THE ABSTRACTS

Mismatch Between Teacher's Content
Pedagogical Knowledge and Expectations

of 21st Century Learning Skills

Dzul Feeqry Naim bin Zulkarnine
Siti Nurlyana binti Rahazi

Department of Language Education,
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025) released by the
Minister of Education calls for an education system that produce holistic
students equipped 21st-century skills by the end of schooling years. The 21st-
century learning skills have been introduced and integrated into the school
curriculum. After one decade of implementation of 21st-century learning skills
in the school curriculum, there are still questions arising on to what extend the
integration and implementation is effective. The question is, are the teachers
fully equipped and integrated these skills in their lessons? This research
seeks to examine teachers' perspectives on 21st-century learning skills in
English as a second language classrooms. 22 English language teachers in
Kuala Selangor participated in a survey using a questionnaire designed to
elicit teachers' responses on various aspects related to 21st-century learning
skills. The results of the study highlighted important insights on aspects such
as teachers' perception, pedagogical knowledge, and expectations of 21st-
century classrooms. The findings indicated that there is a need for further
exposure to 21st-century learning constructs so the implementation would be
more effective. It can be concluded that there is some mismatch between
teacher’s content, pedagogical knowledge and expectations of 21st-century
learning skills in the classroom.

Keywords: 21st Century Learning Skills, ESL Classroom, Teacher’s Perspective, English
language teaching, and learning

PRAGMATIC SKILLS OF A 41 YEAR OLD AUTISTIC LADY WITH LANGUAGE DISORDERS: A CASE STUDY

Nur Aliyaa Khaireen Binti Ahmad Khairi & Farrah Hannan Binti Muei
Department of Language Studies (FESS)
University of Selangor

Email: [email protected] & [email protected]

ABSTRACT

People’s discriminations and judgements towards adults who have autism and language disorders are
greatly felt by the parents. Autistic people with language disorders take a lot of time and courage to talk
with other people. We might not understand them much, but we should always give them a chance to
express themselves. The public tends to ignore autistic people due to lack of knowledge in handling person
with autism. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the strengths and the weaknesses of an
autistic adult who has language disorders and to examine her pragmatic skills. Only one respondent
participated in this study because of pandemic Covid 19. The investigation and the interviews were mainly
done in the home of the respondent with the help of her mother. In addition, an interview with the mother
related to getting the respondent’s personal background was executed. Three sets of interviews and
observations with the respondent took place with her mother’s help, consisting of one set of a composite
picture, one set of pictures-in-series, and one short spontaneous interview. The results were all recorded,
translated, and transcribed. The data collected was used to identify the respondent’s strengths and
weaknesses when speaking. Results show that the respondent cannot speak coherently, but she is very
responsive and extremely active. There are a few strengths and weaknesses identified throughout this
study. This study shows that the respondent suffers some language disorders. She can understand what
we say to her, but she cannot speak coherently and cohesively as she tends to stammer a lot that it affects
her pronunciation.

Keywords: Adults, Autism, Language Disorders, Pragmatic Skills

READING DIFFICULTIES FACED BY BILINGUAL STUDENTS
IN AN ESL CLASSROOM

Alvinus Bryan A/L Albert
Nagentren A/L Subramaniam

Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract

The focus of this research is to identify the challenges faced by bilingual students in an ESL
classroom. The questions for the questionnaire are mainly focused on the five essential
components of effective reading instruction which are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary and comprehension. It also focuses on bilingual students since English language is not
their native spoken language. As a result, they face various difficulties in acquiring the language.
Numerous studies have been conducted to discover and enhance the best techniques to help
improve students’ reading difficulties. Therefore, this study employed a quantitative research
design, consisting of the efforts to determine the causes of reading difficulties among bilingual
students in ESL classrooms. Two sets of questionnaires adapted from Alaa’ Yaseen, (2013), which
consisted of 10 questions each, were administered randomly on 30 respondents representing a
group of students aged between 13 and17 and a community of teachers aged 25 to 55 years old.
The questionnaire employed a 5-point Likert Scale from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree.”
The instrument determined the reading difficulties faced by ESL learners in an English Language
Classroom. The results of the study showed that teachers and students had similar opinions. The
findings in this research paper enable teachers to think and act wisely as well as students on
improving their reading skills.

Keywords: Reading Difficulties, challenges, bilingual students, skills, strategies, comprehension,
skills

Secondary School Students’ Perception on Dual Coding Technique in Idiom Interpretation

Siti Zulaikha Binti Abdullah
Nurul Iffah Hazirah Binti Johari

TESL Department
University Selangor

Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
Students’ understanding in interpreting the meaning of idioms is very important. Second language
learners, especially Malaysian students, are facing a lot of difficulties in understanding figurative and
literal idioms due to their educational background, socioeconomic status and knowledge. Hence, the
aim of the study is to investigate the secondary school students’ perceptions on idiomatic interpretation
through the Dual Coding Technique by Sternberg (2003). A set of pre- and post-tests were distributed
to the students. Pucelj (2018) Open-Ended Question was distributed in order to theme the respondents’
response on learning idioms. Results show an increase of students’ understanding in idiom
interpretation based on pre- and post-test marks. Students believe that by understanding idioms, it
allows them to be better in all four major skills, especially writing and speaking. However, idioms are
perceived as useful in the classroom only.

Keyword: figurative idioms, literal idioms, idiomatic interpretation, secondary school students, Dual
Coding Technique

Student Performance in Writing Narrative via YouTube

NurZafirah Hani Binti Jelani
Ahmad Fikri Bin Zainal Ariffin

TESL Department
University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Youtube is a well-known platform used as a learning tool and resource by many teachers and
trainers around the world. YouTube as an educational resource is a common concern by teachers
and educators out there because they fear that the resource in YouTube could not help improve
student performance in writing compared to standard reading literature. The purpose of this study
is to investigate how educational videos on YouTube can be used as a resource to support students'
performance in writing a narrative essay. As part of the study, two online surveys were distributed
to students at different universities. The first survey was a pre-test to determine students' writing
skills. The second survey was a post-test. We used a narrative essay writing video to obtain the
outcome of using YouTube learning videos as a resource for writing a narrative essay. The research
analysis revealed a positive response to students' performance in writing a narrative essay when
they used YouTube as a learning resource. The results showed that YouTube could influence
students' performance in writing. Based on this, students and teachers are encouraged to use
YouTube as a pedagogical resource to improve students' performance in writing and bring in a
different perspective that could lead to a new way of learning. Future research needs to investigate
the factors that influence students to use YouTube to find more resources on writing assessment.

