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In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many education systems around the world have recognized the value of using technology such as virtual laboratories to teach science subjects. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of using a virtual laboratory on grade eight students in learning about electricity-related topics. A quasi-experimental research design was used; involving forty (40) students aged 14-15 years. Students in the control group used a physical laboratory to complete the practical activities whereas those in the experimental group used a specially designed virtual laboratory. The result indicated that the virtual laboratory significantly enhanced students' achievement in electricity-related topics more than the physical laboratory. These findings could be attributed to how students learn using the virtual laboratory. For instance, in the virtual laboratory, students can visualise imperceptible phenomena and processes. They also were able to control the variables and observe instant feedback. The findings of the research have provided several important implications for curriculum designers and science education.

This study examines learners' issues in learning the preparation and qualitative analysis of salts topic from Malaysian chemistry teachers' perspectives. The researchers adopted a qualitative design and conducted semi-structured interviews with sixteen informants who have experience of teaching chemistry for more than five years. They were selected via purposive sampling. Document analysis was conducted to verify and supplement findings obtained from the interviews. The study reports five issues that emerged from the data analysis: negative perceptions, dealing with the number of information, imagining abstract concepts, mastery of basic knowledge and solving problems, and fulfilling the grading criteria. The study results confirm the unanimity of past studies on students' unfavorable views on these topics and their struggle in learning abstract concepts involved in the salts formation and analysis. Besides, students' issues are also significantly rooted in having weak prior knowledge of salts, affecting their ability to solve related problems. The study suggested that teachers must practice various approaches and strategies deemed effective in aiding learners in learning and be more selective in choosing approaches tailored to the individual students' issues in learning these topics in class.

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.

Regardless of students' differences, they should have opportunities to learn in a classroom environment that adequately promotes their interests and scaffolds their progress. Often, research highlights the struggles teachers face in accommodating learners' needs while ensuring effective lesson delivery at various educational levels. Although there have been a growing number of studies investigating the use of differentiated instruction in chemistry, there is a scarcity of research focusing on challenges to practice differentiated instruction in chemistry classrooms, especially in the Malaysian context. This study explored chemistry teachers' challenges to practice differentiated instruction in their classrooms. The researchers elicited sixteen chemistry teachers' experiences selected through purposive sampling in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four major challenges that the teachers face: catering to students' needs, lesson planning and delivery, support and skill and time constraints in practising differentiation. Furthermore, it was found that teachers face more challenges on governable factors that could be rectified to help teachers successfully implement differentiated instruction. Finally, the study suggested that chemistry teachers involve in professional development training to enhance their knowledge and skills in differentiated instruction.

This qualitative study sought to explore Malaysian novice chemistry teachers' experiences in teaching mixed-ability students during their teaching practicum, focusing on their instructional strategies for dealing with those learners in the class. The researchers employed purposive sampling to select 12 trainee teachers to be involved in semi-structured interviews. The data collected were analysed using the constant comparative method. As a result, two themes emerged regarding participants' instructional strategies: the whole-class approach and adjustment to the learners' needs. This paper discusses the first theme, which consists of three sub-themes: active learning activities, the use of stimulating learning materials, and assessment practice. Even though novice chemistry teachers primarily engaged mixed-ability students through whole-class instruction, the study found they emphasised active classroom engagement and collaboration between students in their classroom. Besides, they did consider students' interests and preferences when selecting activities and materials for their lessons. However, the study found that novice teachers mainly did not utilise the data from the formative assessments to inform their decisions in differentiating instruction for mixed-ability learners in class. Though there are differences in students' ability in class, the teachers generally opted for a 'one-size-fits-all' strategy for all students in most lessons. The study recommends that teacher training institutions and related stakeholders provide adequate training for novice chemistry teachers to improve their knowledge and skills in practising differentiated instruction.

