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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the prohibition of close contact and this unprecedented issue has led to the abrupt closure of schools and universities across the country. Teacher education programs have taken a toll as the final year students would not be able to fully experience the working environment in a school during teaching practicum. Thus, this systematic literature review aims to explore the lived experiences of pre-service teachers teaching practicum experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, after screening from 23,084 research articles, 8 relevant articles that focus on the teaching practicum experiences of pre-service teachers during the pandemic were chosen for review in order to achieve the objective. The findings show that the pre-service teachers teaching practicum experiences can be categorised into intrapersonal development or interpersonal development. Pre-service teachers seem to have a positive perception towards the change as they understood the importance of the transition from face-to-face learning to online learning during the pandemic. Other than that, positive or negative teaching practicum experiences highly depend on the institutions as much as the pre-service teachers depend on themselves. The future agenda and implementation of the findings are also discussed.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the writing problems faced by the Post-UPSR learners during their primary school years. The data was obtained from 217 high achiever learners who scored an A on the UPSR. These learners, who had completed primary schools and taken the UPSR exam, are now enrolled in secondary schools as Form 1 learners. The method used is a quantitative study. A questionnaire was used as the instrument in the study. The analysis of the study uses SPSS which involves frequency and percentage. The data revealed that Malaysian ESL primary school learners struggle with writing tasks, particularly due to insufficient of vocabulary knowledge. The findings of the study will be valuable to ESL researchers and educators in assisting learners with their writing difficulties. Teachers or researchers can develop appropriate solutions to the issues once the writing issue has been identified.

This paper highlights the association of language use skills with self-confidence as a contributing factor to the determination of expatriate self adaptability in a foreign cultural environment. The objective of this study was to examine whether the skills of using the local language of the host country are considered as a universal skill requirement for improvisation and self-skills among expatriate academics in Malaysian Public Universities. Utilisation of qualitative methods of semi-structured interviews on 35 lecturers with international staff status in four Malaysian Public Universities which were subsequently processed by inductive analysis for dominant and subdominant thematic classifications. The findings prove that the informants utilised language proficiency as a backup to recognise their ability to respond to external stimuli, thus producing positive value to themselves. The proactive process is done by trying to find answers to change and self-transformation while in a foreign country. Studies linking the elements of confidence and self-identity skills among expatriates are often highlighted, but the approach taken is to put the advantage to be utilised on the part of the organisation and not expatriates as the subject of the study. Therefore, the results of this study fulfil the search for answers regarding their identity as an expatriate, including exploring foreign cultures, releasing the culture of the country of origin, developing a network of contacts and assessing their potential and ability to deal with the challenges of life abroad. The direction of future research refers to the addition of value in the expatriate management literature by making basic concepts of interaction such as language proficiency as an element capable of increasing self-confidence and sketching the career development of self-initiated expatriates.

A recent trend has highlighted the need for a personal learning environment (PLE) in education as a system that helps learners take control of and manage their own learning. The current system which focuses on standardized learning support in the form of Learning Management System (LMS) is seen as restrictive and does not allow to accommodate the different needs of learners. Therefore, more language educators have started developing their own PLEs by focusing on two crucial elements: supporting learners’ needs and allowing more learner control. This paper presents an attempt to explore ESL pre-service teachers’ experience via PLE designed to support their writing needs. The researchers hoped that such a positive experience would influence the teachers’ pedagogical strategies and approaches in their teaching once they go into practice. In this qualitative case study, thirty-six third year ESL pre-service teachers at a tertiary education institution embarked on a fourteen-week course via the PLE. Qualitative data were gleaned from focus group discussion transcripts and written reflections. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Overall, students have positive perceptions towards the PLE by detailing its benefits and usefulness. They also narrated some challenges and proposed suggestions to ensure prolonged engagement. The findings give support to the use of PLE, especially the instructor-made innovation for teaching and learning which allows more learner control and access.

