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This article aims to explore the symptoms and characteristics of dyscalculia. This is a qualitative study. Five experts in the field of special education took part in a focus group interview. Each expert had more than ten years of experience in their area of expertise. To determine the content validity of the protocol, three experts in special education, language and qualitative research evaluated each of the eight items. Cohen's kappa analysis was used to assess inter-rater reliability. The findings of this study indicate that 59 items have been developed, based on six constructs in the dyscalculia checklist. The six constructs were subitising, estimating, Arabic numerals, verbal numbers, arithmetic facts and calculating processes. Following the focus group interview, a new construct emerged: math anxiety. The study implies that teachers might utilise this checklist to carry out early detection of students with dyscalculia in primary schools. This will enable appropriate intervention, resulting in significant benefits for the Ministry of Education, for educators and teachers, and for the students themselves. Although this study was based in Malaysia, the results have wider implications because dyscalculia is present everywhere.

English Language teachers are expected to keep abreast with expectations and challenges that they come across in assisting their students to attain higher level of academic achievement. Studies show that teachers are unable to assess students accordingly as the current education system in Malaysia is too examination-oriented and over emphasises rote-learning. The research aims at investigating and analysing in-service teachers' alternative assessment strategies in selected Malaysian ESL classrooms. This study employed a qualitative case study involving eleven ESL teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Two instruments were used in data collection, namely interview protocol and classroom observation form. The findings showed that teachers employed different assessment strategies namely integrated alternative assessment, summative assessment, formative assessment, informal assessment via observation, online assessment, self-assessment, portfolio assessment, peer assessment and school-based assessment. The results revealed that besides alternative assessment, teachers still showed preference for employing summative assessment in the classroom. Some teachers embedded assessment activities to ensure students are given sufficient opportunity to perform, create, produce based on the tasks given in the classroom. The findings suggest that teachers need exposure and training in current assessment that they can employ in instruction.

English Language teachers faced problems in assisting their students to attain a higher level of academic achievement. This problem occurred due to their low-level mastery of assessment literacy. Studies show that teachers are unable to assess students accordingly as they lacked the assessment skills and consequently make erroneous decisions. Even more disturbing is that most teachers still have some confusion over the 'what' and 'how' of implementing best classroom assessment practices. The purpose of this study is to review past studies to examine in-service ESL teachers' assessment literacy. As such, there is a dire need to review past studies on assessment literacy frameworks that would facilitate in-service English teachers assessing student learning outcomes and in turn lead to informed decisions and educational policy. The emphasis on social constructivist theory will assist teachers in designing assessment tasks that will involve students to take charge, be responsible to think about their learning through the use of different assessment tools.

Education in Malaysia is transforming to increase students' ability and meet the needs of the industry. In Design and Technology subject, students apply the technology to develop a product capable of solving problems through a project-based learning approach. Therefore, this study aims to (a) identify problems in the implementation of design project and (b) identify the needs for module development. An online survey was conducted on 140 Design and Technology subject teachers in Batu Pahat district, Johor. Findings showed that the overall level of problem in the implementation of project-based learning was high and there was no significant difference in perception of problems in implementing project-based learning by gender, but a significant difference of perception by teaching experience. In terms of module content, the overall findings showed that the content requirement in the module was high. Gender and teaching experience showed no significant difference in perception of module content requirement. Finally, the findings showed that the suggested module design features are using Arial font and multi-colour, content in point form, A4 size, and contain graphical content. Therefore, it is proposed that this module should be developed due to its high requirements and should meet the needs of users, so that the goals of project implementation can be achieved.

Integrating Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and learning technologies can be the potential framework in designing language instruction to enhance learners' listening comprehension and speaking performance. However, not many past studies have explored how technology enhanced TBLT can enhance both listening comprehension and speaking performance of ESP learners. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of TBLT on ESP learners' listening comprehension and speaking performance using a quasi-experiment with nonequivalent (pretest and posttest) control-group design. Ninety-seven ESP learners majoring in a Nursing program participated in the study. Four instruments were used for data collection, namely a listening section of TOEFL test, an online presentation, role-play, and online group discussion. Findings showed that technology implementation enhanced TBLT significantly influenced students' listening comprehension. In a similar vein, ESP learners' speaking performance based on role-play also had considerable improvement. However, concerning ESP learners' online presentations and online group discussions, their speaking performance scores did not improve significantly after receiving this experimental treatment. These findings shed some light on students' involvement in attaining multifarious language inputs related to their listening comprehension due to the authentic and technological learning materials and media. In considering speaking performance enhancement, ESP students could benefit from merging the role-play in ESP instruction with technology enhanced TBLT.

