Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) (Journal of UniSZA - Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin)
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Issues in financial governance practices among Malaysia's mosques
Get PDFMosques, like other religious organisations, possess financial, human, and physical resources. As a significant symbol of Islam, mosques play a dual role by serving their congregations and the broader public as service providers. This article examines and analyses the challenges associated with mosque financial governance in Malaysia. Despite being a Muslim-majority country since the 15th century, the full potential of mosques in Malaysia to consistently benefit society remains unrealised. Key concerns include fund management, regulatory compliance, and facility management. Since State Religious Councils serve as the sole trustees of mosques, governance practices vary according to the laws and regulations of each state. While prior research has predominantly focused on fund management due to the potential for financial contributions, this paper explores broader concerns regarding the financial governance practices of mosques in Malaysia. The study hopes to heighten awareness among mosque committees and the public about the critical importance of sound financial governance in religious institutions, particularly mosques. As a conceptual paper, its findings are expected to pave the way for comprehensive studies investigating the issues and interrelationships affecting mosque governance. This will ultimately facilitate the identification of necessary measures to enhance the governance and institutional effectiveness of mosques in Malaysia.
Keywords: Mosque, financial governance, fund management, regulatory compliance, facilities management
Perceived correlation between communication styles and interpersonal conflict resolution among international students in Malaysia
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: A good and fulfilling relationship among individuals from distinct cultural backgrounds depends on effective communication. This research examined the perceived relationship between communication styles and interpersonal conflict resolution among international students in Malaysian universities.
Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional survey in which self-developed structured questionnaires were used to gather data from a random sample of 324 international students in 15 higher institutions across Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis.
Findings: The findings of this study revealed a significant positive relationship between communication styles and interpersonal conflict resolution among international students. Specifically, passive, passive-aggressive, and assertive communication styles have a significant positive relationship with conflict resolution. However, the aggressive communication style exerts an insignificant effect on conflict resolution with a t-value of 0.734 and a P-value of 0.463. Thus, the students generally believe this style does not help to resolve interpersonal conflict. These outcomes suggest the students’ readiness for cultivating a peaceful learning environment.
Contributions: This study provides relevant information that can help educational decision-makers to strengthen cross-cultural collaboration among international students in the Malaysian context. This valuable information can also facilitate successful academic, professional, and social cooperation.
Keywords: Cross-cultural relationship, interpersonal conflict resolution, communication styles, international students, Malaysia
The construction and negotiation of agentive identity: A case study of a Malaysian student
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The success of the government’s aspiration to develop holistic Malaysian students not only lies in what has been going on in today’s classroom but also outside the classroom in which the fundamental process of seeking knowledge, skills and competencies. Holistic identity is not a construct that is inherited, nor does it remain constant, but it is developed and evolves from different academic encounters faced by the students. Thus, the present study investigated the construction and negotiation of a student’s identity from her interaction within academic settings in Malaysian Higher Education Institution (MHEI).
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative linguistic ethnography approach using a case study design to explore identity construction in a Malaysian Higher Education Institution (MHEI). A purposive sampling technique was used to select one Malaysian student, with data collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis identified emerging patterns, while the identity-in-interaction framework examined how the participant constructed and negotiated their academic identity. A triangulated approach ensured data reliability, offering a nuanced understanding of agentive identity formation in academic settings.
Findings: The participant of this study constructed and negotiated an agentive identity while making conscious decisions based on her academic experiences. Agentive identity emerged from her interactions and indexed from her behaviour and opinion during her academic encounters (inside and outside the classroom). The participant’s engagement behaviour portrayed could be interpreted as being agentive from the lens of the two principles in identity framework analysis, namely, the emergence principle and the indexicality principle.
Contributions: Experiencing different educational contexts could help shape Malaysian students to be balanced, academically and morally, as the Malaysia National Education Philosophy (NEP) aspired to. Malaysian students are seen as catalysts who will lead the country. The findings of this study could also be used as a reference for how educational practices reflect on the production of individuals as manifested in the NEP. Examining how students construct and negotiate their identities in a new or/and familiarised academic convention could enlighten the stakeholders, such as the students themselves, lecturers, tutors, parents, and ministry, to be more flexible, allowing students to be empowered within appropriate contexts.
Keywords: Malaysian students, students’ identity, higher education, student agency, agentive identit
An exploratory factor analysis examining Mandarin as a foreign language (MFL) learners’ self-efficacy at Malaysian public universities
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Self-efficacy is one of the aspects of human behaviours related to performance in social cognitive theory. It has been studied in social sciences, education, and languages. There are a variety of self-efficacy scales available in the English and French languages to test one’s self-belief in their ability to learn the target language. To date, no self-efficacy scale catered to the unique characteristics of Mandarin as a foreign or third language (MFL). The objective of this study is to give practical recommendations on creating valid self-efficacy instruments of MFL and making judgments on factor extraction, factor rotation, and factor labelling based on the foreign language literature.
