Motivational factors and learners' strategies in the English as a second language classroom at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia with special reference to computer assisted language learning

The aim of this study is to investigate the motivational orientations affecting ESL learers in learing English and to identify learners' learning strategies when dealing with CALL instruction at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Specifically, the study seeks to investigate: Cl) Motivational orientations when learning English in a conventional classroom, (2) Motivational orientations when learning English in a CALL classroom, and (3) Learners' strategies when learing English using computers. The data for the study were collected using two research tools: questionnaires and interviews. Two types of analyses, that is a Crosstabs and a Chi- Square tests were applied to the data. This thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter One presents the research context of the study. It also describes the significance of the study by addressing major questions concerning students' motivation when learning English at UTM. Chapter Two reviews the literatue on motivational orientations and learning strategies to put the study in the broader research context. Chapter Three describes the sampling, research instruments and data collection procedures employed in the present study. Chapter Four analyses and presents the findings in relation to students' motivational orientations when learning English in a conventional classroom and in a CALL classroom. Chapter Five describes the findings in respect of students' learning strategies specifically when dealing with CALL tasks. Chapter Six presents a summary of the major research findings and ilustrates how the findings of the investigation relate to previous research findings. The chapter also indicates the implications of the findings for pedagogy, discusses the study limitations, and finally offers suggestions for future research. The research results provide evidence that students put effort into learning English, showed a positive attitude, a strong desire, low anxiety, and high expectations when learning English using computers. The results also show that students used a wide range of strategies when working with computers, that is, metacognitive, affective, cognitive and social strategies. Based on the results of the study, the recommendation is made that if CALL is to be integrated in the English language curriculum at UTM, students' motivational orientations and learing strategies should be considered for effective teaching and learning

Self-access learning programme: analysing students' language learning needs and evaluating learning metarials

Today's job market does not only demand for graduates who are knowledgeable but who are also skilful and versatile. To help students to be equipped with the necessary skills, the Department of Modern Languages has incorporated Self-Access Learning(SAL) programme into its English proficiency courses. Since the Self-Access Learning programme is still quite new to the Malaysian student, a research was carried out to: i) to investigate and gauge students attitude towards Self-Access learning programme, materials used and Self-Access Learning laboratories, including the ways in which it affects students learning, and ii) to identify areas where the programmes’ design and execution can be improved. About 1200 participants who took part in the programme were asked to fill up the questionnaires, needs analysis and learning contract for the self-access learning programme that they went through. Analysis on the feedbacks received from the students showed that the self-access programme was beneficial and have helped them developed interests in learning English and encouraged them to be active learners. The feedback also revealed several areas which need further improvement. With regard to the self-access learning materials, the feedback given was not very positive as they suggested that the materials should be more attractive and interesting with more attractive designs for the future. These feedbacks were essential because they provide useful information that reflect i) the overall quality of the programme, ii) the effectiveness of the Self-Access Learning, and iii) the areas that need improvement as well as loopholes or weaknesses. Besides that, it also proved the students readiness for autonomous learning and this readiness can be optimised for the benefit of both the students and lecturers

Improving English as a Second Language Learners’ Attitudes to Pronunciation through Motivation

Pronunciation is an important aspect of English learning. It is however one of the most abandoned or half taught. This is usually due to perceived difficulty in its teaching and learning. Hence, unfavorable attitudes set in, especially in English as a second language situation. In most cases, due to poor technique and methodology employed by the teachers of English, the students are not encouraged to learn pronunciation like other aspects of the subject. This attitude goes a very long way in determining their communicative competence as poor pronunciation could lead a breakdown in communication. It is thus the responsibility of the teachers to help the students learn. This paper thus advocates and presents some motivational strategies that could be employed by the teachers of English to improve the learners’ attitude to learning pronunciation in English as a second language classroom

