Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) (Journal of UniSZA - Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin)
Not a member yet
422 research outputs found
Sort by
Integrating open distance learning in higher education institutions as a transformative shift in teaching and learning
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The threat brought about by COVID-19 has made a huge impact not only on the economic, tourism, and health sectors but also on the world's education system. Specifically, this pandemic crisis has caused higher education institutions (HEIs) to abruptly shift to open distance learning (ODL) to respond to the call for continued education despite the global health threat.
Methodology: Using a quantitative approach and purposive sampling that led to soliciting good responses from 320 respondents from private and public HEIs in Melaka, Malaysia, this study explains the reality, readiness and willingness of learners and lecturers experienced in ODL.
Findings: Findings indicate that technology use in ODL teaching and learning offers many opportunities for both learners and lecturers. The instructors and learners perceived that ODL is effective with technology merging the old and the new. Three aspects were indicated from this study, namely 1) interaction between learners or among themselves as peers, 2) technical support, and 3) pedagogical demands. Nonetheless, there were some challenges faced by both lecturers and learners, such as unreliable internet access, high costs associated with bandwidth, technophobia and inadequate pedagogical skills.
Contributions: This study examines the experiences of instructors and learners in Open Distance Learning (ODL) within Malaysian higher education institutions, revealing both opportunities and challenges in digital learning. Key contributions include identifying three critical factors affecting ODL effectiveness: learner interaction, technical support, and pedagogical demands. The findings advocate for a shift towards blended learning to bridge technological and instructional gaps, ensuring a more effective and sustainable learning environment.
Keywords: Blended learning, continuity, digital, open distance learning, fundamental shifts
Connecting the dots through interdisciplinary literary studies: Psychoanalysis, cosmopolitans, mental health, poverty, and urbanism. [Review of the book Unseen city: The psychic lives of the urban poor, by Ankhi Mukherjee]
Get PDFThis paper reviews the conceptual and theoretical framework propounded by Ankhi Mukherjee. Her framework is developed through rigorous analyses of literary texts from diverse genres. It is philosophically underpinned in psychoanalysis and postcolonial studies. The interdisciplinary framework is eclectic in nature and it can be used in trauma studies, ageing population, mental health, health communication, and urban studies. This paper delineates the development of the framework and its application.
Keywords: Psychoanalysis, postcolonialism, interdisciplinary analysis, population studies, urbanism
Perceived usefulness and attitude toward intention and acceptance of e-payment zakat
Get PDFIntroduction and Background: As people's lifestyles and behaviour toward daily digital activities change, a suitable zakat payment option is required to encourage Muslims to fulfil their commitments. Zakat institutions use technology to attract more people to pay for zakat. The acceptance is, however, dubious due to data misuse and platform security worrisome. Hence, this study aims to investigate Malaysian Muslims’ acceptance of the e-payment zakat system.
Methodology: In this descriptive study, a survey was carried out on 170 zakat payers in Malaysia. Five constructs were examined in the survey, based on Technology Acceptance Model, which are Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Attitude, Intention, and User Acceptability. Data were analysed in linear and logistic regression using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
Findings: Results revealed that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use significantly influenced Attitudes toward using electronic payment channels for zakat payments. A positive correlation was found between Attitude and Intention for online zakat payment. User acceptability was significantly influenced by the Perceived Usefulness of the e-payment platform and the Intention to pay zakat online.
Contribution: Understanding that User Acceptability is influenced by Perceived Usefulness and Intention would allow the zakat institution to comprehend the user requirement for zakat payment applications. The study findings have implications for zakat authorities to enhance the digital platform for zakat payments to ease users by leveraging technology to streamline the donation process and make it more convenient, secure, and transparent.
Keywords: E-payment, zakat, acceptance, technology acceptance model, user acceptability
Renewable energy development towards sustainable development goals: A review of Thailand's and the Philippines’ laws and policies
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Renewable energy (RE) is vital for sustainable energy access and climate change mitigation. Despite rising energy demand, Thailand and the Philippines have made limited progress in integrating RE into their energy portfolios. Both countries have implemented policies and projects aligned with Target 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which emphasizes affordable and sustainable energy for all. This study examines the effectiveness of legal and policy frameworks in overcoming barriers to RE development and supporting sustainable energy transitions.
Methodology: A comprehensive library-research methodology was employed, incorporating statutory and conceptual approaches. Key legislations, such as Thailand’s National Energy Policy Act (1992) and the Philippines’ Renewable Energy Act (2008), were reviewed to evaluate their alignment with sustainability principles and SDG commitments. The analysis focused on identifying regulatory gaps, financial barriers, and governance challenges within the RE landscape.
