Action & cut: Using Windows Movie Maker XP® in ESL classrooms

This study looks at the use of Windows Movie Maker XP® to facilitate students' presentation skills in their English for Professional Communication classes. In the study, students are given the task to produce a short movie based on their meeting presentations which contribute 10% to their course assessment. They are instructed to form groups which consist of five to six members. The movie has to be approximately 10 minutes long with the script written originally by the students. They also need to submit the completed version of the movie in a CD format. The study indicates that Windows Movie Maker XP® enables students to share their meeting presentation movies with their classmates and lecturers. This study also shows that using Windows Movie Maker XP® can help students' learning environment in many ways: they find that English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms can be enjoyable because of the availability of technology which they can utilize; they improve their English in the context of meeting environments which are assigned by their lecturers, and they build their confidence through the role play

Effects of three vocabulary learning techniques on vocabulary retention

This study investigates the effects of three vocabulary learning techniques,which are Contextual Clues,Dictionary Strategy and TMM Vocabulary,in retaining words learnt among ESL learners.Conducting the study serves several purposes. Firstly,it aims at finding which of the vocabulary learning techniques may result in the highest number of words retained, as measured in the immediate and delayed recall tests.Secondly, it investigates the students' attitudes after they are exposed to the vocabulary learning techniques. Finally, it seeks to find out students' preferences and difficulties of using the techniques in retaining words learnt.The results of the study support Ellis' Model of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in that instructions need to match L2 learners' aptitude of helping them to retain the words learnt using the vocabulary learning techniques taught to them. Social Constructivist Learning Theory is also used to explain the findings. The theory describes that the construction of knowledge inside the classroom depends on the inter-dependence of social and individual processes.While learners interpret the learning in their own ways, they also need to be dependent on their friends and be facilitated by their teachers in their attempt to retain the vocabulary learnt in class.The study has adopted both quantitative and qualitative methods in collecting its data. A quasi-experiment that tested the effects of retaining vocabulary using Dictionary Strategy, Contextual Clues and TMM Vocabulary involved 123 first-year university students.A survey gauged their attitudes after being exposed to the techniques. Qualitative procedures included the collection of data from interviews,which were conducted to identify both their preferences and the hindrances they encountered in using the techniques.Results from the study showed that there was a significant difference (p = .033 <05) in Immediate Recall Tests when students were exposed to Dictionary Strategy,Contextual Clues and TMM Vocabulary. The finding for the Delayed Recall Posttest,however, was not supported (p = .735 < .05). There was also evidence that students' attitudes were found to be significant (p = .002 < .05) when they were exposed to the three vocabulary learning techniques. Finally, students' preferences and hindrances relating to the use of the respective vocabulary learning techniques were dependent on the treatments as well as their proficiency levels

Focusing on the spirit of ramadhan

8 August 2012. Ramadhan came again and CMLHS was eager to enliven the Holy month. One of the biggest activities was the Iftar Gotongroyong at UMP Mosque

The use of paper dictionary on L2 vocabulary learning and retention

Vocabulary learning and retention are the two components that are essential in assessing students’ abilities to understand the meaning of words. The study examines students’ attitudes of learning vocabulary and their learning feedback of using a paper dictionary. It also investigates the factors that students favour and dislike when using the resources for vocabulary retention. The method uses to collect the data in the current study is Explanatory Sequential Research Design. Both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are employed as the instruments in the current study. The study found that students had positive learning attitudes using paper dictionary in learning vocabulary. There was also various learning feedback that was obtained concerning the use of the resource for the learning of vocabulary. In terms of vocabulary retention, students provided different viewpoints in the use paper dictionary to assist them in memorising the definition of a target word. Finally, the study found a few factors that restricted them to use the resources to retain the vocabulary learnt. The study implies that the use of a paper dictionary is still significant as it helped students to enhance their understanding of a particular vocabulary.

