Mangrove Forest Management & Restoration

The Sabah Forestry Department has conserved most if not all Mangrove Forests under Class V for marine life conservation and as a natural means of protection against sea erosions. At the moment, exploitation activities on mangrove forests are at a minimal rate mainly from the collection of charcoal, fire wood and timber piling for local usage. Parallel to the efforts of preserving, protecting and maintaining the steady growth of our mangrove forests from natural threats, a project has been approved by the Federal Government known as the “Replanting Project of Mangroves & Other Suitable Species On The Coastal Of Sabah Under The 9th Malaysian Plan”. A total of SDC million has been allocated to the State of Sabah in order to initiate the replanting activities of mangrove trees in areas that concur with the objectives of the project. 

Replanting efforts are focused on natural mangrove forests and coastal areas mainly in the East Coast of Sabah such as Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau. Whereas in the West Coast of Sabah, it is focused on beaches and forest reserves that have been identified as suitable for the purpose of the project such as Kota Kinabalu, Kota Belud, Tuaran, and Beaufort. A task force has been established at a national level that is known as the “Planting Operation of Mangroves and Suitable Species National Coasts Task Force”. The main objective of the task force is to undertake and monitor the replanting activities of mangrove trees and other suitable species on the coastal areas by sets of procedures to protect lives and properties from the threats of tidal waves (tsunami) as well as storms, especially in the coastal areas. 

For the past five years, a total area of 583.54 ha, over various selected districts, have been effected with the project in line with RMK-9, mainly areas with coastal beaches and forest reserves. In 2009, the State of Sabah was allocated a total of RM1 million from the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) project. Areas that have been replanted with mangrove trees through the SDC project are the districts of Tawau, Semporna and Beaufort. The total area effected by the SDC plantation project is 152.32ha while the overall planted area is 735.86ha. 

Objectives 
1. To conserve coastal beaches 
2. To create buffer zones 
3. To restore the habitats in costal beaches 
4. To enhance the quality of the environment as well as the esthetical value

Scope of Project The scope of work that has been initiated are as follows:- – To identify suitable planting areas (i.e areas with low risks/ less problems and virtually no conflict on legal aspects). Suggested areas for mangrove plantations have been identified clearly and accurately. These areas are identified through the same conventional methods or/and usage of upto-date technological methods such as remote sensing. – Planting efforts, on course with fixed schedules and plannings. They also encompasses works such as reviewing and establishing boundaries, mangrove tree research, preparing plant sites and posting ”KEEP OUT OF FOREST RESERVE” warning plates and fence installations. – Inspections and assessments on the implementation of the project will be executed periodically and continuously.

For further details log on website :
http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/pdf/ar2010/Chap24.pdf

INNOVATIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THROUGH PROBLEM- BASED LEARNING IN MALAYSIAN POLYTECHNIC

Author
MUNIAMAL@ PUSPA A/P PERUMAL 
Polytechnic Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia 
E-mail: puspashivaram@yahoo.com

Abstract

Problem-based learning is a student centered approach that has been implemented in a number of higher educational institutes around the world. Problem-based learning is the program of learning and teaching process which has so many advantages in usage. One of the primary motivating influences of PBL is derived from the fact that problems are based on real-world situations or events. Problem-based learning incorporates innovative teaching and learning methodologies that are relevant and allows students to learn how to analyze the problem given and share classroom knowledge into practice. The educator acts as a facilitator and resource person to whom students can come to for advice or guidance. This paper aims to share experiences in teaching English language class using Problem-based learning method. This paper also has shown that PBL is a promising approach in teaching language and approaches creativity, critical thinking and team working among students. However, the educators using this approach will face multiple challenges when implementing PBL and have to create and adapt effective strategies to successfully mitigate the challenges

I. INTRODUCTION 

Problem-based Learning (PBL) is a student centered, inquiry based approach which has been implemented in various disciplines, such as medicine, engineering and education. Its effectiveness in facilitating student problem-solving and self-directed learning skills has been widely reported in medical education. In PBL small group of students learn collaboratively to solve authentic problems. The problems used in PBL units tend to be intricate, challenging, and unrestricted, involving students in creativity and critical thinking. In PBL students encounter problem before learning as oppose to traditional learning where student will learn the content before attempting to apply the knowledge learned. 

PBL allows students to address challenges and tackles problems using strategies that are encountered in real life. Through self-directed study, creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork, English language learning is strengthened and authentic communication takes place. Within the area of second language learning and teaching,PBL learning aligns with approaches in which students learn the target language by using it, rather than being presented with and then practicing predetermined language structures. 

Students and educator’s role in Problem-based learning differ from the traditional student educator role. In PBL, knowledge building is stimulated by illstructured problem and helps students develop advanced creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem solving and communication skills. Students assume responsibility for learning and access their own material and adjust strategies for learning. Students do independent self-directed learning before the group discussion and therefore increase their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Educators are facilitators who group students, introduces problems, vocabulary and provide resources. Educators also need to observe students and provide instructional support as needed but do not control the learning. While observing, the educator takes notes and provides students with opportunities to present and share the results of their work, provides follow-up activities based on his/her observation and assesses students’ participation and provide constructive feedback for success of activity. 

Within the field of language learning and teaching, PBL encourages language students in learning how to learn while they also learn language and content in attempting to solve the task given. 

Mathews-Aydinli suggested a few steps that could be followed by language educators:

1. Pre-teach. The educator needs to take effort in making sure that students are aware of the objective and benefits of a problem-based approach for language learning and the significance of using English while carrying out the problem-solving activities. 
2. Introduce problem and vocabulary. The educator may use traditional method or technology to introduce the problem to students. Students also need to have vocabulary related to the problem and teacher can guide by providing pre-reading exercises about the problem. 
3. Group students and provide resources. Educator needs to group students with different language proficiency to ensure that communication takes place in English language. Educator needs to provide traditional and technology related resources to enable students to solve the problem. Educators also should make the student aware that there is no single answer to the problem and that any answer is acceptable providing they are able to justify it. 
4. Observe and support. The educator observes students and provides feedbackas needed, but they do not control the activities and acts as a facilitator by guiding the students. 
5. Follow up and assess progress. Students are given opportunity to present their work and the educator providesfeedback based on his/her observation and assesses students’ participation.

