An empirical study of the use of computer-based material for the teaching of the listening skill in English as a second language to students of a higher education institution in Malaysia

The primary concern of the present study was to investigate the effective uses of computer-based software in teaching the listening skill in English as a Second Language (ESL) at higher education institutions. It aimed to find out if computer-based software can be used as a teacher replacement or supplement, either at the beginning or end of the listening lesson. This study also aimed to measure students' motivational reactions to instructional materials, to examine students' computer background, to examine any significant relationships between any of the variables and also to see if there are gender differences in any of these. In order to assess the effect of CALL use, an experimental study was carried out.The respondents consisted of 80 post-SPM students enrolled in Intensive English course at KUSZA, Malaysia. Two achievement post-tests and two sets of questionnaires were administered for data collection. The data results were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) with statistical techniques of ANOVA, analysis of covariance, Pearson's product-moment correlation and t-tests for independent samples. The results of the study revealed that the way computerised material was used made a considerable effect on the achievement of the students. When it was used as a supplement at the beginning of the lesson, the students scored better results than those students received computerised treatment at the end of the lesson. When it was used as a teacher replacement, the students did not score well in the tests. The results also showed that non-computerised treatment was effective for teaching the listening skill.In the light of these results, certain recommendations were made for the teaching of the listening skill in ESL at KUSZA. It was recommended that computerised instruction be used as a supplement to teacher teaching at the beginning of the lesson rather than at the end of it. Further research is needed to be carried out with larger groups of respondents so that the findings can be generalised to other situations

A review on enhancing the teaching and learning of thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a subject that deals with energy and is one of the most advanced tools for understanding our physical universe. Engineering students’ difficulties in learning thermodynamics occur globally as indicated by the literature. There are various studies reporting on efforts made to overcome the deficiencies and suggestions of teaching approaches to enhance students learning such as blended learning approach, active learning techniques, computer-based instruction, virtual lab – a web-based student learning tool for thermodynamic concept related to multi-staging in compressors and turbines, TESTTM software in design projects and laboratory and so on. This paper presents a review and analysis of the different approaches on supporting students learning of thermodynamics. The criteria for analysis are the characteristics of the learning system, the effectiveness based on students’ performance; the skill developed using the learning system, and students’ feedback

Kitaran harga dalam industri ternakan.

This paper discuss price and production model concerning a livestock industri which gives rise to a system of felay differential equations, as proposed by Larson[8]. In this model it is assumed that the demand curve is liunera , a lag between planned and (and propotional to) realized production, and that the rate of change of breeding is propotional to the derivation of price from equilibrium. We prove that there exists sinusodial solutions, which shows that exists price cycle in livestock industries, as conjectured by Larson. The sinusodial solutions can be obtained by using the method of step

READABILITY OF ESL PICTURE BOOKS IN MALAYSIA

Predicting readability of a reading text for second language learners is important for teachers, educators, and other concerned parties to make sure the text matches targeted readers’ proficiency. Suitable reading materials would promote language development among readers, especially children. In Malaysia nowadays, English story books for children which are published locally can be easily found in libraries or bookstores. However, the readability of these reading materials has remained uncovered. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the readability of Malaysian English children story books on five aspects (narrativity, syntactic simplicity, word concreteness, referential cohesion and deep cohesion) as provided by the computational tool, Coh-Metrix Common Core Text Ease Readability Assessor (T.E.R.A). Ten local English children story books were selected as samples. It was found that the majority of the samples have high narrativity, syntactic simplicity, and word concreteness but average referential cohesion and deep cohesion. The result revealed that there is lack of attention given to the aspect of cohesion in children story books. This study recommends that children book writers consider the readability of ESL children story books to help children’s language development.  Keywords: readability, assessment of reading materials, Coh-Metrix, picture books, childrenCite as: Ismail, A., & Yusof, N. (2016). Readability of ESL picture books in Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(1), 60-70.  http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol1iss1pp60-7

PARTISIPASI ULAMA DI SULAWESI SELATAN DI DALAM AKTIVITAS POLITIK DAN KEMASYARAKATAN

This paper discusses the participation of the clergy in political and social activities in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ulama is an Islamic leader who has extensive knowledge of religious affiliation. Scholars can affect the community, as it is believed by the people, he has charisma, and he respected her advice is also an example to the community. As the unofficial leader, cleric is to be responsible for all aspects of development, including in the political and social activity. Participation of scholars in the development is very important, as direct beneficiaries of development and an active contributor to the development process. The results of this study indicate that there are scholars in the South who are actively involved in political and social activities. In political activity, there are scholars who are members of political parties and there are scholars who participated in the campaign for a candidate running in the election. Similarly in social activities, there are scholars involved in volunteer work such as building mosques, protecting their lives, attend community meetings, participate in community sports activities, attend celebrations taking place in society, as well as providing assistance to disaster

Student teachers perception towards teaching practicum programme

One of the requirements to qualify as a teacher is to undergo a teaching practicum during which one gains teaching experience. This practicum is considered as the most significant way in helping student teachers to become effective classroom teachers. This study investigates UniSZA student teachers perception towards teaching practicum and the challenges encountered by them. 45 Diploma in Teaching of English (TESL) Semester 5 students at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) were chosen as respondents. The research employed qualitative methodology with questionnaire administered to examine the respondent’s answer for every question asked. The findings indicated that the student teachers have different perception and expectation regarding teaching practicum but most of them looked forward to it. The result of this study also highlighted two prominent challenges encountered by the student teachers that were to adapt with the school environment and the classroom management. Findings of this study would provide a deeper understanding on the Teaching Practicum organized by the Faculty of Languages and Communication

