Make it fun to learn science, say students
Teachers can captivate the interest of students by incorporating more science experiments in lessons, says a secondary school student. (Bernama pic). (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : More interactive ways of teaching in the science stream could help reignite interest in these subjects, according to several secondary school students.
They told FMT that genuine interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics was vital given the more challenging and demanding workloads compared with other streams.
Lim, 16, from SMK King George V, said the science stream is perceived by many of her peers as being difficult because it requires understanding complex concepts, long hours of studying and a lot of memorisation.
'Some students also feel pressured by the requirements to pursue careers in science-related fields, like needing straight A's. That stress could make the science stream less attractive,' she said.
'If teachers could include more hands-on activities, like experiments, group work or real-life applications, I think more students would enjoy learning science and be able to understand it better,' she told FMT.
High workload
Lim's senior, 18-year-old Yean Thong, said an overwhelming academic workload can dampen enthusiasm for learning.
She said learning science in the classroom had its limits but teachers could captivate the interest of students by incorporating more science experiments in lessons.
'This would make lessons more meaningful and I believe that, with passion, students would better excel in science subjects,' said Yean Thong, who got straight A's for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) last year.
Former SMK Tun Fatimah Hashim student, Nylea, 18, suggested that teachers organise visits to science exhibitions and fairs to broaden the horizons of students and help them understand real-world applications of science.
Nylea, who scored 9As in her SPM and aced her science subjects, also said the science stream seemed to be barely promoted, leading to a lack of appeal to students.
'I think students frequently overestimate the difficulty of science stream without doing much research, which creates an impression that the stream is reserved for smart and gifted students,' she said.
Straight A's
More than 14,100 students recorded straight A's in the SPM last year, the best result in 11 years after a pass in Bahasa Malaysia and history was made compulsory.
However, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad expressed concern about the noticeable decline in interest in the science stream, particularly its potential impact on the supply of Malaysian medical students.
Education ministry statistics for 2021 showed a huge gap in the number of students pursuing humanities and technical subjects.
In 2019, a total of 42,257 students were enrolled in Upper Form 6 humanities classes, compared with 4,877 in the science stream. The number of science students dropped in 2020 to 3,853.
Lack of interest
Sheera, formerly from SMK (P) Sri Aman, said she had already decided not to pursue a science-related career path early on as she had no interest in the subjects.
She said the difficulty of the science stream's syllabus was the biggest obstacle toward having greater interest in science, and believed that many others like her felt the same way.
'The teaching method for science subjects in school is outdated. Using modern technologies in science education could offer a more engaging learning experience,' she said.
On the other hand, Sabrina, 17, said she was initially interested in enrolling in the science stream but was held back by her weak grasp of mathematics.
'All science stream classes in my school include Additional Mathematics, which makes it harder for me,' said the student from Catholic High School, Petaling Jaya.
'I'm not interested in that particular subject but still wanted to pursue the other science subjects. In the end, I just switched to the humanities.'
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