The Impacts of Active Learning Environment on Communication Skills, Thinking and Problem Solving Skills and Teamwork Skills

Abstract

Active learning environment is one of the innovative pedagogies used to optimize the use of intellectual, emotional and physical among students in higher learning institutes in learning the Islamic and Asian Civilizations (TITAS). Through active learning environment, students are able to sharpen their communication skill, thinking and problem solving skills and also their teamwork skill. According to Oemar Hamalik (2009, 175), active learning environment is a learning concept in which students are exposed to various activities that involve visual, verbal, listening, writing, measuring, drawing and managing their mental and emotion. Besides that, students are also able to experience the activities themselves and should be able to explain and share their experience in their writing. This will allow the learning process to be more easily understood and attract students' attentions and interests. The purpose of this research paper is to study the effect of communication skill, thinking and problem solving skills, and also teamwork skill towards the active learning environment in the teaching and learning modules of the Islamic and Asian Civilizations course among students in Sunway University. A field research was conducted on 202 students of Sunway University who are taking Islamic and Asian Civilizations subject for their current semester. This research consists of three main hypotheses. The dependent variable in this research is the active learning environment. Meanwhile, the independent variable is the communication skill, thinking and problem solving skills and teamwork skill. The hypotheses of the research were tested by using the multiple regression method in order to identify the effect of the communication skill, thinking and problem solving skills, and teamwork skill towards the active learning environment in TITAS. The result of the research found that the communication skill, thinking and problem solving skills and teamwork skill contribute as much as 36.8% towards the active learning environment [F (3, 196) = 39.64, p < 0.00]. The thinking and problem solving skills is the most significant factor in this model.