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Purpose - The language load within mathematics test items can lead to inaccuracy in assessing Orang Asli pupils’ mathematical ability due to their struggle in comprehending the academic language. This study aims to determine the validity of using test accommodations in the form of oral academic language and oral native language when administering mathematics computation and word problem test items among the Orang Asli pupils. Methodology - By employing a quantitative approach, this study utilised random equivalent group design to examine the validity of using oral test accommodations among 334 Grade Four Orang Asli pupils. Three testlets were constructed and used in this study: written test in the academic language (WAL), oral test in the academic language (OAL), and oral test in the native language (ONL). The three testlets comprised Paper 1 and Paper 2, each consisting of 20 mathematics computation and 20-word problem test items, respectively. One-way ANOVA was used to analyse and examine if there were differences in the mathematics performance between the three groups of tests administered to the Orang Asli pupils. Findings - The results indicated that the test scores of the pupils on the oral tests were higher compared to the written test administered to the pupils for both mathematics computation and word problem items. For computation items, the pupils performed better in the OAL testlet, followed by the ONL testlet. On the other hand, the pupils obtained the highest test scores in the ONL testlet compared to the OAL testlet for word problem items. Furthermore, the results illustrate that there is a difference in the mathematics performance of the Orang Asli pupils between the oral tests in both languages and written tests in the academic language. Significant - This study clearly shows that language plays a prominent role in affecting the Orang Asli pupils’ mathematics performance. By utilising the oral test as a promising test accommodation, this measure could help address the language barrier faced by the Orang Asli pupils in mathematics testing.

Purpose – There is an absence of systematic review papers in the achievement motivation theories literature. In terms of current research trends, English learning motivation is gaining attention as a determiner of success in FLA. Hence, this review aims to trace the trends in the empirical studies on achievement motivation theories and tools, ranging from 1970 to 2022. Methodology – With a focus on theories, diversity of research participants, and practical ELT-related issues addressed by previous researchers, this paper applied the PRISMA Systematic Review Protocol to offer a comprehensive synthesis of 91 empirical studies on theories of achievement motivation. Findings – The majority of the published studies were from China and Iran. There was also a large number of studies conducted on tertiary-level learners. Structural equation modelling was found to be the most widely used analysis. In addition, technology-assisted learning is the current trend in achievement motivation research. Significance – This paper offers new insights into the existing achievement motivation literature and identifies the research gaps. This study recommends more studies on expectancy-value theory including in-depth qualitative studies involving culturally diverse populations and experimental research to develop more effective pedagogical approaches and expand the current understanding of achievement motivation.

Purpose – Due to the dynamic nature of schools, the Department of Education currently faces significant issues including low teaching quality, teacher shortages, absenteeism, poor school climate, lack of well-trained and motivated instructors, and instability. Total Quality Management (TQM) is often linked to the school environment, teacher satisfaction, and performance, playing a crucial role in improving the quality of education. This paper aims to identify how teacher job satisfaction and school climate influence the relationship between TQM and school performance. Methodology – A total of 346 teachers from Pakistan’s highperformance schools and low-performance schools, with diverse positions and wage scales, were chosen as participants in this study using stratified random sampling. Data was collected quantitatively using a survey inquiry and SPSS version 24 was utilized to analyze the data and answers the study questions. The mediation procedure was evaluated using the Sobel test. Findings – Findings showed that the TQM variable has the highest mean value (mean=4.87) compared to the other variables tested, namely job satisfaction, school performance and school climate. According to the study’s findings, TQM, job satisfaction, and school climate all have a favourable and significant direct influence on school performance. Additionally, school climate and job satisfaction variables were found to be partial mediators linking TQM and school performance. Significance – This study significantly enhances school quality management through a positive environment and capable human resources. The findings are also anticipated to encourage the Pakistan government to establish organizational management and educational leadership training courses to emphasise the significance of TQM and its most efficient use in the education sector.

Purpose - Art forms such as music and drama are among some recognised tools used by educators. This has sparked interest in how art can be used in education, making it a fertile field for educational research. However, there is a missing connection in how drawing can be used as a tool for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to learn about literature. Methodology - This paper will incorporate an Arts-Based Research (ABR) method to determine how visual art, particularly drawing, can be used as a tool to advance EFL students’ understanding of a selected literary text, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” (2015) This qualitative study, viewed through the lens of Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), involved 10 EFL participants and revealed strategies for integrating drawing that are absent in traditional approaches. Additionally, Hameed’s (2022) elements of art, Yenawine’s (2014) Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), and Showalter’s (2003) concepts of literature learning will be included to ground the framework of the intervention. Findings - This study can be regarded as a method to liberate traditional teaching practices into contemporary approaches, serving as a tool to merge cultural knowledge while improving confidence, higher-order thinking skills, and expression. It also allows educators to be flexible and provoke more reflection and participation. The data discusses three main strategies in exploring how integrating drawing can help EFL students learn about literature: mining to trigger thoughts, engaging with the senses, and giving permission to wonder. Visual art allows individuals to create their responses by exploring new ideas and representing emotions, confirming plans, and comprehending the deeper level of literary texts. Significance – The study will offer insight and work as an alternate strategy for educators and learners alike to utilise visual art as a tool in teaching and learning literature. The findings will also ease the alarming condition where literature teaching and learning are stereotyped as daunting.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and discuss one of the strategies in the latest Malaysian language education policy Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia Memperkukuh Bahasa Inggeris (MBMMBI) (To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to Strengthen the English Language). The strategy in focus is aimed at improving the quality of English language teachers. This strategy is examined in light of selected research findings and other information that is deemed relevant to a beneficial discussion of the topic. Methodology – The method employed was document analysis which involved intensive reading of the Malaysian Ministry of Education information booklets about the MBMMBI policy and other related documents and resources providing supplementary information about the policy. Findings – The analysis showed that of the five sub-strategies proposed in the main strategy targeted at improving the quality of English language teachers, three of them addressed the commonly included aspects of knowledge, skills and abilities found in the definitions of teacher quality in the literature. Teacher disposition and evaluation, another two aspects often related to teacher quality, were not included. Conclusion – Quality was not featured consistently in the policy strategy analysed. Overall, the policy did not capture the full complexity of the concept of teacher quality. Whether the omission of the other attributes of teacher quality has had any effect on the aspirations of the policy remained to be seen. Follow-up strategies were suggested such as monitoring, evaluation, reinforcement, and support strategies to ensure that the policy in practice would have the desired impact as envisaged by the policy makers. Significance – The quality of teachers has frequently been linked to student achievement in schools. This association between teacher quality and student achievement provides reason for an examination and discussion of the topic of research conducted in this paper. It is also hoped that this paper will provide some impetus for further discussions of English language teacher quality in the current Malaysian educational context.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to formulate a curriculum design framework, to test it and learn through pilot implementation, in order to systematically embed the graduate capabilities in the curricula, leveraging on Biggs’ constructive alignment framework. This paper aims to report the outcome of a study lasts for one year supporting a university’s curriculum transformation project. Methodology – Guided by the research objectives of this study, the research approach is action research. More specifically, benchmarking visit was used for the first phase, the design phase, to propose a suitable curriculum design framework. Pilot implementation was used during the second phase. Two programmes from two faculties were selected. Data was collected through observation, interview and document analysis. Data was analysed through on-going analysis and final reflection. Findings – This study presents a more detailed and practical curriculum design framework to support the development of graduate capabilities leveraging on Biggs’ constructive alignment framework. The key challenges faced and proposed strategies are consistent with existing studies. However, this paper argues for stronger emphasis on communicating compelling reason for change. This study reinforces that the process of constructive alignment remains challenging due to the iterative process of alignment at programme and module levels. Significance – This paper has expanded Biggs’ constructive alignment operational framework by offering more detailed and practical steps to ensure curriculum design effectively supports the development of graduate capabilities. The insights are especially useful for young universities with limited experience and yet have the ambition to transform its curriculum to develop institution-wide graduate capabilities leveraging on Biggs’ constructive alignment framework. The insights are useful for improving countries’ policy and implementation strategies too.

