Explicit phonetic instruction in pronunciation teaching and learning in higher education settings: the case of voiceless dental fricatives /Ɵ/ and rhotics /r/ for Chinese learners of English

In the development of effective pedagogy in English language classrooms, little attention is given to pronunciation teaching and learning, especially in higher education settings in Malaysia.This paper attempts to explore this issue by investigating the pronunciation of Chinese learners of English after receiving an explicit instruction in English phonetics.The subjects were undergraduate Chinese students of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) who were grouped according to their countries of origin, i.e., Malaysia and China. 20 participants were recruited for this study and these participants had two distinct learning backgrounds: [1] English as a second language (ESL) for the Chinese participants from Malaysia; and [2] English as a foreign language (EFL) for the Chinese participants from China. The target phones were voiceless dental fricatives /θ/ and rhotics /r/ that are known to be problematic for both groups of Chinese speakers learning English.The participants’ production of the target phones was measured in a pre-test and post test design using a word-list reading task and technology-enhanced materials, i.e., computer-assisted language learning (CALL).The findings revealed that explicit phonetic instruction facilitated effectively in speech learning improvement. This empirical data will be seen as a contribution to SOTL research in pronunciation teaching and learning

Production and perception of English consonants by Yemeni EFL learners

Previous studies on the perception-production correlation focused mainly on transcriptions and native English speaker evaluations for production accuracy assessments; only a few included acoustic measurements. This study aims to investigate the production and perception of six English consonants by Yemeni EFL learners of English using an acoustic measurement of second-language production. It has three objectives: (1) To investigate the extent to which word position influences the accuracy of Yemeni EFL learners’ production of the target consonants, (2) to assess the extent to which word position affects their perception, and (3) to investigate the relationship between the overall production and perception of the investigated sounds. A quantitative research method was employed for collecting data from six Yemeni EFL postgraduate students from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). In the production tasks, the researchers asked the speakers to produce seventy-two words with the target consonants three times in isolation (Experiment 1) and the other three times in a carrier sentence (Experiment 2). The researchers recorded the speakers’ productions with an iPhone and later evaluated them acoustically via Praat. In the perception test, an AXB experiment was conducted. The findings showed that word position significantly affected the production, yet not the perception of the target sounds. Moreover, an insignificant positive moderate correlation was revealed between the overall production and perception of the target consonants. The findings have implications for second-language speech as well as pronunciation instruction. Teachers may put more focus on specific sound environments that lead learners to struggle while producing/perceiving particular English sounds

Metacognitive skills of Malaysian students in non-routine mathematical problem solving

Metacognitive skills play an important role in solving mathematical problems.However, there is a lack of empirical studies on the role of metacognitive skills in solving mathematical problems, particularly non-routine ones. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify students' metacognitive skills and the impact of such skills on non-routine mathematical problem solving. By using a quantitative method, a total of 304 students in Johor Bahru district were involved in the study.A Self-Monitoring Questionnaire (SMQ) and a mathematical test were used in data collection.Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test.Results showed that the level of the students' performance in solving non-routine mathematical problems was very low. There was also a significant difference in the metacognitive skills among students with different performance levels in solving non-routine mathematical problems, and we concluded that these metacognitive skills should be emphasised in this process

The relationship of self-efficacy sources and metacognitive reading strategies: Mediating role of reading self-efficacy beliefs

This research article presents a conceptual model of the proposed study involving a relationship between self-efficacy sources and metacognitive reading strategies by employing reading self-efficacy beliefs as a mediating variable. Initially, this paper provides a brief background of the variables involved in the study. Furthermore, it gives an insight into the problems faced by the Saudi Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) students regarding employing metacognitive reading strategies while reading. There are three main research objectives of the current study. Firstly, to determine the correlation between self-efficacy sources and self-efficacy beliefs. Secondly, to determine the correlation between self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive reading strategies. Lastly, to determine the mediating role of selfefficacy beliefs between self-efficacy sources and metacognitive reading strategies. Additionally, three hypotheses are generated on the basis of the reviewed literature. Lastly, it is hoped that the findings of this study would be beneficial for the students, teachers, policy makers and syllabus designers

The relationship between metacognitive strategies and self-efficacy beliefs: A review of the literature

Self-efficacy has been a topic of interest of many researchers since the last couple of decades. Previous literature has revealed that self-efficacy plays a vital role in the usage of metacognitive strategies in language learning. The fundamental aim of this paper is to review those studies which were conducted on the relationship between self-efficacy and metacognitive strategies. Many writers have written reviews on the relationship of selfefficacy with various educational variables. However, there is scarcity of reviews regarding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive strategies. This review included 21 studies which were reviewed on the basis of following aspects: context of studies, gender, grade level, ethnicity, metacognitive strategy instruction, metacognitive strategies usage ranking, level of self-efficacy, research approaches and pre-test/post-test research designs. Also, several recommendations were presented at the end of the paper for future researchers

