View of The Impact of Scaffolding Strategies on Higher Order Thinking and Attitudes for Saudi Middle School Science Students

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International Journal of Education and Pedagogy (IJEAP) eISSN: 2682-8464 [Vol. 1 No. 2 September 2019]

Journal website: http://myjms.moe.gov.my/index.php/ijeap

THE IMPACT OF SCAFFOLDING STRATEGIES ON HIGHER ORDER THINKING AND ATTITUDES FOR SAUDI MIDDLE

SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS

Khaled Saleh Alrawili^1*, Kamisah Osman² and Saeed Almuntasheri³

1 2 Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia

3 Faculty of Education, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding author: kh333k@hotmail.com

Article Information:

Article history:

Received date : 8 July.2019 Revised date : 13 July.2019 Accepted date : 15 September 2019 Published date : 26 September 2019

To cite this document:

Alrawili, K., Osman, K., &

Almuntasheri, S. (2019). THE IMPACT OF SCAFFOLDING STRATEGIES ON HIGHER ORDER THINKING AND ATTITUDES FOR SAUDI MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS.

International Journal Of Education And Pedagogy, 1(2), 1-7.

Abstract: Due to the rapid globalization, learning has become beyond the physical environment of classroom.

The traditional textbook-based teaching has become of less value compared to interaction-driven learning due to its flexibility as socially oriented with smooth knowledge management. Therefore, the best way to develop students’

thinking is to make them engaged in authentic design activities and this becomes more affordable when inspired by constructivism theories that strikes scaffolding strategies, which deal with learner as the cornerstone among all other stakeholders including teachers.

However, in several developing countries such as Middle East countries, schools are still teacher-dominated rather learner-centered. To deal with this issue, this study aims to design a framework that draws on the effect of scaffolding strategies on science students’ Higher Order Thinking (HOT), attitudes and achievements in the Saudi context. To achieve this, quasi-experimental design will be implemented based on ‘intervention’ course provided to two groups of grade nine students: experimental and control groups. In this study, sampling is based on the convenient sampling for intact groups. The instrumentation used is achievement test, in the form of pre-test and post-test, has been described to measure students’ academic achievement as well as Higher Order Thinking (HOT). Students’ attitudes towards science will be measured using Likert scale of agreement and the collected data will be analyzed using SPSS for both descriptive and inferential statistics. It is expected that this

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1. Introduction

Recently, the government of Saudi Arabia has significantly invested in the development of its science education sector with special focus on the new science curriculum. An American publishing company known as McGraw-Hill was given the responsibility of translating its science textbooks into Arabic to be used in schools of Saudi Arabia. This new science curriculum pays more emphasis on the current teaching and learning trends to make a learner-centred environment with inquiry-based instruction (Obeikan, for Research and Development, 2010).

This research reveals how science education KSA lacks more accurate and effective teaching approaches to reinforce students’ abilities to cope with the 21st century advancements in the various aspects in life and to be raised to the levels of international standards of science tests such as TIMSS. The current research aims at investigating the impact of scaffolding strategies on the performance of the 9th grade students. The research outcomes measure: Higher Order Thinking (HOT), attitudes and achievement in science. The significance of the research for teachers, students and education system in Saudi Arabia.

2. Literature Review

Learning in today’s classroom is certainly influenced by cognitive factors. While cognitive phenomena undoubtedly promote learning, the impetuses for understanding these factors of cognition and the underlying implications of this research are drawn from the work of Vygotsky who explored the social nature of teaching and learning; specifically, interactions that occur in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Essentially, instructional scaffolding is considered as the key mechanism in this current study to develop higher order thinking questions. According to Alrwathi et al.(2014), this is only possible when the teachers had been well-trained and their classroom practices minor high standards. Consequently, the new education reforms will not take place until the teachers are equipped with the modern requirements to implement appropriate teaching practices. Almazroa and Al-Shamrani (2015) pointed out that this initiative to reform the science education in Saudi Arabia has made a shift from conventional teaching styles to more progressive and inquiry-oriented methods. According to Mansour and Al-Shamrani (2015), adequate support is needed to help Saudi teachers approach such professional teaching.

The effectiveness of involving students in the various processes of learning has been explored and the benefits of applying the scaffolding strategy have been significantly observed (Marzano, study will significantly contribute in realizing the students’

potential through modelling tasks and reinforcing their confidence, competency and independency. On the part of the teachers and the policy makers, the research will reveal the importance of scaffolding strategies as a 21st century skillset, which can be adapted to develop and reinforce the new educational policies of the educational system in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: 5Es Model; HOT; Saudi Arabia; scaffolding

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2003). Therefore, a strong emphasis needs to be made on how to scaffold students’ thinking in order to help them applying their understanding and skills in new situations (Carlson, 2008).

