
Table 5: Correlation Strength Values Correlation Strength
Correlation Coefficient Very Strong
1 High
0.7 – 0.9 Moderate
0.4 – 0.6 Low
0.1 – 0.3 Null
0
Source: Analysis of Correlation Test with SPSS Data (2001)
Hypothesis1: There is significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitudes
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Table 6: Relation of financial knowledge to financial attitudes
Financial Knowledge
RP
Financial Attitude 0.700** 0.00
Based on table 6 above, the relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitude shows
a value of p = 0.00 which is smaller than the value of α = 0.05. This means that there is a significant
relationship between financial knowledge and financial attitude. The value of Pearson correlation
coefficient (r) obtained is 0.700 ** and this means that there is a high correlation. The value of the
positive correlation coefficient r indicates a positive relationship between financial knowledge and
financial attitude and this has answered hypothesis 1.
Hypothesis 2: There is significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial behaviour
Table 7: Relation of financial knowledge to financial behavior.
Financial Knowledge
RP
Financial Behaviour 0.504** 0.000
Based on table 7, the relationship between financial knowledge and financial behaviour shows a
value of p = 0.00 which is smaller than the value of α = 0.05. This means that there is a significant
relationship between financial knowledge and financial behavior. The value of Pearson correlation
coefficient (r) obtained is 0.504 ** and this means that there is a moderate correlation. The value of
the positive correlation coefficient r indicates a positive relationship between financial knowledge
and financial behavior and this has answered hypothesis 2.
Discussion and Conclusion
Based on the findings, the lecturers have a high level of financial attitude (M= 3.47) and financial
behaviour (M=4.01), but low level in financial knowledge (M=3.30). Most of the lecturers have
good attitudes in financial like reducing personal debt and living expenses, plan expenses and follow
the spending plans, plan for the financial future, start and increase the savings over time, determine
how much is needed to live comfortably after retirement, join and donate money for care or
healthcare programs, and contact financial planner to manage the finances.
Financial knowledge like financial concepts, especially the concept of division, time value of
money, profit sharing, the risks and return, inflation, diversification, financial management,
retirement and estate planning, credit card, insurance, investments, employees provident fund
contribution and general management is still low among the lecturers with the mean of 3.38. The
result support the survey done earlier by Iris Ben David (2015) stating that older people have low
level of financial knowledge. The financial behaviour with mean 4.01 is high among the lecturers.
This shows that many lecturers are satisfied with their current financial condition, have enough
money for the comfort of old age, and confident that they are able to control their personal finances
and managing their personal finances.
Based on the low financial knowledge among the lecturers in IPGK Ipoh, this result has proven that
financial education should be strengthened in the schools, institutions and universities. However,
earlier studies had shown that higher financial education does not necessarily guarantee a responsible
financial behaviour (Lusardi & Mitchell, 2011) and even within Malaysia, people with higher
financial knowledge experience financial difficulties (Loke, 2015). Findings of this study showed
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that there is a significant correlation between the variables involved that is between financial
knowledge and financial attitudes answered to hypothesis 1 which supported the findings by Hayhoe,
Leach, Allen and Edwards (2005). Similarly, they found that financial knowledge correlates with
attitude. Jorgensen and Savla (2010) Shim (2010) also agreed that financial knowledge and financial
attitude are associated with each other. From this research, it was also found out that there is
significant relationship between financial knowledge and financial behaviour which can answered
hypothesis 2. This research finding is parallel with research made by Serido et al. (2013) which
revealed attitude that acts as a mediator between financial knowledge and behaviour.
Conclusion
Based on the findings from this research, financial knowledge is very important as they will influence
financial attitude and financial behaviour. Policymakers need to devise effective strategies to reduce
financial problems as well as to help people to gain financial knowledge. Good financial knowledge,
financial attitude and financial behaviour will increase financial literacy among the nation. As many
countries have already focused on the financial literacy among their population and are promoting
financial literacy by imparting financial education (Bushan & Medury, 2013), there is a need for our
country to instil higher financial literacy among our nation.
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CRAFTING STORIES THROUGH NATURE JOURNALING
Laily Binti Yahya ([email protected])
Adam Prakash Abdullah ([email protected])
Adib Farhan Sapian ([email protected])
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Rajang, Sarawak
ABSTRACT
Crafting stories through nature journaling, a fresh trajectory for Indigenous Iban undergraduates.
