Norlidah Alias

The effectiveness of synthetic phonics in the development of early reading skills among struggling young ESL readers

ABSTRACT A quasi-experimental research design was used to investigate the effectiveness of synthetic phonics in the development of early reading skills among struggling young English as a second language (ESL) readers in a rural school. The pretest and posttest, adapted from the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) for Preschool Students and Grades 1 to 3 tests, assessed children’s early reading skills. A semi-structured interview was used to gather information. The findings indicated that the performance of students in the experimental group in decoding was significantly higher in the posttest, where t(39) = 31.441, p < .00005. Likewise, in comprehension, the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in the posttest, where t(39) = 15.322, p < .00005. There was a significant difference in the achievement between the two groups, where t(78) = 31.010, p < .00005. This indicates that synthetic phonics could be effective in developing early reading skills for struggling readers.

Problem-Solving Strategies Among Science Teachers in the State of Selangor, Malaysia

Problem-solving is the highest level of learning in the cognitive domain. However, studies have shown that Malaysian students seem to lack problem-solving skills. This may be due to the lack of understanding of thinking skills and problem solving among teachers and the inability to apply appropriate teaching strategies for teaching problem solving. In this study, science teachers in Selangor, one of the most highly populated states in Malaysia, were sampled. The aim of the study was to investigate the problem-solving strategies teachers used for instruction. The findings indicated that teachers preferred giving factual explanations and asking students to listen to these explanations. As for problem-solving modes, argumentation was the dominant mode, followed by analogizing and reasoning causally. Participants were less inclined to use modeling for students to develop and test their own mental models. Hence, there is a need for instructional models for problem solving which would assist teachers in developing instructional strategies to inculcate problem solving and higher order thinking skills among students.

The Effectiveness of Health Education Learning Module Based on WebQuest Among Special Education Instructors

The WQPKes Module for Special Education Instructors is a learning platform with WebQuest, in helping to increase the instructors’ learning experiences in Health Education. In measuring its effectiveness, this module was implemented and tested in the PDK in Gombak, Malaysia. Under the Department of Social Welfare, Malaysia PDK is established in a community to help people with disabilities (PWDs) in providing early interventions and rehabilitation services. This study focussed on food and nutrition topic in WQPKes module. This study employed an exploratory implementation design which incorporated a quasi-experimental research design. The findings showed that the instructors’ knowledge on all elements in food and nutrition has improved after the implementation of this module. Potentially, this module could be implemented in other PDKs in Malaysia.

Needs analysis for graphic design learning module based on technology & learning styles of deaf students

Abstract The field of Information Communication Technology has offered a promising future for deaf students. Web design, animation, and multimedia application design are a branch of graphic design area, which aim to aid their learning visually. However, most of the technical terms cannot be interpreted in Malaysian sign language. Moreover, the development of the existing curriculum is not geared in catering needs of deaf students and not tailored to their learning styles. With the development of technology, learning for deaf students could be improved. However, previous studies only focused on language development and there is meager research on curriculum development and teaching in the field of graphic design. Therefore, this study was designed to obtain the views of students on the learning needs of graphic design module based on technology and learning styles of deaf students. Questionnaires were distributed to 58 students in special education schools and vocational colleges in Malaysia who majored in graphic design. Descriptive analysis of the data indicated that there is a need for a learning module and the reasons include difficulties in learning animation, different learning styles, communication of sign language in learning, and the efficacy of technology in aiding teaching deaf students.

Design of an Instructional Module on Basic Life Support for Homeschooled Children.

Abstract Basic Life Support (BLS) can increase a victim’s chances of survival when administered promptly and correctly. Cardiac and respiratory arrests occur more frequently when the victim is at home far from clinical support. Hence, prompt action by family members trained in BLS can save the victim’s life. In this study, the requirements for the design of a module for teaching BLS as an important life skill to homeschooled children is investigated using Taba’s model of curriculum design. The Fuzzy Delphi technique was used to obtain consensus among 10 experts for the design, content, strategies, activities and assessment for the instructional module. The experts agreed that BLS should be taught to children above 15 years, with content focusing on the techniques of proper chest compression, rescue breath and rescue of drowning victims. The findings indicate that the preferred strategies were observation of demonstrations and hands-on return demonstrations with activities using manikins to simulate emergency scenarios. The preferred methods of assessment were practical demonstrations, multiple choice questions and online assessment. The findings provide insights for the design of a BLS module which could be developed for homeschooled children.