Purpose - Collaborative learning has been increasingly recognized as an effective approach to promote students’ success in higher education. To better understand the factors that contribute to successful collaborative learning, this study applied the Biggs’ presage-processproduct (3P) general model of learning to investigate the role of teaching quality, student-faculty interaction, and relatedness as presage factors, collaborative learning as process factor, and reflective and integrative learning and higher-order thinking as product factors. Methodology - A cross-sectional approach was applied in this study, which included 1,892 Malaysian undergraduates. The study used the Quality of University Learning Experience (QULEX) survey to measure various constructs. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the instruments. Thereafter, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to evaluate the latent variables relationships. Findings - Based on the findings, collaborative learning fully mediated the prediction of student-faculty interaction, teaching quality, and relatedness on reflective and integrative learning and higher-order thinking. Significance - These findings suggest that collaborative learning with social components and effective teaching maximize students’ learning activities, and they should be fostered in academic institutions to improve students’ academic success. Implications for improving teaching and learning are also discussed in this paper.

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the difficulties postgraduate students face in writing the literature review for their thesis and dissertation. Methodology – Seventy postgraduate students from 9 faculties in one public university in the Klang Valley consented to participating in this study. They were 49 Masters candidates and 21 doctoral (PhD) candidates attending a workshop on academic writing. Among them, 31 were Malaysians and 39 were foreigners with majority being Arabs and Africans. After an icebreaking session, participants were asked what their writing diffi culties are when doing their literature review. They were told to write their responses in English in a paper. A linguistic analysis was then applied to the written phrases and expressions which denote their diffi culties. These were then categorised under common themes and manually counted in terms of the frequency. Findings – A total of 37 categories of diffi culties were detected. They encompassed basic and advanced skills in reading and writing including ‘not knowing what to read’, ‘how to read’, ‘how to start writing’, ‘organising’, ‘doing a critical analysis’, ‘summarising’ and ‘synthesising’. Significance – The fi ndings imply that most of the participants do not possess the necessary skills of reading and writing which are required in most postgraduate programmes. Thus, it is imperative that institutions of higher learning develop stricter criteria for student selection. Alternatively, a programme providing support in reading and writing may enable these postgraduate students to raise their level before being admitted. This kind of support can help to mitigate the burden imposed on supervisors as well as develop better quality postgraduate students.

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the difficulties postgraduate students face in writing the literature review for their thesis and dissertation. Methodology – Seventy postgraduate students from 9 faculties in one public university in the Klang Valley consented to participating in this study. They were 49 Masters candidates and 21 doctoral (PhD) candidates attending a workshop on academic writing. Among them, 31 were Malaysians and 39 were foreigners with majority being Arabs and Africans. After an icebreaking session, participants were asked what their writing diffi culties are when doing their literature review. They were told to write their responses in English in a paper. A linguistic analysis was then applied to the written phrases and expressions which denote their diffi culties. These were then categorised under common themes and manually counted in terms of the frequency. Findings – A total of 37 categories of diffi culties were detected. They encompassed basic and advanced skills in reading and writing including ‘not knowing what to read’, ‘how to read’, ‘how to start writing’, ‘organising’, ‘doing a critical analysis’, ‘summarising’ and ‘synthesising’. Significance – The fi ndings imply that most of the participants do not possess the necessary skills of reading and writing which are required in most postgraduate programmes. Thus, it is imperative that institutions of higher learning develop stricter criteria for student selection. Alternatively, a programme providing support in reading and writing may enable these postgraduate students to raise their level before being admitted. This kind of support can help to mitigate the burden imposed on supervisors as well as develop better quality postgraduate students.

Purpose – This paper is part of a larger study which explored postgraduate students talk around academic texts via Facebook (FB). Our exploration is largely guided by the idea of reading as a social practice. In this paper, we specifi cally focus on the students’ refl ections of their online experience of talking around academic texts. Method – The qualitative data used in this paper were derived from students’ reflective diaries, students’ FB interactions, and informal conversations and were collected from a group of students (27) attending a master’s class in distance learning mode. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine the themes that emerged to represent their refl ections. Findings – The students’ reflections were grouped into two major categories: convenience and facilitation of learning. Students’ reflection on the convenience afforded by the FB talk centered mainly on the idea of distance and time. Their reflections on the facilitation of learning were broken down into the following themes: safe environment to explore, social support, self-regulation and autonomy. A separate category, “FB entries need respondingâ€, was assigned to students’ comments about the importance of lecturer’s and group members’ feedback. Value – This study revealed the potential of FB as a convenient, safe and an informal avenue for students to share their understandings and reading-related problems. The informal nature of their FB experience supported free exploration of ideas without the worry of having to appear “cleverâ€.

Purpose – This paper is part of a larger study which explored postgraduate students talk around academic texts via Facebook (FB). Our exploration is largely guided by the idea of reading as a social practice. In this paper, we specifi cally focus on the students’ refl ections of their online experience of talking around academic texts. Method – The qualitative data used in this paper were derived from students’ reflective diaries, students’ FB interactions, and informal conversations and were collected from a group of students (27) attending a master’s class in distance learning mode. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine the themes that emerged to represent their refl ections. Findings – The students’ reflections were grouped into two major categories: convenience and facilitation of learning. Students’ reflection on the convenience afforded by the FB talk centered mainly on the idea of distance and time. Their reflections on the facilitation of learning were broken down into the following themes: safe environment to explore, social support, self-regulation and autonomy. A separate category, “FB entries need responding”, was assigned to students’ comments about the importance of lecturer’s and group members’ feedback. Value – This study revealed the potential of FB as a convenient, safe and an informal avenue for students to share their understandings and reading-related problems. The informal nature of their FB experience supported free exploration of ideas without the worry of having to appear “clever”.

