KAJIAN TINDAKAN PENDIDIKAN

Rajah 2 : Buku Bei Berajal Engrok Semai (Mari Belajar Bahasa Semai) Pemerhatian Aktiviti 1: 49

Murid-murid didapati berminat dan teruja dengan penggunaan buku tersebut. Aktiviti berjalan dengan lancar. Refleksi : Murid kelihatan teruja melihat gambar yang mengiringi perkataan tersebut. Warna yang berbeza pada setiap bahasa juga memudahkan proses pembelajaran murid. Konsep ansur maju juga memudahkan proses penyerapan ilmu dalam kalangan murid. Pelaksanaan Aktiviti 2: Murid menyurih perkataan yang terdapat di dalam modul Bei Betules (Mari Menulis) seperti yang terdapat dalam Rajah 3. Rajah 3 : Modul Bei Betules (Mari Menulis). Pemerhatian Aktiviti 2: 50

Penggunaan modul Bei Betules (Mari Menulis) membolehkan murid mengulang kembali perkataan yang sama seperti modul sebelum ini sambil melakukan aktiviti menyurih kembali. Refleksi: Murid kelihatan lebih mengingati maksud perkataan yang hendak diajarkan kerana ianya melibatkan pengulang sambil murid menyelesaikan aktiviti menyurih. Pelaksanaan Aktiviti 3: Guru akan menyebut nama benda, haiwan atau benda tersebut mengikut bahasa mana yang guru kehendaki. Murid kemudiannya dikehendaki melekatkan gambar yang betul dengan gambar pada papan My Busybook seperti ditunjukkan dalam Rajah 4. Rajah 4 : My Busybook Pemerhatian Aktiviti 3: 51

Murid memadankan kad gambar pada gambar yang terdapat pada papan My Busybook. Refleksi: Respon murid sangat baik semasa aktiviti ini dijalankan. Murid akan berlumba-lumba untuk memadan dengan betul dan cepat. Murid kemudiannya akan membaca dan menyebut bagi kad gambar yang telah mereka lekatkan mengikut pilihan bahasa yang dikehendaki oleh guru. Pelaksanaan Aktiviti 4: Murid diberikan My Smart Bingo. Murid dikehendaki bermain menggunakan bahasa yang ditetapkan oleh guru. My Smart Bingo seperti di Rajah 5. Rajah 5: My Smart Bingo Pemerhatian Aktiviti 4: Murid memainkan My Smart Bingo sehingga lengkap perkataan BINGO dipalang. Refleksi: Murid begitu bersemangat dan berlumba-lumba melaksanakan aktiviti ini. Pelaksanaan Aktiviti 5: Murid diberikan arahan berkaitan permainan Snap Game. Permainan Snap Game seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam Rajah 6. 52

Rajah 6: Snap Game Pemerhatian Aktiviti 5: Murid mampu belajar sambil bermain permainan Snap Game ini bagi melahirkan sebuah pembelajaran yang bermakna bagi mereka. Refleksi: Murid seronok dengan aktiviti ini semasa sesi PdP. Mudah dan sangat seronok. Penilaian Pencapaian Murid Pencapaian murid-murid dinilai berdasarkan kepada dua ujian yang telah dijalankan iaitu Ujian Pra dan Ujian Pos. Kedua-kedua ujian ini telah dijalankan ke atas murid yang sama. Kaedah ujian ini digunakan bagi menilai tahap penguasaan kosa kata murid. Dua set soalan yang sama untuk Ujian Pos dan Ujian Pra telah digunakan. Kertas jawapan ujian telah dinomborkan agar identiti murid dirahsiakan. Terdapat peningkatan pencapaian murid yang 53

ketara dalam menguasai kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual selepas intervensi dilaksanakan. Berikut merupakan analisis data bagi ujian pra dan pasca bagi bahasa Melayu. Jadual 1 Analisis data ujian pra dan pasca bahasa Melayu. No. Responden Markah Ujian Pra (%) Markah Ujian Pasca (%) Beza Markah (%) 1 58% 77% 19% 2 54% 81% 27% 3 50% 77% 22% 4 35% 73% 38% 5 42% 69% 27% 6 42% 69% 27% 7 42% 81% 39% 8 42% 81% 39% 9 35% 62% 27% 10 31% 81% 50% Jadual 1 menunjukkan bahawa peratus markah ujian pasca bagi kesemua responden mencatatkan peningkatan berbanding markah ujian pra. Analisis data ujian pra dan pasca bahasa Inggeris responden seperti dalam jadual di bawah. Jadual 2 Analisis data ujian pra dan pasca bahasa Inggeris. No. Responden Markah Ujian Pra (%) Markah Ujian Pasca (%) Beza Markah (%) 1 27% 73% 46% 2 23% 81% 58% 3 31% 58% 27% 4 35% 46% 11% 5 23% 65% 42% 6 23% 58% 35% 7 31% 81% 50% 8 27% 81% 54% 54

9 35% 50% 15% 10 23% 73% 50% Jadual tersebut menunjukkan bahawa peratus markah ujian pasca bagi kesemua responden turut mencatatkan peningkatan berbanding markah ujian pra. RUMUSAN, REFLEKSI DAN CADANGAN TINDAKAN SUSULAN Berikut adalah rumusan dan perbincangan mengenai dapatan kajian berdasarkan kepada objektif kajian. Objektif 1: Membangunkan pendekatan pengajaran yang menarik minat murid Orang Asli Semai dalam pembelajaran trilingual. Saya dapati bahawa penggunaan Kit 3B membolehkan murid menguasai kosa kata pembelajaran trilingul dengan baik dan menyeronokkan. Ini disokong dengan kajian Zakaria Bin Khalid dan Ariff Fadillah bin Khalil (2010), Saayah Abu, Rohaty Mohd.Majzub & Nor Aishah Buang (2010); Hasnalee dan Zulkifley (2011) dan Noraini Othman (2012) mendapati aktiviti didik hibur berjaya menambahkan minat kanak-kanak. Murid ini tidak lagi mendiamkan diri malah melaksanakan aktiviti dengan alat dan bahan yang telah saya sediakan. Dapatan ini adalah selari dengan kajian Abdullah, Rosman & Ilias (2015) yang mendapati murid dapat mengingat melalui penggunaan bahan bantu mengajar yang melibatkan gambar dan visual. Saya juga mengamalkan pendekatan pedagogi dari mudah kepada kompleks. Konsep ansur maju amat dititik beratkan dalam PdP. Murid-murid didedahkan dengan huruf terlebih dahulu, kemudian suku kata, seterusnya perkataan dan frasa serta akhir sekali ialah ayat. Konsep ansur maju ini dapat membantu proses pembelajaran murid menjadi mudah. Ini bertepatan dengan kajian yang dijalankan oleh Che Zanariah dan Fadzilah (2011) yang menyatakan bahawa pencapaian objektif dalam sesuatu pengajaran adalah bergantung kepada pemilihan dan perancangan guru dalam aspek pendekatan, kaedah, teknik dan aktiviti. 55

Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa Kit 3B yang diperkenalkan dapat membantu murid menguasai kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual dengan mudah dan berkesan. Kejayaan dalam menguasai sesuatu kemahiran itu dapat dilihat dengan jelas melalui hasil kerja dalam setiap aktiviti yang dirancang dan riak wajah kegembiraan yang mereka tunjukkan. Objektif 2: Meningkatkan penguasaan kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual murid melalui proses pembelajaran yang menyeronokkan. Dalam pelaksanaan kajian tindakan, saya telah menjalankan lima aktiviti menggunakan Kit 3B berdasarkan kepada latar belakang dan budaya murid. Aktiviti ini telah banyak membantu murid dalam meningkatkan penguasaan kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual yang merupakan salah satu yang agak sukar untuk dikuasai oleh murid lebih-lebih lagi dalam kalangan murid-murid di SMOA. Dapatan ini disokong dalam kajian Zamri (2020). Berdasarkan kepada kajian tindakan yang telah dilaksanakan, saya mendapati prestasi yang memberangsangkan yang ditunjukkan oleh murid adalah di luar jangkaan saya. Aktiviti-aktiviti yang telah dijalankan menggunakan prinsip pengajaran dari mudah kepada yang lebih kompleks iaitu ansur maju. Teknik didik hibur diterapkan agar menarik minat murid untuk belajar dan mencuba setiap aktiviti yang guru laksanakan. Aktiviti hands on dan minds on juga dilaksanakan untuk meningkatkan tahap penguasaan murid. Selain daripada itu, saya telah mengaplikasikan Strategi Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Abad Ke 21 yang dapat membantu saya untuk menyampaikan pengajaran dengan cara yang mudah difahami dan menarik minat murid-murid. Objektif 3: Meningkatkan keyakinan serta motivasi guru dan murid dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran terhadap murid yang berbeza bahasa. Saya menjadi lebih yakin dengan penggunaan kit yang mengandungi pelbagai teknik dan kaedah ini. Melalui pendekatan ini, murid-murid menunjukkan perubahan positif terutamanya semasa sesi PdP. Penglibatan murid secara aktif dapat saya lihat dengan jelas. Pernyataan ini disokong dalam kajian Muhammad Faizal dan Julie Williams (2014). Penggunaan Kit 3B telah memberikan motivasi serta keyakinan kepada saya. Hubungan antara saya dengan murid juga semakin akrab. Pernyataan ini disokong dalam kajian Sapora (2010) mendapati bahawa guru yang gagal mengawal diri akan memberi kesan bukan sahaja kepada perhubungan antara guru dengan pelajar, malah kualiti dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran guru itu sendiri. Aktiviti-aktiviti yang dijalankan menggunakan kit ini amat membantu dan memberikan keyakinan diri kepada saya untuk melaksanakan Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah (PBD) dengan mudah. Unsur PAK21 yang diterapkan juga dapat merangsang minda murid untuk belajar. Murid tetap aktif dan bersemangat melaksanakan tugasan yang diberikan. Ganjaran, ucapan dan penghargaan juga sering saya berikan kepada murid sebagai pemangkin kepada mereka untuk belajar serta membina hubungan mesra dengan murid. Dapatan ini sesuai dengan pendapat Zamri (2014) yang menyatakan ganjaran banyak membantu murid-murid aktif di dalam sesuatu PdP. Guru yang bermotivasi akan melahirkan murid yang berjaya dan cemerlang. Murid yang bermotivasi akan melahirkan generasi yang celik huruf dan bersahsiah terpuji. Hasil kajian ini dikongsikan bersama rakan-rakan saya di sekolah dan saya berharap dapat memberi manfaat kepada semua guru. Bagi cadangan kajian akan datang, saya 56

