IIUM Journal of Educational Studies
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Reflections on Education for Sustainable Development and the new UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development
Full text linkEducation for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a pivotal, yet evolving concept in the global discourse on sustainability since its introduction in Agenda 21 (1992). This article critically examines the recent UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development (2023) in light of ESD’s disputed definition(s), functions, and intended outcomes including perspectives on philosophical underpinnings. The analysis applies Critical Social Theory and uses critical discourse analysis. The findings show that despite the UNESCO Recommendation’s claim of creating consensus on definitions of concepts including ESD, it perpetuates existing inconsistencies and vagueness, thereby hindering implementation and fulfilment of the enabling role of ESD. The study demonstrates that the UNESCO Recommendation includes references to humanistic thought without acknowledging or addressing potential limitations in relation to diverse worldviews. Following an extensive literature review published in 2024 (Kohl et al., 2024), this article is a second insight into doctoral research underway at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The research analyses the ESD-related UN/UNESCO discourse between 1992 and 2023, examining ESD’s understanding and references to humanistic thought. Moving forward, the authors call for pluralistic perspectives on ESD that embrace a shared basis and philosophical grounding to support context-sensitive implementation
Teachers’ Psycho-Demographic Dynamics and Students’ Academic Performance in Physical and Health Education in Ogun State
Full text linkThis correlational study assessed teachers’ psycho-demographic dynamics and students’ academic performance in Physical and Health Education in Ogun State, Nigeria. A convenience sample of 134 Physical and Health Education teachers was surveyed using a self-developed questionnaire comprising items measuring teachers’ psycho-demographic factors and students’ academic performance. Multiple regression analysis was employed for data analysis. The results revealed a significant relationship between teachers’ psycho-demographic dynamics and students’ academic performance in Physical and Health Education (R2 =0.418, Adj. R2 =0.390, p-value < 0.5). The results also highlighted the relative contributions of school location, self-efficacy, gender, self-esteem, teaching experience, educational qualifications and goal setting to the dependent measure. The study concluded that teachers’ psycho-demographic dynamics have a significant combined influence on students’ academic performance in Physical and Health Education in Ogun State. In particular, self-efficacy, gender, self-esteem, goal-setting, teaching experience, and educational qualification were found to significantly influence students’ academic performance. The study recommends that teachers’ incentives and pay structures be re-evaluated to create more opportunities for performance-based remunerations
Academic Performance and Academic Self-Efficacy among Pre-University Students in Malaysia
Full text linkThis research investigated the relationship between academic performance and self-efficacy among pre-university students in Malaysia using cross-sectional survey data. The sample comprised 171 pre-university undergraduates, aged between 18 and 20, studying at a public university in Kuala Lumpur. They were derived from the population to form the sample using stratified random sampling. Two separate scales measuring academic self-efficacy and academic performance (i.e., the CEVEAPEU) were used to collect the survey data. The study used descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression to analyze the data. The results indicate that a majority of the students reported a high level of academic self-efficacy and established a strong positive relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance. No statistically significant gender differences were found in the respondents’ academic self-efficacy, but academic performance was significantly influenced by academic self-efficacy. The findings suggest the potential involvement of additional variables, such as CGPA, in shaping students’ academic performance, highlighting the need for further exploration of these variables in future studies
Striving Towards Independent Living: The Trials and Tribulations of Institutionalised Adolescents in Malaysia
Full text linkThis phenomenological study explores how five institutionalised Malay adolescents used adaptive strategies towards independent living upon being released from welfare institutions. Five 17-year-old Malay Muslim adolescents, three males and two females, were recruited via purposive sampling for a focus group discussion to gather insights into their plans and strategies to cope with life challenges after being released from their respective welfare institutions. Thematic analysis of the FGD data extracted six themes that portrayed the adolescents’ adaptive strategies for facing challenges in life. The themes include making personal preparations, acquiring personal strengths, setting a career direction, exploring the support of friends and outsiders, feeling of being complete, searching for personal necessities and having a sense of responsibility. The findings highlight the need for developing a comprehensive life skills intervention for institutionalised adolescents and psychoeducation counselling modules to alleviate the adolescents’ uncertainties in going through the adjustment phase outside welfare institutions.
