Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) (Journal of UniSZA - Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin)
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First language transfer in Chinese undergraduates’ use of connectors in English narratives
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Connectors are vital tools for cohesive discourse, significantly influencing the writing proficiency of learners. In Chinese educational contexts, many learners grapple with the correct application of connectors, due to potential first language (L1) influence. Previous research primarily delves into lexical and syntactic aspects, overlooking discourse-level considerations. This study aims to assess the frequency and accuracy of connector usage in English narratives among Chinese learners. It also seeks to investigate the extent of language transfer concerning connectors among Chinese learners and discern how this transfer evolves as learners' second language (L2) proficiency advances.
Methodology: This study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design to analyze 150 English narratives written by 30 Chinese undergraduate English majors over two years. Data were collected through picture-elicited narrative writing tasks and retrospective journals, followed by qualitative coding of connector types using Halliday and Hasan's (1976) scheme and grammatical tagging. The qualitative analysis was complemented by quantitative frequency analysis to assess the accuracy, frequency, and patterns of first language transfer in connector usage.
Findings: The findings underscore temporal words as the most frequently employed connectors, closely trailed by additives and causal words. Notably, temporal words and adversatives exhibited higher accuracy when compared to other connector types. Positive transfer manifested more frequently than negative transfer. Moreover, positive transfer displayed a noticeable inflectional change across the five-time narratives, whereas little variation was observed in negative transfer.
Contributions: This study suggests that stakeholders, including educators, learners, and policymakers, should leverage positive transfer as a strategic resource when instructing connectors to enhance L2 writing proficiency.
Keywords: First language, language transfer, connector, narratives, Chinese undergraduates
Teachers’ and students’ beliefs about translanguaging in higher education: A systematic review
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: In recent years, there has been increased attention to translanguaging in educational research, particularly in higher education. The successful implementation of translanguaging practices depends on various factors, including the attitudes and beliefs of both teachers and students. However, there has been limited systematic review on this issue. This study aims to examine and synthesize existing literature on teachers’ and students’ beliefs regarding translanguaging practices in higher education contexts.
Methodology: A systematic review was conducted, following PRISMA guideline. Research databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC were searched with specific search terms ‘perception OR belief AND translanguaging’, resulting in the retrieval of 469 articles. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 28 articles were selected for ultimate thematic analysis.
Findings: The analysis revealed that teachers’ and students’ beliefs regarding translanguaging were significantly shaped by their pre-existing values and knowledge, institutions’ policies, as well as the nature of courses or curricula. Despite the evident benefits of translanguaging pedagogy highlighted in the reviewed studies, teachers encountered challenges in its implementation. The study identified four primary areas of support needed for the implementation of translanguaging, encompassing teacher training, adjusting curriculum and assessment, fostering collaboration, and developing language policy.
Contributions: This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of both teachers and students in implementing translanguaging practices in higher education. The study contributes to advancing knowledge and understanding of translanguaging in higher education, with implications for both theory and practice in this area.
Keywords: Higher education, students’ beliefs, systematic review, teachers’ beliefs, translanguaging
Corporate governance and board effectiveness: A systematic literature review of the company secretary role
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Company secretary roles are increasingly gaining attention and recognition globally. However, research on corporate governance and board effectiveness lacks a comprehensive and systematic review from the company secretary role. Most research to date has been focused on the role of other corporate governance actors, namely, CEOs, directors, and auditors. In this present systematic literature review, we address this deficiency.
Methodology: This paper adopted a systematic literature review approach. We used two indexed databases, Scopus and Web of Science, to analyse the articles written on corporate governance, company secretary and board effectiveness. A total of 121 articles published in these fields were examined, and after rigorous analysis, only 18 articles from which met the inclusion criteria were included.
Findings: Our findings reveal that only a few corporate governance research has investigated the role of company secretary in enhancing board effectiveness (board structure, board process and board practices). The thematic analysis conducted identified seven key roles of the company secretary. The roles are to: (1) support the chairman of the board; (2) provide advice and act as a confidant to the board of directors; (3) facilitate and manage the board of directors and board committee process; (4) liaise between the board and management; (5) manage information asymmetry and enhance transparency; (6) ensure compliance with laws, regulations, corporate governance code and best practices, and (7) manage company relations.
Contributions: The analysis in this paper presents four key findings - types of articles, geographical location, theory, and company secretary roles that reflect the research gaps present in the corporate governance literature, thus highlighting significant future research avenues.
Keywords: Board effectiveness, company secretary, corporate governance, roles, systematic literature review
Retrospective analysis and anticipation of curriculum design for future Southeast Asia
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The curriculum design underwent chronological pattern adjustment globally; however, the alterations are heavily contextualized. Therefore, this article is aimed to understand how futuristic curriculum design is perceived in South East Asia (SEA). The understanding of how futuristic curriculum design is perceived in the past is achieved through retrospective examination of published documents. After identifying past trends, anticipation from historical trends refer to a systematic projection of how the curriculum would be constructed for the future generation in the SEA region.
