ESL PRACTITIONER JOURNAL ISSUE 10 2022

The Journal of The English Language Teaching Centre Malaysia Issue 10 PRACTITIONER MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CENTRE C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Cover-ESL-Pract-2022-FRONTBACK.pdf 1 09/08/2022 11:53:06 AM

i EESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 SL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 i The ESL Practitioner is a publication of the English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Malaysia. Its readership includes English Language practitioners and ELT officers from across the Ministry of Education. The materials published in the ESL Practitioner Journal include ELT based research findings, viewpoints, innovations on effective ELT practices. Copyright @2022 English Language Teaching Centre Ministry of Education Malaysia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

ii EESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 SL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ii EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Dr. Khairul Aini binti Mohamed Jiri Department of Research and Innovation, English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Editorial Officers Dr. Rashidah binti Rahamat Department of Language and Literacy, English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Syaliana binti Jamaludin Norsabrina binti Roslee Department of Research and Innovation, English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Peer Review Team: Dr. Khairul Aini binti Mohamed Jiri English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Prof. Dr. David Hayes Brock University Canada Dr. Azleena binti Mohamad English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Dr. Nur Afiqah binti Ab Rahman University of Birmingham United Kingdom Dr. Sharmini Siva Vikaraman English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Dr. Zuhana binti Mohamed Zin Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Dr. Nor Fadzleen binti Sa’don English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Dr. Norhakimah Khaiessa binti Ahmad Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Dr. Zubaidah Bibi binti Mobarak Ali English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Dr. Ramiaida binti Darmi Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Nilai, Negeri Sembilan Dr. Szarmilaa Dewie Krishnan English Language Teaching Centre, Ministry of Education Dr. Nor Fazlin binti Mohd Ramli Universiti Teknologi MARA Selangor Dr. Farah binti Mukhtar @ Mohd Yunos Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Raja Melewar, Negeri Sembilan Dr. Chong Seng Tong Universiti Tenaga Nasional Selangor Dr. Nor Haslynda binti A Rahman Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Perempuan Melayu, Melaka Dr. Nurul ‘Izzati binti Md Fuad Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa, Kuala Lumpur Technical Team: En. Mohammad Hidayat bin Hasan Graphic Designer En. Anuar bin Amran Librarian

iii ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 iii ESL PRACTITIONER JOURNAL Issue 10 Volume 1 November 2022 CONTENTS Page EDITOR-in-CHIEF’S NOTE About the Authors 1. PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN CREATIVE WRITING WITH INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN A MATRICULATION ENGLISH COURSE Tan Ai Hoon Norsabrina Binti Roslee Nur Zahira Binti Noris Ida Rahayu binti Ishak 2. BEST PRACTICES IN THE ESL CLASSROOM: THE USE OF BIG BOOKS IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF YEAR 2 PUPILS Amelia Jelani 3. INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIND MAPS IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING IN THE ESL CLASSROOM Anitha A/P Somasundram 4. IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL) TO ENHANCE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AMONG FORM SIX STUDENTS Chua Chee Kiat 5. THE IMPACT OF NEWLY CREATED GAME- CREATE FUN LEARNERS (MYVOCAB2021) ON PUPILS’ VOCABULARY Jayalakshmi A/P Murugiah 6. A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE USE OF VIDEO AND AUDIO MEDIA IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Pungodi A/P Shanmugam 1 2 8 34 48 68 78 92

iv EESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 SL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 iv 7. INTEGRATING MOBILE APPLICATIONS AND T-TEEEL-C FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS Wong Vui Fun 8. BOOK REVIEW: DE-DISCOMBOBULATING LIVED EXPERIENCES BY CONDUCTING PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDIES USING INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS: THEORY, METHOD AND RESEARCH Ahmad Zufrie Abd Rahman Chong Seng Tong Zeittey Karmilla Kaman Carol Elizabeth Leon 116 130

1 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 1 EDITOR’S NOTE Dear authors, reviewers, and readers, The ESL Practitioner Journal, English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC), Ministry of Education Malaysia is proud to complete its tenth year of publication. Over the past ten years, this journal has successfully contributed to the academic discourse regarding the English as a Second Language in Malaysia by publishing works by teachers and scholars, local and abroad. It is due to the support of the authors, the hard work of our editorial staff, and the interest of our readers that we can celebrate our ten-year anniversary, and we hope that this multilateral support continues in the future. The theme of this journal for 2022 that is “Literacy, Creativity and Technology in ESL” reflects the three main aspects that are needed in the ESL classrooms in Malaysia. Teachers’ ability to balance these three aspects in their instructions will allow pupils not only to learn the content but also to be creative in making sense of their experience in learning English. The ability to use technology in teaching ever since the COVID outbreak is urgent as the impact is immediate. Thus, this is another element that is highlighted by this journal as more and more English teachers are exploring the potential of using technology for instruction, intervention, and assessment in their ESL classrooms. It is important that we have a good balance of different article type within this journal. I am eager to encourage publication of high-quality evidence-based scholarly works in The ESL Practitioner Journal. This is because such articles are widely read, can have key impact on classroom practices, and tend to be highly cited to the benefit of our Impact Factor. I am fortunate to be supported by a highly effective team in the Research & Innovation Department of ELTC for 2022 to make this a reality. On a final note, peer review remains a vital component of our assessment of submitted articles. I would like to send my humble thanks to the reviewers who have all dedicated themselves to improving The ESL Practitioner Journal and continuing its tradition of academic excellence. As the editor, it is my pleasure to work with such accomplished reviewers and hope this tenth issue will stimulate further examination of this fascinating subject. I should also thank all our submitting authors, who have laboured in the production of their work, and have chosen this journal as the journal they would like to publish in. Any papers that you wish to submit, either individually or collaboratively, are much appreciated and will make a substantial contribution to the development and success of the journal. Best wishes and thank you in advance. “Information is a difference that makes a difference.”— Gregory Bateson Khairul Aini Mohamed Jiri, PhD Editor-in-chief ESL Practitioner Journal 2022

