An insider perspective of lifelong learning in Singapore: beyond the economic perspective

This study traces the learning journeys of a group of people who overcame economic, social and/or educational disadvantages to engage in lifelong learning in Singapore. Studies in a number of countries have shown that people from economically, socially and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are under-represented in postschool learning. However, in every country, there is a small group that has succeeded in overcoming economic, social and psychological odds to engage in lifelong learning and in this thesis such a group will be investigated in Singapore. In 2002, twenty-three people within this category were selected by the community as lifelong learners in Singapore. Thirteen of them volunteered for this study. Data collected through in-depth interviews were analysed using grounded theory methodology. The model of lifelong learning derived from emergent common themes shows that while it is true that utilitarian reasons usually accounted for the initial decision to engage in post-school learning, learning journeys were sustained by the development of learning careers, through the strengthening of learner identities and the development of learning dispositions.Sociocultural factors, such as presence of positive environments and supportive relationships with significant others, also influenced learning decisions. The findings thus confirm recent studies of the need for a sociocultural theory of lifelong learning and a more holistic approach to lifelong learning. There are important implications for Singapore which has achieved rapid economic growth since independence by adopting a pragmatic approach. Official discourses of lifelong learning are based on human capital theory. Hence, lifelong learning is seen as an investment in human capital, and often equated with skills upgrading for economic and political survival. The implications of this study are, however, that instead of focusing on the political and economic aspects of lifelong learning, future initiatives should examine other micro-contexts like family, work, schools and other institutions, with special focus on how people within these institutions can help support lifelong learning. It is also evident from the findings, that lifelong learning should be seen in its whole spectrum, as learning across the lifespan, from cradle to grave (lifelong learning) and learning that covers formal, nonformal and informal learning (lifewide learning).V

Critical Evaluation of Environmental, Social and Governance Disclosures of Malaysian Property and Construction Companies

There is an increasing demand from stakeholders for higher transparency on environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures. Yet not much is known about the state of sustainability reporting in Malaysia especially in the property and construction industry. This paper aims to fill this gap accordingly. Content analysis of corporate websites, sustainability and annual reports was adopted as the main methodology in this study. Findings show that corporate governance indicators are most reported by Malaysian construction companies compared to other environmental or social indicators. It was also found that details on actual health and safety performance of these companies and the initiatives implemented were largely absent from their reporting. Given the increasing number of rating tools in the capital markets which serve to rank and file companies based on their sustainability disclosures and performance such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4Good Index, it is questionable as to how reliable this can be done for the Malaysian property and construction market. The paper will be useful to construction management practitioners and ESG analysts with a focus on Asian markets

The Malaysian Medication Adherence Scale (MALMAS): Concurrent Validity Using a Clinical Measure among People with Type 2 Diabetes in Malaysia.

Medication non-adherence is a prevalent problem worldwide but up to today, no gold standard is available to assess such behavior. This study was to evaluate the psychometric properties, particularly the concurrent validity of the English version of the Malaysian Medication Adherence Scale (MALMAS) among people with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia. Individuals with type 2 diabetes, aged 21 years and above, using at least one anti-diabetes agent and could communicate in English were recruited. The MALMAS was compared with the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) to assess its convergent validity while concurrent validity was evaluated based on the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C). Participants answered the MALMAS twice: at baseline and 4 weeks later. The study involved 136 participants. The MALMAS achieved acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.565) and stable reliability as the test-retest scores showed fair correlation (Spearman's rho=0.412). The MALMAS has good correlation with the MMAS-8 (Spearman's rho=0.715). Participants who were adherent to their anti-diabetes medications had significantly lower median HbA1C values than those who were non-adherence (7.90 versus 8.55%, p=0.032). The odds of participants who were adherent to their medications achieving good glycemic control was 3.36 times (95% confidence interval: 1.09-10.37) of those who were non-adherence. This confirms the concurrent validity of the MALMAS. The sensitivity of the MALMAS was 88.9% while its specificity was 29.6%. The findings of this study further substantiates the reliability and validity of the MALMAS, in particular its concurrent validity and sensitivity for assessing medication adherence of people with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia

Exploring Access and Equity in Malaysia’s Private Higher Education

Private higher education institutions (PrHEIs) are utilized to complement public provision due to financial constraints faced in public provision. However, increasing private provision has raised interesting questions as to who gets educated in these PrHEIs. Is increasing private supply enlarging the circle of opportunity to reach those who might otherwise have been unable to enter university or college? In other words, has the explosion in private supply translated into greater inclusion or increased exclusion? This paper explores access and equity issues in Malaysia’s private higher education system. Malaysia is an interesting case study due to the significant presence of PrHEIs in the country and their contribution toward student enrolment. The findings show that the Malaysian government has provided considerable financial support for the development of PrHEIs in the country, through the provision of incentives, subsidized loans, and scholarships. Quality assurance efforts further enhance the development of private provision, as student loans and scholarships are only provided for students on accredited programs. Therefore, PrHEIs have widened access and equity in the country with the help of government support. Despite this, Malaysia’s model of providing access and equity through private provision may be unsustainable, due to the poor repayment record of student loans and the economic need to reduce the fiscal deficit of the government.malaysia education; higher education; private higher education

ESCIM: A System for the Investigation of Meaningful Motion

A language is described whose purpose is the investigation of meaningful motion using Stimulus Response animation techniques. The language is capable of adjusting the shape, size and velocity of an actor in real-time computer animation. Some results are presented showing how it is possible to generate such behaviours as chasing, avoidance and hitting using this animation technique. A set of primitives are presented which we find invaluable in the control of size, stretch and velocity parameters when attempting to produce fluid and meaningful interactions

Permainan jumlah sifar dua individu : the big two

The Big Two ialah sejenis permainan peluang. Permainan peluang memainkan peranan agak penting dalam pembentukan teori kebarangkalian. Permainan ini diklasifikasikan sebagai perrnaloan maklumat tidak sempurna iaitu terdapat maklumat yang tersembunyi semasa pemain-pemain mendapat pembahagian kad-kad daun terup, permainan jumlah sifar iaitu seseorang pemain menang bermaksud seorang lagi pemain kalah,tidak mungkin terdapat permainan seri dalam permainan The Big Two. Permainan The Big Two juga digolongkan sebagai perrnaloan pembentukan luas. Dalam disertasi ini teori matematik dan teori pengambilan keputusan dalam permainan The Big Two telah difahami. Kajian awalan tentang strategi optimum dalam permainan The Big Two dengan melihat satu kes permainan dua individu juga dianalisis. Pokok permainan telah digunakan untuk menganalisis strategi optimum dalam permainan The Big Two. Syarat untuk permainan itu boleh dianalisiskan dengan menggunakan pokok permainan untuk menentukan strategi optimum ialah permainan itu merupakan permainan pembentukan luas, The Big Two memenuhi syarat ini. Dalam kes kajian, didapati bahawa strategi optimum bukan banya sahaja, tetapi lebih daripada satu strategi campuran optimum. Strategi optimum boleh ditentukan dengan merujuk kepada pokok permainan tetapi bukan setiap kes dalam permainan The Big Two boleh dilukiskan dengan pokok permainan. Analisis ini boleh membekalkan persefahaman yang dalam tetapi jarang sekali hasil analisis boleh digunakan secara langsung ke atis masalah asal

Prediction of switching transients in high voltage air-insulated substations

Describes the process of prediction of switching transients in high voltage air-insulated substations

The internet milieu: individualization within a globalised community

Communication technologies have become deeply embedded in our lives, mediating the ways in which information is presented. Due to the global nature of this channel of communication, the world has shrunk and members of the internet may share similar cultural norms of thinking and behaving. Yet, paradoxically, the Internet is personal in that each individual has an interactive opportunity in choosing the options that can expand the breadth and depth of the information they are reading, who they interact with, and the means to achieve that interaction. These options can be expressed through a variety of media techniques. This paper is based on a study of selected websites hosted in English. It looks at language use in the Internet and illustrates the paradoxes between global and individual mediations of meanin