Methodology: This quantitative study gathered information through an administration of a survey. The multipart survey consists of the demographic information section and the MFL self-efficacy scales distributed to MFL learners in Malaysian public universities. Data were collected randomly from 614 participants studying MFL at three different levels. Items for MFL self-efficacy were examined using SPSS version 25.0 software.
Findings: The final 13 MFL self-efficacy items were reduced to four factors with a total variance of 68.99%. The Promax rotation matrices revealed the presence of a simple four-factor structure, exhibiting the degree of strong factor loadings. The four factors were MFL Speaking, MFL Listening, MFL Reading, and MFL Writing.
Contributions: This research provides valid self-efficacy scales for MFL learning. The skill-based Scale could contribute to MFL teaching literature in the Malaysian context. Additionally, the study proposes future investigations which involve learning Mandarin with more emphasis on Chinese Characters.
Keywords: Mandarin as a foreign language, self-efficacy, exploratory factor analysis, non-native speaker, scale development
Four nuances of Islamic finance research: A bibliometric analysis approach for exploring the structure of research
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Islamic finance is an important driver of the economy for the Muslim world, particularly in the developing Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia. Scholars continue to pay close attention to Islamic finance research because it differs from conventional finance in many ways. Islamic finance research, like other fields of study, has to take a step back to evaluate what has been accomplished, who has contributed, and what the trending research topics are throughout its development. To that end, this research aims to investigate the structure of Islamic finance research by identifying its key nuances to date.
Methodology: This study employs bibliometric analysis techniques using VOSviewer to examine the research landscape of Islamic finance. Specifically, citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and co-word analysis are applied to a dataset comprising 1,567 academic articles published between 1955 and 2019, spanning 65 years of research. The analysis identifies influential scientific journals and key thematic contributions to the field.
Findings: The study uncovers four nuances of Islamic finance research based on citation impact, bibliographic coupling, and co-word analysis. These key themes include: i) Bank performance, stability, corporate governance, and risk management; ii) Customer patronisation and satisfaction determinants; iii) Islamic microfinance and social banking; and iv) Islamic capital market products and performance.
Contributions: This study presents an easy-to-read network of research nuances useful for understanding the Islamic finance literature and supporting future research in this field. The study also provides practical contributions to Islamic financial institutions by showing the major areas of focus for improving or sustaining them in the industry.
Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, Islamic finance nuances, literature review, co-word, bibliographic coupling
Psychopathological distress and suicide among adults with major depressive disorder: The moderating role of resilience and mediating role of deliberate self-harm
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: In the past year, 6.6% of patients with major depressive disorders attempted suicide. Suicidal ideation and behavior may be protected by resilience. Despite decades of research on suicide risk factors in young people, our understanding of the phenomenon has not improved significantly. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychopathological distress and suicide in adults with major depressive disorder. The current study also examines the moderating role of resilience and the mediating role of deliberate self-harm among adults with major depressive disorder.
Methodology: A correlational research design was used in the present study. Data was taken from (n=300) adults with major depressive disorder through a purposive sampling strategy. Attitude toward deliberate self-harm questionnaire, Columbia suicide screener, brief resilience scale, depression anxiety stress scale and Beck depression inventory-II were used as an assessment measure.
Findings: The result showed that psychopathological distress (r = .04, p < .005) with suicide and resilience significant negative (r = -.11, p < .004) relationship with suicide. However, deliberates self-harm (r = .21, p = .001) showed a significant positive relationship with suicide. Regression findings found that all models were significant. In the first step (ΔR2 = .02, F (1, 298) = .51, p = .000) psychopathological distress was a statistically significant predictor (β = .04, p = .000), In the second model (ΔR2 = -.06, F (2, 297) = 2.23, p < .004) resilience (β = -.11, p = .004) was a significant predictor of suicide. In the third model (ΔR2 = -.03, F (3, 296) = 4.95, p < .001) deliberate self-harm (β = .23, p = .001) was a significant predictor of suicide. In addition, mediation analysis revealed that deliberate self-harm was a significant (p = .05) mediator between psychopathological distress and suicide. Moderating findings showed a significant interaction effect of psychopathological distress x resilience (B= -1.42, p= .00), and it revealed that resilience plays a significant (p = .05) moderating role between psychopathological distress and suicide.
Contributions. The study concludes that a higher level of psychopathological distress and deliberate self-harm leads to a higher level of suicide, which causes severe levels of major depressive disorder. The present study will help to understand how to enhance resilience, which reduces deliberate self-harm and suicide acts among adults with major depressive disorder.
