Agreement strategies among Malaysian Chinese speakers of English

This research aims to discover the agreement strategies adopted by Malaysian Chinese speakers of English in an academic discussion. Using Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Principle and Speech Acts as frameworks, it seeks to find out the reasons governing their choice of agreement strategies. Student discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Review sessions were also carried out to gain insight into the speakers’ choice of strategies. Analysis of the data revealed five agreement strategies employed by the students during a discussion. During the discussions, the students expressed the speech act of agreement, which support the hearer’s positive face, by directly agreeing with the previous speaker, building upon the previous speaker’s turn, completing and repeating part of the previous speaker’s utterance and giving positive feedback. Of all the strategies, the most often employed and is sustained throughout the discussions is positive feedback. This is followed by building upon utterances, completion of the previous speaker’s utterance and direct agreement. Apart from the Chinese cultural values which may influence the group’s agreement strategies, the findings also reveal that gender has an influence in the participants’ choice of agreement strategies since four out of the five strategies are mainly employed by the female participants. In sum, Malaysian Chinese speakers of English have their own communicative style when expressing agreement acts which is influenced by their cultural values and gender

Problemas en las habilidades de lectura del inglés entre alumnos de escuelas primarias rurales

Reading skills is a basic language skills for pupils in primary schools. This skill is very important for the pupils to achieve a proficient level in the target language. Therefore, this study aims to identify the problems regarding the reading skills in English among the rural primary school pupils. The participants consist of 150 primary school pupils studying in Standard 4 to Standard 6 in a rural primary school in Sarawak, Malaysia. This study is a descriptive survey research utilizing the use of a questionnaire that encompasses the personal background information and the problems that are faced in reading skills.Las habilidades de lectura son habilidades lingüísticas básicas para los alumnos de las escuelas primarias. Esta habilidad es muy importante para que los alumnos alcancen un nivel competente en el idioma de destino. Por lo tanto, este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los problemas relacionados con las habilidades de lectura en inglés entre los alumnos de la escuela primaria rural. Los participantes consisten en 150 alumnos de primaria que estudian en el Estándar 4 al Estándar 6 en una escuela primaria rural en Sarawak, Malasia. Este estudio es una investigación de encuesta descriptiva que utiliza el uso de un cuestionario que abarca la información de fondo personal y los problemas que enfrentan las habilidades de lectura

Reader-Response Theory: A Systematic Literature Review

This paper presents an analysis of a systematic review of relevant published past research on the reader’s response theory. The studies reviewed are from the year 2013 to 2020 with the total number of fourteen studies. The main aim of this systematic review is to depict an empirical information formulation discovered through multiple methods in previous scholarly research on the Reader’s Response Theory. This systematic study addresses the current findings in reader response theory. The findings focus on the benefits of using the reader-response theory as well as the challenges of faced by a few researchers

Investigations of the absorption and metabolism of antioxidant flavonols

Flavonols are polyphenols, secondary plant metabolites commonly found in plants and foods of plant origin. They have widespread biological properties in the human body. The recent discovery of their potential antioxidant activities has prompted extensive research. Flavonols particularly quercetin are potent antioxidants with higher antioxidant properties than the well known antioxidant vitamins C and E. Several epidemiology studies have demonstrated a strong inverse association between flavonoid intake and risk of coronary heart disease. The association with cancer is less defined with only some studies showing an inverse association and others not. In view of their potential to act as antioxidants and prevent oxidative damage-related diseases, it is important to have an understanding of their bioavailability. Indeed, information of the absorption and metabolism of individual flavonols in man is limited. Previous investigations of their absorption have shown conflicting results. It was previously speculated that flavonol glycosides were not absorbed due to their conjugation to sugar molecules and that only the aglycones were transported into the blood stream. However, recent research has detected the presence of quercetin glycosides in plasma. These findings disagree with the earlier postulation that flavonol glycosides were not absorbed. In addition to absorption, the metabolism of flavonoids is another important area of research. As yet, little firai information is available on the fate of flavonols following absorption. The aim of the present study was to conduct further research on the absorption and metabolism of flavonols and to establish the influence of flavonol structure on the extent of their absorption and metabolism. Results obtained from this thesis can partially explain the seemingly low absorption of flavonol glycosides from the small intestine and their accumulation in plasma. The structure of flavonols, particularly the nature and position of the sugar moiety, has a major influence on their absorption and potential bioavailability. Furthermore, the substantial metabolism of flavonol glucosides by the liver may contribute to the low levels of the parent compounds detected in plasma and urine. Findings from this present study raised interesting health promotion possibilities as identification of the flavonol conjugates which will be highly absorbed into the bloodstream can be used to encourage the public to increase their intakes of flavonol-rich fruit and vegetables. Identification of the metabolites of flavonol metabolism with potential antioxidant activities can further contribute towards promoting the beneficial effects of increasing intakes of flavonol-rich foods. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