For further details log on website :
http://www.worldresearchlibrary.org/up_proc/pdf/10-142390945079-81.pdf

Cabaran Permasalahan Pelajar Politeknik Menggunakan Model Rasch

Author
Mohd. Effendi @ Ewan Mohd. Matore*, Ahmad Zamri Khairani Universiti Sains Malaysia *Corresponding author : effendi_ewa@yahoo.com

Abstrak 

Kajian ini bertujuan mengenalpasti cabaran pelajar di tujuh buah politeknik seluruh Malaysia. Seramai 252 orang pelajar politeknik dipilih melalui sebagai sampel untuk kajian ini. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney (SSMM) oleh yang mengandungi 327 item. SSMP mengandungi 11 dimensi permasalahan seperti kesihatan, kewangan, rekreasi, persahabatan, sosial, peribadi, keagamaan, keluarga, kerjaya, pengajian dan pembelajaran. Data dianalisis berdasarkan kerangka Model Rasch menggunakan perisian WINSTEPS 3.69. Dapatan menunjukkan bahawa cabaran yang paling besar yang dihadapi oleh pelajar politeknik ialah dalam Dimensi pengajian (min = 0.25 logits). Dimensi pengajian meliputi pengukuran bagi aspek-aspek penyesuaian kendiri di institusi. Dimensi Peribadi yang mengukur hubungan peribadi dan personaliti merupakan komponen cabaran yang kedua penting (min = 0.24 logits). Sebaliknya, Dimensi Persahabatan yang mengukur aspek-aspek persahabatan, seks dan perkahwinan merupakan cabaran yang paling kurang signifikan (min = -0.22 logits). Daripada segi item individu, Item 326 (takut gagal dalam ujian) daripada Dimensi Pembelajaran merupakan cabaran utama dalam kalangan pelajar politeknik (ukuran = 0.94 logits) diikuti Item 292 (Dimensi Pengajian, ukuran = 0.88 logits). Implikasi kajian dan cadangan lanjut turut dibincangkan. 

Kata Kunci: Pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional, pelajar politeknik, Model Rasch, Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney, cabaran 

PENDAHULUAN 
 Hala Tuju Transformasi Politeknik telah dilaksanakan pada tahun 2009 bertujuan memperkasakan politeknik di seluruh negara. Hala tuju ini mempunyai empat objektif utama iaitu (i) melonjakkan politeknik sebagai institusi peneraju dalam bidang pendidikan dan latihan teknik dan vokasional; (ii) mengukuhkan kerelevanan dan responsif program pengajian di politeknik terhadap pembangunan ekonomi negara; (iii) menerajui bidang tujahan dan teknologi tertentu; (iv) membina reputasi antarabangsa; dan (v) mempelbagai dan meluaskan penawaran program (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik, 2009). Di antara tujuan transformasi ini dilancarkan adalah untuk menghasilkan graduan kemahiran kebolehdayaan diambil bekerja serta berdaya keusahawanan yang tinggi. Impak perlaksanaan transformasi tersebut adalah setiap politeknik berazam untuk menjana modal insan melalui pendidikan dan latihan dalam persekitaran pembelajaran inovatif dan kreatif serta sentiasa merangsang pelajarnya untuk terus meningkatkan keterampilan dan hubung kaitnya dengan keperluan kemahiran terkini dalam sektor pekerjaan. Sebagai salah sebuah negara perdagangan utama di dunia, kerajaan memerlukan sistem pendidikan yang mampu membina kekuatan modal insan dalam pelbagai bidang dan memperbaiki tahap daya saing dan pembangunan negara (Nik Mustapha Abdullah, 2007). Keperluan ini meningkat lebih-lebih lagi apabila masyarakat kini sedang melalui perubahan pesat dalam persaingan menguasai cabaran globalisasi dan k-ekonomi (Abd Jalil Borham, 2008). 

 Salah satu agenda pendidikan utama negara adalah Transformasi Politeknik yang dilancarkan pada 25 Februari 2010 dan dirangka sepanjang tahun 2009 sehingga 2020 bertujuan menyumbang kepada peningkatan bilangan tenaga kerja berkemahiran tinggi kepada 37 peratus menjelang 2015. Perancangan menubuhkan Universiti Politeknik menjelang 2015 adalah selari dengan tujuan melestari pembangunan modal insan keluaran politeknik dan menghasilkan keupayaan baharu kepada politeknik bagi membangunkan sumber manusia negara melangkaui tahun 2020 (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik, 2009). Transformasi ini diperkenalkan seiring dengan suasana pendidikan masa kini yang semakin mencabar dan memerlukan tindakan luar daripada kebiasaan (Norfadila Mohd Noor, Mohd Noor Hashim dan Azmi Yusoff, 2011).

 Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik secara eksplisit menegaskan bahawa kejayaan transformasi yang utama adalah apabila graduan politeknik menjadi rebutan majikan (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik, 2009). Namun begitu, bersesuaian dengan era globalisasi dan k – ekonomi kini, majikan mempunyai sikap selektif dalam memilih individu yang akan bekerja di organisasi mereka (Noor Idahwati Mohd Noor dan Nooraini Othman, 2011). Mereka telah meningkatkan taruhan (stake) terhadap pekerja – pekerja yang ingin diambil. Sebagai contoh, majikan di Malaysia kini berhasrat melahirkan pekerja berpengetahuan (k-workers) dan bukan lagi berintensifkan buruh murah. Justeru, sudah sampai masanya untuk politeknik dan juga institusi – institusi latihan yang lain mempersiapkan pelajar dengan kemahiran khas dalam menghadapi cabaran, bukannya ilmu pekerjaan semata - mata. Tambahan lagi, cabaran getir masa kini menuntut pendidikan teknik vokasional melatih tenaga manusia yang lebih berketerampilan,berinovasi, berdaya tahan, berdaya juang dan boleh menyesuaikan diri dengan pelbagai situasi industri dan pekerjaan (Zuhaila Salleh, Mohd Safarin Nordin dan Muhammad Syukri Saud, 2012). 

 Seperti institusi pengajian tinggi yang menyediakan graduan untuk profesion yang dipilih seperti di universiti, politeknik juga perlu menyediakan budaya untuk pelajarnya membina, melatih dan juga memperkemaskan diri masing-masing dengan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan nilai untuk berjaya dalam profesion yang dipilih. Ia sejajar dengan cabaran besar kepada sistem pendidikan negara terutamanya pendidikan teknik dan vokasional (PTV) dalam membekalkan tenaga kerja berkebolehan dan berkemahiran khususnya tenaga kerja profesional, mahir dan separa mahir dalam usahanya menyahut seruan kerajaan menjelang 2020 (Nurul Nadya Abu Bakar, Rohana Hamzah dan Amirmudin Udin, 2011) sebagai negara berpendapatan tinggi. 