Teaching English as a second language (TESL) in rural schools remains a prominent issue in Malaysia. Many teachers in rural areas struggle with the seemingly insuperable difficulties associated with their underperforming rural schools in English, which is yet to be addressed significantly. This study explores ten English teachers’ sense of self-efficacy of those serving in rural schools. The lived experiences of the participants were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data gathered were analysed thematically to gain insights into the phenomenon. Three results of this study revealed the rural environmental influence aspects of teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, the context-specific nature of rural teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, and the blended philosophical concepts of social support, unswerving commitment, social obligation, and social-emotional benefits as significant driving forces to retain serving rural schools. The study’s results could contribute incrementally to the advancement of knowledge on TESL in rural schools by providing insights into the subject and context-specific descriptions.

There has been growing evidence that the lack of academic writing skills among university students who learn English as a Second Language (ESL) affects their overall academic performance. Higher education ESL students often find writing academic essays a complex process and hence struggle with academic writing convention issues. However, in order to encourage these students’ to be autonomous in their English academic writing, explicit and supportive instruction is necessary on the teacher’s part. This study aims to investigate thirty Foundation students’ revision activities pre- and post-intervention and whether there are any changes in their reviewing activities after being exposed to the intervention for twelve weeks. The reviewing activities were categories and analysed for inter-correlations. It is found that the students’ revision activities at first seem to concentrate mostly on Surface Changes-Meaning Preserving Changes activities. However, this changes in the second half of the intervention period where they seem to perform more Meaning Changes-Microstructure Changes and the least is Surface Changes-Formal Changes.

The objectives of this research were to; (i) determine mentors’ perspectives on their communication skills, teamwork skills, problem solving skills and social responsibility after joining the Mentor-Mentee Programme for STEM Education; (ii) identify the differences between the assessment of STEM mentors’ perspective on their personal qualities before and after joining the program; and (iii) identify the problems or challenges that the mentors experienced in mentoring activities compared to classroom teaching, opinions before and after participating in the program, and the challenges faced in the program. Based on the objectives, a survey research was conducted to collect data from 53 students (mentors) in the targeted population through questionnaire. Paired sample t-test was conducted to compare various skills of mentors before and after joining the program. For Communication Skills, the mean score for pre-test is 5.50, while mean score for post-test is 5.00. There was a significant difference in the scores for communication skills in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.86) and posttest (M=5.50, SD=.68); t (58) (=-3.785, p = 0.000). Teamwork skills also show significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.59, SD=.89) and posttest (M=6.06, SD=.67); t (58) (=-3.325, p = 0.002). Besides, Problem Solving Skills shows significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.99) and posttest (M=5.74, SD=.68); t (58) (=-4.897, p = 0.000). However, in the social responsibility skills, there is no significant difference between pretest (M=5.48, SD=1.11) and posttest (M=5.67, SD=0.85), t (58) (=1.086, p = 0.282). These results suggest that the program increases the communication skills, teamwork skills and problem-solving skills of mentors. However, the social responsibility skills do not show a significant difference although the mean score of posttest is higher than the pretest. This can be caused by the high social responsibility skills of mentors prior to the programs they ha