Keywords: Psychopathological distress, resilience, deliberate self-harm, suicide, adults, major depressive disorder
Indigenous parents’ perception of the effectiveness of formal education in Malaysia
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Parents play a crucial role in children's educational attainment, as their perceptions influence their actions in providing formal education. However, among the Indigenous community in Malaysia, formal education is often deprioritized, leading to a significant gap in educational attainment. This study aims to elucidate Indigenous parents' perceptions of formal education effectiveness in Terengganu, Malaysia, while also integrating perspectives from educators and government officers to provide a holistic understanding of the issue.
Methodology: Using qualitative methods, data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in three Indigenous villages in Terengganu. The informants included Indigenous parents, teachers, and officers from the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA). Including teachers and officers helped validate parental perspectives, highlight systemic challenges, and assess the broader impact of parental perceptions on children’s education.
Findings: The results indicate that Indigenous parents generally hold stereotyped views on education, which fail to stimulate students’ interest. Parental education background, socioeconomic conditions, expectations, marital age, and awareness were key determinants of children's academic engagement. Insights from teachers and JAKOA officers further revealed systemic challenges, including policy implementation gaps, limited parental involvement, and infrastructure-related issues affecting Indigenous students' educational experiences.
Contributions: This study provides a comprehensive insight into Indigenous parents' perceptions of formal education while incorporating institutional perspectives. The findings emphasize the need for increased parental awareness, culturally responsive teaching methods, and stronger collaboration between families, schools, and government agencies to bridge the education gap for Indigenous communities.
Keywords: Orang Asli, formal education, academic attainment, parent’s perception, Terengganu
The impact of ethical leadership on internal control systems
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The paper aims to investigate the impacts of ethical leadership on the effectiveness of internal control systems in government departments.
Methodology: The investigation is based on 182 distributed survey questionnaires provided to government department employees in managerial positions. The questionnaire items relating to ethical leadership are based on the components of role-modelling, strictness and openness. Internal control systems were evaluated based on the COSO framework, and the hypotheses were tested using regression models on the correlation between ethical leadership and internal control systems.
Findings: The findings reveal a significantly positive correlation between ethical leadership and internal control systems. The study points out the importance of ethical leadership in ensuring the effectiveness of internal control systems.
Contribution: This study provides insights and information on how to enhance internal control systems through ethical leadership. It also contributes to the internal control systems literature by providing empirical evidence on the causal effect that a leader has on systems effectiveness.
Keywords: Ethics, government, internal control, leadership, public sector
Value creation for Shariah-compliant companies from the perspective of Maqasid Shariah: A proposed framework
Get PDFIntegrated reporting (IR) conveys the integrated thinking (IT) process for creating value for organisations. Drawing from the framework of Maqasid Shariah, the paper seeks to propose a framework for measuring value creation for Shariah-compliant Companies (ShCCs). Based on the existing literature on the performance of companies, this paper explores the measurements of value creation, which is arguably the consequence of integrated reporting and integrated thinking in an organization that matches the framework of Maqasid Shariah. This issue is examined by looking at the context of ShCCs in Malaysia. The findings support the contention by Shariah Enterprise Theory, which is the extension of legitimacy and stakeholders’ theory. The various measurements of value creation can be classified under the broad classification of Abu Zahrah's (1997) Maqasid Shariah framework. This paper enhances the understanding of value creation from the perspective of Islam, thereby contributing to meeting the initial aim of the ShCC classification, which is to fulfil the needs of Muslim stakeholders. Additionally, the proposed framework provides measurements of value creation based on the Maqasid Shariah framework that can be used in future research.
Keywords: Maqasid Shariah, value creation, integrated reporting, integrated thinking, Shariah-compliant companies
Assessment of value-based principles on Islamic banking practices in Malaysia: An explorative study using bank’s disclosure
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: This study examines banking practices aimed at legitimising their role in society and addressing stakeholder needs concerning products and services. The research focuses on the principles of Value-Based Intermediation (VBI), a fundamental pillar of the VBI framework, to assess how banks integrate their offerings with these principles.
Methodology: A triangulation approach was employed, incorporating content analysis of annual reports and trend analysis of litigation cases. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) was selected as the case study for this exploration.
Findings: The analysis revealed a declining trend in litigation cases involving BIMB, particularly those related to know-your-customer (KYC) compliance. Additionally, the review of annual reports indicated that Shariah non-compliance incidents primarily stemmed from operational failures and insufficient Shariah knowledge among staff. The study brings to the fore the importance of strengthening KYC compliance while enhancing and promoting Islamic financial literacy and ethical standards among stakeholders.
Contributions: This study provides a novel contribution by utilising data triangulation by combining court case analysis and annual report reviews to offer a more comprehensive understanding of banking practices within the VBI framework. Furthermore, it enriches the literature on VBI, particularly in the Malaysian banking context.
Keywords: Corporate responsibility, due diligence, know-your-customer, Islamic ethics, financial literacy