Findings: The findings indicate that, while RE presents significant potential for socioeconomic development and energy security, its growth is hindered by regulatory inefficiencies, financial constraints, and limited government support. Comprehensive legal frameworks and targeted incentives are essential to address these barriers and promote a transition to a sustainable energy mix.
Contributions: This study contributes to the discourse on RE governance by highlighting the need for robust policies, financial incentives, and stakeholder collaboration. It provides insights for policymakers to enhance RE adoption and achieve sustainable development goals in Thailand and the Philippines.
Keywords: Renewable energy, legal framework, policy, Thailand, Philippines
University students’ online food delivery (OFD) usage intention: Investigating the role of sensory marketing and perceived benefits
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: The rising use of mobile phones in Malaysia has contributed significantly to the growing habit of purchasing food through online food delivery (OFD) service platforms. Sensory marketing, a strategic approach that appeals to the five human senses, is commonly employed through social media promotions using visually appealing advertisements and images to attract customers. This study investigates the role of sensory marketing (sight and touch) and perceived benefits (convenience and product variety) in predicting university students’ intentions to use OFD services.
Methodology: Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to achieve the study’s objectives. Data were collected through a survey of 400 university students via the Google Form platform.
Findings: The results indicate that sensory marketing and perceived benefits significantly influence university students’ intentions to use OFD services. Among the factors, the "touch" element of sensory marketing emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by convenience (perceived benefits), product variety (perceived benefits), and sight (sensory marketing).
Contributions: This study enhances the existing literature on OFD usage intentions by providing insights into the influence of sensory marketing and perceived benefits. The findings offer practical implications for food service providers, highlighting areas for continuous improvement to meet consumer demands effectively.
Keywords: Sensory marketing, perceived benefits, online food delivery app
Dealing with language variation in a source text: Malay Sketches and its Malay translation
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Although translation generally involves the transfer of meaning from the source language (L1) to the target language (L2), it may also involve a third language or L3, that is, any other language(s) found in either the source or target text. Language variation in a source text presents a challenge to translators, as they need to deal with both L1 and L3. This paper aims to explore the issue of language variation in a source text to see how L3 is rendered in translation. More specifically, the aim is to explore how L3 segments in French, Latin and Italian in a text in English entitled Malay Sketches are dealt with when the text is translated into Malay, and to determine the effects resulting from the solutions taken by the translators.
Methodology: L3 in Malay Sketches are first identified. These L3 segments are subsequently mapped to their counterparts in the Malay translation, Gelagat & Ragam Orang Melayu. This mapping results in source language-target language pairs, which are then analysed to determine the solutions taken by the translators. These solutions are categorised based on the framework of translation solutions in L3 translation by Corrius and Zabalbeascoa (2011).
Findings: It was found that L3 translation generally involves substitution in which L3 is translated into Malay. Consequently, language variation, a defining feature of the source text, becomes invisible in the Malay translation.
Contributions: This study hopes to contribute to and expand current discourse on L3 in translation, especially in view of the fact that scant attention had been paid to L3 translation in Malaysia.
Keywords: Malay Sketches, language variation, multilingual text, third language, translation
Resilience, academic stress, and happiness among higher education students
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Resilience is recognized as a key factor influencing happiness; however, studies exploring the relationship between resilience, happiness, and academic stress remain scarce. This study examines the impact of resilience on happiness and its effect on academic stress among higher education students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Methodology: Data were collected through standardized measurement instruments administered to the study participants. A total of 253 students (53 males, 20.9%; 200 females, 79.1%) from private higher education institutions in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were selected using purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with IBM-SPSS-AMOS.
Findings: The results indicate that resilience does not have a significant effect on either happiness or academic stress. This study suggests that a higher level of resilience does not necessarily lead to reduced academic stress or increased happiness among university students.
Contributions: The study’s results have implications for students and university administrators in understanding the broader determinants of happiness within higher education environments. Future research should consider examining the moderating effects of social support, coping mechanisms, and institutional policies on student well-being.
Keywords: Happiness, resilience, academic stress, higher education students
Technophobia, motivation and academic achievement in distance learning for grade 6 students in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Limited research has explored the perceptions of technology use in distance learning education among grade six students and its potential influence on academic achievement. Addressing this gap, this study aims to investigate the relationship between technophobia, motivation and academic achievement in the context of distance learning for sixth-grade students in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Methodology: Data were collected through a questionnaire distributed among grade six students in Abu Dhabi, resulting in 399 responses. The respondent pool comprised 173 female students and 269 male students. The collected data underwent analysis using SPSS and the Structural Equation Model through SMART-PLS.