Purpose – The paper sought to investigate TESL teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the Malaysian School Based Oral English Assessment (SBOEA) after five years into its implementation in upper secondary ESL classrooms in Malaysian public schools Method – The descriptive study involved a total of 80 TESL trained teachers from the 19 schools located in a district in Selangor, Malaysia. The study employed a three-prong strategy to collect data which included a questionnaire, semi structured interviews and document analysis. Findings – The findings of the study indicated that there was a low compliance (58.7%) rate among teachers to the procedures laid out in the SBOEA Manual with regards to the implementation of SBOEA. The teachers also acknowledged their lack of knowledge and understanding of the SBOEA and a half of the teachers in the study admitted having problems with the scoring criteria. Some teachers highlighted that they felt the SBOEA lacked reliability and validity within and outside the schools. Significance – The paper explores the possible implications of the study to the enhancement of the implementation of the School Based Oral English Assessment in Malaysian public schools.

Purpose – This paper aims to share experiences in teaching a Financial Accounting Principles course using a hybrid problem based learning (PBL) method. The three specific objectives of this paper are to document how the PBL project for this course was developed and managed in class, to compare the academic performance of PBL students with non-PBL students, and to investigate the students’ perceptions of how PBL had benefitted them. Method – Based on our experience of the processes in developing and managing the PBL project, we described that process in this paper. Then, from the overall results of 1,148 students taking the Financial Accounting Principles course, we compared the academic performance between PBL and non-PBL students. In addition, we used a questionnaire to find out from the 267 students who had attended the PBL and the traditional non-PBL methods, how the various activities in the Financial Accounting Principles class had benefited them. Findings – The results showed evidence of the superiority of the PBL method. The PBL students out-performed those without the benefit of a PBL experience. The survey results also indicated that a PBL approach provided significant benefits to the students in their presentation skills, teamwork, leadership and ability to use IT. In addition, student responses to the open-ended questions revealed that PBL was an acceptable way of learning accounting. PBL was a challenging way of learning, but it offered great benefits; PBL helped our students in the experimental group to improve teamwork, communication and other soft skills. However, we found PBL to be suitable only for students with some basic accounting knowledge. Significance – PBL is an innovative teaching method because it uses problems in stimulating students to learn. This study has shown that PBL is a promising approach in teaching accounting. The major challenge for educators using this approach is to be able to provide well-developed problems in order to achieve the desired learning outcomes of the course.

Purpose – This paper aims to share experiences in teaching a Financial Accounting Principles course using a hybrid problem based learning (PBL) method. The three specific objectives of this paper are to document how the PBL project for this course was developed and managed in class, to compare the academic performance of PBL students with non-PBL students, and to investigate the students’ perceptions of how PBL had benefitted them. Method – Based on our experience of the processes in developing and managing the PBL project, we described that process in this paper. Then, from the overall results of 1,148 students taking the Financial Accounting Principles course, we compared the academic performance between PBL and non-PBL students. In addition, we used a questionnaire to find out from the 267 students who had attended the PBL and the traditional non-PBL methods, how the various activities in the Financial Accounting Principles class had benefited them. Findings – The results showed evidence of the superiority of the PBL method. The PBL students out-performed those without the benefit of a PBL experience. The survey results also indicated that a PBL approach provided significant benefits to the students in their presentation skills, teamwork, leadership and ability to use IT. In addition, student responses to the open-ended questions revealed that PBL was an acceptable way of learning accounting. PBL was a challenging way of learning, but it offered great benefits; PBL helped our students in the experimental group to improve teamwork, communication and other soft skills. However, we found PBL to be suitable only for students with some basic accounting knowledge. Significance – PBL is an innovative teaching method because it uses problems in stimulating students to learn. This study has shown that PBL is a promising approach in teaching accounting. The major challenge for educators using this approach is to be able to provide well-developed problems in order to achieve the desired learning outcomes of the course.

Purpose – The paper sought to investigate TESL teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the Malaysian School Based Oral English Assessment (SBOEA) after five years into its implementation in upper secondary ESL classrooms in Malaysian public schools Method – The descriptive study involved a total of 80 TESL trained teachers from the 19 schools located in a district in Selangor, Malaysia. The study employed a three-prong strategy to collect data which included a questionnaire, semi structured interviews and document analysis. Findings – The findings of the study indicated that there was a low compliance (58.7%) rate among teachers to the procedures laid out in the SBOEA Manual with regards to the implementation of SBOEA. The teachers also acknowledged their lack of knowledge and understanding of the SBOEA and a half of the teachers in the study admitted having problems with the scoring criteria. Some teachers highlighted that they felt the SBOEA lacked reliability and validity within and outside the schools. Significance – The paper explores the possible implications of the study to the enhancement of the implementation of the School Based Oral English Assessment in Malaysian public schools.

There is increasing interest in the quality of university teaching and how academics learn to be teachers. This paper examines the idea of empowering academics as researchers of their own teaching practices so they not only learn about that practice, but also make a commitment to knowledge for the wider teaching community and contribute to the theories of higher education. The arguments draw on the historical context of influences on professional learning and what can be understood from the changing conceptions of working practices in our universities. The paper concludes with some reflections on the current Malaysian situation where the idea of practitioner research for university lecturers is currently being explored.

There is increasing interest in the quality of university teaching and how academics learn to be teachers. This paper examines the idea of empowering academics as researchers of their own teaching practices so they not only learn about that practice, but also make a commitment to knowledge for the wider teaching community and contribute to the theories of higher education. The arguments draw on the historical context of influences on professional learning and what can be understood from the changing conceptions of working practices in our universities. The paper concludes with some reflections on the current Malaysian situation where the idea of practitioner research for university lecturers is currently being explored.

The paper is presented in two sections. In Section A, the paper explores the notion of knowledge management with reference to knowledge management of educational disciplines. In this section, the thoughts of authors and researchers who have explored various notions related to teaching and learning and societal as well as organizational change are referred in order to recognize the diversity and range of ideas directly and indirectly related to the academic disciplines which can be the subject of knowledge management in the education field. The themes referred to include teaching-leaning, thinking, technological innovations, and educational ideas. Lifestyle changes and future scenarios are also referred to. In Section B, the paper presents a preliminary attempt to discuss knowledge management at the undergraduate degree with special reference to the Bachelor of Management Program. The focus of the knowledge management pursuit is on the concentration of Quality Management. The work is work in progress. Much work needs to be done to integrate notions at the level of the terms, seminal concepts, theories and other perspectives into a coherent conceptual framework. On the one hand further integration could be conducted at the particular units of syntheses among the various subjects in the Quality Management Majors/Concentration. On the other hand, beyond the degree program, scholars could apply the lessons learned to integrate and manage their own learning in formal, non formal and informal learning areas. The encouragement to scholars/students to pursue integration of their knowledge corpus based on the assumptions of the Personal Construct Theory.

