A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIVE STUDY ON ENRICHMENT
Strand: Bringing about curriculum innovations
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Abstract
The Ministry of Education’s mission sets out to deliver holistic education to achieve fullest potential for all. Local initiatives such as the Learning Support Framework (Ministry of Education, 2020) and the Primary Education Initiative (Ministry of Education, 2012) unintentionally exclude high ability students and focus more on supporting those with learning difficulties. Enrichment embedded with challenges, such as identifying patterns across topics, create opportunities for high ability students to deepen and broaden their learning beyond the national curriculum, an instructional approach that aligns with Brunei Teachers’ Standard and Teacher Performance Appraisal v2.0 (BTS-TPA 2.0). There have been no local studies on enrichment to date. However, studies (e.g. Callahan, Moon, Hertberg-Davis, & Brighton, 2014; Renzulli & Reis, 2014; Kaplan, 2009) have shown that enrichment can meet the cognitive and learning needs of high ability students. This current preliminary study utilized an online platform for: 1) survey dissemination to a select sample of 40 Primary School teachers; and 2) analysis of qualitative data to identify teacher’s readiness to implement enrichment and the ideal time to incorporate enrichment into lessons. Readiness as measured through (1) teachers’ familiarity with the term “Enrichment” (100%); (2) perception of the prospective students (42.5% for gifted students; 52.5% not for gifted students; 5% unsure); (3) teachers’ qualification (54.1% qualified teachers to teach enrichment); (4) perceived content of enrichment (1] skills development [39%]; 2] activities/tasks [36%]; curriculum content [14%]; and 3] academic based competitions [11%]); and (5) time for implementation (74% enrichment at school of which for academic 67% during instruction and 33% at the end of a topic; and for non-academic: during ECA or cocurricular hours [67%], at the end of term [17%], during school term break [11%], or at the end of the year [3%]) indicate the need for further training. A follow-up study to better understand the current enrichment practices is required before planning an effective and meaningful teacher professional development. This is to address any misconceptions, acknowledge good teaching practices, and normalize the incorporation and implementation of enrichment through differentiation, thus supporting teacher’s development in fulfilling the required competencies and the high ability students to reach their fullest potential.
KEYWORDS
Enrichment, Differentiation
Dr. Mona Aliana Bt DP Hj Md Alimin
Educational Psychologist
CentrE for the Development of Gifted and Talented Education (EDGE)
Dr Mona is an educator, an educational psychologist, and a gifted education expert.