THE weakness in mastering the basic concepts of science and mathematics among primary school children is believed to be one of the main factors behind the drop in the number of students opting for science subjects in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, academicians said.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Centre of Education and Diversity senior lecturer Anuar Ahmad said the weakness caused many students to find science and mathematics difficult and, therefore, erode their interest to study these subjects in secondary school.

He said the teaching method was uninteresting and focused more on the goal of getting high marks, correct and accurate answers, resulting in primary school children being afraid of making mistakes.

“As such, our students, aged seven to 12, are stressed by the dermand and found learning science and mathematics difficult and stressful,” he said.

“This is not science. It’s a form of rote learning. But science is a process of trial and error, observation and testing.”

Using Thomas Edison as an example, the academician said the American inventor had failed many times, but tried repeatedly until he finally succeeded in inventing a light bulb that is still in use today.

Anuar said the stigma that science and mathematics being difficult subjects to learn had made students in Forms 1 to 3 less interested in them, which they still have to take because they are compulsory subjects

However, in Forms 4 and 5, when the students have the opportunity to choose, they take other subjects besides science when the subject is no longer compulsory in the SPM examination.

Anuar said the science and mathematics syllabus used by the Education Ministry is too heavy, which contributes to the subjects being not popular in primary schools.

“Primary school children should not have such a heavy syllabus. It should emphasise on students conducting exploratory activities, scientific investigations and observations outside the classroom, for example, to see how flowers bloom, how photosynthesis works and how water is formed from the combination of two gases,” he said.

Anuar said the demands of the syllabus forced teachers to rush to complete the entire curriculum within the academic year to meet the key performance index.

“Sometimes, there are students who don’t quite understand what the teacher has taught, but the teacher does not have time to explain or make sure they have really understood. The teacher then has to move on to the next subject because he has to catch up with the syllabus,” he said.

“In the end, many students are left behind when it comes to understanding the meaning and purpose of a scientific phenomenon they are studying.”

National Union of Teaching Profession president Aminuddin Awang said many students choose the arts stream because of the perception of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as difficult subjects.

Aminuddin agreed with Anuar that the syllabus plays a big role in determining the direction of STEM learning.

He said he had received many complaints from teachers who have to speed up the learning process due to lack of time.

“I think the ministry is looking into the STEM syllabus. I am sure it will be improved,” he said.

On August 4, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the Education Ministry and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry to find new approaches to attract students’ interest in science and mathematics.

The study conducted by the National STEM Association found that only 19% of students have chosen science subjects since 2020. – Bernama, August 13, 2023.