A CORPUS-BASED LEXICAL ANALYSIS OF COVID-19 SPECIAL MESSAGES BY THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

Background and Purpose: The global emergence and rise of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have a serious effect on a nation’s economic and social well-being, including Malaysia. During lockdown period, the former Prime Minister delivered Special Messages on the updates of COVID-19 issues in Malaysia on television. A specialised Malay corpus, i.e., Cov-19 Related Special Messages Corpus, consisting of 19 Special Messages texts by Muhyiddin Yasin, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia was examined to reveal its lexical profiling.   Methodology: The specialised corpus was analysed using Sketch Engine tool, fully utilising the Wordlist, Keyword, and Concordance functions for the purpose of lexical analysis. The list of lexical items was then compared with the same list of items in the Malaysian Web (MalaysianWaC), a default Malay Reference Corpus set in Sketch Engine.   Findings: Through wordlist analysis, the most frequently used words in the analysed corpus are generally linked to political or government entity (e.g., kerajaan, menteri, and perdana) and the welfare of the Malaysians (e.g., rakyat, kesihatan, and epidemik). The keyword analysis indicates that words related to the containment of the pandemic and reference to the Malaysians (e.g., saudara-saudari, pelitup, and penjarakan) show high keyness values. Finally, through concordance analysis some words with high keyness scores are used differently in both specialised Malay corpus and Reference Corpus. From the analyses, the most used words in the specialised corpus are related to the issue of COVID-19.   Contributions: It is hoped that this study would contribute to the corpus linguistic studies on COVID-19 to comprehend the use of COVID-19 related lexical items.   Keywords: Corpus analysis, specialised corpus, COVID-19, WordSmith Tool, lexical analysis.   Cite as: Abdullah, S., Malik, N. A., Shak, M. S., & Anuar, N. (2023). A corpus-based lexical analysis of Covid-19 special messages by the former prime minister of Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(2), 44-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss2pp44-7

A corpus-based approach to frame ‘COVID-19 vaccination’ in Malaysian English newspapers

Most studies on COVID-19 have been massively dedicated on how the disease was framed in the newspaper, its psychological effects, and its message or content disinformation. Research on the COVID-19 vaccination in newspapers and its acceptance among the masses is still quite scarce. The study adopted a corpus approach that involves wordlist, keyword list, collocates, and concordance analysis to analyse how ‘COVID-19 vaccination’ was framed in a focused and specialised English Malaysian newspapers corpus. #Lanscbox 5.0 corpus tool was employed in conducting the empirical analysis. The empirical analysis revealed that ‘COVID-19 vaccination’ was positively framed in different ways in the newspaper. The analysis of collocates and concordance lines revealed that the news reports mainly used Solution-oriented Frame which highlighted the Malaysian government’s effort in combating the pandemic. The newspaper was also found to use Mathematical frame in the effort to convince the public with regards to the updates and statistics of vaccine takers. Nevertheless, the results also revealed the usage of sensational phrases that framed the COVID-19 vaccination negatively. These findings can enlighten newspaper practitioners on what should be done and avoided in framing such an issue in their writings as well as how the public will perceive it

Revisiting PULSE 2 Textbook after Three Years: Have Teachers Changed Their Mind?

The present study aims to further explore Malaysian secondary English teachers’ perspective on the use of PULSE 2 in their language classrooms, after three years of its introduction in Malaysian secondary schools. The study is qualitative in nature, employing semi-structured interview as the approach for data collection the data. However, due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) the study was conducted through a Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) application, WhatsApp. ATLAS ti. was employed to perform the content analysis to the collected data. The findings revealed that the respondents preferred to use imported English textbooks with local modifications in their language classroom.  Most of them also felt that the level of the language content and skills offered by PULSE2 did not match with their students’ abilities. They also reported grouses about the difficult foreign content of PULSE 2, which indicated that they have yet to change their mind about it even after using it for three years. It is suggested that relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) to review the use of imported textbooks such as PULSE 2 in Malaysia, as this will bear an impact on the creation of the country’s version of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) called ‘CEFR-M’ as projected in the on-going English Language Education Reform in Malaysia by 2025. Not only that, selecting a textbook that is relatable, localized, and matches the students’ level is crucial in this COVID-19 era, where the new normal in education forces learning to be done remotely. Inevitably, there will be students who are less privileged, and  their only hope to gain access to continuous education is through a textbook that can easily be used for self-study and is readily available, without having the needs to have access to advanced technological devices

Criteria in English language textbook evaluation checklists: a systematic review

The systematic review was carried out to examine evaluation criteria in textbook evaluation checklists used to evaluate ESL/EFL textbooks around the world and to identify gaps and additional criteria that could be included in future textbook evaluation checklists to meet the demand of current teaching and learning situations. Two databases - Scopus and the Web of Science - were explored to collect data. Primary searches between 2011 and 2021 revealed 92 studies dealing with the topic under investigation. After scrutinizing abstracts and removing duplicates, 36 studies were retained for further analysis. A thematic analysis was conducted to derive themes for the criteria enlisted in these studies. The themes of criteria that emerged were: (1) practical considerations; (2) layout and design; (3) language skills; (4) language activities and tasks; (5) topic/subject of the content; (6) appropriateness for students; (7) cultural considerations; (8) supplementary materials; and (9) fitness with the language program aims and objectives. It is recommended that future textbook evaluation checklists could focus on criteria that relate to an ESL/EFL textbook’s relatability to its users, especially in terms of its culture representation, its ability to enable self-study, and a wider integration of technology, especially in the era of online distance learning which is expected to stay even if the COVID-19 pandemic subsides later