bercadang untuk mengembangkan lagi elemen permainan pembelajaran seperti permainan kad bahasa yang boleh digunakan untuk murid di Tahap 2 pula. Saya berharap dengan penghasilan kajian secara berterusan ini dapat membantu murid Orang Asli Semai untuk meningkatkan lagi penguasaan kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual mereka. KESIMPULAN Berdasarkan kepada kajian tindakan ini, pembelajaran ini akan lebih bermakna sekiranya kita sebagai guru berjaya menarik minat dan keyakinan murid menguasai kosa kata pembelajaran trilingual dalam suasana pembelajaran yang menyeronokkan. Guru perlu lebih kreatif menjayakan PdP berdasarkan latar belakang dan budaya murid serta sentiasa mencari jalan penyelesaian untuk menjadikan mereka meminati pembelajaran trilingual bagi memenuhi aspirasi murid dalam PPPM 2013-2025 iaitu kemahiran berfikir dan berpengetahuan. Saya akan terus mendapatkan kaedah yang bersesuaian dengan kemahiran yang diajar dan meningkatkan tahap profesionalisme saya dengan mencari bahan yang boleh menimbulkan suasana pembelajaran yang menyeronokkan dalam bilik darjah sama ada secara bersemuka mahupun secara dalam talian. Saya juga akan terus menggunakan kit pada masa akan datang. RUJUKAN Charlie Anak Ungang. (2008). Penggunaan bahan bantu mengajar dalam kemahiran asas membaca di kelas pemulihan: kajian kes di lima buah sekolah daerah Serian. Jurnal Penyelidikan IPBL. Sarawak: IPG Kampus Batu Lintang. Che Zanariah Che Hassan & Fadzilah Abd Rahman (2011). Pelaksanaan Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Kemahiran Menulis Di Sekolah Rendah. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 1(1): 67-68 Chew Fong Peng & Lee Tan Luck (2016). Masalah Pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu Di Kalangan Pelajar Cina dan Melayu Di Kuala Terengganu. 2 nd International Conference Issues In Language Teaching And Learning Amongs Non- Native Speaker: Language Competence And Perfomance. 2-3 Disember, UiTM, Shah Alam Dale R. Edwards. (1969). Audio Visuals Methods in Teaching. Holt Richert & Wilson Publications. New York. USA. Doris Padmini Selvaratnam, Abdul Hamid Jaafar, Norlida Hanim Mohd Salleh, RedzuanOthman & Siti Hajar Idris. (2012). Transformasi modal insan melalui peningkatan pendidikan: Kajian kes komuniti Orang Asli di Cameron Highlands, Pahang. Prosiding PERKEM vii, Jilid 2, pp. 1215–1224. Jaafar, R (2020). Strategi Pembelajaran Kemahiran Mendengar dan Menulis Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Etnik Cina dan India Ketika Belajar Bahasa Melayu (Learning Strategy In 57

Listening and Writing Skills Among Chinese and Indian Ethnic Student When Learning Of Malay Language). Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 10(1), 64-76. Jaka Warsihna (2016). Meningkatkan Literasi Membaca dan Menulis Dengan Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi. Jurnal Teknologi Pendidikan Kebangsaan, p67-80 Juli Edo. (2006). Retorik pembangunan Orang Asli. In: Mohd Fauzi Yaacob (ed) Malaysia menangani perubahan dan pembangunan. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Universiti Malaya. KPM (2016). Laporan Tahunan 2016: Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia 2013-2015 Kemmis, S.., Mc Taggart, R..& Nixon (1998). The Action Recearch Planner: Doing Critical Participatory Action research Nor Laila Kuslan (2014). Aktiviti Pemulihan Bacaan Di Sebuah Sekolah Rendah; satu kajian kes. Tesis Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Universiti Malaya P. Nagaraj. (2009). Application of community language learning for effective teaching. The Modern Journal of Applied Linguistics. India: Bharathiar University. Peng, C.F (2016). Masalah Pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu Dalam Kalangan Murid Cina Sekolah Rendah (Learning Problem Of Malay Language Among The Chinese Pupils Primary School). Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 6(2), 10-22 Ramlah , Nor Afni, Siti Fathimah Az-Zahra (2016). Aktiviti Didik Hibur Dalam Kalangan Guru Prasekolah Di daerah Gombak (Edutainment Activities Among Pre-School Teacher In Gombak Area). Jurnal Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak Jilid 5 (2016) 19-29 Ririn Ambarini, Arso Setyaji & Sri Suneki (2018). Teaching Mathematics Bilingually for Kindergarten Students with Teaching Aids Based on Local Wisdom. English Language Teaching; Vol. 11, No. 3; 2018 Roslan Chin And Nurakmah Yusoff (2017) Penggunaan Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa untuk menguasai Kemahiran Membaca Dalam Kalangan Murid Pemulihan Khas (27-39) Slavin, R. E ., Cheung, A., Golf, C., & Lake, C (2008). Effective Reading Programs For Middle And High Schools: A Best Evidence Synthesis. International Reading Association Wan Nurzuliana Wan Ahmad (2019). Amalan Guru Dalam Melaksanakan Kemahiran Literasi Bahasa Melayu bagi Program LINUS Di Sekolah Rendah. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu; Malay Language Education (MyLEJ), 9(1).pp.1-11.ISSN 2180-4842 Yashak, A, Shak, M.S.Y, Tahir, M.H.M, Shah, D.S.M & Mohamed, M.F (2020). Faktor Motivasi Teori Dua Faktor Herzberg dan Tahap Motivasi Guru Pendidikan Islam (Herzberg Two-Factor Theory’s Motivation Level). Sains Insani, 5(2), 65-74 Zamri Mahamod & Anita Abdul Rahaman (2020). Profesion Keguruan dan Pembangunan Insan. Bangi: Penerbitan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Zamri Mahmood (2014). Strategi Belajar: Inventori Cara Belajar Bahasa Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. 58

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INTEGRATION OF VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS AS CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS TO PROMOTE A RICH ENGLISH LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN YEAR 5 ESL CLASSROOM LIAN JUNXIANG, LIM LIN SUN SJKC PIN MIN, BIDOR STESEN [email protected] 2023 ABSTRACT In a study conducted at SJKC Pin Min, Bidor Stesen, it was found that virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Siri can help improve English speaking and reading skills for non-native English speakers. The study involved nine pupils in Year 5, who interacted with virtual assistants during their lessons. The treatment was introduced at the beginning of the lessons, and the pupils used virtual assistants to seek answers related to their lesson materials. An observation checklist was used to track their behaviour, and a questionnaire was given to the pupils afterwards to gauge their perceptions. Although the study had a small sample size and a short timeframe, it revealed that 88% of the pupils found virtual assistants helpful for searching for information, as they were easy to use, fun, and fast. However, the adoption of virtual assistants was hindered by slow internet and the lack of personal smart devices. Around 22% of the pupils did not have their own devices. For future research, the study suggests implementing virtual assistants as conversational agents in every classroom. The advancement of speech recognition engines and neurolinguistic programming makes it feasible to use virtual assistants as tools to enhance the speaking and reading skills of non-native English speakers. Keywords: virtual assistants, artificial intelligence, speaking skills, neurolinguistic programming, ESL 1. INTRODUCTION Virtual assistants such as Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Bixby, and more on personal smart devices utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Natural Language Programming (NLP) to form a cloud computing network to communicate with the users in natural languages (Terzopoulos & Satratzemi, 2020). Since the emergence of such voice assistants in smart devices like smartphones and smart speakers, the interaction between human users with digital information has changed significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when self-regulation learning took place during the mass quarantine period. Sáiz-Manzanares, Marticorena-Sánchez, and Ochoa-Orihuel (2020) stated that using Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPA) is an emerging practice, although not yet widespread, has a vital role in improving learning. These assistants can give immediate and intuitive responses to natural language stimuli and users can develop voice interaction through the users’ choice of system to improve their pronunciation and enunciation. 1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY Nine Year 5 pupils in SJKC Pin Min are selected to participate in this study which aims to utilise virtual assistants as conversational agents in the classrooms. This study was seeking to explore the effectiveness of using emerging technologies like AI-enabled virtual assistants. Sing, Embi, and Hashim (2019) proposed that Google Assistant and AI-powered virtual assistants at large have proven to be effective tools in language learning and teaching as the subjects took lesser time to answer comprehension questions correctly with the aid of Google Assistant in their 1 60

study. Since virtual assistants utilise natural language processing (NLP) to communicate with users, pupils should also be able to be benefited especially in improving their pronunciation and enunciation speaking skills with the prolonged use of virtual assistants (Kalburgikara, Shetb, Komarlac, Pooja, & Shylajae, 2021). In an English-As-Second Language classroom, English is not being used on a daily basis because pupils use their mother tongues almost all the time. Therefore, by introducing AI virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Siri which are readily available on their personal smart devices, pupils will be able to reap the benefits of virtual assistants by having something which can converse with them in English 24 hours in a day. 1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENTS English has always been considered the ‘killer subject’ in most primary school pupils regardless of national or vernacular schools as most parents in rural areas have no proper English language education and do not make English conversation a culture at home (Borneo Post Online, 2011). This statement still stays true even in 2022 because according to the latest Ujian Pencapian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) results in 2019, English was still the weakest subject of all. Figure 1: Performance of comprehension papers according to subjects. This figure illustrates the grades of different comprehension papers of all subjects being tested in UPSR. Figure 2: Performance of writing papers according to subjects. This figure illustrates the grades of different writing papers of all subjects being tested in UPSR. 2 61