TERTIARY STUDENTS PREFERRED VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES DURING ONLINE
LEARNING

Nur Ameera Shauqina Binti Nur Aman
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

Muhammad Syazwan Irfan Bin Nazhar
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Without a doubt, learning vocabulary is indeed a must when learning a second language if
one’s intention is to master the language. However, many second language learners do not
take vocabulary seriously as it is tedious for them to learn even in classes. Not to mention,
with the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the learning institutes had to be closed down and
physical lectures were replaced with online learning, which leaves students to learn
vocabulary on their own. The purpose of this study is to find out what Vocabulary Learning
Strategies (VLS) tertiary students use, especially in an online learning environment. VLS
was first presented by Schmitt (1997). A quantitative method was used for this research thus
a survey was made via Google Forms and sent to tertiary students around. The survey was
administered online to 71 tertiary students in Malaysia. The data then were analyzed using
descriptive analysis and recorded in Google Forms in the form of percentages and pie charts.
Results among the participants showed that most of the participants gained their vocabulary
words intake online and it was unintentional while a handful of participants still prefer
traditional methods. Additionally, most of the participants were in unison that learning
vocabulary intentionally whether online or physical, was not enjoyable. Therefore, this
research serves as an auxiliary reference for future studies of VLS since it is rather evolving
with time amongst tertiary students.

Keywords: Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS), Online Learning, Second Language
Learners, Covid-19

THE CHALLENGES FACED BY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
ON THE USE OF CEFR IN CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Aida Nadirah Zulkafli
Anis Shazwanie Mohd Junaidi

TESL Department
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) implementation
in the English Language Education Roadmap has brought a lot of changes in the English
language teaching and learning process. After years of implementation, there are still
issues that are discovered as time goes on and teachers’ knowledge and understanding of
CEFR vary every time a new batch of teachers is hired. The aim of this paper is to
investigate the challenges that English language teachers faced in implementing CEFR in
rural areas which are Padang Terap and Pendang district in Kedah. A set of questionnaire
was distributed to 30 English language teachers in the districts. The result shows that
teachers in these places faced different challenges from the teachers in the urban areas
including students’ and teachers’ proficiency, lack of sources, and parents’ involvement
in teaching English. This shows that teachers’ understanding of the framework contributes
to their classroom practice and the efficacy of the application of the framework. This
paper contributes to the familiarity of CEFR involving teachers from rural areas’
perspectives that added to the current information about CEFR that mostly focuses on
teachers in general or teachers in urban areas.

Keywords: CEFR, English language teachers, classroom practice, challenges in teaching,
rural

THE CHALLENGES OF ONLINE TEACHING FACED BY UNISEL PRE-SERVICE
TEACHERS

Nur Iman Aisya Binti Eddie Khalil
Nurin Qistina Binti Ahmad Zaidi

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The drastic change of physical to online teaching due to the Covid-19 pandemic has
forced the students and teachers to adapt the new norm for education, which is online
learning. Since online learning is still fairly new, the new teaching and learning
system comes with new challenges for both teachers and students, especially pre-
service teachers who still have yet to have actual experience in teaching. The purpose
of this study is to look into the challenges pre-service teachers faced during online
teaching. A set of questionnaire adapted from Tuba Kamal, Asheref Illiyan (2021)
and also Dr. Shabnam Gurung (2021) was distributed to pre-service teachers from a
private university. The questionnaire consisted of 4 demographic questions and 29
questions regarding the pre-service teachers’ experience and challenges they have
faced through online teaching. The data collected from the questionnaire was then
recorded and analysed. The findings showed that online teaching required more time
in preparing subject content. The internet connectivity, too, played a big role in online
teaching. Moreover, online teaching lacks interaction with students. Students were
reluctant to have their camera on and muted. The respondents overcame the issues by
preparing the subject content earlier than recycling and preparing extra topic content
for the lessons to ensure students’ engagement. In online learning, the respondents
mostly used quizizz and kahoot for eye-captivating learning tools. Lastly, more than
half of the respondents preferred offline teaching.

Keywords: Challenges, online teaching, pre service teacher, covid-19

The Effectiveness of Digital Storytelling in Enhancing UNISEL TESL
Foundation Students’ Speaking Skill

Nur Shafiqa Binti Zukulfeli
Nurul Hana Binti Halil

TESL Department
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Even though technology has become more modern and easier to use, the speaking
skill among ESL students shows a slow progress. This is due to the limited utilisation of
technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Digital Storytelling
(DST) is effective in enhancing the speaking skill for students of English as a Second
Language (ESL) in University of Selangor (UNISEL) and ways to improve TESL
foundation students’ speaking skills with the help of DST. A set of a google form of
survey questionnaire consisting of 20 questions is distributed via online to 50
respondents. As a result, this study shows that the majority of respondents agree that
DST is effective in enhancing UNISEL TESL foundation students’ speaking skill and
helps to improve the students’ speaking ability.

Keywords: Digital Storytelling (DST), effectiveness, enhancing, speaking skill

***********************************************************************************

1

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING VOCABULARY THROUGH VIRTUAL MODE
TO SECONDARY SCHOOL ESL LEARNERS

THASVINI NAIDU MURUGAN
PHAARVEN KRISHAN

FACULTY EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITI SELANGOR

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of VLE (Virtual Learning Online) on
vocabulary learning in a class of Form 2 pupils. VLE as a means of improving pupils'
vocabulary learning performance. Furthermore, the perspectives of English as a Second
Language (ESL) secondary school students on the usage of VLE in vocabulary instruction
were investigated. This study included a pre- and post-test as well as interviews. This study
was conducted at a secondary private school in a district in Selangor. The main findings of
this study report revealed that the majority of Form 2 pupils evaluated improved after
receiving the intervention. The respondents gave good comments on the usage of VLE in
the classroom for vocabulary instruction. Future researchers should expand the study's
sample size, preferably to include ESL learners from the entire Selangor district or even the
entire country of Malaysia. This makes the findings and results more generalizable and to
demonstrate that VLE is truly capable of assisting students in learning vocabulary more
effectively.