The objectives of this research were to; (i) determine mentors’ perspectives on their communication skills, teamwork skills, problem solving skills and social responsibility after joining the Mentor-Mentee Programme for STEM Education; (ii) identify the differences between the assessment of STEM mentors’ perspective on their personal qualities before and after joining the program; and (iii) identify the problems or challenges that the mentors experienced in mentoring activities compared to classroom teaching, opinions before and after participating in the program, and the challenges faced in the program. Based on the objectives, a survey research was conducted to collect data from 53 students (mentors) in the targeted population through questionnaire. Paired sample t-test was conducted to compare various skills of mentors before and after joining the program. For Communication Skills, the mean score for pre-test is 5.50, while mean score for post-test is 5.00. There was a significant difference in the scores for communication skills in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.86) and posttest (M=5.50, SD=.68); t (58) (=-3.785, p = 0.000). Teamwork skills also show significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.59, SD=.89) and posttest (M=6.06, SD=.67); t (58) (=-3.325, p = 0.002). Besides, Problem Solving Skills shows significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.99) and posttest (M=5.74, SD=.68); t (58) (=-4.897, p = 0.000). However, in the social responsibility skills, there is no significant difference between pretest (M=5.48, SD=1.11) and posttest (M=5.67, SD=0.85), t (58) (=1.086, p = 0.282). These results suggest that the program increases the communication skills, teamwork skills and problem-solving skills of mentors. However, the social responsibility skills do not show a significant difference although the mean score of posttest is higher than the pretest. This can be caused by the high social responsibility skills of mentors prior to the programs they ha

The objectives of this research were to; (i) determine mentors’ perspectives on their communication skills, teamwork skills, problem solving skills and social responsibility after joining the Mentor-Mentee Programme for STEM Education; (ii) identify the differences between the assessment of STEM mentors’ perspective on their personal qualities before and after joining the program; and (iii) identify the problems or challenges that the mentors experienced in mentoring activities compared to classroom teaching, opinions before and after participating in the program, and the challenges faced in the program. Based on the objectives, a survey research was conducted to collect data from 53 students (mentors) in the targeted population through questionnaire. Paired sample t-test was conducted to compare various skills of mentors before and after joining the program. For Communication Skills, the mean score for pre-test is 5.50, while mean score for post-test is 5.00. There was a significant difference in the scores for communication skills in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.86) and posttest (M=5.50, SD=.68); t (58) (=-3.785, p = 0.000). Teamwork skills also show significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.59, SD=.89) and posttest (M=6.06, SD=.67); t (58) (=-3.325, p = 0.002). Besides, Problem Solving Skills shows significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.99) and posttest (M=5.74, SD=.68); t (58) (=-4.897, p = 0.000). However, in the social responsibility skills, there is no significant difference between pretest (M=5.48, SD=1.11) and posttest (M=5.67, SD=0.85), t (58) (=1.086, p = 0.282). These results suggest that the program increases the communication skills, teamwork skills and problem-solving skills of mentors. However, the social responsibility skills do not show a significant difference although the mean score of posttest is higher than the pretest. This can be caused by the high social responsibility skills of mentors prior to the programs they ha

The objectives of this research were to; (i) determine mentors’ perspectives on their communication skills, teamwork skills, problem solving skills and social responsibility after joining the Mentor-Mentee Programme for STEM Education; (ii) identify the differences between the assessment of STEM mentors’ perspective on their personal qualities before and after joining the program; and (iii) identify the problems or challenges that the mentors experienced in mentoring activities compared to classroom teaching, opinions before and after participating in the program, and the challenges faced in the program. Based on the objectives, a survey research was conducted to collect data from 53 students (mentors) in the targeted population through questionnaire. Paired sample t-test was conducted to compare various skills of mentors before and after joining the program. For Communication Skills, the mean score for pre-test is 5.50, while mean score for post-test is 5.00. There was a significant difference in the scores for communication skills in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.86) and posttest (M=5.50, SD=.68); t (58) (=-3.785, p = 0.000). Teamwork skills also show significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.59, SD=.89) and posttest (M=6.06, SD=.67); t (58) (=-3.325, p = 0.002). Besides, Problem Solving Skills shows significant difference in the scores in pretest (M=5.00, SD=.99) and posttest (M=5.74, SD=.68); t (58) (=-4.897, p = 0.000). However, in the social responsibility skills, there is no significant difference between pretest (M=5.48, SD=1.11) and posttest (M=5.67, SD=0.85), t (58) (=1.086, p = 0.282). These results suggest that the program increases the communication skills, teamwork skills and problem-solving skills of mentors. However, the social responsibility skills do not show a significant difference although the mean score of posttest is higher than the pretest. This can be caused by the high social responsibility skills of mentors prior to the programs they ha