2 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 2 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Ahmad Zufrie Abd Rahman is an examination officer from Universiti Tenaga Nasional. His primary interests are in the areas of assessment, testing, and evaluation. He is also interested in the connections between educational management, the CEFR, literature education, philosophy of education, phenomenology, and interdisciplinary studies. He can be contacted at [email protected] Amelia Jelani obtained her Bachelor of Teaching (Hons) TESL from IPG Kampus Sarawak. In 2019, she started her career not only as an English Language teacher but also as Head of English . Although she does not have much experience in the teaching field, she is willing to learn and share practices to help improve pupils’ understanding in the English language. She can be contacted at [email protected] Anitha Somasundram is an English Language teacher and currently attached to SMJK Hwa Lian in Mentakab Pahang Darul Makmur. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Education. Teaching and learning is her utmost passion and has been in the education service for the past 21 years. Her area of expertise is Instructional Technology and she wishes to venture in depth in this particular area of studies in line with 21st Century Learning Skills. She can be contacted at [email protected] Carol Leon is an Associate Professor of English at the Department of English, Universiti Malaya. She has published widely in the area of literature and education. Her research interests include travel literature, postcolonial literature, and heritage studies. She can be contacted at [email protected] Chua Chee Kiat is currently serving as a MUET teacher in Form Six Centre, SMK Labuan, Federal Territory of Labuan. He has 27 years of teaching experience in English in a secondary school. His areas of interest are in Project Based Learning (PBL), students’ empowerment and implementation of student-based activities in enhancing the teaching and learning of English. He can be contacted at [email protected] Chong Seng Tong is a senior lecturer at the College of Energy Economics and Social Sciences, Universiti Tenaga Nasional. His research interests are phenomenology, interdisciplinary studies, literature education, educational management, comparative literature, and metaphor studies. He can be contacted at [email protected] Ida Rahayu Binti Ishak began her career as an English Language lecturer in 2007 after graduating from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in TESL. She has 15 years of teaching experience in Matriculation Colleges. She believes that hard work will definitely lead to success. Ida can be contacted at [email protected] Norsabrina Binti Roslee started her teaching career in 2001 after graduating from UKM in TESL. She obtained her Master Degree in Applied Linguistics from UPM in 2017. After 8 years in school, she ventured to teach pre-university students where she transferred to Kolej Matrikulasi Negeri Sembilan in 2009 as English Lecturer and continued teaching in Kolej Matrikulasi Selangor in 2012. She is currently attached to the English Language Teaching Centre. She can be contacted at [email protected]

3 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 3 Nur Zahira Binti Noris obtained her Bachelor of Education (TESL) from UPM and Master of Education (TESL) from UiTM. She began her career as an English lecturer at Kolej Matrikulasi Johor and is currently teaching in Kolej Matrikulasi Selangor. She has 17 years of teaching experience in matriculation colleges. She still believes that education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. Nur Zahira can be contacted at [email protected] Jayalakshmi A/P Murugiah is a teacher from SK Jalan Bellamy, Kuala Lumpur. She has been teaching English and Science for nearly fourteen years. In 2004, she completed her degree in Industrial Chemistry from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Four years later, which is in the year 2008, she completed her diploma in teacher training from IPG Kampus Teknik Cheras, KL. She completed her Master of Information Technology in Universiti Malaya (UM) in 2010. She can be contacted at g[email protected] Pamelyn Tan Ai Hoon obtained her Bachelor of Arts with Education (Hons) from USM and a Master of Education (Curriculum Studies), USM. She has 32 years of exciting adventures teaching USM, UKM, and KPM Matriculation Programmes. She believes that a teacher makes a difference in a student’s life and can inspire the next generation. Pamelyn can be contacted at [email protected] Pungodi A/P Shanmugan is currently teaching at SMK Air Putih, Kuantan, Pahang. She completed her master degree (MESL) from Universiti Malaya. She has 16 years of teaching experience and during her teaching journey she found that mastery of vocabulary has a profound influence on students` language competence. Her passion is to find a solution for this impediment to language acquisition. She can be contacted at [email protected] Wong Vui Fun is currently a Malaysian University English Test (MUET) teacher in SMK Labuan, Federal Territory of Labuan. She has 27 years of teaching experience in both rural and urban secondary schools. Her areas of interest are testing and evaluation, education technology, pedagogical methods and approaches, and research. She can be contacted at [email protected] Zeittey Karmilla Kaman is a senior lecturer at the College of Graduate Studies, Universiti Tenaga Nasional. She specializes in interdisciplinary research. She is also interested in qualitative research methodology. She has published in the area of educational management. She can be contacted at [email protected]

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 7 PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN CREATIVE WRITING WITH INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN A MATRICULATION ENGLISH COURSE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAN AI HOON MATRIKULASI SELANGOR email: [email protected] NORSABRINA BINTI ROSLEE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CENTRE email: [email protected] NUR ZAHIRA BINTI NORIS MATRIKULASI SELANGOR email: [email protected] IDA RAHAYU BINTI ISHAK MATRIKULASI SELANGOR email: [email protected] 1 PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN CREATIVE WRITING WITH INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN A MATRICULATION ENGLISH COURSE 1