Keywords:Virtual Learning Enviroment,English vocabulary,private school,Online
platform,classroom

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PERCEPTION TOWARDS THEIR
PERFORMANCE THROUGH HYBRID, ONLINE AND PHYSICAL

LEARNING

Alieya Najihah binti Adnan
Muhammad Afiq Iqmal Bin Mohd Razali

Language Education Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Undergraduate students were among the many who have struggled with the new
learning approach which is online and hybrid learning in the years 2020 and 2021 due
to Covid-19. Online learning has been an active technique for them to continue their
studies, and their performance has naturally improved in comparison to their previous
physical learning. Apart from that, hybrid learning is introduced as a method of
adapting a new learning environment to be flexible in terms of both physical and
intellectual activity. The purpose of this paper is to study the factors that affect students'
performance in the online, physical and hybrid classroom. It is also to investigate which
learning methods are suitable for the students based on their courses. This study uses
quantitative methods to collect the data. The quantitative data was gathered through a
questionnaire adopted from Dziuban and Shirkey procedures of Student Satisfaction
with Online Learning: Is it a Psychological Contract studies. The data were examined
using descriptive statistics in Microsoft Office Excel. This research included 100
undergraduates students from various universities and 7 courses which are education,
engineering, management, information technology, art and design, social science and
medical. The result revealed that a significant number of undergraduates chose
physical learning as their learning mode. The findings also showed that the main factor
that affects students' performance is a lack of communication with the lecturer and
colleague.

Keywords: Covid-19, Online Learning, Physical Learning, Blended Learning, Student
Perception

VICTORY! GAMING ATTITUDES, FACTORS AND EFFECTS ON ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE

Nur Syazwani binti Mohd Zaki
Muhammad Irfan bin Abd Salam

Department of Education and Social Science
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games are intensely competitive, and the efficacy of a
team's efforts is critical in achieving victory. MOBAs are growing in popularity, and Malaysia is
one of the countries that shows a high number of people playing MOBAs, with Mobile Legends
being the number one MOBA game being played in 2021. However, the high number has caused
concern as past studies have shown that playing online mobile games can significantly impact how
well university students do in classes. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors that
attract undergraduate students to play Mobile Legends, the attitudes of undergraduate students
towards playing Mobile Legends, and investigate whether playing online mobile games influences
undergraduate students’ academic performance. The study used a mixed-method and descriptive
design. 90 undergraduate students throughout Malaysia had participated in this study. The
questionnaire focused on two sections: Section A, closed-ended questions regarding playing
Mobile Legends, and Section B, open-ended questions regarding attitudes on playing Mobile
Legends. The data was tallied and converted into a percentage form using Google Forms. The
research found that playing Mobile Legends does not affect students' grades. The undergraduates
play Mobile Legends to relieve tension, loneliness and have fun with friends. To sum up, playing
Mobile Legends does not have a detrimental effect on the students' academic performance. The
students' views on Mobile Legends are more towards building friendship and relieving stress.

Keywords: Mobile Legends, factors, attitudes, undergraduates, academic performance

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS' PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF I-THINK MAP
TO STIMULATE CREATIVITY IN WRITING

FAMLA A/P KUMARSAMRY
KALAISELVI A/P RAVE SANDARAN

Department Of Language Education and Social Sciences

University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

I-Think Maps to enhance undergraduate students' capacity to suppose by way of means of the
use of visible wandering tools. i-Think Maps became brought national withinside the year
2012 to assist undergraduate students end up higher learners. The utilisation of i-Think Maps
especially in English Language writing training became less explored to investigate its
feasibility as a technique to stimulate creative thoughts for writing. This study, therefore,
investigated the undergraduate students’ perception on the use of i-think maps to stimulate
creativity in writing. The sample size of the study consisted of 100 undergraduate students
and from various faculty and courses from University Selangor. The respondents were
selected purposely. A collection of close-ended questionnaires was used as a data collection
tool, distributed using Google Form to determine students’ perception on the use of i-Think
maps to stimulate creativity in writing. The data was presented in percentage and analyzed
and interpreted descriptively. The major findings revealed that the usage of i-Think map,
creativity in writing tasks based on speed and efficiency, appearance and ontology and
concept mapping, fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. This study highlights the
usage of i-Think maps strategy to stimulate and enhance students’ creativity.

Keywords: Undergraduate Students, I-Think Map, Creativity, Writing

Emphasizing the Importance of Communication Skill Among TESL Foundation
Students in UNISEL

Brendan Sanjay
Kunavathani

Faculty of Education and Social Science
UNISEL

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Communication skill is a critical component of the generic skills required of TESL
foundation university students. Students benefit from communication skills when it comes
to presentations. Students would encounter a variety of circumstances during their time at
the university, both in and out of lecture rooms, in which they are required to use their
communication skills, such as group projects and presentations. This research consisted of a
three-part questionnaire to study and determine the importance of communication skill. The
questionnaire was self-administered using Google Forms. The questionnaire was distributed
to 50 respondents who are currently enrolled in a TESL Foundation programme. The data
were analysed quantitatively manually via Google Form. The data indicated that many
students are neutral regarding communication skill constraints, followed by strategies for
overcoming the constraints. This demonstrates that respondents are capable of coping with
a variety of communication-related constraints and overcoming them.