This study examined the viewpoints of the participants in crafting stories, the processes in crafting
stories and how nature journaling has inspired their writing. With qualitative exploratory study as
the methodology, the instruments advocated were focus group interview and stories in nature
journaling. Purposive sampling of 12 (N=6 male, 6= female) Indigenous Iban undergraduates was
employed. Engaging in focus group interview and the nature journaling, seven emerging themes
were derived to unpack the meaning of crafting stories. They were cognitive skills, composing,
drafting, sequencing events, characterisation, creating a world of their own and freedom of choice.
In amplifying the processes of crafting stories, seven themes were identified as thinking process,
framing the story, organization of paragraphs, write a story, editing, rewriting and the final story.
Being an inspirational mechanism on story crafting, nature journaling magnified 2-dimension of
transpiring themes for creative and critical thinking, minds on hands on and self-development
amongst the participants. This exists a need for teacher educators to spearhead future research for
the architectural landscape of creative-critical writing uisng nature journaling as pedagogical tool
for eco-pedagogies in learning English for the Indigenous.
Keywords: crafting stories, processes, nature journaling
INTRODUCTION
‘I’m a craftsman. I craft stories’. A voice of a writer that owns the kingdom of imagination translated
into words. Such expression denotes the powerful act of the writer’s craft by employing the specific
techniques and tools writer’s use to capture reader’s attention and convey meaning. (Pearson, 2010)
The writer’s craft of creating such stories lure readers to interact with the story and engage them with
reader’s appeal. Such creativity of ideas transport readers into another world beyond imagination.
Yet it is often challenging for students to indulge in creative writing such as crafting a story. The
writing skill is the most difficult to acquire, more so, crafting a story. Most importantly, creative
writing does carry the weight of a craft, not just a passion.
A challenging journey for learners to master and developing the ability to generate ideas to write has
always been a problem for undergraduates at tertiary education. Without inventiveness, generating
ideas to craft a story will not be a walk in the park. A cognitive-challenging mind storm of recursive
processes of writing engagement. When writing skill is pigeon-holed as an intricate task’
(Veramuthu, P., & Shah, P.M., 2020), it is definitely an ascending climb. How do we escalate to this
height and bridge the gap? Explore the wilderness, the environment and nature to be inspired to
craft stories: one that is inspirational enough for students to document their expressions of ideas by
crafting stories through nature journaling.
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Research Background
Recognized as the one of the pillars of writing, creative writing has been acknowledged as a major
interest and concern amongst teachers, educators, students. and resaerchers alike. Acclaimed creative
writing as in important form of communication, permits students to present ideas, thoughts, and
feelings freely using their imagination without any restrictions. Hence, in this study, the researchers
intended to explore the creative writing of crafting stories. It is therefore, pertinent for teachers to
understand the students’ level of proficiency and cater relevant teaching strategies of improving their
writing skills.
This research is important to accentuate the significance of crafting stories through nature journaling.
Recognizing the worth of educative value of nature journaling, this research embarked on the
conviction that what is less explored is worth a chance of exploration. John Muir Laws (2012) asserts
that nature journaling is the act of discovery and rediscover that connects the natural world through
a combination of art, writing and science. This interdisplinary approach focuses on reinforcing,
strengthening and refining students’ cognitive skills by observation with their multi-sensory senses.
Equally important is raising environmental awareness and to exercise their imaginations and critical
skills through the act of discovery and rediscovery. For ‘the real voyage of discovery consists not
of seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes’
This study is unique in the sense that it is a fresh avenue of unexplored landscape in English language
teaching among Indigenous in Malaysia. Equally distinctive is the interdisplinary approach. It
encroaches the natural world through a combination of art, writing and science. The tenet of science
hinges on the context of knowledge. It is a system of creating and testing procedures. The
intergration of Science as a system of creating and testing procedures about the natural world.
Engaging in observing closely through nature journaling facilitates more than a capacity for scientific
thinking . The fruits of scientific discovery are most useful when anchored to the roots of how the
fact was obtained.