Although UPSR had been abolished in 2019, the statistics included in Figures 1 and 2 are still good yardsticks to measure the performance of the mastery of different languages in both reading and writing skills. Among the three language subjects in national and vernacular schools, 14.87% from national schools and 12.94% from vernacular schools failed the English comprehension paper; 23.34% from national schools and 17.76% from vernacular schools failed the English writing paper. As UPSR did not test pupils’ speaking skills in a centralised manner, there was no data available for verification purposes but Malaysian students’ lack of motivation and self-confidence, anxiety, inhibition, and limited vocabulary knowledge in English are well-known among the public and private sector (Kashinathan & Abdul Aziz, 2021). Poor English capability among Malaysian undergraduates has been unmistakably one of the top five issues confronting Malaysian employers (Rusli, Yunus, & Hashim, 2018). This means the mastery of the English language has been disappointing since years ago under the previous system of education. However, moving away from an exam-oriented system is an improvement for the pupils in Malaysia as the examination is only a component of the Primary School Assessment Reports (PPSR) which include School-Based Assessments, psychometric tests, physical activities, sports, and co-curricular activities. Speaking skills in language subjects can and should be part of the focus of teaching and learning activities. Educators should not just emphasise answering comprehension and writing papers in examinations. Figure 3: Issues in primary English language education in Malaysia. This figure illustrates the problems of English education in primary schools released in 2015. English Language Standards and Quality Council under the Ministry of Education Malaysia has released a roadmap from 2015 to 2025 for English Language Education Reform in Malaysia (MOE, 2015). Three primary issues have been identified in primary English language 3 62

education: curriculum, teaching and learning, and assessment. Under the curriculum aspect, there is insufficient English engagement time in both school and house. The lack of an English-rich environment with opportunities for purposeful and contextualised use of English also hinders the pupils from actively participating in using English as a medium of learning. By introducing virtual assistants as conversational agents to the pupils, they will be able to do a lot of things with them such as asking questions, finding information, carrying out simple tasks, and most importantly, using English with the virtual assistants. This will increase the English engagement time as they will find out the convenience of using such tools during their daily activities while providing an English-rich environment with purposeful usage of English as a medium of instruction between the pupils and the virtual assistants. Listening is the mother of language learning (Jose, 2017). By having a conversational agent 24/7 with the pupils, they will be able to pick up the language much more easily, especially when most Malaysian pupils lack a conducive English learning environment. 2. RESEARCH FOCUS This chapter contains the related literature regarding the inception of virtual assistants and their integration into the Year 5 English class as conversational agents. This study is to evaluate the possibility of using AI-powered virtual assistants as conversational agents in a classroom setting where English is being used as a second or third language. Albeit the initiatives were and are taken by many stakeholders in the education system to push for higher adoption of the English language in schools, the mastery of the English language is still unsatisfactory as shown above. The post-pandemic era has accelerated the adoption of digital devices among pupils. This helps the use of technology like smart assistants and apps in improving the learning process of almost every subject in schools. By taking the advantage of high adoption of smart devices amongst pupils, existing technology can be utilised for the benefit of the pupils to increase their usage of English in the classrooms. 2.1. SELECTION OF RESEARCH FOCUS Educators, especially English teachers have to go through various means to make sure the pupils reach at least satisfactory levels of mastery of the English language. In addition, schools must entice students to pursue an English language degree abroad to reinforce their proficiency and simultaneously adopt a better worldview in socio-economic affairs (Ali, 2022). As shown above, in Figure 3, poor command of the English language among the students and employees in Malaysia is not something new and the major reason would be the lack of an English-rich environment with opportunities for purposeful and contextualized use of English (MOE, 2015). Hence, it is of utmost importance to integrate personal smart devices into the classrooms in Malaysia as digital learning is inevitable now and in the future, as there were many findings and recommendations of previous studies which had confirmed that the integration of mobile devices into the educational systems or at an individual level increases the effectiveness of learning albeit specific learning-oriented software programs with educational activities are 4 63

needed (Sung, Chang, & Liu, 2016 in Lian, 2022). Nonetheless, external factors like socioeconomic background and education level within the family are important to nurture and developing proficiency in the English language too (Phon, 2017 in Abdullah & Mohamad, 2020). Unconducive environments and lack of family support in creating a friendly environment for English learners are some of the problems pupils face in Malaysia (Selen, 2021). With virtual assistants which can carry out simple conversations in natural language, pupils would have been able to practice their English speaking skills with their smart devices. The study can also serve as a platform for kickstarting a more comprehensive guideline for using virtual assistants in a classroom setting. 2.2. DATA COLLECTION This study employed a one-shot case study design due to constraints in the number of participants and the absence of a control group. As a result, the credibility, validity, and reliability of this particular study are limited. Data collection involved the utilization of an observation checklist to assess the use of virtual assistants during teaching and learning activities. Subsequently, a straightforward questionnaire was administered to the subjects to determine their preferences regarding the use of virtual assistants. 2.2.1. CONTENT STANDARDS AND LEARNING STANDARDS IN SBELC (SCHOOL-BASED ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM) YEAR 5 ENGLISH Using virtual assistants as conversational agents in a classroom setting requires certain skills to operate effectively as pupils have to be able to form questions, utter the questions in comprehensible manners, listen to the feedback from the virtual assistants, and evaluate the answers given whether they have got correct answers. Therefore, much guidance from the teacher is anticipated in the classroom as pupils might struggle to use virtual assistants. In order to ask questions, one needs the ability to form questions and utter the questions clearly for virtual assistants to pick up the keywords. There are two sections of focus on speaking skills in the SBELC of Year 5 English; spoken interaction and spoken production. Spoken interaction emphasizes interacting with other people while spoken interaction focuses on speaking alone to a group via presentations (MOE, 2022). By the end of Year 5, pupils are expected to: 1. give detailed information about themselves and others. 2. ask about and express rules and obligations. 3. explain and give reasons for simple advice. 4. ask about and describe future plans or events. 5. ask about and describe personality. 6. keep interaction going in short exchanges by checking understanding of what a speaker is saying. 5 64

7. agree a set of basic steps needed to complete extended classroom tasks. 8. narrate short basic stories, events and experiences. When the pupils get the answers back from virtual assistants, they need reading skills more so than listening skills as one tends to read the answers when English is not their native language. Hence, reading skills become an important aspect of utilising virtual assistants as conversational agents in the classroom. SBLEC Year 5 English focuses on the ability of pupils to learn to read, to understand, and to read independently for enjoyment. By the end of Year 6, pupils can: 1. understand the main idea of simple longer texts. 2. understand specific information and details of simple longer texts. 3. guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from clues provided by other known words and by context. 4. use with some support familiar print and digital resources to check meaning. 5. read and enjoy A2 fiction/non-fiction print and digital texts of interest. The main focus of reading skills contained throughout Year 5’s SBELC is understanding a variety of linear and non-linear texts using appropriate strategies independently. To be able to read the answers given by the virtual assistants while using AI-driven personal smart assistants, one has to be able to read and understand the context of the texts. The highlighted content standards are the ones required for a better experience in using virtual assistants as conversational agents in the classroom. Asking questions and reading the given answers are the emphasis in utilising virtual assistants as conversational agents but these are prerequisites before using the virtual assistants. Pupils with poorer speaking and reading skills will need help from teachers and peers to form the questions, ask the questions, and evaluate the answers given by the virtual assistants. Studies have shown that non-native English speakers may face several challenges when using virtual assistants, such as understanding and processing spoken language, expressing their requests or questions in English, or dealing with cultural references and idiomatic expressions that may not translate well. These difficulties can lead to frustration and decreased satisfaction with the technology. However, prolonged use of virtual assistants may also have positive effects on language learning and improvement in the language itself. By interacting with the technology on a regular basis, users may become more familiar with English vocabulary and grammar, practice their pronunciation and comprehension skills, and gain confidence in using the language. Having virtual assistants as conversational agents in an English-rich learning environment is important because there are disappointments in both school and job 6 65

settings where many similar reports or anecdotal records are saying that Malaysian job seekers are plagued with bad command of the English language and that is one of the main contributing factors to unemployment in Malaysia. “The inability to converse and understand English (among young school leavers) is a constant complaint among our members,” said Shamsudin. The MEF has 4,800 direct members and 21 affiliated trade associations (The Malaysian Insider, 2014). This particular issue is not a new thing as the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has been complaining about the poor command of English since 2014. Till today, we are still talking about making a plan to address the decline of English language proficiency among Malaysians so they do not miss out on greater economic opportunities, says Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman (Liew, 2022). Considering the time and effort spent since then, the rather stagnation or lack of improvement in language proficiency itself is disappointing. To verify the ranking of proficiency in the language, the comparison of data from Education First Group (EF) which has been compiling data collected for participating countries via survey can be looked at as a reference between countries. EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) 2021 Edition has ranked Malaysia 28th out of 112 countries in terms of English proficiency level. At first glimpse, it was certainly not bad. Still, upon a deeper investigation of the other countries in Asia, Malaysia was behind Singapore and the Philippines which were ranked 4th and 18th respectively. It was a huge gap albeit Malaysia is ranked as the 3rd country with a high proficiency level of English in the Asia region. However, the online adaptive English test focus on reading and listening skills only. Although EF EPI 2021 scores are claimed to correlate strongly with TOEFL iBT 2019 scores (r=0.81) and IELTS Academic Test 2019 scores (r=0.73), the methodology does not provide a testing parameter for writing and speaking skills. Sampling biases also needed to be considered as the factors which may or may not affect the results. The EF SET is free and online so people without Internet access would be excluded, which would tend to pull scores upward by excluding the mentioned group. Malaysia is ranked as a country which has high proficiency band which corresponds to CEFR Level B2 but in reality, as mentioned above, complaints about deteriorating speaking skills amongst employers are not something new. Although the two sets of data are not apples-to-apples comparisons as EF EPI is biased towards young adults and respondents who are interested in learning the language while under the national education system of Malaysia, UPSR (before the abolishment) was used to evaluate the level of mastery of English using a standardized national assessment when the pupils reached Year 6. The different data sets do not aim to compete with or contradict each other. These data sets aim to complement each other (EF, 2021). Therefore, there is a need to identify the reasons for such occurrences so that effective measures can be taken to tackle such issues. The focus of using virtual assistants as the conversational agents in the study is to create a rich English learning environment 7 66

