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Ng, Betsy Ling Ling
- PublicationOpen AccessFostering student motivation and engagement through teacher autonomy support: A self-determination theory perspective(International Journal of Instruction, 2024)
;Siacor Kimberly Hannah; In this study, we qualitatively explore how teachers perceive the usefulness of teacher autonomy support in fostering student motivation and engagement. Seven science and mathematics teachers from Singapore secondary schools were gathered for semi-structured interviews after implementing teacher autonomy support in their respective classrooms. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data using the concepts pre-conceived from literature. The findings herein suggest that teachers perceived the usefulness of teacher autonomy support on student psychological needs satisfaction, and ultimately motivation and engagement (behavioural, emotional, cognitive). The findings have two implications: (1) teachers internalise the value of autonomy support in student motivation and engagement and (2) teachers perceive each autonomy-supportive strategy in a distinct manner, in terms of its contribution to dimensions of student engagement. It is then recommended for future teacher autonomy support workshop not only to teach the strategies, but also to highlight each strategy’s usefulness in different student and classroom situations.25 113 - PublicationRestrictedEffects of differential fertiliser treatments on the growth of Bermuda Tifdwarf through soil monitoring(2007)This research study investigated the effects of three differential fertilser treatments on the growth of bermudagrass Tifdwarf (Cynodon dactylon and Cynodon transvaalensis) over a period of ten weeks. Parameters of the study include field capacity, root count, shoot density, hot-water extractable carbon (HWC), microbial DNA concentrations and DNA fragments analysis. They were examined for their usefulness as indicators for soil quality and turf growth. Indicators responding to environmental changes provide invaluable information on the sustainability of a turf. Weekly applications of the organic fertiliser, inorganic fertiliser and Azospirillum biofertiliser (Vital NTM, Philippines) were given to three individual troughs planted with Tifdwarf. The nitrogen contents in all fertiliser treatments were adjusted to the same level. The effects of the application of organic and inorganic fertilisers were compared and organic treatment notably enhanced the turf density and growth, but not the turf colour. The effects of the application of Azospirillum biofertiliser were compared to the inorganic fertiliser treatment and it was proven that Azospirillum biofertiliser has superior effects on the turf colour, density and growth. These beneficial effects seen were probably due to the nitrogen fixation property of Azospirillum as well as its auxin effect on root growth, thereby increasing the root surface area and uptake of nutrients. HWC is a sensitive measurement for determining impacts of fertilisation and detecting changes in soil organic matter. Organic fertiliser and Azospirillum biofertiliser treatments showed trends of increasing HWC levels. Increased HWC levels would indicate high microbial turnover and high accumulation rate of organic matter. Fluctuations in the microbial DNA concentrations of all treatments revealed the dynamic microbial changes in the soil-plant ecosystem. Microbial shift in soil was greatly influenced by the environmental changes and nutrient resources. The bioavailability of HWC, nutrients, water and other environmental factors impose stress to the ecosystem which can affect the size of microbial pool and diversity, as well as the plant growth. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the extracted microbial DNA was amplified as ITS sequence length varies among microbial species. The microbial DNA profiling through fragment analysis of the microbial ITS sequence among these three treatments showed a dynamic microbial community. The DNA profiling method through the use of fragment analysis reveals the diversity pattern in soil microbial communities. This method has the potential to be used for monitoring soil microbial diversity, which can be correlated to plant growth.
141 31 - PublicationOpen AccessDeveloping my groupwork buddy for geography (MGBGeo)(National Institute of Education (Singapore), 2021)
; ;Hong, Helen; 147 138 - PublicationOpen AccessConceptualizing lifelong learning for K-12 educationIn this era of rapid evolution, education in the twenty-first century must strive to develop students to be lifelong learners. Students should possess goals and life-ready competencies for continuous learning during formal, non-formal, and informal education. Within a globalizing world, lifelong learning skills enable students to manage difficulties and challenges. Lifelong learning for K-12 education may shape our students’ values and behavior, as well as build resilience in the face of challenges ahead. To date, educational research related to lifelong learning across varied contexts of K-12 education is still in its infancy. The present paper contributes to the conceptualization of lifelong learning for K-12 education and provides a deeper understanding of future directions for research in this area. It explains various perspectives of lifelong learning and its operationalized definition for the K-12 educational contexts. Subsequently, it proposes a whole school approach to cultivate continuous learning in students and an assessment for lifelong learning. Finally, implications and recommendations for the K-12 education of lifelong learning are also included.