Methodology: This study presents an in-depth bibliometric analysis and visual scientific mapping of 2733 published documents in a reputable database. To examine how a futuristic curriculum is regarded throughout time, temporal, geographical, institutional, partnership and keyword mapping were quantitively analyzed. The succession of events in the past and the emerging keywords visible in the present were then qualitatively assessed in order to anticipate what is viewed as future curriculum in SEA.
Findings: According to the findings, the design of the futuristic curriculum has changed since the 1980s in terms of 1) centricity, 2) measured dimensions, 3) technological advances to support the 4) learning dynamics between internalization, regionalization and localization. Based on past and current trends, it is anticipated that curriculum design for the future will be 1) centered on an individual as a unit of a larger society, 2) focuses on measuring the tangible and intangible one’s performances using indicators by benefitting the technologically advanced 3) seamless and self-regulated learning.
Contributions: The findings and recommendations of this article serves as the baseline evidences in curriculum design in SEA education ecosystem to inform pedagogy and policy by exploring new areas of research and fostering the evidence-based knowledge in education.
Keywords: Future studies, Southeast Asia, foresight, bibliometric, anticipatory
A corpus-based lexical analysis of Covid-19 special messages by the former prime minister of Malaysia
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The global emergence and rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 seriously affect a nation’s economic and social well-being, including Malaysia. During the lockdown period, the former Prime Minister delivered special messages on television about updates on COVID-19 issues in Malaysia. 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 the Sketch Engine tool, fully utilising the Wordlist, Keyword, and Concordance functions for 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 entities (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 specialised Malay and Reference Corpus. From the analyses, the most used words in the specialised corpus are related to the issue of COVID-19.
Contributions: This study's findings contribute to a deeper understanding of language use during a critical period in Malaysia's history. The analysis highlights the linguistic emphasis on government, societal welfare, and pandemic-related containment measures, offering valuable references for future studies on crisis communication and lexical profiling in the Malay language.
Keywords: Corpus analysis, specialised corpus, COVID-19, WordSmith Tool, lexical analysis
Assessing Mandarin lecturers’ quality on role-performance in MARA education institutions (IPMA)
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The initiatives to improve the students’ competency level are closely related to the quality of the lecturers. Lecturers play a crucial role because they teach students of higher education institutions. A high-quality lecturer is believed to influence their students’ ability and competency greatly. This study aims to identify the level of lecturers’ quality based on role performance in teaching Mandarin in MARA Education Institutions (IPMA), specifically in Kolej Profesional MARA (KPM), Kolej Universiti Poly-Tech MARA (KUPTM) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL).
Methodology: This descriptive study used a survey method to collect data. The respondents comprise a population of students who study Mandarin as a third language course in IPMA, which is represented by Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL), Kolej Universiti Poly-Tech MARA (KUPTM), and Kolej Profesional MARA (KPM). 150 students were selected as respondents in the present study using purposive rather than random sampling. A Likert scale questionnaire was used to gather the data, and SPSS software was used to analyze the data statistically.
Results: Based on the mean value interpretation, the findings revealed that the lecturers’ quality on role performance falls under a Very High level (M=4.63, SD=0.49). This indicated that these Mandarin lecturers had the desired professional qualities and were committed to high-quality teaching practice.
Contributions: The findings provide a better insight into the teaching of Mandarin in tertiary-level education in Malaysia and, in turn, can help tailor professional learning activities to lecturers' professional development needs.
Keywords: Lecturer quality, role-performance, Mandarin language, IPMA
The integration of cultural elements in the English language classrooms: A case study of selected Orang Asli schools in Pahang, Malaysia
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: This study examined the challenges faced by the Orang Asli students from the Jah Hut tribe and their reactions towards integrating their cultural elements in learning the English language at two Orang Asli schools in Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia. It also sought to investigate students’ and teachers’ motivation in learning and teaching the subject.
Methodology: This critical qualitative inquiry employed a case study approach, using semi-structured interviews and non-participant classroom observations. A total of 14 participants were selected through the purposive sampling technique, which consisted of ten Orang Asli students, three Orang Asli teachers, and one Malay teacher from two Orang Asli schools in Temerloh district.
Findings: The findings indicated that integrating the Orang Asli’s culture into the English lessons had captivated their interest immensely. The most motivating and stimulating lessons were centred around cultural celebrations, using the native language, cooking the Orang Asli delicacies, and parading and explaining their outfits and costumes. Teachers responded to the importance of Culturally Responsive Teaching strategies’ acceptance and use in the classrooms regardless of the composition of the students. Similarly, they felt that the knowledge of understanding the cultures of others is critical as it allows one to understand the struggles and slowly develop a sense of appreciation towards differences.