 Kesediaan pelajar politeknik ini penting bagi memastikan mereka dapat menyesuaikan diri dengan profesion yang dipilih dalam masa yang singkat dan terus dapat menyumbang kepada majikan masing – masing. Para pelajar yang tidak bersedia biasanya akan mengambil masa yang lama untuk menyesuaikan diri dan ia boleh merencatkan produktiviti serta menjadi bebanan kepada organisasinya. Oleh itu, mereka mesti berusaha membina, melatih dan memperkemaskan diri dengan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan nilai yang diperlukan supaya mampu menghadapi pelbagai cabaran. Kehendak ini selari dengan Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan (FPK) yang bermatlamat membangunkan modal insan dalam menyediakan tenaga kerja berketrampilan dan berupaya menghadapi cabaran masa depan (Yahya Buntat, Muhammad Sukri Saud dan Hairul Anuar Hussain, 2008). Cabaran-cabaran ini boleh jadi dalam bentuk instrinsik dan peribadi ataupun dalam bentuk ekstrinsik seperti kewangan, pengajian ataupun persahabatan (Stoltz dan Weihenmayer, 2006). Cabaran – cabaran ini jika tidak mampu dikendalikan dengan baik, akan mempengaruhi sistem kepercayaan (belief system) seseorang pelajar tersebut dan seterusnya merencatkan perkembangan profesional mereka. 

 Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengenalpasti cabaran – cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pelajar politeknik. Secara lebih spesifik, kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukur (calibrate) cabaran – cabaran ini mengikut kesukaran masing – masing. Untuk tujuan itu, Model Rasch digunakan sebagai kerangka pengukuran memandangkan kelebihan model tersebut untuk menentukur item – item dalam satu – satu konstruk. Dalam kajian ini, instrumen yang digunakan ialah Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney (SSMM) kerana ia dilihat lebih komprehensif dalam memerihalkan cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pelajar-pelajar politeknik. Ia diterjemahkan daripada instrumen Mooney Problem Check List (MPCL) (Mooney dan Gordon, 1950). Instrumen ini telah diadaptasi daripada kajian lepas dan sesuai digunakan dalam konteks tempatan (Susila Pechimuthu, 2005). Banyak kajian lepas di Malaysia yang telah menggunakan SSMM untuk mengenalpasti masalah terhadap responden mereka (Susila Pechimuthu, 2005; Azizi Yahaya, et al., 2010; Hassan Hushin dan Nurfarahiyah Mahmud, 2010; Law Seet Chan, 2006; Syed Mohamed Shafeq Syed Mansor dan Hairiza Othman, 2011). 

SOROTAN KAJIAN 
 Kajian lepas di politeknik menunjukkan pelbagai cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pelajar. Ini termasuklah cabaran berkaitan rakan sebaya, bebanan tugas yang terlalu banyak, kesuntukan masa untuk menyiapkan tugasan, tidak mempunyai tempat belajar yang selesa, suasana bising semasa kuliah, keadaan bilik kuliah yang agak sempit dan kurang selesa, diberikan tugas-tugas lain serta penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris dalam proses pembelajaran (Abd. Rahman Yaacob et al., 2011). 

 Selain itu, kajian turut dijalankan berkaitan pelaksanaan pendekatan Outcome Based Education (OBE) di politeknik (Amiza Yaman, Noremy Che Azemi dan Fadzlida Shamsudin, 2010), kualiti tahap pengajaran & pembelajaran (Azahar Fauzi, Mohd Zain Abdul Rahim dan Mohd Azriman Mat Ali, 2009), tahap kebimbangan terhadap penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (GK Mariappen et al., 2012), kos sara hidup, masalah pengangkutan, hubungan kejiranan, pergaulan bebas, menghisap rokok, pengurusan masa yang tidak baik (Jamaluddin Lantara, Ungku Ahya Ungku Mohamad dan Mustafa Kamal Surif, 2009). 

 Masalah lain merangkumi isu kemudahan yang disediakan di politeknik termasuklah tahap kepuasan pelajar di bilik kuliah, dewan kuliah, makmal, bengkel, perpustakaan, perkhidmatan di hal ehwal pelajar, perkhidmatan di pejabat pentadbiran, kokurikulum, kantin dan cafeteria (Noremy Che Azemi dan Fadilah Mat Assain, 2010), faktor pengurusan masa, kewangan dan persekitaran pembelajaran (Siti Nuur Haziratul Ghazali, 2012), kekurangan pendedahan kepada teknologi – teknologi baru, keupayaan meneroka pengetahuan baru, kekurangan peralatan dan kelengkapan untuk kerja – kerja amali (Yahya Buntat, Muhammad Sukri Saud dan Hairul Anuar Hussain, 2008), dan kemudahan perkhidmatan bas sangat terhad, tidak sistematik, tidak selesa serta jadual masa perkhidmatan awam yang tidak menentu (Zainap Lamat, Normah Jainuddi, dan Canarisa Nipi Ah Lian, 2012). Kajian lepas yang menggunakan instrumen SSMM dalam konteks sampel berbeza pula lebih menfokuskan kepada masalah utama seperti kerjaya, akademik dan kewangan (Azizi Yahaya, Noordin Yahaya dan Sabihah Sapuan, 2010), akademik, kerjaya masa depan dan kewangan (Hassan Hushin dan Nurfarahiyah Mahmud, 2010), akademik dan kerjaya, psikologi dan penyesuaian kerja (Chin Mei Keong, 2007), masalah keluarga, kesihatan,akademik dan kerja (Law Seet Chan, 2006) penyesuaian dan kerjaya masa depan, moral dan agama serta sosial dan rekreasi (Syed Mohamed Shafeq Syed Mansor and Hairiza Othman, 2011), kegiatan sosial dan rekreasi (Anasrudin Ali, 2011), faktor suasana sekolah (Azizi Yahaya et al., 2010), kurikulum dan pembelajaran, aktiviti sosial dan rekreasi, hubungan peribadi dan personality (Susila Pechimuthu, 2005), pelajaran dan kerjaya masa depan, sosial dan rekreasi serta masalah moral dan agama (Welfred Bakait, 2009), pelajaran dan kerjaya masa depan, penyesuaian terhadap tugasan akademik, kurikulum dan kaedah pengajaran (Tan Hong Goon, 2004), penyesuaian kerja, moral dan agama, dan peribadi psikologikal (Asriah Sarbini, 1999) serta psikologikal, akademik dan kerjaya (Nur Azilawaty Roosli, 2009). 

 Turut membelenggu pelajar adalah penyesuaian dan kerjaya masa depan, moral dan agama serta kegiatan sosial dan rekreasi (Sanita Bulhani, 2009), faktor suasana sekolah, latar belakang keluarga yang kurang memberikan perhatian kepada pelajar, sikap pelajar, psikologi dan rakan sebaya (Faizah Idris, 2008), masalah kewangan, keadaan kehidupan dan pekerjaan, penyesuaian terhadap kerja-kerja tugasan akademik, pelajaran dan kerjaya masa depan serta perhubungan peribadi dan psikologi (emosi) (Hassan Hushin dan Vaskalista Dua Nurak Pelipos, 2008). 

