The 2nd International Conference of Elementary Education and Technology (ICCET-2)

Jurusan PGSD FIP UNP dengan Tema "Transformation of Basic Education in Facing
Industrial Era 4.0"

"Transformation of Basic Education in Facing

Industrial Era 4.0"
Pre school Teachers’ Perception of Teaching Early
Mathematics:
Essential for children’s excellence in IR 4.0
Munirah Ghazali
AlBukhary International University
11th Sept 2021
 Objectives

• measure teachers' perceptions in six important variables;

1
• knowledge, readiness, understanding,
• experience, attitude, and
• importance towards teaching and learning early
mathematics.

2
• to identify which factors (i.e., demographic profiles,
teacher's qualification, and teaching
• experience) might affect all six variables mentioned.
 Introduction

• 7 pillars
• Malaysian • Spirituality
preschool • Attitudes and values
curriculum is to • Communication
prepare children • Physical and aesthetic
development
for the transition • Humanity
into the primary • Self skills
• Science and
school year technology
 Teachers’ role

• easing the • the success of

transition into
formal schooling implementing a
had proven to curriculum
reduce the gap depends on
among the primary
year's children and teacher's role in
provide social the classroom
justice for the
marginalised group
(Hyland, 2010).
 Pre school education: role in social
justice

• Education act • provide equal

1996 access to preschool
education for all
• children aged
between 4 to 6
years (Kementerian
Pendidikan
Malaysia, 2001)
Year Initiatives
1992 preschool classes in National School (Sekolah Kebangsaan)
2001 the National Preschool Curriculum formulated
standard reference of all kindergarten operators

2003 Mass implementation of National Preschool Curriculum

2010 Preschool Curriculum :student-centred curriculum concept through six pillars

2016 The second Putrajaya Declaration (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2016):

serious attention to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),particularly SDG 4
(Target 4.2), in promoting social justice by ensuring that 'all girls and boys have
access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education
so that they are ready for primary education
2017 the curiculum was again reviewed to complete the need for changes to be in
coherent with the Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025.

The reviewed National Preschool Standard Curriculum (NPSC) Revision 2017

further strengthened the integration amongst the six pillars from the curriculum
formulation stage and later embodied in curriculum implementation by teachers
(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2017).
Reference: Habibah et al. (2020),
 SDG 4 Quality education
• Goal 4 aims to ensure that
all people have access to
quality education and
lifelong learning
opportunities.
• The Goal focuses on the
acquisition (United
Nations Statistics Division
(UNSD), 2016) of
foundational and higher-
order skills at all stages of
education and
development;
• greater and more equitable
access to quality education at all
levels as well as technical and
vocational education and
training (TVET); and the
knowledge, skills and values
needed to function well and
contribute to society.
• Numeracy is given special
attention in Target 4.6 which
states that: By 2030, ensure
that all youth and a substantial
proportion of adults, both men
and women, achieve literacy
and numeracy
• The UNESCO
Institute for Statistics
(UIS) raised concern
that 617 million
children and
adolescents
worldwide – six out
of ten – are not
reaching minimum
proficiency levels in
reading and
mathematics.
 Pre school Teachers’ Perception of
Teaching Early Mathematics
• gauged through six constructs:
• 1)knowledge about preschool
mathematics, 2)readiness to
involve in mathematical
activities at preschool,
• 3)understanding about
importance of numeracy,
• 4) past experience in
mathematics,
• 5)attitudes towards numeracy,
and
• 6)importance of knowledge
about preschool mathematics.
• The teacher profiles:
• school location,
• age and ethnicity
• teacher’s qualification
• highest academic achievement,
professional training and the field of
study and years of teaching experience
were individually examined to learn
which factors significantly affected the
teacher’s perspectives in teaching and
learning early mathematics.
 Participants
76 teachers from different preschools throughout Malaysia.