HYPERTENSION AS A PREDICTOR OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Background; In the year 2000, there were around 171 million people with diabetes globally, and by 2030, it is estimated that this number would increase to 366 million. These microvascular complications are linked to the duration of diabetes mellitus, poor glycemic control and systolic hypertension. Objective: To determine the frequency diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients with hypertension. Subjects and Methods; A total of 365 diabetic patients having hypertension were included in our study using non – probability consecutive sampling technique. These patients were screened for diabetic retinopathy. All the information was recorded in the proforma and data was analyzed by using SPSS version 22. Results; Of these 365 study cases, 226 (61.9 %) were male patients while 139 (38.1 %) were female patients. Mean age of our study cases was 50.92 ± 5.77 years (with minimum age of our study cases was 40 years while maximum age was 60 years). Of these 365 study cases, 127 (34.8 %) belonged to rural areas and 238 (65.2 %) belonged to urban areas. Monthly family income up to Rs. 25000 was noted in 188 (51.5%) and 177 (48.5%) had monthly family income rupees more than 25000. History of smoking was present in 89 (24.4%) of our study cases. Mean body mass index was 26.32 ± 2.45 kg/m2 and obesity was present in 112 (30.7 %) of our study cases. Mean disease duration was 12.35 ± 7.52 years and 239 (65.5%) had duration of illness more than 5 years. Of these 365 study cases, 238 (65.2 %) were illiterate and 127 (34.8 %) were literate. Controlled diabetes was noted in 75 (20.5%) and 75 (20.5%) were taking proper treatment. Diabetic retinopathy was 151 (41.4%) of our study cases. Conclusion; Very high frequency of diabetic retinopathy was noted in patients with diabetes and hypertension in our study. Diabetic retinopathy was significantly associated with residential status, increasing age, monthly family income, smoking, treatment status, disease duration and obesity. Diabetic retinopathy was not associated with control of diabetes and hypertension. All clinicians treating such patients must educate their patients regarding regular eye check up to decrease disease morbidity.  Keywords; Diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, frequency

The Culture Between the Textual Authority and the Recipient - Rhetoric in the Fatimid Era-As a Model

من أساسيات النظام السلطوي التركيز على الفن القريب من الجمهور المُلقى عليهم الخطاب وإمكانية وسرعة فهمه، بوصفه نصاً يحمل المشاريع السلطوية التأسيسية، فكان النوع النثري وسيلة الاتصال المباشرة بين جهتين مختلفتين (آمر ومأمور)؛ لهذا يسعى البحث للكشف عن تلك الانساق المنطلقة من النصّ النثري تحت مسميات اصلاحية نهضوية تغييرية، تُخفي وراءها أطماع السلطة .One of the fundamentals of the authoritarian system is to focus on the art that is close to the audience and the possibility and speed of understanding it, describing it as a text that carries the foundational authoritarian projects, the type of prose was the direct means of communication between two different parties (authority and the charged), so the research seeks to uncover those patterns that originated from the prose text under the names of reformist and revivalist change, hiding behind the ambitions of the authority. &nbsp