In Vietnam, academic writing is often developed through a formal instructional setting. Teaching ESL writing to undergraduates in Vietnamese universities is not always easy as instructors are often overloaded with multiple classes of mixed-ability learners. Thus in most cases, students are often left on their own to fend for themselves. Thrown into an era of information overload, students are often overwhelmed with what to look for to support their learning. In this study, a web-based Writing Portal (TWP), made possible by the advent of a Malaysian-Vietnamese collaborative partnership is developed to address these problems. TWP enables collaborative, yet self-regulated learning amongst two groups of Vietnamese Undergraduates (N = 78) undergoing a semester of English Writing class, designed and managed by a team of researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah and University of Da Nang, Vietnam. A Design-based research (DBR) approach was adopted to provide solutions to a practical problem that faces the Vietnamese educational context through a process of iterative analysis, design, development, and implementation. The paper highlights the experiences gained throughout the three main phases of DBR exploration, i.e., (1) analysis/exploration, (2) design/construction, and (3) evaluation/reflection with the ongoing practices as the intervention is adopted, enacted, and sustained in a Vietnamese educational setting.

The writing process has traditionally been seen ‘as a lonely journey’ to typify the lack of support that students experience for writing outside the classroom. This paper examines an attempt of The Writing Portal (TWP), a supplementary online writing platform, to support students’ writing needs throughout the five stages of the writing process, viz., planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Social constructivist principles underpin TWP, which was designed to engender collaboration amongst its student participants. Not only does TWP provide links to evaluated Internet resources and a writing portfolio, but it also features collaboration tools such as the Group Forum, chat, a writing portfolio, a private messaging system, and a comment function for pages or articles created. Thus, it is very much akin to a ‘one-stop centre’ for academic writing within a flexible and supportive environment. In this qualitative case study, 16 third-year TESL pre-service teachers at a Malaysian Teacher Education Institute embarked on a 12-week writing course using TWP. Qualitative data in the form of students’ online discourses, task reflections, log files, and digital artefacts were captured to explore how TWP's affordances supported students’ writing needs. In addition, Soller's collaborative learning conversation skills (CLCS) taxonomy was used as an analytical framework to investigate the collaborative learning engendered in the online environment. The findings indicate that TWP served its purpose by addressing students’ writing needs at all stages of the writing process as they accomplished multiple writing tasks. Additionally, evidence of collaborative learning is evident in three functions of TWP: the Group Forum, chat, and the comments for pages/articles. However, there are differences between the frequencies of the specific skills used for each function. To conclude, TWP appears to be a successful tool at supporting students at all stages of the wri

The writing process has traditionally been seen ‘as a lonely journey’ to typify the lack of support that students experience for writing outside the classroom. This paper examines an attempt of The Writing Portal (TWP), a supplementary online writing platform, to support students’ writing needs throughout the five stages of the writing process, viz., planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Social constructivist principles underpin TWP, which was designed to engender collaboration amongst its student participants. Not only does TWP provide links to evaluated Internet resources and a writing portfolio, but it also features collaboration tools such as the Group Forum, chat, a writing portfolio, a private messaging system, and a comment function for pages or articles created. Thus, it is very much akin to a ‘one-stop centre’ for academic writing within a flexible and supportive environment. In this qualitative case study, 16 third-year TESL pre-service teachers at a Malaysian Teacher Education Institute embarked on a 12-week writing course using TWP. Qualitative data in the form of students’ online discourses, task reflections, log files, and digital artefacts were captured to explore how TWP's affordances supported students’ writing needs. In addition, Soller's collaborative learning conversation skills (CLCS) taxonomy was used as an analytical framework to investigate the collaborative learning engendered in the online environment. The findings indicate that TWP served its purpose by addressing students’ writing needs at all stages of the writing process as they accomplished multiple writing tasks. Additionally, evidence of collaborative learning is evident in three functions of TWP: the Group Forum, chat, and the comments for pages/articles. However, there are differences between the frequencies of the specific skills used for each function. To conclude, TWP appears to be a successful tool at supporting students at all stages of the wri

