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Arabic language education is one of the foreign languages that must be learned in most schools in Malaysia. It focuses on four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Several past studies found that students' Arabic language proficiency in Malaysia has not yet reached a satisfactory level. This is due to the learning atmosphere, students' attitudes, and teachers' teaching methods that have impacted students' motivation to learn. The gamification approach is a new initiative in technology-based Arabic education in Malaysia and based on the past researchers' findings, this approach has been proven to be effective. Therefore, this paper aims to build a framework for the implementation model of using gamification in Arabic teaching in Malaysia. Gamification is one of the methods dealing with the problem of Arabic language mastery based on the secondary sources. Past studies on gamification were about the problem of mastering the Arabic language among students in Malaysia, gamification approaches in the field of Arabic, the level of knowledge and acceptance of gamification among educators, and the factors driving the use of gamification. This paper will contribute to the knowledge of new innovative methods or approaches that are more effective and further give impact on pedagogical approach in teaching and learning Arabic to improve students' understanding, motivation, and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of mastery of Arabic grammar has long been discussed by researchers as well as academicians. Until now, the problem of students' Arabic grammar mastery in Malaysia has been a grievance of teachers in schools and lecturers in Institutions of Higher Learning. There are two divisions of grammatical aspects that are difficult for students which have been identified, firstly the use of al-kalimat (words) and secondly, the use of at-tarakib (sentence construction). Therefore, this paper aims to discuss the problem of Arabic grammar mastery of students in Malaysia as well as how the role of Monitor Model Theory acts as a solution to address the problem of Arabic grammar mastery based on secondary sources. It also discusses the history of the development of Arabic language, the syllabus of the Arabic language curriculum in religious secondary schools as well as the learning of Arabic grammar in the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah Syllabus and the Kemahiran Bersepadu Dini Syllabus. This paper will contribute to the knowledge of more effective teaching methods or approaches which in turn have an impact on pedagogy in the teaching of Arabic grammar to improve the students' understanding and reduce their errors in learning Arabic grammar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of poor communication skills among undergraduates, which hamper their performance during internship and employment, has been researched extensively in the literature. However, empirical studies on what the interns have gained and learnt from the internship have not been widely explored. This paper presents the findings of a study of Accounting interns' experiences in their English communication during their six-month internship at respective companies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The study employed a qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews with five undergraduate interns from the Faculty of Economics and Management of a public university in Malaysia. Interviews with the managers and supervisor who were in charge of the respondents were also carried out. The interview data was transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed into specific themes and subthemes using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-step thematic analysis. The interns' data was triangulated with supervisor and managers' views and validated by three independent coders using the Cohen's Kappa Reliability Test. The findings of the study show that during the internship, the accounting interns gained valuable experience in practicing their English communication skills, which included opportunities to communicate with clients, colleagues and supervisors, enhance professional communication, learn new terms and knowledge and lastly improve their self-confidence. The language and communication skills in which the interns were still lacking need to be addressed by the university in its efforts to produce Accounting graduates who are competent in English communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly investigated English Monolingual Dictionary (EMD) use among second year students of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (UTMKL) International Campus. The researchers wanted to discover the students' habit and attitude in EMD use; their knowledge with regard to the language learning resources available in EMD; their skill in using EMD, and finally, to discover whether they received any formal instruction in EMD use when they were studying in their former schools and tertiary education. A total of 169 students took part in the survey by answering a questionnaire. The results of the study suggest that the respondents were poor users of EMD. They rarely consulted the EMD; their knowledge of the language learning resources in the EMD was limited; most perceived their EMD skill as average, and there was no instruction in EMD when they were at tertiary education and previously when they were at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 15th General Election was held on November 19, 2022. The warmth of the previous GE-15 (General Election 15) is still being talked about by many today. In the context of elections in Malaysia, the main factors that influence selected coalition parties based on communication strategy involving the manifesto agenda besides its effective visual strategy. The use of visuals is seen as a practical, easy, and fast medium of dissemination to influence audiences within the political party. This study aims to examine