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Problem-based learning (PBL) provides an appealing framework for teaching and learning not only within the subject of geography but also across other disciplines. It promotes a healthy environment for active learning with its diverse sets of activities, helping students carry out investigative inquiry in the learning processes. This study examines the potential benefits of adopting a PBL approach in teaching and learning in secondary geography classrooms. It takes into account the inputs needed from both teacher and students in determining the success of the approach implementation. The study shows how, through careful planning and preparation, PBL activities can effectively enhance students' engagements and improve their grasp of geographical content knowledge. However, the teacher's shortcomings in performing the role of facilitator did highlight a limitation for the research, which hindered the success of the implementation. Future research should continue to actively examine experiences from teachers in PBL applications, discussing the circumstances to identify the conditions necessary for successful implementation of PBL within a variety of contexts.

BackgroundBrunei started implementing its two main reformed teacher education programs, MTeach and MEd, in 2009. The reasons for these innovations included upgrading the standard of teacher training, increasing teaching effectiveness, and improving the quality of education in the country. The purpose of this study was to determine how student teachers coped with and sought help on the challenging programs.MethodsUsing an online survey design, 76 randomly selected recent graduate teachers responded appropriately to questionnaires administered to them by email. The obtained quantitative research information included demographic, coping, and help-seeking data, all analyzed by SPSS Version 22.ResultsParticipants endorsed both the productive and nonproductive coping strategies. In addition, they depended more on peers, teachers and internet sources for help. Four major findings were obtained. First, task-oriented coping was the most important and significant predictor of success on the MTeach and MEd programs. Second, females had a higher likelihood of success compared to males (OR = 22.760, 95 % CI for OR = 12.848–40.320). Third, students who consulted relevant internet resources had higher odds for succeeding compared to those who did not (OR = 2.237, 95 % CI 1.196–4.183). Fourth, less-able students who collaboratively worked with the more-able peers were nearly two times more likely to perform better than those who did not (OR = 1.982, 95 % CI 1.082–3.630).ConclusionsCoping and help-seeking were positively and significantly related to academic achievement on the two Brunei main teacher education programs. Evidence from the present study suggested that vulnerable and at-risk trainee teachers needed appropriate interventions (educational, counseling and psychotherapy) related to effective use of task-oriented coping and seeking help via cooperative learning, internet sources, and teacher consultations,. Further research with interview probes was recommended to gain additional information on the problem and its solutions.

This paper presents primary school teachers' conceptions of 'assessment for learning' in government schools in Brunei Darussalam. The Ministry of Education in Brunei introduced a 21 st century education system (codenamed SPN21) in 2007 and one of the initiatives brought by SPN21 was the implementation of School Based Assessment for Learning (SBAfL). Prior to SBAfL, assessment in primary government schools was highly examination oriented, which placed a great emphasis on 'assessment of learning' rather than 'assessment for learning'. The current study sought to explore teachers' experiences in implementing SBAfL in government primary schools in Brunei. A qualitative approach to research using phenomenographic methodology was applied to provide in-depth insights into the ways in which these teachers applied assessment for learning in their lessons, having been teaching for many years in an education system that was highly examination oriented. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used as the main data collection instrument. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed to form categories of description depicting the qualitatively different ways in which these teachers experienced assessment for learning (SBAfL). A total of four categories of description emerged from the data analysis, and the findings suggest variations in the ways in which assessment for learning is conceptualised by the teachers, which in turn, may affect the effective implementation of SBAfL in promoting a 21 st century education system in Brunei.

<p>Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a constructivist, student-centered instructional strategy in which students work collaboratively to solve problems and reflect on their learning experiences to advance or gain new knowledge. PBL was originally developed in medical school programs at the McMaster University in Canada in the 1960s. Since then, much research has highlighted the benefits of PBL for developing students’ mathematical knowledge in more flexible and novel ways than traditional teacher-centered teaching approaches. However, there has been a lack of studies examining how PBL can be applied to mathematics teaching and learning, since studies that have investigated the implementation of PBL outside a medical context are sparse in Brunei Darussalam. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to fill this research gap by exploring the implementation process of PBL in a Year 9 mathematics classroom and its possible impact on students’ learning in mathematics in the context of Brunei Darussalam. The participants of the study consisted of 17 Year 9 students (ages 14-15) from a secondary school in Brunei Darussalam The findings from our study showed that the implementation of PBL helped motivate the students to collaboratively work as a group and learn from their peers and therefore, gradually reduced their dependence on the teacher during the course of the intervention. The results from the students’ performances on the pre-test and the post-test also provided evidence to show that the implementation of PBL could have a positive impact on the students’ learning in mathematics. Directions for future mathematical PBL implementation are also discussed and offered. </p>