The Importance and Challenges of Promoting Science

THE IMPORTANCE AND CHALLENGES OF
PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND

ENGINEERING TO THE SCHOOL CHILDREN IN
MALAYSIA
SIRAT MUSTAQIM B ABD SAMAD
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the
degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
OCTOBER 2016
ACKNOWLADGEMENT
First of all, I am grateful to the God for the good health and wellbeing that
were necessary to complete this thesis. In preparing this thesis, I was in contact
with many people, such as my friends and lecturers. They have contributed
towards my understanding and thoughts, specifically in understanding how to do
a thesis. I wish to express my sincerest appreciation to my lecturer, Dr Wan
Khairuddin for his guidance, advices and motivation.
I also want to thank my friends in the faculty for giving me valuable tips
and advices. They always keep reminding me to stay strong and finish the thesis
and make my parents proud. With their overwhelming support and advices, I
manage to finish this thesis.
Finally, I also place on record, my sense of gratitude to one and all, who
directly or indirectly, have lend their hand in this venture.
ABSTRACT
The number of Malaysian students taking science in school are declining for the
past few years as reported by the Science and Technology Human Capital Report
and Science Outlook 2015 by Academy Science Malaysia. Based on these report,
Malaysia may soon experience a serious human capital shortage in the science
field if the number of students enrolled in science stream keep declining in the
future. Most of the students did not realise the importance of pursuing their
studies in science stream. Thus it is our responsibility to educate the students
about the importance and advantages of pursuing their study in science stream.
This thesis is written to discuss the importance and challenges of promoting
science, engineering and technology to school children. It will provide some
important points about importance and challenges of promoting science,
technology and engineering plus several solutions that could be used in order to
overcome the challenges.
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO.
PAGE
TITLE
Front Cover
1
Acknowledgement
2
Abstract
3
Table of Content
4
1
5
Introduction
1.1
5
Problem Statement
1.2
5
Scope of Study
1.3
5
Objective
2
6
Literature Review
3
7
Methodology
3.1
7
Group Discussion
3.2
7
Online Researching
4
8
Discussion
5
10
6
11
Conclusion
Reference
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
What are the importance of promoting science, technology and engineering to
school children and the difficulties that have to be embraced in order to promote
it?
SCOPE OF STUDY
This report focuses on the benefits of taking science course and the problems
faced in order to promote science, technology and engineering to school
children.
OBJECTIVE
To introduce to the school children why they should take science stream in the
future as an advantage to other students and what are the problems that they
must know in order to be successful in their career.
CHAPTER 2: LITERITURE REVIEW
Science is the observation, identification, description, experimental

investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. Such activities
restricted to a class of natural phenomena, for example the science of
astronomy. It teaches us how to think in a logical manner. It also gives us the
answer for most of our questions. It also is the fundamental of technology.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science [ Accessed : 20th October 2016]
Engineering is the application of scientific knowledge to solving
problems in the real world. While science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.)
allows us to gain an understanding of the world and the universe, engineering
enables this understanding to come to life through problem solving, designing
and building things. The electronic device that is used to type and print this
article was engineered from raw plastic, metal, silicon and lines of software code
before being transformed into a usable device. Source:
http://www.legoengineering.com/what-is-the-difference-between-engineeringand-technology/ [ Accessed : 20th October 2016]
Technology in the other hand is process of making things, using tools,
materials, and process skills to bring into physical reality the plans of engineers
(as well as those of other design professionals such as artists and architects). For
example, the tenant in the new building, a robotics company, is planning on
marketing a new type of robotic floor cleaner to wash kitchen floors. A team of
mechanical, electronic, and software engineers design the new machine,
including its physical frame, gears and motors; its circuitry; and its program. The
completed design is sent to a fabrication facility in Shenzhen, China where
expert technologists on electronic and plastics assembly lines mass-produce the
design for shipment to customers. Source:
http://www.legoengineering.com/what-is-the-difference-between-engineeringand-technology/ [ Accessed : 20th October 2016]
6
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
GROUP DISCUSSION
After the task was given, my friends and I decided to form a group that choose
the same topic. Then, we begin our discussion on how to design our thesis.
Through the discussion, we discus all the main part of the issues and are able to
generate positive outcomes from our discussion. Even though the outcomes are
not as great as we expected, but we are happy because we have tried our best.
ONLINE RESEARCHING
We provide our facts with some research published on the internet. We tried to
make sure our source are reliable before we put it in our thesis. We also tried to
gather as many information as possible.
CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION
IMPORTANCE OF PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING TO

