A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ATTITUDES TOWARD TRANSITION FROM THE SINGAPORE NATIONAL CURRICULUM IN PRIMARY LEVEL TO THE UK CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM IN SECONDARY LEVEL HELD BY SECONDARY YEARS 1 TO 4 STUDENTS IN ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE SUBJECTS
Keywords:
Attitudes Toward Transition; Singapore National Curriculum; UK Cambridge International Curriculum; Primary Level; Secondary Level; English; Mathematics; Science; International School; ThailandAbstract
This quantitative study was conducted to compare, among different secondary year levels, the attitudes toward transition from the Singapore National Curriculum in primary level to the UK Cambridge International Curriculum in secondary level held by Secondary Years 1 to 4 students in three academic subjects (i.e., English, Mathematics and Science) at an international school in Greater Bangkok, Thailand. This study was conducted on 102 students in Secondary Years 1 to 4 in the academic year 2019-2020. The target school follows the Singapore Ministry of Education’s national curriculum in nursery, kindergarten and primary school levels, while the UK Cambridge International Curriculum is followed by the school in secondary level. For the data collection, a questionnaire entitled the Questionnaire for Attitudes Toward Transition from the Singapore National Curriculum in Primary Level to the UK Cambridge International Curriculum in Secondary Level was developed. The questionnaire was comprised of three 15-item sections (one for each subject), coded on a 6-point Likert scale, designed to assess students’ attitude toward the curricular transition in relation to six dimensions; timetable, classwork, homework, assessment, teachers, and textbooks. From the data analysis, it was found that the attitudes toward the curricular transition held by the participants in English, Mathematics and Science ranged from slightly negative to positive. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that, in the English subject, there was a significant difference between students’ attitudes toward the curricular transition along all year levels. In the Mathematics and Science subjects, there was a significant difference between students’ attitudes toward the curricular transition among some year levels. Based on the research findings, recommendations for students, parents, teachers, administrators and future researchers are provided.
References
Akos, P. (2002). Students’ perceptions of the transition from elementary to middle school. Professional School Counseling, 5(5), 339-345.
Beresford, M. (2013). The high school freshman transition (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ball State University, Indiana, United States of America.
Cambridge International. (2019, September 1). Programmes and qualifications. Retrieved from Cambridge International: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/
Campbell-Wilder, K. (2009). Eighth-grade transition to high school: Teacher and student perceptions of academic, procedural, and social transition issues (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.
Cauley, K., & Jovanovich, D. (2006). Developing an effective transition program for students entering middle school or high school. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas, 80(1), 15-25.
Cohlhepp, C. (2018). Student perceptions regarding the transition from elementary (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States of America.
Disseler, S. A. (2010). A comparison of attitudes and achievements for students transitioning to middle school from different elementary school organizational patterns (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of North Carolina, Charlotte, United States of America.
Elias, M. (2001). Easing transitions with social-emotional learning. Principal Leadership, 1(7), 20-25.
Gardner, R. (2010). The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery. In R. Gardner (Ed.), Motivation and second language acquisition the socio-educational model (pp. 108-109). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Holland, S. (2018). A qualitative analysis of African-American high school students’ transitioning from middle school to high school in an urban private high school setting (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lindenwood University, Missouri, United States of America.
Makanyeza, C. (2014). Measuring consumer attitude toward imported Akos, P. (2002). Students’ perceptions of the transition from elementary to middle school. Professional School Counseling, 5(5), 339-345.
Beresford, M. (2013). The high school freshman transition (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ball State University, Indiana, United States of America.
Cambridge International. (2019, September 1). Programmes and qualifications. Retrieved from Cambridge International: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/
Campbell-Wilder, K. (2009). Eighth-grade transition to high school: Teacher and student perceptions of academic, procedural, and social transition issues (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.
Cauley, K., & Jovanovich, D. (2006). Developing an effective transition program for students entering middle school or high school. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas, 80(1), 15-25.
Cohlhepp, C. (2018). Student perceptions regarding the transition from elementary (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States of America.
Disseler, S. A. (2010). A comparison of attitudes and achievements for students transitioning to middle school from different elementary school organizational patterns (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of North Carolina, Charlotte, United States of America.
Elias, M. (2001). Easing transitions with social-emotional learning. Principal Leadership, 1(7), 20-25.
Gardner, R. (2010). The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery. In R. Gardner (Ed.), Motivation and second language acquisition the socio-educational model (pp. 108-109). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Holland, S. (2018). A qualitative analysis of African-American high school students’ transitioning from middle school to high school in an urban private high school setting (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lindenwood University, Missouri, United States of America.
Makanyeza, C. (2014). Measuring consumer attitude toward imported poultry meat products in a developing market: an assessment of reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the tri-component attitude model. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(20), 874-881.
Manachon, N., & Eamoraphan, S. (2017). A comparative study of attitudes toward English as a foreign language learning between upper secondary students in Science-Mathematics and Arts-Language programs at the demonstration school of Ramkamhaeng University, Thailand. Scholar: Human Sciences, 9(1), 142-156.
Ministry of Education Singapore. (2019, September 6). Primary school education booklet. Retrieved from Ministry of Education Singapore: https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/primary/primary-school-education-booklet
Moore, M. (2009). Student and staff perceptions of the transition from middle to high school (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of South Dakota, South Dakota, United States of America.
Philipp, R. (2007). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and affect. In F. Lester Jr. (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 257-318). Charlotte, United States of America: Information Age.
Schiffman, L., & Kanuk, L. L. (2007). Consumer behavior (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, United States of America: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Schmidt, T. (2006). The transitional times: Will elementary students sink or swim while making their transition Into middle school? (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Nova Southeastern University, Florida, United States of America.
Spies, E. M. (2005). Exploring student perspectives on elementary to middle school transition practices (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of North Dakota, North Dakota, United States of America.
Stockton, K. (2011). Transition from fifth to sixth grade and its impact on discipline referrals (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Houston, Houston, United States of America.
Stowers, J. (2014). Assessing transitions from elementary to middle school (Unpublished master’s thesis). California State University, Monterey Bay, United States of America.
