Miscommunication in pilot-controller interaction

English is the preferred language for communication in the aviation industry. Pilots and air traffic controllers of different nationalities and proficiency levels interact with each other using a specialized form of English termed aviation English that comprises of aviation phraseology and “plain English”. Here, miscommunication could have disastrous consequences. This paper presents the findings of a study that explored instances of miscommunication in the interaction between pilots and controllers. Miscommunication is defined as a lack of understanding (or misunderstanding), non-understanding or misinterpretation of messages in communication. The corpus consists of 30 hours of actual pilot-controller audio communication collected from the Malaysian airspace. Data were collected from three different frequencies (Alpha, Bravo and Charlie) representing different phases of the flight. They were analysed qualitatively using conversation analysis techniques. The study found that miscommunication in pilot-controller communication is due mainly to two main factors, procedural deviation and problematic instruction or request. The paper concludes by suggesting that pilots and controllers should adhere to standard phraseology and avoid code-switching from aviation phraseology to plain English except when it is inadequate for the situation. It also suggests that proper radio discipline should be maintained

A blended approach in teaching an EAP course: Malaysian instructors’ perceptions of the new course materials

This paper reports on a study which examines instructors’ perceptions of the new commercial course materials that comprises a course book and online practice reinforcement activities. The materials were used to teach undergraduate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for Social Sciences at a Malaysian public university. This represents the main facet of the blended approach introduced when the course was redesigned. The sample comprises ten instructors who taught the course for one semester. Three qualitative instruments were utilized to elicit data namely, instructor-researcher reflective notes, focus group discussion and one-to-one interviews. The results of the study were generally positive, however, two main concerns were raised. The first was regarding the difficulty level of the reading comprehension activities in the course book which majority of the instructors felt were too simple and not challenging enough for their students. The second was on internet connectivity to the online practice website which the instructors felt was too slow and was unable to support the students efficiently. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and provides suggestions for the next cycle of the researc

Students’ critical consciousness through critical literacy awareness

To think critically is undeniably one of the major elements of “first class human capital” in a knowledge economy. It is most regrettable that Malaysian students, even at the tertiary level, tend to be uncritical due to socialisation processes in the educational and sociocultural environment. Responding to this identified need to raise the critical consciousness of students, this paper examines how a Higher Education teacher challenged her postgraduate students to be critical learners through the use of CLA (Critical literacy awareness) strategies in her Language and Literacy course. The paper suggests that the use of CLA strategies has increased student engagement and strengthened student voices. This paper concludes by proposing that CLA should be included in pedagogical practices in Higher Education given that active participation in knowledge economies is the vision of the Malaysian Higher Education Action Plan (MoHE 2007a, b)

Teaching styles of Malaysian ESL instructors: an investigation into current practices and implications to English Language Teaching (ELT)

Research studies (Felder and Silverman, 1988; Lawrence, 1993; Oxford, Ehrman and Lavine, 1991; Schmeck, 1988) have pointed out the problems associated with serious mismatches always possible for the teaching styles of teachers to match that of students, considering that in a class there are students with a variety of learning styles. However, it is crucial for ESL (English as Second Language) teachers to be aware of the students' different learning styles and to adapt their teaching styles accordingly (Kinsella, 1995; Kinsella and Sherak, 1998; Thang, 2003). In addition, it is crucial for ESL teachers to possess knowledge of current theories and thinking in ESL teaching and learning and to help students inculcate strategies and processes for effective and autonomous language learning (Oxford, 1990; Oxford and Ehrman, 1995; Rossi-Le, 1995). This study is undertaken on a group of ESL instructors teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in a public university in Malaysia to find out (1) to what extent ESL instructors apply current theories and thinking on ESL teaching and (2) to what extent they consider the learning styles of their students in their teaching and help their students to be aware of the appropriate language learning strategies and processes for autonomous language learning. A questionnaire was used to collect data for the study and the results were analyzed quantitatively. Pedagogical implications of the findings would also be discussed