55 108 - PublicationOpen AccessBuilding a culture of collaboration and listening pedagogy in classrooms through lesson study for learning community (LSLC): An exploratory study in a primary school in Singapore(National Institute of Education (Singapore), 2022)
; ; ;Goh, Rachel Swee Peng; ;Aneesah Abdul Latife ;Lai, JasonPoon, Pei Ping200 155 - PublicationOpen AccessA preliminary examination of teachers’ and students’ perspectives on autonomy-supportive instructional behaviorsThe present study focuses on the perspectives of teachers and students in Singapore schools after an autonomy-supportive classroom intervention. Nurturing of students to become motivated and self-regulated learners can be achieved by promoting an autonomy-supportive learning climate. This study examines the perspectives of teachers and students in an in-depth and meaningful manner after the classroom intervention. Through students' viewpoints, teachers can understand their structure of teaching style and students' expectations. Findings of semi-structured interviews with students and teachers were analyzed, with emerging themes discussed in the context of literature. Based on qualitative data, this preliminary study explores a rich and meaningful insight to students' expectations of their teachers and teachers' expectations towards their students. The qualitative data provided relevant and practical insights into the classroom intervention, suggesting that teachers should be aware of their instructional behaviors in class as such acts might have ramification on students' perception, motivation and learning. Limitations and implications are also discussed.
WOS© Citations 5 456 278 - PublicationRestrictedAutonomy support in education : fostering intrinsic motivation and learning in schools(2014)The 21st century is characterised by an explosion of knowledge as well as time of ambiguity and uncertainty. So, there is an increasing need for workers to be able to learn independently and take charge of their own learning to do well in this knowledge-based economy. Rather than merely focus on student academic achievement; schools must focus on nurturing students so that they are motivated and self-regulated towards learning. This can be achieved to a large extent by promoting an autonomy-supportive learning climate.
In this thesis, the influence of teacher autonomy support on students’ motivation and learning was examined in the academic contexts of Singapore. The subjects were secondary 2 and 3 students (a mean age of 14.7) taking mathematics and science in the local secondary schools. The research was conducted in four studies, primarily with the use of self-reported measures. The measures included the motivated strategies for learning (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), learning climate (Williams & Deci, 1996), self-regulation (Ryan & Connell, 1989) and needs satisfaction (Deci & Ryan, 2000) questionnaires, as well as enjoyment and effort (McAuley, Duncan, & Tammen, 1989) subscales. Additionally, interview transcripts and academic achievement comprising of students’ grades were included.
The first study was to establish the construct validity of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) in the local academic domains (i.e. mathematics and science). Preliminary to the subsequent three studies, the results revealed the parsimony confirmatory factor structure of the revised MSLQ via a congeneric strategy.
The second study was a cross-sectional research, examining the associations of teacher autonomy support, needs satisfaction, relative autonomy and academic achievement with the MSLQ constructs. The findings showed that teacher autonomy support influenced students’ intrinsic value, self-efficacy, test anxiety and learning strategies. Moreover, students seemed to perceive competence as the prevalent need in their learning of mathematics and science. Subsequently, the cluster-analytic results revealed four distinct MSLQ learner profiles in association with psychological needs and motivational regulation, suggesting that motivational-cognitive constructs were significantly associated with psychological variables important for self-determined behaviour and successful learning.
The third study investigated the effects of autonomy-supportive classroom intervention on students’ motivation and learning towards mathematics and science. The findings showed that the intervention had significant effects on students’ perceived autonomy support, self-efficacy, introjected regulation and academic achievement. The importance of teacher autonomy support was further evaluated using person-centred analyses and cluster movement over time. The cluster movement demonstrated the intraindividual changes in motivational beliefs and cognitive strategies across two time points, providing a snapshot of the dynamics in student learning. The cluster-analytic results revealed that students with the most adaptive MSLQ profile displayed the most self-determined behaviours and performed academically well.
