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This study examined the level of L2 speaking anxiety among school teachers undertaking a master's degree at the International Islamic University Malaysia and sought to determine if the anxiety level would differ by gender, school location and teaching subject. A convenience sample of 290 teachers completed a 12-item survey on L2 speaking anxiety adapted from Nazir et al. (2014). The survey data were analyzed using the Rasch measurement modeling for polytomous data, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Overall, the respondents did not show high levels of speaking anxiety, (Mean -0.89 logits). Most were largely worried about being able to express themselves effectively in English (-0.66 logits), making mistakes in speaking (-0.31 logits), and how lecturers would react to their mistakes (-0.38 logits). The sample's speaking anxiety scores were found to differ significantly by teaching subject, while no statistically significant differences were observed in regard to gender and school location. The results imply that the teachers need to be helped in terms of confronting the factors that cause them to be anxious about speaking in English. In terms of research, in-depth qualitative studies need to be undertaken to further understand the nature of L2 speaking anxiety among schoolteachers, while quantitative studies with larger samples are recommended to uncover underlying factors of speaking anxiety.

Purpose: The validity of any performance assessment depends substantially on the rating scale used in the assessment procedure. It delineates the theoretical construct being measured and influences how performances are judged and interpreted. This study examined the factorial validity and invariance of the rating scale used for the assessment of the essay writing component of the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) in terms of the correspondence to empirical data and the theoretical construct of ESL writing. Methodology: To determine the factorial validity of the MUET essay writing rating scale, a measurement model was developed based on the criteria description of the scale. Model-data fit was tested using CFA. The data comprised 392 essays, taken from a university English proficiency examination. Factorial invariance was tested through consecutively more restrictive models. Results: A 3-factor structure model was found to produce the best fit to the data. Factorial invariance was tested by examining the comparability of the structure and values of parameters within the model across two groups. A more restrictive model was subsequently tested, where variances and covariances of the latent constructs together with factor loadings were constrained to be equal for the two groups. The resultant goodness-of-fit indices showed a better fit to the data, providing support for the factorial invariance of the 3-factor structure model. Significance: The results support a 3-factor structure model, congruent with the theory of ESL writing. However, further validation needs to be carried out across different ESL populations to ensure accurate representation and assessment of ESL writing performance.

Purpose: The study sought to determine the hierarchical nature of reading skills. Whether reading is a "unitary" or "multi-divisible" skill is still a contentious issue. So is the hierarchical order of reading skills. Determining the hierarchy of reading skills is challenging as item difficulty is greatly influenced by factors related to test characteristics. To examine the interaction between these factors and item difficulty, and determine the possibility of such a hierarchy, this study used the multifaceted Rasch approach. Methodology: In this descriptive study, a 42-MCQ reading test was administered to 944 ESL lower secondary students, randomly selected from eleven Malaysian national-type schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor. These student populations were selected as the development of reading ability was considered critical at this stage of schooling. The reading test items were identified according to the following aspects: Reading Skill Areas ("Interpreting information, making Inference, Understanding figurative language, Drawing conclusions, Scanning for details and Finding word meanings"), Context Type (Linear and Non-Linear), and Text Type (Ads, Notice, Chart, Story extract, Short message, Poem, Short news report, Brochure, Formal letter, Conversation, Long passage and weather forecast). Applying the Many-Facet Rasch model of measurement, the study analyzed student responses to the test items with the help of FACETS, version 3.7.1.4. Findings: The findings showed that context types, skill areas, and text types differed in difficulty (p<0.01), with those items that required understanding and interpretation being more demanding. Test items based on linear contexts were more difficult than those based on non-linear contexts. "Understanding figurative language" was found to be the most difficult skill followed by "Making inference" and "Interpreting information". The easiest reading skill was "Scanning for details", followed by "Finding word meanings". The reading skill, "Drawing conclusions", was close to the average difficulty level. The findings also indicated that texts that were longer and had more information tended to be more difficult. Significance: This study has also shed new light on the theory and practice of reading. The findings support the hierarchical nature of reading skills. Different reading skills were found to exert differential cognitive demands, and those which required higher cognitive ability were more difficult for learners to acquire and perform. Understanding the hierarchy of reading skills will help language teachers to target their teaching more effectively; course designers to produce more appropriate teaching and learning materials; and test writers to develop test items that better meet students' reading competencies.