Keywords: communication skills, TESL Foundation students

ENGLISH TEACHER'S READINESS AND HOW THEIR ENVIRONMENT
AFFECTS THEIR TEACHING DURING PANDEMIC IN SELANGOR

Gurdeep Kaur a/p Gurcharan Singh
Wiesam Mursheeda Binti Ahmad Zuhadi

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
Since March 2020, Malaysia has encountered a critical and serious situation in which the
country has been affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) virus and over 2.9 million people
were infected by the disease until today. Various sectors in the country have found a dead-end
including the education sector before each sector gets back on their feet again. During the
pandemic, the school staff, especially teachers, hold important roles in providing knowledge
and skills to the students through online classes. This paper aimed to analyse English teachers’
readiness and how their environment affects their teaching during pandemics in Selangor. For
this research, the data were analysed from 100 English teachers as respondents from various
secondary schools in Selangor. A survey questionnaire was distributed through the Google
Form platform by emailing approximately 80 schools in Selangor that were willing to
participate in this research. Results obtained from the survey showed a positive level of
readiness among English teachers and a positive level of technology competency when teachers
deal with online classes. Positive data were also obtained in the working environment sections
that affected English teachers and their teaching during the pandemic. Secondary data from
other researchers were also provided in the findings, indicating positive data, yet few problems
were addressed in their research papers. This research is presented to provide answers from the
data obtained that English teachers in Selangor have successfully achieved in terms of their
readiness, ICT competency, and how their working environment has affected their teaching
during the pandemic.

Keywords: online teaching, readiness, ICT, psychology, working environment, pandemic

FACE TO FACE OR ONLINE ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASS: A COMPARISON OF
ANXIETY LEVEL AMONG UNISEL NON ESL STUDENTS

Kamalin Afiqah Binti Muhamad Nor
Nurasmah Binti Awang

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

In Malaysia, online learning has been implemented as an alternative for social distancing in schools
and universities. Nowadays, as technology innovation has been developing increasingly, people
can easily conduct a lesson through online classes using various platforms such as Zoom, Google
Meet, and Webex. However, not to deny the barriers during the learning process, students with
high anxiety levels might consider online classes less intimidating as they do not have to meet
others physically. Previous studies have found that online learning provides a less anxious and
more comfortable environment, especially for the shy students who have trouble speaking in a
face-to-face classroom. Hence, this study aims to compare the learners’ level of anxiety in face to
face speaking class before the Covid-19 pandemic and online speaking class during the pandemic
and investigate the causes of speaking anxiety. A questionnaire was distributed among 60 Non-
English major students of UNISEL, and five were interviewed through Google Meet. The
questionnaire was adapted from the (FLCAS) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The
data were analyzed based on the frequency and thematically. The study findings revealed that, on
average, the students feel less anxious during online speaking classes than face-to-face speaking
classes. The leading cause of speaking anxiety is language proficiency and negative feedback from
peers.

Keywords: online learning, face to face learning, speaking anxiety

FACTORS OF ANXIETY IN ORAL COMMUNICATION AMONG TERTIARY ESL
LEARNERS

Mohd Syazwan bin Syamadi
Muhammad Nabil bin Mohd Suffian

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences
Universiti Selangor
[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
The present research investigated the factors of anxiety in oral communication among tertiary
English as a second language (ESL) learners. The objective of the study was to find the dominant
factor leading to anxiety in oral communication among the learners as well as to investigate
whether there are any differences between the male and female gender when it comes to their
anxiety in speaking the English language in class. To conduct this research, a mixed-method of
questionnaire and interview was used to gain the data needed. 65 learners from different majors
(English and non-English) were given a questionnaire to be answered. After that, ten of the learners
were selected for a structured interview in order to help gather accurate and credible data for the
research. From the data, we found that a majority of the learners have speaking anxiety in English
class because they fear of being judged by their classmates or their teachers. The finding also
suggested that there is no significant difference between the genders in terms of the factors that
contribute to their English language speaking anxiety.

Keywords: second language, ESL, English as a second language, FLCAS, Foreign Language
Classroom Anxiety Scale, oral communication

FINAL YEAR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' COMMITMENTS AND
READINESS TOWARDS TEACHING POST-PANDEMIC

Muhamad Nur Shafiq bin Fazil
Odellyane John

Department of Education
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

With the onset of technologies in education, it has become easier for teachers to impart
knowledge and for students to acquire it. The use of technology in education became
invariably important in the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The outbreak resulted
in the instant shift of physical learning to online learning. However, as the pandemic comes
to an end, both teachers and students now have to attend school physically. This serves as a
challenge to final year pre-service teachers in UNISEL Bestari Jaya who have been trained
during the pandemic to teach online and may not be ready for face-to-face teaching. With
that in mind, this study aims to distinguish the commitment of final year pre-service teachers
towards face-to-face teaching as well as to identify the readiness of final year pre-service
teachers towards language teaching post-pandemic. Quantitative results show that the
change of teaching environment has brought some concerns on their commitments (to the
profession, to students, teaching and learning) and readiness towards teaching post-
pandemic.

Keywords: commitment, readiness, pre-service teachers, post-pandemic

FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING MOTIVATION AMONG ADULT LEARNERS
IN MALAYSIA

Azlin Sahira Binti Abd Aziz
Mohammad Ali Huzaifah Bin Razman

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Motivation is an influential factor for adults in learning a foreign language that plays a
significant role in language learning achievement. Adult learners, in particular, will have a
hard time learning foreign languages as they are of a far matured age for language
acquisition. Without strong motivation and a suitable way of learning, the learning will be
challenging for adult learners. As such this study was carried out to identify the factors that
influence adult learners’ motivation of learning foreign languages and to discover the ways
of language learning preferred by adult learners. A quantitative method was employed in this
study which involved 50 adult learners. Data was collected through a 5-point Likert scale
questionnaire adapted from The Situational Motivational Scale (The SIMS) and Writing
Strategies for Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaires (WSSRLQ). The questionnaire was
administered through Google Form and is analysed utilising a descriptive analysis. The
finding indicates that adult learners are driven by intrinsic factors compared to extrinsic
factors when it comes to foreign language learning. Reading is reported as the most preferred
way of foreign language learning among adult learners. The study is concluded with
discussions on minor findings as well as implications for future research and suggestions for
adult language learning.

Keywords: Foreign language learning, foreign language learning motivation, adult
learners’ motivation.

