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Using the fuzzy Delphi method, this study aims to obtain expert agreement on the elements of school leaders' practices that influence student learning and teacher effectiveness in strengthening STEM instructions. An instrument on STEM leadership was presented to a total of 26 experts in STEM-related fields. The results of this study show that the expert panel agreed with the proposed constructs and elements of school leaders' practices that influence student learning and teacher effectiveness in STEM. The practices tested in the study also met the conditions specified in the fuzzy Delphi method, namely, a threshold value (d) greater than 0.2 (d > 0.2), experts' agreement greater than 75% with values ranging from 81% to 96% agreement, and a fuzzy score value (A) greater than 0.5 (A = 0.5) with values ranging from 0.865 to 0.918. The defuzzification process used by the fuzzy Delphi method also reorders all items by priority based on expert consensus. Of all the elements agreed upon by the experts, the element that ranked highest in the construct of student learning is related to the leader's emphasis on hands-on activities through problem-based learning/project-based learning (PBL) in improving student skills. The element that ranks highest in the construct of teacher effectiveness is related to the leader's ability to promote innovation in teaching to enhance the quality of STEM learning.

Previous studies in STEM education's context found that many students failed to connect between the knowledge they learned in class, the skills they acquired and the applications of the knowledge to real-life situation. They also perceived STEM lessons as rigid, drab, fixed, and a limited platform because they could not see STEM as an integrated disciplines and the interconnecting concepts across the disciplines. For students' benefits, this study explores their views on STEM lessons to incorporate their needs in designing integrated STEM instructional practices through Scientist-Teacher-Students Partnership (STSP) initiative. Embracing a qualitative research design, the researchers adopted a purposive sampling strategy to select six (6) secondary school science students as informants. Semistructured interviews were used to explore the informants' insights on STEM lessons. Based on the analysis of the interviews, three (3) themes have emerged, which are (1) Instructional practices in Science Classroom, (2) Issues in STEM learning, and (3) Students' demand in STEM lessons. However, this paper will only discuss the first theme of the study with four (4) categories namely, teacher-driven, content laden, drilling and practice techniques and instructional aids. This needs analysis study concludes that STEM teachers' instructional practices still heavily focus on a teacher-centered approach and preparing students for the examination. Hence, aspects like students' involvement, engagement and meaningful learning which are lacking in practice will be considered by the researchers in designing integrated STEM instructional practices through the STSP initiative.

In Palestine, issues about word problem solving and physics critical thinking have led to a deep understanding of factors affecting physics problem solving among Palestinian students. The influence of Reciprocal Teaching on physics students' critical thinking skills among 10th-grade students in Palestine was investigated in the study. The study used a quasi-experimental research design. Two treatment groups (male and female) and two control groups were randomly allocated to four intact courses (male and female). All four groups included a total of 120 participants who were pre- and post-tested on their critical thinking skills in physics. Preliminary checks were performed prior to inferential testing to ensure that the one-way MANCOVA assumptions were not violated. After adjusting for physics word problem-solving pre-test scores for critical thinking skills, one-way MANCOVA results show that reciprocal teaching strategy has a considerable effect on critical thinking skills at p<0.05 level between the groups F(1, 118)=336.649, p=0.001?0.05. In addition, the two-way MANCOVA results for the interaction effect of gender and method is not large in critical thinking skills, with F(1, 116)=3.5, p=0.064>0.05 but is big in two sub-skills interpretation, with F(1, 116)=5.187, p=0.025?0.05, and evaluating arguments skill, with F(1, 116)=5.463, p=0.021?0.05 in favour for male students. As a result, using a reciprocal teaching technique to learn physics topics is more effective than using a standard method, and it is applicable and effective for both male and female students. This study has implications for policymakers to encourage the implementation of an integrated reciprocal teaching strategy in schools. It also has implications for teachers' instructional practices in the classroom.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is regarded by many countries as fundamental to economic growth and as a result received continued attention. Scientist-teacher-student partnership (STSP) is one of the ways to make STEM education attractive and meaningful. However, research on the performance quality of STSP is scarce. Thus, this grounded model research aims to construct a model of performance quality STSP for STEM education. The research employed a sequential exploratory mixed method design which was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 125 students, nine teachers, and ten scientists. Using the constant comparative data analysis technique, the grounded model of STSP emerged from the data which consisted of four main themes: collaboration factors, internal factors, institutional factors, and external factors. In the second phase, a quantitative survey was conducted with 267 science teachers to validate the grounded model of STSP. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method with SmartPLS. The findings of the second phase study confirmed that the grounded model of STSP developed from the first phase can be applied to the wider sample of STEM teachers to enhance the performance quality of STSP in STEM education.

