KUALA LUMPUR: A weakness in mastering the basic concepts of science and mathematics among primary school pupils is believed to be one of the main factors behind the decline in the number of students opting for the science stream at Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), say academicians.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Centre of Education and Diversity senior lecturer Dr Anuar Ahmad said the weakness caused many students to find science and mathematics difficult and therefore erode their interest to study these subjects in secondary school.
Anuar said the teaching method was uninteresting and focused more on the goal of getting high marks, correct and accurate answers, resulting in primary school students being afraid of making mistakes, while the key objective of science and mathmeatics is to instil the spirit of experimenting until they get the answer.
"As such our primary school pupils aged seven to 12 are stressed by the demand and find learning science and mathematics hard and stressful.
"(If you continue to get answers) This is not science. It's a form of rote learning. But science is a process of trial and error, observation and testing," he told Bernama.
Using Thomas Edison as an example, the academician said that the American inventor had failed many times, but tried repeatedly until he finally succeeded in inventing a light bulb that is still in use today.
According to Anuar, the stigma that science and mathematics are difficult makes students in Form 1 to 3 less interested in the subjects, but they still have to take it because they are compulsory subjects
He said, however, when Form 4 and 5 students have the opportunity, they choose other subjects besides science when the subject is no longer compulsory in SPM.
Meanwhile, Anuar said the syllabus used by the Education Ministry to teach science and mathematics in schools is also too heavy which contributes to the subjects being not popular in primary schools.
"Primary pupils should not have such a heavy syllabus but should emphasise on students conducting exploratory activities, scientific investigations and observations outside the classroom to see how flowers grow, how photosynthesis works and how water is formed from the combination of two gases," he said.
Due to the volume of syllabus, he said teachers teaching the science and mathematics subjects are in a rush to complete the entire curriculum within the academic year to meet the key performance index (KPI).
"Sometimes there are students who don’t quite understand what the teacher has taught, but the teacher does not have time to explain or make sure they have really understood. The teacher then has to move on to the next subject because he has to catch up with the syllabus.
"In the end, many students are left behind when it comes to understanding the meaning and purpose of the scientific phenomenon they are studying," he said.
National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang said due to the stigma that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are difficult to study, many students choose the arts stream.
Regarding the science and mathematics syllabus, Aminuddin Awang agreed with Anuar that it plays a big role in determining the direction of STEM learning as he has received many complaints from teachers who have to speed up the learning process due to lack of time.
"I think the Ministry is keeping an eye on the STEM learning syllabus. I am sure the matter will be improved,” he said.
On Aug 4, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged the Education Ministry and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) to find new approaches to attract students' interest in science and mathematics.
The study conducted by the National STEM Assocation (NSA) found that only 19% of students have chosen science subjects since 2020. - Bernama