With arts, the sketches and drawings develop skills which are also essential to accurate scientific
observation. It is essential that teachers informed students that journaling experience can be an
observational magical occurrence if they focus on the goal of observation and data collection and to
discard the notion that their drawing was not good enough.
As for language learners, “nature journaling can also help teachers reach students who may otherwise
be underserved. This powerful expression reflects nature journaling as a bridge to connect the many
studentss that have difficulties with written language due to learning disablilities or limited English
proficiency. (John Muir Laws, 2012,p.6) The crisscross intersection beytween Science , Arts and
language has potential of engaging learners with placed-based learning and the Head, Heart and
hands Model for Transformational Learning. (Orr, 1992) It also conceptualises from the experiential
learning ,indigenous learning approaches and eco-literacy. This is where holistic nature of
transformative experiencerelates to the connectedness of the cognitive domain (head) to critical
reflection , the affective domain(heart) to relational knowing and the psychomotor domain (hands)
to engagement.
The trajectory of the researchers as teacher educators in executing pedagogical practices has plotted
a new avenue for effective teaching and learning in English. With the focus of engaging the
undergraduates with a breath of fresh ideas, indoor and outdoor activities were advocated to set a
platform for a more adventurous strategy of learning. Geared with determination and a repertoire of
strategies at the disposal, the researchers were enthusiastic to execute the classes. Enthusiasm soon
evaporated into volatile encouraging remarks from the lens of the undergraduates. The vapour of
enthusiasm pointed to more outdoor activities with creativity and appeal. The undergraduates’ lens
magnified their learning experiences as ‘exciting, new approach and carefree, least stressful.
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It was a pull factor but was not quite enough to sustain the luster to capture the Indigenous
undergraduates' interest. The hours were too brief to explore many learning opportunites to maneuver
with the language in an open space , an outdoor nature experience . The learning curve for the
undergraduates looped the connection between writing skills and the outdoor activities.
In spite of the cognitive challenging pursuit of generating ideas in crafting stories, the undergraduates
were willing to sacrifice their time to have more hours outdoor to better understand how to use the
language and develop their competency in writing. The ‘A-ha’ lightbulb moment illuminated their
lonely alley to make their reflective turn to consistently pursue learning English and stand tall as
global players in the 21st century. The demand for graduates to possess attributes such as bilingual
proficiency, competency in critical thinking skills, communication skills and language proficiency
amplified the importance of marketability of graduates expected by multinational companies. Hence,
the graduates as products of the system must be compatible with the expectation of the global market
that demands graduates to posess the 21st century skills.
Problem Statement
Crafting stories emphasised on the ability to generate ideas, creative and critical thinking skills that
are often a stumbling block for writers. Embarking on such undertaking required inspiration. An
aspired inspiration to craft stories must be apt for the undergraduates needs. Engulfed with their
enthusiasm for the liking of the eclectic approach of inclusiveness of outdoor activities, they
commended for more creative vibes; those that could inspire them to write. They wanted to improve
their lack of creativity and difficulty to generate ideas for writing. Much to the desired attainment
for excellence in grades, the challenges of a narrative story remained far-fetching and a difficult skill.
Within tangent of the issue, it was the conviction for the researchers to ‘seize the day’ and address
the needs. The realization of the intent of the undergraduates for creative language for crafting stories
amongst the undergraduates was a ‘lightning jolt’ which ignited the researchers’ passion to support
them in this learning quest. Propelled by these driving forces, the researchers were enthused to
enhance the outdoor activities with nature journaling.
Looping on the significance of nature journaling that postulates the room for exploration of ideas to
craft stories creative writing With the most apt key to unlock creative writing, therefore this study
would add value to the literature of crafting stories in creative writing in English Language teaching
advocating nature journaling. The disclosures and the present state-of-the-art of the Indigenous
undergraduates necessitates the urgency to address the needs and propose an effective strategy to
learn English and develop creative writing without tears or fears
Acknowledging nature journal as a powerful mechanism in an educational context, nature journaling
has been widely researched in environmental education and science. Nonetheless, there was
inadequacy of research on crafting stories in English language teaching using nature journaling with
undergraduates. Considering the current situation, this study navigated a new discovery into nature
journaling for the participants and the researchers alike as it will integrate elements of environment,
language teaching, and interdisciplinary of science with a cross-curriculum dimension. Thus, this
study has a promising future direction to narrow the gap in these aspects and bridge the lack of
research in language teaching using nature journaling in these areas.