SCHOOL CHILDREN
1. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ABOUT THINGS HAPPENING ALL AROUND US

A basic human motivator is to try to understand WHY. Why did something
happen? How does something work? Curiosity about the world around us,
about what makes it and us TICK is at the foundation of invention, of
creativity. Teaching science well can nurture that curiosity, can satisfy
some of that yearning to understand WHY. Understanding why a year is
what it is for us on planet Earth feels good. Understanding how organisms
are all connected by the long thin thread of evolutionary change gives
depth to our sense of stewardship of the Earth. [ Available from:
http://pages.vassar.edu/teachingtales/2013/06/04/the-importance-ofscience-in-our-education/ ] [Accessed:20th October 2016]
2. TO MAKE SURE FUTURE ENVIROMENT OF OUR COUNTRY IS BETTER
One of the importance is to make sure our country environment is better.
Recently, our country
has suffered from the haze issue. The haze is one of air pollution type.
Although the haze is
gone now but we are still facing air pollution. Smoke from chimneys,
factories and vehicles
are releases sulphur dioxide into the air causing bad effects to human.
(RINKESH, J (No
Date) What is Pollution? [Online] Available from: http://www.conserveenergy-future.com/PollutionTypes.php [Accessed:20th October 2016]).
Therefore, we need
youngster to involve in science and engineering to find a better solution
than the current one
on how to reduce the effect. The current one is by using limestone. (BOND,
T (2014) GCE-O
Level Chemistry Complete Guide. Not stated: Yellow reef).
3. SCIENCE DEVELOPS GENERAL AND TECHNICAL SKILLS
Science is a way of knowing and thinking about the natural and physical
world that surrounds us. Observing, measuring, inferring, classifying,
predicting and communicating are some of the skills that are fundamental
9
to science investigations, problem solving and decision making. These key

skills all contribute to science as a body of knowledge and a way of
knowing. Available from: http://www.letstalkscience.ca/about-us/whyscience.html [accessed: 20th October 2016]
10
CHALLENGES IN PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

TO SCHOOL
CHILDREN
1. The willingness of students

Our effort to promote science, technology and engineering is useless if the
school children themselves do not want to do it. If the school children do
not have interest in them, then there is nothing that we can do. The
youngster nowadays are so lazy and do not want to do anything that are
not fun to them.
2. Safety issues
Besides, the safety issues will make the parents to encourage and
brainwash their children to prevent from taking science, engineering and
technology. The safety issues here is not about themselves only but also to
the others. For example, the collision of Sultan Mizan in Kuala Terengganu
is enough for preventing people from involving any designing and
engineering jobs of a building. It is said that the stadium collapse because
of the design and low quality of materials.
11
CONCLUSION
It is important to promote science, technology and engineering

to school children, this is because to make sure future environment
of our country is better, more inventions that can save time are
designed, the universe is discovered more, more invention that can
against disasters cause is produced. As we think about the future
that lies ahead and the global issues that must be resolved such as
climate change and global access to food, drinking water and health
care it becomes even clearer why science literacy is fundamental to
life in the 21st century. However, there is challenges to promote
them to school children, that are lack of successful ideas from our
country to be promoted to the world, safety issues and current
economy condition.
12
CHAPTER 6: REFERENCES
1. Lets talk Science http://www.letstalkscience.ca/about-us/whyscience.html

2. Why early science is important http://www.letstalkscience.ca/aboutus/why-science.html
3. Science is important
https://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/the-importanceof-science-education-for-children/
13

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THE IMPORTANCE AND CHALLENGES OF

PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND

SIRAT MUSTAQIM B ABD SAMAD

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

CHAPTER 2: LITERITURE REVIEW

Science is the observation, identification, description, experimental

IMPORTANCE OF PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING TO

1. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ABOUT THINGS HAPPENING ALL AROUND US

to science investigations, problem solving and decision making. These key

CHALLENGES IN PROMOTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

1. The willingness of students

It is important to promote science, technology and engineering

1. Lets talk Science http://www.letstalkscience.ca/about-us/whyscience.html

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