the meaning and ideology behind the visual representation of candidates involving Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), and Perikatan Nasional (PN). Visual Semiotics Theory by Kress and van Leuween (1996) was adapted to study visual characteristics and ideology. The results found PH, BN, and PN attach great importance to the implementation of the principle slogan and positive visual elements in the agenda of their party. As a result, PH emphasizes the principles of progress and integrity, BN emphasizes progress and well-being while PN is seen to emphasize the combination of the principles of PH and BN in their party, which are well-being, integrity, and progress. In this case, PN is seen as more critical and transparent based on a combination of slogan principles compared to PH and BN. Positive visual representations and interesting slogan principles are seen as effective alternatives for ideology dissemination to audiences throughout the election season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite Asian immigrants have increasingly received attention in the scholarly study as heritage language learners (Lee, 2003; Kim & Chao, 2009; Dixon et al., 2012; Park et al., 2012), there is still a crucial gap in exploring heritage language (HL) maintenance among the multilingual Chinese descendants in Southeast Asia. This study intends to reveal individual influences as well as linguistic and psychosocial factors in maintaining the Chinese language as a heritage language (CHL) among the new generation of Chinese learners in Malaysia. Sets of questionnaires were distributed to 238 informants ages 16-18 native speakers of Chinese. From the statistical analysis fact, it is concluded that 1) under the postcolonial education system, the diverse education stream or the type of school is one of the most influential individual factors on CHL maintenance level, i.e. SMJK>STPC>SMK in that order when considering the overall achievement on the Chinese language as a core subject, while age and gender had least impacted CHL maintenance; 2) linguistic factor which referring to parental language or dialects did not contribute to the differences in their CHL levels due to the fact that the Chinese language is commonly used in their daily lives and domestic domains; 3) attitudes towards ethnic identity as Malaysian Chinese and Chinese language classroom learning anxiety were significantly contributed to psychosocial factors in the given setting. It is hoped that this study helps to reinforce Chinese language maintenance to a greater connectedness between the young generation of Malaysian HL learners and the Chinese HL community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, literary texts produced in English remain a challenging terrain, especially among Malay writers who must cautiously negotiate between their Malay identity, religion, and cultural globalization. For instance, Che Husna Azhari's literary works, especially her notable short story Mariah, have received tremendous scholarly attention recently. Mariah has been criticized from several viewpoints, such as the playwright's conscious self that forms identity and gender. Thus, using a context-oriented approach, this analysis aims to explore how the Malaysian author, Che Husna Azhari, depicts polygamous character traits in Mariah from a feminist perspective. The feminist rendering employed in this analysis could interestingly reveal how a female writer portrays the issue of polygamy. The analysis revealed that through major characters, Azhari boldly depicts Muslim masculinity, polygamous tendencies, and lust toward women, particularly in the Imam's character. Yet, the narrative tends to mirror patriarchy in Malay society for crediting the use of religion to suppress women. This analysis could advance our understanding of how female characters are represented by a female writer within the socio-cultural and religious contexts of typical Malay society. There is a need, therefore, for modern writers to reassess the narratives of women and polygamy in literary works. This step can guide the reader's understanding of polygamy as a hotly-debated topic as well as enlighten the public about the widespread misconceptions about women's issues in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocabulary is very important in language learning. Studies on Arabic language vocabulary mastery in Malaysia show that lack of teaching materials on effective vocabulary learning contributed to problems in teaching vocabulary faced by teachers, including at pre-university level. Hence this study was carried out to identify the need for designing a module for teaching Arabic language vocabulary for pre-university students based on Nation's Four Strands theory. The survey approach was used with a questionnaire distributed for collecting data on the need to develop the module. The sample consisted of 63 pre-university Arabic language teachers, selected by purposive sampling. The research findings show that there was a need for designing the vocabulary teaching module for pre-university students based on the Four Strands theory comprising four elements, namely meaning focused input, meaning focused output, language focused learning and fluency development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the education sectors globally. The sudden shift from traditional face to face learning to online teaching and learning brings various challenges to English teachers, particularly in tertiary institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia. Hence, the aim of this study is to examine the online teaching and learning challenges faced by teachers teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Islamic tertiary institutions in Malaysia and teachers teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. The qualitative research design used in this study was a case study using focus group interviews (FGI), individual open-ended responses via Google Form and a discussion thread via Whatsapp. Purposive sampling