The importance of chemistry practical work in enhancing students' performance and 21st-century skills has been highlighted in the literature. However, Malaysian Matriculation chemistry lecturers were lack of knowledge in the 21st-century pedagogies and practiced the cook-book recipe teaching style which proved ineffective in enhancing students' 21st-century skills. Therefore, there was a need to develop a pedagogical module of chemistry practical work for the Malaysian Matriculation Programme based on 21st- century skills. To develop a comprehensive pedagogical module, it was aimed to identify the needs of the development of the module based on lecturers' views from the Matriculation Programme. Hence, this article focuses on the needs analysis phase attempted to identify lecturers' current teaching and learning practices in chemistry practical lessons. Therefore, there were five chemistry matriculation lecturers have been interviewed and data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The emergent themes revealed that the current teaching and learning of chemistry curriculum in the Matriculation Programme is exam-oriented. The impacts of the exam-oriented curriculum are pronounced on the learning objectives, teaching and learning activities, assessment, learning hours were towards examination compared to the importance of practical work itself. Then, the issues on limited instructional media and teaching resources also emerged. Hence, it is proven that the 21st-century pedagogies were less been emphasized in the Matriculation Programme practical work lessons. As a result, the development of the pedagogical module of chemistry practical work in the next stage of the research need to be integrated with the 21st-century skills and pedagogies.

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.

Purpose: The integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has been reported to improve students' science achievement. Nevertheless, few studies have focused on how this approach affected different ability groups. Lack of equity or the presence of achievement gap can be detrimental because they can reduce medium and low-ability students' interest in science, which in turn can affect national development. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the main and the interaction effects of integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (ISTEMA) on students' science achievement and how this approach affects students with different academic abilities. Methodology: The research adopted a 2x3 factorial design. The sample size consisted of 100 Nigerian science students from Year 11. A total of 51 students with different academic abilities (low, medium and high) were assigned randomly to an experimental group. The experimental group was taught genetics using a five-phased iterative ISTEMA process. Pre-test and post-test data were collected using 40 multiple-choice questions adopted from a national high-stakes examination. Analysis of covariance, paired sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance were utilised in the data analysis. Findings: Findings for research question one revealed a main significant difference in science achievement between year 11 students who learned using ISTEMA and those using traditional methods. No significant interaction effect was observed between the instructional approach and students' academic abilities, that is, students' academic abilities and the instructional approach did not interact to enhance students' achievement. The findings for research question two indicated that high, medium and low academic-ability students benefitted; however, students with low academic abilities had the highest mean gain. Significance: Findings in this study have revealed empirically that the ISTEMA, as an instructional approach, has the potential to close the academic achievement gap. The findings may also serve as a guide for policymakers to promote STEM education in schools.

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.

Integrated STEM education holds the promise for students' meaningful science instruction. However, the implementation of integrated STEM-based approaches for science learning might be difficult for teachers due to the lack of expertise and instructional materials. Therefore, this study focused on the preparation and validation of an integrated STEM instructional material (iSTEMim) for genetic instruction among Year 11 science students. The study employed a mixed method design. Five stages of ADDIE which consisted of Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate were adopted to prepare the iSTEMim. Ten (10) science education experts participated in the validation of iSTEMim, and thirty students participated in determining its reliability. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to determine the effects of the prepared iSTEMim. Two secondary schools were randomly assigned to the iSTEMim and traditional group. The two groups were made up of 30 and 32 students respectively. Data were collected using questionnaires and genetic achievement test. The data were analysed using descriptive and t-test statistics. The findings show that iSTEMim has good content validity and its reliability was acceptable. Moreover, the results revealed higher achievement scores for students using the iSTEMim when compared to the traditional method. Consequently, the findings of the study could contribute to the current literature on STEM education research. The iSTEMim could serve as a guide for science educators to implement STEM-based instruction in the classroom.

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.

Feedback has been lauded as a key pedagogical tool in higher education. Unfortunately, the value of feedback falls short when being carried out in large classrooms. In this study, strategies for sustaining feedback in large classroom based on peer learning are explored. All the characteristics identified within the concept of peer learning were assimilated into a teaching course, in order that the strategies could be properly investigated. Therefore, the outcome of the study is to propose peer learning strategies in sustaining feedback for large classrooms.

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was first introduced by Shulman in the 80s. It is defined as the integration or amalgamation of pedagogy and content which basically covers the "what" and "how" of teaching. PCK was considered as the missing paradigm in the study of teaching. This integration of knowledge was long searched by the scholars in the United States in their effort to elevate teaching to the professional status similar to that of doctor, lawyer and engineer. As PCK is the knowledge of teaching, this concept paper presents an overview on definitions of teaching, indicators and knowledge bases required in good teaching. This paper also presents the conceptions and models of PCK, the processes (PRA Model) involved in the growth and development of PCK of teachers and the importance of PCK.

