THE USE OF JAPANESE LANGUAGE DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS BY MALAYSIAN TOUR GUIDES

Background and Purpose: Cultural collisions in tourism communication can elicit obstacles or failure to achieve communication goals in social interactions with people of different backgrounds. A communication between cultures can present misunderstandings, vagueness in meanings and frustration due to the diverse social and cultural norms arising from various discourse systems. Among the several types of tourism communication, this study attempted to foreground delivering instructions, which is a frequently utilised speech act (SA) during tour sessions. More specifically, the study examined the use of SA in giving instructions, as expressed by tour guides throughout tour sessions. Delivering instructions is a straightforward mode of communication, even in intercultural context.   Methodology: This study adopted a qualitative research method through the collection of data from audio and visual recordings, along with observational notes from interactions between tour guides and tourists particularly during the five Free Independent Travel (FIT) packages. Five Japanese speaking Malaysian tour guides and 17 Japanese tourists (JTs) were recruited for this study. Categorisation of directive speech act (DSA) by Searle (1979) and structure formation of SDA by Blum-Kulka (1989) were employed to analyse the subcategories of directive.   Findings: Findings indicate that only three subcategories were used, namely the command, insist, and request. The findings also reveal that there were alignments and adjustments to the expressions or utterances when giving instructions. With the aim of effective intercultural communication, the tour guides were identified to have adapted to the tourist culture. The expression of instructions even in an intercultural context did not confer any contradiction of cultural norms, and were unlikely to cause conflict between the tour guides and the JTs.   Contributions: This research is expected to serve as a foundation and reference for parties involved in the teaching and learning of the Japanese language, especially in the expression of SA for tourism communication.   Keywords: Speech act, giving directive, Malaysian tourism, tourism communication, Malaysia tour guide.   Cite as: Rashid, R. A., Mat, N. H., Kamaruzaman, A. S., Ibrahim, M. Y., Noh, C. H. C., & Matsutani, S. (2021). The descriptive analysis of Japanese language directive speech acts in intercultural context by Malaysian tour guides in tour sessions communication. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 358-378. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp358-37

PENELITIAN LAKUAN BAHASA PUJIAN DALAM KOMUNIKASI SILANG BUDAYA PELANCONGAN MALAYSIA[EXAMINING THE COMPLIMENTARY SPEECH ACT IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN MALAYSIAN TOURISM]

Pujian merupakan salah satu lakuan bahasa yang dikenal pasti berupaya melancarkan komunikasi. Namun sekiranya diujarkan dalam komunikasi silang budaya, ianya bukan hanya berbeza dari pengaplikasiannya malah berbeza dari segi penyampaian, kekerapan dan fungsinya. Objektif kajian ialah meneliti lakuan bahasa pujian dalam bahasa Jepun oleh pemandu pelancong Malaysia berbahasa Jepun terhadap pelancong Jepun di sepanjang sesi lawatan pemanduan pelancongan. Kajian ini adalah kajian kualitatif daripada data rakaman audio, visual dan catatan pemerhatian terhadap interaksi empat orang pemandu pelancong berbangsa Melayu menggunakan bahasa Jepun semasa berinteraksi dengan 12 orang pelancong Jepun pada empat set sesi lawatan pemanduan pelancongan pakej Free Independence Travellers (FIT). Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pengujaran pujian dari segi fungsi, strategi dan penggunaan topik adalah bertepatan dengan budaya sasaran walaupun dalam konteks pertembungan budaya. Walau bagaimanapun, corak maklum balas terhadap pengujaran pujian oleh pelancong Jepun didapati melangkaui dan tidak menepati norma dan aturan sosial yang sepatutnya dalam budaya Jepun. Pengujaran pujian yang diaplikasikan dalam konteks silang budaya ini walaupun bercanggahan dengan norma budaya, ia tidak cenderung ke arah tercetusnya konflik. Kajian ini memberi pendedahan berkenaan pengujaran pujian yang seharusnya kepada para pemandu pelancong semasa mengendalikan sesi lawatan kerana dengan pengujaran pujian yang bersesuaian akan dapat meningkatkan lagi kelancaran komunikasi yang menggunakan medium bahasa Jepun. Kajian ini diharapkan akan menjadi rujukan kepada mereka yang terlibat dalam pendidikan bahasa Jepun untuk pelancongan dan menjadi panduan dalam meningkatkan penguasaan komunikasi silang budaya. Kata kunci: Lakuan bahasa pujian, pemanduan pelancongan, pemandu pelancong, pelancong Jepun, pujian. ABSTRACTA compliment, as one of the speech acts, is capable of enhancing communication fluency. However, if a compliment is expressed in the context of cross-cultural communication, it not only differs in its application, but it also varies in terms of its delivery, frequency and function. This study examined the complimentary speech act applied in the Japanese language of four Japanese-speaking Malaysian tour guides when interacting with Japanese tourists. As a qualitative study, the data were collected through audio, visual and observational notes on the interaction of the tour guides while communicating with 12 Japanese tourists during a series of four guided tours, as part of a Free Independence Travel (FIT) package. The findings of this study have shown that the complimentary speech act in terms of its function, strategy, and choice of topic of the tour guides was accurate for the target culture. Although, the response patterns of the Japanese tourists towards the complimentary speech in these interactions did not meet the expectations of the researcher given they failed to conform to the expected norms and social rules of Japanese culture. However, while the complimentary speech applied in this cross-cultural context was contradictory to or beyond the cultural norms as expected, it nevertheless did not lead to conflicts. Accordingly, this study provides exposure on the utterance of complementary speech used by Japanese-speaking tour guides when interacting with Japanese tourists while visiting Malaysia, which will enhance the fluency and delivery of cross-cultural communication using the Japanese language medium. Further, it is anticipated that this study will act as an educational reference and guide in the Japanese language for tourism to enhance the cross-cultural communication skills of Japanese-speaking tour guides in Malaysia. Keywords: Compliments, compliment speech act, guided tour session, Japanese tourist, tour guide. Cite as: Abdul Rashid, R., Masutani, S., Mansor, N. R., Mamat, R., Chua Abdullah, N. A., & Zakaria, R. (2019). Penelitian lakuan bahasa pujian dalam komunikasi silang budaya pelancongan Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(1), 23-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss1pp23-4