Style of information usage and use of accounting information : a Malaysian study

Purpose &ndash; Since the 1990s, there has been a growing interest in style of information usage. However, most studies on style of information usage are conducted in developed countries. There is limited research on style of information usage in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the existing literature by examining relationships between style of information usage and use of financial and non-financial information in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach &ndash; The authors adopted a survey method, for which a written questionnaire was prepared and mailed out to companies in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Terengganu and Pulau Pinang. Findings &ndash; Findings of the study show that diagnostic style of information usage is positively associated with use of financial information, while interactive style of information usage is positively associated with use of non-financial information. Further analysis on types of non-financial information used by managers who adopt interactive style of information usage reveals that customer-related non-financial information such as quality, customer satisfaction and flexibility play a more important role in their decision-making processes. Originality/value &ndash; The paper provides insights into relationships between style of information usage on and use of accounting information in developing countries. Findings of the study can be applied to assist management accountants in meeting managers&rsquo; information requirements.<br /

Energy and nutrient intakes: findings from the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS)

Nutrition surveys based on a representative sample of the Malaysian adult population have hitherto not been reported. In 2003, the Ministry of Health, Malaysia, conducted the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS), the first and largest nutrition survey in the country which aimed to provide detailed quantitative information on nutritional status, food and nutrient intakes, and physical activity pattern on a nationwide representative sample of adult subjects between the ages of 18 and 59 years. The survey covered four zones in Peninsular Malaysia (Central, Southern, Northern and East Coast), Sabah and Sarawak. This paper presents the mean and selected percentiles of energy and nutrient intake of 6886 subjects by selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Energy contributions by macronutrients and dietary adequacy in relation to the Recommended Nutrient Intake for Malaysians are also described. Information on dietary intake was collected by trained nutritionists using a one day 24-hour diet recall. Dietary data were analysed using Nutritionist Pro, a diet analysis software and statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS ver. 13.0. In most of the demographic and socioeconomic groups, males had higher mean energy (1776 kcal) and nutrient intake and percent achievement of RNI than females (1447 kcal). The proportions of calories derived from macronutrients were within the recommendations for a healthy diet. Intake of micronutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamin A was about 50% of RNI particularly in women. Sodium intake of Malaysians, not reported in earlier studies, is also made available. Under-reporting using the EI/BMR ratio was found in half of the population studied. The present study provides the first national estimates of energy and nutrient intake of the Malaysian adult population. Regular nutrition surveys are needed at the national level to provide valuable information on trends in food and nutrient intake, particularly among age and ethnically diverse subgroups of the population

Daily Energy Intake from Meals and Afternoon Snacks: Findings from the Malaysian Adults Nutrition Survey(MANS)

Meal and snack patterns are associated with energy and nutrient intakes and consequently health and nutritional status. The aim of this paper is to describe the percentage of daily energy intake from meals and afternoon snack among Malaysian adults. The study included a representative sample of adults aged 18- 59 years (n=7349) from a nationwide Food Consumption Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health. Information on dietary intake was obtained using a one day 24-hour diet recall (24-HDR). Dietary data on 6886 adults were analysed using Nutritionist ProTM and statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 13.0. The median percentage of daily energy intake is reported only for adults consuming meals and afternoon tea and by socio-demographic characteristics as well as body mass index (BMI) status. More than 80% of Malaysian adults consumed morning meals, lunch and dinner and 54% reported having afternoon tea. The median percentage of energy intake from morning meals, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea was 29.9%, 30.5%, 32.4% and 17%, respectively. There were variations in the median percentage of energy from meals and snacks according to the socio-demographic variables and BMI status. It is important to understand the eating patterns of Malaysians as the information can assist in efforts to address obesity and diet-related chronic diseases among adults

Nutritional Assessment of Pre-School Children in Rural Villages of the Family Dynamics, Lifestyles and Nutrition Study (1997-2001) II. Prevalence of Undernutrition and Relationship to Household Socio-Economic Indicators

This paper describes the nutritional status of pre-school children and analyzes its relationship to various household socio-economic indicators. Padi, rubber and fishing villages from the Functional Groups Study (1992-1996) were selected for having a high prevalence of child undernutrition, and all children between the ages of 12 and 72 months were measured for their weights and heights in April-May 1998. The NCHS reference values were used to calculate z-scores, which were categorised according to WHO (1983) recommendations. Children between minus 2SD and minus 1SD of reference median were classified as mildly malnourished. Prevalence of underweight was higher (30.5%) than stunting (22.3%), while wasting was only 9.7%. Padi villages had the highest prevalence of undernutrition, followed by fishing, and then rubber villages. Mean household incomes were found to be significantly lower for children with worse nutritional status, and undernutrition was higher in households below the poverty line income. The odds ratios for having stunted children were significantly higher for households whose heads were agricultural own-account workers (OR 3.66, 95% CI = 1.37-9.79), agricultural waged workers (OR 2.75, 95% CI = 1.06-7.10), and non-agricultural manual workers (OR 2.49, 95% CI = 1.04-6.00) compared to non-manual workers. Various household socio-economic indicators showed significantly higher odds ratios for underweight, stunting and wasting. After adjusting for confounding effects by logistic regression analysis, however, only mother’s education was found to be a significant predictor for stunting, while poverty level and access to piped water supply were significant predictors for both underweight and stunting. Households without livestock were significant predictors for wasting. Thus, this study identified specific socio-economic factors that should be prioritized for policy and research towards the amelioration of childhood malnutrition in rural areas