Abstract-The programme for international student assessment (PISA) is a 3-year assessment for students aged 15 and 16 years old on the subject of Mathematics, Science and Reading. Its aim is generally to PISA stands in a tradition of international school studies by the International Association for the evaluation of educational achievement (IEA). The global world has seen the participation of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) member countries and partner countries, and this programme is to stress that what is communicated by the international assessment organizations is just a tip of the iceberg, but participating countries are advised not to overly interpret the PISA results. Malaysia is one of the countries that subscribed to the assessment with a benchmarking of its education system. In the past 2 sessions that Malaysia had participated namely 2009 and 2012, the results were welcomed with mixed reaction. To resolve the mixed reactions of the Malaysian society, the society's perception of PISA, particularly students aged 15 and 16 years old is necessary. A qualitative case study on the stakeholders' concepts behind PISA showed differences. The differences were detected, and the impact of the differences was discussed.

Ethnography, in general, is a methodology that has been well known to many as conducted to study a culture-sharing group that could provide an understanding of a larger issue. However, ethnographic research in an educational setting is defined as research on and in educational institutions based on participant observation and/or permanent recordings of everyday life in naturally occurring settings. Then again, classroom ethnography who possess a family resemblance to ethnography is not well understood to many qualitative researchers in this region. Its value in the body of knowledge is not well understood also. In order to appreciate the value of this methodology, the history and development of this research with relation to science education could better enlighten the research community of its value and appropriateness in this region rich in its diverse culture and ethnicity. Different scholars have different scope and perspectives in understanding ethnography. The aim of this article is to open up new research directions in research methodologies for potential local postgraduates.

Kima (Tridacna sp.) is a type of giant clam that can be found in Indo-West Pacific tropical coral reefs. It is endangered due to its excessive exploitation as a source of exotic food and the degradation of its habitat. The gazette of marine parks in Sabah is a positive modern conservation effort to reduce threats on endangered marine species especially those found in the northern part of Sabah. Integral to the conservation of giant clams within those marine parks is the appreciation of indigenous knowledge of once known sea gypsies i.e. the Bajau people. Current conservation methods at several sites in Sabah’s marine park had shown several challenges, which circulate tension among the economics of local communities. To explore the possibility of appreciating indigenous knowledge into the conservation of giant clams, a scientific study with the objective of documenting traditional consumption method of the Bajau people was carried out. Direct observations and interviews on the local people were conducted, while descriptive statistics were used to analyse all collected data. Finding of this study shows the existence of traditional ecology knowledge (TEK) and traditional management among Bajau people pertinent to the conservation of Kima. TEK can complement conventional science and help to make more informed management decisions for clam conservation through for hybridization of modern and traditional management to customary management in managing and conserving giant clam population in Sabah’s marine parks. A synthesized advice to use traditional ecology knowledge as tool in developing more effective knowledge-inclusive partnerships between indigenous communities, researchers and policy decision-makers is provided in this article.

This research is a preliminary survey of Satoyama development-like mechanism in Kg. Imbak, Tongod, Sabah. The objectives of this research are to determine the utilization of forest source among the local community in Kg. Imbak and their community-based conservation efforts. Face to face interviews were conducted to access primary data besides observation surveys. The data gathered are from published materials such as reports and articles. Kg. Imbak consists of Dusun Sungai People with a total population of 796 people.  Collected data were analyzed using Descriptive Analysis and SWOT analysis. Kg Imbak is approximately 19.12 km drive from Tongod District and the local community still consumes forest source for their medicinal needs, bush meat, handicraft and construction materials such as using Ironwood tree to make coffins. Based on data collected, the Internal Factor Estimate Matrix (IFEM) is 2.59 while the External Factor Estimate Matrix (EFEM) shows a total of 2.58 indicating that Kg. Imbak, Tongod has a great potential and opportunities in terms of practicing the Satoyama model. There are 52 strategies determined in this research by using pair wise matching SO, WO, ST and WT.

This article is a response to the article “Classroom Ethnography: Adapt or Adopt?” The aim of this article is to guide potential local postgraduates on the coding process for the selected classroom ethnography which is not well understood. Qualitative data collection and data analysis were used from a larger ethnographic study. We explored in-depth the influence that culture has on learning science in an Islamic Religious Secondary School form five science classrooms. The ethnographic fieldwork capturing the informants’ beliefs and values central to their distinctive way of life could provide emerging data for understanding the culture sharing group’s learning of science in a period of time. The choice of manual coding attempts to describe the nature of science classroom practices at this Islamic Religious Secondary School science classroom. This article presents findings that adapting classroom ethnography is possible. We found that the students’ initial sources of cultural influence are the nature of science classroom practices.