Teaching English sounds via minimal pairs: the case of Yemeni EFL learners

Many foreign language learners encounter difficulties in pronouncing English language sounds, which potentially leads to misunderstanding in oral communication.The pronunciation teaching strategy of minimal pairs has long been considered as an effective technique that may address this issue. This study, therefore, investigates the extent to which minimal pairs can improve the pronunciation of English consonants among Yemeni learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Five English phonemes were selected (i.e., /p/, /v/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ and /ŋ/), which are commonly found to be problematic among most Yemeni EFL learners. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design was adopted in the study involving ten male undergraduate students in an experimental group. Drills on minimal pairs were applied throughout a period of five weeks’ intervention. The results showed significant improvement in the pronunciation of problematic English sounds, with the percentage of pronunciation difficulties being decreased from the pre-test to post-test results. It was concluded that the teaching strategy of minimal pairs is an effective way that could solve to some extent the pronunciation problems among Yemeni EFL learners. The findings have some pedagogical contributions in pronunciation teaching and learning, particularly dealing with English sounds in foreign language settings

Non-durational acoustic correlates of word-initial consonant gemination in Kelantan Malay: The potential roles of amplitude and f0

This study reports on non-durational acoustic correlates of typologically rare word-initial consonant gemination in Kelantan Malay (KM) by focusing on two acoustic parameters – amplitude and f0. Given the unusual characteristics of the word-initial consonant contrast and its potential maintenance in domain-initial environments, this study sets to examine the extent to which amplitude and f0 can potentially characterise such a contrast in KM in addition to the cross-linguistically established acoustic correlate of closure duration. The production data involved elicited materials from sixteen KM native speakers. RMS and f0 values were measured at the start of the vowel following stops and sonorants produced in isolation (i.e. utterance-initial position) and in a carrier sentence (i.e. utterance-medial position). Results indicate that the consonant contrast is reflected in systematic differences in (i) vowel onset amplitude and f0 following the target consonant and (ii) the ratios of amplitude and f0 across two syllables of disyllabic words. There are also effects of utterance position, manner of articulation and voicing type on the magnitude of contrast between singletons and geminates with utterance-initial voiceless stops generally showing the greatest magnitude difference. The conclusion is drawn that the KM word-initial singleton/geminate consonant contrast can be associated with a set of acoustic parameters alongside closure duration

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy on Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills among Secondary Schools Teachers in Telangana State, India

Over the years, the quality and effectiveness of teaching have been the priority of the Indian government in improving the education sector, particularly the teaching reading comprehension skill among teachers.  This paper investigates the relationship between self-efficacy on teaching reading comprehension skills among secondary school teachers in Telangana State, India.  The study is a quantitative research of the survey type.  The total of 2019 teachers of government owned secondary schools constituted the population, simple random sampling technique was used to select 192 teaching English language across all secondary schools in the state.  Two sets of questionnaire title Teacher self-efficacy Scale (TSES) and Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills which was adapted from Progress International Literacy Study (PIRLS) were used to seek information from English teachers.  Pearson product moment correlation statistics was used to analysis the data and the results of the findings revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between self-efficacy and teaching reading comprehension skill among secondary school teachers in Telangana State India.  Therefore, this study recommends that the school management should implement a policy that will increase teacher efficacy to improve students reading comprehension and to design more effective reading course and activities in the classroom

Food handlers understanding about health aspects at eatery premises in the State of Kedah: Pre and post training programme for food handlers (LPM)

This article will discuss the differences before and after food handlers attending a course to understand the safety and hygiene of their eatery premises by looking at three aspects; i.e. food hygiene, personal hygiene and eatery premises hygiene.This is a fieldwork observation research using a survey method (questionnaire) conducted on a population of food handlers who attended a course organised by SLPM.The overall population consists of approximately 8000 food operators who were undergoing trainings for food handlers throughout the state of Kedah.The number of respondent who answered the questionnaires at the pre-programme and post-programme was 400 food handlers who were at that time undergoing food handlers' trainings at schools appointed by LPM specially chosen as the sample of this study.The researchers focused only on the setting of the study which are all the way through the entire state of Kedah looking at the districts of Kulim, Kuala Muda, Kota Setar, Alor Setar and Langkawi. The analysis on the level of understanding about health among food handlers revealed that overall, food handlers responded that they really understand the importance of health in order to administer their business.The result about the overall understanding about health, indicating that before underwent the training, the level of understanding about overall health among the food providers was already high, indicating that they understand that health. Overall, the understanding of the importance of health in the running of business premises indicates a high level. In comparing the understanding level of pre-programme and post-programme, the study reveals that food handlers have already understood the importance of keeping their food, self and premises hygienic while running their business even before they underwent the course module, and their level of understanding increased after attending the course.However, the ministry should always stay alert and sensitive so as this would continue. Leaving this issue unattended will only cause a loss to the food handlers' business because the understanding of food, personal and premise hygiene is very much vital because it is the pull factor that attract customers to go to their premises of which in the end will prosper their business

Pronunciation research in the Malaysian context: a systematic review

This paper presents the current evidence with regard to English pronunciation teaching and learning in the Malaysian context. A systematic literature review (SLR) of empirical studies was conducted with a focus on examining the degree to which pronunciation research is conducted in the context of English as a second language (ESL) in Malaysia. Results showed that teachers’ and learners’ beliefs are critical factors that may improve or impede the pronunciation instruction of the target language. In addition, there are also some criteria that need to be considered in order to ensure the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching for ESL learners. The issue of whether or not Received Pronunciation (RP) can be adopted as the pronunciation model in the Malaysian education system should also be addressed appropriately. These results are significant because they call for a reevaluation of pronunciation instruction in Malaysia. Finally, the findings of this SLR uncovered one of the real challenges in English language teaching, which is to bridge the gap between theory and practice, given the disconnection between research-based models and the actual practices in the ESL classroom