Chue, Kah Loong

2024, Chue, Kah Loong, Lim, May Li

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing attention in research into associations between student well-being and academic achievement. Notably, dimensions of perseverance and optimism have been found to influence students positively. However, results pertaining to the joint contribution of optimism and perseverance to academic achievement have rarely been examined. Furthermore, few studies have investigated these key constructs among student samples outside of the Western context, limiting our understanding of the nature of their relationships among these adolescents. In the present study, we posit that test anxiety is a pathway through which perseverance and optimism impacts academic achievement. Accordingly, the research aims to investigate the relationship between perseverance, optimism, test anxiety, and academic achievement. Additionally, we examine for gender differences in perseverance, optimism, and test anxiety. The participants were 2017 secondary one students (763 boys, 1254 girls). Results indicated that a) optimism predicted academic achievement via a direct path and a mediated path through test anxiety, b) perseverance predicted academic achievement solely through a direct pathway, and c) boys indicated a significantly higher value of optimism and a lower level of cognitive test anxiety when compared to girls. This study highlights the importance of optimism and perseverance for students. A key implication to education is that it may be essential to implement optimism interventions paired with perseverance interventions to achieve more effective results. Moreover, given the mediational role test anxiety plays, increasing optimism may also lead to reduced test anxiety and thus better academic performance.

2024, Chue, Kah Loong, Wong, Ethan, Seng, Yvonne Bee Gek, Chye Yen Leng Stefanie, Koh, Caroline, Goh, Gabriel

Team-based learning (TBL) is an alternative instructional method that has been shown to lead to positive concrete academic performance outcomes. However, whilst academic performance is important, we should also not neglect other non-tangible student outcomes such as the emotions experienced during the TBL sessions and improvements in student’s learning. Hence, in the current study, we aim to examine (1) the academic performance of TBL vs traditional lessons, (2) the differences in achievement emotions of student in TBL vs traditional lessons and (3) the perceived effectiveness of TBL lessons. A within-subjects research design was employed in which students participated in sessions using the TBL approach followed by sessions using the normal approach. Participants were 239 postgraduate students (81 men and 158 women) enrolled in the field of education. Measures used were the achievement emotions questionnaire, a perceived effectiveness of TBL questionnaire and the students performance on a quiz at the end of the module. Results indicated that students had a higher level of enjoyment and a lower level of boredom and anger in TBL lessons. From both the individual and team perspective, students had positive perceptions about the effectiveness of TBL. However, students performed better for topics that were taught via traditional methods compared to topics taught via TBL.

2023, Wong, Bing Sum, Chue, Kah Loong, Rosmawati Ali, Lee, Prisca

Nowadays, differentiated instruction (DI) has become a widely discussed topic in many schools and educational institutes. However, whilst the notion of DI is not new, studies on the effectiveness of DI with respect to student outcomes remain relatively unclear. This may be due partly to the operationalization of DI as well as the narrow focus of many studies on academic performance, thus neglecting other pertinent student outcomes. To address this, the current study aims to examine the impact of a specific DI strategy, namely differentiating according to readiness level and student interest, on intrinsic motivation and perceived competence. Two classes of Primary Six (Year 6 equivalent) students participated in the study, of which one class was pre-classified as high readiness, whilst the other class was pre-classified as low readiness. The research design followed a quasi-experimental single group pre–post-test design and took place in English language classes over a period of five lessons. Results indicated that there was an increase in the level of students’ intrinsic motivation and perceived competence in both classes. However, there were no differences in the impact between students with high and low readiness levels. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a specific DI strategy on intrinsic motivation and perceived competence.