FORM 1 STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
USING GRAPHIC NOVELS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Siti Farhana Sofea Binti Mohd Zamri
Rafidah Binti Roslan

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Learning literature could be challenging for some students, as the reading text could be too
lengthy and uninteresting to capture students’ interest. The graphic novels were gradually
incorporated into the syllabus in which the students of Form 1 and Form 4 studied the graphic
novel first, followed by students of Form 2 and Form 5 in 2011 and students of Form 3 in 2012.
Until these days, graphic novels are used as one of the genres in teaching Literature in Action.
The purpose of this study is to identify Form 1 students’ perceptions on the use of graphic
novels as well as to discover to what extent these graphic novels have benefitted them. A
mixed-method approach was chosen for this study. The study relied on the data collected from
30 Form 1 students and 7 of them were interviewed for the purpose of research. The study
reveals that most of the students enjoy reading graphic novels compared to other genres. The
students agree that they are able to learn new words and improve their vocabulary as well as
their reading and speaking skills by reading graphic novels. Some of the students are able to
write their own story after reading graphic novels. The study conducted can be used for future
research to help the students in improving their English language skills as well as forming a
better and deeper understanding of literature.

Keywords: Graphic novels, literature, students’ perceptions, English language classroom

Hybrid Learning: Building and Maintaining A Healthy Student-Teacher Relationship in Unisel
During Endemic

Nurin Syaza Batrisyia bt Mohd Azir
Fatih Nur Dini binti Shaifuddin

Department of Education
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The quality of our tertiary education has been put at stake after the pandemic Covid-19 hits the whole world
in late 2019. The education system has shifted from physical learning to remote learning within these two
years and now we are transitioning into hybrid learning which is the combination of physical class and
online class. Students have been losing motivation and momentum in their education due to the current
situation. The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges faced by the lecturers in order to build a
healthy relationship with their students during hybrid learning to prevent those problems from happening
and the approaches that they use in order to maintain the healthy relationship with their students. A set of
five interview questions were used to measure the variables. Interview session was held with ten lecturers
from different faculties in Unisel of Selangor and the transcription was analyzed using thematic analysis.
Result shows that the lecturers faced similar challenges with the students during hybrid learning and they
have different approaches in order to maintain their relationship including emotional, strategical and
technological approach. From the study, it is discovered that both lecturers and students are heavily affected
by the situation. Hence, both parties need to play their part in order to maintain a healthy Student-Teacher
relationship with one another.

Keyword: Hybrid Learning, Student, Teacher, Endemic, Healthy Relationship

INTERFERENCE OF MOTHER TONGUE IN SPEAKING ENGLISH AMONG MALAY
TESL STUDENTS

Amirthavarshini Thangaraja
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

Universiti Selangor
[email protected]

Sharifah Sabrina binti Syed Faeisal
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

Universiti Selangor
[email protected]

Abstract

The present research investigated the interference of mother tongue in speaking English among
Malay students who are enrolled in Teaching English Second Language (TESL) programme. The
objective of the study was to analyze whether mother tongue can hinder effective communication
among Malay TESL students in class as well as to find out if mother tongue can affect Malay
TESL students’ academic performance. To conduct this research, a survey was conducted to gain
the data needed. 40 Malay students majored in the TESL programme which consists of Foundation
in TESL, Diploma in TESL, Degree in TESL and other programmes related to TESL. From the
data gained, we found that the majority of the respondents believe that they are intermediate in
terms of their proficiency in English and we have found that the respondents do feel demotivated
to converse in English due to their mother tongue and have difficulties at times. The findings
revealed that mother language had an interference on practically every area of the study.

Keywords: mother tongue, TESL, interference, English, second language acquisition.

Mastering Vocabulary by using Total Physical Response among Elementary School
Students

Amisha Kaur
Niranjanah A/P Maniarasu

Faculty of Education and Social Science
University Selangor

amishak4147@gmail. com
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Mastering vocabulary by using Total Physical Response (TPR) among Elementary School
Students has been a practice in Malaysia. This paper aimed to determine whether the TPR is
effective in English Vocabulary mastery of Elementary school children and to identify
students’ response towards teaching English Vocabulary using the method. Mixed methods
were used in order to collect the data. The sources from which the information was obtained
were questionnaires and interviews. The findings show that with the TPR method students
become easier to understand and remember vocabulary in English because they practice it.
Based on the interview and questionnaire, they showed some improvement on the process of
getting new vocabulary using this method.

Keyword: Total Physical Response, Elementary school students, vocabulary.

THE STUDY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE
LEARNING MOTIVATION ON SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

IN UNIVERSITI SELANGOR

Amirah Syakirah Binti Rosli
Musfirah Binti Mustafa

Faculty of Social Sciences
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Mastering the English language is a required skill for tertiary education as it is now
considered as the global language and the lingua franca. Tertiary-level students must be
proficient in English in order to graduate and secure a brighter future. Every individual is
fueled by different types of motivation when it comes to learning English. However, despite
the increasing growth of the global language’s status in Malaysia, a number of students have
yet to achieve the adequate level of proficiency required. This is especially prevalent in the
tertiary education sector, where students are expected to graduate with outstanding language
skills equipped for the workforce. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors
influencing the English learning motivation for second language learners in a private
university. The method used to carry out this study is qualitative; by utilizing semi-structured
interview (SSI), the respondents are 10 undergraduate TESL students currently finishing
their final semester in Universiti Selangor. The data collected was then recorded and
analyzed thematically. Based on the findings, this study indicated that the gap between the
different types of motivation among the respondents was minuscule and likely interrelated.
The highest recorded result was intrinsic motivation whereas the lowest was extrinsic, as
proven when the majority of the respondents expressed their motivation is fueled by their
personal interest even when connected to instrumental factors.