TESL Teachers’ Online Teaching during COVID-19: Preferences of Online Tools and Factors Affecting Behavioural Intention

The use of online tools has become more prominent as the global lockdown of education institutions in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Teachers all over the world resorted to continue the teaching and learning process online using different online tools. In this study, the preferred online tools, and the relationship between the factors of TESL teachers’ use of online tools and their behavioural intention are investigated. A survey was conducted on 56 Malaysian TESL teachers using purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through online survey questionnaires assigned using Google Forms. The findings showed the top 3 major online tools used by TESL teachers were WhatsApp (80.4%), Google Form (71.4%), while Quizizz and YouTube both achieved a 62.5% among the 56 respondents. Regression analysis showed that Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Condition were positive predictors of teachers’ Behavioural Intention to use online tools, with Effort Expectancy being the factor that affects Behavioural Intention the most. Since the findings pointed out that Effort Expectancy was the main factor that influences teachers’ online teaching and learning experience, the ministry of education and online tools developers should ensure the online tools are user friendly to reduce teachers’ burden and hence, encouraging the use of online tools

Writing Lyrics in English to An Indigenous Iban Song-Towards The Efficacy of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

The main purpose of this study was to examine the use of Indigenous Iban song in enhancing the level 2 pupils’ writing skills. Culturally responsive pedagogy is a progressive approach that shapes the future learning process This research was conducted in a rural school of the Limbang district in Sarawak. The participants of this research comprised of 20 pupils from Year 4 until Year 6. Year 6 pupils were included as they were not sitting for UPSR due to Pandemic. Action Research with the model Kemmis & McTaggart employed in this study. The findings from the questionnaires indicated a high level of agreement from the participants on implementation of writing lyrics in English to an indigenous Iban song

Using Soleh English (SE) Teaching Materials with The Integration of Cultural and Islamic Values: Islamic Preschool Teachers’ Voices

English Language Teaching (ELT) materials are significant as tools in facilitating a second language teaching and learning including for preschool level. Also, it is necessary for teachers to opt for appropriate ELT materials which encompass cultural and local identity to generate a meaningful and relatable context of teaching and learning. Nonetheless, most of the materials currently available for preschool education in the publishing market are foreign and therefore little focus on local context. It is more evident in Islamic preschools, as the ELT materials need to be infused with Islamic values to align with the philosophy of Islamic preschools. Hence, this paper presents and discusses a part of a study on Islamic preschool teachers’ perception of the Soleh English (SE) teaching materials developed in the attempt to integrate Malay culture and Islamic values with ELT. The study employed a Case Study design involving five female Islamic preschool teachers in the Klang Valley Region. They were purposely chosen based on their experiences using the SE teaching materials. The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and triangulated with a questionnaire and document analysis. The interview data reported in this article were thematically analysed. Findings illuminated four key themes for each research question which indicated that there is an integration of cultural and Islamic values in the SE teaching materials as well as in ESL teaching. This enabled the teachers to instil Islamic and cultural values in their English language teaching in contribution to generate noble citizens.  Keywords: materials, ESL teaching, integrated values, islamic preschool, cultural