8 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 8 PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN CREATIVE WRITING WITH INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN A MATRICULATION ENGLISH COURSE ABSTRACT This paper investigates the findings of action research on Project-Based Learning (PBL) in creative writing with integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a Matriculation English course. The study investigated (1) how PBL with ICT enhances students’ engagement and learning in completing a digital brochure and (2) their perception of the brochure project on enhancing learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. Fourteen students from Module 3 (One-Year Programme) were required to work in groups to produce a digital brochure. A questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and the digital brochures produced were used to triangulate the data to elicit students’ perception of the implementation of PBL with ICT. Results of this study revealed that PBL with ICT made learning English more interesting, meaningful and engaging. This research also proved that technologysupported learning could bring positive gains to students by enhancing their engagement, language and technological skills as well as their confidence, collaborative, communicative, and innovative skills necessary for the 21st century learning. Keywords: PBL, ICT, Creative writing INTRODUCTION In recent years, the way English is taught and learnt has changed immensely, where changes are adapted in line with the invention of information and communication technology (ICT). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the role of educators, and how learning and teaching is conducted. This situation applies to the Matriculation programme as well. English classes in Matriculation Colleges have been integrating the use of ICT in lessons and completing assessments. Lecturers have to adapt to new practices and be creative to keep students engaged. Despite the overwhelming consequences of the pandemic, this global crisis has also been an extraordinary time for learning. In this critical situation, lecturers have to update their approaches through various applications and online mediums to make learning interesting, since teachers cannot monitor their students directly for any great length of time. Having said this, Project-Based Learning (PBL) is the best teaching approach to implement in language classrooms, especially for college students to improve their language skills. The existing research suggests that PBL positively affect students’ content knowledge and development of skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving, as well as increasing their motivation and engagement (Thomas, 2000). Hence, it is a great choice to implement PBL with ICT in language classrooms as students are more engaged in their own learning. Teachers are no longer the only source of knowledge. With the emergence of advanced online and digital technologies, students are now one step ahead in practicing independent learning with greater students’ engagement and teachers as the facilitators.

9 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 9 PBL and students’ engagement PBL can be simply defined as an instructional learning approach that contextualises learning by presenting learners with issues or problems to solve or products to develop (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998 as quoted in Poonpon, 2018). In a PBL classroom, students are provided a topic that they should develop either individually, in pairs, or in groups under the teacher’s supervision. PBL differs from traditional instruction because it emphasises learning through student-centred, interdisciplinary, and integrated activities in real world situations (Aiedah & Audrey, 2012). In PBL classrooms, students are allowed to express some degree of choice, through which the product or project should be carefully planned and assessed to various academic skills and content. In many EFL or ESL classrooms, PBL is not a new approach. When implementing PBL, the core issue is not for students to be competent ingrammar usage or writing with syntactic accuracy, but it gives more opportunity for students to use English in real-life situations. At the end ofPBL classrooms, it is hoped that learning becomes more engaging dueto the extent of students’ involvement in planning, managing, and accomplishing projects by implementing their language skills and content knowledge. The core idea of the project is something more complex and challenging. Thus, it requires greater student engagement. Newmann, Wehlage and Lamborn (1992), as cited in Aiedah and Audrey (2012), defined student engagement as a psychological and physical effort towards learning, understanding and mastering knowledge and skills that academic work is intended to promote. Student engagement can be observed by using four learning criteria: responsible, strategic, collaborative and energised. Responsible learning is where students regulate and take charge of their own learning. Strategic learning, on the other hand, focuses on the process and problem-solving strategies students continuously develop andrefine throughout the PBL process. Next, collaborative learning refers tohow well students work together and play their role as members of the group. Lastly, energised learning is where students find excitement and are intrinsically motivated to learn through their own interest,or extrinsically motivated by grades or competition (Learning Point Associates, 2004). As suggested by the literature, PBL is a teaching approach that can optimise students’ learning gains because it focuses on their efforts towards their own learning. PBL with ICT One of the major challenges of preparing for PBL is to ensure that students have adequate resources and are prepared to conduct their research and connect with mentors. Besides which, students need to innovateand use technological tools to interact, distribute, store and handle data. Today, technology and digital tools contribute to the effectiveness of teaching and learning in any tertiary institutions, especially in this difficulttime. ICT alone does not improve learning; instead, it facilitates learning (Marwan, 2015). The key point is how ICT is used to make students perform to a higher standard. To determine the successful use of ICT ineducation, teachers should play this role.

10 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 10 Effective use of ICT can only be implemented if teachers embrace technology (Marwan & Sweeney, 2010; Russell, Bebell, O’Dwyer, & O’Connor, 2003 as quoted in Marwan, 2015). It has become a necessity, especially when educational institutions are closed due to a pandemic. This research proves that if lecturers and students are properly motivated, a combination of PBL and ICT will form a successful teachingapproach. Students are given freedom to choose the online medium or applications to produce a quality digital brochure. It is not only about sharing information on their chosen topic, but also about how theinformation is presented and how effective the brochures are in the eyes of the readers. As Heafner (2004) stated, working with technology has always been more engaging and entertaining. In this research, the PBL framework integrated with ICT is used to support the students’ language learning through six stages. Through this PBL project, it is hoped the students in college will achieve high marks in their assignments and be able to communicate the language more confidently when they have finished their Matriculation Programme. PBL in brochure writing Brochure writing is one type of creative writing that requires students to transform their ideas into something inspiring yet informative. The process of producing a brochure allows students to work collaboratively using their imagination and ideas married together into a final product with the guidance of a teacher (Fitzgerald, Smith, & Monk, 2012, as cited in Pentury, Anggraeni, & Pratama, 2020). In the Matriculation English course, brochure writing is taught and tested in the second semester for the one-year Matriculation Programme. It targets enhancing the students’ language learning by increasing engagement, collaboration in group work, selfdirected learning through research and presentation of their work using a digital brochure. This project took three weeks (15th February to 5th March 2021) and was assessed for the writing component. According to the Common European Framework of References for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment Companion Volume (2020), brochure writing involves personal, imaginative expression in a variety of text types in written and signed modalities. This is where students are expected to be able to perform in several key concepts: aspects described, types of text, complexity of discourse, and use of language. It is expected that a Matriculation student would have competencies that range between B1 to C1. In terms of aspects described, students are expected to provide a clear description for a variety of subjects related to their field of interest to engaging stories and descriptions of experience. Hence, to improve writing skills and motivation to write; PBL is proven to be an effective approach (Sadeghi, Biniazn, & Soleimani, 2016).

