KUALA LUMPUR: The intimidating approach to teaching science in primary school has resulted in a lack of enthusiasm among students to continue pursuing the science stream in secondary school, said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Diversity Study Center education expert Dr Anuar Ahmad.
He said an excess of syllabus also contributes to decreased interest in science among students.
"Every teacher has a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to cover the entire syllabus within the academic year.
"Failure to do so may result in the school administration considering them as not fulfilling their teaching duties.
"What happens is that they teach in large classes where they cover various topics according to their annual plan without considering the unique requirements of each student.
"Some students may struggle to understand the teacher's lessons quickly during the learning process. Unfortunately, these students may fall behind as the teacher moves on to the next topic.
"There may still be other students who have not fully grasped the previous topic." he said.
Anuar added that the increasing number of students who struggle with the subject will lead to a decline in motivation among those in the science stream.
He mentioned that the country's classroom learning methods need improvement and should follow the example of schools in developed countries that involve more interaction with nature outside the classroom.
"They go out and explore small streams; they go to flower gardens to observe scientific phenomena that can be found in these areas.
"For them, science is a game and a fun activity; science will give them satisfaction.
"One thing that sets us apart is our approach to learning science. Rather than relying solely on hands-on experimentation, we tend to view it as a textual subject, primarily taught through textbooks.
"However, in more developed countries, it's not uncommon for mistakes to occur during scientific experiments," he said. - AWANI