with the existing technology. When pupils are already familiar with the virtual assistants as conversational agents in the learning process, multiple positive effects like improving English skills and gaining confidence while using English can be obtained as mentioned above. 2.2.2. VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ‘Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It’s your own personal Google, always ready to help (Google, 2022)’ this is the first line people see when they want to understand what Google Assistant is. Apple (2022), with its Siri, serves the purpose of ‘Getting everyday tasks done with just your voice. And the strongest privacy of any intelligent assistant. On the go, Alexa is ‘Amazon’s cloud-based voice service available on hundreds of millions of devices from Amazon and third-party device manufacturers (Amazon, 2022). Digital or virtual assistants with artificial intelligence embedded in the technology are omnipresent in our work and private lives. Like the three most popular virtual assistants amongst the hundreds of devices within our proximity, they aim to help us, the users to take over some of the routine tasks and free up our time for more demanding tasks (Maedche, Legner, & Benlian, 2019). Figure 4: Technological embedment in daily life with AI-based Digital assistants (Maedche, et. al., 2019). This figure illustrates the use of digital assistants on helping users to carry out tasks. Figure 5: Example of a child using a conversational agent to switch on the light and the background processes behind the technology. This figure illustrates the synthesis of a natural speech by a child to a language which can be understood by a conversational agent. 8 67

To further encourage the usage of the English language in such an inconducive environment, AI-powered assistants which are available in most smart devices have the potential to be made into companion devices for speech improvement. Speech recognition software breaks the speech down into bits it can interpret, converts it into a digital format, and analyses the pieces of content (Summa Linguae, 2021). This process is of the highest complexity in the phonological awareness continuum. It involves blending and segmenting individual phonemes as commands have to be spoken clearly to the conversational agents so that they can be carried out accordingly (May, 1999 in Chard & Dickson, 2022). There are not many studies about the utterance of L2 and L3 English speakers and the accuracy of understanding L2 and L3 English speakers by AI assistants. Dizon (2017) used only Alexa as the subject of study and found out that the comprehensibility of command performance was quite poor with Alexa only understanding 50% of the students’ total commands in Japanese. Technology is a useful tool in helping students to improve their language skills. Persson & Nouri (2018) carried out a systemic review of second language learning with mobile technologies starting from 1424 sources and found that Mobile Assisted Second Language Learning (MASLL) is a major trend as a tool for second language learning. Educational applications to support vocabulary learning is a common practice. In addition, there was also an increasing effort in the creation of software which specifically adapts to the needs of L2 speakers. Nevertheless, such usage of language learning apps is considered informal learning and the researchers stated that there is a need to carry out further research in this area. 2.3. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK To utilize virtual assistants in the classroom, a framework is needed to incorporate the mentioned technology so that the innovation is tailored according to the current content and learning standards in Year 5 English. Using virtual assistants is not as simple as using certain teaching aids like charts, worksheets, software, et cetera because virtual assistants’ algorithm is not within the teachers’ control. In addition, constant facilitation is also needed to help the pupils to identify the correct answers. The use of virtual assistants is aimed to help pupils familiarize themselves with the usage of conversational agents but this requires a longer timeframe to look at the real effectiveness of the technology. 2.3.1. OVERVIEW OF THE USE OF VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS IN CLASSROOMS Before introducing virtual assistants into the lessons, WH-Questions must be taught because it is an important element in utilizing virtual assistants. Pupils need to have the foundation for constructing meaningful questions while using the virtual assistants to ask questions at an appropriate speed as well as being comprehensible too. By having the ability to form comprehensible and recognisable questions for the virtual assistants to pick up via their speech recognition engines, only then the role of 9 68

conversational agents played by the virtual assistants is able to be created in the classrooms. Figure 6: Integration of virtual assistants in classrooms as conversational agents. This figure illustrates the role of virtual assistants within the compound of the planning phase and instructional hours. As shown in Figure 6, virtual assistants are used during the teaching and learning phases of the activities. From the perspective of teachers, the usage of personal smart devices serves the role of teaching aids to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning activities (Harun et al., 2015 in Yasim, Lubis, Mohd Noor, & Kamarudin, 2016) but for pupils, their smart devices are more than being teaching aids in teaching and learning activities. Lenord (2015) in Rather & Rather (2019) divulges that the popularity of smartphones among the young generation has increased incredibly. With the readily available personal smart devices owned by pupils, such devices should be made used to the benefit of the pupils other than for entertainment purposes only. 10 69

Figure 7: Integration of virtual assistants in teaching and learning activities. This figure illustrates how to utilize virtual assistants in teaching and learning activities. As shown in Figure 7, using virtual assistants in the teaching and learning activities need WH-Questions as a prerequisite because pupils need to formulate sensible questions and utilize smart assistants to help them in carrying out the learning activities. To fully utilize the virtual assistants as conversational agents, pupils need the basic speaking skills to articulate sensible questions for the virtual assistants to pick up the prompts. This particular piece of technology does not serve the singular task to improve the pupils’ English skills. Rather, it is one of the differentiation strategies to promote a rich English learning environment. Differentiation strategies are still being used throughout the whole teaching and learning process. There are seven strategies suggested by the MOE in the scheme of work for Year 5 English: 1. Differentiate by the task pupils are given 2. Differentiate by the type and amount of support provided 3. Differentiate by the outcome expected from pupils 4. Differentiate by the time pupils are given to complete a task 5. Differentiate by supporting individual learning preferences and needs 11 70

6. Differentiate by the types of questions asked 7. Differentiate by the feedback given (MOE, 2021) Virtual assistants serve the purpose of being one of the differentiated learning tools. It helps to differentiate the learning tasks by the type and amount of support provided. Smart assistants are able to help the pupils to look for answers provided that their questions are correctly formed. This type of support is beneficial for pupils with higher mastery of the English language because the interaction is entirely in the language itself. For the weaker pupils, there are certain obstacles in utilizing virtual assistants. Forming the questions will be tremendously painful for them. Therefore, it is more recommendable for virtual assistants to be used in group activities as the better ones can facilitate them during the process. The conversational agents also provide an alternative to support individual learning preferences and needs. Although smartphones are not officially allowed in schools, teachers can still ask the pupils to bring their smartphones to schools and use the phones only in class for the process of teaching and learning how to use them as using smart assistants is not being taught specifically in most learning institutions. Through the spoken interaction of the pupils and the virtual assistants, pupils can pronounce and enunciate at an acceptable speed for the virtual assistants to pick up the words, phrases, and sentences of the pupils. Presumably, the pupils have already mastered the skills of creating WH-Questions because they need to either use imperative or interrogative sentences with virtual assistants. However, in reality, not all pupils have the means to use the smart assistants fully in English when it is not their native language. Therefore, it is much more effective for virtual assistants to be used during group activities. 3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS This chapter consists of research objectives and research questions. 3.1. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This study is to evaluate the possibility of using AI-powered virtual assistants as conversational agents in a classroom setting where English is being used as a second or third language. Albeit the initiatives were and are taken by many stakeholders in the education system to push for higher adoption of the English language in schools, the mastery of the English language is still unsatisfactory as shown above. The post-pandemic era has accelerated the adoption of digital devices among pupils. This helps the use of technology like smart assistants and apps in improving the learning process of almost every subject in schools. By taking the 12 71

advantage of high adoption of smart devices amongst pupils, existing technology can be utilised for the benefit of the pupils to increase their usage of English in the classrooms. The research objectives are listed below, 1. To explore the functionality and mechanisms behind virtual assistants, including their operation and how they utilize natural language processing and artificial intelligence. 2. To investigate the potential roles of natural language processing and artificial intelligence in classrooms, specifically focusing on their integration as conversational agents and their alignment with the Standard-Based English Language Curriculum for Year 5 English. 3. To examine pupils' preferences and perceptions regarding the use of virtual assistants as language learning tools, identifying their likes and dislikes and understanding the reasons behind their preferences. 3.2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS To ameliorate the current unsatisfactory situation of the mastery of the English language amongst the Year 5 pupils in SJKC Pin Min, critical questions within the scope of the integration of virtual assistants in teaching and learning activities must first be established. The questions are categorized into three categories which are operation, utilization, and preference based on the research objectives stated before. 1. Operation - How do virtual assistants work? a. What is natural language processing? b. What is artificial intelligence? c. What are the roles of natural language processing and artificial intelligence in classrooms? 2. Utilization - How to establish and integrate virtual assistants as conversational agents in a classroom setting? a. How to integrate virtual assistants into teaching and learning activities? b. How to align the use of virtual assistants with the content and learning standards listed in the Standard-Based English Language Curriculum for (SBELC) Year 5 English? 3. Preference - Do pupils like to use virtual assistants as one of the language learning tools? a. Which aspect of virtual assistants do pupils like/dislike the most? b. Why do the pupils like/dislike using virtual assistants? 3.3. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY Without a careful construction of an experimental design and comparison using a control group or even a longitudinal study with the same subjects, this study has no real significant impact towards establishing virtual assistants as a useful tool in helping pupils to improve their speaking skills. However, this study aims to find out the possibility of implementing a 13 72

