Improving Problem-Solving and Communication Skills in Automotive Vocational Education through the Development of Teaching Factory Model with Problem-Based Learning (TEFA-PBL) Concept

Abstract

Preliminary research showed that the learning process could have been more optimal, and this led to the research to develop a TEFA Model with the PBL concept as a valid, practical, and effective method of improving the problem-solving and communication skills of Automotive Vocational Education students. The process involved using the Research and development approach through the application of 4D development procedures of Defining, Designing, Developing, and Disseminating. The study resulted in the TEFA-PBL model with seven learning syntaxes. The syntaxes were (1) troubleshooting the problem, (2) organizing the order, (3) collaborative problem solving, (4) executing an order, (5) quality control, (6) presentation and discussion, and (7) assessment.  Furthermore, scenarios were generated to guide the learning activities of lecturers and students directed towards achieving fundamental and global 21st-century automotive vocational skills such as good problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills. The syntax and scenarios of the learning model produced were feasible, valid, and practically applicable to produce graduates with ready-to-use and competitive skills. It, therefore, signifies that the TEFA-PBL model developed is an innovative solution to improve the quality of automotive vocational learning at different levels, especially universities, to produce graduates with ready-to-use and competitive skills.