VIRTUAL DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN MANDARIN TEACHING: A REVIEW

Differentiated instruction, also known as differentiated learning, is a teaching philosophy that considers the needs of all students, including when they are in a virtual learning environment. Virtual strategies and differentiated instruction could be tailored to every learner’s needs and are more convincing than the traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching. Virtual differentiated instruction shows concerns about students’ existence, encouraging engagement while fulfilling the needs of high-performance students. However, there is little information regarding the application of virtual differentiated instruction by teachers. Besides, teachers might not regularly adapt instruction to students’ specific characteristics. Hence, this research intends to determine the status of differentiated instruction’s implementation in Mandarin virtual learning. The review demonstrates that educators are aware of the existence and importance of differentiated instruction. The practice of differentiated instruction is growing among Mandarin educators, with voices urging for proper training and guidance for its realisation. Of late, Mandarin researchers have been focusing on technology-enhanced learning. Scholars have directly or indirectly been applying the differentiated instruction approach in their teaching practices, with positive impacts on students’ learning. Nevertheless, some discrepancies need to be considered in ensuring its success. An understanding of differentiated instruction in Mandarin virtual classes can help instructors adopt the approach efficiently with attuned strategies to cater to students’ diversity. It could also provide ideas to other educators in differentiating their teaching strategies towards enhancing students’ learning performances.   Keywords: Differentiated instruction, virtual learning, Mandarin foreign language, technology-enhance learning, students’ diversity.   Cite as: Chua, N. A., Soon, G. Y., Ibrahim, M. Y., Che Noh, C. H., Mansor, N. R., Zaid, C. M., … Shen, D. M. (2021). Virtual differentiated instruction and its implementation in Mandarin teaching: A review.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 231-249. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp231-24

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among Doctors in North Borneo

Introduction: Doctors are known to deal with high occupational stress, causing increased risk of depression, anxiety and stress.Nevertheless, the prevalence and associatedfactors of depression, anxiety and stress among registered doctorsworking in 24 public hospitals in Sabah, Malaysia are not known yet. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using convenient sampling from September-October 2018. The data of 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was collected via online link anonymously. Results: Among 314 doctors, majority of them were females (62.1%), mean age 29 (SD 2.72), non-Sabahan (82.8%), Malays (46.8%), not married (78.3%) and medical officers (93.6%). Prevalence of severe/extremely severe anxiety symptoms was 27.4%,depression (22.9%) and stress (18.5%). Doctors perceiving themselves to be depressed, anxious and/or stressed were more likely to develop the corresponding symptoms. Females and Chinese were twice more likely to report anxiety symptoms. Being married had protective effect against depressive symptoms, while working in same hospital for longer time had a significant but weak protective effect against anxiety and stress symptoms. Conclusions: Mental health issue among doctors is substantial and need to be addressed effectively for the benefit of their life, patients and country

Performing Communicative Language Teaching in Mandarin Mobile Learning

Students should be able to develop their communication abilities instead of just concentrating on translation methods. As a result, Communicative Teaching Language (CLT) had become the most favored approach to achieving the verbal goal as it was known as the most effective strategy to enhance learners' communicative competence. However, it was not a one-size-fits-all approach, and language instructors were advised to integrate educational technology to develop learning for students. Hence, CLT Mandarin mobile learning via personal action research was conducted to determine the extent of the approach on students' oral learning attainment, attitudes, and learners' recommendations during the learning process. The communicative task used in this study was Chatting to Mandarin Native Speakers programme. Pre- and post-oral assessments had been conducted in response to research inquiries. In verifying the reliability and validity of the study, data were triangulated through students' oral assessments, Students' Diaries, Self-Reflective Journals and Focus Group Interviews. The outcomes showed that students enjoyed the activity and improved their confidence and oral competence. Also, they suggested that there should be more language activities. The findings indicated that, when designing CLT technology-integrated projects, an instructor needed to consider students' learning preferences which make the project a success.</p