The paper attempts to describe the relation of apposition in Malay. Whilst other relations such as coordination, modification and relative clauses have been widely discussed in the grammatical description of Malay, apposition has been largely left out. The isolation, as a guess, may be due to the fact that some appositional constructions may lie on boundary with other well-established relations, thus lessening the need for its explicit mention. We show in this paper the boundaries of apposition with these relations. Then, using data extracted from a 450,000 word corpus, we put forward the realizations of apposition in the Malay language from syntactic, semantic and pragmatic perspectives in order to close the structural gap currently existing in Malay grammatical relations. We end the paper by briefly mentioning some possible implications of this 'discovery'.

Purpose – This paper discusses Chinese students’ negative and positive written feedback about Thai teachers using metaphorical descriptions and the links between it and their classroom experiences. Methodology – An open-response questionnaire was employed to collect the data from 21 Chinese female students. The questionnaire provided both positive and negative “people” or “thing” metaphors of Thai teachers for students’ selection. In addition, students were allowed to use their own metaphors to describe their teachers. Data was analyzed by using open and axial coding techniques. Findings – The results revealed that Chinese students were able to compare Thai teachers with either a “person” or “thing” metaphor and could write a metaphorical description that reflected different aspects of their instructors’ teaching, both positively and negatively. The quality of their descriptions was rich enough to link with their classroom learning experiences. Both positive and negative “people” and “thing” metaphorical descriptions were associated with three different viewpoints: academic, power dynamics, and emotion. The positive “people” metaphorical descriptions were linked to four classroom issues: knowledge and experience, teaching style, motivation, and guardian/protector. In contrast, the positive “thing” and negative “people” and “thing” metaphorical descriptions were linked to three classroom issues: knowledge and experience, teaching style, and emotion. Significance – These findings help to strengthen Thai-Sino understanding of the relationship between Chinese students and Thai teachers. Findings also suggested that Chinese students’ metaphorical feedback should be used with the non-metaphorical assessment form to evaluate and improve Thai teachers’ instructional practices in the Thai-Chinese student exchange curriculum.

Purpose – Online learning is an essential platform to support varying learning conditions, anytime and anywhere. It helps connect online communities regardless of one’s geographical location and time zone. During the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia, the use of online learning platforms has become a crucial option for accomplishing learning objectives. During this challenging time, universities have been looking for suitable solutions to address issues regarding the online learning process. This paper discusses the challenges in online learning, as well as the importance of collaborative learning activities during the Movement Control Order (MCO). Challenges in emotion and changes of routine among students have been detected during the MCO imposed by the government of Malaysia. Methodology – An exploratory sequential approach was carried out in this study to obtain students’ feedback in terms of their emotions and routine changes during the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent implementation of the MCO. Convenience sampling was used for this research, and in order to obtain feedback on online learning during the MCO an online interview was conducted with 42 students from the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA branch in the state of Kelantan. The feedback items were recorded and transcribed in Excel format. Next, sentiment analysis was carried out using Rapidminer software. Findings – The results showed that higher education institutions or universities had to play their part in providing a virtual learning environment as convenient as possible during the Movement Control Order period. The results also showed that educators had to ensure the success of online learning by maintaining the motivation of their students Significance – The findings in this study can also benefit educators and higher education institutions or universities in executing suitable teaching and learning plans during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Purpose: The rise of digital learning and the prevalence of affordable devices are convenient for young adults who are accustomed to using their digital devices for almost everything such as communication, collaboration, and accessing multiple sources of information for solutions. However, the lack of ability to self-regulate learning processes has led to poor learning performance among undergraduates. Therefore, this study examined the effects of self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS) on learning performance among Malaysian IT undergraduates. Methodology: A sample of IT undergraduates from private higher education institutions in Malaysia participated in the study. Quantitative data from a total of 563 respondents was collected through questionnaire surveys and analysed using PLS-SEM. The common method variance was utilized in this paper. Findings: The findings of this study constitute essential results that three out of four SRLS domains (cognitive engagement, resource management, and motivational beliefs) positively influenced the students’ perception of learning performance. Significance: This study provides insight into the best SRLS to excel in digital learning for deeper learning particularly in the Malaysian context. Implications of the findings on higher education institutions as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

Purpose – The primary aim of service learning is to produce holistically developed students. Despite the mandate from the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia to infuse service learning in the programs of studies since 2015, service learning in the country remains in its infancy. Critical insights concerning contextual compatibility are still missing in the Malaysian context. In this regard, the current paper aims to investigate the perspectives of lecturers and students on the challenges they have encountered while participating in service learning. Methodology – The study employed a qualitative approach and the principles of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) guided the collection of data. Students and lecturers who participated in the study were selected using purposive sampling techniques. The data from the students was collected using focus group interviews, while in-depth face to face interviews were used to collect data from the lecturers. These two sources of data were then analysed using a thematic analysis method. Findings – From the perspectives of the students, the challenges encountered were as follows: 1) there is a gap between theory and practice and 2) the lack of cognitive autonomy, while from the perspectives of the lecturers, the challenge was lack of structural support. There was also a theme seen in the common challenges experienced by the participants which was about the relationship and rapport with the community. Significance –The findings provide insights into the challenges faced by lecturers and students in a public university where service learning is practised. These insights may have implications for academic developers providing training workshops on service learning and for lecturers involved in the design and implementation of service-learning projects.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the focus and strategies of Malaysian public universities to enhance graduates’ competency levels, as well as their key challenges. Methodology: The study used an exploratory approach, applying a qualitative method. Data were collected at eight selected public universities in Malaysia through face-to-face interviews with expert informants that included a deputy vice chancellor of academic affairs and directors in charge of graduate employability. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The results revealed the practical roles of Malaysian public universities in enhancing graduates’ competency levels and subsequently securing their employability by meeting market demands. Nonetheless, stronger changes and reforms at the institutional level are needed to support the degree of competency among graduates, such as improving teaching methods and programmes offered. Furthermore, university–industry collaboration should also be strengthened to develop a competitive and capable talent pool in the country. Significance: The paper extends the core focus and strategies that have been implemented by public universities by providing more detailed and practical solutions to ensure that curriculum design more effectively supports the development of graduate competency. The study findings are useful for improving universities’ strategies and implementation processes to pursue a balanced quality of education in developing future talent.

Purpose – Given the importance of quality assurance and enhancement of curriculum in a higher education institution, it is vital to have a systematic process to measure students’ performance objectively and effectively for continuous improvement in the programme/curriculum. The purpose of this study is to analyse the process of setting up an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) system in a business school of a private higher education institution in Malaysia. The importance and challenges of the OBE system are discussed, while some recommendations for common issues are suggested. Methodology – Document analyses and observations were conducted on ten undergraduate programmes in the business school of a private higher education institution, from 2015 to 2019. These mechanisms are to assess and discuss the processes needed in implementing OBE; while the importance and challenges of having an OBE system in the business school are included. Findings – To have a smooth-running process of implementing an OBE system, proper planning needs to be in place. Data from the OBE system and its utilisation are essential to ensure continuous quality improvement to the curriculum and to give assurance to relevant stakeholders about the quality of graduates. There are several steps that are discussed in this paper to give pointers and guidance to other education institutions in setting up of the OBE process. However, it is undeniable that investment of time and effort is needed to ensure the smooth-running of the OBE establishment and maintenance. Significance – This study is essential to provide a guideline to relevant parties in setting up an OBE system in education institutions. An OBE system is needed to measure students’ performance objectively and effectively while enriching students’ learning experiences. This study will give pointers to the management of the education institution, policy makers, accrediting bodies and academics on implementing an OBE system in the education institutions.

