The perception of young learners towards “Walking Phrase” activity: Is it effective in engaging them in English phrase reading and sentence writing? / Norhasni Mohd Amin and Noraziah Mohd Amin

Learning sentence structure is usually not seen as an enjoyable learning experience, while writing is a complex system of communication, which means learning how to write can pose some difficulties. Thus, “Walking Phrase” activity was introduced to 26 young learners of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Wangsa as a technique for engaging them in reading phrases and writing sentences. The objective of this study was to investigate the perception of these young learners towards the use of “Walking Phrase” as an effective strategy in engaging them in English phrase reading and sentence writing. “Walking Phrase” is a learning strategy that involves simple phrases and then learners try to use them in structuring sentences. As for the present study, the students each wore a phrase card. Then they read and memorized the short phrases written on the cards. The students then wrote the phrases in their writing booklets and also wrote complete sentences using the phrases. A questionnaire which comprised sixteen “Yes”/“No” questions was administered each of the 26 participants who were Year 6 students of the primary school in order to investigate their perception towards “Walking Phrase” activity. Based on the findings obtained, the majority of the students viewed “Walking Phrase” activity as an effective strategy in engaging them in reading phrases and writing sentences of English

The vocabulary learning strategies used by UUM students in relation to their proficiency levels

This study is concerned with the vocabulary learning strategies used by Band 1 and Band 4 undergraduate students of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). The main objectives of this descriptive study were to survey the vocabulary learning strategies used by the respondents and to determine to what extent their use of the strategies was influenced by their proficiency level. The instrument employed in the study was a questionnaire developed by Lachini (2007) based on Cottrell’s (1999) classification of learning strategies. It consists of five categories of vocabulary learning strategies, namely creative, reflective, effective, active and motivated (CREAM).The responses of 100 Band 1 and 100 Band 4 students to the questionnaire were examined on the frequency of their use of the vocabulary learning strategies. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in terms of the frequency of use between Band 1 and Band 4 participants as the findings showed that a majority of both groups employed the strategies either ‘a little’ or ‘often’.The findings of the study perhaps could help instructors to facilitate the learning of English vocabulary by UUM students

The problems and motivational drivers in teaching technical terms: a study on educators at an institute of higher learning / Noraziah Mohd Amin...[et al.]

In teaching vocabulary, it is common for instructors to face some difficulty especially in teaching low-frequency words like technical terms. Since teaching technical terms can be challenging for some teachers, it is significant to discover what could motivate or demotivate their teaching of technical words. To address this issue, the present study was conducted with the aims to investigate the problems faced by 29 educators who were appointed as the facilitators of the English Log Book Program at an institute of higher learning in Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. It was discovered that the majority of the respondents, 51.7% (M= 3.72, SD= 1.066) agreed that teaching technical terms would be easier if there were Malay equivalents of the same terms (item 7). The findings also indicated that most respondents, 21 instructors (72.4%, M= 4.17, SD= 0.602) revealed that it was their responsibility to ensure that their students were able to understand the technical terms taught as they chose the response option, “agree” for item 13. Having the mission to ensure their students’ comprehension of the technical terms and feeling responsible for this task is obviously one of the instructors’ motivational drivers in teaching their students this category of words

The influence of integrative motivation in learning Malay language vocabulary among foreign speakers at UNITEN / Noor Azam Abdul Rahman and Noraziah Mohd Amin

Ellis (1994) dividesmotivation into four types, namely instrumental motivation,integrative motivation, resultative motivation and intrinsic motivation. This study discussesthe effectsof integrative motivation on foreign speakers while studying Malay Language vocabulary. The main objective of the study was to identify the influenceof integrative motivation onmale and female students while studying Malay Language vocabulary in Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). This study was conducted in order to seek theanswer to the question of whether there was a significant difference in the influence of integrative motivation between male and female students. A questionnaire containing 10 items in the form of self-reporting statements concerning integrative motivation was used as aninstrumentof the study. The data from the questionnairesadministeredwere analysedusing SPSS software version 23 for descriptive data and inferences such as mean scoresand percentages, and the results of the ANOVA testwas analysedtoo. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the influence of integrative motivation between male and female students while studying Malay Language vocabulary, where the significant value was less than 0.05 (p <0.05). The findings showed that the majority of the male students were influenced by integrative motivation while studying Malay Language vocabulary in UNITEN compared to the female students