Purpose: This study focuses on ESL teachers' strategies that foster higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing to weak ESL learners in two selected secondary schools in Malaysia. The ESL teachers' strategies that encourage higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing to weak ESL learners were recorded and examined to unsure that ESL learners are able to understand and master higher order thinking skills that can improve their writing. Methodology: Qualitative descriptive research methodology was employed in this study. The samples were collected through the snowball sampling technique, and 4 ESL teachers were selected from two different secondary schools in Malaysia. The main data collection method was classroom observation while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Each teacher was observed twice. Classroom observation forms and video recordings were used as the main sources in data collection. Findings: The results show that the ESL teachers' selected strategies encourage higher-order thinking skills when teaching writing, particularly for strategies that include the general procedures in implementing higher-order thinking skills for teaching writing and the major considerations at each stage of its implementation. The ESL teachers were able to educate the students on the general concepts of higher-order thinking skills, which subsequently helped the students to connect the concepts for writing. These strategies were able to help students to infer through real-life situations, by using graphic organizers and problem-solving skills. Significance: These findings can be used to guide decisions on higher-order thinking skills training for ESL teachers, educators and curriculum developers on various thinking skills strategies that can be implemented when teaching writing.

The problem of mastering English does not involve students alone. The English language teachers, policy makers and curriculum developers are also affected. Thus, teachers have resorted to using higher order thinking skills (HOT) as a means to teach writing to weak ESL learners. The study aimed at developing and validating a higher order thinking skills module for teaching writing to weak ESL learners. It employed a qualitative research paradigm using documents analysis, interviews, observations and validation form. It was conducted in two phases. The first phase was completed with needs analysis specifically identifying problems teachers faced in teaching writing using higher order thinking skills in six selected secondary schools. The ADDIE model approach was used by the ESL teachers and experts in HOTs to create the module content. In the second phase, the teachers were observed ten times to investigate the effectiveness of using the HOTs module developed for teaching writing. The findings revealed that the HOTs module served as a guideline for the teachers in applying and integrating thinking skills in the process of teaching writing. These findings were used to guide decisions on implementing the appropriate teaching pedagogy to apply HOTS for teaching writing.

Purpose: The study was aimed at exploring and analysing the current assessment practices of lecturers in selected Malaysian higher learning institution classrooms. The focus was the different modes of assessment used in the classroom and to make recommendations on using a variety of assessment modes that would be well-aligned with the intended learning outcomes. Methodology: A qualitative approach using a descriptive case study design was employed in developing the study. Subjects of the study were selected based on a voluntary basis and 15 lecturers teaching in eight programmes from two higher learning institutions participated in the study. Classroom observation was the main method of data collection, while data analysis employed thematic analysis. Each lecturer was observed twice. Three instruments were used in data collection, namely: pre-observation form, observation form and video recordings. The data was analysed through the open-coding process. The notes in the observation forms were compiled and reviewed to identify themes. Findings: The findings revealed that the current assessment practices of the lecturers included several modes of assessment, with oral questioning and peer assessment modes being used more frequently than others. The feedback modes employed were also varied with giving comments and correcting student answers or errors as the most common modes. The results provided evidence that besides teacher assessment, peer assessment was found to be another form of assessment favoured by the lecturers during the teaching and learning process. It was used to assess student presentations, to correct peer errors, and to give feedback. Significance: The findings were used to guide decisions on the need for assessment training for lecturers, educators and curriculum developers regarding the types of assessment modes for incorporation in teaching and learning, and also the need for assessment training that would provide lecturers with the knowledge and confidence to use a variety of assessment modes.

The educational context in Malaysia demands students to be equipped with sound grammar so that they can produce good essays in the examination. However, despite having learnt English in primary and secondary schools, students in the higher learning institutions tend to make some grammatical errors in their writing. This study presents the grammatical errors made by tertiary students in their writing. The participants were a group of Diploma students who sat for a university entrance exam. One hundred and forty-four written essays of the students were collected and analysed using content analysis. Findings revealed that subject-verb agreement and tenses were the most common type of errors. Students over-generalised and perceived that the tenses could be used interchangeably. Another common error found was in the students' construction of complex sentence. In such constructions, they failed to include essential and nonessential clauses. If teachers do not teach strategies to assist students in comprehending the concept of Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA), tenses, essential and nonessential clauses, these students will continue to make such errors in their tertiary education. The findings may have useful implications for English language teachers as understanding students' learning difficulties and providing appropriate grammar instruction is the key to effective teaching for ESL teachers.

