Needs Analysis for the Development of a STEM Training Module for the Topic of Functions: A Survey of the Difficulty Level of Additional Mathematics Topics Among Form Four Students

Needs analysis is a critical preliminary step in the development of teaching and learning modules. This study aims to identify the difficulty level of topics and subtopics in the Form Four Additional Mathematics subject as a basis for justifying the development of a STEM Training Module for the topic of Functions. This survey study involved 150 Form Four science-stream students from three ordinary daily secondary schools in the district of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The instrument used was the “Difficult Topics in the Form Four Additional Mathematics Syllabus” questionnaire, which measured students’ perceptions of difficulty through a five-point Likert scale (1 = Very Difficult to 5 = Very Easy). The data were analysed descriptively using mean values. At the topic level, the findings show that Indices and Logarithms (mean = 2.24) and Differentiation (mean = 2.33) were perceived as the most difficult, while the topic of Functions was at a moderate level (mean = 2.78). However, analysis at the subtopic level revealed that Inverse Functions (mean = 1.97) was the most difficult subtopic in the entire syllabus, followed by the subtopic of Composite Functions (mean = 2.23). These findings demonstrate that measuring difficulty in aggregate at the topic level can mask the actual difficulty at the subtopic level. Therefore, there is a clear need to develop a training module that gives specific focus to the subtopics of Inverse Functions, Composite Functions and Quadratic Functions with the support of technological visualisation. This study contributes empirical justification for the development of a STEM Training Module and supports the practice of subtopic-level needs analysis in curriculum design.

needs analysis, STEM Training Module, topic of Functions, Additional Mathematics, difficulty level

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