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Astronomy in The Malaysian National School Syllabus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2021

Wan Mohd Aimran
Affiliation:
Dept. of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia email: aimran@ukm.edu.my
Wan Mohd Kamil
Affiliation:
Dept. of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia email: aimran@ukm.edu.my
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Abstract

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This is a preliminary survey of astronomy topics incorporated into the Malaysian national school syllabus. Topics directly relevant to astronomy are situated within the general science subject from Year 4 (age 10 years old) until Year 9 (age 15 years old) and are grouped under four main themes: Earth-Sun-Moon system, the Solar System, Stars, and Exploration of Outer Space. Contemporary topics such as exoplanets and astrobiology are not explicitly mentioned, but students are required to engage in hypothetical thinking by speculating on planetary diversity and its implications for life in the Universe. We characterize the astronomy content in the Malaysian national school syllabus to be life-centric and relatively open-ended.

Type
Poster Paper
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

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