ASSOCIATION OF MEAN PLATELET VOLUME WITH DISEASE SEVERITY OF PSORIASIS VULGARIS

Background; Psoriasis is a common chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease and platelet activation has been reported to be associated with its pathogenesis. This study was done to document mean MPV levels in patients with psoriasis vulgaris in our population as local data is scarce on this topic. Objectives; To determine MPV in patients with psoriasis vulgaris and to compare MPV in psoriasis with PASI > 10 and PASI < 10. Material and Methods; Patients fulfilling the stated criteria were recruited through Dermatology OPD of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. Purpose of the study was explained to them and informed consent was signed before their enrolment into the study. Relevant history, physical examination, PASI, and BMI was carried out. Laboratory parameters included CBC (hemoglobin, White blood cell, platelet count, MPV, PDW) and was measured using an auto-analyzer (Sysmex XE 2000 Germany). Alanine aminotransferase(ALT), Blood urea nitrogen(BUN), Creatinine, plasma sugar levels, Uric acid, Serum cholesterol, ESR, Hepatitis B and C screening and a baseline ECG was performed. Data was entered and analyzed by software SPSS version 15. Results; Our study comprised of a total of 100 patients meeting inclusion criteria of our study. Of these 100 study cases, 66 (66%) were male patients while 34 (34 %) were female patients. Mean age of our study cases was 39.98 ± 9.66 years (with minimum age of our study cases was 26 years while maximum age was 60 years). Of these 100 study cases, 41 (41 %) belonged to rural areas and 59 (59 %) belonged to urban areas. Monthly family income up to Rs. 50000 was noted in 48 (48%) while more than 50000 rupees was noted in 52 (52 %) of our study cases. Mean body mass index of our study cases was 23.62 ± 2.18 kg/m2 and BMI more than 25 kg/m2 was noted in 18 (18 %) of our study cases. Of these 100 study cases, 78 (78%) had PASI less than 10 while 22 (22%) had PASI equal /more than 10. Mean MPV was 8.63 ±  0.67 fL (with minimum MPV was 7.8 fL while maximum was 9.9 fL). Conclusion; Mean platelet volume (MPV) was elevated among patients having psoriasis vulgaris and was significantly increased in patients with PASI ≥ 10 or disease severity. MPV is a good marker for disease severity of psoriasis vulgaris. MPV was significantly associated with gender, age, socioeconomic status, BMI and disease severity. All the clinicians treating such patients should regularly monitor MPV levels for early diagnosis of severity of the disease for better clinical outcomes. Keywords; Psoriasis, mean platelet volume, disease severity

The Impact of Culture on Anxiety Related Cognitions: An exploration with Saudi-Arabian Individuals

AIMS: The popularity of CBT as a first-line treatment for many psychological disorders has resulted in its application to ethnically diverse populations, despite its evidence base being rooted in Western populations. Equivalence in results between clients from Middle-Eastern and Western ethnicity has not been established. The aims of this review were to summarise the literature on CBT for mental health difficulties among Arab individuals in Middle Eastern countries and Arab minority individuals in Western countries. METHOD: Studies were identified through a systematic literature search using the databases PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PUBMED. RESULTS: Eight studies were included in this review, encompassing quantitative, qualitative, and case-report articles. All studies reported on the outcome of CBT interventions with Arab participant(s). CONCLUSION: Despite the scarcity of studies, small sample sizes, and a majority of non-clinical samples, the outcomes demonstrated that Arab individuals benefited from CBT. In studies that compared Western and Arab samples, the results were better for Western samples, indicating that CBT is less efficacious with Arab clients. A discussion on the strengths and limitations of the studies is presented

Integrating the Broadcast Media in Teaching Strategies of Learning ESL in Malaysia

This paper calls for a broader partnership between the media and education essentially, integrating the broadcast media in teaching learning strategies to students of ESL in Malaysia. Given the relevant motivation, employing language learning strategies enhances and facilitates second language learning by making learning easier, faster, interesting, self-directing and ensures improved competence and performance. Studies have proved that motivation is closely related to second language learning as it stimulates both high frequency and appropriate use of language learning strategies. Our major concern in this paper is to emphasise that, we can integrate the media especially the television and Radio to teach the appropriate use of language learning strategies among the ESL Malaysian students.  The broadcast media in Malaysia can be used in both creating awareness as well as teaching students on using language learning strategies appropriately and  provide them with the required motivation for positive attitudes towards English language learning. Keywords: Learning strategies, Motivation, Broadcast media, English as a second languag

Daily Living Functioning, Social Engagement and Wellness of Older Adults

Aim: The present study aim to investigate the contributing role of daily living functioning and social engagement in enhancing wellness and various dimensions of wellness in older adults. Method: A correlational research was designed. Socio-demographic data was collected. Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Lubben Social Network Scale, and Perceived Wellness Survey were administered on a sample of 112 participants, including 56 men and 56 women. Results: A correlation analysis found positive correlations between daily living functioning, social engagement and wellness of older adults. The results of regression analysis concluded that both the daily living functioning and social engagement predicted wellness and domains of wellness as well. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate that older adults who are self-reliant lead a more satisfied life in old age and demonstrate to be more adjusted to the effects of aging