Despite the lack of or insufficient studies on nature journaling in language teaching and learning,
there was still a heightened intention to suggest an eco-friendly, immersed in nature avenue to
improve writing skills . The nature journal permeated the right environment for the participants to
calm the mind, appreciate beauty and capture the moment which would otherwise be forgotten .
Therefore, in view of the issues and the research gap identified, this research warranted a qualitative
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study advocating focus group to unpack the viewpoints of the participants on crafting stories, the
processes in crafting the stories and how nature journaling has inspired their story crafting.
Objectives
(i) To explore the participants’ views of crafting stories in nature journaling
(ii) To identify the processes in writing the story in nature journaling
(iii) To examine how nature journaling could have inspired the participants’ story crafting.
Research Questions
(i) What do the participants understand by crafting stories ?
(ii) What are the processes to craft the story in nature journaling?
(iii) How does nature journaling inspire the participant’s story crafting ?
Scope of the study
This qualitative exploratory study is limited to the qualitative opinions of the selected 12 Indigenous
undergraduates as participants in this campus in Sarawak. Because of the nature of the study that
focuses on only the Indigenous participants in the degree programme, therefore the sample size is
small.
The articulation of views is limited to the meaning of crafting stories, its processes of crafting
specifically in nature journal and how nature journal helps in crafting stories, Thus, it emphasizes
on the particular subject area whereas its practices in nature journaling can be applied to other skills
such as listening, speaking, reading, and grammar and cross-curricular aspects to be taught all across
the curriculum.
The lack of research on how Indigenous participants’ craft stories in nature journal may
restrict the inferences which might be drawn. The findings from the study will apply to only
the participants and educational institutions that are directly involved in this study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
How do we remember language without words in print? Writing imprints the words so beautifully
that writing acts as a nucleus to learning even in higher institutions. Not only writing was the most
difficult skill to acquire, it was also the skill that students are less proficient in. (Lim, S. P. and M.
M. R. Wong. 2015). More so with writing, crafting can be refered to as the actvitiy of skillfully
creating something such as a story. Studies have shown that writing difficulties also affected the
students’ attitude towards writing . (Ismail, Hussin & Darus, 2012) It has a psychological connection
between attitude and perception of writing tasks. A positive attitude emits a lower apprehension to
write, thus increases readiness to write. Students need to perceive the writing tasks positively in
order to acquire the skills effectively. (Abd Rahim, Jaganathan & Tengku Mahadi, 2016 cited in
Tengku Sepora Tengku Mahadi, Fauzilah Md. Hussain, Paramaswari Jaganathan, Arbaeyah Hassan,
Sharifah Nur Hamizah Syed Fesal & Akmar Mohamad , 2016)
Within perspective, students need an effective skeletal frame that embodied the progression of
processes in crafting stories. It exemplified a spectrum of writing which were aesthetic value pieces
to informative, instrumental or pragmatic in nature. Stories are no stranger to creative writing but
are fundamental ones that articluates free expressions of ideas, string of words that make up a story.
Thus, the teachers functioned as catalysts to initiate and accelerate the creativity domain for
generating ideas on a writing endeavour. Despite the teachers attempts to improvise strategies and
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approaches to teach writing more effectively better, the flipside of the coin seems to point to the
challenges that the students faced. In view of this and within the context of second language (L2)
learning in Malaysia in higher education, undergraduates encountered difficulties in their writing
tasks because of weak grammatical accuracy, learning styles and also a lack of vocabulary. This
caused them to struggle through even generating ideas.
The importance of teacher’s role of enhancing students’ writing competence, is “one of the main
causes responsible for this weakness in writing in classroom environment, teaching practices and
lack of motivation on the part of teachers to adopt different techniques for teaching writing.”(Sarala,
Fauziah and Abdul Rahim, 2015, p. 1) Thus, it is pertinent that the writing process is observed .
White and Arnt (1991 cited in Jalaluddin, I., 2019) state that there are 6 processes in writing namely:
drafting, structuring, reviewing , focusing , generating ideas and evaluation. These processes are
recursive, not fixed nor indicated a linear progression. In the pursuit of writing or crafting a story,
these processes could be employed.