Purpose - This study examined the quality of English test items using psychometric and linguistic characteristics among Grade Six pupils. Method - Contrary to the conventional approach of relying only on statistics when investigating item quality, this study adopted a mixed-method approach by employing psychometric analysis and cognitive interviews. The former was conducted on 30 Grade Six pupils, with each item representing a different construct commonly found in English test papers. Qualitative input was obtained through cognitive interviews with five Grade Six pupils and expert judgements from three teachers. Findings - None of the items were found to be too easy or difficult, and all items had positive discrimination indices. The item on idioms was most ideal in terms of difficulty and discrimination. Difficult items were found to be vocabulary-based. Surprisingly, the higher-order-thinking subjective items proved to be excellent in difficulty, although improvements could be made on their ability to discriminate. The qualitative expert judgements agreed with the quantitative psychometric analysis. Certain results from the item analysis, however, contradicted past findings that items with the ideal item difficulty value between 0.4 and 0.6 would have equally ideal item discrimination index. Significance -The findings of the study can serve as a reminder on the significance of using Classical Test Theory, a non-complex psychometric approach in assisting classroom teacher practitioners during the meticulous process of test design and ensuring test item quality.

Purpose – This study was designed to create platforms to train students in higher education to be caring and responsible citizens. This was an extension mission that aimed to tap into the expertise of academe and its knowledge to help the community. Based on the framework of academic of community empowerment, the researchers measured the long-term impact of a 44-month community extension program in the Philippines. The extension program described in this study was implemented between March 2009 and December 2015 to address the capacity-building needs of a low-income community. This paper highlights some key development activities which includes partnership with local government, training needs assessment through grassroots-level participation and design of practical education-training programs. Methodology – The study followed a descriptive research design. The Community Outcome Scale (COS) was developed to measure perceived knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle of the beneficiaries. Fifty-four community residents were purposively selected based on their attendance to the community-based education and training programs. The ANOVA method with post hoc analysis was employed to determine the differences between perceived knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle among residents, stratified according to the degree of completion of the training programs. Findings – There was a moderate improvement in community knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle based on the survey which was performed one and a half years after the completion of the extension programs. Based on the results, improved long-term outcomes were noted only amongst the regular and occasional participants. Significance – There is an increasing appreciation of the impact of higher education extension in the teaching and learning process as students apply their disciplinary knowledge to help address real-world problems. This work may be of interest to higher education institutions (HEIs) which are designing community extension programs with optimized societal outcomes.

Purpose – This paper undertakes a comparative review of the concept of ‘Caring Thinking’ from the perspectives of specific scholars (with different cultural voices) in the field of Educational Psychology. Specifically, it focuses on the area of Thinking and Cognition. Methodology – The review scrutinised the concept of caring thinking in Matthew Lipman’s (2003) Thinking Model as well as Mohd Daud Hamzah and Abdul Kadir Arifin’s (2001) Islamic Cognitive Processes Model (ICPM). Employing a cross-cultural comparative review, the analysis concentrated on the commonalities shared and the differences between the two schools of thought. The aspects of comparison included cognition principles, caring thinking inventory, thinking direction, human characterisation and role of beings. Findings – This review suggests that the scholars propagate and share comparable nuances on the underlying characteristics of human cognition in order to facilitate the formation of the caring thinking concept. However, the interplay of human inner drive which incorporates values is deliberated in different cultural voices. While Lipman (2003) vastly discusses the caring thinking model based on the western context, Mohd Daud Hamzah and Abdul Kadir Arifin’s (2001) cognition model attempts to highlight human cognitive process from an Islamic perspective. Significance – These findings suggest the need to understand the derivation of human cognition processes, that further explains the ability to sense bad and good values in moral virtue development. Fundamentally, this discussion considers the perspectives of both models regarding the formation of an individuals’ thoughts and behaviours, which reflect the attributes of ‘caring thinking’. It implies that greater effort should be undertaken to explore how caring thinking can be made useful to the field of education.

Purpose – Bullying is one of the most worrying issues among teachers, parents, and students. Hence, prevention action should be taken to prevent bullying at school. Therefore, the Program 2BS: I’m a Buddy not a Bully, has been implemented with an aim to enhance knowledge on bullying among students. This paper examines the effectiveness of pedagogical creative approaches to increase bullying knowledge and awareness among students. Creative and fun pedagogy have been used as an approach to achieve the objectives of this program. Methodology – A total of 234 students from different school orientations and aged 14–16 years participated in this experimental research. This study employs a quantitative method with the support of qualitative approaches utilizing quasi experiments design. An interview was conducted with seven students to obtain a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of creative pedagogy. Findings – The results showed a significant increase in knowledge of bullying behavior among students who had participated in this program. The findings from the interviews show that by using this creative pedagogy approach, students were more excited and could understand the content better. Significance – The findings are significant to teachers and learners, because they can act accordingly towards bullying behavior. This program provides an alternative to implementing bullying prevention programs that are oriented towards enhancing knowledge on bullying among students.

Purpose – International teaching practicum (ITP) is seen as an avenue for future teachers to broaden their world views and enhance their personal and professional development. Based on two teachers’ experiences of ITP in Bangladesh, in comparison to their teaching practicum experiences in Malaysia, this paper aims to examine the impact of the ITP on their professional development as future English language teachers. Methods – Two female teachers were involved in this qualitative research, whereby data were obtained from the teachers’ observations, reflective journals and face-to-face interview. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data. Findings – Findings indicate that the two teachers had gained positive professional development experiences as a result of participating in the ITP, especially in terms of these four aspects: (i) confidence; (ii) teaching skills; (ii) perspective on education and culture; and (iv) interpersonal skills. Significance – The study indicates that ITP could be an alternative platform for future teachers to gain positive professional development experiences, which then would prepare them for the challenging teaching environment.

Purpose – This paper presents the results of a study that sought to determine teacher conceptions of classroom management and control. The study explored classroom management knowledge of participants, and how the knowledge was gained. It also investigated the extent to which participants held various conceptions, including rule-based, dominance and nurturance conceptions, about how teachers established and maintained classroom control. Methodology – A mixed method involving a rating scale for the quantitative component, and response to open-ended interview questions for the qualitative component were used. The responses from the subjects were recorded, and notes were also taken. The data were first transcribed and double-checked for grammatical errors. The methods used to identify emerging common themes across respondents were the constant comparison and analytic induction methods. Findings – The major finding of the study was that rule-based conceptions were predominant. In their responses to open-ended questions, virtually all teachers mentioned rule-based conceptions, especially the consistent setting and monitoring of rules as being important to the teacher’s ability. The alternative conceptions of dominance and nurturance were expressed by a few of the teachers. Even teachers who showed agreement with either the dominance or nurturance conceptions showed strong support for rule-based conceptions Significance – The significance of this study to classroom practice is that knowing how to manage the classroom is one of the most important traits of quality instruction. Therefore it is important that teachers – both new and veteran –find the best way to manage their classroom in order to create a serene atmosphere for quality learning to take place.