In Vietnam, academic writing is often developed through a formal instructional setting. Teaching ESL writing to undergraduates in Vietnamese universities is not always easy as instructors are often overloaded with multiple classes of mixed-ability learners. Thus in most cases, students are often left on their own to fend for themselves. Thrown into an era of information overload, students are often overwhelmed with what to look for to support their learning. In this study, a web-based Writing Portal (TWP), made possible by the advent of a Malaysian-Vietnamese collaborative partnership is developed to address these problems. TWP enables collaborative, yet self-regulated learning amongst two groups of Vietnamese Undergraduates (N = 78) undergoing a semester of English Writing class, designed and managed by a team of researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah and University of Da Nang, Vietnam. A Design-based research (DBR) approach was adopted to provide solutions to a practical problem that faces the Vietnamese educational context through a process of iterative analysis, design, development, and implementation. The paper highlights the experiences gained throughout the three main phases of DBR exploration, i.e., (1) analysis/exploration, (2) design/construction, and (3) evaluation/reflection with the ongoing practices as the intervention is adopted, enacted, and sustained in a Vietnamese educational setting.

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of collaboration in the stages of the writing process which contribute to students' writing development, particularly the use of technology such as open software and Web 2.0 tools which supports the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and social constructivism. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of The Writing Portal (1WP) as a platform for online collaboration by pre-service English as second language (ESL) teachers when they embark on the five-stage writing process to accomplish their written coursework. lWP was introduced to serve as an online collaborative learning tool to support students' writing needs and improve their writing experience. Therefore, the study strives to achieve two purposes: to produce the prototype of a dynamic TWP by employing the systematic instructional model of ADDIE, and to test TWP usability by exploring its use in an actual written coursework in relation to all stages of the writing process. In the design and development stages, social constructivism related concepts such as the PLE, collaborative learning, and web 2.0 were emphasized. The implementation stage took into account Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory to explain the process that explains the behaviors ofTlWP users. The evaluation stage comprised of formative evaluation, and summative evaluation to complement the data obtained throughout the reiterative stages of ADDIE. The participants in the study were 16 pre-service ESL teachers in a teacher education institute. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher to integrate TWP into the coursework. Other participants in the design process included instructional technology experts and subject matter experts since the study also captured the development of TWP. The pre-service teachers' writing experiences in the 12-week written coursework were studied through a qualitative case study design. Data was obtained from refle

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of collaboration in the stages of the writing process which contribute to students' writing development, particularly the use of technology such as open software and Web 2.0 tools which supports the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and social constructivism. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of The Writing Portal (1WP) as a platform for online collaboration by pre-service English as second language (ESL) teachers when they embark on the five-stage writing process to accomplish their written coursework. lWP was introduced to serve as an online collaborative learning tool to support students' writing needs and improve their writing experience. Therefore, the study strives to achieve two purposes: to produce the prototype of a dynamic TWP by employing the systematic instructional model of ADDIE, and to test TWP usability by exploring its use in an actual written coursework in relation to all stages of the writing process. In the design and development stages, social constructivism related concepts such as the PLE, collaborative learning, and web 2.0 were emphasized. The implementation stage took into account Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory to explain the process that explains the behaviors ofTlWP users. The evaluation stage comprised of formative evaluation, and summative evaluation to complement the data obtained throughout the reiterative stages of ADDIE. The participants in the study were 16 pre-service ESL teachers in a teacher education institute. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher to integrate TWP into the coursework. Other participants in the design process included instructional technology experts and subject matter experts since the study also captured the development of TWP. The pre-service teachers' writing experiences in the 12-week written coursework were studied through a qualitative case study design. Data was obtained from refle

