Examining indigenous (Orang Asli) pupils‟ achievement in mathematics computation and word problem items

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the Indigenous pupils‟ achievement in mathematics with Bilingual (Bahasa Melayu and Temiar) versions of mathematics tests. Both tests, based on Mathematics computation and word problem, comprised of three main topics, namely Operation on Numbers, Money, and Time. This study involved eight Orang Asli (Indigenous) primary schools in the district of Sungai Siput, Perak. A total number of 230 Grade 5 (11 years old) pupils participated in the study. During the mathematics tests administration in schools, the students were randomly divided into two groups. Their selection into a particular group was randomly determined based on the classes name lists provided by the school administrator. Difficulty index was used to measure the pupils‟ achievement in the mathematics computation and word problem items in Bahasa Melayu and Temiar (the Orang Asli native language) languages. The test consists of 30 Multiple Choice Items (MCI) computation-based and 20 MCI word problem- based. The findings of this study show that the Orang Asli pupils face more difficulty in answering the topics of Operation on Numbers, Money, and Time in the Bahasa Melayu version compared to the Temiar version. The findings also show that the Bilingual version had improved the Orang Asli pupil‟s mathematics achievement in the topic of Money and Time in the mathematics computation and word problem items.