Purpose – This paper was part of a larger study which looked into the effect of implementing Cooperative Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT) on understanding of and communication in mathematics. The study had identified the main and interaction effect of using Cooperative TGT for learning mathematics in religious secondary school classrooms. A recommendation was made to incorporate Cooperative TGT as a pedagogical approach to enhance interest in actively learning mathematics with peers via tournaments among students. Students in Cooperative TGT classrooms had also learned to socialise while learning mathematics. Methodology – A quantitative approach using Randomized Pretest-Posttest Control Group design was utilised in framing the research study. Data from control groups without TGT treatment was collected using pretest, posttest-1 and posttest-2 across three time periods. The duration between one test and the subsequent test was five weeks. Mathematics understanding and communication was measured using an openended test. A mixed between-within subjects ANOVA was conducted to analyse the effectiveness of Cooperative TGT on understanding of and communication in mathematics. Findings – The findings showed that there was significant interaction between group types (experiemental & control groups) and time periods [pretest, posttest-1, & posttest-2 (without TGT)]. Cooperative TGT was found to have an effect on student understanding of and communication in mathematics. The gap score for posttest-1 between understanding of mathematics and communication in mathematics was 17.69, indicating a significant effect of Cooperative TGT on the latter compared to the former. Significance – Cooperatiave TGT had encouraged students and teachers to be innovative and creative in the process of teaching and learning of mathematics in classrooms. This study has provided insights into how the teaching and learning of mathematics which incorporated group activities and tournaments in classrooms has helped to improve the understanding of mathematics and communication in mathematics of students at the Madrasah Aliyah, Riau, Indonesia.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate learning space for research workspaces in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia based on the evaluations by experts and university research workers on a practical model for creating an effective research learning space. It examines expert analyses of the notion of a suitable research learning workspace and explores worker viewpoints on this issue. Method – Experts from business (n=2), education (n=2) and architectural (n=2) backgrounds were interviewed and a survey was conducted on research workers from selected universities in Malaysia (n=222). Findings – A research learning workspace model is proposed based on evaluations by workers and experts on what was needed in a research-based working space to make it more work-friendly and intellectually stimulating for researchers. Significance – This research attempts to understand research learning space problems in institutions of higher learning and proposes one possible model for future research learning workspace planning. It also contributes to the literature on research learning workspace and its management in developing countries, especially when Asia is positioning itself today as a competitive global educational hub.

Purpose – This paper is the outcome of a study which examined teacher strategies in teaching descriptive writing to junior high school students in Delitua, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The study was based on two questions: 1) What are the teaching strategies used by EFL teachers in teaching descriptive writing? 2) To what extent did the descriptive writing intervention change the EFL teacher teaching strategies? Methodology – The qualitative data were obtained from observations, interviews and student writing. An intervention conducted with four teachers for four months using Spencer’s Writing Model (2005) to enhance the teaching of writing strategies was examined. The data were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. Findings – The findings revealed that the teachers used limited strategies in teaching writing due to their lack of knowledge and understanding of the writing approaches. However, after the writing intervention, they improved their instructional strategies by incorporating richer writing descriptions which contained sensory details, figurative language and vivid words. Significance – These findings can be used as teaching guidelines for EFL writing in any teacher professional development programmes. Training of teachers could be a starting point not only to increase teachers’ knowledge and skills in teaching writing but also to increase their awareness of the beliefs about teaching and learning. Our study provided evidence that training can bring about changes in teachers’ pedagogical practices which in turn, will lead to a more meaningful learning environment for their learners.

Purpose – This paper proposes a framework of instructional strategies that would facilitate active and reflective learning processes in the flipped classroom It is aimed at allowing one’s maximum potential to be reached regardless of any individual learning style. As tertiary classrooms increasingly needs to be as active and social as possible, the needs of the more introverted student could have been unintentionally overlooked. Therefore, the objective of this study was to produce an instructional design that could accommodate different learning styles and preferences in the flipped classroom. Method – A design-based research approach was employed in three phases (preliminary research, prototyping phase and assessment phase) in a flipped communication studies course of 24 students. The instructional design, based on a literature review on the flipped classroom and Felder and Silverman’s active-reflective learning style dimensions, was tested and refined over six iterative design cycles to produce a final design framework. Findings – Qualitative findings via observation showed that despite a learning curve, the finalized instructional design was able to facilitate different learning styles satisfactorily. Added benefits included learner empowerment, engagement, motivation and improved communication and thinking skills. Significance – As a design-based research, this study may be significant from the perspectives of both educational research and practice. Besides adding to the existent literature on different implementations of the flipped classroom, the proposed instructional design may serve as a practical guide for instructors who wish to flip their classrooms and spend face-to-face class time with their students on a more meaningful and personalized level.

Purpose – This paper presents the characteristics of effective literacy and numeracy teachers within the current context of teaching in Malaysia from the viewpoints of a sample of trained and experienced primary school teachers of literacy and numeracy. The characteristics were established based on what the teachers perceived as important in guiding their pupils, to equip themselves with the necessary literacy and numeracy skills in order to cope with imminent educational demands and challenges. Design – In this exploratory qualitative study, the data were collected in two phases. In Phase-1, the literacy and numeracy teachers individually responded to the Literacy Teacher Questionnaire (LTQ) and the Numeracy Teacher Questionnaire (NTQ) respectively. Both these questionnaires comprised open-ended questions. In Phase-2, focus-group discussions and reflection sessions, which focused on the teachers’ experiences in the primary schools’ literacy and numeracy teaching and learning processes, were carried out. The fully transcribed data from both the phases were thematically analysed. Findings – The findings indicated notable skills and characteristics of effective literacy and numeracy primary school teachers from the viewpoints of the teachers in the study. These characteristics were distinctively categorized into four main themes, namely (a) structure, (b) knowledge and understanding, (c) strategies and skills, and (d) values. Significance – The characteristics of effective literacy and numeracy primary school teachers that emerged from this study would serve as a frame of reference for education policy-makers and curriculum developers in determining the directions and plan of actions towards enhancing effective teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy in primary schools. The frame can also be adapted by teacher educators in aligning the training and learning activities with their literacy and numeracy trainees within their training institutions. Additionally, the findings of the study would serve as a flexible and adaptable foundation for improving the literacy and numeracy education of the Malaysian primary school pupils.