The study explores chunking strategies applied in Short Term Memory (STM) by upper secondary students of mixed chemistry learning abilities. The aim of the study is to observe variations in chunking strategies utilized by these students when learning the Periodic Table of Elements in the Form Four Chemistry syllabus. Findings show that students applied varied chunking strategies, of which, three patterns prevailed at STM level: similar chunking, mixed chunking, and characteristic chunking. Secondary school teachers in guiding their students through the Chemistry learning process should remain mindful of presenting didactic materials in a way that not only accommodates the students' various chunking strategies abilities needs, but at the same time hone the students' learning skills.

Science education in Malaysia emphasizes three components: namely knowledge, scientific skills which include science process skills and manipulative skills; scientific attitudes; and noble values. The science process skills are important in enhancing students' cognitive development and also to facilitate students' active participation during the teaching and learning process. This study is aimed at identifying the acquisition of the skill of formulating hypothesis among primary school students. It was conducted based on the theory of neo-Piagetian Cognitive Development and was investigated using generic qualitative research method. Three data collection techniques were used comprising observation, interviews and document analysis. Two tasks were developed and given to students as a stimulus during interviews: which are "Acquisition-Skill Stimulus" (RPK) and "Compilations of Experiment related Questions" (HiSET). Six primary school students were selected as participants based on purposive sampling. Based on the data analysis, four major categories emerged, namely: (a) the concept of hypothesis, (b) identification of the effect of variable, (c) the relationship between variables, and (d) testing of hypothesis. Initial findings illustrated that the mastery level of hypothesis formulation in three participants was very low, while the mastery level in the others was noticeably low.

The purpose of this study is to explore the research base of engineering education in the "Journal of Engineering Education" ("JEE") through an analysis review of articles for a 12-year period, from 2000 to 2012. The research base review focuses on identifying five characteristics of engineering education: (a) temporal distribution, (b) frequently cited authors in JEE articles, (c) research areas involved in each article, (d) types of participant, and (e) methodological design employed. Published journals from web-based sources were selected aligned on the original author's discussion of engineering education in the articles. The findings summarize the core consistencies of engineering education literature across the globe over the years by identifying the engineering related content professionals addressed in their respective fields.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an important factor in online learning and is defined as the process of actively managing one's own learning process to achieve a desired outcome. However, many issues remain unsolved about how to improve cognitive strategies and self-regulation in online learning environments where teachers are not physically present. As a result, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of a web-based virtual laboratory on enhanced students' SRL. A quasiexperimental pre-/post-test with a control group design was employed involving 40 female students aged 14-15 years old. While the students in the experimental group carried out the practical activities using a specially developed web-based virtual laboratory, the students in the control group used a physical laboratory. The results obtained indicated that the virtual laboratory significantly enhanced metacognitive self-regulation, effort regulation, peer learning, and overall SRL more than the physical laboratory. These findings could be attributed to how students learn using the virtual laboratory. For instance, students can navigate the virtual lab website at their own pace at anytime and anywhere. [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.

The purpose of this study is to explore the research base of STEM education in Malaysia through an analysis review of articles for a 14-year period, from 1999 to 2013. The research base review focuses on identifying four characteristics of STEM education: a) temporal distribution, b) the research areas involved in each discipline, c) the types of participants, and d) the methodological design employed. Published journals from web-based service providers were selected according to the original author's discussion of STEM education in the articles. The findings summarize the core consistencies of STEM education literature across the STEM disciplines throughout the years by identifying the STEM-related content addressed by professionals in their respective fields.

This study explores the perceptions and challenges of Malaysian pre-service teachers teaching science in a second language. A qualitative case study method was used with multiple sources of data to provide insights into the challenges that a group of pre-service teachers faced during their teaching practicum. The pre-service teachers had to overcome various challenges that arose due to factors such as lack of competency in the medium of instruction and the students' varying levels of language ability. In addressing the challenges faced, they employed various strategies, including code switching and mixing, teacher-student collaboration, rephrasing and re-emphasizing, the use of instructional aids, and the use of analogies. The evidence presented in this study suggests that attention should be given to addressing the English language policy in the science teacher education programme. (Contains 2 tables.)