In recent years, Southeast Asia region has grown rapidly, particularly in the field of education due to the development of human capital and the influence of globalization. Rigorous educational researches have emerged from and was conducted in Southeast Asia countries. The purpose of this study is to critically examine educational research conducted in Southeast Asia through a narrative review of articles for a 3-year period, from 2016 to 2018. The review focuses on identifying the characteristics of educational research involving (1) temporal distribution of research studies in education field, (2) area of educational research, (3) research level, (4) countries within Southeast Asia that conducted and (5) the methodological design employed in the research. Published journals from two web-based service providers were selected based on research related to education conducted in Southeast Asia. The findings summarize the core emphasis in the education literature across the educational disciplines and the trend across Southeast Asia countries.

Manipulative skills and abilities include skills in the handling and manipulation of materials and apparatus in the context of scientific investigation. Science teachers appeared to be struggling with the mode of assessment in making authentic evaluation of manipulative skills in laboratories. One of the contributing factors is due to the lack of instrument developed to assess these skills. This paper explains the development of a resource guide in assessing students? manipulative skills at secondary schools. This study employed a qualitative research methodology. The development of a resource guide in assessing students? manipulative skills involved three phases; (i) analysis, (ii) design and development, and (iii) implementation and evaluation. The evaluation of this guide was conducted qualitatively with 40 science teachers. Findings showed that the development of this resource guide is advantageous and beneficial to facilitate teachers in determining students? manipulative skills competency during practical work so that students can be more prepared for the implementation of the upcoming science practical examination. The findings may contribute towards enriching research on assessment of manipulative skills at the secondary school level. Science educators, either pre-service or in-service, may use this resource guide to improve their instruction during practical work.

Manipulative skills and abilities include skills in the handling and manipulation of materials and apparatus in the context of scientific investigation. Science teachers appeared to be struggling with the mode of assessment in making authentic evaluation of manipulative skills in laboratory. One of the contributing factors is due to lack of instrument developed to assess these skills. This paper explains the development of resource guide in assessing students' manipulative skills at secondary school. This study employed qualitative research methodology. The development of a resource guide in assessing students' manipulative skills involved three phases: (i) analysis, (ii) design and development, and (iii) implementation and evaluation. The evaluation of this guide has been conducted qualitatively with 40 science teachers. Findings show that the development of this resource guide is advantageous and beneficial to facilitate teachers in determining students' manipulative skills competency during practical work so that students can be more prepared for the implementation of the upcoming science practical examination. The findings may contribute towards enriching research on assessment of manipulative skills at secondary school level. Science educators, either pre-service or in-service, may use resource guide to improve their instruction during practical work.

Science education is facing an immense challenge due to students' lack of engagement with science education. This issue calls for a collaborative and integrative teaching strategy such as the Scientist-Teacher-Student Partnership (STSP). This research employed a qualitative research methodology supported by quantitative data, to explore students' perceptions of learning science through STSP. It involved 125 students in Grade 10 from four schools, eight science teachers and seven scientists from a university situated in Kuala Lumpur. The data were collected through survey questionnaire and interviews. The collected qualitative data were analysed using constant comparative techniques and the quantitative data arising from the responses of the survey were calculated as mean scores and standard deviations. The findings showed that the tripartite collaboration brings educational benefits to all groups. Based on the student' perspective, four (4) main themes emerged. The students found that (1) the partnership enriched their learning experiences, (2) they acquired procedural skills through hands-on experiments, (3) they had the opportunity to explore emerging topics in science, and (4) they were exposed to various career opportunities in STEM-related fields. This research has promoted greater articulation of STSP as a mechanism for educational reform in STEM.

