IF you were to ask a typical secondary school student about their thoughts on “Sejarah SPM” and how they felt about the implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions in their exams, more often than not you’d receive a rather impassive response. In fact, most would even tell you how much of a pain it is to memorise facts and reiterate conventional ideas just to get marks.

While the pre-independence history of our motherland and the birth of political parties in Malaysia are interesting reading, the method with which the subject is taught and tested just did not appeal to me back in school, nor did it stimulate my mind or allow me to truly explore the 4Cs (critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration) that global institutions put so much emphasis on today.

In terms of context, there is a stark disparity between the Form 5 history syllabus taught in schools today compared to that of 1970.  While most people would expect the national curriculum to have become more inclusive and progressive as a whole, the scope of study has shrunk immensely over the last five decades. From teaching the different forms of nationalism, how Southeast Asian countries gained independence from colonial rule, and wider coverage of international events (covered in the 1970 version of the textbook), two-thirds of the current “Sejarah Tingkatan 5” textbook are focused solely on nation building and nationalism in Malaysia. 
 
Second, the way that history is taught in classrooms tends to be teacher-centric and exam-oriented, which does not lend itself to achieving the aims of the Historical Thinking Components, which include chronologic skills, facts exploration skills, imagination skills, interpretation and analysis skills and rationalising skills. There is excessive reliance on official textbooks and over-emphasis on memorising facts and dates to be regurgitated during exams, rather than for the student to fully appreciate the significance of the subject itself. 

Since the inception of HOTS, the Education Ministry has introduced several elements into the history syllabus to encourage critical thinking, such as Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah (School-Based Assessment, PBS), Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (Form 3 Assessment, PT3), Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions in public examinations, and i-Think mind maps. While well-intentioned, the effort to cultivate the skills mentioned above has not been entirely successful.

Rarely do students take the initiative to explore wider reading or proper research on historical events. According to national statistics in 2018, 66% of SPM candidates last year had apparently “mastered” HOTS, though it is difficult to determine if these numbers reflect a genuine advancement in terms of standards of learning. 

Instead, universal evaluations such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) could perhaps be a more comprehensible representation of our students’ critical capabilities relative to that of students around the world. For instance, the Pisa results of 2012 revealed that Malaysia ranked 52 among 65 participating countries, and scored far below the global average in mathematics, science and reading, indicating that current initiatives to enhance critical thinking skills may not be fully effective.

History is an important subject in school because it has the power to shape the social, political and economic perceptions of the youth. Hence, it is imperative for students to actively participate in class, ask thought-provoking questions, and inculcate in themselves critical thinking skills – all of which are in line with the Education Ministry’s goals for HOTS.

Based on working papers on this topic as well as case studies that indicate how project based learning, blended learning and work-based learning lead to more progressive learning both independently and collaboratively, I believe there are three ways that could possibly enhance learning (of history, in particular) in Malaysian public schools.

They are one, reconstructing the national curriculum; two, improving teaching initiatives; and three, revamping evaluation methods.

There should be wider inclusion of primary sources such as newspaper articles, manifestos, cartoons and speeches in the textbooks. By giving students the chance to analyse events from more than one “absolute” or official textbook narrative, they will be spurred to think critically and sharpen their logical reasoning skills.  
 
In terms of teaching initiatives, the narrow classroom-based focus can be expanded to include experiential learning activities such as field trips to historical sites and landmarks. Taking students to the National Museum, National Archive and local events and forums that discuss history-related concepts and ideas would spark curiosity and make the subject a lot more engaging for the youth. 
 
Lastly, when it comes to grading and evaluation, instead of relying solely on exam results, teachers should take into consideration the student’s involvement in class, contributions to discussions, coursework as well as consistency throughout the academic year. 
 
While the Malaysian Education Blueprint of 2013-2025 holds promise, much more can be done for our students to fully master the 4Cs and HOTS.  It is crucial that Malaysian students are exposed to a wider range of study and an enhanced learning experience so as to expand their knowledge and capabilities and realise their fullest potential. – August 21, 2018.

* Ru Xiang is currently an intern at the Penang Institute in Kuala Lumpur. Her current research focuses largely on Malaysian History textbooks, national policies that affect that the “official” history narrative in our country as well as the effectiveness of the education system.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.