Reading English academic texts: evidence from ESL undergraduates’ eye movement data

Reading English academic texts can be a daunting task for many ESL university students. The complex features of academic texts which include academic discourse, text structure, and vocabulary may affect the reading process. An investigation of how ESL university students read English academic reading materials would provide insights on what learners do to attain comprehension of the text. This study aims to investigate the cognitive processes that take place when ESL undergraduates read English academic texts using eye movement data. Quantitative data (total fixation duration, total fixation count, fixation duration) and qualitative data (scan path) of eye movements derived from eye tracker accompanied with retrospective interview were collected from twenty ESL undergraduates from two academic programmes. The findings revealed that participants who failed to recall the texts had longer fixation duration and resulted in more in words regressions compared to participants who recalled and explained the texts accurately. Vocabulary used in academic texts was found to be one of the factors that affect the comprehension of the texts. The findings of the study suggest that specialised instructions that emphasise academic reading skills should be implemented at the early level of tertiary education

A Systemic Review (2014–2023) on the Mobile-Assisted Blended Learning for English as a Foreign Language Education with a Focus on Empirical Studies

Over the past two decades, due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), mobile learning (M-learning) and blended learning (BL) have emerged as new trends in sustaining English as a foreign language (EFL) education. The tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional teaching and learning, but it has also accelerated the integration of technology in EFL education. Mobile-assisted blended learning (MABL) combines mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and BL into a single framework that effectively addresses their individual limitations when used in isolation. However, reviews of MABL, particularly in the context of EFL education, are scarce. Sourced from two major databases, namely Web of Science and Scopus, and two supplementary databases (Education Resources Information Center and Mendeley), 25 studies were extracted out of 205 in the latest decade, using specific exclusion and inclusion criteria. This review aims to shed light on the trend of utilizing advanced and effective pedagogy and teaching tools to benefit stakeholders in the sustainable development of English as a foreign language

Penerokaan terhadap penguasaan bahasa kedua murid Orang Asli Temiar: suatu etnografi kajian kes

Komuniti Orang Asli merupakan antara kumpulan minoriti yang mempunyai masalah dalam penguasaan Bahasa Melayu (BM) sebagai bahasa kedua. Pencapaian yang lemah dan kurangnya kajian terhadap murid Orang Asli pada peringkat sekolah menengah mendorong kajian ini dijalankan. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka penguasaan BM murid Orang Asli Temiar. Selain itu, cabaran dalam proses penguasaan BM sebagai bahasa kedua dalam kalangan murid Orang Asli Temiar turut diteliti untuk memberi pemahaman yang lebih holistik. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan etnografi kajian kessebagai reka bentuk kajian. Seramai 13 orang peserta kajian telah dipilih secara persampelan bertujuan dalam penyelidikan ini yang terdiri daripada lapan orang murid Orang Asli dari suku kaum Temiar, dua orang guru dan tiga orang wakil ibu bapa. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan kaedah pemerhatian, temu bual, dan nota lapangan untuk memperoleh gambaran mendalam mengenai fenomena yang dikaji. Kajian ini dijalankan di sekolah berasrama menengah Orang Asli tunggal di Malaysia yang terletak di Sungai Siput, Perak. Dapatan kajian dianalisis dengan menggunakan kaedah perbandingan berterusan untuk pembentukan tema dan subtema. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa murid Orang Asli Temiar melalui aktiviti perkembangan bahasa yang boleh digolongkan kepada pembelajaran secara sedar dan pemerolehan secara semulajadi. Usaha untuk membudayakan penggunaan bahasa Melayu didapati terpengaruh dengancabaran-cabaran yang telah dikenal pastidalam proses penguasaan bahasa kedua mereka. Oleh itu, kajian ini memberi pemahaman baharu berkenaan penguasaan bahasa kedua dalam kalangan murid Orang Asli dan seterusnya memberi implikasi kepada penambahbaikkan dalam merangka strategi pengajaran dan pembelajaran BM sebagai bahasa kedua khususnya dalam kalangan komuniti Orang Asli di Malaysia

Academic word list knowledge of Malaysian ESL undergraduates

Academic words are specialised vocabulary of academic texts. The knowledge of these words is vital for comprehension and communication purposes, particularly among university students, to enable them to engage with authentic complex input, such as textbooks and journal articles. Limitation of academic vocabulary in their mental lexicon may restrict students ‘comprehension to grasp the academic concepts they are learning. The current study investigated Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) undergraduates’ knowledge of academic words, based on Coxhead’s (2000) Academic Word List (AWL). The AWL consists of academic words commonly used in academic texts across four general disciplines of studies namely arts, commerce, law, and science. The list consists of 570 word families categorised in 10 sub lists based on frequency and range. One hundred and eleven first year undergraduates with different levels of English language proficiency and from different academic disciplines at a research university in Malaysia participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which comprised a list of words derived from the AWL. Findings show that AWL words from sub lists 8 until 10 (which consist of low frequency and low utility academic words) had the highest percentage of unknown AWL words reported by students compared to the other sub lists. The distributions of unknown academic words reported were also different among students with regards to their academic disciplines and English language proficiency. Although the findings in general are rather evident, identifying unknown academic word among undergraduates from different academic programmes is significant to instructors and learners so as to enable them to focus on the right words during valuable class and independent study time