Whilst much attention has focused on project-based approaches to teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, little has been reported on the views of South-East Asian science teachers on project-based STEM approaches. Such knowledge could provide relevant information for education training institutions on how to influence innovative teaching of STEM subjects in schools. This article reports on a study that investigated the perceptions of 25 pre-service and 21 in-service Malaysian science teachers in adopting an interdisciplinary project-based STEM approach to teaching science. The teachers undertook an eight hour workshop which exposed them to different science-based STEM projects suitable for presenting science content in the Malaysian high school science syllabus. Data on teachers’ perceptions were captured through surveys, interviews, open-ended questions and classroom discussion before and at the end of the workshop. Study findings showed that STEM professional development workshops can provide insights into the support required for teachers to adopt innovative, effective, project-based STEM approaches to teaching science in their schools.

The paper described the development and validation of the Test of Science Critical Thinking (TSCT) to measure the three critical thinking skill constructs: comparing and contrasting, sequencing, and identifying cause and effect. The initial TSCT consisted of 55 multiple choice test items, each of which required participants to select a correct response and a correct choice of critical thinking used for their response. Data were obtained from a purposive sampling of 30 fifth graders in a pilot study carried out in a primary school in Sabah, Malaysia. Students underwent the sessions of teaching and learning activities for 9 weeks using the Thinking Maps-aided Problem-Based Learning Module before they answered the TSCT test. Analyses were conducted to check on difficulty index (p) and discrimination index (d), internal consistency reliability, content validity, and face validity. Analysis of the test–retest reliability data was conducted separately for a group of fifth graders with similar ability. Findings of the pilot study showed that out of initial 55 administered items, only 30 items with relatively good difficulty index (p) ranged from 0.40 to 0.60 and with good discrimination index (d) ranged within 0.20–1.00 were selected. The Kuder–Richardson reliability value was found to be appropriate and relatively high with 0.70, 0.73 and 0.92 for identifying cause and effect, sequencing, and comparing and contrasting respectively. The content validity index obtained from three expert judgments equalled or exceeded 0.95. In addition, test–retest reliability showed good, statistically significant correlations (). From the above results, the selected 30-item TSCT was found to have sufficient reliability and validity and would therefore represent a useful tool for measuring critical thinking ability among fifth graders in primary science.

This research was conducted to assess the level of students' understanding of the measures of central tendency and attitude towards statistics. A survey research was conducted on Tenth Graders in nine secondary rural schools in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 148 students were sampled using stratified random sampling. Statistical Understanding Test of the Measures of Central Tendency and Survey Attitude towards Statistics questionnaire were used as data collection tools. The data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially by using SPSS version 20.0. The results revealed that students' understanding of measures of central tendency was at a moderate level, while their attitude towards statistics was positive. Gender difference was found to be significant in students' understanding of measures of central tendency (p=0.032), but not in their attitude towards statistics. Generally, male students had a higher understanding than the female students. Furthermore, there were no significant relationships between students' understanding of measures of central tendency and attitude towards statistics, except for Effort component (r=-0.299, p<.05). The finding showed that students who willingly put a great effort to learn statistics did not necessarily warrant a good understanding of the measures of central tendency. This study implied that Mathematics educators should remind students that the quality of learning with the appropriate learning technique invested in it would warrant better understanding of the measures of central tendency.

There are limited research studies about the development of questionnaire to assess the level of primary school students’ curiosity towards STEM education. In this research, curiosity towards STEM Education Questionnaire (CQ-STEM) instrument was developed based on Berlyne’s Theory of Curiosity. CQ-STEM consisted of 10 items measuring the two constructs of curiosity towards STEM, namely exploration and acceptance. A total of 166 fifth graders aged 10 to 11 years enrolled in five urban schools in Sabah, Malaysia made up the research sample. Rasch Measurement Model was applied to determine the validity and reliability of CQ-STEM. The validity of the CQ-STEM instrument was well established among the constructs of exploration and acceptance through the person fit, item fit, item polarity, unidimensionality, and variable map. The CQ-STEM instrument was found to have a high reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha value (KR-20) of .93. CQ-STEM has an excellent item reliability and moderate high item separation value of .96 and 4.83 respectively. In conclusion, CQ-STEM has good validity and high reliability in measuring curiosity towards STEM Education among primary school students. Keywords: curiosity towards STEM Education, primary school students, Rasch Measurement Model, validity and reliability, questionnaire development