Keywords: English, language learning motivation, factors, second language learners,
second language

THE USE OF MUSIC TO SUPPORT THE LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF
SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Muhammad Harith Ifzan Bin Ishak
Nurul Suffiah Binti Usran

TESL DEPARTMENT
University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, students had to learn through Online Distance Learning.
Some issues were raised about the learning environment for those who studied at home. The
students seemed to be getting carried away and not focusing much in the online class. This
appeared to be a problem with young learners. These students tend to get easily distracted
and lose focus on what should be the main goal. Young learners of the English language are
often interested in activities that are appealing to them and exciting. This research helped to
identify the factors which contribute towards the learning of English among secondary
school students. This research also proved that the use of songs can help motivate the
learners, thus creating a bond with music and English. Also, this method provided a different
perspective of learning style and also teaching style. This research was carried out using
quantitative method through the distribution of questionnaires. The participants for this study
were secondary school students from 13 to 17 years old. The questionnaires were distributed
among 61 respondents. The research showed music can be utilised to enhance students’
literacy development.

Keywords: Music, English, teaching style, Secondary students, literacy development

THE CHALLENGES FACED BY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS ON
THE USE OF CEFR IN CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Aida Nadirah Zulkafli
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

Anis Shazwanie Mohd Junaidi
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) implementation in the
English Language Education Roadmap has brought a lot of changes in the English language
teaching and learning process. After years of implementation, there are still issues discovered as
time goes on and teachers’ knowledge and understanding of CEFR vary every time a new batch of
teachers is hired. The aim of this paper is to investigate the challenges that English language
teachers are facing with the implementation of CEFR in rural areas in Kedah. A questionnaire was
distributed to 30 English language teachers in the districts. The result shows that teachers in these
districts faced different challenges from the teachers in the urban areas including student’s and
teachers’ proficiency, lack of sources, and parents’ involvement in teaching English. This shows
that teachers’ understanding of the framework contributes to their classroom practice and the
efficacy of the application of the framework. This paper contributes to the familiarity of CEFR
involving teachers from rural areas’ perspective that added to the current information about CEFR
that mostly focuses on teachers in general or teachers in urban areas.

Keywords: CEFR, English language teachers, classroom practice, challenges in teaching, rural

Perceived Stress among Unisel Students During Pandemic Covid-19

Ayu Amira Binti Abdul Rauf
Zuren Nabila Binti Roselee

Faculty of Social Sciences and Education
University of Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The spread of COVID-19 in our country has affected our daily lives as well as our mental
health. The uncertainty and delays in the start of schools and universities because of the
lockdown also significantly affect students' socio-psychological well-being, such as stress.
The purpose of the study is to analyse the factor associated with perceived stress and self-
esteem levels encountered by Unisel students during pandemic COVID-19. A purposive
sampling procedure was exercised to recruit 100 undergraduate students from Faculty
Education Science Social in UNISEL. A set of instruments consisting of the COVID-19
Experience Survey, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-
10) were used to measure the variables. This study showed that UNISEL students perceived
moderate stress levels and low self-esteem. The results also showed that COVID-19 had
caused financial issues, difficulties in getting sufficient food and fear of contacting
coronavirus among the students. Therefore, this research can be improved by correlating the
variables and can be expanded to the Malaysian population for future research.

Keywords: perceived, stress, self-esteem, COVID-19, pandemic.

Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Through Social Media Among ESL Learners

Aleef Alamgir Bin Rosli
Department of Social Sciences

University Selangor
[email protected]

Hani Amirah Binti Rosli
Department of Social Sciences

University Selangor
[email protected]

Abstract
Developing a rich vocabulary expands our knowledge and improves the language learning process,
though it is not easy. Fortunately, in this day and age, vocabulary acquisition could easily happen
as you scroll down any social media platform, which is ideal as it is interesting, interactive and
efficient. The purpose of this study was to find out ESL learners’ positive attitude and their ways
of enhancing vocabularies via social media. Quantitative method was applied to gather the data
among 50 UNISEL students from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences (FESS). A set of
questionnaires, adapted from Mohammad Ali Al-Saggaf et al. (2021) and Elham & Abbas (2015),
was distributed through Google Form. The gathered data was later analysed using simple equations
and translated into percentages. Findings showed that most respondents have an outstandingly
positive attitude towards social media usage in vocabulary acquisition. Some of the common ways
ESL learners use social media to enhance vocabulary is by learning the meaning of words,
watching short English video clips, learning new English terms and using British/American
English slang in writing messages on social media platforms. This study will hopefully move and
encourage teachers to integrate social media as their teaching tool for their students’ vocabulary
acquisition hence the positive attitude shown towards it in this study.

Keywords: English, vocabulary acquisition, social media, language learning, technology

Analysing Negotiation Skills Among English and Malay Speaking Employees
in Malaysia

Nurul Izzah Maulad Abdul Salam, Asyaqirin Binti Mohammad, and Astri Yulia, Ph.D.
University of Selangor

[email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract
The essence of corporate negotiation is the language used by negotiators to communicate,
interact, and reach the desired win-win outcome. Language skills play a crucial role in business
negotiations: Whether an employee can utilise negotiation language art well or not decides the
success or failure of the negotiation. This study compared the self-efficacy and negotiation skills
between English- and Malay-speaking employees. Furthermore, the study examined the effect of
self-efficacy in language skills on the employees’ negotiation skills. A quantitative comparative
design was utilised for this particular study. The negotiation skills and self-efficacy questionnaire
were distributed to one hundred and forty-two English and Malay speaking employees. An
independent t-test was conducted to verify the negotiation skills and self-efficacy differences
between the English- and Malay-speaking employees. This study found that there was no
significant difference between the English and Malay speaking employees for both variables.
However, a significant correlation was traced between self-efficacy and negotiation skills. This
finding indicates that the employees’ self-efficacy in their language plays a vital role in their
negotiation skills. It does not matter what language they speak; what matters is the confidence
they have towards themselves in using the language. Therefore, employees need to increase their
self-efficacy in language use to improve their negotiation skills.