framework using virtual assistants in the hope of further studies so that a viable framework that is designed specifically to help with pronunciation, tone and intonation, pace and fluency, and, clarity and coherence can be developed because the speech recognition and Natural Langauge Processing (NLP) mechanisms in virtual assistants require recognizable chunks of phrases in order to proceed to the searching process. Theoretically, pupils who use English as a second or third language will be able to improve their speaking skills by using virtual assistants. 4. SAMPLING The convenience sampling method was used to identify the subjects in this study as it was being carried out among Year 5 pupils in SJKC Pin Min. There are 9 pupils with mixed abilities in English. The gap between the pupils varied much due to the hiatus of the COVID-19 lockdown. The face-to-face instructional classroom was resumed last April 2021 but the gap grew larger with inconsistent attendance in online classrooms. All pupils had achieved the minimum targeted requirement of Performance Level of 3. Three pupils obtained an overall Performance Level of 5 but only two obtained a 5 in their speaking skills assessment. For listening skills, most of the pupils have gotten used to the English teacher speaking English to them the whole time but lack of speaking skills is still a common issue amongst this group of pupils. The small sample size means that the results of the study will not be able to be generalized into a larger sample size due to different variables. 5. METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH The study about the implementation of virtual assistants in teaching pronunciation and enunciation in Year 5 English was carried out by using a mixed-method approach with both quantitative and qualitative data being collected and analyzed for the effectiveness of virtual assistants. A one-shot case study design was used to identify the effectiveness of virtual assistants. However, there is a serious flaw in this design and more will be discussed in a later section. The reason this study was carried out using a one-shot case study design was due to the limitation of the number of pupils and the lack of a control group. This renders the low level of credibility, validity, and reliability of this particular study. To collect the data, the researcher used an observation checklist during the use of virtual assistants during the teaching and learning activities. After the use of the treatment, a simple questionnaire was distributed to the subjects to find out their preferences for using the virtual assistants. To increase the credibility of this study, a comparative analysis was being used to identify common themes in their simple surveys and behaviours of usage of virtual assistants during the treatment. 5.1. TREATMENT The following example of a lesson plan is shown to showcase the usage of virtual assistants in a listening and speaking activity. 14 73

Figure 8: Scheme of work. This figure shows the lesson plan provided by the MOE to the teachers as guidance for teaching and learning activities. The teaching and learning activity has been modified accordingly using virtual assistants in the lesson delivery section, instead of asking the pupils to pair up like what most teachers usually do and carry out the listening and speaking activity, pupils can be assigned to groups of three; one to do the asking, one to facilitate the process, and one to jot down the response of the virtual assistants. This setting will help to ease up the tension of poorer speakers as the tasks have been divided among three group members. Referring to Figure 9, instead of using pre-recorded materials or teachers reciting the text, pupils use virtual assistants of their choice to carry out the search process as smart assistants will utilize search engines to look for appropriate answers by forming and uttering the questions by themselves. 15 74

Figure 9: Materials for teaching and learning activity from Year 5 English textbook. This figure illustrates the materials used for the listening and speaking activities by using virtual assistants in the classroom. The learning activity for Lesson 75 in the lesson delivery section has been modified according to the usage of virtual assistants. 1. Pre-lesson a. Pupils read pages 72 and 73 in their textbook and talk about their idols using the provided adjectives. b. Pupils identify the key aspects of WH-Questions using a bubble map. 2. Lesson Delivery a. Pupils are divided into groups of three with one pupil being a facilitator, one being a questioner, and one being a recorder. b. The teacher helps pupils to form the questions around their idols by using WH-Questions. c. Pupils are given the worksheet (Figure 10) consisting of the questions to be used with virtual assistants on their personal devices. d. Pupils ask virtual assistants the questions they formulated. If they do not get the answers correctly, pupils repeat the questions. Team members help each other to evaluate the answers and if there is a need, they help with the pronunciation of certain words in the questions. e. Pupils then use the answers from virtual assistants and suitable adjectives from the textbook to create simple profiles about their idols. 3. Post-lesson a. Pupils present their works. b. Pupils and the teacher check their answers together. 16 75

c. Pupils share their feeling about using virtual assistants compared to typing the questions in Google to identify the answers. Worksheet Group Members: Pupil 1, Pupil 2, Pupil 3 Step 1: Building questions with the pupils. Step 2: Using Virtual Assistants: Google Assistant i. Who is the main character in Harry Potter? (Long) 1. When was he born? (Short) 2. Where does he live? (Short) 3. How many Harry Potter movies had he been involved with? (Long) ii. Who is the most famous football player in the world? (Long) 1. Where is he playing currently? (Intermediate) 2. How many years has he been playing in the team? (Long) 3. How many World Cup(s) he had won? (Intermediate) iii. Who is the tallest person in the world? (Intermediate) 1. How tall is he? (Short) 2. Does he have brothers or sisters who are also tall? (Long) 3. How old is he? (Short) Figure 10: Example of the worksheet. This worksheet illustrates the process of building questions and using virtual assistants as conversational agents in the classroom. Short, Intermediate, and Long were used to label the length of the sentences according to the syllables used in the sentences. The use of virtual assistants in education has become increasingly popular, with students benefiting from their conversational abilities to learn and practice English language skills. However, not every student may have access to a smart device to use these virtual assistants. On the other hand, teachers can invest in smart speakers that can serve as conversational agents in the classroom, encouraging English language usage. The cost of using virtual assistants in the classroom will depend on the model of the smart speakers chosen, but the good news is that there are budget-friendly options available. While the cost of investing in smart speakers may not be zero, it is certainly an investment that can reap significant benefits for students and their language development. 6. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS Before going into the analysis of the obtained data, it is important to look at the given Performance Level of speaking skills amongst the pupils in Year 5. 17 76

Figure 11: Performance Level of Speaking Skills in Year 5 English. This figure illustrates the given Performance Level (PL) in Year 5 English. The names and IC. numbers are covered for privacy purposes. The names in red are pupils who had transferred to the other school. Figure 12: Chart representing performance level in Year 5 English. This chart illustrates the different performance levels in different skills in English for the pupils in Year 5. Figure 11 and Figure 12 represent the given Performance Levels of English to the 9 pupils in Year 5 of SJKC Pin Min. The focus of this paper is on speaking skills. Pupils utilize virtual assistants to find out the answers to questions related to the teaching and learning activities. To correctly obtain the answers, pupils must be able to activate the virtual assistants and ask the questions. As shown above, the utterance of the pupils is important for the virtual assistants to pick up their speech via the process of speech recognition. If the answers are wrong, pupils would have to repeat the questions again or multiple times. This is where reading skills come along for them to evaluate the validity of the answers given by the virtual assistants. 18 77

Figure 13: Virtual assistants used during the teaching and learning activities. This figure illustrates the chosen virtual assistants by the pupils. Nevertheless, the ability to evaluate the answers gets complicated as different virtual assistants produce different answers. Besides, they also use different formats to show the answers. Pupils were having difficulty identifying the answers, especially those who were using Siri from Apple as they did not show summaries like what Google Assistants do. The teacher’s guidance was needed during the teaching and learning activities to identify correct answers from the links shown by Siri and Google Assistant. Two pupils obtained PL2 for speaking skills. Two pupils obtained PL3, three pupils obtained PL4 and two pupils got PL5. Figure 12 resembles a normal distribution graph but do note that due to the small sample size in this paper, there is no significant representation of the data in a meaningful way. The PLs which were given to the pupils are correlated with the repetitions which the pupils did during the Q&A sessions with the virtual assistants. Those who obtained PL4 and PL5 got the answers correctly within the first few trials while the others did tend to repeat a few more times to get the answers as shown in Table 1. The limitation of this paper was also shown here as one of the biggest variables, the types of virtual assistants are not the same. To show effective of a particular treatment, the treatment must be the same for all the subjects and this shall be amended in future studies. 19 78

Figure 14: Observation Checklist. This figure shows the thematic analytics during the utilization of virtual assistants as conversational agents in the classroom. The checklist was formed based on Likert Scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Pupils would activate the virtual assistants by themselves and ask questions about teaching and learning activities. Eight pupils felt that they could use the virtual assistants by themselves (above 3) while one disagreed with that. Under the themes of fluency and results, both are interrelated as the pupils needed to utter questions clearly and fluently so that the virtual assistants could recognize the speech and identify the answers. Subsequently, evaluation and cooperation came after the utilization of virtual assistants. Six pupils were rated above 3 for evaluation upon simple answer checking by themselves and the teachers. Three pupils were rated 2 and 1 respectively because they had trouble evaluating the answers given by the virtual assistants. This was where the peer guidance aspect came into play. Since English is not the primary language used in the classroom, the researcher divided the pupils into groups and the purpose was to help each other during the teaching and learning activity. Most of the pupils were able to ask for help when they were in trouble using virtual assistants. There is an outlier who was unable to work independently (rated 1 and 2 mostly in each aspect of the observation checklist except peer guidance) because the pupil was a newly transferred student from the other school. Before this, there was a three-year lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and she was not used to someone who speaks fully in English during the instructional hours in school. There is still room for improvement in her listening skills and this correlates with her PL as shown in Figure 11 (Pupil 6). During the process of using the virtual assistants, she constantly asked for help to pronounce the words and check the answers. This means that virtual assistants are not 20 79

suitable for those who have not mastered basic speaking skills and guidance is much needed for them. Table 2 has highlighted the frequency of the pupils asking questions by using virtual assistants. Pupils i (L) i1 (S) i2 (S) i3 (L) ii (L) ii1 (I) ii2 (L) ii3 (I) iii (I) iii1 (S) iii2 (L) iii3 (S) PL (Speaking) 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 1 1 3 4 1 1 2 4 1 1 5 1 4 4 1 2 3 4 1 4 3 2 3 1 2 1 2 5 4 4 3 5 4 5 2 5 4 4 7 4 2 6 1 2 1 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 5 4 4 7 1 2 2 1 3 4 1 1 1 1 2 4 3 8 2 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 5 9 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 6 6 1 2 1 3 Table 2: Frequency of asking questions using virtual assistants. This table illustrates the frequency of asking the questions until the virtual assistants can pick up the speech and identify the answers for the users. L - Long, I - Intermediate, and S - Short are the length of each sentence which was labeled in Figure 10. Performance Levels of the pupils do not show a significant correlation with the frequency of asking the questions as the content and learning standards are tasks-specific while the repetitions of questions asking are more about articulation, fluency, intonation, and stress. The length of the questions itself is not of a big concern for the frequency of repeating the questions too. Rather, it is the familiarity of the words for the pupils. From Table 1, both short and long questions, i2 and i3 were some of the questions which more than 4 out of 9 pupils repeated more than three times. From observation, the repetition happened because of the words ‘does’ in i2 and ‘involved’ in i3. Pupils pronounced ‘does’ as ‘dus’ in i2 and many of them did not know how to pronounce the word ‘involved’. The inability of pronouncing words correctly rendered the repetitions of asking the same questions multiple times. This happened in question iii2 too. From the table, pupil 5 was having difficulty using virtual assistants as the pupil needed constant peer guidance to ask the questions. As explained in the previous section, she was not used to listening and speaking English in her previous school and the COVID-19 lockdown has certainly affected her ability to converse in English. 21 80

