Differentials in Mathematics Achievement among Eighth-Grade Students in Malaysia

This paper examines differences in mathematics achievement among eighth-grade students using a secondary analysis of the data. The students, who are from Malaysia, had participated in the Trend International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999. A series of school, home, demographic and socio-economic variables were used to investigate the differences in the mean student mathematics scores. Evidence from the data shows that gender, the language spoken at home, expected educational level, family background, and home educational resources and aids have a significant influence on the students’ level of mathematics achievement.     

Attitude, Perception and Use of E-Learning at Open University Malaysia

To ensure the success of the e-learning initiatives, OUM has developed its own e-learning management system, known as myLMS. Since its introduction, many modifications and improvements have been introduced to increase its effectiveness. It is now timely that OUM take stock of its students＇ attitudes towards e-learning. Thus, a survey was conducted on about 1,000 students at one of OUM＇s own learning centres, that is, the Kelantan Regional Centrel. The study indicated that generally the teacher cohort had a somewhat neutral attitude towards e-learning. The use of e-learning was more specifically aimed at achieving short term goals of obtaining good coursework and examination grades by capitalizing on the use of the Discassion Board and Courseware. A closer examination reveals that the females prefer the Discussion Board while the males prefer the Courseware. Learners in the Engineering and English programmes had more positive attitudes towards e-learning compared to learners in the Mathematics and Science programmes. Learners with CGPA 〉 3.0 who are categorized as high achievers are more positive towards e-learning as compared to the low achievers （ CGPA 〈 3.0）. Age difference, learners＇ income per month, learners＇ Internet and e-learning habits were also found to be predictors of attitude towards e-learning.