Purpose – This paper reports on a part of a larger research project concerning the conceptualisation of English language speaking-in-class anxiety, attitudes to speaking English in class and self-ratings of English-speaking ability, and perceived sources of this situation-specific anxiety. Methodology – The participants in this study were 282 Thai university students of English as a foreign language (EFL) studying English Conversation courses at a university in Thailand. Levels of anxiety (on average and by dimensions) were investigated through questionnaires adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). Attitudes towards oral English, self-ratings of English-speaking ability and sources of speaking anxiety were collated through semi-structured interview forms. Findings – The quantitative analysis indicated the existence of speaking-in-class anxiety among Thai EFL students at a moderate level. Levels of anxiety by dimensions, namely test-anxiety (TA), fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and communication apprehension (CA), were found to be moderate as well. However, TA and FNE were significantly dominant performance anxieties. Qualitatively, students’ positive attitudes towards speaking English in the classroom were reflected, whereas a negative rating for their spoken English ability was reported. Finally, the limited repertoire of students’ vocabulary was found to be their major source of speaking anxiety. Significance – This research urges awareness of anxiety-provoking factors in the EFL classroom as learners’ ability to communicate satisfactorily is both the learners’ goal of learning and the instructor’s goal of teaching. The findings have pedagogic implications in terms of affective aspects of learning, for students when making an effort to overcome speaking-in-class anxiety and for instructors when attempting to create a low-anxiety classroom.

Purpose – This exploratory investigation examines the material and non-discursive constraints of Math teachers in conducting action research in the Philippines. It initially describes the contexts of participation of scholars situated in the periphery in knowledge production and teases out the apparent challenges faced in the successful conduct of research. Methodology – Anchored on Lave and Wenger’s concept of community of practice and legitimate peripheral participation, the study employs rights analysis as a means to determine the constraints of the respondents in doing action research. Additionally, it traces the mechanisms of power that reinforce and reproduce these challenges. Data was obtained from 13 mathematics teachers employed in different schools under the Manila Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools Association (Mapsa). These teachers have varying work experiences and are teaching different grade levels. The respondents were systematically sampled since they are part of an action research course under the master’s program in teaching math offered by the university. Findings – Based on the findings, it is argued that due to the disempowering material, social and political conditions of these teachers, they may be considered as part of a hierarchy of peripheral participation since they possess limited opportunities for academic socialisation in the conduct of action research . Finally, this paper draws implications for the improvement of research training in periphery contexts. Significance – With the increased interest in the socio-political dimension in the teaching and learning process, this work may be of interest to those engaged in conducting research training as well as other stakeholders in the academe to improve the conduct of action research in their respective educational institutions.

Purpose – This paper reports a study that investigated the interactions of six students learning to write narrative essays on an online narrative writing platform (ONWP). Participants were six students and a teacher from an urban Chinese Secondary School in the northern region of Malaysia. Methodology –The qualitative data used in this study were online interaction archives and narrative essays collected from an ONWP used by the teacher to teach narrative writing. The student-teacher interactions were coded based on the categories related to cognitive, teaching and social presences as suggested by the Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison, Archer & Anderson, 2000). Findings – Findings indicated that the cognitive, teaching and social presences suggested by the CoI model were present in the interactions while students were engaged in the ONWP. However, certain descriptors of the CoI were not found in the study. The major contribution of this study is the single, dual and triple phases which emerged from this study. The essays’ scores revealed that the students improved in their narrative writing ability after engaging in the ONWP. Significance – The fi ndings have placed the model in a new environment involving the application of CoI model in a Chinese Secondary School. Being online to fulfil wide-ranging tasks does not only involve critical thinking but also creative writing. Teachers involved in online teaching and learning activities need to encourage students to be involved in critical thinking. Students should also realise that there is more to learn in writing than just making corrections based on the comments.

Purpose – This exploratory investigation examines the material and non-discursive constraints of Math teachers in conducting action research in the Philippines. It initially describes the contexts of participation of scholars situated in the periphery in knowledge production and teases out the apparent challenges faced in the successful conduct of research. Methodology – Anchored on Lave and Wenger’s concept of community of practice and legitimate peripheral participation, the study employs rights analysis as a means to determine the constraints of the respondents in doing action research. Additionally, it traces the mechanisms of power that reinforce and reproduce these challenges. Data was obtained from 13 mathematics teachers employed in different schools under the Manila Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools Association (Mapsa). These teachers have varying work experiences and are teaching different grade levels. The respondents were systematically sampled since they are part of an action research course under the master’s program in teaching math offered by the university. Findings – Based on the findings, it is argued that due to the disempowering material, social and political conditions of these teachers, they may be considered as part of a hierarchy of peripheral participation since they possess limited opportunities for academic socialisation in the conduct of action research . Finally, this paper draws implications for the improvement of research training in periphery contexts. Significance – With the increased interest in the socio-political dimension in the teaching and learning process, this work may be of interest to those engaged in conducting research training as well as other stakeholders in the academe to improve the conduct of action research in their respective educational institutions.

Purpose – This paper reports a study that investigated the interactions of six students learning to write narrative essays on an online narrative writing platform (ONWP). Participants were six students and a teacher from an urban Chinese Secondary School in the northern region of Malaysia. Methodology –The qualitative data used in this study were online interaction archives and narrative essays collected from an ONWP used by the teacher to teach narrative writing. The student-teacher interactions were coded based on the categories related to cognitive, teaching and social presences as suggested by the Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison, Archer & Anderson, 2000). Findings – Findings indicated that the cognitive, teaching and social presences suggested by the CoI model were present in the interactions while students were engaged in the ONWP. However, certain descriptors of the CoI were not found in the study. The major contribution of this study is the single, dual and triple phases which emerged from this study. The essays’ scores revealed that the students improved in their narrative writing ability after engaging in the ONWP. Significance – The fi ndings have placed the model in a new environment involving the application of CoI model in a Chinese Secondary School. Being online to fulfil wide-ranging tasks does not only involve critical thinking but also creative writing. Teachers involved in online teaching and learning activities need to encourage students to be involved in critical thinking. Students should also realise that there is more to learn in writing than just making corrections based on the comments.

Purpose – This paper examined the application of the inputinteraction-output model in English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) learning environments with four specific questions: (1) How do the three components function in the model? (2) Does interaction in the foreign language classroom seem to be effective for foreign language acquisition? (3) What factors might facilitate/impede interaction, which, in turn, positively or negatively affect output? (4) What are effective teaching methods to enhance interaction and ensure quality of output? Methodology – A systematic search for empirical studies was conducted in the selected databases, which yielded 26 studies from different parts of the world. These studies met the preset criteria concerning medium of instruction, setting, relevancy and quality. Findings – The review demonstrated that when input, interaction and output worked together, positive English le

Purpose – This paper examined the application of the inputinteraction-output model in English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) learning environments with four specific questions: (1) How do the three components function in the model? (2) Does interaction in the foreign language classroom seem to be effective for foreign language acquisition? (3) What factors might facilitate/impede interaction, which, in turn, positively or negatively affect output? (4) What are effective teaching methods to enhance interaction and ensure quality of output? Methodology – A systematic search for empirical studies was conducted in the selected databases, which yielded 26 studies from different parts of the world. These studies met the preset criteria concerning medium of instruction, setting, relevancy and quality. Findings – The review demonstrated that when input, interaction and output worked together, positive English le

Purpose – It is a normal practice that students’ overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in aggregating students’ academic achievements. The weights of the academic subjects must be determined prior to the use of SWA. Methodology – In a case study, a group of five teachers from one primary school was asked to rate five main subjects taught in primary schools according to their importance. These five teachers have taught the five subjects for more than six years. The obtained weights values were used to re-compute 2011 mid-semester final examination scores of 33 year-six pupils at the selected primary school. Findings – The teachers decided to give different weight to three subjects, but same weights to two subjects. Furthermore, the SWA scores give different ranking to the pupils as compared to the SA scores. Another sentence or two needed here to explain the findings. Significance – It is argued that the use of the SWA method is more suitable than the simple average method in finding the overall scores of students’ achievements. The SWA method considers the subjects to have different degrees of importance, as they do in the actual educational context.