11 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 11 REFLECTION ON PREVIOUS TEACHING AND LEARNING Lecturer and Student Reflections Teaching brochure writing in a Matriculation classroom adopts a conventional approach, where a question is used as a vehicle to help students to work in groups of between three and five in acollaborative environment. In a conventional class, the brochures produced by many students are considered unoriginal because they were mostly “copied-and-pasted” from the internet. Besides, most of the time, feedback given for correction sounded negative and demotivating. Throughout the process of producing the brochure, students seemed passive, lacked motivation, less creative and not confident about expressing their ideas in English, either verbally or on paper. These problems arose from their low level of vocabulary, grammar, and organisation, as they had difficulty in constructing meaningful sentences. In conventional classes, students were engaged in only part of the enquiry process in a project because the class was teacher-centred. Here, the teacher did the questioning, planning, researching, and presented all the materials to the students. As a result, students’ engagement and confidence to write and speak in English was lacking; and their level of motivation remained relatively low. Taking into consideration these learning issues, the next step is to use the PBL approach with ICT to produce a digital brochure. According to Kloppenborg and Baucus (2004), PBL makes learning more meaningful and interesting for students to accomplish the assigned project. Therefore, we believe that PBL with ICT addresses the issues raised in a conventional classroom and promotes student-centred learning, increase students’ acquisition of language and 21st century skills (problem-solving, collaboration, communication, creative and critical thinking) hence improving their level of motivation for meaningful and fun learning with the aid of the lecturer’s role as a facilitator. RESEARCH FOCUS The major issue that needs to be tackled is students’ engagement in English classes.From classroom activities it was found that to get students to engage in the lesson fully was quite challenging, especially when lessons needed to be conducted online. On top of which, it became more challenging when assessments like group projects also need to be conducted online. Thus, one way to tackle these shortcomings is by integrating PBL with ICT to increase students’ engagement and consequently learning all related skills indirectly in the process of completing the project. In this research, we focused on the production of brochure writing because it was a part of continuous assessment for writing skills, specifically focusing on creative the Matriculation English course. The findings can hopefully be used as a reference to improve the quality of teaching and learning English for the Matriculation Programme by integrating PBL and ICT. It is also expected that this research will be able to help secondary and pre-university students to become interested in creative writing, thus helping them to improve their writing skills.

12 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 12 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES General objective To identify how PBL with ICT enhances students’ engagement and their perception of the digital brochure project in the Matriculation English Programme. Specific objectives a) To investigate how PBL with ICT enhances students’ engagement and learning in completing a digital brochure. b) To identify students' perception of the Brochure Project on their learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. TARGET GROUP The sample students in this research were taken from SM315, consisting of 14 students from a one-year programme. The research sample was selected based upon convenience sampling. The reason for choosing this method in selecting the sample for this research was due to the respondents’ proximity, availability, and accessibility (Abrams, 2010). Half of the students (7) in this class achieved between grade 5C and 8E for their English 1119 results. METHODOLOGY Data Collection Method The data was collected through a questionnaire, informal interviews, and document analysis (digital brochure). These sources of data collection were used to provide triangulation of data. The questionnaire was analysed based on students’ perception of the Brochure Project on theirlearning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. Students were chosen randomly to share their opinions in an interview about the effectiveness of the project. The digital brochure was assessed based on the standard rubric assessment provided by BMKPM. Implementation The project was launched on 15th February and ended on 5th March 2021 in semester two. The PBL follows the six stages in the table provided. From the beginning (Stage 1), students were actively engaged in an enquiry experience that encouraged them to think about and question the topic. Then students collaborated with their team members to come up with strong, driving questions about the topic and what they wanted to learn. Together, the team members planned how they were going to go about answering their questions and do their research. Throughout the PBL process, students not only developed deeper contentknowledge, but also gained 21st century skills and knew what they wanted to do with the knowledge gained. In Stage 2, students worked with their lecturer to plan a project that they will create. Then, in Stage 3, team members researched their topic in-depth

13 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 13 and thereafter, created their brochure. The creation process (Stage 4) included continuous research, feedback and revision (Stage 5) to improve the quality and presentation of their write-up for their digital brochure. Finalised digital brochures were presented to an audience for evaluation and appreciation of their effort and production (Stage 6). The following is a representation of the PBL stages carried out (throughout the different stages prompts are given to help students in their enquiry. Please refer to Appendix A: prompts for the different PBL stages). Figure 1 Implementation of PBL in Creative Writing RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The following section will present results and discuss them based on the mentioned PBL stages in the previous section. The results will be discussed in accordance with the objectives of this research – criteria on students’ engagement throughout the project as proposed by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (Learning Point Associates, 2004) as well as on students’ perception on the project conducted. Results and discussion for Objective 1 The first objective of this research is to investigate whether the implementation of PBL with ICT enhances students’ engagement and learning in completing a digital brochure (responsible, strategic, collaborative, and energised learning). The results gathered are through observation, interview and graded brochures. The following shows the gathered results:

14 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 14 Table 1 Results for Research Objective 1 No. Criteria Results Instrument (a) Responsible learning • All the students took charge and regulated their own learning. • Students were aware of their responsibility, the objectives and evaluation criteria for grading in which they designed the brochure following those criteria. • Students were also aware of their group progress since most of the time they followed the due date given. Observation Questionnaire Interview (b) Strategic learning • Students continued to develop and refine the way they learnt things in the process to complete the project based on their plan and delegated tasks. • Throughout the process, students gathered information from various sources. They made effort to (i) do a lot of readings to improve the brochure content, (ii) learn new or better English vocabulary to express their ideas, (iii) learn to express ideas in a very persuasive and convincing way and (iv) learn various application tools to create a digital brochure that is visually appealing and informative. Observation Questionnaire Graded brochures (c) Collaborative learning • This is the biggest concern, commitment of group members because good teamwork will ensure a successful and effective end product. • Most students were satisfied with the commitment of their group members. • Through the interview, group members expressed that they collaborated well as they planned and executed their plans together. • Even when they had minor problems in the group, they managed to work them out and stayed motivated to finish the task. Observation Questionnaire Interview (d) Energised learning • Students placed importance on getting As for their assignment thus they worked very hard to achieve that. • Most students were proud of their final product and valued their learning experience. Questionnaire Interview Graded brochures