was used, and 10 English teachers from Islamic tertiary institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia were chosen as the participants in this study. The data in this study was analysed through NVIVO applications and categorized according to themes. The findings revealed that among the challenges English teachers faced in ESL/EFL online teaching and learning are a lack of technological skills to teach online, constraints in terms of internet accessibility and devices used for teaching and learning, and effective interaction in online teaching and learning. The findings from this study could potentially be utilised to plan strategies and produce practical solutions to overcome the challenges in conducting online teaching and learning among English teachers in any tertiary learning institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology is very much pervasive in today's world and the educational systems are rapidly adjusting to technology to the extent that it contributed to the advancement of education. Information, communication, and technology (ICT) are significant now by seeing it being introduced into a wide range of schooling activities like Google Classroom. Google Classroom is a technology that connects educators and students, allowing them to communicate with one another through a virtual online class with the various feature. This study intends to investigate students' perception toward Google Classroom Stream, one of the GC's features, as well as the difficulties they faced when utilising it in a writing class. The research involved 35 participants consisting of Year 6 primary students in SJK(C) Shih Chung Cawangan, a Chinese Primary school located in Penang Island, Malaysia. This research study used a descriptive qualitative method and the data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaire is made up of nine questions divided into two themes: the first is about students' acceptance while the second is regarding their performance about Google Classroom Stream. Fifteen students were interviewed to seek more information about their challenges using the platform. The findings of this study demonstrated that students have positive opinions of learning through Google Classroom Stream, owing to the availability of feedback and quick access to learning materials. The main issues that arose were the lack of internet access, as well as the varying displays on different devices and preferences on a private chat section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsought Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in Malaysia's education system, particularly at primary levels. Due to this, schools have been commanded to close immediately by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Malaysian primary English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers have to conduct their teaching virtually via Google Meet under the government's policy, where all teachers are provided with a Gmail address. The use of Google Meet is not well studied not only in primary schools, but also in the local environment. Therefore, this quantitative research was embarked to look into the factors that influence the integration of Google Meet among primary ESL teachers. Participants (n=123) were selected through purposive sampling based on their teaching option (TESL optionists and non-TESL optionists), teaching ESL in primary schools (n=12) located in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. A 5-point Likert scale survey questionnaire adapted from previous studies was used. The factors of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use towards the use of behaviour in integrating Google Meet were testified. The main findings in descriptive statistics indicated that majority of the primary ESL teachers have shown a positive attitude towards the use of Google Meet. However, some respondents remarkably noted that school administrators should render necessary assistance. The findings of this study could provide better insights for English teachers and school authority on the measures to integrate Google Meet in the teaching and learning of English at primary schools. If Google Meet is well integrated, pupils will benefit from this platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective teaching and learning activities are required to provide language learners with chances to develop communicative competence. In 2000, the Malaysian Ministry of Education introduced a program entitled "Literacy and Numeracy Screening" (LINUS) to enhance learners' language proficiency. Despite the existence of this program, research shows that students in Malaysia face difficulties in developing English speaking abilities. This study, therefore, focuses on the application of task-based learning, particularly under the LINUS program. Specifically, the study aims to explore primary school pupils' English speaking achievements and determine the extent of their improvements after learning through the task-based approach. This study employed a quasi-experimental method in which English-speaking tests (pre-test and post-test) were used as data-gathering instruments. The data were collected from a sample of 30 first-year primary school pupils at a national primary school using purposive sampling. The findings showed that as most of the pupils scored higher marks in the post-test compared to the pre-test. Further analysis revealed that task-based learning under the LINUS program enhances pupils' English speaking achievement significantly. The taskbased learning approach provides learners with chances to interact with peers and teachers to develop selfconfidence, which in turn, helps them acquire language skills. It was envisaged that this study could provide English instructors, particularly primary school teachers, with valuable insights into the development of a more creative approach to teaching English speaking subjects through task-based learning under the LINUS program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]