UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS AND VISUALISATION ENHANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
STUDENTS' EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE
NIK DAHLIA BINTI NIK ABD KADIR
@ AB AZIZ
Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science (Built Environment)
Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying
January 2018
ABSTRACT
Science and mathematics have received considerable attention from the government as well as from the Malaysian Ministry of Education. This is to raise the level of students' performance as indicated by the performance analysis during the yearly examination results' announcement by the related ministry. From the GIS perspective, this method of analysis has not been comprehensively carried out although the Malaysian Ministry of Education has developed the Geographical Information System (GIS) school database in 2013. However, to date, no spatial analysis is integrated for any examinations performance analysis and no discussions held as announced every year. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to analyse temporal SPM science and mathematics students' performance for the Kelantan State schools using geospatial techniques for 2010 to 2014. The students' performance according to student grade point average (GPA) from Grade A+ (super distinction) to Grade G (fail) were mapped and query analysis was successfully done using geospatial tools.
The results highlighted that the trend during the 5-year period i.e. from 2010 to 2014, of the students' mathematics and science performance was successfully generated in a map format instead of by the conventional method as currently practised by the education sector through the IDW interpolation method. The results have proven that the schools' density and the size of the area are the factors of the changes that generated a pattern with a density of approximately 1335km2 to generate good GPA as indicated by Jeli district. The Select by Attribute function and the Buffer analysis tool also supported in answering the students' performance study. This study was further conducted with the use of GIS interpolation in assisting the education sector to illustrate the. teacher-student ratio data in a mapping presentation. The second objective was to determine the potential of using GIS in the SPM examination students' performance in relation to the schools' location. The predetermined distance of 1 to 5 kilometres of the school to the nearest town centre used in this study, has proven to be insignificant to relate with the students' performance in the SPM Examination for Kelantan state for the 2014 analysis. Mapping has emerged as a communication tool and has become the effective way to publish the georeferencing digital document and statistical data information through the use of MAPublisher Avenza Software. In the third objective, the Geospatial PDF which highlighted the SPM students' performance achievement through map publishing method was developed in this study. In addition, five advantages of using Geospatial PDF were identified and recommended to be used by the education sector as an improvement on the current school or students' performance analysis. Overall, this study was able to provide an alternative representation in spatial viewer manner of students' examination performance specifically to the Malaysian education management and potentially later for public use.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the name of Allah S.W.T.
The Most Benevolent and The Most Merciful
First and foremost, I would like to express my highest gratitude to Allah SWT for blessing and granting me the will and the strength to finish up my thesis. Special thanks to my supervisor Dr Nor Aizam Adnan for her guidance and encouragement in assisting me to fulfil this thesis. There was a lot of information, skills and knowledge were obtained in order to finish this study.
Big thanks to my current work Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia in approval of giving me this opportunity to further my study in Msc of Built Environment. Thanks also to Mr. Zammeri Abdullah from the Kelantan Department of Education for giving a cooperation in providing the data sample of science and mathematics with approval by Ministry of Education.
I would like to convey my love and care to my beloved family. The ones that gave me full support and encourage me to fulfil this thesis, my beloved father and mother, Nik Abd Kadir Bin Hj. Yaakub and Ruhani Bt. Said, my sisters Nik Sartana, Suryantie and my brothers Mohd Zaidi, Nik Mohd Fazly and Nik Mohd Ariff.
Last but not least, for those who are here with me for all the time, my masters study lovely friend Hasliana Kamaruddin, my friends Norhayati Muhamad, Sedin Remang and for my friends who always share their GIS knowledge, Mohd Rahim Arnan and Mohd Samsul Bin Mohd Som, thank you very much.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CONFIRMATION BY PANEL EXAMINERS ii
AUTHOR'S DECLARATION iii
ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x LIST OF SYMBOLS xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Problem Statement 7
1.3 Objectives 9 1.4 Study Area 9 1.5 Significance of Study 11
1.6 Chapter Summary 12
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Education System in Malaysia 14
2.2.1 SPM Grade System 16 2.2.2 School Performance Category 17
2.3 Geographic Information System (GIS) of School Database 18
2.3.1 Spatial Interpolation Method in GIS 19 2.4 The Maps as a Platform of Communication 23 2.4.1 Visualisation in Modern Cartography 24
2.5 Geospatial PDF Map 26 2.5.1 PDF Maps Mobile Application 29
2.5.2 The Different Application For GeoPDF 30 2.5.3 Advantages and Disadvantages Geospatial PDF 34
2.6 Chapter Summary 36
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction 37 3.2 Research Design 37 3.3 Data for the Study Area
3.3.1 Schools Data 40 3.3.2 Mathematics and Science Score Data 40
3.3.3 Base Map data 42 3.4 Research Methodology Workflow 42
3.5 Spatial Software and Spatial Analysis Method 45 3.5.1 Microsoft Excel Software of the Raw Data Processing 45
3.5.2 ArcGIS 10.0 Software for the Geospatial Analysis 48 3.5.2.1 Query Analysis Method (Select by Attributes) for 51
Students' Performance Grade
3.5.2.2 Buffer Analysis Method for School Location to 51 Town Centre Distance Assessment
3.5.2.3 Data Analysis: Interpolation of Inverse Distance Weighted 53 (IDW) Method
3.5.3 MAPublisher Avenza Software for the Student Performance 57 Geospatial PDF publishing
3.5.4 Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Software 61
3.6 Chapter Summary 62
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT AND DATA ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction 63 4.2 Students' Mathematics and Science Performance Examination Grade 63
Using GIS Query Analysis
4.3 Teacher-Student Ratio Analysis 70 4.4 School Location to Town Centre Distance Assessment on Students' 78
Examination Performance