Contribution: The study highlights pertinent information regarding the issue of a ‘one size fits all curriculum’, especially in teaching the English language to the diversity of people in Malaysia. It also provides suggestions on classroom teaching strategies for multicultural classrooms. It also adds input to the existing literature on integrating cultural elements in teaching the English language to the Orang Asli students.
Keywords: Integration, culturally responsive teaching, Orang Asli, Jah Hut, ESL classrooms, cultural elements, indigenous pedagogy, English language curriculum
Sustainability of microfinance institutions in the Philippines
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Microfinance is the most effective and widely acknowledged method of poverty alleviation across the globe, but these days, every so and often, the MFIs are digressing from their primary mission under the pretext of financial and operational sustainability of the organizations. This research aims to confirm the adherence to double bottom-line sustainability of Microfinance institutions (MFIs) and further identify the determinants of MFIs sustainability in the Philippines.
Methodology: The sample for the study was obtained from the MIX- market for the period 1999-2018. Principal component analysis and the KU model are used to measure the sustainability scores of MFIs. Later, a panel regression model is applied to identify the determinants of sustainability.
Findings: MFIs do not adhere to the double bottom line sustainability as most MFIs were unsustainable at different benchmarks set for the study. Sustainability can be achieved if MFIs start utilizing their assets and focus on improving their efficiency and portfolio quality. MFIs size also significantly influences their sustainability.
Contributions: This study highlights the need for policymakers and regulators to develop a regulatory framework to reduce operating costs and improve the portfolio quality of MFIs in the Philippines. They should also provide guidelines that would help MFIs improve their asset utilization ratio as it would help them adhere to double bottom line sustainability.
Keywords: Sustainability, microfinance, double bottom line, outreach, financial sustainability
Flipped learning in ELT: Experiences from Oman
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Flipped learning has gained significant traction as an innovative teaching and learning approach in international educational contexts. Its primary advantage lies in enabling self-directed study at home, allowing classroom time to focus on meaningful, interactive learning activities. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the abrupt shift to online teaching necessitated the widespread adoption of flipped learning approaches. This study was conducted at Dhofar University in Oman to explore the challenges faced by teachers and students during this transition and the strategies they employed to overcome these obstacles.
Methodology: A mixed-methods research design was employed, involving data collection through two questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The teacher questionnaire received 14 responses, while the student questionnaire garnered 68 responses from the target population. Additionally, 10 teachers were interviewed to gain deeper insights into the flipped learning experience. Questionnaire data were statistically analysed and descriptively presented, while interview data were examined using thematic analysis.
Findings: The study identified several key challenges, including increased workload, insufficient training, resistance to change, limited IT skills, technical difficulties, incomplete homework submissions, and low participation in live sessions. Notably, teachers demonstrated resilience by forming peer support groups to navigate these challenges. The suggested solutions provided by faculty members are discussed in detail, with references to research from diverse educational contexts.
Contributions: Although limited in scale and specific to the context of Dhofar University, the findings offer valuable insights for educators and policymakers in international settings. The study highlights the challenges associated with flipped learning and presents coping mechanisms that can inform future practices and decision-making in similar educational environments.
Keywords: Flipped learning, ELT, challenges, solutions, higher education
Challenges experienced by mothers of children with cerebral palsy during the movement control order (lockdown) in Malaysia: A qualitative study
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Following the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, the Malaysian government imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO) on 16 March 2020 to curb the outbreak. Consequently, all non-essential activities were suspended, and operations shifted entirely to a work-from-home basis as schools were temporarily closed and citizens were urged to stay home. Despite numerous studies examining the negative impacts of MCO on various sectors, limited attention has been given to its potential effects on vulnerable populations, including parents of children with special needs, such as those with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the burdens and difficulties associated with the experience of caring for children with CP during the MCO.
Methodology: This study was designed as qualitative research. Twenty-six participants were selected through a purposive sampling method for in-depth interviews. The participants were parents who were members of the Cerebral Palsy Support Group in Terengganu, Malaysia. The interview responses were thematically analyzed using a content analysis method.
Findings: Four main themes emerged from the thematic analysis: emotional distress, worry over the postponement of therapy and medical consultation, burnout due to working from home, and the conditions of the CP children themselves. The findings indicated that both working mothers and housewives experienced depression and deterioration in physical health and psychosocial emotions.
Contributions: Interventions in the form of financial aid, guidance for self-therapy at home for children with CP, and emotional support are urgently needed to ensure mothers and their CP children maintain their quality of life despite the MCO.
Keywords: Movement control order, challenges, parents, cerebral palsy, financial distress, emotional distress