Findings: The study found that technophobia negatively impacts students’ academic achievement in distance learning, while motivation positively affects technophobia and academic achievement in distance learning.
Contributions: The findings provide insights for educational stakeholders, teachers, and leaders in the Ministry of Education to develop policies and support students in their distance education experience.
Keywords: Technophobia, motivation, distance learning, educational technologies, academic achievement
“Greetings from hell (neraka kirim salam)”: A discourse analysis of religious-based cyberbullying of dehijabis
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: Many studies have been conducted on cyberbullying discourse in Malaysia, but religious-based cyberbullying discourse has received comparatively less attention. Malaysia’s second place ranking in cyberbullying practices among Asian countries in 2018 is striking, and it is worth highlighting that many public figures in the country have encountered cyberbullying upon deciding to remove their hijab. This paper examines how the first dehijabed Instagram posts by local celebrities, Uqasha Senrose, Emma Maembong and Liyana Jasmay incited religious-based cyberbullying.
Methodology: This paper employs a mixed-methods approach. We examined the initial post-dehijabbing captions, along with a total of 300 comments on these posts. Through a two-tiered coding and categorization process, we identified 168 religious-based comments containing religious-related terminologies, Arabic expressions, Quranic verses, and Hadith. From this subset, 70 of them exhibit cyberbullying characteristics: Defamation, Defense, Encouragement, Exclusion, Sexual Talk, Insult and Threat/Blackmail. The most prevalent categories, Insult (n=29) and Threat/Blackmail (n=18) were further qualitatively analysed using Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse framework and Halliday’s transitivity analysis.
Findings: The findings reveal that public figures who have removed their hijab have created a hegemonic intervention that challenges Malay Muslim hegemonic practice. Meanwhile, cyberbullies have created a hegemonic closure to counter the hegemonic intervention created by the dehijabed celebrities through the implementation of “Insult” and “Threat”. Nevertheless, the effects of the hegemonic closure, which involves the stabilization of myths as objective reality and the rearticulation of the transgressors’ identities as the sinners, have reproduced the power imbalance between the dominant group and the antagonists.
Contributions: This paper demonstrated that while such practices allow cyberbullies to reinforce their dominance and hegemonic practices by manipulating religion, it is crucial to problematize religious-based cyberbullying discourse as yet another form of hegemonic intervention that appears to be a natural articulation in contemporary discourse.
Keywords: Discourse analysis, religious-based cyberbullying, Malay hegemony, dehijabing, Malaysian celebritie
The rise of virtual banks: Factors influencing its adoption using TRUTAUT framework
Get PDFBackground and Purpose: In 2022, the Malaysian central bank granted five licenses to run virtual banks. Despite the high online banking usage in Malaysia, virtual banking is still considered a new experience to potential users and may present challenges as individuals may exhibit resistance and hesitance to adopt. Hence, understanding the factors influencing the intention to adopt virtual banking is crucial for its successful implementation and widespread acceptance. The objective of this study is twofold: 1) to examine the current technology readiness of customers, and 2) to examine the factors influencing customers’ intention to adopt virtual banking in Malaysia.
Methodology: This study adopts a quantitative method where questionnaires were distributed to bank customers as the target population. Data gathered from 157 respondents was analysed using variance-based partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method.
Findings: The findings of this study revealed that optimism and innovativeness are significant motivators to shape an individual’s positive perception of the use of technology. Meanwhile, bank reputation, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions have a significant influence on the intention to adopt virtual banking.
Contributions: In light of the inaugural award of digital banking licenses by Bank Negara Malaysia, this study offers valuable insights to the virtual banks to effectively promote the adoption of virtual banking in Malaysia. By combining Technology Readiness (TR) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) into one research framework, this study employs an integrated model (TRUTAUT) which will provide a more in-depth understanding of the factors influencing customers to adopt the new virtual banking phenomenon in Malaysia. This integrated model posits that both personality dimensions and system-specific dimensions, as represented by TR and UTAUT respectively, have a significant bearing on the customers’ propensity to adopt new technology. In addition, this study also introduces bank reputation construct, which is believed to be important in influencing customer intention to adopt virtual banking.
Keywords: Virtual bank, digital transformation, Technology Readiness (TR), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)