The Occurrences of WTC among Malaysian Pre-university Students in and ESL Online Classroom

The English language is regarded as an important mode of communication in Malaysia, particularly in higher education institutions and the workplace. The perception that graduates lack English communication skills renders them unemployable upon graduation. Therefore, a great deal of effort has been expended to produce students who can communicate effectively in a variety of social and professional settings. The Ministry of Education has taken numerous steps to improve the English proficiency of students. This study examines preuniversity students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in a digital setting at a local university. This study employed a qualitative methodology and included 12 classroom observations. The classroom observation data was subjected to an inter-rater reliability analysis, and the results revealed that the mood and role of the English Language Instructors (ELIs) significantly influenced the occurrences of WTC in English among pre-university students. The findings of this study are intended to provide stakeholders, curriculum developers, and ELIs with a better understanding of the teaching and learning factors that must be considered in order to ensure students' WTC in English

Technology-enabled learning (TEL) policy of Universiti Malaysia Sabah: a learner’s perspective

Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) Policy UMS aims to provide a framework to consolidate Technology-Enabled Learning at the university and to envisage improvement in the quality of Teaching and Learning (T&L) via the use of technology where the sharing of educational resources was conceptualized by the Centre for E-Learning, Centre for Teaching Excellence and Academic Quality (PKPKA), and Department of Information Technology & Communication (JTMK). It is an output of a workshop which was conducted on 19 & 20 March 2018 in the Auditorium Centre of Post Graduate Studies attended by the management and e-Learning Coordinators of JFPIU and subsequently approved by the University Senate/LPU. The objective of this research is to systematically examine the word ‘learning’ contextualised from the learner’s point of view in (1) the vision of TEL policy in UMS and (2) policy statements concerning technology and infrastructure; teaching, learning and assessment; professional development; and governance. The method employed in this research was a six steps content analysis by Ball and Smith (1992) in Abercrombie & Longhurst (2007). The result of this research produced 10 themes of the word ‘learning’ in TEL Policy. As a conclusion, this research has achieved its objective as postulated

The factors contributing to the different self-sufficiency adaptation and academic performance: the case of international students at Malaysian public universities

Globalization has made it possible for international students to pursue their studies overseas. Malaysia is one of the leading destinations for these students to continue their studies, and this aligns with our vision to achieve the internationalization of higher education by the year 2025. This intense initiative has made our educational institutions recognized globally towards world prestigious educational hub. In relation to this, this article aims to analyze the international students' feedback on their experience in the self-sufficiency adapting process that has become the stakeholders' focus. The study uses the qualitative approach by utilizing the semi-structured interviews of 40 international students in the first year of their study in selected public universities. The findings of the study show a positive relationship between the students’ self-sufficiency and their academic performance. The factors contributing to the different self-sufficiency adaptation of the students were discussed in the context of the recognition for the public university’s reputation, current courses offered by the university, the courses’ marketability, English as the medium use in the university teaching delivery, customers’ satisfaction, and the guaranteed quality services coordination, and. continuous accreditation recognition. The findings will become valuable information for future international students planning to further their study overseas. The findings can also be used as guidelines by the university’s management in understanding the implication of self-sufficiency and sustainability on international students’ academic performance

Empowerment of the Malay language issues, rationales and challenges of the Malaysian ministry of education

The focus of the discussion in this paper is about the use of the Malay language among plural societies in Malaysia. This writing attempts to cover the empowerment of the Malay language that is being worked on by the Ministry of Higher Education, which includes (i) the mastery of the Malay language regardless of race or ethnicity, (ii) the ability and authority of the Malay language, (iii) the organization and strengthening of programs to dignify the Malay language, and (iv) the use of the Malay language as the medium of communication. The use of a qualitative approach in this writing utilizes secondary sources such as research results in journals, scholarly writing, online news sources and public forums. The results of the study found that (a) the use of English today as the first medium in speech is a contributing factor to the lack of use of the mother tongue among the multi-ethnic community in Malaysia and instils an individualistic attitude., (b) the use of the Malay language in the private sector has not been prominent because there are a few parties who think that the Malay language has a low commercial value in the business sector, (c) Malay language empowerment programs play a vital role in catalysing the fluency of students as well as the administrative parties at the school and university level so that, issues such as lack of fluency and the dignity of the use of the Malay language as an official language that should be mastered by every Malaysian citizen can be improved and streamlined and (d) If Malay is not used as a medium of instruction, it is unlikely that it will be able to stand majestically on the world stage. As a result, drastic measures must be taken to ensure that the empowerment of the Malay language is in line with the country's development and does not fall solely on the shoulders of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The study's direction looks at the continuation of the impact of the Malay language's empowerment as a language of unity and one of the mediums that play a role in realising our country's aspirations, which is to create racial harmony

Significations Of Family Social Structure And Friendship Relationships In Affecting Expatriate Experience: From The Lens Of Malaysia Public University Expatriate Community