Mobile apps in tourism communication: the strengths and weaknesses on tourism trips

The IR4.0 wave has fostered the variety of development of mobile apps inclusive of apps that are useful to ensure the smoothness of tourism activities. These mobile apps have replaced many of the functions of tourism workers in the tourism industry. However, the question is to what extent both the effectiveness and weaknesses of these apps can help and satisfy a tourist during his tour visit. Therefore, this concept paper will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using mobile apps to serve the purpose of smoothening the tour visit and tourism communications. The writing of this paper is based on research focusing on the use of mobile apps in tourism from 2011 to date. the findings of the study indicate that the application of mobile apps in tourism communication isn't replacing the function of human workers in the tourism sector entirely. Although there are some strengths in using the mobile apps, on the other, it still has much weakness which requires improvements to be made to meet tourist's needs. Thus, this study will further illustrate the level of effectiveness of using mobile apps in the tourism industry as a source of reference to the mobile apps developer who created the sophisticated apps and fulfills the demand of tourists. This also will further become a reference to LR in improvising the quality of the service of a tourist destination

THE MANDARIN ORAL MASTERY PROGRAMME AS PERCEIVED BY NON-NATIVE LEARNERS

Background and Purpose: Pinyin is required in learning Mandarin. The challenge of Romanised Pinyin is that learners must decipher the meaning of words based on the change of tone. Communication research is often conducted without accounting for the effects of the change of tone in learning a language. With the aim of avoiding miscommunication while strengthening awareness, Campus Buddies Programme was employed to provide tone practice for learners and consequently explores the effectiveness of the intervention. &nbsp; Methodology: This quantitative classroom-based research gathered information through the administration of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 32 Mandarin Level 1 learners identified through purposive sampling. The students studied five topics from the syllabus. A total of 10 native speakers who scored A in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) mentored the learners during the programme. The participants were instructed to answer both pre- and post-tests. Part A consists of demographic details, whereas Part B focuses on the effectiveness of questions and Part C consists of 30 questions of content learned by the respondents. The data were then analysed using SPSS 26 software. &nbsp; Findings: The respondents demonstrated a positive response towards the programme and suggested further improvement ideas such as prolonging the training session and adding more topics and oral activities. The results implicated the programme as a motivator for oral fluency. Many non-native speakers can benefit from conversation with Mandarin native speakers because it is a strong indicator and sound oral mastery strategy. &nbsp; Contributions: This research provides insights into the effectiveness of the current programme in motivating students’ oral learning. The outcome is essential in determining the Mandarin conversation strategy. More studies adopting different variables are proposed to explore correlations from different perspectives in order to improve students’ oral learning. &nbsp; Keywords: Tonal pronunciation, native speakers, non-native speakers, foreign language instruction, Mandarin conversation. &nbsp; Cite as: Chua, N. A., Soon, G. Y., Ibrahim, M. Y., Che Noh, C. H., Mansor, N. R., Embong Eusoff, A. M., Abdul Rashid, R., &amp; Shen, M. (2022).&nbsp;The Mandarin oral mastery programme as perceived by non-native learners.&nbsp;&nbsp;Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1), 1-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp1-2

Public Awareness and Practices Towards Self-Medication with Antibiotics Among Malaysian Population: Questionnaire Development and Pilot Testing

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Paediatric COVID-19 mortality: a database analysis of the impact of health resource disparity

Background The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric populations varied between high-income countries (HICs) versus low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to investigate differences in paediatric clinical outcomes and identify factors contributing to disparity between countries.Methods The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 database was queried to include children under 19 years of age admitted to hospital from January 2020 to April 2021 with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Univariate and multivariable analysis of contributing factors for mortality were assessed by country group (HICs vs LMICs) as defined by the World Bank criteria.Results A total of 12 860 children (3819 from 21 HICs and 9041 from 15 LMICs) participated in this study. Of these, 8961 were laboratory-confirmed and 3899 suspected COVID-19 cases. About 52% of LMICs children were black, and more than 40% were infants and adolescent. Overall in-hospital mortality rate (95% CI) was 3.3% [=(3.0% to 3.6%), higher in LMICs than HICs (4.0% (3.6% to 4.4%) and 1.7% (1.3% to 2.1%), respectively). There were significant differences between country income groups in intervention profile, with higher use of antibiotics, antivirals, corticosteroids, prone positioning, high flow nasal cannula, non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation in HICs. Out of the 439 mechanically ventilated children, mortality occurred in 106 (24.1%) subjects, which was higher in LMICs than HICs (89 (43.6%) vs 17 (7.2%) respectively). Pre-existing infectious comorbidities (tuberculosis and HIV) and some complications (bacterial pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and myocarditis) were significantly higher in LMICs compared with HICs. On multivariable analysis, LMIC as country income group was associated with increased risk of mortality (adjusted HR 4.73 (3.16 to 7.10)).Conclusion Mortality and morbidities were higher in LMICs than HICs, and it may be attributable to differences in patient demographics, complications and access to supportive and treatment modalities