Figure 15: Preferences on using virtual assistants. This figure shows that two pupils liked to use virtual assistants in the speaking activities while 6 of them had a neutral stance about using it. 1 pupil was absent when this survey was conducted. Among 8 pupils, 6 had chosen 3 (neutral) towards using virtual assistants and 2 pupils rated the experience a 4. To identify the reasoning behind their preferences, the researcher let them construct their own short summary about using the assistants and these are the answers given by them. Figure 16: Reasons why they like using virtual assistants. This figure shows the reasons given by the pupils why they like using virtual assistants in short answers. 22 81

To summarize the content above, most pupils thought that using virtual assistants was easy, especially in finding information. The easiness also comes from the pupils not typing on the keyboard. Learning new things from virtual assistants is also one of the things that they like. The phrase ‘can know we said correct or not’ means the speech recognition of virtual assistants. Although voice assistants have been improving since their initial introductions, understanding the dialects and accents is still a challenging matter (Chen, 2021). Therefore, to get the answers correctly, the pupils have to pronounce the words accurately for the assistants to pick up the correct pronunciation and proceed to find the answers. If the initial questions are wrong, that means the answers are not going to be correct too. The pupils know about this immediately and they will then try to ask the questions with more accurate pronunciation and enunciation. This type of immediate prompt is sometimes lacking in a face-to-face conversation but this provides a good feedback loop for the pupils to train their speaking skills. Figure 17: Reasons why they do not like using virtual assistants. This figure shows the reasons given by the pupils why they do not like using virtual assistants in short answers. From the reasons given by the pupils above, repetitions of asking the questions had been the main reason they do not like using virtual assistants. Since the pupils are still developing their speaking skills, pronunciation and speech speed are some of the obstacles when they are asking the virtual assistants questions. Most of the time the assistants could not pick up the speech but the pupils would try a few more times until they got the correct answers. On top of that, the need for a phone or a laptop and access to the Internet might also hinder the process of 23 82

letting them use virtual assistants. Some of them had to share the devices in school and at home, they do not have their own personal devices. Figure 18: The possibility of pupils using virtual assistants independently in the classroom or at home. This figure illustrates how likely will the pupils utilize virtual assistants for their own learning in the classroom or at home. After learning how to use virtual assistants to help them in their learning, using virtual assistants during pupils’ independent learning is the ultimate purpose of introducing this particular technological aid to the pupils. It is up to the pupils’ preferences whether to use them. Out of nine pupils, 77% of pupils (seven pupils) are likely to use virtual assistants in learning English in the classroom or at home. 7. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF FUTURE RESEARCH In examining the introduction of virtual assistants in the classroom and their potential benefits for pupils, it is important to note the limitations of the study design and the inconclusive nature of the results. While the findings do not provide definitive evidence of significant advantages, the paper does introduce an innovative concept: the active engagement of pupils in practicing English skills through personalized devices acting as daily conversational agents. This approach is particularly valuable in a classroom setting where English is being learned as a second or third language, as it can be challenging to motivate students to actively speak in a non-native language. By utilizing virtual assistants with native language processing capabilities, pupils are compelled to use English as the medium of interaction, even though native languages may still be available as options within the virtual assistant's settings. However, it is worth considering the need for longitudinal research in future studies to gauge the long-term effectiveness of virtual assistants in enhancing overall English language proficiency. Learning is a gradual process, and examining the impact over an extended period can provide more robust insights. 24 83

Furthermore, this study serves as a foundation for introducing modern technological devices, such as smart speakers or smart TVs, as assistant teachers in the classroom. These devices can assist pupils in addressing minor queries during instructional hours, thereby freeing up teacher time for more focused instruction. Thus, this study not only achieves its initial goal of encouraging the use of AI-assisted virtual assistants as daily conversational agents but also opens avenues for incorporating technology into the classroom to support language learning. Based on the previous analysis and conclusions, several recommendations can be made for future research in the field of utilizing virtual assistants and technology in the classroom: 1. Longitudinal Research: Conducting longitudinal studies that span a significant period of time would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of virtual assistants in improving overall English language skills. This type of research would allow for a deeper examination of the long-term impact and potential benefits that virtual assistants can have on language learning. 2. Comparative Studies: Comparing the effectiveness of virtual assistants with other language learning methodologies or tools would be valuable. For example, investigating how virtual assistants fare in comparison to traditional language instruction methods or other technology-based language learning platforms could shed light on their unique advantages and limitations. 3. Pedagogical Approaches: Exploring different pedagogical approaches and strategies for integrating virtual assistants into the classroom setting would be beneficial. This could involve examining the most effective ways to incorporate virtual assistants into lesson plans, designing specific activities that maximize their potential, or exploring how to best utilize virtual assistants as language learning tools in different educational contexts. By addressing these recommendations in future research, we can further expand our understanding of the potential benefits, challenges, and best practices associated with integrating virtual assistants and technology into the classroom environment. This knowledge will assist educators and policymakers in making informed decisions about the adoption and implementation of these tools to enhance language learning outcomes. 8. CONCLUSION Despite its limitations and inconclusive results, this study successfully explores the use of virtual assistants to enhance English language usage in the classroom. While the study's design, including the one-shot case study and lack of a control group, diminishes the credibility and validity of the findings, it serves as an initial step in investigating the potential benefits of virtual assistants in education. The study's findings highlight the possibilities of integrating modern technological devices into educational settings. By examining the role of virtual assistants in facilitating language learning, it prompts educators and policymakers to consider the practical implications of incorporating innovative 25 84

technologies. Virtual assistants have the potential to provide personalized support, create interactive learning environments, and increase student engagement and motivation. Moreover, the study raises important questions for further research. Future investigations can build upon this study's foundation by employing more robust experimental designs, larger sample sizes, and control groups to establish clearer causal relationships. Additionally, researchers can explore the adaptation of virtual assistants for the learning of other languages or specific subject areas, as well as the cultural and social implications of their integration in diverse educational contexts. In summary, despite its limitations, this study contributes to the expanding body of research on the use of virtual assistants in education. It emphasizes the need for more rigorous methodologies and comprehensive studies. The findings suggest that virtual assistants have the potential to transform language learning experiences and provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to incorporate modern technological devices in the classroom. 9. REFERENCES Abdullah, N.S. & Mohamad, M. (2020). The Implementation of Highly Immersive Programme towards Language Proficiency of Primary School Pupils: A Literature Review. Creative Education. Vol.11 No.8, August 2020. DOI: 10.4236/ce.2020.118098. Ali, S. (2022). Concerned over poor command of English among Malaysians, social activists call for reset. Retrieved 24th July 2022 from https://www.thesundaily.my/local/concerned-over-poor-command-of-english-among-malaysianssocial-activists-call-for-reset-DI9208104 Amazon. (2022). What is Alexa? Retrieved 18th August 2022 from https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa Apple. (2022). Siri. Retrieved 18th August 2022 from https://www.apple.com/siri/ Borneo Post Online. (2011). Maths, English are ‘killer subjects’. Retrieved 20th July 2022 from https://www.theborneopost.com/2012/03/25/maths-english-are-killer-subjects/ Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum, MOE. (2022). Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah Bahasa Inggeris, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan, Dokumen Standard Kurikulum dan Pentaksiran Tahun 6. Retrieved 26th July 2022 from http://bpk.moe.gov.my/index.php/terbitan-bpk/kurikulum-sekolah-rendah/category/524-SBELC-t ahun-6 Chen, M. (2021). How Voicebots Handle Languages & Accents. Retrieved from 22nd February 2023 from https://poly.ai/voice-assistants-languages-and-accents/ Dizon, G. (2017). Using Intelligent Personal Assistants for Second Language Learning: A Case Study of Alexa. TESOL Journal, 8(4), 811–830. doi:10.1002/tesj.353 EF. (2021). The world’s largest ranking of countries and regions by English skills: Based on test results 26 85

of 2m adults in 112 countries & regions. Retrieved 13th August 2022 from https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/ Google. (2022). Meet your Google Assistant. Retrieved 18th August 2022 from https://assistant.google.com/ I.M. Md. Yasim, M.A. Lubis, Z.A. Mohd Noor, & M.Y. Kamarudin. (2016). The Use of Teaching Aids in the Teaching and Learning of Arabic Language Vocabulary. Creative Education. 7. 443-448. 10.4236/ce.2016.73044. Junxiang, L. (2022). Utilization Of Duolingo As A Supplementary Formative Assessment Tool In Primary Year 5 English Class. Karnival Inovasi Pembelajaran Perak 2022 (KIPP 2022). Retrieved 24th July 2022 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360151289_Utilization_of_Duolingo_as_A_Suppleme ntary_Formative_Assessment_Tool_in_Primary_Year_5_English_Class Junxiang, L. (2021). MWoQ Model for Acquisition of WH-Questions Skill. Retrieved 9th September 2022 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360015722_MWoQ_Model_for_Acquisition_of_WHQuestions_Skill Jose, P. (2017). Listening is the mother of language learning. IJELLH International journal of English language, literature in humanities. ISSN-2321-7065. Kashinathan, S. & Abdul Aziz, A. (2021). ESL Learners’ Challenges in Speaking English in Malaysian Classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(2), 983–991. Kalburgikara, N., Shetb, N.A., Komarlac, P., Pooja, B. Sd., & Dr. K R Shylajae. (2021). A Virtual Assistant using NLP Techniques. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews Vol(2) Issue (4) (2021) Page 565-574. Liew, J.X. (2022). Address declining English proficiency among Malaysians, says Syed Saddiq. Retrieved 30th July 2022 from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/03/30/address-declining-english-proficiency-amo ng-malaysians-says-syed-saddiq Maedche, A., Legner, C., Benlian, A. et al. (2019).AI-based Digital Assistants: Opportunities, Threats, and Research Perspectives.Business and Information Systems Engineering, Issue 4, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-019-00600-8. Retrieved 18th August 2022 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333705636_AI-Based_Digital_Assistants_Opportunitie s_Threats_and_Research_Perspectives [accessed Aug 18 2022] M.K., Rather, and S.A., RAther. (2019) Impact of Smartphones on Young Generation. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 2384. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2384 MOE. (2022). Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah: Bahasa Inggeris Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan. Dokumen Standard Kurikulum dan Pentaksiran Tahun 5. Putrajaya: Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. 27 86