Google Classroom as Perceived by Educators: An Overview

Learning Management System (LMS) is gaining prominence in how education is delivered today due to the increased popularity of remote and online distance learning and the unimaginable COVID-19 pandemic that stuns the world. One of the more popular LMSs in the world is Google Classroom (GC). Due to its popularity, it is essential for the perception of its users particularly educators to be gauged as it is believed that their perception could determine what they do in their teaching and learning sessions. This paper reviewed eleven selected past studies about educators’ perception on the use of GC. The content of these studies was analyzed and coded into themes and specific categories by using the Atlas.ti Software. In general, educators seem to hold a positive perception on the use of GC with their students. However, some reservations about the use of GC have also been expressed. Several recommendations about how GC could be improved were also offered by the participants in the studies. The gaps in the past studies might provide some ideas on how the educators’ perception of GC could be better ascertained in future

Explicit vocabulary instruction: Effects of vocabulary learning on Form Two ESL learners

Per its English curriculum, vocabulary instruction is only integrated indirectly in the teaching of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in Malaysian schools. ESL learners then may overlook the variety of meanings that a word and its spelling can offer. This research aims to describe the effects of the explicit approach of vocabulary instruction on 30 Form Two (eighth grade) students from a suburban school in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. A descriptive style was adopted, and specific vocabulary lessons were used to help students learn the target words. Using descriptive statistics, vocabulary pre- and post-test scores were analysed and compared to determine the impact of this approach. The frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation of the students’ evaluation form responses were analysed. Content analysis was used to transcribe, classify, and categorise qualitative data from the interview session. According to the data, the students’ vocabulary scores increased dramatically in the post-test, with a mean gap of 21.9. The students were also enthusiastic about the teacher’s instructions (M=4.48, SD=0.64) and vocabulary lessons (M=4.34, SD=0.59). It is suggested that the explicit approach of vocabulary instruction, which engages students in exciting vocabulary learning techniques as employed by this study could enhance their vocabulary knowledge.

Empirical Studies on Phonics in Mainland China: A Systematic Review

Phonics is required by National Curriculum for Compulsory Education in 2011. Numerous studies were conducted on phonics and its instruction since then. To understand the research trend and to locate research gaps, a systematic review study was needed. This review was conducted based on the initial searches of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the most popular academic platform. Following PICO tool, altogether 42 master theses are included. The findings indicate that in recent ten years, empirical studies focus on the application of phonics in EFL settings from pre-school year to high school period. Most studies were on primary school years (N=27). The findings also indicate that phonics instruction can greatly enhance EFL students’ words recognition ability, spelling ability, phonemic awareness, learning motivation as well as overall language proficiency. Based on the analysis, all the included studies has theoretical support and altogether ten different theories are utilized to support those empirical studies, although some of the studies experimental design is not strong enough. However, the findings implies no studies have been conducted on EFL teachers and preservice EFL teachers knowledge base to implement phonics, implying further investigation in this domain

Secondary ESL Teachers Use of Google Classroom during COVID-19 Pandemic

Education means of delivery has been transformed from in person to online learning because of COVID-19. This study assesses factors influencing the use of Google Classroom (GC) in four northern states located in Peninsula Malaysia for lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary ESL educators. A non-experimental design was employed. Primary data collected from a self-administered online questionnaire were analysed descriptively in a general survey of trends, involving 103 survey respondents (i.e., teachers). The findings of this study will allow Malaysian education stakeholders to understand the factors influencing the use of GC in schools to enable appropriate decisions about its use among teachers. It will also assist Malaysia's Ministry of Education in formulating policies relating to the use of GC and assist administrators of secondary schools in making decisions on the type of infrastructure and technical support needed. To evaluate the factors affecting GC used for instructions, a longitudinal study is recommended as such study will indicate whether longer periods of instructions result in better use of GC or not. This study extends significance in the field of instruction for teachers since it can be used to perform additional studies to increase the use of GC by teachers. To better evaluate the power of GC’s instructions or other learning management systems in advancing virtual instruction prowess, a potential global expansion of this study should be performed

Secondary ESL Teachers Use of Google Classroom During COVID-19 Pandemic

Education means of delivery has been transformed from in person to online learning because of COVID-19. This study assesses factors influencing the use of Google Classroom (GC) in four northern states located in Peninsula Malaysia for lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary ESL educators. A non-experimental design was employed. Primary data collected from a self-administered online questionnaire were analysed descriptively in a general survey of trends, involving 103 survey respondents (i.e., teachers). The findings of this study will allow Malaysian education stakeholders to understand the factors influencing the use of GC in schools to enable appropriate decisions about its use among teachers. It will also assist Malaysia's Ministry of Education in formulating policies relating to the use of GC and assist administrators of secondary schools in making decisions on the type of infrastructure and technical support needed. To evaluate the factors affecting GC used for instructions, a longitudinal study is recommended as such study will indicate whether longer periods of instructions result in better use of GC or not. This study extends significance in the field of instruction for teachers since it can be used to perform additional studies to increase the use of GC by teachers. To better evaluate the power of GC's instructions or other learning management systems in advancing virtual instruction prowess, a potential global expansion of this study should be performed