Sallimah M. Salleh

Investigating the factors influencing teachers' use of ICT in teaching in Bruneian secondary schools

The primary focus of the research study described in this paper was to assess the status quo of teachers’ use of Information and Communication Technology in teaching in terms of the factors that influence their use. Using a survey questionnaire, data was collected from a total of 1,891 secondary school teachers in all government schools in Negara Brunei Darussalam. Structural equation modelling, using AMOS 5.0 software, was employed as the major statistical analytic technique for a series of data analyses and assessment of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the theoretical model that underpinned the study. Findings presented in this paper indicate that Bruneian teachers’ use of ICT in teaching was influenced by their personal (attitude), social (subjective norms), and control (perceived behavioural control) factors.

How and what teachers learn from collaborative professional development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of teacher learning through participation in sustained collaborative subject-based professional development groups supported by a facilitator, using a model of teachers’ conceptions of teaching developed from phenomenography to identify what are the critical features of teaching that must be present if teachers are to learn, and using a variation theory of learning to explain how they learn. Design/methodology/approach The groups engaged in cycles of lesson study action research to improve the learning outcomes of their students. The authors intended to engage the teachers in an exploration of their own and their students’ experiences to understand the relationship between the enactment of the research lesson(s) and the educational outcome. The authors collected over 157 hours of video recorded teachers’ meetings involving 15 groups, 47 hours of follow-up interviews and 97 hours of lessons. In this paper the authors report on the progress of one of those groups. The authors analysed the transcripts to see what, if any, dimensions of variation were opened in discussion, affording the opportunity for learning. The authors sought the simultaneous juxtaposition, the bringing together, of threads that have entered the discussion that have the potential to open dimensions of variation – to add critical features to the “what” and “how” dimensions of teaching. Findings The authors identified necessary conditions for teacher learning through collaborative subject-based professional development groups. Any member of the group might bring this about. The facilitator or coach might be expected to perform this role in the group, and to sustain the group’s attention on the critical features of the object of learning. Practical implications The paper provides valuable insights into strategies to change teacher perspectives from a transmission oriented to a construction oriented view of teaching in the face of new and challenging curriculum demands. Originality/value In the work reported here the authors have used variation theory to design lesson study. This is rather different from a learning study where the teachers engaged in the study use variation theory to design their research lesson(s). It is a learning study of teachers’ professional development.

Examining the influence of teachers ' beliefs towards technology integration in classroom

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the direct and indirect factors of the elaborated theory of planned behaviour (TPB) relate to teachers’ intentions and use of technology in teaching. Design/methodology/approach – The current study attempted to provide an understanding of teachers’ beliefs and intentions to use technology in teaching, and their influence on behaviours by applying and elaborating Ajzen’s TPB, a widely applied model for investigating social behaviour. Findings – The elaborated TPB model was found to be a marginally fitting model in predicting and explaining intention and behaviour. The model explained only 17 per cent of variance in intention and 13 per cent in use of technology. Teacher’s use of technology in teaching was predicted by intention and perceived behavioural control (PBC); and intention was predicted by attitude towards the technology and PBC. Subjective norms made weak prediction on intention. The TPB model of direct factors explained 25 per cent of varianc...

Embedding video technology in enhancing the understanding of the biology concept of breathing: A Brunei perspective

This study was carried out in an attempt to investigate the impact of embedding video technology into classroom lessons designed using technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework in improving students’ conceptual understanding, focused on the concept of breathing. This study hypothesized that embedding video technology into classroom teaching would assist students in visualizing the dynamic biological processes, while improving students’ conceptual understanding of the biology concept of breathing. This study sought to answer two research questions: (1) What are the students’ misconceptions on breathing? (2) Does the integration of technology in lesson improve students’ understanding of the concept? In this study, participants underwent four cycles of interventions, reflecting on the four knowledge dimensions of the TPACK framework (declarative, procedural, schematic and strategic). Mixed research method was employed in this study. Drawing–writing technique, pre- and post-tests and students’ interviews were used to collect data. The quantitative data derived from the students’ pre- and post-tests scores were analysed using SPSS paired sample t-test, while the qualitative data obtained from the drawing–writing technique and students’ interviews were thematically analysed based on the content. Results of this study indicated that there was a significantly greater improvement in students’ conceptual understanding of the biology concept of breathing after the interventions, thus demonstrating the positive impact of embedding video technology into classroom lessons planned using TPACK framework.