Most educational institutions were closed as one of the measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers are mobilized to adapt online teaching and learning (OTL) methods to continue the educational process. However, previous studies have found that teacher motivation is affected due to this pandemic. Therefore, a quantitative study using questionnaire was conducted to examine the influence of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and commitment on Physics teachers' motivation to implement OTL. A total of 77 male and 109 female Physics teachers in Sabah were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Descriptive analysis using SPSS found that teachers' level of TPACK, commitment, and motivation in implementing OTL is high. Multiple regression analysis found that the constructs of Content Knowledge and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in TPACK have a significant relationship and influence on the motivation to implement OTL. The commitment constructs: Commitment to School, Commitment to Teaching, and Commitment to Profession, were also found to have a significant relationship and influence on the motivation to implement OTL. This study is helpful to stakeholders in understanding the situation of Physics teachers while carrying out essential tasks in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic to formulate relevant policies and programs for the survival of the national education system.

This study is an assessment of the reliability and validity analysis of Statistical Reasoning Test Survey (SRTS) instrument using the Rasch Measurement Model. The SRTS instrument was developed by the researchers to assess students' statistical reasoning in descriptive statistics among Tenth Grade science-stream students in rural schools. SRTS was a combination of a subjective test and an open-ended format questionnaire which contained of 12 items. The respondents' statistical reasoning was assessed based on these four constructs: Describing Data, Organizing Data, Representing Data and Analyzing and Interpreting Data. The sample comprised of 115 (76%) girls and 36 (24%) boys aged 15-16 years old from a rural district in Sabah, Malaysia. Overall, the SRTS instrument was found to have a high reliability with a Cronbach's alpha value (KR-20) of 0.81. Results also showed that SRTS has an excellent item reliability and high item separation value of 0.99 and 9.57 respectively. SRTS also has a good person reliability and person separation value of 0.81 and 2.04 respectively. Meanwhile, the validity of the SRTS instrument was appropriately established through the item fit, person fit, variable map, and unidimensionality. In conclusion, this study indicates that the SRTS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the statistical reasoning of science-stream students from rural secondary schools.

There are limited research studies about the development of test instrument to assess the level of entrepreneurial thinking among children in STEM education. The purpose of this research was to develop an Entrepreneurial Science Thinking Test (ESTT) for primary school children in STEM Education and evaluate its validity and reliability. The ESTT was developed using experiential learning theory which comprised of five constructs, namely Observation, New Ideas, Innovation, Creativity, and Value. The ESTT consisted of ten open-ended question items that require children to answer questions in statements and draw sketches of ideas. The evaluation was conducted to determine the reliability and validity of ESTT which involved five subject matter experts and 166 11-year-old fifth graders from five urban schools in Sabah, Malaysia. The data obtained from fifth graders were computed using WINSTEPS software version 3.73 and analysed using the Rasch measurement model. The results indicated a high acceptable content validity and construct validity, high internal consistency, and excellent item reliability and item separation. Through item fit analysis, all items were retained. The finding established the reliability and validity of the ESTT and would therefore represent a valid and highly reliable instrument for measuring entrepreneurial science thinking among fifth graders in STEM Education. Keywords: experiential learning theory, science entrepreneurial thinking, validity and reliability, STEM education

This research was conducted to explore the STEM imagination of Grade 10 students from one Malaysian rural secondary school that adopted the integration of the imagination process in an Engineering Design Process (EDP) through an outreach program in STEM. Four stages of the STEM imagination process were examined: initiation, dynamic adjustment, virtual implementation and implementation. A total of 50 students aged 16 participated in a 10-hour program which engaged them in designing and building two different prototypes. Data on students’ STEM imagination were captured through teachers’ field notes based on focus group interviews and observations. The findings reveal that students needed to draw from their lived experiences to brainstorm problems and solutions around a given scenario, and to arrive at a workable solution in order to move from the initiation to the implementation stage. The findings also suggested that the EDP approach is able to create a supportive environment for nurturing STEM imagination among rural secondary school students.