The growing industry has given birth to various innovations, one of which is the emergence of three new branches of knowledge in biology: biotechnology, biochemistry, and biomedicine. However, this branch of science has not been explored in biology education for students. Technology, in the form of online learning platforms, can address current challenges. STEAM-based biology learning can increase student engagement, motivate creative exploration, and stimulate critical thinking. This study aims to develop an advanced biology learning platform and test the feasibility of the learning media. This study follows the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model. The results of this study have led to the development of the "Advanced Biology" website, which contains various exciting features for students. This feature includes a homepage display, learning content display, case-based learning, and research project display. This platform provides engaging educational videos and comprehensive learning materials. The case studies on this site offer an overview of problem-solving and the current state of the industry. This media validates learning materials, media, and technology in the ideal category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher readiness is the willingness of a teacher to implement a planned program successfully. Readiness is crucial in ensuring a program can be implemented at the individual or organizational level. The readiness of science teachers to implement Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA) determines the direction and success of primary school assessments in Malaysia. This pilot study aims to create and evaluate the Inventory of Science Teachers' Readiness in Implementing Classroombased Assessment (ISTRI-CBA). There have been many studies on CBA. However, there are limitations in measuring the readiness of science teachers to implement CBA. The evaluation will be ineffective without a suitable tool to measure teacher readiness in CBA. Therefore, to determine the level of readiness of science teachers, the researcher needs an instrument that is valid, reliable, and appropriate to the context of the Ministry of Education, culture, and the current situation in Malaysia. It is necessary to have a conceptually and psychometrically substantial inventory. This challenge was addressed by developing the ISTRI-CBA, comprising five measurement dimensions: knowledge about CBA, skills of CBA, resource support, attitudes, and professional values. The development of ISTRI-CBA requires validity and reliability for its use. This study aims to (1) test the quality characteristics of the ISTRI-CBA items and (2) determine the reliability of the ISTRI-CBA obtained using the Rasch Model measurement. The research involves the administration of a survey questionnaire to 44 science teachers in a district in Malaysia. The findings show that the ISTRI-CBA, comprising 157 items, has good psychometric characteristics and meets the measurement criteria of the Rasch measurement model. The item quality and reliability also prove the suitability of the whole dimension. The study's findings provide evidence of the empirical implications that consistently support ISTRI-CBA as a valid and reliable instrument to measure teachers' readiness to implement CBA in science subjects. The findings also reveal that the ISTRI-CBA can measure science teachers' readiness to implement CBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing problem solving skills is often accepted as a desirable goal in many educational settings. However, there is little evidence to support that students are better problem solvers after graduating. The students can solve routine problems but they confronted difficulties when adapting their prior knowledge for the solution of new problems. The purpose of this study is to explore early childhood preservice teachers' problem-solving skills through socioscientific inquiry approach. The study involved the researcher working independently on an in-class research project with students in solving the problems related to socio-scientific issues (SSI) in early childhood education. SSI represents important social issues and problems which are conceptually related to science in social dimension. The study involved 28 third-year university students in early childhood education program. Inquiry-based learning approach has been employed to guide the students in their research on SSI. Data were collected through questionnaire, classroom observation, individual interviews and students' written reports. Data arising from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were analyzed using open and axial coding in order to categorize and develop themes from information that emerged from the interpreted data. The most significant finding is that when students are engaged in the inquiry-based learning process, they will experience a sense of agency and responsibility for their learning. The students described that knowledge can be generated more meaningfully than in other perceived passive mode of learning. The finding also supported the result from previous studies that socioscientific inquiry learning helps to motivate and increases the students' interest in learning the course. It can be concluded that this study promotes innovations in teaching and learning and the reorganization of a course that encourages student engagement. Consequently, this study argues for a new strategy in fostering preservice teachers' socio-scientific reasoning through inquiry learning.

