Saedah Siraj

Aging in Multi-ethnic Malaysia

Multiethnic Malaysia provides a unique case study of divergence in population aging of different sociocultural subgroups within a country. Malaysia represents 3 major ethnicities in Asia-the Malay, Chinese, and Indian. The 3 ethnic groups are at different stages of population aging, as they have undergone demographic transition at different pace amidst rapid social and economic changes. Between 1991 and 2010, the Malaysian population aged 60 and over has more than doubled from about 1 million to 2.2 million, and this is projected to rise to about 7 million or 17.6% of the projected population of 40 million by 2040. In 2010, the aging index ranged from 22.8% among the Bumiputera (Malays and other indigenous groups), to 31.4% among the Indians and 55.0% among the Chinese. Population aging provides great challenges for Malaysias social and economic development. The increasing prevalence of noncommunicable diseases in older adults, coupled with the erosion of the traditional family support system has increased demands on health care services with an overwhelming need for multidisciplinary and specialized geriatric care. Following the adoption of the National Policy for the Elderly in 1995, issues of population aging have gained increasing attention, especially among researchers. There is an urgent need to increase public awareness, develop infrastructure, as well as support action oriented research that will directly translate to comprehensive and cohesive social strategies, policies, and legislation to protect not just the current older Malaysians but the future of all Malaysians.

A Synthesis of Spiritual Intelligence Themes from Islamic and Western Philosophical Perspectives

Abstract Spiritual intelligence is an emerging term that is widely discussed and accepted as one of the main components that addresses and solves many life problems. Nonetheless there is no specific study being done to synthesize the spiritual intelligence themes from Western and Islamic philosophical perspectives. This research aimed to identify common spiritual intelligence themes from these two perspectives and elucidated its contents by the view of two well-known Islamic scholars; al-Ghazali and Hasan Langgulung. Seven spiritual intelligence themes were identified through thematic analysis; meaning/purpose of life, consciousness, transcendence, spiritual resources, self-determination, reflection-soul purification and spiritual coping with obstacles. These findings will be the groundwork for centered theory of spiritual intelligence themes that synthesize the Islamic and Western philosophical perspectives. It is hoped that this study will contribute significantly to the development of valid and reliable spiritual intelligence themes beyond the social and cultural boundaries.

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.

Development of an instructional model for higher order thinking in science among secondary school students: a fuzzy Delphi approach

ABSTRACT It is important for science students to develop higher order thinking (HOT) so that they can reason like scientists in the field. In this study, a HOT instructional model for secondary school science was developed with experts. The model would focus on reflective thinking (RT) and science process skills (SPS) among Grade 7 students. The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was employed to determine consensus among a panel of 20 experts. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted among the experts to generate the elements required for the model. Then, a questionnaire was developed using a seven-point linguistic scale based on these elements. The defuzzification value was calculated for each item, and a threshold value (d) of 0.75 was used to determine consensus for the items in the questionnaire. The alpha-cut value of >0.5 was used to select the phases and sub-phases in the model. The elements in the model were ranked to identify the sub-phases which had to be emphasised for implementation in instruction. Consensus was achieved on the phases of the HOT instructional model: engagement, investigation, explanation, conclusion and reflection. An additional 24 learning activities to encourage RT skills and SPS among students were also identified to develop HOT skills in science.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Experience in the Visual Art Education Classroom

The lack of research references in the approach of a culturally responsive pedagogy in arts education at the global and local level has paved the way for the need to conduct a more comprehensive study in the field. To successfully implement and achieve the aims of an effective multicultural education, emphasis should be placed on several critical actions. It is evident that there is a need to introduce a multicultural responsive pedagogical approach system that provides more room to the element of knowledge and awareness of the diversity of culture to assist teachers in the matter. The research examines the experience of using culturally responsive pedagogy in Visual Art Education. From the survey, results indicated that the module has high potential to be incorporated into the current curriculum as it is a new pedagogical approach that is responsive to multicultural education.

Fostering Unity and Improving Creativity—New Experiences in the Culturally Responsive Visual Art Education

Culturally responsive pedagogy is developed based on cultural knowledge, the experiences of students from multi-ethnicity, their references and performance in learning. The present research utilizes the Design and Develop method as suggested by Richey and Klein (2007) focusing on the processes of developing a module which is appropriate in the teaching of Visual Arts Education at upper secondary level. The respondents consist of 60 upper secondary students of Malay, Indian, and Chinese ethnicity involved in the implementation process. Results show positive responses from students and their strong optimist perceptions towards Culturally Responsive Traditional Art crafts in Visual Arts Education in Secondary School. Therefore, results obtained proved that there is a need for developing a teaching module that is culturally responsive in teaching and learning of traditional art crafts in Visual Arts Education.

Needs Analysis in Developing Culturally Responsive Arts Education Pedagogy Module

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is developed based on cultural knowledge and experiences of multiethnic students, with their references and performance in learning. In this research, a module was developed to suit a CRP in the teaching and learning of visual arts education (VAE) to upper secondary school students. The research utilizes the design and develop method as suggested by Richey and Klein in 2007, focusing on the processes of developing a module appropriate in the teaching of VAE at the upper secondary level. This chapter discusses the needs analysis that was carried out to identify students’ level of knowledge and learning experiences in VAE and on culturally responsive education. The respondents consisted of 184 upper secondary students of Malay, Indian, and Chinese ethnicity. Results show positive responses from students and their strong optimistic perceptions towards CRP in traditional art and crafts for secondary school VAE. Therefore, results obtained proved that there is a need to develop a teaching module that is culturally responsive in the teaching and learning of traditional arts and crafts for secondary school VAE.

Development of an effective school-based financial management profile in Malaysia: The Delphi method application

The agenda for national development requires a persistent improvement in education as a tool for creating knowledgeable human capital, highly skilled labour, a high technology society and ultimately a highly civilized nation for the future challenging world. It requires considerable financial and technical investment as well as effective and efficient public administration to realize these aims. The persistent actions by the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education in Malaysia throughout the past decades to enhance the quality of school financial management were portrayed in the country’s national master plans such as the Education Development Master Plan (PIPP) 2006-2010, the Tenth Malaysia Plan 2010-2015 and the Malaysia Education Blueprint (PPPM) 2013-2025. Among the strategies focused on upgrading education and curriculum delivery is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of educational financial management as a vital part of educational administration. The latest Tenth Malaysia Plan 2010-2015 was formed with the objective of revamping the education system in order to significantly raise student outcomes. As an innovative approach to realize the effectiveness of knowledge delivery, public-private partnerships have been established for pre-school and primary and secondary education which allow for significant autonomy for school managers. Key words: Financial management, education, student outcomes, Malaysia.