15 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 15 • During the improving stage, group members were always receptive to suggestions, opinions, and feedback they received from lecturer and peers. • While acquiring knowledge and completing the brochure through various ICT tools/apps, it helped to increase their motivation, and teamwork to produce excellent work. • Students’ engagement increased as their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation also increased. Based on the presentation of results gathered mainly from observation and interviews, it showed that the PBL process students went through in completing the digitalised brochure made them more responsible of their own learning, by which they strategised their learning especially on how to work collaboratively with other team members. From observation throughout the PBL process, it was found that most students were aware of their responsibility in completing their projects. Each group member played their role well when they were able to contribute to the series of consultations conducted by the lecturer. After each feedback, students continued to do more research, revision and upgraded the quality of their digital brochure. This result is consistent with the findings from Patrick (2009). Evidence of students’ commitment and responsibility on their research work was curated in their group collection for their class in Wakelet. (https://wakelet.com/@Class_SM3159367). Since this project was carried out during pandemic where the source of information, discussion and else were done online, difficulty in terms of technical problems like poor internet connection did not hinder them in producing an excellent end product. They found ways and learnt to produce a digital brochure even though they may have no background knowledge in producing one but in the end, they still managed to get high scores for the effort made. All four groups were able to conduct inquiry-based learning through research and displayed deeper understanding of their content-knowledge in the digital brochures, which earned them high scores due to their strategic planning and collaboration with team members. Evidence of students’ strategic learning was seen in their high-quality digital brochures, in which depth, appealing layout, persuasive language and effective call of action were displayed. Results and discussion for objective 2 This section will discuss students' perception of the Brochure Project on their learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. The data isgathered through a questionnaire and an interview conducted at the end of the project.

16 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 16 The questionnaire consists of two sections. The first section is to identify students’ perception on the Brochure Project Writing Assignment and the second section is to find out their perception of the Brochure Project on their learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. The results were represented in three forms: percentages, mean and standard deviation. Higher mean indicated higher positive response and strong agreement with the item asked. However, to further support the data for this research, standard deviation was also calculated to show the range of the dispersion of values besides its mean. a) Students’ Perception of the Brochure Project Writing Assignment Most of the students (71.43%) believed that the project contributed greatly to their content- knowledge of the topic and the write-up of the Brochure as theyhad to read and look for materials for their project. This has proven that by bringing real-life context and technology to the curriculum through a PBL approach, students are encouraged to become critical thinkers, independent, and lifelong learners as they are forced to look for information using ICT as a source of information in completing their project. The majority of the students (85.71%) claimed that they learnt to work as a team, take responsibility, give opinion and accept suggestions from the continuous discussion with the group members during the project. Similarly, 85.71% believed that through this project they have learnt that each member of the team must be responsible and committed to do their part to put together a good piece of work. This shows that PBL with ICT has built a positive teamworking mindset and promotes respect and tolerance among team-mates. Hence, this proves that PBL is not just a way of learning; it is a way of working together. As students learn to take responsibility for their own learning, they will form the basis for the way they will work with others in their adult lives, whereby this has developed their ability to work with peers, build teamwork and group skills. Thus, it concludes that teaching with PBL and ICT will bring about a positive change based on the process that they go through in completing the creative writing project as part of their PBL in English Class. Overall, the questionnaire data reveals that most of the students (92.86%) (agree and strongly agree) that the Brochure Project makes learning English interesting and fun as they (85.71%) spent more time doing the project. A totalof 85.7% students (agree and strongly agree) that they were motivated to produce excellent work and 78.57% of the students strongly agree that they were satisfied with the quality of their work. The results of the items show that students’ perception of the Brochure Project Writing Assignment using PBL with ICT is highly effective as the mean scores for all the items ranged from 4.36 to 4.86 (for a complete data of every item in the questionnaire, please refer to Appendix D).

17 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 17 b) Students’ perception of the Brochure Project on their learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. Based on the results of the second part of the questionnaire, students showed high confidence in their learning, technical skills and writing assessment using the PBL with ICT approach. This is proven by the high mean scores for all the items, ranging from 4.5 to 4.64. The following table summarises the results: Table 2 Questionnaire results from part 2 NO ITEMS MEAN SCORE I Be more resourceful in finding meaning of words and phrases that were difficult 4.50 II Ability to use different resources and applications 4.64 III Ability to work independently 4.64 IV Ability to use technology successfully 4.64 V Ability to use different software/applications 4.5 VI Acquiring knowledge and English language skills for future use 4.57 VII Improve the quality of assignments that they produce 4.64 VIII Ability to explore own learning and become better student 4.57 VIIII Perform better for other skills in the process of completing the project 4.64 X Engage in a meaningful learning experience where creativity and critical thinking skills are developed 4.5 Overall, PBL with ICT allows students to demonstrate their capabilities while working independently. Also, PBL with ICT shows the students’ ability to applydesired skills such as research, creative and critical thinking, collaborative and communicative skills to complete their project. The result of this questionnaire proves PBL with ICT is an effective approach for learning English in a more interesting, meaningful and engaging way. This research also proves technology-supported learning could bring positive gains to students by enhancing their language, confidence, collaborative, communicative, and technological and innovative skills necessary for the 21st century. This is in linewith Sadeghi, Biniazn, and Soleimani (2016) study that proves PBL is an effective approach to improve students' writing skills as well as their motivationto write (for a complete data of every item in the questionnaire, please refer to Appendix E). CONCLUSION It is essential to integrate PBL with ICT into the English curriculum not only to ensure positive student engagement in the process of learning (especially in four learning aspects: responsible, strategic, collaborative and energised) but also to improve language learning and develop 21st century skills. This research has shown that PBL with ICT enhances students’ collaborative, communicative, and innovative skills. These skills are important for group work and carrying out the project successfully. Students are actively engaged in their learning process through the PBL

18 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 18 approach as it is student directed learning. Through PBL with ICT, students’ engagement toward learning increases and learning the language becomes more meaningful. With respect to enhancement of students’ language and technical skills, the findings of the research found that students’ language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) were also enhanced indirectly through project-based activities with the integration of ICT. Improvement in the skills would ensure their survival as future university students as well as marketable future employees.