Finally, the fourth study was a follow-up to the intervention whereby semi-structured interviews were conducted on students and teachers. Emerging themes including relatedness and expectations from students and teachers corroborated the main findings in Study 3. The qualitative data also provided relevant and practical insights into the classroom intervention, suggesting that teachers should be aware of their instructional behaviours in class as such acts might have ramification on students’ perception, motivation and learning. To sum, the present study demonstrated the importance of teacher autonomy support in fostering students’ intrinsic motivation and nurturing their learning in academic contexts.384 124 - PublicationOpen AccessSelf-regulated learning in Singaporean context: A congeneric approach of confirmatory factor analysisThe motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) is widely used as a self-report instrument to assess students' motivation and self-regulation. This study utilized the MSLQ Junior High to examine the motivational beliefs and self-regulation of secondary school students (Grades 8 and 9) from Singapore. The instrument was slightly modified and administered to students (N = 610) in mathematics and science classes. In the first sample, 314 students completed the MSLQ Junior High while a second sample of 296 students completed the revised MSLQ Junior High. Using a congeneric approach of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the five-factor measurement model was determined with the first sample. This measurement model was further supported using a second sample and its goodness-of-fit indices were compared with other CFA models. Statistical findings showed that the five-factor structure of the revised MSLQ Junior High had a good model fit. The present study contributes a novel methodological approach by investigating the parsimony confirmatory factor structure of the revised MSLQ Junior High in local academic contexts.
WOS© Citations 3Scopus© Citations 3 118 704 - PublicationOpen AccessMeasuring educational leadership in Singapore: Re-examining the psychometric properties of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire(Frontiers, 2023)
; ; ; ; Chua, LilianIntroduction: The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X) has been used frequently to assess leadership in different settings. Despite its popularity, there are many critiques of the MLQ-5X such as its questionable multidimensional structure, lack of connection to the theory and the different factor structures of the measurement tool. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the psychometric properties of the MLQ-5X in the Singapore educational context using two datasets.
Methods: A total of 872 teachers (40.1% male and 59.9% female) from 20 secondary schools in Singapore completed two sets of MLQ-5X, one set for their immediate reporting officer and one set for their school leaders.
Results: Congeneric Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Rho’s coefficients, and AVE were used to analyze MLQ-5X’s convergent validity and internal consistency. After five items were deleted, the MLQ-5X showed acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity. Eight measurement models were tested with the original 36 items and the reduced items MLQ-5X. Latent factor correlation matrix with confidence intervals was used to assess the discriminant validity of the MLQ-5X. The results provided support for a nine first-order factors and three second-order factors model (transformation [IIA, IIB, IM, IS, IC, CR], transactional (MBEA), and non-leadership (MBEP and LF).
Discussion: The discriminant validity of the hierarchical measurement model of MLQ-5X is supported using dataset 2.
Scopus© Citations 2 38 391 - PublicationOpen AccessExploring students' learning and motivation in a lesson study for learning community (LSLC) environment: A new perspectivePurpose The present qualitative paper examined the changes in students' motivation before and after lesson study for learning community implementation at a primary school in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach Student focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with six students from each of the classes involved in the research lessons. Students were asked specific questions relating to the research lessons and teachers. Findings Findings suggest that there are some changes in students' perception of classroom climate and their motivation to learn after the implementation of lesson study for learning community. Together with self-determination theory, lesson study for learning community may be viewed as a social and collaborative model as well as a supportive learning climate, promoting students' adaptive outcomes and needs satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Teachers need to be provided support to plan their lessons and to become familiar with the lesson study for learning community approach. There is also a major challenge of teacher “buy-in” whether they would undertake the practice of lesson study for learning community voluntarily. Originality/value This study provides evidence of the existence of an approach via listening pedagogy for the teaching of listening that focuses on students' motivation to listen and learn in class.
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