 Sebagai kesimpulan, kajian lepas menunjukkan skop cabaran itu adalah besar dan pelbagai. Maka, dalam usaha untuk mengenalpasti cabaran pelajar politeknik, istilah cabaran permasalahan dalam konteks kajian ini merujuk kepada masalah yang dihadapi pelajar politeknik berdasarkan 11 dimensi dan 327 item berkaitan dalam SSMM dengan permasalahan hidup remaja seperti (i) kesihatan; (ii) kewangan, (iii) rekreasi; (iv) persahabatan; (v) sosial; (vi) peribadi; (vii) keagamaan; (viii) keluarga; (ix) kerjaya; (x) pengajian dan (xi) pembelajaran.

METODOLOGI KAJIAN 

Sampel Kajian 
 Kajian ini melibatkan 252 orang pelajar di tujuh buah politeknik di seluruh Malaysia untuk memastikan skop cabaran pelajar lebih menyeluruh. Kajian keperluan ini dijalankan di Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP), Pulau Pinang, Politeknik Kota Bharu (PKB), Kelantan, Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (PKK), Sabah, Politeknik Nilai (PNS), Negeri Sembilan, Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah (PSIS), Selangor, Politeknik Premier Ibrahim Sultan (PIS), Johor dan Politeknik Metro Kuala Lumpur, (PMKL), Kuala Lumpur. Justifikasi pemilihan politeknik tersebut adalah berdasarkan zon iaitu PSP mewakili zon utara, PKB mewakili zon timur, PKK mewakili zon borneo, PNS mewakili zon selatan dan PSIS mewakili zon barat. Kajian dikukuhkan lagi dengan pemilihan PIS yang dipilih mewakili politeknik premier dan zon selatan. PMKL pula mewakili politeknik metro dan zon barat. Teknik persampelan yang digunakan adalah persampelan mudah (convenience sampling). 

Teknik ini telah digunakan secara meluas (Saunders, Lewis dan Thornhill, 2009) terutama dalam kajian pendidikan (Gay, Mills dan Airasian, 2006) dan sains tingkahlaku (Singh, 2006). Teknik persampelan ini dipilih kerana ia bersesuaian bagi kajian penerokaan, deskriptif dan bertujuan memberi gambaran kasar tentang fenomena yang wujud dalam sesuatu populasi kajian dan memandu penyelidik melalui kajian yang lebih mendalam (Creswell, 2012). Malah, kesesuaian itu dikukuhkan lagi apabila kajian ini bukan berfokuskan untuk mengumpul data pada populasi umum tetapi menggunakannya untuk menerangkan sesuatu proses sosial (Gorard, 2004). Selain itu, ia merupakan persampelan paling mudah, menjimatkan masa, tenaga dan kos (Singh, 2006). Maklumat sampel kajian diringkaskan mengikut kategori (Jadual 1). 

 Instrumen Kajian 
 Kajian ini menggunakan Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney (SSMM) untuk mengumpul maklumat berkaitan respon pelajar politeknik. SSMM merupakan instrumen senarai semak masalah pelajar yang paling banyak digunakan38 dan popular di Malaysia kerana cirinya yang sangat mudah ditadbirkan dan tidak memerlukan pengetahuan yang mendalam untuk menggunakannya. SSMM juga boleh digunakan dalam kajian keperluan mengenalpasti masalah yang dihadapi pelajar (Gorard, 2004). Oleh kerana kajian ini adalah merupakan kajian keperluan, maka SSMM adalah instrumen paling sesuai bagi mengenalpasti masalah pelajar politeknik. 

 Namun begitu, sebanyak 3 item daripada dimensi persahabatan telah dikeluarkan daripada instrumen asal kerana tidak dianggap sesuai dengan konteks budaya di Malaysia (Susila Pechimuthu, 2005). Kajian ini turut mengubah skala pengukuran kekerapan tahap masalah 1 dan 2 daripada instrumen asal kepada penggunaan skala Likert 3 poin iaitu Tidak Mengganggu (0), Mengganggu (1) dan Sangat Mengganggu (2) sepertimana dijalankan dengan kebolehpercayaan .99 dalam kajian lepas (Susila Pechimuthu, 2005). Penskalaan ini lebih relevan berbanding kaedah penskoran konvensional bagi penggunaan Model Rasch dalam kajian ini. Penukaran kepada skala Likert tidak menjadi masalah kerana SSMM bukan bertujuan menghasilkan skor untuk dibuat inferens, tetapi bertujuan mengesan jenis masalah yang utama (Mooney dan Gordon, 1950). Penggunaan skala memudahkan pengkaji mengenalpasti hingga ke paras item dengan lebih mudah selain menganalisis data bertujuan memenuhi andaian Model Rasch. 

For further details log on website :
https://educ.utm.my/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/46.pdf

MENGENAL PASTI CABARAN PELAJAR POLITEKNIK DI MALAYSIA MENERUSI MODEL RASCH (Identifying Challenges among Polytechnic Students in Malaysia using Rasch Model)

Author
MOHD EFFENDI @ EWAN MOHD MATORE & AHMAD ZAMRI KHAIRANI

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti cabaran pelajar di tujuh buah politeknik di seluruh Malaysia. Seramai 252 orang pelajar politeknik dipilih sebagai sampel untuk kajian ini. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney (SSMM) yang mengandungi 327 item dengan 11 dimensi permasalahan, iaitu kesihatan, kewangan, rekreasi, persahabatan, sosial, peribadi, keagamaan, keluarga, kerjaya, pengajian dan pembelajaran. Data dianalisis berdasarkan kerangka Model Rasch. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa cabaran yang paling besar yang dihadapi oleh pelajar politeknik ialah dalam dimensi pengajian yang meliputi pengukuran bagi aspek-aspek penyesuaian kendiri di institusi. Dimensi peribadi yang mengukur hubungan peribadi dengan personaliti merupakan komponen cabaran yang kedua penting. Sebaliknya, dimensi persahabatan yang mengukur aspek-aspek persahabatan, seks dan perkahwinan merupakan cabaran yang paling kurang signifikan. Dari segi item individu pula, Item 326 (takut gagal dalam ujian) daripada dimensi pembelajaran merupakan cabaran utama dalam kalangan pelajar politeknik diikuti Item 292 (bimbang terhadap peperiksaan) daripada dimensi pengajian. Kajian ini berguna kepada pihak politeknik khasnya dan pihak IPT amnya terutama dalam penyusunan semula program pembangunan sahsiah diri dan pembinaan item instrumen pengukuran cabaran pelajar politeknik yang lebih terkini dan holistik.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to identify the problems faced by the students in seven polytechnics in Malaysia. A total of 252 students were chosen as the sample for this study. The instrument used is Mooney Problem Check List (MPCL) which consists of 327 items with 11 dimensions, namely health, financial, recreational, friendship, social, personal, religion, family, career, education and learning. The data were analysed using Rasch model framework. The results show that the biggest challenge faced by polytechnic students is in the education dimension which covers the measurement of self-adaptation in the institution. Personal dimension that measured the personality and personal relations came in second. In contrast, friendship dimension which measured friendship, sex and marriage is the least significant challenge. In terms of individual item, Item 326 (afraid of failing in exams) from the learning dimension is the most important challenge, followed by Item 292 (worried about exams) from the education dimension. This study is significant to polytechnics specifically and IPT generally in restructuring of personal development programme and in construction of more current and holistic items of instrument for measuring polytechnic students challenges.

