The implication of knowledge transfer project towards the understanding and skills of childrens developmental psychology among PPM and PPM PPKI  In the district of Sabak Bernam

Nazariah Shar’ie Janon

Abstract

PPM (Pembantu Pengurusan Murid) refers to an assistant teacher for pra-sekolah (pre-school) children while PPM PPKI (Pembantu Pengurusan Murid Program Pendidikan Khas Integrasi) is an assistant teacher for special needs children in public schools. The majority of PPMs and PPMs PPKI who have been appointed do not have the necessary qualification in child psychology or early childhood education. Despite the lack of knowledge on child psychology and special needs children, they work with these children for almost 25 hours per week. In relation to this, a project under the Knowledge Transfer Programme was conducted to provide psychological knowledge and skills to PPMs and PPMs PPKI. This study attempts to investigate whether the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI have increased after the project. It is hypothesized that the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI would have increased after the project. Fifty-four PPMs and PPMs PPKI participated in the project. Five modules of the project were delivered in five different workshops that were carried out on different dates. To know whether PPMs’ and PPMs PPKI’s knowledge and skills have increased after the project, pre- and post-assessments were conducted before and after the project. The results of paired sample t-test indicate that the overall scores of the pre-test are significantly lower than those of the post-tests: pre-programme (M=51.94, SD=2.82) and post-programme (M=58.79, SD=3.69) with t (34) =-11.11, p=0.000. The results imply that the project is effective in increasing the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI.

References

Abdul Khaiyom, J. H., Janon, N. S., Ayub, A., & Dollah, A. H. (2017). The development, feasibility, and acceptability of psychological knowledge and skills transfer in handling children with atypical development among assistant teachers (PPM & PPM PPKI) in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. Proceeding 4th National Conference on Knowledge Transfer (NCKT’17), Dec 11–12, Kedah: EDC-UUM.

Ayub, A., Janon, N. S., Abdul Khaiyom, J. H., & Dollah, A. H. (2017). Enhancing assistant teachers’ (PPM & PPM PPKI) psychological knowledge and skills in handling non-typically developed children in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. Proceeding 4th National Conference on Knowledge Transfer (NCKT’17), Dec 11–12, Kedah: EDC-UUM.

Bano, R., AlShammari, E., Fatima, S. B., & Al-Shammari, N. A. (2013). A comparative study of knowledge, attitude, practice of nutrition and non-nutrition student towards a balanced diet in Hail University. IOSR. Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS), 2, 29-36.

Bee, D., & Boyd, H. (2014). Lifespan development. Seventh Edition. New York: Pearson.

Bignold, W., & Barbera, J. (2012). Teaching assistants and teacher education in England: Meeting their continuing professional development needs. Professional Development in Education, 38(3),365–75. doi:10.1080/19415257.2011.621967

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Six theories of child development: Revised formulations and current issues (pp. 187-249). London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Colcombe, S. J., Erickson, K. I., Raz, N., Webb, A. G., Cohen, N. J., McAuley, E., & Kramer, A. F. (2003). Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans. Journal of Gerontol Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 58(2), 176-80.

Domek , G. J., Macdonald, B., Cooper, C., Cunningham, M., Abdel-Maksoud, M., & Berman, S. (2017). Group based learning among caregivers: Assessing mothers’ knowledge before and after an early childhood intervention in rural Guatemala. Global Health Promotion, 26(2), 61–69. doi: 10.1177/1757975917714287

Giangreco, M. F. (2010). Utilization of teacher assistants in inclusive schools: Is it the kind of help that helping is all about? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 25(4), 341-345.

Giangreco, M. F., & Doyle, M. B. (2007). Teacher assistants in inclusive schools. In L. Florian (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Special Education (p. 429-439). London: Sage. Retrieve from https://www.spp.gov.my/ms/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=585&Itemid=974

Janon, N. S., Abdul Khaiyom, J. H., Ayub, A. & Dollah, A. H. (2017). Enhancing assistant teachers’ (PPM & PPM PPKI) psychological knowledge and skills in handling typically developed children in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. Proceeding 4th National Conference on Knowledge Transfer (NCKT’17), Dec 11–12, Kedah: EDC-UUM.

Kuder, G. F., & Richardson, M. W. (1937). The theory of estimation of test reliability. Psychometrika, 2, 151-160.

Markkanen, P., Anttila, M., & Välimäki, M. (2019). Knowledge, skills, and support needed by teaching personnel for managing challenging situations with pupils. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), 3646. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193646

Nasser, I., Kidd, J. K., Burns, M. S., & Campbell, T. (2013). Head Start classroom teachers’ and assistant teachers’ perceptions of professional development using a LEARN framework. Professional Development in Education, 41(2), 344–365. doi:10.1080/19415257.2013.83353v

Payton, C. B. (2012). Classroom management styles: The differences among traditionally-licensed teachers who were formally paraprofessionals and alternatively-licensed teachers. Ed.D. diss., The University of Southern Mississippi. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations Digital database. (1021724379).

Santrock, J. W. (2017). Life-span development. 16th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Singh-Manoux, A., Richards, M., & Marmot, M. G. (2003). Leisure activities and cognitive function in middle aged adults: Evidence from the Whitehall II Study. Epidemiology and Community Health, 57(11), 907-913.

Slabea, D., & Finka, R. (2012). Kindergarten teachers’ and their assistants’ knowledge of first aid in Slovenian kindergartens. Health Education Journal, 72(4) 398–407.

Stricklin, K. & Tingle, B. (2016). Using online education to transition teaching assistants to teacher certification:Examining the differences between teacher education programs. The American Journal of Distance Education, 30(3), 192–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2016.1192840

Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pelajaran Malaysia. (2020).

Viktorin, J. (2018). Teacher assistant in the inclusive school environment. The Educational Review, 2(6) 320-329.