19 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 19 REFERENCES Abrams, L. S. (2010). Sampling ‘hard to reach’ populations in qualitative research: The case of incarcerated youth. Qualitative Social Work, 9(4), 536-550. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325010367821 Aiedah, A.K., & Audrey Lee, K.C. (2012). Application of Project-based Learning in Students’ Engagement in Malaysian Studies and English Language. Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Education (JIRE) Vol 2, Issue 1, 37-46. https://university2.taylors.edu.my/jire/downloads/vol2_03.pdf Bell, S. (2010). Project-Based Learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the Future. The Clearing House, 83, 39-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650903505415 Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion Volume. Council of Europe Publishing. Edelson, D.C., Gordon, D.N., & Pea, R.D. (1999). Addressing the challenge of inquiry-based learning. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8, 391-450. https://telearn.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00190609/document Heafner, T. (2004). Using technology to motivate students to learn social studies. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 4(1), 42-53. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255043546_Using_Technology_to M otivate_Students_to_Learn_Social_Studies Kloppenborg, T. J., & Baucus, M. S. (2004). Project management in local nonprofit organizations: Engaging students in problem-based learning. Journal of Management Education, 28, 610-630. Learning Point Associates (2004). Engaged in the learning process. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL). http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/science/sc4engag.htm Marwan, A. (2015). Empowering English through project-based learning with ICT. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 14(4), 28-37. http://www.tojet.net/articles/v14i4/1443.pdf Newmann, F., Wehlage, G.G., & Lamborn, S.D. (1992). The significance and sources of student engagement. In F. Newmann (Ed.). Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools (pp. 11-39). Teachers College Press. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED371047.pdf Omar, A., Taib, N. F., & Basri, I. S. (2017). Project-based learning: English carnival in Universiti Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia France Institute. The English Teacher, (1), 15. http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijeap/article/view/7831/5203

20 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 20 Patrick Ng, Chin Leong. (2009). The Power of Problem-based Learning in the EFL Classroom. Polyglossia Vol. 16, 41-48. https://www.apu.ac.jp/rcaps/uploads/fckeditor/publications/polyglossia/Polyglos sia_V16_Ng.pdf Pentury, H., Anggraeni, A., & Pratama, D. (2020). Improving students’ 21st century skills through creative writing as a creative media. DEIKSIS, 12(2), 164-178. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347668204_Improving_Students'_21 st_Century_Skills_Through_Creative_Writing_as_A_Creative_Media Poonpoon, Kornwipa. (2018). Enhancing English Skills through Project-Based Learning. The English Teacher Vol. XL: 1-10. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324972858_Enhancing_English_skills _through_project-based_learning Retna, K.S., & Cavana, R. (2009). Preliminary analysis of students’ perceptions of feedback in a New Zealand University. Sage Journals, 10, 1-10. Sadeghi, H., Biniaz, M., & Soleimani, H. (2016). The impact of project-based language learning on Iranian EFL learners comparison/contrast paragraph writing skills. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 6(9), 510-524. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299361525_The_Impact_of_ProjectBased_Language_Learning_on_Iranian_EFL_Learners_ComparisonContrast_ Paragraph_Writing_Skills Thomas, W. J. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. The Autodesk Foundation. http:/www.autodesk.com/foundation

21 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 21 APPENDIX APPENDIX A Prompts for the different PBL stages PBL Process Instructional Procedures (Prompts) Description 1. QUESTIONING ★Students examine the text features of a brochure and apply their knowledge to create a digital brochure of their own. A model on how to brainstorm for information to include in a brochure. 1. What is/are the purpose(s) of brochures? What is the tone? What word choices and phrasings contribute to the tone? 2. What is the intended audience like? That is, what characteristics do they have? 3. What kind of content is found in brochures? 4. How does this kind of content fit with the purpose of a brochure? How does this kind of content fit with the audience of a brochure? 5. How is the text organized in brochures? How do these aspects of organization fitwith the purpose of a brochure? How dothey fit with the audience? 6. What aspects of formatting do you notice? How do these connect to the purpose and audience characteristics? Adapted from:(https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/ resources/lesson_images/lesson1002/inve stigation.pdf) Introduction to PBL: Brochure for writing assessment Assign Groups Objectives of the Brochure Project: • Communicate information visually to an audience. • Use digital tools to visually present information. • How can I communicate and promote the project details on a brochure? 2. PLANNING What will I need to do for this project? • Research a topic and keep track of sources. • Group defines their driving questions and solutions. • Analyse the characteristics of a brochure and apply those to their own project. • Identify their audience. • Generate content and graphics to createthe brochure. • Use appropriate language and correct conventions for a brochure. • Give credit to sources used. • Turn the completed digital brochure ontime. • The project should be of realworld context that speaks to personal concerns, interests, and issues in the students’ lives. • The group will assign different tasks to each member, set goals and time scales on how they will work and what they will create, and express their own ideas in their own voice.

22 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 22 3. RESEARCHING What I Need to Find Out—Notes and Sources Brochure Inquiry What do you think are the main ideas or questions about your topic? 1) Who? 2) Where? 3) When? 4) What? 5) Why? 6) How? Adapted from: https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/res ources/lesson_images/lesson1002/broc hureinquiry.pdf Self-directed Learning & Collaboration: Content building • This is where they will be finding answersto the many questions they have for their project. • Save, organize and share content from across the web with Wakelet • Active discussion and selection of content for creation of the brochure (Google Meet, WhatsApp, Telegram) 4. CREATING • What is the best layout design? • Are the main topics or questions arranged in the most logical order—in the order a reader might want to know the information? If not, make suggestions for moving them. • Is there a place where the main idea is not clear or accessible? • Is it too crowded or is there too much empty space? • Are there illustrations? Are they effectivein sending the message across? • If so, do they fit the content? Are they appropriate? Are they placed most effectively, or can you suggest other options for the layout? Adapted from: https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/reso urces/lesson_images/lesson1002/eval uativereading.pdf 21st century skills: use of technology. Apps/software:Canva / PowerPoint/ Flipbook etc. Produce brochure: 1st draft for feedback and improvement.

