Universal Journal of Educational Research 7(12A): 68-74, 2019 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2019.071909 The Effect of Using Learning Portal on Primary School Students in the Subject of Design and Technology Azita Binti Ali * , Intan Shariena Binti Abdul Rashid, Ea Suk Yong Faculty of Techinical and Vocational Education, Parit Raja, Malaysia Received August 31, 2019; Revised November 24, 2019; Accepted December 3, 2019 Copyright©2019 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Design and Technology (DST) were introduced at the Primary School as more emphasis is being placed on technical and vocational skills nowadays. However, the use of conventional teaching methods and the lack of teaching aids have triggered students’ low achievement in the DST subject. This study was conducted to identify the effect of using DST learning portal on students’ achievement compared with using conventional teaching method. A DST learning portal was developed and used as an independent variable in this study. A total of 32 year 4 students from a Primary School were selected as respondents by purposive sampling method. This study is quasi-experimental research which uses pre and post-test as an instrument to identify the achievement of students before and after using different learning methods in the DST subject. In addition, questionnaire and observation checklist were used to collect students' perceptions about the usability of DST learning portal. The data were analysed descriptively by using quantitative approach. The results of the independent t-test showed that there was no significant difference in pre-test achievement between treatment group (M = 23.8, SD = 12.6) and control group (M = 25.0, SD = 14.1); t (30) = 0.64, p = 0.79, while Mann Whitney U test results showed that the post-test achievement of treatment group was higher than the control group after using DST learning portal (U = 7.500, p = .000). The level of usability of the learning portal was very high according to the score obtained from the questionnaire (88.15%) and the checklist (84%). These findings show that the DST learning portal has a very high level of usability and the use of portal can significantly improve students’ achievement in DST subject. Keywords Design and Technology, Learning Portal, Usability, Students’ Achievement 1. Introduction Aligning with implementation of the Malaysia Primary School Standard Curriculum, Design and Technology Subject (DST) was used as a substitute for the Living Skills subject. This subject focuses on preparing 4, 5 and 6 year pupils in primary schools with basic knowledge and skills that enable them to gain knowledge, master the basis of practical skills, design skills and apply the technology towards producing critical, creative and innovative students. (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum, 2013). The 21st century learning concepts are emphasized throughout the new curriculum implementation. In this context, teachers need to apply various types of teaching methods to ensure students learn in an effective way. However, there are still some teachers who practice conventional teaching methods by using chalk and talk strategy (Abu Bakar, 2008). This statement is also supported by Sutaji (2015) which emphasizes that there are still many educators who are more likely to use conventional teaching methods in teaching and learning process. Additionally, the use of conventional teaching methods makes it difficult for students to concentrate and feel motivated in learning process involving teacher-centered methods. This is supported by the study of Jumiran (2014) which found that conventional teaching methods have led to lower student motivation in Mathematics learning and this also affects the level of student achievement. The study of Tukiran, Ariffin and Mohd Rozi (2012) supports this statement by emphasizing that learning activities involving conventional methods cause students to feel bored and trigger the student's low achievement. CITE THIS PAPER [1] Azita Binti Ali , Intan Shariena Binti Abdul Rashid , Ea Suk Yong , "The Effect of Using Learning Portal on Primary School Students in the Subject of Design and Technology," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 7, No. 12A, pp. 68 - 74, 2019. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2019.071909.