Writing skill is seen as a cornerstone of university students' success in both academic and career life. This qualitative study was conducted to further explore the teachers' and students' perceptions on the relationship between writing apprehension and writing performance, contributing factors of writing apprehension, and strategies to reduce writing apprehension. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to get more in-depth information from two respondents: one experienced instructor of teaching writing at the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD), International Islamic University Malaysia, and another, a graduate student who was reported to having a high level of writing apprehension using Daly and Miller's (1975) questionnaire on writing apprehension. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Both respondents were convinced that writing apprehension has a negative influence on students' writing performance; the sources of contributing factors could be students, instructors, and teaching learning setting; and writing apprehension could be reduced through suggested strategies. It is recommended that instructors should be more aware of students' problems in the writing skill.

Background and aims: Obesity and overweight among children and adolescents have caused a prime public health apprehension because they are significantly associated with medical and psychosocial comorbidity. Children with high body mass index often become obese adults, who are at risk of many chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is vital to further examine obesity and overweight in school children and identify their modifiable risk factors. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to explore the prevalence of obesity and overweight among Palestinian adolescents in secondary schools, and their relationship with sociodemographic factors, dietary habits, lifestyle, and healthy nutrition awareness. Methods: The participants were randomly selected from four different areas in Hebron city, Palestine. A total sample comprising 392 students, females (51.3%) and males (48.7%), was included in the final analysis. The nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measurements and dietary habits. Obesity and overweight were defined using World Health Organization–Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sex-specific growth chart for children, aged 2 to 18 years. Anxiety, stress, and depression were assessed using Arabic version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results: The results revealed that obesity prevalence was 3.3% and overweight was 13.8% among the students, with no significant association with gender, age, or area of living. Obesity and overweight were significantly associated with lower self-satisfaction (P<0.01). Conclusion: Considerable prevalence levels of obesity and overweight were reported among the study sample. There is a need to promote intervention educational programs to increase students' awareness on obesity and overweight, and promote healthy diet intake and lifestyle among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of children in conflict-affected countries are deprived of their fundamental rights to education. Using the qualitative exploratory research method, this study aims to explore ways of providing education to such children, and to identify the challenges facing their implementation. It also presents two short case studies conducted on Palestinian and Syrian refugees residing in Malaysia to explore their perceptions towards their education in their current situation and future orientation. The results show that despite the educational programmes initiated by various organizations, the affected community continue to face numerous political, financial, psychological, economic, administrative, or institutional challenges. The analysis of the interviews data revealed several categories and themes, among them related to the participants' current situation, educational needs, roles of different members of the community involved, and the challenges. The study recommends increasing efforts to meet the educational demands of the huge number of children out of schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the use of the Item Objective Congruence Method (IOC) for a content validation procedure to evaluate the congruence between reading test items constructed and the reading sub-skills they were intended to measure. The IOC allows for quantification of the content validity evidence of a test or an instrument. In this study, experts were asked to rate 96 reading comprehension test items against the sub-skills that the items were intended to measure. In line with the concept of justice in Islam, it is important that the evidence of justice is demonstrated. Using ten English language experts who were also experienced test writers, the study found different degrees of agreement between the experts in terms of what some of the items were supposed to measure. Items that showed considerable incongruence are those that test multiple subskills. Whereas, items that had high degree of congruence are those that clearly test a single subskill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the use of the Many-facet Rasch model and the Objective Standard Setting Method in the construction of cutscores, and in dealing with fundamental standard setting issues. With the proliferation of standardized testing for accountability purposes, the tracking of educational growth within and across nations, and the high-stakes use of educational standards, issues pertaining to the selection of the "right" standard setting method for the construction of defensible cutscores has become more and more prominent. The Many-facet Rasch Model used together with the Objective Standard Setting Method allow for the modeling and adjustment of rater severity in the standard setting process, and facilitate clear and efficient identification of inconsistent judges and misjudged items. However, as with most model-based approaches, a clear understanding of construct theory is imperative to arrive at valid and defensible cutscores and performance standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of education in Islam is markedly different from that seen from a secular Western viewpoint. For Muslims, teaching is considered as the noblest of professions, while the Prophet Muhammad (...) is known to be the greatest educator of all time. The focus of this paper is to explore the meaning of the concept of murabbī (Muslim educator) and then to consider some selected pedagogical practices of the Prophet Muhammad (...) which were used to guide and educate the early Muslim community. It is hoped that the pragmatic and spiritual nature of the Holy Prophet's pedagogical practices will serve as a role model and an inspiration and for both Muslim and non-Muslim teachers and educators in today's world and the the world of the future, inshallah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]