The inclusion of Philosophy of Science (PoS) in science curriculum at Malaysian public universities
INTRODUCTION: Philosophy of science was often included in medical curriculum in ancient times and continued to be taught in established medical faculties throughout the world. New medical science faculties in post-modern era, however, tend to neglect the inclusion of philosophy in their new curri...
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/39611/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/39611/1/Poster15.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/39611/4/The_inclusion.pdf |
| Summary: | INTRODUCTION: Philosophy of science was often included in medical curriculum in
ancient times and continued to be taught in established medical faculties throughout the
world. New medical science faculties in post-modern era, however, tend to neglect the
inclusion of philosophy in their new curriculum. The trend is changing with increasing
number of departments of philosophy at medical science-based faculties, philosophy-related
societies, conferences and journals worldwide. The study looks at how the global trend is
affecting Malaysian public universities by identifying universities offering the subject,
finding out challenges in its delivery, and how it is currently perceived at the universities.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Online survey was conducted over a 3 months period in
2013 and sent via email to 300 randomly selected academicians from every Malaysian public
university. Participation was voluntary and was divided into two groups: (a) universities that
include (n=14) and (b) universities that exclude (n=14) the teaching of PoS. RESULTS AND
DISCUSSION: In the first group, 63, 70 and 78% of respondents answered favourably that
teaching of PoS will solve student’s ethics problem, is useful for student’s future career and
will lead to the development of critical thinking. In the second group, the same questions get
57, 57 and 71% favourable answers. Among those, 57% would like PoS to be included in the
curriculum. Lack of suitable lecturer and unavailability of PoS curricula are the most
common reasons for exclusion. There is generally no plan to introduce PoS in the universities
that does not offer the subject presently. In terms of teaching methodology, the most
commonly used method is lecture, and differences in teaching methodology are not thought
to influence students’ performance. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, teaching of PoS in
science curriculum in Malaysian public universities does not appear to follow current global
trend while awareness is low on what constitute PoS and why it is important.
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