Teacher Communication In Bruneian Secondary Science Classes: Wait-Time

• Main Author: S. Dhindsa, Harkirat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia 2010
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education
• Online Access: http://eprints.usm.my/34583/1/APJEE_25_05_Harkirat_%2873-88%29.pdf; http://eprints.usm.my/34583/; http://apjee.usm.my/APJEE_25_2010/APJEE_25_05_Harkirat%20(73-88).pdf

A study was undertaken to (a) explain the wait-time that reflects the cognitive processes involved in the construction and reconstruction of knowledge in interpreting questions and then providing responses and (b) compare the mean wait-time taken by students with the wait-time intended by teachers, in both theory and practical classes in Bruneian secondary schools. The recorded wait-time was explained using the construction and reconstruction model of human learning proposed by Anderson and Demetrius (1993). Wait-time differences between the theory and practical classes were found to be statistically significant. There was also a significant variation in the waittime for three different categories of response to the questions – viz. responses by the whole class, an individual student, and the teacher. The mean wait-time data recorded in this study resembles that previously reported elsewhere. However, the wait-time for nonbilingual Bruneian students learning science in a second language includes a component for language translation, which occurs during both the knowledge construction and reconstruction phases. Further research is recommended to (a) evaluate the optimum wait-time under the conditions that prevail in Bruneian science classes and (b) modify the existing information-processing model or to develop new models to explain knowledge construction and reconstruction in classes where non-bilingual students learn science in a second language.