1. Pengenalan Hala Tuju Transformasi Politeknik telah dilaksanakan pada tahun 2009 bertujuan memperkasakan politeknik di seluruh negara. Hala tuju ini mempunyai lima objektif utama, iaitu (i) melonjakkan politeknik sebagai institusi peneraju dalam bidang pendidikan dan latihan teknik dan vokasional; (ii) mengukuhkan kerelevanan dan responsif program pengajian di politeknik terhadap pembangunan ekonomi negara; (iii) menerajui bidang tujahan dan teknologi tertentu; (iv) membina reputasi antarabangsa; dan (v) mempelbagai dan meluaskan penawaran program (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik 2009). Di antara tujuan transformasi ini dilancarkan adalah untuk menghasilkan siswazah yang berkemahiran kebolehdayaan diambil bekerja serta berdaya keusahawanan yang tinggi. Impak pelaksanaan transformasi tersebut adalah setiap politeknik berazam untuk menjana modal insan melalui pendidikan dan latihan dalam persekitaran pembelajaran inovatif dan kreatif serta sentiasa merangsang pelajarnya untuk terus meningkatkan keterampilan dan hubung kaitnya dengan keperluan kemahiran terkini dalam sektor pekerjaan. Sebagai salah sebuah negara perdagangan utama di dunia, kerajaan memerlukan sistem pendidikan yang mampu membina kekuatan modal insan dalam pelbagai bidang dan memperbaiki tahap daya saing dan pembangunan Negara (Nik Mustapha 2007). Keperluan ini meningkat lebih-lebih lagi apabila masyarakat kini sedang melalui perubahan pesat dalam persaingan menguasai cabaran globalisasi dan k-ekonomi (Abd Jalil 2008). Satu daripada agenda pendidikan utama negara adalah Transformasi Politeknik yang dilancarkan pada 25 Februari 2010 dan dirangka sepanjang tahun 2009 sehingga 2020 bertujuan menyumbang kepada peningkatan bilangan tenaga kerja berkemahiran tinggi kepada 37 peratus menjelang 2015. Perancangan menubuhkan Universiti Politeknik menjelang 2015 adalah selari dengan tujuan melestari pembangunan modal insan keluaran politeknik dan menghasilkan keupayaan baharu kepada politeknik bagi membangunkan sumber manusia negara melangkaui tahun 2020 (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik 2009). Transformasi ini diperkenalkan seiring dengan suasana pendidikan masa kini yang semakin mencabar dan memerlukan tindakan luar daripada kebiasaan (Norfadila et al. 2011).

Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik secara terang-terangan menegaskan bahawa kejayaan transformasi yang utama adalah apabila siswazah politeknik menjadi rebutan majikan (Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik 2009). Namun begitu, bersesuaian dengan era globalisasi dan k-ekonomi kini, majikan mempunyai sikap selektif dalam memilih individu yang akan bekerja di organisasi mereka (Noor Idahwati & Nooraini 2011). Mereka telah meningkatkan taruhan terhadap pekerja-pekerja yang ingin diambil. Sebagai contoh, majikan di Malaysia kini berhasrat melahirkan pekerja berpengetahuan dan bukan lagi berintensifkan buruh murah. Justeru, sudah sampai masanya untuk politeknik dan juga institusi-institusi latihan yang lain mempersiapkan pelajar dengan kemahiran khas dalam menghadapi cabaran, bukannya ilmu pekerjaan sematamata. Tambahan lagi, cabaran getir masa kini menuntut pendidikan teknik vokasional melatih tenaga manusia yang lebih berketerampilan, berinovasi, berdaya tahan, berdaya juang dan boleh menyesuaikan diri dengan pelbagai situasi industri dan pekerjaan (Zuhaila et al. 2012). Seperti institusi pengajian tinggi yang menyediakan siswazah untuk profesion yang dipilih seperti di universiti, politeknik juga perlu menyediakan budaya untuk pelajarnya membina, melatih dan juga memperkemaskan diri masing-masing dengan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan nilai untuk berjaya dalam profesion yang dipilih. Ia sejajar dengan cabaran besar kepada sistem pendidikan negara terutamanya pendidikan teknik dan vokasional (PTV) dalam membekalkan tenaga kerja berkebolehan dan berkemahiran khususnya tenaga kerja profesional, mahir dan separa mahir dalam usahanya menyahut seruan kerajaan menjelang 2020 sebagai negara berpendapatan tinggi (Nurul Nadya et al. 2011). Kesediaan pelajar politeknik ini penting bagi memastikan mereka dapat menyesuaikan diri dengan profesion yang dipilih dalam masa yang singkat dan terus dapat menyumbang kepada majikan masing-masing. Para pelajar yang tidak bersedia biasanya akan mengambil masa yang lama untuk menyesuaikan diri dan ia boleh merencatkan produktiviti serta menjadi bebanan kepada organisasinya. Oleh itu, mereka mesti berusaha membina, melatih dan memperkemaskan diri dengan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan nilai yang diperlukan supaya mampu menghadapi pelbagai cabaran. Kehendak ini selari dengan Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan (FPK) yang bermatlamat membangunkan modal insan dalam menyediakan tenaga kerja berketrampilan dan berupaya menghadapi cabaran masa depan (Yahya et al. 2008). Cabaran-cabaran ini boleh jadi dalam bentuk intrinsik dan peribadi seperti kurangnya keyakinan diri, ketakutan, kebimbangan, kemurungan dan insomnia, ataupun dalam bentuk ekstrinsik seperti kewangan, pengajian ataupun persahabatan (Stoltz & Weihenmayer 2010). Cabaran ini jika tidak mampu dikendalikan dengan baik, akan mempengaruhi sistem kepercayaan seseorang pelajar tersebut dan seterusnya merencatkan perkembangan profesional mereka. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengenal pasti cabaran-cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pelajar politeknik. Secara lebih spesifik, kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukur cabaran-cabaran ini mengikut kesukaran masing-masing. Untuk tujuan itu, Model Rasch digunakan sebagai kerangka pengukuran memandangkan kelebihan model tersebut untuk menentukur item-item dalam satu-satu konstruk. Dalam kajian ini, instrumen yang digunakan ialah Senarai Semak Masalah Mooney (SSMM) kerana ia dilihat lebih komprehensif dalam memerihalkan cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pelajar-pelajar politeknik. Ia diterjemahkan daripada instrumen SSMM atau Mooney Problem Check List (MPCL) (Mooney & Gordon 1950). Instrumen ini telah diadaptasi daripada kajian lepas dan sesuai digunakan dalam konteks tempatan oleh Susila (2005).