Nevertheless, as a story is a creative writing quite often emphasized as “hair-wrenching exercises’ (
Bussinger, 2013 p. 12) unless it is in a relaxed , non-threatening atmosphere. Stories can be crafted
along these stages of plot known as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement.
To capture the essence of stories, Freytag’s framework ‘the dramatic arc’ amplifies three primary
processes that unfold as a story is told. It begins with the narrator setting the stage to contextualise
the story with the plot gradually sets the progression of characters in orbit. (Fregtag,1960 cited in
Boyd, 2020). As these pages turn a story unfolds. The significance of nature journaling amplifies its
potential ability in increasing academic importance of integrating the natural world into language
curricula. (Johnson, 2014. p. 127) and its relevance as an extremely valuable and valid practice even
in early childhood environments for facilitating the child’s growing bonds with nature.
Drawing on Johnson (2014) claims that nature journaling is viewed as the connection of elements of
venue, assimilation of experience, discovering, facilitating and cultivating observational skills; with
the potential to develop Naturalist Intelligence. It functions as a passage joining student’s connection
to the natural world. John Luir Laws (2012) emphasized the significance of interdiscpinary
approach of the integration of science, arts and language in nature journaling. Nature Journaling is
the practice of drawing or writing in response to nature. It reflects a fun, relaxing practice to connect
nature and you more closely which resulted in the creation of your own unique nature. (Paula Peters,
2016)
.
Considering the culture of being close to nature amongst the Indigenous undergraduates, the
researchers were inclined to outdoor learning to revitalize enthusiasm of learning writing using
Nature Journaling. Nature Journaling is an inspirational approach to enhance creative writing skills,
designed to incorporate nature and environment as an outdoor learning experience of learning
English language According to Cormell & Ivy (2012), “nature journaling enhances students’
connection to the environment through writing” (p.42). In tangent with this, a symmetrical and
congruent sense of place for the Indigenous undergraduates blankets their way of life which is closely
knitted to nature, environment and natural world as they depend on nature for their main source of
economic livelihood. (Rahman, et.al 2018).
METHODOLOGY
The research design advocated in this study was a qualitative study. The instruments employed were
the focus group interview and document analysis of the stories in nature journaling. Purposive
sampling appeared to be the most suitable as it reflected the population of interest. The participants
for this study were 12 (N=3 males=6 females) Indigenous undergraduates of degree programme in
the Iban Studies for Primary Education. They were between 19-20 years of age. Being culturally
bound and inherit a rich cultural diversity, nature and environment were part of their ecosystem.
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The data collected from the focus group were transcribed verbatim with salient points categorized
into themes. The focus group should be seen as only the means to an end, and not the only means.
(Morgan, 1996). The interviews were transcribed verbatim using thematic coding. Being qualitative,
it represented a research that produced findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or
other forms of quantification but based on real-life instances where the phenomenon of interest
unfolds naturally. (Patton, 1990).
The document analysis was based on the stories in the nature journal. The activities were nature-
based activities. They were brought outdoor for the nature-based activities. They were immersed in
nature, explored nature and its surroundings. Then selected an item in their surroundings as an
inspiration to draw, paint and be inspired to craft a story based on the painting. They were required
to reflect, construct and write their own creative stories on the activities. They documented their
stories in a nature journal that they created. The nature journals were collected for data analysis of
viewpoints on what crafting stories meant to the participants and what were the processes they went
through.
FINDINGS
The findings will be discussed based on the research questions. The emerging themes from the focus
group interview and stories from nature journaling are graphically represented in Figure 1. Roadmap
of findings .
Findings
Focus Group Interview Stories in Nature Journaling
Research question 1: Themes Expressions
Research question 2 Themes Meaning of crafting
Research question 3 Themes stories
Processes of crafting
Inspire story crafting
riting
Figure 1: Roadmap of findings
Research question 1:
What do the participants understand by crafting stories?
An array of perspectives from the participants was derived from stories regarding their own
viewpoints on how they understood what was meant by crafting stories. The emerging themes
focused on cognitive skills, composing, drafting, sequencing events, characterisation, creating a
world of their own and freedom of choice. The following were expressions articulated by the
participants to illustrate the themes. These expressions magnified the intensity of views from the
participants that drove the motivation to meaningfully express their viewpoints and link the meaning
of crafting stories in the nature journal. A participant stated that ‘The nature journal is a place to craft
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and write stories creatively with fun English in nature outside the classroom. It helped me discover,
imagine nature, motivated my writing. I learn to write with nature.’