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of collaboration in the stages of the writing process which contribute to students' writing development, particularly the use of technology such as open software and Web 2.0 tools which supports the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and social constructivism. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of The Writing Portal (1WP) as a platform for online collaboration by pre-service English as second language (ESL) teachers when they embark on the five-stage writing process to accomplish their written coursework. lWP was introduced to serve as an online collaborative learning tool to support students' writing needs and improve their writing experience. Therefore, the study strives to achieve two purposes: to produce the prototype of a dynamic TWP by employing the systematic instructional model of ADDIE, and to test TWP usability by exploring its use in an actual written coursework in relation to all stages of the writing process. In the design and development stages, social constructivism related concepts such as the PLE, collaborative learning, and web 2.0 were emphasized. The implementation stage took into account Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory to explain the process that explains the behaviors ofTlWP users. The evaluation stage comprised of formative evaluation, and summative evaluation to complement the data obtained throughout the reiterative stages of ADDIE. The participants in the study were 16 pre-service ESL teachers in a teacher education institute. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher to integrate TWP into the coursework. Other participants in the design process included instructional technology experts and subject matter experts since the study also captured the development of TWP. The pre-service teachers' writing experiences in the 12-week written coursework were studied through a qualitative case study design. Data was obtained from refle

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of collaboration in the stages of the writing process which contribute to students' writing development, particularly the use of technology such as open software and Web 2.0 tools which supports the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and social constructivism. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of The Writing Portal (1WP) as a platform for online collaboration by pre-service English as second language (ESL) teachers when they embark on the five-stage writing process to accomplish their written coursework. lWP was introduced to serve as an online collaborative learning tool to support students' writing needs and improve their writing experience. Therefore, the study strives to achieve two purposes: to produce the prototype of a dynamic TWP by employing the systematic instructional model of ADDIE, and to test TWP usability by exploring its use in an actual written coursework in relation to all stages of the writing process. In the design and development stages, social constructivism related concepts such as the PLE, collaborative learning, and web 2.0 were emphasized. The implementation stage took into account Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory to explain the process that explains the behaviors ofTlWP users. The evaluation stage comprised of formative evaluation, and summative evaluation to complement the data obtained throughout the reiterative stages of ADDIE. The participants in the study were 16 pre-service ESL teachers in a teacher education institute. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher to integrate TWP into the coursework. Other participants in the design process included instructional technology experts and subject matter experts since the study also captured the development of TWP. The pre-service teachers' writing experiences in the 12-week written coursework were studied through a qualitative case study design. Data was obtained from refle

Studies have shown positive outcomes and benefits of collaboration in the stages of the writing process which contribute to students' writing development, particularly the use of technology such as open software and Web 2.0 tools which supports the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and social constructivism. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of The Writing Portal (1WP) as a platform for online collaboration by pre-service English as second language (ESL) teachers when they embark on the five-stage writing process to accomplish their written coursework. lWP was introduced to serve as an online collaborative learning tool to support students' writing needs and improve their writing experience. Therefore, the study strives to achieve two purposes: to produce the prototype of a dynamic TWP by employing the systematic instructional model of ADDIE, and to test TWP usability by exploring its use in an actual written coursework in relation to all stages of the writing process. In the design and development stages, social constructivism related concepts such as the PLE, collaborative learning, and web 2.0 were emphasized. The implementation stage took into account Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory to explain the process that explains the behaviors ofTlWP users. The evaluation stage comprised of formative evaluation, and summative evaluation to complement the data obtained throughout the reiterative stages of ADDIE. The participants in the study were 16 pre-service ESL teachers in a teacher education institute. The course lecturer also participated in the study in collaboration with the researcher to integrate TWP into the coursework. Other participants in the design process included instructional technology experts and subject matter experts since the study also captured the development of TWP. The pre-service teachers' writing experiences in the 12-week written coursework were studied through a qualitative case study design. Data was obtained from refle