Purpose – It is a normal practice that students’ overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in aggregating students’ academic achievements. The weights of the academic subjects must be determined prior to the use of SWA. Methodology – In a case study, a group of five teachers from one primary school was asked to rate five main subjects taught in primary schools according to their importance. These five teachers have taught the five subjects for more than six years. The obtained weights values were used to re-compute 2011 mid-semester final examination scores of 33 year-six pupils at the selected primary school. Findings – The teachers decided to give different weight to three subjects, but same weights to two subjects. Furthermore, the SWA scores give different ranking to the pupils as compared to the SA scores. Another sentence or two needed here to explain the findings. Significance – It is argued that the use of the SWA method is more suitable than the simple average method in finding the overall scores of students’ achievements. The SWA method considers the subjects to have different degrees of importance, as they do in the actual educational context.

Purpose – Research has shown that university students, particularly non-native speakers of English, encounter difficulties with various academic text-types and often lack the ability to organise the information in a structure considered effective by the discourse community or to use the significant language features of the text-type effectively to achieve the intended purpose. The study examined the persuasiveness of argument texts written by proficient and less-proficient undergraduates in a Malaysian university. The aspects examined were the organisational structure of the text and the language features significant for fulfilling the persuasive purpose of the text. Method – Forty argument texts were analysed: 22 written by undergraduates who were more profi cient in English, and 18 by less proficient undergraduates. The analysis focused on the organization of the content of the argument text as well as selected language features, namely, connectors, modal verbs and passive voice. Findings – The results showed that the proficient undergraduates used the structure considered effective for argument texts but the writing of the less-proficient group was characterised by unclear or absence of statement of stance and restatement of stance. To achieve the persuasive purpose of the text, the proficient undergraduates made use of connectors, modal verbs and passive voice more than the less-proficient group. However, the connectors ‘because’, ‘so’ and ‘besides’ were often used in a manner similar to spoken language, and there was an overdependence on the modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘will’. The lack of conditionals and nominalisations was obvious for both groups, suggesting that these are more difficult language features to master and greater pedagogical attention is needed. Significance– The paper explores differentiated focus in the teaching of academic writing at university level for students with high and low proficiency in English.

Purpose – This study sought to investigate the factors that influence students’ intention to use the Internet for academic purposes in Universiti Utara Malaysia. This study applies theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as the base model. The model employed the original variables from the theory i.e. attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intention. Method – A survey involving of questionnaires was conducted among 369 public university students. Multiple regression was employed to examine the factors influencing intention to use the Internet for academic purposes. Findings – Results revealed that the variables attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control are statistically significant in influencing intention to use the Internet for learning purposes. It was also found that 38% of the variance in students’ intention to use the Internet is cumulatively explained by their attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Significance – The paper provides useful scientific insight into the relationships between attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control variables towards intention to use the Internet for academic purposes. The findings can be used to promote the use of Internet among students in enhancing their learning experience.

Purpose – Research has shown that university students, particularly non-native speakers of English, encounter difficulties with various academic text-types and often lack the ability to organise the information in a structure considered effective by the discourse community or to use the significant language features of the text-type effectively to achieve the intended purpose. The study examined the persuasiveness of argument texts written by proficient and less-proficient undergraduates in a Malaysian university. The aspects examined were the organisational structure of the text and the language features significant for fulfilling the persuasive purpose of the text. Method – Forty argument texts were analysed: 22 written by undergraduates who were more profi cient in English, and 18 by less proficient undergraduates. The analysis focused on the organization of the content of the argument text as well as selected language features, namely, connectors, modal verbs and passive voice. Findings – The results showed that the proficient undergraduates used the structure considered effective for argument texts but the writing of the less-proficient group was characterised by unclear or absence of statement of stance and restatement of stance. To achieve the persuasive purpose of the text, the proficient undergraduates made use of connectors, modal verbs and passive voice more than the less-proficient group. However, the connectors ‘because’, ‘so’ and ‘besides’ were often used in a manner similar to spoken language, and there was an overdependence on the modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘will’. The lack of conditionals and nominalisations was obvious for both groups, suggesting that these are more difficult language features to master and greater pedagogical attention is needed. Significance– The paper explores differentiated focus in the teaching of academic writing at university level for students with high and low proficiency in English.

Purpose – This study sought to investigate the factors that influence students’ intention to use the Internet for academic purposes in Universiti Utara Malaysia. This study applies theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as the base model. The model employed the original variables from the theory i.e. attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intention. Method – A survey involving of questionnaires was conducted among 369 public university students. Multiple regression was employed to examine the factors influencing intention to use the Internet for academic purposes. Findings – Results revealed that the variables attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control are statistically significant in influencing intention to use the Internet for learning purposes. It was also found that 38% of the variance in students’ intention to use the Internet is cumulatively explained by their attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Significance – The paper provides useful scientific insight into the relationships between attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control variables towards intention to use the Internet for academic purposes. The findings can be used to promote the use of Internet among students in enhancing their learning experience.

Purpose – In this study, a structural model based on Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory was proposed to explain how the interrelationships between a person (i.e. personality factors) and his or her environment (i.e. how one perceives the school as a learning organisation) can influence the person’s behaviour. The outcome behaviour of interest in this study is the teacher’s engagement in workplace learning activities. Method – This is a a causal-comparative study which utilizes a survey method for data collection. The sample involved a total of 400 school teachers who were selected through a multistage cluster analysis sampling procedure. The data analysis involved an adoption of the two-step procedure. The first step was the analysis of the overall measurement model, followed by the analysis of the proposed structural model through structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – Results indicated that three of five personality factors (conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience) and how the teacher perceived the school as a learning organisation, are significant influences of teacher’s engagement in workplace learning activities. Based on the holistic approach in model evaluation, both the overall measurement model and the structural model were found to be adequately fit. Value – The study proposed a model which highlights the importance of personality factors and perceptions of the school as a learning organisation, and as significant contributors of workplace learning. Practical implications such as the improvement of personality items in the current teacher selection tool and the application of learning organisation in the school context are elaborated in this paper.