In line with government policy to enforce classroom-based assessment (CBA) for lower primary school, science teachers need to focus more on student's character building through establishing a fun and meaningful teaching and learning culture. Based on the standards-based school curriculum, assessment must be done holistically and authentically as part of the teaching and learning process. However, previous studies have found that teachers do not entirely understand the implementation of CBA in teaching and learning. This problem could arise as teachers find it challenging to construct instruments related to CBA, as they are more familiar with examinations that evaluate student's achievement. Thus, this study explores teachers' perspectives on the best criteria of a technology-enhanced assessment tool consistent with the current CBA practices and student's required skill development in science. Qualitative analysis revealed teachers' evaluation criteria in three categories, i.e., user control, visual and technical usability, and support. The results point to recommendations for future research on evaluating the capabilities of existing mobile apps in classroom-based assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological capital refers to an individual's self-perceived positive psychological state of development. As engineering is always full of challenges and obstacles, it is important to develop the psychological capital of engineering students to make engineering a sustainable career. However, existing instruments are developed in non-engineering contexts. This study selected, modified, and validated an existing instrument to provide accurate measurements for engineering students. The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) was modified and validated in two phases. In the first phase, six experts, including chemical engineers, chemical engineering educators, and lecturers in education were recruited for the content validation to review the items. Two items with a content validity index (I-CVI) less than 0.78 were revised based on the suggestions, and the experts revalidated modified items. After the second review round, all items' I-CVI were acceptable. In the second phase, cognitive interviews were carried out with five engineering students. The modified questionnaire was presented to the interviewees to seek their feedback on the clarity of items. Based on students' feedback, items were modified and finalised when no new suggestions were given. Flesch reading ease score was calculated, and it was found that the language in the modified questionnaire could be easily understood. As a research outcome, the modified PCQ is ready to be used among engineering students in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the contributing factors that influence students' acquisition of manipulative skills. Incompetence in manipulative skills in science at a primary level may impede science learning at secondary school. Thus, to confront these issues, an in-depth study was conducted. The research involved 10 primary school students who were interviewed again in secondary school. This paper gives an account of the factors that influence students' manipulative skills during transition from primary to secondary school, namely the teacher, the performance of the students, teaching and learning aspects and the physical environment of the laboratory. The results suggest several issues to be considered when teaching manipulative skills. Primary school students need to be exposed to these skills in using scientific apparatus so that when they enter secondary school, attention can be given in improving and strengthening those skills.

The lack of exposure to practical work in primary schools leads to incompetency in manipulative skills and students may carry this problem with them to secondary school. To address this issues, an in-depth qualitative study was conducted during transition from primary to secondary school. The research involved 10 primary school students (grade 6) who were interviewed again in secondary school (grade 7). Manipulative skills during transition can be described by understanding of technical skills and functional aspects of performing laboratory tasks. Findings indicated that students' cognitive knowledge did not reflect their true ability in manipulative skills. Further collaboration between primary and secondary schools should be considered in order to bridge the gap during transition.