MOE. (2021). English Language: Scheme of Work. Primary Year 5 SJK. Putrajaya: Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. MOE. (2019). Pelaporan Pentaksiran Sekolah Rendah. Retrieved 21st July 2022 from https://www.moe.gov.my/muat-turun/laporan-dan-statistik/lp/3056-pelaporan-pentaksiran-sekola h-rendah-2019/file Persson, V. & Nouri, J. (2018). A Systematic Review of Second Language Learning with Mobile Technologies. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i02.8094 Sáiz-Manzanares, M.C., Marticorena-Sánchez, R., Ochoa-Orihuel, J. (2020). Effectiveness of Using Voice Assistants in Learning: A Study at the Time of COVID-19. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 17(15):5618. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155618. PMID: 32759832; PMCID: PMC7432376. Selen, S. (2021). Sorry, what? Speaking English still a struggle for many despite mandatory classes. Retrieved 24th July 2022 from https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2021/02/16/sorry-what-speaking-english-still-a-struggle-for -many-despite-mandatory-classes Sing, P. & Embi, M. & Hashim, H. (2019). Ask the Assistant: Using Google Assistant in Classroom Reading Comprehension Activities. International Journal of New Technology and Research. 5. 10.31871/IJNTR.5.7.6. Summa Linguae. (2021). How Does Speech Recognition Technology Work? Retrieved 28th August 2022 from https://summalinguae.com/language-technology/how-does-speech-recognition-technology-work/ #:~:text=The%20speech%20recognition%20software%20breaks,what%20the%20user%20is%20 saying. Terzopoulos, G. & Satratzemi, M. (2020). Voice Assistants and Smart Speakers in Everyday Life and in Education. Informatics in Education, 2020, Vol. 19, No. 3, 473–490 © 2020 Vilnius University, ETH Zürich. DOI: 10.15388/infedu.2020.21 The Malaysian Insider. (2014). Job seekers with A in SPM English but can’t speak a word of it. Retrieved 26th July 2022 from https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/job-seekers-spm-english-t-speak-word-225808954.html 28 87

10. APPENDIX Figure 19: Pupils were using computers and Google to find out answers and materials during their lesson. Pupils were also using virtual assistants in the lessons. This collage of pictures showed that pupils were using both the computers and virtual assistants for different experiences of utilizing Google in their lessons. Figure 20: Pupils were helping each other to pronounce words better in order for virtual assistants to pick up their pronunciation. This figure shows that peer guidance is needed especially for those who have difficulty pronouncing the words in their questions. 29 88

Figure 20: Pupils did their presentation. This figure illustrates the presentation of the pupils after they finished finding their answers by using virtual assistants. 30 89

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USING S-THINK TO ENHANCE PRIMARY LEARNERS’ SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION DHACHAINI A/P PRABHAKARAN Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Hwa Min, Temoh [email protected] ABSTRACT Writing is one of the most important skills in the teaching and learning of English as Second Language (ESL). Unfortunately, many learners tend to face problem when it comes to constructing sentences. They are anxious and uncertain when it comes to sentence construction which leads them to produce disorganized and meaningless writing. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of S-Think in enhancing primary learners’ sentence construction and the perceptions of the learners about S-Think. The study consists of 30 moderate ESL learners. Test and a set of questionnaires were administered to the learners to collect data for this study. The analysis of the data indicated that S-Think helps the learners to construct sentences effectively and majority of the learners strongly agreed that they enjoyed using S-Think. The data obtained also indicated that learners performed better with the usage of S-think. The findings of the study are hoped to provide insights to primary school learners and teachers and curriculum designers to integrate S-Think in ESL (English as Second Language) writing lessons. Keywords: fun learning, I-Think map, writing skills, sentence construction 1.0 INTRODUCTION The importance of English has become the major concern in Malaysia as English is now seen as the universal currency of the world. English is a compulsory subject in all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia in line with its status as second language. According to Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025), one of the attributes needed by learners to be globally competitive is to be competent in Bahasa Malaysia as well as in English. English language learners are expected to acquire, speak, and write intelligible English in order to compete with the current requirement of the globalised world. English language has been viewed as an asset to achieve development and to acquire knowledge. Writing is one of the most important skills in the teaching and learning of English as Second Language (ESL). In Malaysia, English writing skill is not only assessed in every valid language examination at different levels of education, but also a skill that learners should possess and demonstrate in academic contexts. This can be clearly seen in Ujian Akhir Sesi Akademik (UASA) where the paper has higher weighting for writing skills. Writing skills is being taught to learners as young as five years old. They learn to write alphabet, then words gradually they develop the skills to write sentences. Unfortunately, many learners tend to face problem when it comes to constructing sentences. Normally, they are anxious and uncertain when it comes to sentence construction which leads them to produce disorganized writing (Melor & Chien, 2016). Next, they are not able to put the ideas they have into words to form complete sentences. In addition, they are not only lack of vocabulary but also ideas on how to start and what to write. Teaching rules to young learners will not work as they are always looking for fun activities (Salinas, 2016). Moreover, writing is difficult as it is significantly related to other skills like grammar, vocabulary, writing mechanics, penmanship and organizational skills (Melor & Mat, 2014). Therefore, learners need a tool not only to help them to organize their ideas but also to acquire writing skills in fun and meaningful way. 91

Therefore S-Think is introduced in this study to overcome the problems the learners faced in constructing sentences. S-Think is derived from the phrase ‘Sentence Thinking’. It is a tool which is formed from the combination of paper cups, mind map, and a table. One of the ways in curbing with the problems faced by learners in writing skills is by using thinking maps or mind maps (Melor & Chien, 2016). In fact, Ministry of Education (MOE) has introduced IThink Map to induce higher order thinking (HOTS) among the learners. I–Think map can be integrated in the writing lesson to assist learners to think critically and creatively as well as to produce a coherent and cohesive piece of writing. I-Think map consists of different shape diagrams used as a tool to aid both teachers and learners in the teaching and learning process. It also helps the learners to organize words, ideas, and concept systematically. In fact, according to Stefanie Holzman (2004), principal of Roosevelt Elementary School, thinking maps are suitable for learners with different learning styles; visual, kinaesthetic or auditory and essential for learners’ achievement in writing. In fact, thinking maps contribute to learners’ success and reduce the achievement gap. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of S-Think in enhancing sentence construction and the perceptions of the learners about S-Think. This study also intends to answer the following questions; 1) What is the effect of S-Think in enhancing sentence construction? 2) What are primary learners’ perceptions on the use of S-Think? 1.1 OVERVIEW 1.1.1 WRITING SKILLS Writing is used every day and it is actually thinking put on paper. Writing is seen as the most difficult skill as it involves presenting the ideas and thoughts in a meaningful and structured way. In addition, learners need to possess other skills like penmanship, grammar, and huge repertoire of vocabulary before they can form sentences (Ali & Yunus, 2004). In fact, in the studies carried out by and Talif & Edwin (1990) & Nooreiny et al (2003), English proficiency including writing skills in rural schools is much lower than the level in the urban schools. Learners can become a better writer if they are encouraged and guided to follow a series of steps before producing the final text (Suyanto, 2010). Writing should begin from a simple task and then gradually to free direct writing tasks (Chitravelu, Sithamparam & Choon, 2005). Therefore, this study focuses on simple sentence construction before the learners move to complex sentences. 1.1.2 MIND MAP Mind map was introduced by Tony Buzan to help people to think critically and creatively, brainstorm, organise ideas and thoughts and to arrange words to form meaningful sentences (Buzan, 2006). There are many studies carried out internationally and locally which have evidenced the benefits of mind maps. Ling (2004) carried out a study to examine the effectiveness of using mind mapping skills in enhancing secondary one and secondary four students' writing. The sample of this 92