For further details log on website :
http://www.ukm.my/jqma/v10_1/jqma-10-1-paper6.pdf

Forest Dept, UMS and KTS Plantation team up to conduct forestry camp

Author
By Borneo Post

Discussion in the field on technical aspect of Reduce Impact Logging.

KOTA KINABALU: For the second consecutive year, KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd has teamed up with Sabah Forest Department to enhance the practical learning experience of forestry students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah through the 17th Forestry Camp which was held in Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve.

The two-week event which was held from  Aug 28 to Sept 8  was attended by 149 students from the various programme under the Forestry Complex, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources.

Hailed as one of the most essential syllabus in the development of future forester, the Forest Camp is a compulsory subject for the second year students majoring in the forestry programme comprising  International Tropical Forestry, Forest Plantation and Agroforestry, Nature Parks and Recreation and the Wood Technology and Industry.

This subject emphasises the theory and practical practices in forestry studies and management.

Among the modules covered were Forest Survival, Motivation, Survey on forest resources and non-timber forest, Forest Soils, Forest Community, Wildlife Management, Forest Inventory, Dendrology, Forest Management and Silviculture.

The students also learned communication and leadership skills through presentations and group assignments during the camp.

The activities developed involved ‘direct’ physical and mental endurance in the forest that are necessary for those training to be a forester.

The expectations are, upon completion of the modules, students can apply their basic forestry knowledge and skills into practices, analysing theories, applying forester’s values and enhance communication and leadership skills among students.   KTS Plantation conducted a similar camp last year.

Forestry students and officials from KTS Plantation and UMS during the Camp Fire night.

The camp was one of the many initiatives taken under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November 2016 and the first to be held in the East Coast of Sabah by UMS in collaboration with a private company managing Forest Management Unit (FMU)  managed under the principles of Sustainable Forest Management.

It is also different from  previous Forestry Camps with the development of new tailor-made Mentoring Programme module which was introduced as a session of sharing of live experience and knowledge on the Sustainable Forest Management implementation at the FMU level, from the experienced mentors among the KTSP and the Sabah Forest Department personnel, and UMS lecturers.

Commenting on the achievement of the event, Associate Prof. Dr. Liew Kang Chiang said “This is one of the events that we were really looking forward to every year. To have the event conducted in the real environment and also witness the actual operation carried out is a rare experience for young foresters.

“All the essential components of forest operation such as Harvesting, Planning, Forest Restoration, Research and Conservation were effectively carried out in KTS Plantation. With all these components present for learning, it is no doubt that KTS Plantation provides an ideal environment for this Forestry Camp.”

The mentoring programme, which involved the participation of Mentors from official and technical staff of the Sabah Forest Department and KTS Plantation is one of the best example of synergetic partnership for learning among the different organisations.

Siti Norhaidah Yan, who hails from Putatan said: “The first four semesters of learning have introduced me to the basic knowledge of the Rainforest. However, this Forestry Camp has engraved the awareness of the importance of responsible forest management to ensure sustainability of the forest for future generations.”

Another young forester, Mohd Arif Saufiuddin Mohd Usop who is from Papar, Sabah echoed the same sentiment.

“We have heard and learnt the theory of Sustainable Forest Management in class room.

“However, after we see the huge commitment by KTS to reverse the negative impact of irresponsible logging activities in the 60’s, our paradigm has shifted. This has aroused in me more interest and love for the forest,”, he said.

This Mentoring Programme  was initiated by forestry lecturers of UMS and assisted by Fadzil Yahya and Collin Goh from the Sabah Forest Department and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd.

As the first private company in Malaysia in the forest industry certified with both MC&I (Natural Forest) for Forest Management certification and MS ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System certification, KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd is optimistic of providing an ideal site for the Forestry Camp as a case study for the university students to understand the real challenge of the forestry industry in Sabah.

The closing ceremony was carried out on Thursday.

The highlight of the event was the lighting up of a Camp Fire, dubbed as ‘Malam UnggunApi’ (Camp Fire Night) a traditional ritual for Forestry Camp as a symbolic gesture of respect for nature and the wilderness.

Present during the ceremony were Goh, Liew and Janiu Gangon who represented KTS Plantation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Sabah Forest Department respectively.

As the host of the event Goh who is also the Sabah Area Operation Manager (Forests) said “KTS is very grateful that UMS has chosen the SLFR as the site for their 17th Forestry Camp. We are humbled to be part of your journey and we hope that all of you will develop into a robust and competent foresters.”

He also reiterated KTSP’s commitment to support this programme in the future.

In his speech during the closing ceremony, Liew hailed the initiative between the three parties as a major step forward for UMS in enhancing learning through a ‘live’ forest laboratory where students can learn the real life in the forests and the concept of Sustainable Forest Management.

He also thanked the Forest Department and KTS Sdn Bhd  for facilitating and accommodating the Forest Camp in Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve and hoped that this collaboration will continue in the future, especially the cooperation of sharing and delivery of knowledge to students of UMS, Sabah Forest Department and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd.

Student learning the implementation of Reduce Impact Logging during the mentoring programme.

For further information log on website :
http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/09/09/forest-dept-ums-kts-plantation-team-up-to-conduct-forestry-camp/

New carbon maps of Sabah’s forests guide conservation in Borneo

Author
by John C. Cannon 

• Airborne LiDAR mapping combined with satellite imagery analysis has provided scientists, government agencies and NGOs with a “wall-to-wall” account of the carbon held in Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.
• The study, led by ecologists from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, revealed that more than 40 percent of the forests with the highest carbon stocks aren’t covered by the state’s most stringent protections.
• The findings give wildlife biologists the chance to examine how carbon stocks correlate with the presence of biodiversity; NGOs the opportunity to identify new high-carbon areas to set aside under oil palm certification schemes; and the Sabah government the information to determine which forests are the most valuable and therefore need further protections.