English use as an identity marker among Malaysian undergraduates

The English language, a legacy of the British colonialists, has been indelibly woven into the history of Malaysia, and because of its pervasive influence through its role in the education system, it is an important part of the identity construction of those who have gone through the system. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of a study investigating the impact of English on the sociocultural identity construction of young adult Malaysians. The data were obtained from interviews conducted with 20 Malaysian undergraduates from both public and private universities. English is one of the languages in their linguistic repertoire. The demographic composition of the respondents reflects in general the cultural and linguistic diversity of Malaysia. The paper will focus on how the use of English among these university students is perceived as an identity marker that enhances the perception of their personal and social status, and how its use may sometimes be used as the basis by members of the same ethnic community for “othering” them. The paper concludes by suggesting that since competence in the use of English is basically perceived as a form of cultural capital, a move towards enhancing English use among students within a policy that strongly advocates multilingualism is the way towards developing a more inclusive moderate sociocultural identit

The English Language and its impact on identities of multilingual Malaysian undergraduates

Despite the increasing prominence of English as a world lingua franca, there is little research on how the use of English affects the identities of Malaysian speakers. Asmah Haji Omar observed that interest in language and identity seemed to be confined to studies on national identity. A doctoral study by Lee Su Kim of the identity of Malaysian speakers of English found that there was resentment in certain localized contexts amongst the Malay respondents in the study towards the use of English. Expressions of resentment and ambivalence towards the use of the English language were also prevalent amongst the non-Malay respondents within certain contexts. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study which sets out to investigate the impact of English on the identities of young Malaysian undergraduates in selected private and public universities in Malaysia. Using qualitative methods, this research study essentially takes off from Lee Su Kim’s doctoral research study, and aims to explore on a larger scale the role of English in the identity construction of a younger Malaysian cohort from both public and private universities. The findings presented here are from a few selected case studies that provide the qualitative data. The discussion will focus on how different multilingual Malaysian undergraduates regard English vis a vis the other languages in their repertoire and how it has affected their identity constructions and everyday negotiations. Three dominant themes arising from the findings will be discussed, 1) Multilingualism with English emerging as the dominant language, 2) English viewed as a pragmatic language and a language of empowerment, and 3) Varying degrees of ‘othering’

Language literacy and diversity @ 21st century: a new basics for designing global learning

Editorial: This volume examines learning and the learner as situated in a range of social and institutional contexts in Australia and Malaysia. This is the second volume in a special themed collection of two volumes on language, literacy and education in changing times. This volume explores the intersections between ICT, globalisation and institutional change with the issue of multilingualism and literacy (ways of reading, writing, speaking, listening and communicating in two or more languages) in environments of complex multiple and intersecting agendas of change

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety among Iraqi Students and its Relation With Gender and Achievement

Language anxiety is always seen as debilitative factor that deters learners from successfully learning a foreign language. Although many studies have been reported on foreign language learners’ anxieties, little research, if any, has been undertaken on Iraqi postgraduate EFL learners. The objective of the present study is threefold: a) to investigate the factors contributing to foreign language classroom anxiety among Iraqi postgraduate EFL students, b) to investigate the difference between both genders in the level of anxiety and c) to investigate the relationship between the level of anxiety and the academic achievement of the students based on GPA. The study employed a mixed mode approach using survey questionnaire (AFLAQ)and semi-structured interview. The study reported that three factors such as communication apprehension, negative evaluation and test anxiety are anxiety-arousing factors with test anxiety has the greatest contribution. The study also reported that females show more anxiety compared to males. It was also shown that there is a negative correlation between language anxiety and academic achievement which means that students with high level of FL anxiety tend to yield lower grades and vice-versa.

Are Malaysian undergraduates ‘digital natives’ in the true sense of the word? a quantitative analysis

This generation of students, born between 1980 and 1994, has grown up with technology from a very young age. They are hypothesized to possess sophisticated knowledge and skills in Information Communication Technologies (ICT) and are highly motivated to learn digitally. This implies a need to change the knowledge content and methods of delivery in universities to cater to their needs. However, many studies have revealed that the ‘digital natives’ use of technology is neither extensive nor diverse. No substantial studies have been undertaken in Malaysia to support or refute such claims. This study, undertaken at a Malaysian public university, used a questionnaire to investigate students’ patterns and perceptions of ICT use for learning English. The findings revealed that even though students’ reception towards use of technology was very positive, there was a lack in diversity and sophistication. It further proposed that cultural factor is an influencing factor