study was 60 students from a Chinese medium school in Hong Kong. The students pointed out that mind maps help them to generate, organise more ideas in order, help to improve the clarity of ideas and also avoid irrelevant words or thoughts. According to Rao (2007), in his study on ‘training in brainstorming and developing writing skills’ which involved 118 learners from a foreign language class at Jiangxi Normal University. The findings of the study imply brainstorming strategy was effective in improving learners’ writing performance. A study was carried out by Al-Jarf (2009) on enhancing freshman students’ writing skills with a mind-mapping software which was conducted among 86 EFL female freshman students in two intact groups participated (43 students each). The result of the study showed that mind map is a powerful tool in helping learners to brainstorm ideas, visualize, and organize their ideas. Another study done by Suyanto (2010) to investigate the effectiveness of mind mapping to teach writing skill and the sample of the study was 72 learners which were divided equally into experimental and control group. The result showed that the learners’ writing achievement improved optimally because mind mapping seems to be fun, simple, and helps in organizing the learners’ ideas. Next in Malaysian context, a study was carried out by Yunus and Chien (2016) on the use of mind mapping strategy in Malaysian university English test (MUET) writing. The participants of this study were 25 Pre-University form 6 learners from SMK Oya, Dalat. The participants ranged from 18 to 19 years of age. 92% of the learners agreed that mind mapping help them in writing as it helps them to develop ideas easily and be more creative. From the study, it was concluded that mind mapping is an effective strategy that enhances learners writing ability. From the studies that have been carried out, the gap identified is the lack of study on IThink map for primary learners as most of the studies involved tertiary and adult learners. Therefore, this study will provide significant result for primary school learners and teachers so as to make use of it in the classroom. I-Think map which is specifically used in this study is bubble map to help learners to brainstorm more information and ideas about the verb from the picture. 1.1.3. FUN LEARNING One of the ways to encourage learners to write is to develop their interest towards writing skills (Chitravelu, Sithamparam, Choon, 2005). S-think exposes learners towards fun learning as the learners need to twist the cups to choose the verb before they construct sentences. S-Think is designed for primary school learners; therefore, fun element is emphasized during the lesson. Primary school learners need fun elements in most of the things they do in their daily life including learning English. One of the drawbacks in the failure of young learner learning a new language is the inadequate elements of fun in the teaching and learning process. When fun elements are being included in the teaching and learning process, learners’ anxiety level will be lowered. Lowered anxiety level provides ample opportunity for all the pupils including the introverts to participate actively in the learning process. This is related to Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypotheses which emphasizes on learners’ feelings and its impact towards language 93

acquisition. When learners are motivated and there are no the anxious feelings in them, they learn the language better. It is indeed important for teachers to pay attention to pupils’ feeling as it influences the input received by the learner. 2.0 METHODOLOGY This part focuses on the methodology used in this study which consists of five sections namely research design, population, sample of the study, instruments, and finally data analysis. 2.1 RESEARCH DESIGN This study is action research. An innovative tool namely S-Think was designed to solve the problem which learners face in writing skills specifically in constructing sentences. 2.2 POPULATION The population of this study are primary school learners and they are between 10 to 12 years old. 2.3 SAMPLE This study consists of 30 respondents. The respondents were chosen from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Hwa Min. It is a sub-urban school located in Temoh, Tapah and all of the respondents from this school are Chinese. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling method. This method was used to ensure the sample chosen possessed the attributes which are moderate proficiency ESL language learners who have problems in sentence construction. These learners have been chosen based on their scores; within the range of 30-70 percentages for English subject. They were the moderate language learners in the school based on their performance in the class as well as on the formative assessment carried out throughout the year. 2.4 INSTRUMENT There were two instruments used to elicit data for this study which are test and questionnaire. The test carried out consists of pre-test and post-test. In the test, each respondent needs to construct five simple sentences. Each correct sentence will be rewarded 20 marks. 10 marks will be deducted from the total mark if there is any grammatical error for the sentences constructed. The tests were carried out to identify the effect of S-Think in enhancing sentence construction. The next instrument is a questionnaire which was adapted from Yunus and Chien (2016) study. It is a 3 Likert-Scales questionnaire which consists of six items. Since this study involves primary learners, only 3 scales; strongly agree, agree to some extent, and disagree were used to avoid the learners from getting confused. This questionnaire was designed to identify learners’ perceptions on the use of S-Think in enhancing their sentence construction. 2.5 DATA ANALYSIS The data gained from the survey was analysed in descriptive statistics using frequency and percentage count. 94

3.0 FINDINGS 3.1 WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF S-THINK IN ENHANCING SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION? Sub-Urban School (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Hwa Min) Participants Pre-test Score Post-test Score Differences P1 10 40 +30 P2 10 30 +20 P3 0 30 +30 P4 10 50 +40 P5 30 40 +10 P6 50 70 +20 P7 40 30 -10 P8 30 30 0 P9 30 50 +20 P10 20 50 +30 P11 20 20 0 P12 0 20 +20 P13 0 30 +30 P14 20 20 0 P15 30 50 +20 P16 40 60 +20 P17 60 80 +20 P18 50 90 +40 P19 30 50 +20 P20 30 60 +30 P21 20 30 +10 P22 40 40 0 P23 10 30 +20 P24 0 20 +20 P25 10 40 +30 P26 20 40 +20 P27 30 70 +40 P28 40 60 +20 P29 40 50 +10 P30 30 40 +10 Table 1. Learners’ achievements in pre-test and post-test The table above shows the pre-test and post-test scores of the 30 participants. From the table, it can be seen that 26 participants which is 86.7% of the participants showed a positive increment in the post-test compared to the pre-test. The increment of scores ranged from 10 to 40 marks for these participants. On the other hand, 3 participants (10.0%) did not show any change in the scores for the post-test. Their post-test scores remained the same with their pre-test scores. 95

Lastly, a participant showed decline in their post-test scores compared to their pre-test scores. This accumulates 3.33% from the total number of participants which shows decline in their post-test scores. 3.2 WHAT ARE PRIMARY LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE USE OF S-THINK IN ENHANCING THEIR SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION? ITEMS Strongly agree Agree to some extent Disagree It is easy to use S-Think 23 (76.7%) 4 (13.3%) 3 (10.0%) S-Think helps me to organise my ideas 21 (70.0%) 5 (16.7%) 4 (13.3%) I enjoy using S-Think 27 (90.0%) 3 (10.0%) 0 (0.0%) Using S-Think was a helpful experience 19 (63.3%) 5 (16.7%) 6 (20.0%) S-Think allows me to be creative 19 (63.3%) 7 (23.3%) 4 (13.3%) The use of SThink improves sentence construction 28 (93.3%) 2 (6.7%) 0 (0.0 %) Table 2. Learners’ perceptions on the use of S-Think in sentence construction From table 2, it can be seen that 28 participants which is 93.3% of the participants strongly agreed that the use of S-Think improve their sentence construction (Item 6). Meanwhile another 2 participants agreed to some extent that the use of S-Think improve their sentence construction. On the other hand, none of the participants disagreed that the use of S-Think improves their sentence construction. In addition, 27 (90.0%) of the participants strongly agreed that they enjoyed using S-Think (Item 3). 3 (10.0%) participants agreed to some extent to this item. On the contrary, very limited participants disagreed to this item. Lastly, 23 (76.7%) of the participants strongly agreed that it is easy to use S-Think (Item 1). Another 4 (13.3%) participants agreed to some extent that it is easy to use S-Think. A few participants also disagreed that it is easy to use S-Think. 3 (10.0%) participants disagreed that it is easy to use S-Think. 96

4.0 DISCUSSION Based on the study conducted, it has been identified that most of the participants showed increment in their post-test scores after the use of S-Think. Since S-Think incorporates the use of mind-map therefore this can be linked to the findings of Yunus & Chien (2016) who had stated that mind-mapping is an effective strategy that enhances learners writing ability. On the other hand, the study also shows that majority of the participants which is 90% of the total participants agreed that the use of S-Think improved their sentence construction. This is parallel to Al-Jarf (2009) who had stated that mind-map is a powerful tool which helps the learners to brainstorm and organise their ideas. Adding to this point, Rao (2007) also identified brainstorming strategy to be effective in improving learners’ writing performance. In addition, most of the participants strongly agreed that they enjoy using S-Think which eventually aided them in constructing sentences. This is parallel to Chitravelu, Sithamparam & Choon (2005) who had stated that one of the ways to improve writing skills among learners is to develop their interest towards writing skills. Based on the study, the use of S-Think which incorporates twisting the paper cups aroused learners’ interest and curiosity towards learning especially in constructing sentences. Finally, two third of the participants strongly agreed that it was easy to use S-Think to construct sentences. This is parallel to the study done by Suyanto (2010), which identified that learners’ writing achievement improved optimally because mind mapping seems to be simple and helps learners in organizing their ideas. 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS From the study, there are a few recommendations which can be implemented to enhance learners’ proficiency. Firstly, teachers should develop and use various innovative materials such as S-Think in teaching and learning. This is because, S-Think is easy to be used, attracts learners’ attention and reduces their affective filter which in the end eases their sentence construction and improves their proficiency level. Next, teachers also should be involved in workshops and talks on S-Think. Thus, the District Education Office should play the role of providing workshops or talks on S-Think to teachers. These workshops and talks would be the backbone for the teacher to be innovative as to create their own materials to suit their learners’ interest. This will eventually increase learners’ interest towards sentence construction and enhance their writing skills. In addition, creative and innovative thinking especially in creating materials for teaching and learning process such as S-Think should be exposed and instilled to teacher trainees too. Creating creative and innovative materials should be made as a part of the syllabus for teacher trainees. This will be very helpful for the teacher trainees to face the real challenges of teaching sentence construction to the learners when they are being posted to schools. Finally, S-Think should not be limited to specific type of learners or specific range of proficiency level. Teachers should utilise S-Think for all types of learners with a wider range of proficiency level in order to enhance their sentence construction as well as their English proficiency level. 97

6.0 CONCLUSION Based on the findings of the study, it can be depicted that most of the participants involved in this study showed a positive outcome in terms of their scores after being introduced to SThink. In addition to this, most of the participants also perceive S-Think as a useful material to enhance their sentence construction. Adding to this, most of the participation also perceived S-Think as an easy material to be used to aid their sentence construction and they enjoyed using S-Think. As a conclusion, S-Think seems to be an effective material to enhance sentence construction among the learners. 7.0 IMPLICATIONS A few implications for teaching and learning had been identified from the study. Firstly, learners are encouraged to use S-Think to aid their sentence construction and improve their writing skills. In addition, teachers also should play a pivotal role in emphasizing S-Think as a part of their lesson especially in assisting sentence construction among the learners. This ensures the learners to realise the importance of S-Think as well as how to utilise it. Finally, SThink should be made as a part of the syllabus as well as the textbook in order to benefit a wider range of learners especially in improving their sentence construction. 98