This research determined the impact of reciprocal teaching strategies on students' academic self-concepts in physics. Reciprocal teaching is a collaborative strategy in the form of dialogue between teachers and students about a text containing eight techniques. Provide predictions, question generation, clarifications, connections, visualizations, summaries, calculations, and feedback to measure students' academic self-understanding in physics. Two groups were experimental groups (n=60) and learned physics through an interactive teaching strategy. The other group, a control group (n=60), studied physics in a traditional way, judged the effectiveness of each other's teachings, and compared the control group with a controlled trial. Results indicated that mutual education was more effective than traditional approaches in improving students' academic self-concept. The results showed that mutual teaching is a more effective strategy than traditional methods to improve students' academic self-concept. There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group. In this study, we proposed using the reciprocal teaching strategy in secondary school physics classes to improve students' physics learning. Teachers should also receive maintenance and maintenance training to integrate reciprocal teaching into the classroom environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remediating the unprofessional behaviours of medical students is essential because the unprofessional behaviours of medical practitioners could be traced back to their previous behaviours in medical schools. This study evaluated a programme that used reflection in remediating students with unprofessional behaviours. Personal and professional development (PPD) assignments have a "hidden curriculum" on professional behaviours expected of medical students. Seven students who repeatedly failed to complete the PPD assignments were required to attend a remediation programme. The remediation programme aims to help students reflect on their behaviours. They compared professional behaviours between medical practitioners and students and discussed unprofessional behaviours using actual cases. Thematic analysis was performed on the reflective essays of the students, collected at the beginning and the end of the remediation programme. At the beginning of the programme, students expressed anger because they felt that the PPD assignments were minor tasks. At the end of the programme, students expressed their regretful feelings; they recognised lessons learnt and developed corrective measures. A follow-up reported that the faculty no longer deemed the students unsatisfactory in their professional behaviours one year later. Reflection is recognised as useful in healthcare education, but there is a lack of published evidence to answer whether reflection can be learned. In this study, the students learnt to reflect on their previous professional behaviours, and they developed corrective measures to avoid the recurrence of these previous behaviours. The findings may imply that reflection could be taught and learned to cultivate professional behaviours among medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning is a process of acquiring knowledge and forming identities. The process empowers individuals by providing a meaningful and engaging context in which they can make sense of their entire experience. Previous research found that students failed to make connections between what they learned in class, the skills they learned, and the applications of the knowledge and skills in real life when learning STEM subjects. Interest and motivation are two major components that have been determined to contribute to these problems. Furthermore, STEM subjects are perceived by students as rigid, drab, fixed, and a limited platform for realising their desired identities. The declining trend of students choosing STEM-related subjects at the upper secondary school level and also the shortage of STEM workforce in the country has indirectly proven the problems the nation is currently facing. This study explores students' views on STEM lessons to incorporate their needs in designing integrated STEM instructional practices through Scientist-Teacher-Students Partnership (STSP) initiative. Scientist-Teacher-Student Partnership (STSP) in this study refers to collaboration among upper secondary science teachers and university scientists which involves mutual learning and collaboration via a partnership. Through this partnership, it hoped that meaningful STEM lessons could be designed and implemented in the science classroom. By embracing a qualitative research design, the researchers adopted a purposive sampling strategy to select six (6) secondary school science students, aged sixteen to seventeen (16-17) years old who are studying within the Klang Valley area as informants. This sampling technique is really important for qualitative researchers since it provides participants who can give in-depth and detailed information about the phenomenon under investigation. Besides that, the researchers also used semi-structured interviews to explore the informants' insights on the current STEM lessons that they experience. The semi-structured interview was served as the primary means of data collection whereby a basic interpretive qualitative design was employed. Based on the analysis of the interviews, three (3) themes have emerged to indicate the current STEM lessons that they experience during Physics, Biology, and Chemistry lessons in the classrooms. The three themes are; (1) instructional practices during the science lessons, (2) issues in STEM learning, and (3) students' demand for effective STEM lessons. For the first theme, there are four (4) categories that have been determined to explain the current instructional practices that students experience which are; (a) teacher-driven, (b) lack of instructional aids, (c) content laden, and (4) use of drilling techniques. For the second theme, the many issues highlighted by the students were further placed under three (3) main categories which are related to; (a) learning engagement, (b) use of practical activities and, (c) application of STEM knowledge. For the third theme, there are also three (3) additional categories determined to indicate students' demands in order to have effective STEM lessons. They demanded to have an environment of (a) active learning, (b) contextual learning, and also (b) exposure to mastery STEM skills through meaningful STEM activities during the instructional practices. The study concludes that teachers' instructional practices for STEM lessons still heavily focus on preparing students for examinations. Hence, aspects like students' involvement, practical knowledge, and meaningful learning which are lacking in practice, need to be considered by the researchers in designing integrated STEM instructional practices through STSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]