The Importance of Semantics Equivalence in Translating Islamic Terms into The Malay Language
Full text linkيهدف البحث إلى إبراز ظاهرة التحديات في ترجمة المصطلحات المتعلقة بالخطاب الديني في القرآن الكريم إلى اللغة الملايوية. وذلك لأنها تعد من أهم المؤشرات الدلالية التي يمكن الاعتماد عليها في عملية إيصال معنى النص من لغة المصدر إلى لغة الهدف، لاسيما في القضايا اللصيقة بالقرآن الكريم، فعلى هذا يجب على المترجم الملايوي أن يهتم بهذه الخصوصية في ترجمة هذا النوع من النصوص الإسلامية، لما لها من دور في تشكيل المفاهيم الاصطلاحية الدينية، وفي تحقيق الاستيعاب اللغوي للتوجيهات القرآنية، وكما يعتبر الدين نفسه من أهم العناصر التي تضبط سلوك الفرد تجاه نفسه وبيئته المحيطة، بل تجاه مجتمعه الذي يعيش فيه. وهذا الاهتمام يعد خطوة مهمة لإنشاء شخصية متدينة سوية داخل مجتمع متدين ذي قيم دينية واضحة ممتعة بقيم ثقافية صادقة. فالبحث بهذا المعنى يمثل محاولة أولية لتوصيف بعض النماذج للمصطلحات المترجمة إلى اللغة الملايوية في هذا المجال وصفا تقابليا من منظور تكافؤ البناء اللغوي، وذلك للإجابة عن سؤال علاقة المصطلح بمستخدميه، وعن كيفية حدوث تلك العلاقة، إضافة إلى ماذا يترتب على عدمها؟ وهذا على افتراض أن المطابقة اللغوية في ترجمة مصطلح من المصطلحات تمثل نظاما يتشكل من خلاله الاتصال الفعال، ونمطا من الاحتكاك المنتظم بين المجتمع اللغوي، وأن هذا النوع من الاحتكاك قائم على مبدأ تكافؤ البناء اللغوي بين المصطلح المصدر بما يماثله في صياغة المصطلح الهدف.The research aims to highlight the phenomenon of challenges in translating terms related to religious discourse in the Holy Qur’an into the Malay language, especially with regards to the accuracy and adequacy of linguistic equivalence. This is because it is regarded as one of the most important semantic indicators that can be relied upon in the process of conveying the meaning of the text from the source language to the target language, especially in issues related to the Holy Qur’an. Therefore, Malay translators must specifically pay attention when translating this type of Islamic text because it has a role in shaping religious terminological concepts. By accurately conveying the linguistic comprehension of the Qur'an, individuals can shape their behaviour in accordance with religious principles, leading to a harmonious relationship with oneself, the environment, and society. Focusing on this aspect, it is regarded as an important step to create a healthy religious personality within a religious socio-cultural practice. The research in this sense represents a preliminary attempt to analytically describe some examples of Qur’anic idiomatic terms translated into the Malay language based on the contrastive method from the perspective of linguistic structural equivalence as a step towards answering the question of the relationship between a term and its users, and how that relationship occurs, in addition to the result of its absence. Together with the assumption that linguistic conformity in the translation of an idiomatic term constitutes a system in which effective communication is formed together with a pattern of smooth engagement between linguistic communities. However, a counterexample to this would be if the idiomatic terms in the Qur'an cannot be accurately translated into the Malay language due to cultural and linguistic differences, resulting in a loss of meaning and misinterpretation of the text. In the case of translating idiomatic terms from the Qur'an into Malay, linguistic equivalence may not always be achievable. For example, if a specific idiom in the Qur'an holds cultural or historical significance unique to Arabic-speaking communities, it may be challenging to find an equivalent idiom that carries the same meaning and connotation in Malay. This could lead to a loss of meaning and potentially misinterpretation of the text for Malay-speaking readers
Using Read-Alouds in Promoting Early Literacy Development: A Case Study of a Class of ESL Preschoolers
Full text linkThis article presents the results of a study that examined the response of a group of English as a Second Language (ESL) preschoolers towards reading aloud and the experience and perspectives of their teachers regarding this practice. Data were collected through three primary sources: in-depth (participation) observation of the preschoolers; analysis of their drawings and worksheets, and the semi-structured interviews of the teachers. The findings are subsequently discussed with particular emphasis on how reading aloud fosters the preschoolers’ engagement and participation, their comprehension of the story, and their critical thinking ability. The teachers' feedback also provides valuable input towards improving the preschoolers’ participation, comprehension, and confidence in reading aloud; and for the future enhancement of read-aloud programs. The paper concludes with a discussion of some practical strategies for teaching reading aloud and how it can enhance English language teaching to ESL preschoolers
Exploring Indonesian Primary School Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence: Comparisons by Gender and Teaching Experience