Frequency Percent
Profile School Location Urban 24 31.6
Rural 52 68.4
Total 81 100.0
Age 21-30 years old 4 5.3
31-40 years old 50 65.8
41-50 years old 19 25.0
51-60 years old 3 3.9
Total 76 100.0
Ethnicity Missing case 1 1.3
Malay 67 88.2
Chinese 2 2.6
Indian 1 1.3
Bumiputra 5 6.6
Total 76 100.0
Education Highest Academic SPM/MCE 32 42.1
Qualification STP/ HSC/ STPM 18 23.7
Diploma 24 31.6
Degree (B.A.,B.Ec.,B.Sc.,B.Ed.) 2 2.6
Total 76 100.0
Teacher Training None 1 1.3
Professional Certificate 18 23.7
Diploma in Education 55 72.4
Degree in Education 2 2.6
Total 76 100.0
Field (Opsyen) Mathematics 7 9.2
Non-Mathematics 69 90.8
Total 76 100.0
Experience Teaching Missing case 1 1.3
Less than 1 year 3 3.9
6-10 years 35 46.1
More than 10 years 37 48.7
Total 76 100.0
Teaching Missing case 5 6.6
Mathematics Less than 1 year 18 23.7
1-5 years 10 13.2
6-10 years 27 35.5
More than 10 years 16 21.1
 Findings and Discussion

• All the data were analysed descriptively using

SPSS 26 to identify the distribution of data across
all construct demographic profiles of survey
respondents.
 Knowledge about preschool mathematics

• measures the teacher perceived knowledge about

content knowledge of preschool mathematics.
• 11 items of early mathematics content knowledge,
according to KPSK. This construct measured with 5-point Likert scale accounts the
teacher’s self-capability in the preschool mathematics knowledge.

• the item analysis, the teachers perceived knowledge

about preschool mathematics was high throughout the
entire item (mean>4.0).
• From individual item analysis, the teachers perceived
that they have high content knowledge in much
advance preschool mathematics (i.e. problem-solving
compared to basic (i.e. classify and counting). The
lowest means score was the knowledge in using
concrete material in teaching (item 10).
 Readiness to involve in mathematical
activities at preschool

• Readiness refers to the degree to which a teacher

was prepared to involve in mathematical activities at
preschool.
• The activities include several mathematics-based-
pedagogy which measured through five items (item
12-16).
• The readiness in a variety of pedagogical content
knowledge was inclined towards the verbal and
action-based communication
• The teacher found themselves as less ready to
prepare concrete material, mathematics-based activity
and singing mathematics song with children.
 Understanding about the importance of
numeracy

• Numeracy regarded as a fundamental aspect of pre-

number to be mastered by preschool children. From
the descriptive analysis, the teacher highly
understood about the importance of numeracy.
• it seems that the teacher understandings were
confined in the formal learning activity.
• the teacher has least understanding in mathematics
games (i.e. item 22), social-inducing activity (i.e. item
23), problem-solving (i.e. item 26) and homework (i.e.
item 24).
• However, the mean score understanding the
importance of numeracy through various low order
thinking skills were higher (i.e. item 17, 19 and 21)
compare to the counterparts.
 Experience in mathematics

• Experience refers to the teacher’s agreement self-

ability to teach mathematics corresponds to their
past self-experience.
• The teacher rated their personal experience in
mathematics were moderate throughout the five
items (item 27-31).
• the teacher experience was relatively influenced
in their experience in secondary school compared
to primary and early numeracy.
 Importance of knowledge about
preschool mathematics

• The importance of early mathematics

content knowledge was measured using
ten items (item 40-50).
• Overall, teacher regarded that the
knowledge about preschool mathematics
was highly important.
• teachers valued that each early
mathematics skills were important (mean
> 4.0);
 Conclusion

1
• teacher’s have limited understanding to convert their
knowledge and understanding of various classrooms
activities.

2 • teachers with more experience tend to have better

perception in teaching early mathematics.

3
• teacher training need to emphasize practical techniques
to implement content knowledge and pedagogical content
knowledge in teaching and learning.
 THANK YOU
This research project was funded by Exploratory
Research Grant Scheme (ERGS) in USM Grant No:
203/PGURU/6730128

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