Tanggapan guru dan pelajar terhadap status pendidikan geografi di sekolah-sekolah menengah Malaysia: Satu tinjauan awal (Teacher and student perception of the educational status of geography in Malaysian secondary schools : A preliminary survey)

Abstract

Kertas ini membincangkan secara umum tanggapan guru-guru dan pelajar terhadap status mata pelajaran geografi di sekolah menengah. Isu-isu yang diberi tumpuan termasuklah kekuatan dan kelemahan geografi sebagai satu mata pelajaran, kerelevenan geografi di sekolah menengah dengan kehidupan harian dan pembangunan negara dari perpektif guru dan pelajar yang berbeza latar belakang. Penilaian arah tanggapan adalah berdasarkan pandangan 79 guru dan 140 pelajar di sekolah-sekolah menengah daerah Hulu Langat, Selangor pada tahun 2002. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa (1) Kedua-dua pihak guru dan pelajar bersetuju bahawa geografi adalah satu mata pelajaran yang sukar diajar dan dipelajari di sekolah; (2) Kedua-dua pihak guru dan pelajar bersetuju hakikat bahawa pengetahuan geografi berkait rapat dengan pembangunan negara; (3) Meskipun pihak guru umumnya menyatakan tiada beza dengan mata pelajaran yang lain, namun, ramai pelajar mengganggap bahawa sukar mendapatkan gred baik dalam peperiksaan geografi ; dan (4) Sementara pihak guru bersetuju dengan pandangan supaya silibus geografi diperkemaskan supaya berdaya saing, pihak pelajartidak bersedia mengambil geografi menandakan kurang kepedulian mereka kepada mata pelajaran tersebut.

Katakunci: geografi di sekolah, geografi dan pembangunan negara, geografi dan peperiksaan, guru geografi, pelajar geografi, silibus geografi

This paper discusses the general perception of Malaysian geography teachers and students on the status of geography as a subject matter in secondary education. Issues highlighted pertain to the strengths and weaknesses of school geography, its relevance to daily living and national development. The evaluation is based on a survey conducted in the year 2002 in the district of Hulu Langat, Selangor involving 79 secondary school teachers and 140 secondary school students of diverse background. Results of the study show that (1) Both teachers and students agree that geography is a relatively difficult subject matter; (2) Both teachers and students concur that geographical knowledge is intimately related to national development; (3) Although the majority of teachers do not distinguish geography from other school subjects, the majority of students regard it as more difficult than other subjects; and (4) While teachers agree to the idea that the geography syllabus need to be revised in order to make it more attractive to students, the latter are not willing to take up geography, thus signifying their indifferent attitude toward the subject matter. GEOGRAFIA OnlineTM Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 1 (66 - 75) © 2005, ISSN 2180-2491

Keywords: geography and examination, geography and national development, geography students, geography syllabus, geography teachers, school geography