Airborne mapping of the northern part of the island of Borneo has revealed that forests there pack some of the highest levels of carbon on the planet, even in a place that has been heavily used by humans.

“I was surprised when we found such high forest carbon stocks in areas with observably high levels of past logging,” said ecologist Greg Asner, who heads the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) in Stanford, California, and was the study’s lead author.

Asner and a team of colleagues had previously reported in 2016 that 50 of the world’s tallest tropical trees live in Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo. In part, that helps explain why there’s more carbon here “than almost anywhere we have mapped and measured around the global tropics,” he said in an email. “It all comes down to really tall trees packed together spatially.”

Intact forest in Sabah on the island of Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.

For this study, old-growth forests averaged more than 200 metric tons of carbon per hectare (89 tons per acre) and topped out at 500 metric tons in each hectare. The scientists reported their findings online Nov. 22 in the journal Biological Conservation.

As they’ve done elsewhere in the tropics, Asner and his team used a laser-based technology known as “light detection and ranging,” or LiDAR, mounted on CAO’s airplane to measure the density of carbon in nearly 30 percent of Sabah’s forests. They then combined that data with satellite imagery of the region and built a statistical model to extrapolate their findings to all of the Malaysian state’s forests.

In the end, they came up with a “wall-to-wall” map of carbon stocks in Sabah down to 30-meter (98-foot) resolution, or about 5,500 percent finer resolution than mapping that others have done on a global scale, Asner said.

Many of Sabah’s degraded forests still pack substantial amounts of carbon, despite a long history of logging in Sabah, as well as a substantial amount forest that has been cleared for oil palms. Sabah’s oil palm plantations produce 10 percent of the world’s supply.

The researchers found that Sabah’s logged forests still hold large amounts of carbon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.

Areas that had been logged still had carbon stocks as high as 140 metric tons per hectare (62.5 tons per acre).

“[That] tells me that these logged forests are important current habitat,” Asner said, “and they could become even more important if allowed to recover.”

The government of Sabah and a consortium of NGOs are working to bring all of the palm oil exported from Sabah up to the standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil by 2025. Cynthia Ong, head of the NGO Land Environment Animals People (LEAP), is at the forefront of this effort, and LEAP is one of the organizations “playing a vital role in connecting the science to conservation action,” Asner said.

Ong recently wrote a report indicating that Asner’s team of scientists from CAO was working with researchers on the ground in Sabah to validate the latest findings. Their hope is that the data can contribute to the identification of high-carbon stock areas that would be “no-go” zones for oil palm under the state’s new certification standards.

Results of the research could help biologists understand how animal populations and carbon stocks are correlated. Photo by John C. Cannon/Mongabay.

Asner is also working with wildlife biologists to figure out how these stores of carbon link up with the biodiversity they contain, such as the orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis) still found in parts of Sabah.

Along with biodiversity levels, this new carbon data is helping the Sabah Forestry Department work out “where to place new maximum protections,” Asner said. The forestry department has set a goal of raising the proportion of protected land area in Sabah from 25 percent to 30 percent by the year 2025.

At the same time, Asner found in this study that around 40 percent of the areas with the most carbon don’t lie in areas with the strongest protections. That discovery creates a new opportunity to zero in on the most valuable forests to safeguard. Setting those areas aside would help lock away carbon and shore up wildlife habitat, but they also serve as a hedge against the uncertainty of rising global temperatures, Asner said.

“One big worry … is climate change,” he added. “It is thought that increasing temperatures and/or drought could reduce carbon stocks and also push animals out of current forested areas.

“This is an important reason for Sabah’s interest in expanding the network of protected areas — to allow for change.”

Deforestation for oil palm in Sabah. Photo by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.

CITATIONS

Asner, G. P., Brodrick, P. G., Philipson, C., Vaughn, N. R., Martin, R. E., Knapp, D. E., … & Stark, D. J. (2018). Mapped aboveground carbon stocks to advance forest conservation and recovery in Malaysian Borneo. Biological Conservation, 217, 289-310.

Banner image of elephants in Sabah by John C. Cannon/Mongabay.

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For further information log on webite :
https://news.mongabay.com/2017/11/new-carbon-maps-of-sabahs-forests-guide-conservation-in-borneo/

Drones Help Scientists Fight Fatal ‘Monkey Malaria’ Outbreak in Malaysia

Author

By

Sarah Whittaker

An outbreak of “monkey malaria” in Malaysian Borneo has led researchers to take advantage of drone technology in a concerted effort to reign in the disease.

The researchers wish to better understand how the rare bloodborne disease is being spread to humans.

The disease usually only affects macaques, and is caused by the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, which under the microscope bears a striking resemblance to a mild form of malaria.

However, as the monkey strain is the leading cause of fatalities in humans – 69%, The Guardian reports – a team of scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have launched the “Monkey Bar Project”, aiming to monitor the spread of the disease using drones.

Professor of Malaria Genetics, Cally Roper, said the disease used to be very rare, but as the number of cases are increasing, the public is in danger of contracting the disease when they come into contact with the monkeys.

New figures indicate the spread of the potentially fatal disease is on the rise – reported infections among people in Malaysia has risen from 376 cases in 2008 to 1,604 in 2016 – with eight deaths from the disease reported in 2016.

The researchers are using the drones, which are equipped with thermal cameras, to track the macaques. Roper believes that one reason for the increases spread of the disease is the deforestation of Borneo’s forests.

Kimberly Fornace and Tommy Rowel Abidin prepare a drone with a thermal camera for testing at the University Malaysia Sabah campus | Joshua Paul/LSHTM

“Drones are used to monitor changes in the landscape like the clearing of forests for agriculture, where there is primary or secondary forest or plantations,” said Roper.

A reduction in forest means that native animals have to range further afield outside their natural habitat to seek food sources.

Studies show that there is a correlation between deforestation in Borneo in the last five years, and up to a triple-fold increase of the incidence of the disease in those areas.

“It can then be inferred that forest cover is most conducive to the spread of this form of malaria,” Roper continued.

The research team has turned to drones as they are not only a more affordable option than satellites, but they can also provide a more detailed picture of the soil conditions in areas where the disease predominates.

A fixed wing drone costing less than US$15,000 and a laptop can capture thermal images of areas affected by the disease’s outbreak. Flights are up to 40 minutes in length. The scientists capture images that they are then able to stitch into a high resolution map.

Monkey Bar Project has been in operation for 5 years but with the addition of thermal imaging capabilities this year, researchers are now able to better follow the movements of the macaques.

Kimberly Fornace, a research associate who charted the deforestation in Sabah, says the process is still evolving.

“We are still optimising the process but the hope is to have a rapid way of estimating how many monkeys are in a particular area without having to wander around the jungle at night looking for them.”