This study reports on the ‘developmental’ phase of an initiative to develop and evaluate a prototype E-learning portal, known as The Writing Portal (TWP) to support the writing needs of English as a Second Language (ESL) pre-service teachers in an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. The portal aspires to complement the five stages of the writing process that students have to embark on in accomplishing their written coursework. The web portal contains categorized links to evaluated ESL resources useful for ESL writing process, and integrates web 2.0 tools such as blogs (as writing database for learners), discussion board, live chat, bulletin boards and vote polls. The design is based on results from the analysis phase conducted earlier on learners’ attitudes and preferences, and analysis of content and context. It is also inspired to optimize the benefits that each technological tool could offer. To develop the web portal, an open source web development tool Joomla! 2.5 is used on Windows platform, and all features of the web portal are developed by installing non-commercial plug-in modules available on Joomla! website. All participants are given passwords to gain access to the portal where they are provided with writing tasks to experience and test the usability and functionality of the portal in relation to their writing task.

This study reports on the ‘developmental’ phase of an initiative to develop and evaluate a prototype E-learning portal, known as The Writing Portal (TWP) to support the writing needs of English as a Second Language (ESL) pre-service teachers in an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. The portal aspires to complement the five stages of the writing process that students have to embark on in accomplishing their written coursework. The web portal contains categorized links to evaluated ESL resources useful for ESL writing process, and integrates web 2.0 tools such as blogs (as writing database for learners), discussion board, live chat, bulletin boards and vote polls. The design is based on results from the analysis phase conducted earlier on learners’ attitudes and preferences, and analysis of content and context. It is also inspired to optimize the benefits that each technological tool could offer. To develop the web portal, an open source web development tool Joomla! 2.5 is used on Windows platform, and all features of the web portal are developed by installing non-commercial plug-in modules available on Joomla! website. All participants are given passwords to gain access to the portal where they are provided with writing tasks to experience and test the usability and functionality of the portal in relation to their writing task.

This study reports on the ‘developmental’ phase of an initiative to develop and evaluate a prototype E-learning portal, known as The Writing Portal (TWP) to support the writing needs of English as a Second Language (ESL) pre-service teachers in an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. The portal aspires to complement the five stages of the writing process that students have to embark on in accomplishing their written coursework. The web portal contains categorized links to evaluated ESL resources useful for ESL writing process, and integrates web 2.0 tools such as blogs (as writing database for learners), discussion board, live chat, bulletin boards and vote polls. The design is based on results from the analysis phase conducted earlier on learners’ attitudes and preferences, and analysis of content and context. It is also inspired to optimize the benefits that each technological tool could offer. To develop the web portal, an open source web development tool Joomla! 2.5 is used on Windows platform, and all features of the web portal are developed by installing non-commercial plug-in modules available on Joomla! website. All participants are given passwords to gain access to the portal where they are provided with writing tasks to experience and test the usability and functionality of the portal in relation to their writing task.

This study reports on the ‘developmental’ phase of an initiative to develop and evaluate a prototype E-learning portal, known as The Writing Portal (TWP) to support the writing needs of English as a Second Language (ESL) pre-service teachers in an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. The portal aspires to complement the five stages of the writing process that students have to embark on in accomplishing their written coursework. The web portal contains categorized links to evaluated ESL resources useful for ESL writing process, and integrates web 2.0 tools such as blogs (as writing database for learners), discussion board, live chat, bulletin boards and vote polls. The design is based on results from the analysis phase conducted earlier on learners’ attitudes and preferences, and analysis of content and context. It is also inspired to optimize the benefits that each technological tool could offer. To develop the web portal, an open source web development tool Joomla! 2.5 is used on Windows platform, and all features of the web portal are developed by installing non-commercial plug-in modules available on Joomla! website. All participants are given passwords to gain access to the portal where they are provided with writing tasks to experience and test the usability and functionality of the portal in relation to their writing task.