Full text linkThis study examined the level of emotional intelligence among private primary school teachers in selected Indonesian schools and differences in teachers’ EI by gender and teaching experience. Using a census survey, the study obtained emotional intelligence data from 107 Indonesian teachers—65 female and 42 male—from 19 private primary schools in Surabaya. The survey was administered using a Google Form containing 25 items on emotional intelligence adapted from Goleman (2011). The emotional intelligence items were divided into five subscales measuring self-awareness (four items), self-regulation (four items), motivation (six items), empathy (five items), and relationship management (six items). The EI data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to establish teachers’ EI levels and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to determine teacher differences in EI by gender and teaching experience. The results indicated that private primary school teachers in Surabaya reported high levels of EI in all five of its dimensions. Both male and female teachers demonstrated a consistent distribution of emotional intelligence scores and no statistically significant differences by gender and teaching experience were found among the sample in terms of emotional intelligence
Sibling Birth Order Among Undergraduate University Students and Its Influence on Personality Traits: Some Implications for Education
Full text linkThis cross-sectional survey explores the influence of sibling birth order on university students’ personality traits. The sample consisted of 184, predominantly Chinese, Malaysian undergraduates of a private university in Malaysia. The Big-Five personality questionnaire (John & Benet-Martinez, 1998) was used for data collection, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and path analysis from SEM were used to analyse the data. The CFA results show a significant interrelationship between the traits of extroversion and agreeableness but no significant direct effect of birth order on personality traits. The results are consistent with the previous studies in Malaysia and around the globe and suggest the likelihood of other factors (e.g., social culture and environment) possibly influencing student personality. Subsequent research that employs various Malaysian samples is needed to further test the applicability of Sulloway’s theory in explaining the influence or effect of sibling birth order in Malaysia
Development of Metacognitive Strategies Framework through Education 4.0 for Graduate Employability and Learning Sustainability
Full text linkThe main goal of entering higher education institutions (HEI) is employability. In response to the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR), Education 4.0 enables new potentials and promises through technology. Despite the benefits of Education 4.0 stated, there are challenges present in the system. The objectives of this study were to identify the metacognitive strategies and how Education 4.0 enhance learning sustainability and graduate employability. The next objective was to examine the effectiveness of the metacognitive strategies framework on sustainable learning and employability through Education 4.0. Mixed methods were used in data collection using exploratory sequential design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from three categories of university alumni, lecturers, and experts from the industries. From the findings of the interviews, an instrument was developed and distributed to experts in higher education and new employee hiring. Two rounds of the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) were conducted to analyse the data from the quantitative method. There are seven metacognitive strategies that enhance graduate employability and learning sustainability which are showcase self, self-improvement, exposure, self-study and study group, career development and training, reflection of learning, and teaching approaches. Three themes were identified in response to how Education 4.0 enhances learners’ learning sustainability and employability which are Purpose, Advantages, and Disadvantages. A framework was then developed, integrating both metacognitive strategies and Education 4.0. This framework could assist graduates in equipping themselves with the skillsets needed to become more visible to employers and increase their employability and learning sustainability in the future
The Implementation Structure of Work-Based Learning (WBL) in Malaysia: The Perspective of Industry
Full text linkThe industry has been looking for a teaching structure for tertiary education to address the knowledge gap in potential talents. Work-Based Learning (WBL) is a teaching and learning approach in which the industry is directly involved in the knowledge delivery process. Students are put in the industry and receive direct instruction from industry specialists. However, the specific forms and implementation of WBLs in Malaysia's higher education sector remain unclear. As WBL is a new learning culture in Malaysia, challenges such as the industry's low involvement rate, students' adaptation to the learning style, and the status of the higher education institutions are yet to be discovered. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with five coaches from ViTrox Technologies and eight students from University Tunku Abdul Rahman, University Technology Malaysia, and Forward School. A total of twelve interviews were conducted, focusing on the common practices of WBL, student experiences, and opinions towards WBL. Thematic analysis was used to systematically identify and interpret recurring themes within the qualitative data. The study found six key areas for enhancing WBL implementation: communication between industry coaches, lecturers, and students; roles of higher education institutions, industry, and students; WBL placement duration; coaching time; self-learning support; and WBL assessment standards. This study recommends a more practical application of WBL in the Malaysian context to promote WBL in Malaysia and strengthen collaboration between industry and academics in WBL