The main purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate a WebQuest instruction on Nutrition using WebQuest template, known as NutriQuest. NutriQuest was developed to improve Form 2 students' understanding of fundamental nutrition concepts and its application in daily life, to improve critical and creative thinking skills and to enhance cooperative learning in a web-based learning environment. The specific goals of the evaluation of NutriQuest with students and science teachers were focused on: (i) suitability of content and design of the NutriQuest website, (ii) attitudes toward WebQuest instruction, and (iii) identifying the factors affecting the usage of WebQuest instruction. The qualitative-naturalistic-formative approach was adopted in this study where the focus was on programme improvement, and exploring a variety of effects on participants. Three main techniques were used to collect data; namely observations, interviews, and analysing documents. The documents used in this study were students' diaries and their learning artefacts such as worksheets and presentation materials. Based on the findings, three conclusions could be drawn from the study. They were: (i) the NutriQuest website facilitates science learning on nutrition for Form Two students, (ii) teachers and students showed positive attitudes toward WebQuest instruction in science, and (iii) the usage of WebQuest instruction was affected by several factors. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This study reports teacher and student experiences of problem-based learning (PBL) in three Asian countries. PBL was introduced to provide an education that would allow students to compete successfully in a changing world. Student and tutor experiences were positive and PBL was seen to work extremely well, despite the typical problems that students can experience working in groups. However, conceptions of PBL varied between tutors, and PBL as a "method" appeared to have limited utility for guiding teaching practice. There was evidence that students were developing useful knowledge and lifelong learning skills, but there were concerns about where this occurred in the PBL curriculum. We looked closely at the PBL tutorial in each programme, and how it lived up to the idea that it should be a key site for facilitating higher-order thinking. We found that the tutorial was largely a space for reporting the outcomes of student inquiries, and there was little evidence for critical engagement. A key impediment to such engagement was the cultural inappropriateness of challenging peers or the tutor. A new type of academic socialisation may be required for Asian students and tutors to explicitly help them overcome this. A conceptual foundation for PBL is suggested, in which it is understood as a methodological idea founded on a system of principles, practices and methods. Introduced as a methodology, tutors and course teams would take the basic idea of PBL and align it with their ontological and epistemological beliefs as a starting point for instructional design and teaching.

The present study used data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 to look at the trend in instructional strategies in science teaching and its effect on the science achievement. Based on the analysis, the strategies used by most science teachers were demonstration, practical work and the lecture method. Among these strategies, the most commonly used in Malaysia was the lecture method where more than 90% of the teachers involved in TIMSS used this strategy. Students in classes where their teachers demonstrated experiments, where students perform experiments and also where students listened to lectures performed significantly higher in the TIMSS science achievement. It was also found that students were more likely to give explanations to their observations than to design their own experiments. These findings suggest that ample opportunities should be given for students to design their experiments which include formulating hypotheses, making predictions and giving explanations to the outcomes of their experiments. (Contains 3 tables.)

Web-based learning is becoming prevalent in science learning. Some use specially designed programs, while others use materials available on the Internet. This qualitative case study examined the process of acquisition of integrated science process skills, particularly the skill of controlling variables, in a web-based learning environment among grade 5 children. Data were gathered primarily from children's conversations and teacher-student conversations. Analysis of the data revealed that the children acquired the skill in three phases: from the phase of recognition to the phase of familiarization and finally to the phase of automation. Nevertheless, the acquisition of the skill only involved the acquisition of certain subskills of the skill of controlling variables. This progression could be influenced by the web-based instructional material that provided declarative knowledge, concrete visualization and opportunities for practise.

Background and Purpose: The recently implemented Dual Language Program (DLP) policy in Malaysian schools may require teachers involved in the initiative to make necessary changes in their teaching practices in appropriate directions. It may also challenge the beliefs that these teachers hold with regard to teaching subject matter in English as a medium of instruction. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the beliefs of primary Science teachers with regards to the teaching of Science through the English medium, and the extent to which the beliefs of teachers are consistent with their classroom practices. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative data collection and analysis approach. Science teachers' beliefs and stated practices were obtained via a questionnaire using the Likert-scale. The respondents of the study include 44 primary Science teachers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. A Pearson correlation analysis was computed to examine the association between teachers' beliefs scale and the ratings of classroom practices. Findings: The results from the statistical analysis suggest that in teaching Science using the English language, the beliefs of the primary school teachers were not always aligned with their stated practices with regard to DLP. This discrepancy between the beliefs of science teachers and their stated instructional practices could be due to the lack of professional development sessions and contextual constraints. Contributions: This study extends work on content-based classrooms in the Malaysian context. Its findings contribute to the ongoing work on improving instructional practices in the DLP classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]