Fitri currently teaches courses on Learning Technology at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Phone: +6082581000 Address: Dept of Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Cognitive Sciences & Human Development, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
MENGGUNAKAN teknologi dan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada dunia, terutama untuk kepentingan... more MENGGUNAKAN teknologi dan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada dunia, terutama untuk kepentingan komuniti yang menjalankan perniagaan untuk membawa kepada kemajuan yang berterusan kepada masyarakat. Demikian matlamat utama Ideathon 2018, sebuah platform yang memberi golongan belia muda peluang untuk meneroka penyelesaian masalah setiap hari. Ia diadakan di bawah kerjasama Jawatankuasa Teknologi Telekomunikasi (TTC) Jepun, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) dan Kolej Teknologi Universiti Sarawak (UCTS), bermula 5 sehingga 6 Disember lalu.
Indonesian Journal of Education Methods Development, Feb 18, 2019
Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. T... more Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of paper versus screen on reading comprehension and speed among undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a public university in Sarawak. The general objective of this study is to investigate the formats for effective reading and comprehension among undergraduates. Instruments that have been used in this study were a set of questionnaires, a set of general interest articles, corresponding comprehension questions, and an online timer. Findings revealed that students tended to have better reading comprehension when reading on the screen. Conversely, students were able to read faster using the paper format. Data also revealed that there is significant difference between paper and screen formats for both reading comprehension and reading speed.
Indonesian Journal of Cultural and Community Development, 2019
This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teachers who are responsible for teaching... more This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teachers who are responsible for teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education at a secondary school in a special education programme in semi-rural Sarawak. The study investigates the teaching approaches to teach cognitive and social-behavioural aspects of sexuality education. It also documents challenges in teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education. Findings revealed that cognitively, the adolescents’ comprehension and memory are greatly aided by the use of concrete materials, modelling strategy, and constant repetition; attention and focus in class are obtained by the use of multimedia and storytelling approach; and interestingly, the understanding about sexuality is affected by the language used in content delivery and classroom dialogue. In the social-behavioural aspect, the findings revealed the importance of teachers and students’ comfort when talking about ...
International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 2018
Children born with Down Syndrome face difficulty in reciting daily prayers as they are born with ... more Children born with Down Syndrome face difficulty in reciting daily prayers as they are born with cognitive disabilities which affect the process of acquiring reading and counting skills. Although in Islam, these children are not required to perform Salah, the strong cultural family norms among Malay Muslims in Malaysia create an expectation of them to participate in Salah as part of their daily routines. This study examines the experiences in teaching Down Syndrome children how to read and count in Salah among Muslim family caregivers in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The study also investigates best practices to facilitate a Down Syndrome child to perform daily religious prayers that involves the skills of reading and counting. Case study method is deployed to examine responses from three informants who voluntarily participated in this study. The study uses non-probability sampling to acquire accurate and realistic conceptions from caregivers who are actively working with their ...
MENGGUNAKAN teknologi dan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada dunia, terutama untuk kepentingan... more MENGGUNAKAN teknologi dan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada dunia, terutama untuk kepentingan komuniti yang menjalankan perniagaan untuk membawa kepada kemajuan yang berterusan kepada masyarakat. Demikian matlamat utama Ideathon 2018, sebuah platform yang memberi golongan belia muda peluang untuk meneroka penyelesaian masalah setiap hari. Ia diadakan di bawah kerjasama Jawatankuasa Teknologi Telekomunikasi (TTC) Jepun, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) dan Kolej Teknologi Universiti Sarawak (UCTS), bermula 5 sehingga 6 Disember lalu.
Indonesian Journal of Education Methods Development, Feb 18, 2019
Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. T... more Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of paper versus screen on reading comprehension and speed among undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a public university in Sarawak. The general objective of this study is to investigate the formats for effective reading and comprehension among undergraduates. Instruments that have been used in this study were a set of questionnaires, a set of general interest articles, corresponding comprehension questions, and an online timer. Findings revealed that students tended to have better reading comprehension when reading on the screen. Conversely, students were able to read faster using the paper format. Data also revealed that there is significant difference between paper and screen formats for both reading comprehension and reading speed.
Indonesian Journal of Cultural and Community Development, 2019
This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teachers who are responsible for teaching... more This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teachers who are responsible for teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education at a secondary school in a special education programme in semi-rural Sarawak. The study investigates the teaching approaches to teach cognitive and social-behavioural aspects of sexuality education. It also documents challenges in teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education. Findings revealed that cognitively, the adolescents’ comprehension and memory are greatly aided by the use of concrete materials, modelling strategy, and constant repetition; attention and focus in class are obtained by the use of multimedia and storytelling approach; and interestingly, the understanding about sexuality is affected by the language used in content delivery and classroom dialogue. In the social-behavioural aspect, the findings revealed the importance of teachers and students’ comfort when talking about ...
International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 2018
Children born with Down Syndrome face difficulty in reciting daily prayers as they are born with ... more Children born with Down Syndrome face difficulty in reciting daily prayers as they are born with cognitive disabilities which affect the process of acquiring reading and counting skills. Although in Islam, these children are not required to perform Salah, the strong cultural family norms among Malay Muslims in Malaysia create an expectation of them to participate in Salah as part of their daily routines. This study examines the experiences in teaching Down Syndrome children how to read and count in Salah among Muslim family caregivers in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The study also investigates best practices to facilitate a Down Syndrome child to perform daily religious prayers that involves the skills of reading and counting. Case study method is deployed to examine responses from three informants who voluntarily participated in this study. The study uses non-probability sampling to acquire accurate and realistic conceptions from caregivers who are actively working with their ...