Problem-based learning teaching models is a student-centered teaching model. This paper searched China's largest database, China Knowledge Network, using the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines method to search and screen prospective studies on the teaching effectiveness of the PBL teaching model published from 2013 to 2023, and based on the pre-set inclusion/exclusion criteria, a total of 30 papers were selected. The results show that the PBL teaching model effectively improves Chinese undergraduate students' achievement and critical thinking, and therefore, PBL can be implemented in Chinese undergraduate education. However, the use of the PBL teaching model is narrow due to its late start in China, and a more rigorous methodology and mixed-methods design of the studies are needed to improve the transferability of the results. Keywords: problem-based learning teaching model, achievement, critical thinking skill, Chinese undergraduate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creative critical thinking skills model aims to apply a critical and creative thinking style to students so that they can solve inventive problems well. However, teachers overlook the importance of this thinking style because they focus on inventive problem solving. Thus, a teaching module based on the Meyer Model has been developed to help teachers teach inventive problem-solving skills. This module has been developed by combining critical and creative thinking styles and the Theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) which is a theory that uses structured and systematic methods to solve inventive problems. This study aims to evaluate the effect of module implementation on the achievement of inventive problem-solving skills of standard four design and technology students in five aspects (i) problem situation (ii) problem cause (iii) strategy and approach (iv) solvability (v) innovation. This study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design. A total of 106 students were selected by cluster of random sampling and divided into 2 group which is control group (CG) and treatment group (TR). The research instrument used pre-test and post-test set to measure inventive problem-solving skills (IPSS) achievement. The results of the test analysis show that there is a significant improvement in the five aspects of the student's IPSS. In conclusion, the TRIZ-based thinking style module help teachers in teaching and learning in the classroom, especially in generating ideas to solve problems. The exposure of critical and creative thinking styles in this module also indirectly guides users to have a balanced style which has the potential to solve problems more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to uncover the pedagogical gaps by characterizing the teaching practices of chemistry within a teacher education institution and subsequently, identifying the prevalent, non-prevalent and unobserved teaching practices. Accordingly, this implementation study employed the classroom observation method. The one-semester implementation of 11 chemistry lessons of a university lecturer was observed using a psychometrically-validated observation checklist comprises 50 items or indicators that measure six principles (dimensions). The use of the observation checklist entails checking whether each indicator is observed or otherwise during classroom observations. With a frequency of more than 25% to be considered prevalent, the findings indicate that the lecturer prevalently "maintained a scaffolding of instructional alignment" (62.5%), "offered quality learning environments, resources, and technology" (57.1%), and "promoted positive beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral patterns" (54.5%). However, it was a non-prevalent practice in "encouraging intellectual curiosity" (8.3%), and "promoting an atmosphere of critical thinking and inquiry" (14.3%). The practice of "offering a varied learning atmosphere" was, regrettably, non-existent (0%). The pedagogical gaps uncovered are discussed in terms of the needed customized staff development on teaching and learning in teacher education, particularly the content coverage of pedagogy (or teaching models), and the pedagogical coverage of pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most significant task for a teacher is to keep students engaged in the classroom. Teachers can use group contingencies like independent, dependent, and interdependent to assist students in being more involved in classroom tasks. This study identifies the effects of group contingencies in regulating students' engagement in ESL classroom tasks. Samples comprise 27 Form 4 mixed-ability students from a secondary school in Selangor, Malaysia. The research used a mixed-method approach that included both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings revealed positive motivation, task retention, and teamwork promotion outcomes. Student behaviour was found to have a detrimental impact, particularly among the weaker students, who were boisterous and essentially riders. Interdependent group contingency has been determined to be the most successful method for regulating student engagement in ESL classes. This study suggests that students be divided into interdependent groups to ensure that classroom evaluations be done independently within the allotted time. It also has a good impact on the students' motivation and teamwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2020, COVID-19 has become a contemporary topic of study in a wide variety of disciplines. One of these is education, since the linguistic competence of Malaysian International high school learners is unknown as physical schooling has been replaced by online learning, which involves no formal language tests. Hence, a corpus-based analysis of salient phrases related to COVID-19 among Malaysian international high school learners through data visualisation makes a useful contribution because it is concerned with both COVID-19 and the linguistic competence of such learners. The study's main objective is to recognise these salient phrases in extended writing. A quantitative strategy was employed, focusing on quantitative computational linguistics analysis with a corpus-based methodology. On a methodological level, it analyses salient phrases, concordances, loglikelihood values, and their semantic domains using LancsBox, trigram from N-grams, a loglikelihood calculator, and the USAS semantic tagger. The findings include the ten most salient phrases discovered for the trigram and related concordances, as well as their associated semantic domains. Overall, the study reports the linguistic competence evident among Malaysian international high school learners post-COVID-19 and contributes to the corpus-based education research literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to investigate in-service teachers' familiarization of the CEFR-aligned school-based assessment (SBA) in the Malaysian secondary ESL classroom. It also intends to explore teachers' knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of the CEFR-aligned SBA. The study also examined the implementation of the SBA and the challenges that TESL teachers faced embracing the CEFR-aligned SBA in their ESL classroom. An exploratory mixed-method research design was employed. Data were collected by administering a survey to 108 in-service teachers, and 12 in-service teachers participated in the interview. The results show that the in-service teachers have rather a good level of familiarization with CEFR-aligned SBA and a moderate level of awareness and comprehension of the CEFR-aligned SBA. However, the in-service teachers are aware of the importance of CEFR-aligned SBA to assist students to improve their proficiency. In-service teachers exhibit a good understanding of selecting the appropriate assessment tools and methods to assess students' learning. In-service teachers expressed their struggles and concerns regarding implementing CEFR-aligned SBA effectively, including lack of training, sourcing for good materials to teach, students' negative attitude towards the teaching and learning process, students' attendance, time constraint and their workload. In conclusion, the implementation of the CEFR-aligned SBA is crucial as it is a national agenda and teachers' involvement in executing the assessment is obligatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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