Equally significant remarks were ‘… from crafting, we can use our composed story and imagination
skill. Crafting helps us to write an interesting and detailed story’ Influenced and inspired by nature,
a participant mentioned that ‘My nature journal is all about nature and me, my feelings, my head. It
taught me a great deal.’ With technology and environment as the inspiration, the relevance to 21st
century was emphasized as ‘I apply my expert area as 21st century learner, my best friend is my
laptop.’ Similar comments were ‘it’s a place to think back, I remembered nature, I got some fresh
ideas but crazy ones too. I referred to internet. It helped me create the stories when I imagined how
beautiful the nature is.’
With remarkable statements expressed as: ‘My journal is a special place I pour out my feelings about
writing stories. Actually, there’s a lot of secrets I write too about how I feel learning. It’s a very
creative way to learn English outside. I use my laptop to explore the internet for examples and
downloading materials about all the activities. I’m a 21st century learner: My favourite activity, my
dry garden pressed flowers “if the teacher is the gardener’. I can connect nature with my learning.
Nature inspired my learning like my lecturer.” This voice amplified the connectedness of ideas,
nature journaling being technology-aided and how inspired they were to craft stories via the
environment with the 21st century skills.
The themes and expressions articulated by the participants are encapsulated in Figure 2.
Cognitive Skills : Crafting story is thinking…
Composing: ‘ Crafting a story means composing a draft of main points
or events before finalizing crafting a story.’
Themes and Drafting: ‘ drafting the plot…’
Expressions Sequencing events :’...exposition, rising action, falling action and
resolution..’
Characterisation:an act of picking up inspiration around you and turn
into a storyline with characters …’.
Creating a world of their own: ‘an imaginative world’ ..…’
Freedom of choice:‘decision on characters, themes, plot..’
Figure 2: Themes and expressions
Research question 2:
What are the processes to craft a story in nature journaling?
The data from the participants were based on the story crafting processes in nature journaling and
the focus group interview. The findings revealed that transpiring themes were best encapsulated as
steps in the process of crafting. The participants were engaged in decision-making and problem-
solving to overcome the challenges they faced when composing the stories. These can be amplified
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ISBN:978-967-2432-02-9
© 2020 #112 Dana Penyelidikan
in the light of their expressions as thinking process, framing the story, organization of paragraphs,
write a story, editing, rewriting, editing and final story.
Thinking process
The claims made by the participants were focused on the thinking process. These cognitive
challenges evolve as a process from starting to craft a story to challenges related to situations
encountered in the process of writing the stories. Instances such as ‘thinking about the title and
generating ideas, creating contents of stories in the journal due to editing and lack of time’ were
probably the most frequent challenge they faced. There were occurrences indicating solving
problems of materials used. Utterances such as: “I think a lot on the words and sentences that I must
carefully choose’; ‘I write all the words that I want to use in my story. Thinking about ideas and how
to put it together is challenging but ideas transpired from being immersed in nature’ ‘There are many
ideas from my painting of nature but I have to think carefully about how the next paragraph is
written’ ‘A lot of ideas from nature but to put it together , takes a lot of time’.
Despite the cognitive challenges of thinking productively, they managed to overcome challenges by
being positive towards their own learning and achievement. They acted on it by making that decision
to continue doing it as mentioned: ‘But I take it positively, I must do it so that I could learn, if I lack
of ideas I refer to examples from internet. I focus to write well by re-writing till I get good writing.’
It had been a cognitive-challenging process right from the start of crafting but the motivation to
complete it was the driving force to continue the task and decisions made were positive thinking
towards independent execution.
Framing The Story
In framing the story, the participants generated a skeletal outline to put ideas together. With the focus
on a back reference: ‘inspired by the drawing of nature’; the participants emphasized that when they
lacked ideas, they searched for the meaning of the story in nature. Others mentioned about the
framework to separate systematically the ideas; from paragraph to paragraph. They also commented
on how the numerous ideas based on the painting they did, were scattered and needs to be organised
into sentences. They constructed sentences and paragraphs to frame the storyline. Expressions such
as ‘I write down words that are linked to the title of my story. From this, I make the sentences to
create the story. Sometimes, I think back and rewrite. It was challenging at first.’ ‘An outline is good
to organize all my ideas’.