This paper provides an understanding of the social structure, which is seen as a phenomenology that refers to one's thinking about the interpretation and meaning of life experience based on the presence of individuals in economic position, political scenario, statehood, and education system in a country that is not his country of origin. Thus, the interpretation among these independent expatriates is debated by taking into account the role of social structures such as family institutions and the environment of friendship in relation to the significance of expatriate experiences in the host country. In other words, the discussion presented in this paper is to achieve the objective of the study in unravelling the expatriate's interpretation of the expatriate decision, whether it is closely related to the experience of his family members during the expatriate service in the host country. The research was conducted by utilising qualitative methods of in-depth interviews with 30 expatriate academics selected from four Malaysian public universities. The appropriate respondent criteria include the following characteristics, namely (a) has resided for at least a year in Malaysia using a valid employee visa, (b) has been offered a position as academic staff and has renewed his service contract, (c) is an expatriate with his own initiative in expatriating and (d) works full time and is not classified as an exchange staff between universities or those on sabbatical leave. The study results show that the interpretation of family members on the meaning of expatriation experience gives justification for expatriate to remain in the host country. While moral support from friendship provides a positive indication of expatriate’s performance in the context of work throughout performing international duties. Further supporting social networks relationship with the local community is also one of the determinants of expatriate success in adapting to the host country environment

Preliminary study on the influence of willingness to communicate (WTC) among Malaysian pre-university students

The English language is seen as an important medium of communication between people especially in higher institutions in Malaysia and also in the working world. Thus, a lot of effort has been put in in producing students who are competent in communicating effectively in different social and professional context. This can be seen when the Ministry of Education has made a lot of changes in making sure that the syllabus is aligned with the CEFR and MIA requirements. This study looks into students’ willingness to communicate inside the classroom. This paper presents a preliminary discussion on the factors that influence students’ English oral competency among preuniversity students in University Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Sabah, Malaysia in relation to their Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English

Employing social media based willingness to communicate (wtc) module in english speaking skill instruction

Having a sense of willingness to communicate (WTC) in the 2nd language (L2) is one of the important factors in improving ESL students’ speaking skills. WTC model is used as an indicator for successful English learning outcome. This study looks at the impact of the employment of WTC on ESL students’ speaking skill by integrating the employment of social media applications in a digital English-Speaking classroom setting. This study employs multi-methods approach using purposive sampling technique involving questionnaire responses of 421 students to identify successful WTC strategies to be integrated in the module; a pre- and post-test to look at impact of the module and focus group interview of 17 pre-university students to investigate their opinion on the module. The findings of the study revealed that students’ WTC were very much influenced by the use of social media applications in a digital classroom. The interview data also showed that students were more engaged and had higher WTC when social media applications were used. These findings are seen as valuable input especially to English language instructors in integrating social media applications in their teaching and learning in order to engage and increase their WTC in English in the classroom

Languaging and written corrective feedback in L2 writing

The aim of this article is to introduce the application of languaging as the mediational tool to enhance the written corrective feedback’s effectiveness in L2 writing. Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) shows L2 learners their grammatical and ungrammatical errors in writing. It is a form of feedback that is commonly applied pedagogically in writing class. With WCF, L2 learners can improve their ability to write without errors. Nevertheless, providing WCF alone without engaging L2 learners will make the L2 learners become passive learners. They merely copy their teachers’ WCF where they can neither identify nor correct their errors. Therefore, it is recommended that L2 learners are given the opportunity to engage (to notice and understand) with the WCF. Languaging creates the opportunity for L2 learners to engage with the teachers’ WCF. Languaging is a process where L2 learners make meaning, shape knowledge and experience through language. L2 learners use language (languaging) to solve difficult task like L2 writing. When L2 learners languaging the teachers’ WCF, they should be able to improve their writing skills. This paper has pedagogical implications in L2 writing

Loyalty (the national principles): strengthening eco-tourism industry in Sabah, Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the youth’s perception on the influences of the second National Principles (Rukun Negara no. 2) that is ‘loyalty to the king and country’ towards the eco-tourism industry in Sabah, Malaysia. This study aims to determine the positive and negative influences of the second National Principles (NP) on the eco-tourism industry; and to determine the factor associated most with the success of eco-tourism industry in relation to the second NP as perceived by youth in Sabah, Malaysia. The data were collected through a self administered questionnaire and later analyzed using SPSS. In this study, 100 youth were selected as respondents with a mean age of 27. This study found that there is a positive influence but no negative influence of the second NP on the eco-tourism industry in Sabah, Malaysia. The factor associated most with the success of eco-tourism industry in relation to the second NP as perceived by youth in Sabah, Malaysia is ethical and moral values. In accordance, professional experience, and the use of a specific formula may provide a suitable basis for change in this industry when dealing with the local perception on their responsibility to make this industry develop in relation to their feeling of concern towards ‘loyalty to the king and country