INSIGHTS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW SUBJECT IN STATISTICS EDUCATION

Year 2016, Volume: 5 , 258 - 268, 01.09.2016

Henny Sunartie Tiga Masitah Shahrill Abby Tan Mar Aswandi Mahadi Hajah Zurina Haji Harun

Abstract

This study investigated the implementation of a new subject or syllabus
called Statistics 4040 in Years 9 and 10, in one of the secondary schools in
Brunei Darussalam. We examined firstly, the students’ attitude towards
Statistics 4040 and secondly, their challenges and limitations in learning the
new subject. A survey on Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS with 36
items) was distributed to a sample of 42 students. Focus group interviews were
also conducted to extract students’ opinions regarding Statistics 4040. The
results of this study indicated that students found the new subject, Statistics
4040, a rather complicated subject. However, the survey findings also showed
that students were optimistic and determined to put a lot of effort into
learning this subject. Moreover, students expressed that enrolling in this
subject will make them more employable. The limitations faced by the students
were mainly due to lack of relevant resources, which posed challenges in
relation to their learning. The small case study provided valuable insights
about the students’ attitudes toward Statistics 4040 and how this can be used
as a guide in preparing teachers’ teaching plans to suit their students’ needs.
In addition, the positive results obtained in this study may encourage other
schools to introduce Statistics 4040 in their school syllabus.

Keywords

Statistics education, secondary school, attitudes and challenges

References

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