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND INNOVATION EXHIBITION ON GLOBAL EDUCATION , 2018
Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. T... more Choosing the appropriate reading format is important for students to achieve effective reading. This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of paper versus screen on reading comprehension and speed among undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a public university in Sarawak. The general objective of this study is to investigate the formats for effective reading and comprehension among undergraduates. Instruments that have been used in this study were a set of questionnaires, a set of general interest articles, corresponding comprehension questions, and an online timer. Findings revealed that students tended to have better reading comprehension when reading on the screen. Conversely, students were able to read faster using the paper format. Data also revealed that there is significant difference between paper and screen formats for both reading comprehension and reading speed.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND INNOVATION EXHIBITION ON GLOBAL EDUCATION , 2018
Sexuality education is a difficult topic to encroach, particularly within communities where sex i... more Sexuality education is a difficult topic to encroach, particularly within communities where sex is stigmatized as a taboo topic for open discussion. This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teachers who are responsible for teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education at a secondary school in a special education programme in semi-rural Sarawak. The study investigates the teaching approaches to teach cognitive and social-behavioural aspects of sexuality education. It also documents challenges in teaching adolescents with intellectual disability about sexuality education. Findings revealed that cognitively, the adolescents’ comprehension and memory are greatly aided by the use of concrete materials, modelling strategy, and constant repetition; attention and focus in class are obtained by the use of multimedia and storytelling approach; and interestingly, the understanding about sexuality is affected by the language used in content delivery and classroom dialogue. In the social-behavioural aspect, the findings revealed the importance of teachers and students’ comfort when talking about sexuality, mixed gender classes, peer guidance, and the adolescents’ intrapersonal intelligence. All these aspects are key in ensuring that the adolescents are able to reach an understanding and acceptance towards learning about sexuality education. The study also discovered that limitation of teaching materials, the adolescents’ unsupervised usage of the technology, and the sensitivity of sexuality education within the local home setting are among the main challenges faced by the teachers in teaching about sexuality education. The study also uncovered how the adolescents’ limited mental capabilities particularly in the social-behavioural domain has resulted in the adolescents displaying tendencies toward sexually risky behaviours which in turn, exposed them to sexually risky situations.
This paper describes a classroom-based research which investigates the potentials of social netwo... more This paper describes a classroom-based research which investigates the potentials of social networking tools to foster and enhance classroom communication, collaboration and engagement in reflective thinking among university students. Two university courses at University Malaysia Sarawak experimented the integration of social networking tools in their courses, and the analysis revealed how the placement of social networking within the courses affect students’ mode and motivation to learn the subject matter content. Knowledge representation is challenged, debated and produced in different forms through use of the social networking tools, which consequently suggest a need to re-examine how university teaching has to evolve, to meet new demands, interests and challenges of these digital natives who are now in the university.
This research explores narratives and artefacts that reflect personal conceptions and
interpreta... more This research explores narratives and artefacts that reflect personal conceptions and interpretations about Teacher knowledge and the integration of Constructivism, specifically in the teaching and learning of Educational Technology, in teacher education programmes in Malaysian universities. Two key theories, Mishra & Koehler's TPCK model, and Argyris & Schon's Reflective Learning theory, were utilised as research tools to provide a protocol to acquire, analyse and discuss beliefs and actions about technology in education. Guided by gaps and inconsistencies revealed in reviewed current literature, this thesis produced an adapted version of the TPCK framework and developed a methodological approach to map espoused theories and theories-in-action of reflective narratives and classroom artefacts. New types of teacher knowledge were subsequently introduced with the inclusion of Constructivism into the original framework, allowing closer contextual analysis of how the learning theory was perceived and used when teaching and learning about technology integration. A pilot study explored the feasibility of using the proposed methodological design, subsequently proving its usefulness to capture categories and map findings from the research. A second study was undertaken to capture a larger variety of data at one university. Comparable analyses were produced from both studies, revealing complex relationships between espoused theories and theories-inaction held by teacher educators and their student teachers. Conclusively, the research has illuminated that Technology Knowledge was consistently over-emphasised in the teaching and learning of the observed Educational Technology courses, neglecting crucial exposure to and training of other knowledge types advocated in the TPCK framework. Though deemed highly relevant by participants, the research has also revealed that Constructivism was conceptualised at a cursory level and it was not applied in practice in any of the observed Educational Technology courses.
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interpretations about Teacher knowledge and the integration of Constructivism,
specifically in the teaching and learning of Educational Technology, in teacher
education programmes in Malaysian universities. Two key theories, Mishra &
Koehler's TPCK model, and Argyris & Schon's Reflective Learning theory, were
utilised as research tools to provide a protocol to acquire, analyse and discuss beliefs
and actions about technology in education. Guided by gaps and inconsistencies
revealed in reviewed current literature, this thesis produced an adapted version of the
TPCK framework and developed a methodological approach to map espoused
theories and theories-in-action of reflective narratives and classroom artefacts. New
types of teacher knowledge were subsequently introduced with the inclusion of
Constructivism into the original framework, allowing closer contextual analysis of
how the learning theory was perceived and used when teaching and learning about
technology integration. A pilot study explored the feasibility of using the proposed
methodological design, subsequently proving its usefulness to capture categories and
map findings from the research. A second study was undertaken to capture a larger
variety of data at one university. Comparable analyses were produced from both
studies, revealing complex relationships between espoused theories and theories-inaction
held by teacher educators and their student teachers. Conclusively, the research
has illuminated that Technology Knowledge was consistently over-emphasised in the
teaching and learning of the observed Educational Technology courses, neglecting
crucial exposure to and training of other knowledge types advocated in the TPCK
framework. Though deemed highly relevant by participants, the research has also
revealed that Constructivism was conceptualised at a cursory level and it was not
applied in practice in any of the observed Educational Technology courses.