EFFECTS OF VIDEO-PODCASTS ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION OF SAUDI EFL LEARNERS

The current use of podcasts, as a new channel to input knowledge, has effectively been promoting listening comprehension which consequently has increased the acquisition of target language. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effects of video-podcasts integration on listening comprehension. The twelve-week quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design. Samples included in both the control and experimental groups were 120 English major male undergraduates from a University in Saudi Arabia. The Findings of ANCOVA analysis showed that the video-podcast group significantly outperformed the control group on the post-test. The findings imply that video-podcasts are useful resource for enhancing EFL learners’ listening comprehension

The Making of Leaders Through Involvement in Curricular Activities: A Systematic Literature Review

The Behaviourist theroy explains that leaders are made and not born. Furthermore, the theory describes that an individual can become a leader when he or she is taught how to become one. The theory also suggests that learning through observation enables one to develop themselves as leaders. Therefore, the current systematic literature reviews investigate ways that university students can become leaders by participating in curricular activities. The study used PRISMA as the method to review the literature that was found on the described topic. Ten articles were employed to review the contents that were related to the area of the study. The systematic literature review found three (3) themes and six (6) sub-themes in which students can become leaders by involving themselves in the curricular activities. The study is significant for students who want or have the potential to become leaders in the futur

SAUDI EFL LEARNERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS INTEGRATION OF VIDEO-PODCASTS IN LISTENING COMPREHENSION

The use of podcasts is growing in the instructions of listening comprehension. However, the success of computer technology generally depends on learners positive attitudes towards it. The present study explored attitudes of Saudi EFL undergraduates toward the use of video-podcasts integration in listening comprehension. Moreover, the study also examined students’ attitude from the perspective of the number of video-podcasts they received in their instructions. Samples included 90 English major male undergraduates divided into three groups. The three groups received five (5), ten (10) and 15 video-podcasts in their listening classes before they answered an attitude questionnaire. ANOVA results revealed that the students had positive attitudes towards the use of video-podcasts in listening. However, no significant difference was found between the attitudes of the three experimental groups who received varied number of video-podcasts in their instructions.   Article visualizations

Persediaan menyambut persekolahan, Ramadan, dan lebaran Peranan ibu bapa dalam pengurusan kewangan

Penggal persekolahan akan bermula pada minggu hadapan bagi takwim sesi persekolahan 2024/2025. Seperti tahun sebelumnya, minggu persekolahan bermula pada Mac, secara spesifiknya pada 10 dan 11 Mac mengikut negeri

Investigating the Intrinsic Motivation among Second Language Learners in Using Digital Learning Platforms during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The study aims to investigate the intrinsic motivation among L2 in their uses of digital learning platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, the central questions in the study are to identify the profiles of intrinsic motivation among L2 learners using digital learning platforms, determine gender differences using digital learning platforms, investigate the difference in motivation according to students' performances, and describe the perceived enjoyment of using digital learning platforms. The study that used a questionnaire to collect data among 72 engineering students found positive intrinsic motivation utilizing the medium to learn English. However, there was insufficient evidence to show a difference between gender using the digital learning platforms with intrinsic motivation. There was also insufficient evidence to prove that grades are associated with students' intrinsic motivation when the teacher assigned synchronous or asynchronous classroom tasks. Yet, the present study found that publishing works in Canva and writing posts on LinkedIn were among the students' most preferred digital learning platforms activities. The study is significant to teachers since it assists them in managing classes and discovering the uses of digital learning platforms for a conducive learning atmosphere during the pandemic. It is recommended that teachers need to be creative in using digital learning platforms to promote collaborative learning among learners

Evaluating the Use of Hot Potatoes in Learning Academic Word List

Technology has emerged as a powerful platform to assist learners in their learning. Moreover, a key aspect of learning using technology is its ability to reach audiences at anytime and anywhere. In the current study, Hot Potatoes is used to identify whether or not they are able to learn Academic Word List (AWL) in five (5) exercises namely JMix, JCloze, JCross, JMix and JMatch. Fifty-three words were selected for the purpose of testing their knowledge of the academic vocabulary. Online questionnaire was later administered to the students to examine the relationship between the effectiveness of using Hot Potatoes and its usefulness in learning 53 vocabulary in various forms of quizzes. Results from the study show that there are positive correlations between the two variables with high levels of effectiveness of using Hot Potatoes and its usefulness in learning vocabulary. In terms of effectiveness, the students who answer the survey believe that Hot Potatoes provides direct feedback by remarking students of their answers to be correct or wrong. Meanwhile, the platform is identified to be useful by its users due to its appropriate format of quizzes for cross-word puzzle, matching, fill-in the blanks, jumbled sentences, cloze text and multiple-choice questions. These format of exercises reinforce the learning of vocabulary. The contribution of this study, therefore, has been to confirm that developers who are teacher-researchers may not have to have programming knowledge in preparing online quizzes. Instead, with the use Hot Potatoes, interactive Web exercises can be developed by those who do not have such background