A few of the participants were dependent on the internet for vocabulary and spelling of words.
Statements such as ‘I browse the internet for words suitable for my story’; ‘It was a great help to
explore the internet for specific words.” It would be easier if I do spell check straight way’.
Technology was an important tool to solve the problems at hand. The significance of technology was
a fundamental link between the participants and crafting the story. Technology was highly exploited
by the participants to solve the problem of lack of vocabulary or spell check.
The most prominent use of technology was to out the ideas in graphic organisers or mind maps. This
clearly defined the need to do ‘sorting’ of words associated with the ideas and compartmentalized
them in paragraphs. But most importantly, the participants always reverted back to ‘inspired by
nature’.
Organisation of paragraphs
With collaboration being an important 21st century skill, the following utterances amplified it
magnitude of organization of paragraphs. The participants indicated the relevance by collaborating
with peers in discussing how to organize the paragraphs. This can be enriched by these utterances
such as ‘It signified teamwork, cooperation, tolerance and selflessness.’ The participants discussed
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the steps on writing the story, starting with linking sentences to sentences, paragraphs to paragraphs;
that best describe the topic sentence. One of the common strategy that emerged as effectively adopted
by the majority of the participants was ‘each paragraph , only one idea or point’. This was
emphasized with linking common
ideas and sentences together to form a paragraph. The element of coherence was a prominent point
of discussion.
Capturing the other participants’ views on organization of paragraphs, the participants suggested the
ways to organize the sentences to their friends. The element of peer-checking was evident to
highlight their collaborative effort. An interesting utterance from the participants was ‘I know of the
hamburger method to write an essay. Maybe we can use this method.’ These collaborative learning
efforts provided the participants with meaningful goals, a platform for collective effort in the learning
process, individual accountability of doing the task and mutual understanding to provide solutions.
These collaborations fostered the enhancement of critical thinking through discussion, clarification
of ideas and encouraged the practice of higher order thinking skills.
Write A Story
A prominent feature that surfaced from the participants about writing a story was the importance of
the framework or skeletal outline. Equally pertinent was the need of paragraphing. It was emphasized
as fundamental in writing a story. It stressed on stringing the ideas together in a coherent manner so
that it made sense. This was an important step in the process of crafting a story. Careful consideration
on aspect such as ‘structure’ was repeatedly highlighted to indicate how the story should be written.
Emerging concepts for structuring featured events such as exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action and resolution; were amplified by the participants. This signified the prior knowledge and
skills that the participants have in the writing process.
What appeared to be another salient point stressed by them was the process of editing. This was
certainly expressed as a repeated action as they were crafting the story. Deletion of unnecessary
words, inappropriate phrases or even spelling errors were part of the crafting process. It was a ‘back
and forth action’ throughout writing the story. The choice of words or vocabulary was part of the
decision-making process when writing. The link between sentences to next sentences, paragraphs to
the next paragraphs was essential to write a coherent story. Nonetheless, confusion often set in to
decide on ‘the exciting moment’ or the ‘ending’ of the story.
Choices the participants made, shaped their stories. Hence, it is true to say that writers are craftsman
that require skillful work of framing and structuring stories to capture readers’ attention. An
intriguing point that emerged was the self-refection of the participants ‘can my story captivate the
reader? This utterance surfaced as an understandable anxiety of crafting stories.
Editing
What appeared to be a process to craft the stories was editing the storyline. To complete the story in
the nature journal required decision making skill and problem solving skills by the participants in
overcoming the challenges. The participants articulated that they repeatedly read over the story. ‘I
run out of idea how to write creatively. I discussed with my friend on how to write creative story. I
edit the words and inappropriate phrases to check my story.’ These instances definitely assured the
importance of a dynamic interactive role of the participants. Instances expressed by the participants
clearly denoted that they went through drafts and revising over and over again. ‘I read once and read
it again to change the expressions I used earlier. There was a lot of thinking about the best ideas to
put on paper. I also do spell check to avoid errors in spelling.’
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