International Journal of Advanced Research in Future Ready Learning and Education

Attitude and Perception towards Microcontroller Education among Rural Area Students in Malaysia

Ismassabah Ismail — 2025-03-20

The statistic of student enrollment in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Malaysia is declining every year. This scenario is quite worrisome by many stakeholders. One of the initiatives taken to increase students’ interests in the field of STEM is by using microcontroller in the school curriculum. However, schools in rural area might not have the appropriate kit for the purpose. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of attitude and perception of students in rural areas of Malaysia towards the microcontroller education. 200 students from 16 secondary schools located in rural areas of four districts of four different states had attended the microcontroller workshops conducted, namely, Arau, Perlis; Machang, Kelantan; Raub, Pahang; and Dengkil, Selangor. The instrument used in measuring the students’ attitude and perceptions is a questionnaire using five-point Likert scale, which was answered after the workshop completed. The result showed that the attitude and perception of rural area students towards microcontroller education are at a high level. Pearson correlation result obtained in attitude and perception of the students in microcontroller education poses the positive relationship with moderate strength. These findings reveal that when appropriate microcontroller kit is made available to students, this will promote students’ interest in STEM education and could mitigate the lack of enrollment in STEM related field in higher education.

Usability Testing of the Effectiveness of the Augmented Reality Basic Reading Courseware (AR BACA-MV-SindD) for Down Syndrome Learners

Roslinda Ramli — 2025-03-20

Usability testing focuses on how well users can learn and use a product to achieve their goals. Usability testing involves testing the product with real users to ensure the effectiveness and usability of the software. The implementation of usability testing is very crucial as this may help to improve design, evaluation, and prediction of how users will respond to a new technology especially for down syndrome learner. Augmented Reality (AR) is a promising technology that has gained the attention of many developers as it has unique characteristics which combines both real and virtual objects, is registered in three dimensions, and interactive in real-time. This paper aims to discuss the usability testing of an AR prototype, named Augmented Reality Basic Reading Courseware (AR BACA-MV-SindD), whereby the approaches and methods used for the testing can be deployed to evaluate the effectiveness of the courseware, specifically for Down Syndrome (DS) students. The AR BACA-MV-SindD was developed using the augmented reality technology to provide DS students with the exposure to new environment in learning basic reading in the Malay language. Purposive sampling was used in this study to obtain 15 participants from one school in Selangor, who had not previously experienced the augmented reality technology. In this study, effectiveness was the construct used to determine usability testing. The results from the construct showed that all means were at high level. Thus, we can conclude that AR BACA-MV-SindD can become a potential learning strategy that enhances the achievement of DS students in learning basic reading.

Contextual Teaching of Engineering Mathematics to Improve Levels of Accuracy and Confidence in COVID-19 Knowledge

Ahmad Salahuddin Mohd Harithuddin — 2025-03-20

Since late March 2020, reports about the COVID-19 pandemic flooded the daily news. However, most of the epidemiological terms of used in the mass media were new to most people other than the medical circles. Engineering students, though not included in the circles, have to be equipped with the ability to apply reasoning informed by knowledge to assess public health issues like this from the context of "The Engineer and Society". This paper reports a way of teaching the concepts of calculus using the compartmental modelling - the SIR (Susceptible, Infectious, and Removed) model - of which some epidemiological terms are used in the media. A pre-test set of questions is given to students before conducting a series of online calculus lessons, followed by a post-test after the students submit their technical reports. Student’s feedback on the contextual learning of calculus is collected and discussed. The results demonstrate that the engineering student's prior knowledge on the epidemiological terms presented in the media are really low but gained significant increment after the specially-designed lessons. Open feedback from students indicates that in general are appreciative of the effort of applying real-world context in a calculus course. Interestingly also, due to it not being an expected result, students are more appreciative of the fact that they learn how to use spreadsheet programs to model the pandemic.

Need Analysis: Exploring The Development of an Organic Module in Teaching Organic Reaction Mechanism (ORM)

Nik Mawar Hanifah Nik Hassan — 2025-03-20

Organic Reaction Mechanism (ORM) is a challenging topic in organic chemistry that students must learn meaningfully. ORM studies are expanding in various ways, yet there is still a scarcity of studies on module development incorporating the teaching and learning ORM. This paper reports the needs analysis phase of the Design and Development research (DDR) study, which aims to explore the need to develop an Organic Module for teaching ORM among experts. Note that five experts were interviewed in this phase. The data were examined using thematic analysis to meet the study's objectives. Based on the findings, experts are having problems teaching the topic of ORM in schools. Most of them claim that students lack basic knowledge of the ORM concept, misunderstand placing the arrow correctly in the mechanism reaction and believe that ORM requires memorization. At the same time, there are not enough learning materials, such as modules appropriate for the pre-university syllabus. Most experts agreed that the ORM module should be developed to enhance and assist students' understanding of organic mechanisms. The study implies that this module may be utilized by chemistry educators, lecturers, or teachers since the ORM module in this study is based on the pre-university syllabus.

Development and the Effectiveness of the Hemomarvel to Understand the Circulatory Blood System among Form 4 Students

Nur Zaidatul Ilma Purwadi — 2025-03-20

Game-based learning has emerged as a powerful pedagogical approach, offering engaging and interactive experiences that enhance students’ understanding and retention of complex concepts. In the context of secondary school biology education, topics such as the circulatory system are often challenging for students to grasp using conventional methods. This study aimed to address this issue by developing HemoMarvel, an educational board game designed to facilitate learning of the circulatory system, and by evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing students’ academic achievement compared to the conventional ‘talk and chalk’ method. The study employed the input–process–output (IPO) model to design and develop HemoMarvel systematically. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted to test its effectiveness. Two groups of students from two different schools participated in the study: an experimental group (n=15), which utilized HemoMarvel, and a control group (n=15), which followed traditional instructional methods. Students’ achievement was assessed through pre-and post-tests, and their scores were analyzed to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Results demonstrated that the mean post-test scores of students in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group, with t (15) = 5.579, p < 0.05. These findings highlight the potential of game-based learning tools like HemoMarvel to foster deeper understanding and improve academic performance. The implications of this study extend to the practice of biology education in schools, providing an alternative teaching and learning tool that enhances comprehension and engagement. By integrating HemoMarvel into the curriculum, educators can address learning challenges in the circulatory system and potentially other complex biology topics. Future research is recommended to explore its scalability, long-term impact, and applicability to other scientific disciplines and educational settings.