Kesalahan penggunaan “In Definite Article” dalam pembelajaran bahasa Jerman: Kajian kes terjemahan ayat oleh pelajar tahap dua di UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan mengenalpasti dan menganalisis kesalahan tatabahasa bahasa Jerman dari segi penggunaan “indefinite article”yang dilakukan oleh pelajar tahap dua bagi kursus “Introductory German Level II”di Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Pulau Pinang. Kajian ini merupakan sebuah kajian yang berbentuk kualitatif. Data kajian diperoleh daripada jawapan ujian penulisan pelajar peringkat Ijazah Sarjana Muda Kejuruteraan Mekanikal dan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Kejuruteraan Elektrik yang mempelajari bahasa Jerman sebagai kursus elektif. Jumlah peserta kajian yang terlibat ialah seramai 27 orang. Setelah mengenalpasti, menganalisisdan membandingkan kesalahan terjemahan “indefinite article” daripada bahasa Inggeris kepada bahasa Jerman, dapatan kajian mendapatibahawa terdapat begitu ramai pelajar yang melakukan kesalahanpenggunaan “indefinite article”dalam bahasa Jerman dengan betuliaitu seramai 25 orangdaripada keseluruhan jumlah sampel kajian iaitu seramai 27 pelajar. Secara tidak langsung, kajian ini dapat mengenal pasti tahap penguasaan “indefinite article”bahasa Jerman dalam kalangan pelajarbagi kursus yang dikaji. Kajian ini diharapkandapat membantu pengajar dan pelajar bahasa Jerman memperbaiki strategi pengajaran dan pembelajaran bahasaJermanagar menjadi lebih baik, mudah difahami dan lebih efisyen

The perception of UiTM students towards teaching and learning of Jawi at various levels of education in Malaysia: What should we do to expand its mastery? / Noraziah Mohd Amin, Noor Azam Abdul Rahman and Wan Noorli Razali

The present study was conducted in order to discover the overall perception of the youth which was represented by 79 UiTM Penang Malay students regarding the actions that could be taken to expand the mastery of Jawi at various levels of education in Malaysia. This research employed a quantitative method via the administration of a questionnaire containing 20 items to each respondent involved. The items were designed to answer the research question of the study, “What is the perception of UiTM Penang Malay students towards the initiatives that can be taken in order to expand the teaching and learning of Jawi at various levels of education in Malaysia?” The results revealed that most of the respondents contributed positive views towards the exposure and practice of Jawi at various levels of education and supported some initiatives suggested for expanding the teaching and learning of Jawi. For example, 33 respondents (41.8%, M= 4.24, SD= 0.738) strongly agreed with item 9 (“In my opinion, Jawi subject needs to be offered at all levels of learning (primary, secondary and tertiary levels) so that its learning can be more comprehensive”). Obviously, the respondents in majority favor the teaching and learning of Jawi to the point that they think it should be made a subject that is offered at all educational levels