Employment of Language Learning Strategies by Chinese School Learners in Learning ESL Vocabulary

Language Learning Strategies (LLS) are widely implemented in the learning of English as a second language (ESL). In order to make the language communicable, vocabulary is the main element to cope by the ESL learners. Hence, LLS is helpful in aiding the learners to develop the ESL vocabulary effectively according to the learners’ needs. Derived from the issue, the study is aiming to identify the best strategies among Chinese school learners as they share the same environment background in learning ESL vocabulary. A survey was distributed through google form to all the Chinese primary schools in a suburban district. The total number of sixty-two respondents in Primary Five were chosen in collecting the LLSs in learning ESL vocabulary with the learners’ academic achievement. The findings portrayed the learners who performed high academic achievement are those who implemented metacognitive strategies widely when learning vocabulary. Thus, the findings could be an alternative for teachers and learners in future teaching and learning of ESL vocabulary in Chinese schools

The Use of Multimodal Text in Enhancing Students’ Reading Habit

Reading habit is a fundamental skill that is necessary for every student's life. However, Malaysia is far from a culture of reading. Therefore, to step forward to a world that enjoys reading, everyone needs to spread good reading habits as soon as possible. Thus, this conceptual paper provides a literature review that is relevant to students' reading habits by using multimodal text. Additionally, it explores reading habits, the importance of reading, multimodal text as instructional material, and the advantages of using multimodal text to improve students' reading habits. By identifying some advantages of using multimodal text in improving students' reading habits, such as making the learning environment more interesting and productive, encouraging more on reading habits and motivate students to read texts with passion. Thus, teachers should be encouraged to develop their own multimodal text to be used in the ESL classroom

Antidiabetic and antioxidant properties of Ficus deltoidea fruit extracts and fractions

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder affecting the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat. A number of studies have shown that diabetes mellitus is associated with oxidative stress, leading to an increased production of reactive oxygen species. Ficus deltoidea is traditionally used in Malaysia for regulating blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The use of F. deltoidea as an alternative medicinal herb is increasingly gaining popularity with the sale of F. deltoidea tea bags and capsules in the local market. The present study was undertaken to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of the fruits from different varieties of F. deltoidea, employing in vitro methods. METHOD: Two fruit varieties of F. deltoidea (var. angustifolia (SF) and var. kunstleri (BF)) were extracted separately using double-distilled water. The resulting aqueous extracts were partitioned using ethyl acetate to obtain the ethyl acetate and water fractions. The crude aqueous extracts and the corresponding fractions were evaluated for their phenolic, flavonoid, sugar and protein contents. Protein profiling of the extracts and fractions were also carried out by means of SDS-PAGE and SELDI-TOF MS. Antidiabetic activities were assessed based on the ability of the samples to inhibit yeast and mammalian α-glucosidase as well as α-amylase. Antioxidant capacities were examined by measuring the ability of the samples to reduce ferric ions and to scavenge DPPH, superoxide anion, ABTS and nitric oxide radicals. RESULTS: The crude extracts and fractions of SF and BF inhibited both yeast and rat intestinal α-glucosidases in a dose-dependent manner, but did not inhibit porcine pancreatic α-amylase. The water fraction of BF showed the highest percentage of α-glucosidase inhibition while having the highest amount of protein (73.33 ± 4.99 μg/mg fraction). All the extracts and fractions exhibited antioxidant activities, with SF crude extract showing the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic content (121.62 ± 4.86 mg/g extract). Fractionation of the crude extracts resulted in loss of antioxidant activities. There was no positive correlation between phenolic and flavonoid content with α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. However, phenolic content correlated well with antioxidant activities of the crude extracts but not with the fractions. CONCLUSIONS: The antioxidant activities of the fruits of F. deltoidea might be asserted by the phenolic content but other polar plant components were possibly involved in the antidiabetic properties. The study of these compounds having both antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities may provide a new approach in the treatment of diabetes mellitus