Keywords: Language at work; communication at work; business communication; English for
specific purposes

ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF BLENDED LEARNING ON ACADEMIC SELF-
EFFICACY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Pavitra A/P Ramadurai
Thanaroobini A/P Siva

TESL Department
University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven higher education institutions to reconsider the teaching
methods, and as a result, blended learning has become the new normal. Besides its flexibility
in attending the class, blended learning has increased the quality of education and allowed
students to comprehend the lessons better. However, little knowledge is available on whether
blended learning has benefited or disadvantaged the students. The purpose of this study was to
evaluate the effect of students' attitudes towards blended learning on academic self-efficacy.
This research used a quantitative survey, with the survey design in which data were collected
in the form of numbers. Thirty undergraduate students in TESL participated in this survey
distributed via social media platforms. Data collected was analysed by utilising formula
functions in Excel. Specifically, we analysed the data on students’ attitudes towards blended
learning and the effect of students’ attitudes towards blended learning on academic self-
efficacy. These findings indicated that students' academic self-efficacy is improved through
blended learning. Furthermore, the results of this survey revealed that students supported using
blended learning in their classrooms. This research implies that blended learning should be used
more in the learning institutions for a more positive outcome for students.

Keywords: Blended learning, Self-efficacy, Academic, Students, Attitude

AWARENESS OF ACADEMIC READING STRATEGIES AMONG STUDENTS OF
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)

Naimah binti Sururi
Irfan Nuradriana binti Syamsul Azlan

Faculty of Education and Social Science
UNISEL

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Academic reading is an essential course for university students, as students need to
assess their reading comprehension skills and understanding of the text. In reading, there
are several strategies to help students to do this. Thus, this study's purpose is to
determine the level of awareness of these strategies among ESL students at a Malaysian
university. The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) was used in this study to measure
their level of awareness. There are three parts to SORS, and these are Global Reading
Strategies (GLOB), Problem Solving Strategies (PROB), and Support Strategies (SUPP). This
survey was distributed to 30 ESL srudents at Malaysian universities for data collection.
The collected data demonstrated that the learners' awareness of reading strategies is
high. The use of the strategy depends on different reading academic materials. The
statistics also showed that they were able to put them into practice, which has affected
their performance in comprehending the text. The results of the ESL students' reading
strategy awareness study are discussed.

Keywords:academic reading, level of awareness, reading strategies, esl students

CODESWITCHING IN TRENDING MALAY SONGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Arissya Binti Arjuna
Shaswini Thevi A/P Poobalan

TESL Department
Universiti Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Codeswitching has occurred in many languages by people from various speech communities.
However, there is scarce research on how and why codeswitch are used as verbal strategies in
trending Malaysian song lyrics. This study aims to determine and identify the latest
phenomenon of English codeswitching in trending Malay songs. Ten modern Malay songs
were chosen and examined using content analysis. The analysis was made based on Appel and
Muysken’s six functions of codeswitching (2006) and Poplack’s theory (2018). Three types of
codeswitching commonly used in modern Malay songs were located. They were intrasentential,
intersentential, and tag-switching. This research also shows that six types of functions are also
successfully discovered in this study: referential, directive, expressive, phatic, poetic, and
metalinguistic. Hence, the investigation unfolds that even codeswitch in song lyrics does not
turn out as the spontaneous switch flow from one code to another but conveys definite social
functions that highlight the establishment of the singer’s and audience’s local identity.

Keywords: Codeswitching, Intrasentential, Intersentential, Tag-Switching, Functions, Trendy
Malay Songs

Coping Mechanism for Online Learners among University Students

Haziq Syahmi bin Mohd Rozaimi
Student of Universiti Selangor
[email protected]

Nur Sabrina binti Ma’arurazi
Student of University Selangor
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
With online learning being used more and more often due to the spread of the coronavirus
Covid-19, it is to be expected that there are challenges and difficulties regarding the way
the students receive knowledge. While a lot of research is dedicated to understanding the
stresses that may arise from online learning, not many are giving attention to how students
cope with the problems. This paper is created to identify the types of coping mechanisms
that university students use. The questionnaire was sent to 54 respondents who have
experienced online learning for at least a year. The questionnaire contained two sections.
The first was the demographic, and the second was analytic data and was distributed
through social media. Then, the data were analyzed by using Google Sheets to find the
mean of each coping mechanism. The research highlighted the most common coping
mechanisms: acceptance, positive reframing, and active coping, while the least coping
mechanisms are substance abuse, venting, and giving up on coping. This research could
give hints into students' types of coping mechanisms when they are stressed due to online
learning.

Keywords: coping mechanism, Covid-19, online learning, university student,

Cross-Cultural Communication: Perception of Malaysian Youth Towards
Pop Culture Influence

Farriesha Hanim Binti Nasir Zada - 4192001951
Saibatul Akmal Binti Amin Ooi - 4192004051

Faculty of Education & Social Science
University of Selangor

Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Over the last few years, Malaysia's youth generation has been influenced by popular culture
or also known as pop culture. Pop culture in the contemporary West refers to cultural items
consumed by most of a society's population. Pop culture also allows Malaysian youths to
communicate across cultural lines, and they might be more open-minded and have
interactive socialising skills through sharing pop culture news. In most contexts, language
is a barrier to cross-cultural or group communication. Learning a language with many
cultural influences (i.e. pop culture) will change the way we communicate in those
languages. The purpose of this study was to look at Malaysians' youth perceptions on pop
culture's influence in cross-cultural communication to understand the awareness and
effects of cross-cultural communication as a whole among Malaysian youth. This research
will use a quantitative method with descriptive data analysis. Using The Cultural
Intelligence Scale (CQS) adapted from Ang et al. (2007), the questionnaire was distributed
to 100 respondents of our target participant for the study, Malaysian youth. The data was
analysed and evaluated using Microsoft Exel. The study concluded that Malaysian youth
acknowledge the influence of pop culture in cross-cultural communication. This includes
learning a new language, accepting different values and religious beliefs, nonverbal
behaviours, and language proficiency in their lifestyle, which is significantly correlated to
pop the awareness and effect in pop culture. Hence, cross-cultural communication in pop
culture has positively influenced youth society.