Implementing is by matching the students’ cognitive abilities with the cognitive requirements of the instructional activity. This process called Zone Proximal Development (herein after refers to as ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1978). This means the ZPD is the support that teachers along with learning environment provided to learners to assist them in a range of cognitive tasks. It is beginning from the understanding tasks and mastering skills and ending with the solving of problems. Pea (2004) states that the metaphor of scaffolding has been widely used to deal with various types of supports and contextualization of interaction in contemporary classrooms. Scaffolding closely linked with the ZPD and any suitable scaffolding for learners should target this zone (Denhere et al. 2013) . It is explained that within the learners’ ZPD, scaffolding is one way that enhances their performance as it allows learners to intellect of new concepts. Hence, it is crucial to know the function of learners they do in terms of the retention of knowledge and the scaffolding type to better use in the learning process.

Due to its importance, researchers conduct extensive body of research on scaffold-based learning because it provides suitable learning environments through which learners become more able to practice learning and solve problems (Collins, Brown & Newman, 1989; Davis & Linn, 2000;

Golan, Kyza, Reiser & Edelson, 2002; Reiser, 2004). Scaffolding is seen as providing significant benefit to learners, enabling them to engage in complex tasks that might be beyond their current cognitive abilities. Lajoie (2014) asserts that scaffolding can be used as a cognitive support for motivational support and problem solving to help learners realize their potential. Learning task is challenging for teachers and students model; the task to become more confident and competent (Azevedo & Hadwin, 2005; Lajoie, 2005; Pea, 2004). Hence, it is supposed that scaffolding is gradually lessened and, accordingly, students become more independent. This research paper constitutes a rigorous platform through providing a thorough background of science education in the Saudi context.

3. Methods

In this study, the quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test control group design will be employed.

Additionally, internal and external threats has been identified focusing on the ways to overcome this factors that may affect the results of the study. Sampling will be based on the convenient sampling for intact groups. Moreover, the instrumentation that will be used is achievement test, in the form of pre-test and post-test, to measure students’ academic achievement as well as Higher Order Thinking (HOT). This research will be conducted based on certain processes including official permission from the MoE in Saudi Arabia, General Management of Education in Al-jouf State and school management. Lastly, the data of this study will be undergoing a series of data analysis using statistical applications such as SPSS for quantitative data and NVivo for qualitative data analysis. This could explained in more details through the research design summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: Research Design of the Study

Groups Pre-tests Treatment Post-Test

EG

HOTS

Hybrid SS & 5Es

HOTS ATT AT ATT

AT

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HOTS

ATT Conventional HOTS

ATT AT AT

In the above Table 1, EG refers to experimental group taught by problem based instruction and CG refers to control group taught by traditional science instruction. Here, HOTs is the Higher Order Thinking, ATT is the attitudes of learners towards science scale, and AT is the Achievement Test. SS refers to Scaffolding Strategies and 5Es instructional model.

In the light of the above explanation, for this study, data will be collected through the implementation of the convenience sampling method from the 9th grade male science students studying at public school in Saudi Arabia. The samples will be selected based on the researcher’s judgment (Malhotra, 2007). In this case, random selection will be used for identifying the two

“intact groups” or two sections of 9th grade male science students from the entire science class (experimental group and control group) for this study. However, students will be grouped into two different groups (experimental group and control group) based on the random selection process.

The sampling technique that will be used in this study is provided in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Sampling Technique of the Study

According to final report of the Ministry of Education, the total male middle students in Saudi Arabia in 2019 reached 622,528. In this stage, science in compulsory subject where no students can skip it. The following Table 2 contains the number of male and female students in the Saudi government middle schools.

Table 1: Total Middle Students in the Saudi Government Schools

Year Male Female

2019 622528 675896

The population in this study is 9th grade students from a schools ranged the first in the area (Saeed Bin Al-Musayeb school). It is also a government Middle School for Boys and the study will

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supposedly be conducted in the academic year 2019-2020. Purposive sampling will be chosen as sampling method. Creswell (2012) stated that in non-probability sampling, the researcher selects individuals, because they are available, convenient, and represent some characteristic the investigator seeks to study. All students, who have been selected for this study will be distributed on two classes randomly, (the researcher will follow internal school system).

4. Conclusion

Science education reformation has become a global concern for decades. Although many reports have been made about the first tier of reforms, particularly those in Australia, Europe and North America, there are still insufficient amount of information available on the second tier of reforms, specifically those in the countries of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe as well as Middle East (Alghamdi & Al-Salouli, 2013). Saudi educators have considered the King Abdullah Public Education Development Project or also known as the ‘Tatweer’ education reforms as an important phase in improving the quality of teaching and learning within the Kingdom (Tayan, 2017).

The aim of the research is to design a framework that draws on the effect of scaffolding strategies on science students’ Higher Order Thinking (HOT), attitudes and achievements in the Saudi context. Regarding the research methodology, quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test control group design will be employed. The data collected will be analysed using software, validation and triangulation techniques. It is hoped that the results of the current study would play a vital role in improving science education in Saudi Arabia including learners, teachers and policy makers.

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