23 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 23 5. IMPROVING First and second draft: Feedback Questions: • Is the format (paragraph, list, graph, images, etc.) the best for this type of information? Why or why not? • Is the content informative? • Are the ideas arranged effectively? • If the passage is a paragraph, are the main points and sub points worded well? Are they catchy and attention grabbing? • If the passage is a list, underline the firstword of each item in the list. Check for parallel structure; give suggestions if it could be improved. • How would you describe the overall tone? • Are there any errors in conventions youcan help with? Adapted from: https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/resourc es/lesson_images/lesson1002/evaluativereading.pdf Group members continued to revise the language with the support of the lecturer, feedback from their team members and through their own efforts. This revision is done throughout the week between lecturer and group members. 6. PRESENTING/ ASSESSMENT Reflection & Evaluation: • Is the brochure visually appealing? • Is the content of the digital brochure informative, interesting and attention grabbing? • Is the language used persuasive? • Overall, how will you grade your digital brochure? • What have you learnt from accomplishing the task? • Are you satisfied with your final copy of the digital brochure? Students present their final copy of their digital brochure to their classmates. They are given an opportunity to evaluate and change the information and text features in their brochures after feedback given by lecturer and peers.

24 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 24 APPENDIX B STUDENTS’ BROCHURES Breakfast: Rise, eat and shine https://online.fliphtml5.com/tfdnz/npx y/#p=1 Hiking: Walk of Nature https://online.fliphtml5.com/eizlm/qa ko/#p=1 Food choices: Food for thought https://online.fliphtml5.com/auemt/ysi o/#p=1 Money management : Top Wealth Club https://online.fliphtml5.com/hxipu/wc iv/?1614694529465#p=1 APPENDIX C RESPONDENTS’ INTERVIEW RESPONSES https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BJIWPFcziDFpzramNKIxjMvi2YVtMx a9 JEDRUvcBGGeR88dFnIpt-IJZp6VoYyRzTbZOg60V (Please use moe-dl account)

25 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 25 APPENDIX D Table 2 Students’ Perception of the Brochure Project Writing Assignment No Statement Frequency & Percentage (Number of respondents) Mean Stand. Dev. SD D N A SA 1 2 3 4 5 1 The Brochure Project makes learning English interesting and fun. 1 4 9 4.7 3.3 7.14% 28.57% 64.29% 2 I have put more time into this Brochure Project than I would have invested in a regular English class 2 12 4.86 5 14.29% 85.71% 3 The Wakelet reading collection from the Project contributed greatly to my knowledge about the content of my topic and the write up of the Brochure. 4 10 4.71 3 28.57% 71.43% 4 I have learnt many online skills namely doing research and improving my organisation skills like uploading materials, moving content and annotate my collections via written text or video explanations that I can use for my Brochure write up. 1 4 9 4.7 3.3 7.14% 28.57% 64.29% 5 My speaking skills in English improved as a result of the many group discussions we had during the production and write up of the Brochure. 2 3 9 4.7 3.1 14.29 21.43% 64.29% 6 My listening skills in English improved as a result of watching videos related to the topic I was doing for my Brochure Project Writing assignment. 1 6 7 4.43 2.6 7.14% 42.86% 50%

26 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 26 7 My reading skills in English improved as a result of the online research and reading done for the Brochure Project Writing assignment. 5 9 4.64 3.68 35.71% 64.29% 8 My writing skills improved as a result of the continuous writing activities leading to the production of the Brochure Project. 5 9 4.64 3.7 35.71% 64.29% 9 I have learnt how to add value to my work from the resources shared by the lecturer. 4 10 4.71 4.1 28.57% 71.43% 10 I have learnt to improve and correct my work from the feedback and guidance provided by the lecturer through the progressive write up of the Brochure Project. 1 3 10 4.7 3.85 21.43% 71.43% 11 I have learnt to become a more independent learner by searching for relevant and rich information for my topic online to improve my writing for the Brochure Project. 1 5 8 4.7 2.7 7.14% 35.71% 57.14% 12 I have learnt to work as a team, take responsibility, give opinion, accept suggestions from the continuous discussion I have with my group members during the project. 2 12 4.86 5.24 14.29% 85.71% 13 I have learnt to use many different software/applications available online to produce a good digital brochure. 1 3 10 4.64 3.85 7.14% 21.43% 71.43%

27 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 27 14 I was motivated to produce an excellent work by exploring further on my own concerning my topic, making layout colourful and interesting and appealing to the readers and using persuasive language in my Brochure Project write up. 2 4 8 4.43 2.5 14.29 % 28.57% 57.14% 15 I have learnt that teamwork is important to successfully produce quality work. 3 11 4.79 4.6 21.43% 78.57% 16 I have learnt that each member of the team must be responsible and committed to do their part in order to put together a good piece of work. 2 12 4.86 5.24 14.29% 85.71% 17 This project has exposed me to what is happening in the outside world by identifying issues and finding solutions in producing the brochure. 2 5 7 4.7 2.1 14.29 % 35.71% 50% 18 Generally, I completed the Brochure Project within the deadline and felt satisfied with the final copy for submission. 3 11 4.79 4.64 21.43% 78.57%

