2. The ArtsMedia Framework
The application of educational technology such as multimedia can be viewed as an alternative approach to
enhance students’ interest and engagement in learning science. For example, creating computer animations to teach
science concepts is one way to achieve this aim. Hoban and Nielsen (2010, p.36) have stressed that teaching science
through the creation of animations facilitated the learning of science concepts in a fun and meaningful way
“....because students are constructing a sequence of five multimodal representations, which encourages them to think
about a science concept in many different ways”. Findings have also demonstrated that students were clearly
engaged in this learning activity as they were endeavouring to understand the science concepts during the process of
creating their own series of animations. Moreover, creating their own animations gave students the opportunity to
focus attention on a science concept and develop their own interpretation (Mcknight, Hoban, & Nielsen, 2011).
Hence, creating an animation is one of the techniques that can be used by science students to explain science
concepts. The importance of investigating and organising information is instilled in students as they create
animations while soft skills such as teamwork and knowledge sharing, through discussion of science concepts, are
facilitated at the same time (Henry, Harrison, & Hummell, 2010). In addition, the techniques applied for animation
creation can cultivate creativity; creativity in this sense does not refer to an ideal concept of creativity as it is
understood in general terms but refers to a more realistic definition of creativity in accordance with the KSSR
objectives for the teaching and learning of science that is to stimulate students’ curiosity and interest about the world
around them as well as develop their creativity whilst they seek to understand the basic science knowledge and
concepts. This definition of creativity reflects the creative process that students experience during the preparation of
an ArtsMedia presentation based on a specific science concept rather than a definition of creativity that focuses on
the concept of “discovering” new ideas. Moreover, a state of confusion exists when the process of inquiry in the
teaching and learning of science is commonly accepted as the process of creativity among students; as a result