Fewer locals interested in economics
Teaching strategy: A teacher giving a talk on teaching strategies in classroom at the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School in Jalan Kebangsaan. Picture: BT file photo
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
FEWER Bruneians now study or teach economics, a worrying trend as Brunei Darussalam needs a good stock of business-educated population to contribute towards economic development and progress, a teacher said here yesterday.
Hj Hamidon Hj Hussain of Tutong's Sayyidina Othman Secondary School was presenting a paper on the first day of the 13th International Conference on Education. It examined how attitudes towards economics may be as important as understanding in influencing economic behaviour, especially towards public issues.
The decline, he said, "is of concern...(as) economics can produce future generations confident in business and the economic system of a country. The expansion of trade and businesses can help reduce the unemployment burden of the country."
Hamidon carried out his research in nine secondary schools offering economics. The research sample consisted of 123 Form Four students. Using a questionnaire and interviews, he sought insight into the decline. The information obtained is hoped to be useful for teachers and authorities in developing appropriate strategies in the classroom and in planning policies to encourage students to take up the subject.
He also found that while a majority of students found economics not to be a waste of time, they still carry the mentality that science subjects can better enhance their overall marketability. Many admitted that they were put off from taking Economics in A-levels because they believed it would be too difficult.
Meanwhile, a Universiti Brunei Darussalam lecturer, Rosmawijah Jawawi found in a research carried out in 2001 that the number of Bruneian students taking economics fell by 50 per cent from 1996 to 2000.
Rosmawijah also found in her research there has been a decline in the number of Economics teachers breaking into schools, based on 10 case studies of pre-service teachers. She discovered that teachers need to put in more effort to sustain student interest in the subject. Teachers currently are heavily reliant on the textbooks rather than making efforts to make economics more relevant for the students' real world.
With fragmented content knowledge, teachers could misinterpret the subject matter and pass on the lack of understanding of economics to the students. She said the trend may leave students with bitter experiences of studying economics and may lead to even less people becoming Economics teachers in the future. (NAS1)
The Brunei Times
Hj Hamidon Hj Hussain of Tutong's Sayyidina Othman Secondary School was presenting a paper on the first day of the 13th International Conference on Education. It examined how attitudes towards economics may be as important as understanding in influencing economic behaviour, especially towards public issues.
The decline, he said, "is of concern...(as) economics can produce future generations confident in business and the economic system of a country. The expansion of trade and businesses can help reduce the unemployment burden of the country."
Hamidon carried out his research in nine secondary schools offering economics. The research sample consisted of 123 Form Four students. Using a questionnaire and interviews, he sought insight into the decline. The information obtained is hoped to be useful for teachers and authorities in developing appropriate strategies in the classroom and in planning policies to encourage students to take up the subject.
He also found that while a majority of students found economics not to be a waste of time, they still carry the mentality that science subjects can better enhance their overall marketability. Many admitted that they were put off from taking Economics in A-levels because they believed it would be too difficult.
Meanwhile, a Universiti Brunei Darussalam lecturer, Rosmawijah Jawawi found in a research carried out in 2001 that the number of Bruneian students taking economics fell by 50 per cent from 1996 to 2000.
Rosmawijah also found in her research there has been a decline in the number of Economics teachers breaking into schools, based on 10 case studies of pre-service teachers. She discovered that teachers need to put in more effort to sustain student interest in the subject. Teachers currently are heavily reliant on the textbooks rather than making efforts to make economics more relevant for the students' real world.
With fragmented content knowledge, teachers could misinterpret the subject matter and pass on the lack of understanding of economics to the students. She said the trend may leave students with bitter experiences of studying economics and may lead to even less people becoming Economics teachers in the future. (NAS1)
The Brunei Times
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