eLingua : Issue 1 : March 2014 / Academy of Language Studies

1. “MESRA CERIA” Programme with children of Rumah Kanak-kanak Taman : A total of 35 staff members of The Academy of Language Studies, UiTM Pulau Pinang participated in a community programme called Program Mesra Ceria Bersama Kanak-kanak Rumah Kanak- kanak Taman Bakti on 22 June 2013. This event took place at a welfare home for the neglected and abused children as young as a newborn to as old as 12 years. 92 children were involved in this programme. 2. UiTMPP Inter-Department Indoor Sports Competition : During the recent inter-department indoor sports competition, the Academy of Lan¬guage Studies (ALS) joined forces with PSM, USMB, and ACIS to compete in several indoor sports at UiTM’s main hall. ALS lecturers, Mr Lim Soo Giap, Ms Nurul Bazilah Abd Hamid and Ms Syarifah Norrasyidah Syed Mohri, represented ALS in the badminton doubles while Ms Farhana Shukor represented ALS in the ping-pong competition. 3. ALS Aidilfitri and Deepavali ‘Open House’ : On the 30th August 2013, the department decided to host its ‘Open House’ to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali Day at UiTM Pulau Pinang Hotel. The main objectives of this event were to strengthen relationships between the faculty members and spending a bit of ‘time- off from work to be with col¬leagues. As we have not had such gatherings for quite some time, most of us were looking forward to it. We had such a good time ‘karaoke-ing’ over lunch! We were spoilt for choice when it came to eating; satay, rendang, ketupat, fried beehoon, soto, pizza, cakes, cookies, ice cream, pastries and many more. 4. Kudos to the ALS Faculty Members! : With the unique theme of ‘takeoff and landing’ concept, The Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management hosted UiTM Penang 2013 Hari Kualiti on December 20th, 2013. ALS UiTM Pulau Pinang had a very good reason to celebrate the day as several of its faculty members were awarded in various categories such as publications, services and innovation. Kudos to Dr. Rushita Ismail, Prof. Madya Hoe Foo Terng, Ms Agelyia Murugan, Mr Budiman Sabri Ahmad, Ms Emily Jothee Mathai, Ms Er Ann Nah, Ms Farina Nozakiah Tazijan, Ms Hanani Ahmad Zubir, Mr Liaw Shun Chone, Mr Lim Teck Heng, Mr Mah Boon Yih, Ms Muriatul Khusmah Musa, Ms Norhafizah Abd Halil, Ms Ong Sheau Fen, Mr Rasaya Marimuthu, Ms Syahirah Ramli, Ms Suzana Ab Rahim, Ms Wan Noorli Razali, Ms Wan Syakira Meor Hissan and Mr Fazrul Azmi Zulkifli. 5. 2nd UPALS ICL 2013 : Academy of Language Studies, UiTM Pulau Pinang had successfully organized its Second International Conference on Languages, the 2nd UPALS ICL 2013 at Traders Hotel, Georgetown, Penang from 29th to 31st May 2013. With the theme “Language in Diverse Environments”, the conference had become a plat¬form for academicians, researchers, practitioners, programme providers and students to share the latest devel¬opment in language teaching and learning in various settings. It had managed to capture the interest of not only the local but also international presenters and participants. Associate Professor Mohd Zaki Abdullah, the former UiTM Pulau Pinang Rector officiated the conference opening ceremony. 6. COLT 2013 : The 2nd International Conference of Language & Teaching (COLT) was held on 7 and 8 November, 2013 at the Park Royal Hotel, Batu Fer- inghi, Penang. It was organized by the Department of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah and the opening ceremony was officiated none other by our UiTM Pro-Chancellor, Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Utama Arshad Ayub. The keynote speakers were Prof. Dr. Rod Ellis and Prof. Dr. Ania Lian while the first and second plenary sessions were headed again by Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato Seri Utama Arshad Ayub and Associate Professor Dr. Saadiyah Darus respectively. The conference themed ‘Passing the Baton: Revitalising, Preserving and Sustaining Languages of the World’ attracted 63 papers. From APB UiTM Pulau Pinang itself, there were 4 presenters. 7. A Splash of French Culture : Students from Universiti Teknologi MARA Pulau Pinang were recently given the opportunity to take part in a poster drawing competition orga¬nized by the French Club of the university. Opened to all, students eagerly picked up their long abandoned colour pencils and crayons to rekindle their passion for drawing. The contest which started on the 13th of January and ended on the 7th of February saw an interesting number of partic¬ipants. The theme of the competition revolved around the French culture with a slogan in French. A multitude of skills was applied, intense col¬ors splashed and coupled with a vivid imagination, a vibrant and vivid French cultural landscape was aptly portrayed. On the 14th of February, ten judges from the Academy of Language Studies were invited to choose the winners of the contest. The posters were judged based on five criteria: innovation, imagination, image content, wording and commitment of the participants. 8. Pengenalan Cara Penciptaan Tulisan Cina (Liu Shu) : Skrip Bahasa Cina adalah satu sistem penulisan ideografik, di mana struktur grafik secara langsung berkaitan dengan pengertian. Oleh itu, langkah pertama ke arah penguasaan karaktor Cina adalah untuk mempelajari ciri-ciri komposisi mereka. Dalam kajian komposisi karaktor Cina, terdapat teori tradisional yang dikenali sebagai Liu Shu (enam cara penciptaan tulisan Cina). 9. What a wordie!! : all me crazy but I have been playing word games since I was twelve. Memorizing words and their spellings from a dictionary were what my brother and I together with the next-door teenagers did best before any games played. We were really enthusiastic get¬ting fully prepared for our next scrabble competition. There we were, Duan and Razak, Zamri and I at the hallway of our house. We were the word ad¬dicts in the neighborhood

eLingua : Issue 2 : July 2014 / Academy of Language Studies

1. UPALSICL 2 Luncheon 2. Publishing Informative Package for Teenagers’ Books Workshop 3. 3rd International Conference on Humanity, History and Society (ICHHS) 2014 4. Examination Template In-house Training 5. Workshop on ELC Textbook Usage 6. TEC and LIC workshop on Test-bank items 7. The Digital Storytelling Experience with the BEL311 Students 8. Web-based Cognitive Writing Instruction (WeCWI) 9. PROGRAM LAWATAN HOMESTAY -NANZAN UNIVERSITI JEPUN DI MENGKUANG TITI, P.PINANG 10. JAPAN EDUCATION FAIR 2014 11. PENGARUH WARNA DALAM KEHIDUPAN KAUM CIN

eLingua : Issue 2 : JULY 2016 / Academy of Language Studies

1. The New Campus Rector’s Meeting with ALS Staff 2. Copy Right and Intellectual Property Workshop: How to Protect Your Work? 3. Mari Pelajari Bahasa Thai 4. EDMODO Workshop 2016 5. iLearn Workshop for APB 6. Northern Region Vetting Programme for ELC & EWC Codes 7. APB Academic Tour 2016 8. A Report on the English Exit Test (EET699) Briefing 9. Glory at KIK 2016!!! 10. Education Leadership Award to Dr. Mah Boon Yih!!! 11. Language through songs … (10 March 2016) 12. Aerobics in English … (12 May 2016) 13. The sound of music … (12 May 2016) 14. Poets, News Readers, Actors … (21 July 2016) 15. EdTech Seminar 2016 on WeCWI: The Instructional and Technological Discoveries 16. Innovate Teaching toward Personalised Learning through WeCWI Integrated Solutions 17. Seminar on WeCWI Enterprise: Write It Right 18. WeCWI: Redefine WBI as an LMS's Alternative for Higher Education 19. Mempelajari Simpulan Bahasa Mandarin: Kāitiānpìdì 20. BRONZE MEDALLION: THE URGE OF CONTINUING A LEGAC