Keywords: Cross-Cultural Communication, Pop Culture Influence, Malaysian Youth,
Awareness of Pop Culture, Effect of Pop Culture

EDUCATION IN ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
(RPG)

Cheng Juei Yang
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

Muhammad Faisal Bin Nurul Hisham
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
[email protected]

The introduction of gaming in education used to be controversial as games were often thought to be the
cause of negative attitudes towards learning, bad grades and other issues. As we reach into the 21st
century, there are still people viewing gaming in a negative light as a whole. Therefore, this study aims
to reduce the negative perception of gaming and shed some light on how games can be reintroduced in
the form of RPG for a more conducive way of learning and thus creating an interactive environment
where learners can both learn have fun at the same time. The latest national education blueprint (2013-
2025) emphasises the importance of integrating technology-based teaching and learning into the
school’s national curriculum. The significance of this study is to raise awareness among the general
public regarding the advantages of online gaming and encourage the general public, especially students,
parents and teachers, to include online gaming for academic purposes. By showing the link that video
games assist in language learning, we can build on existing research supporting that gaming impacts
students effectively. This study applied a quantitative research method. A survey questionnaire was
distributed among teaching course significant students, and 62 responses were obtained and carefully
analysed using the descriptive analysis method to determine the mean data for the respondents. This
study concludes that most of the respondents agreed that educational gaming has a positive impact on
assisting their learning.

Keywords: online gaming, educational gaming, game-based learning

PERCEPTION OF UNISEL PRE-SERVICE TESL TEACHERS TOWARDS
IMPLEMENTATION OF GAMIFICATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING LESSON

SUMITRA A/P GUNASEGARAN
SASEEKALA A/P THULAISINGAM

Department Of Language Education and Social Sciences

University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
Establishing a creative learning environment is a challenging endeavour. Gamification has
evolved as a new pedagogical strategy for improving students' learning attitudes.
Introducing gamification in a language learning classroom would elicit instant interest and
attention, leading to the learners' motivation to study. Lessons combined with entertaining
activities are considered more effective in delivering a beneficial and positive learning
outcome at the end of a lesson. However, there is still a shortage of awareness on the usage
of gamification that can be found among educators. Therefore, this research aims to explore
the perception of pre-service teachers and their attitude on the implementation of
gamification in language learning lessons. A quantitative method was used to gather 103
pre-service teachers’ responses. The data was collected and analysed in the form of tables.
The study results showed that the pre-service teachers believe gamification is an effective
method to be used in a language learning lesson. It is concluded that gamification helps
make learning entertaining and motivating by drawing students' attention.

Keywords: Gamified Learning, Teacher Trainees, Game Elements, ESL

THE PERCEPTION OF UNISEL UNDERGRADUATES TOWARDS DEVELOPING

ENGLISH VOCABULARY PROFICIENCY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.

Muhammad Arief Azimi Bin Anuar
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
Email: [email protected]

Mac Ivan Anak Brenagempli
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences

University of Selangor
Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Vocabulary is one of the essential components of the English language. It enables the language
learner to use and pick up the language faster. In this modern and high technology usage era, social
media has become necessary for everybody in society as a medium of communication. This study
aims to analyse the perception of social media in developing Malaysian students' knowledge of
English vocabulary and identify how social media correlates to the student's English vocabulary
development. Convenience sampling was used to collect all necessary data among the
undergraduates studying at the University of Selangor (UNISEL). A set of questionnaires adapted
and adopted from various sources has been used. 52 respondents answered the questionnaire from
the University of Selangor (UNISEL). The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation analysis
in SPSS to find the correlation between social media and Malaysian students' English vocabulary.
Based on the findings of this study, we found out that students are more likely to learn new
vocabulary through social media and are more prone to use it often in their own personal time.

Keywords: Social media, Vocabulary, Undergraduate, Technology, UNISEL

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNISEL
STUDENTS AND LEVEL OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

Nur Hidayati bt Shihab
Sarah Syahirah Binti Bahtiar

Department of Social Sciences
University of Selangor

Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

English proficiency plays an essential role in students' lives, especially in academic-related
activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the academic
performance of UNISEL students and the level of English proficiency. A set of questionnaires was
conducted through Google Form for data collection. Using an administrated questionnaire
approach, questionnaires were distributed to UNISEL students from the foundation, undergraduate
and postgraduate, titled "The Relationship between English Proficiency and Academic
Performance of UNISEL Students to measure the variables. The data was collected through
statistical analysis. Results of the study show that the highest mean GPA was evident among
UNISEL students who had reported high levels of self-perceived English language proficiency.
Self-perceived English ability might reflect various factors in the multiple dimensions that
influence academic performance, such as self-efficacy, motivation, confidence, and a positive
attitude toward learning a second language. Thus, the present study focused on examining the
relationship between self-perceived English proficiency and GPA's of UNISEL students.
Additionally, the relationship between the English language proficiency and GPAs of UNISEL
students was examined.

Keywords: English Proficiency, Academic Performance, Students, UNISEL

STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF THE HYBRID LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT AT A UNIVERSITY: A SWOT ANALYSIS

Naresh Ulakanathan (4193005411D)
Ronald Joseph Pillai (4193003331)

TESL Department
University Selangor

[email protected]
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to use a SWOT analysis to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of
hybrid learning and identify opportunities and threats. The study group included 15 students to
interviews for this purpose. Thematic analysis was used to examine the information gathered from
the interviews. The SWOT analysis and its sub-themes were used to develop the themes and codes
by analysing the interview data. The results show that students view hybrid learning as an advantage
since they could join the class online if they don't feel well, it is flexible, it reduces the number of
students in the class to minimise the spread of Covid-19 and has a better student engagement.
Weaknesses of hybrid learning; teachers only focus on students in class physically, students lose
interest and confidence when they join the online course, it was difficult for lecturers to focus on
both modes simultaneously, and poor internet connection for students who join online. Given a
chance to see which learning method works best for students, new experience, gives a unique
perspective of classroom management, won't be left out and learning to adapt towards both modes
are the opportunities in hybrid learning. Teachers not responding to students who join online, fail to
adapt to hybrid learning, affect students' results, and take it for granted are the threats of hybrid
learning.

Keywords:Hybrid learning, SWOT analysis, Education, Covid-19