In addition to the thermal mapping technology, the team have attached GPS collars to individual monkeys from troops that reside near humans, and tracked their movements using a drone.

“We’ve used it on several monkeys and on one in particular where we knew there was a large area of land being cleared so we could see where it was moving in response.”

The team’s data refer exclusively to the long-tailed macaques, the most abundant species of primate in Sabah. Most of thjese primates test positive for P. knowlesi – up to 86 percent in some areas. However, the parasite does not seem to affect the monkeys.

“[The rise in cases] is a cause for concern because Malaysia has made really huge gains in controlling other forms of malaria and the P. knowlesi strain now makes up the vast majority of cases.

“It is also worrying because what has worked for other strains of malaria such as … doing mass drug administrations — you obviously can’t do with monkeys. There is no way of stopping the transmission,” Fornace added.

Research fellow Kimberley Fornace uses a drone to track the macaques who are known to be responsible for carrying the deadly ‘monkey malaria’ | Joshua Paul/LSHTM

The project is due to publish its results of the last five years later in 2018, but the researchers say the data collected has already had a positive impact, with public health officials using the data to inform decisions of where to spray insecticide and place bed nets for the macaques in a more proactive campaign to prevent the spread of the monkey malaria.

This is not the only instance of drone technology being used helped fight malaria and other infectious diseases.

In South and Central America, drones are being used to map areas of cities in a bid to reduce outbreaks of Zika virus. And, in Kolkata, India, officials are turning to drones to identify breeding areas of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, who spread dengue fever.

For further information log on website :
https://dronebelow.com/2018/04/18/drones-fight-monkey-malaria-malaysia/

Improving Employee Performance Is All About Communication

Author
By Nicole Fallon, Business News Daily Managing Editor

Credit: ra2studio/Shutterstock

Every boss wants his or her employees to use their talents to the fullest capacity. But realistically, it's not possible for this to be done 100 percent of the time; everyone has ups and downs in their work output, and any team member is bound to go through a brief dip in productivity from time to time.

As a manager, it's your job to help your team power through those slumps and bring performance and engagement levels back to their peaks. There are a number of ways to express that you want greater results from your staff, but barking orders and demanding that everyone puts in more effort won't get you very far. An open, honest two-way conversation will help you get to the root of any performance problem, even if it's minor or temporary.

"Clear communication and consistent feedback are the keys to success," said Cord Himelstein, vice president of marketing and communications for employee recognition company Michael C. Fina. "People always appreciate straightforwardness and genuine interactions over management gimmicks. Setting a tone of sincerity and giving the employee a judgment-free space to articulate their challenges is the best way to elicit an honest dialogue."

Business leaders shared their tips for how to effectively communicate with your team, which, in turn, will encourage them to be more productive and efficient. [8 Things Bosses Say That Make Workers Happy]

Empower your employees. "Empowerment is the key to making people efficient. It makes teams happy, and if they're happy, they produce higher-quality work and are more productive. [Let employees] have their own strategy and goals — leave it up to them. They don't need to come to you and ask a million questions. [This approach] empowers teams to think long-term, and not tactically about the day-to-day." – Todd Ross Nienkerk, co-founder and partner, Four Kitchens

"[Ensure] that your employees have access to the resources they need to succeed. I empower my employees to create and plan for how they can best be successful, as this brings out their vision, and then hold them accountable on this vision by establishing clear deliverables and deadlines. Better results come when a team feels valued and [is] equipped with the proper resources needed to perform the job successfully." – Charlie Nooney, CEO, MobiTV

"We are really good at giving people affirmation and letting them know they’re doing a good job. Give your employees the empowerment to push their limits and strive for new innovative solutions. Reward your employees for their successes [and] trust them to accomplish company goals." – Eric Nordyke, CEO and co-founder, AdBoom Group

Ask the right questions — and listen. "Ask plain, open-ended questions that start from square one and get to the root of the problem: 'Tell me in your own words your understanding of the objectives you have to meet. What do you feel is holding you back from meeting your objectives? Why do you think that? How would you overcome this roadblock?' More important than asking the right questions is keeping quiet and being a good listener. One of the biggest sources of frustration in the office is feeling like you aren't being heard." – Cord Himelstein, vice president of marketing and communications, Michael C. Fina

"We interview the employee and ask them what they like and dislike about their position, [and] ask them to be very forthright. Oftentimes, we'll find that a particular position isn't the right fit for that individual at all. And once we receive their feedback, most times, we realize that they need a new position altogether. This has actually been a powerful exercise for us because we have created new positions, which previously didn't exist, after learning about a struggling employee's dream role." – Beau Hale, president and co-founder, AdBoom Group

"You need to diagnose the source of [an employee's] struggle.  Some possibilities are that they do not have enough clarity [regarding] expectations, standards, priorities, methods; they lack skills or confidence; they are not team players; or they lack motivation. Once you know the source of the struggle, you can take the appropriate leadership action which may be direction, coaching or career counseling." – William Dann, author of "Creating High Performers: Seven Questions to Ask Your Direct Reports" (Growth Press, 2014)

Implement the right technologies. "In today's world, where workforces are often decentralized ... creating powerful communications channels is incredibly vital to individual employee success. With a collaborative platform, managers can communicate with their teams with action items they can use to validate comprehension, allowing for a fully closed-loop communications solution to drive engagement and performance." – Mal Poulin, senior director of product strategy, Ancile Solutions

Communicate (nonverbally) through your investment in employees' well-being. "We've been successful in improving our employees' performance by providing amazing employee perks. From unlimited PTO and profit-sharing plans to monthly team outings like 5K runs and charity events, our employees appreciate the ownership that we have given them. We knew that if we started to give them more freedom, not only would their creativity start to take off, but they would be given the liberty to start to act like business owners themselves," – Corey Baggett, co-founder, AdBoom Group

"It's not all about money, and yet when you structure everything around bonuses and KPIs [key performance indicators], you're saying it is. We pay well [and] promote frequently from within, [but we also] support staff 'flourishing' through opportunities, training and interesting travel." – Andrew Fallshaw, CEO and co-founder, Bellroy

"When you invest in someone, it ... creates an environment where people want to work hard. Care about what's going on in their lives. Show them it's not just about ... the bottom line or getting the job done — it's [about] what you're doing together. If you genuinely care for someone and their well-being, they'll allow themselves to be pushed harder because it's not coming from a place of greed." – Jay Bacrania, CEO, Signet Education

Nicole Fallon

Nicole received her Bachelor's degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She began freelancing for Business News Daily in 2010 and joined the team as a staff writer three years later. She currently serves as the managing editor. Reach her by email, or follow her on Twitter.

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