28 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 28 APPENDIX E Table 3 Perception of the implementation of the Brochure Project on their learning, confidence, technical skills and writing assessment. No Statement Frequency & Percentage Mean Stand. Dev. SD D N A SA 1 2 3 4 5 1 I gained confidence in how to be resourceful in finding the meanings of words and phrases that were difficult. 7 7 4.50 3.3 50% 50% 2 I gained confidence in my ability to use different resources and applications to produce a good Brochure. 5 9 35.71% 64.29% 4.64 3.7 3 I gained confidence in my ability as an independent learner. 5 9 4.64 3.7 35.71% 64.29% 4 I gained confidence in my ability to use technology successfully. 5 9 4.64 3.7 35.71% 64.29% 5 I gained technical skills using different software/applications as a result of this project. 1 5 8 4.5 2.7 7.14% 35.71% 57.14% 6 This project has increased my ability to acquire knowledge and English language skills for my future. 6 8 42.86% 57.14% 4.57 3.4 7 This project has developed my knowledge and language skills to improve the quality of assignments that I produce. 1 3 10 4.64 3.9 7.14% 21.43% 71.43%

29 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 29 8 This project has enabled me to explore my own learning and capabilities to become a better student. 6 8 4.57 3.4 42.86% 57.14% 9 The experiences in producing the Brochure have helped me perform better for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening in English assignments. 1 3 10 7.14% 21.43% 71.43% 4.64 3.85 10 This project has enabled me to have an engaging and meaningful learning experience where it helped develop my creative and critical thinking skills for my future. 7 7 4.5 3.3 50% 50%

30 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 30 APPENDIX F Record of Continuous Assessment scores SM315 (Semester II) BIL NO MATRIK ENG 1119 WRITING (25%) TOTAL (100%) OVERALL GRADE (L,R,S,W) 1 MS1923178966 2A 24 91.0 A 2 MS1923179151 5C 24 80.0 A 3 MS1923179269 8E 18.5 84.0 A 4 MS1923179315 7D 24 84.0 A 5 MS1923179662 3B 22 84.0 A 6 MS1923272986 8E 24 76.0 B 7 MS2023110537 7D 22 92.0 A 8 MS2023110636 4B 24 77.0 B 9 MS2023110692 3B 18.5 79.0 B 10 MS2023110699 3B 22 93.0 A 11 MS2023110820 5C 24 82.0 A 12 MS2023110867 3B 18.5 93.0 A 13 MS2023110873 6C 24 86.0 A 14 MS2023110878 2A 22 87.0 A * Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing (L,R,S,W) Notes: Evidence of students’ energised learning is seen in their high scores for their digital brochure writing project and overall grades for semester II. This proves that PBL with ICT increase students’ motivation to produce quality work with most of them obtaining As; a great leap from their grades from Form 5. Overall, their Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing (L,R,S,W) skills improved during the process of PBL.

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 33 BEST PRACTICES IN THE ESL CLASSROOM: THE USE OF BIG BOOKS IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF YEAR 2 PUPILS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMELIA JELANI SK KUALA BARAM MIRI, SARAWAK email: [email protected] 2 BEST PRACTICES IN THE ESL CLASSROOM: THE USE OF BIG BOOKS IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF YEAR 2 PUPILS 2

34 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 34 BEST PRACTICES IN THE ESL CLASSROOM: THE USE OF BIG BOOKS IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF YEAR 2 PUPILS ABSTRACT This action research was carried out to improve English reading comprehension among Year 2 pupils through the use of big books as most pupils are still facing difficulties in comprehending reading texts. The target population for this research was Year 2 pupils from one of the primary schools located in Miri. Pre-test and observations were conducted to identify the level of pupils’ reading comprehension. Based on the results collected, four pupils were chosen as they had intermediate to low English proficiency level and potrayed low confidence when it comes to reading comprehension. Thus, big books were used to help the pupils in understanding reading texts. The methods used to collect pupils’ reading results were observations and documents. The data of pupils’ achievements in both pre and post-tests were compared and analysed. The findings showed that there was a difference in the average score between pre-test (34.38%) and post-test (81.25%) of the pupils. Through observation, the pupils showed positive behavioural changes during lessons such as actively participating and were able to sequence the stories correctly for their reading comprehension. To ensure the suitability of big books in teaching and learning practices of the 21st century, instead of the traditional big books, digital big books can be used to further improve reading comprehension among primary school pupils. Keywords: Big Books, Reading Comprehension, English Language, Primary School INTRODUCTION Teaching and Learning Reflection Reading is one of the important language skills that are needed to indicate the language proficiency of an individual. However, reading is also a challenging skill as many still find it difficult to understand and comprehend the reading texts given. This issue can be clearly seen among Year 2 pupils in my school located at Miri. The class is multiracial which consists of Malay, Iban, Melanau and Kedayan whose first language is usually their commonly used language in their daily communication and for some, Malay is their first language. Based on my observation during English lessons, pupils tend to communicate with their peers and even teachers in the Malay language although they were exposed to English in the lessons. In the case of my Year 2 pupils, they were taught and practiced using English to ask for permissions such as “Teacher, may I go to the toilet?”, “Teacher, may I come in?”, “Teacher, may I go out to wash my hands?” and so on. Unfortunately, when it came to answering questions and doing group work with their classmates, they still converse with one another using Malay. This is not unusual

35 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 35 as almost all the schools in Malaysia use Malay as a medium of communication in teaching and learning processes while they only implement English language during English lessons. For my pupils, even during English lessons, some tried their very best to use English while the majority of them did not make use of the opportunity given to practice and communicate using the target language in the lessons. For instance, when I taught pupils about the story “The Goose that Laid Golden Eggs” and asked them “What happen to the goose at the end of the story?”, intermediate level pupils will answer “The goose (long pause) die” or “The goose mati.” Although they gave answers without correct grammar and in mixed languages, the pupils were still able to show effort and managed to use English or minimal English to answer the given question. However, for low proficiency pupils, before they can answer, I will have to explain the question in both English and Malay language as they did not understand what is needed to be answered. “Dia mati.” or “Angsa itu mati” were the answers given by the low proficiency pupils which, on the bright side, were the correct answers. When I interviewed the pupils, they said they were not confident and unable to find the correct words or vocabulary to use in their conversations which lead to the reluctance in using English. Some of them tend to rely on the teacher to guide and help them in using the language which showed they had the effort to learn whereas some need full support and guidance from the teacher for them to use the language word by word especially the low proficiency pupils with little knowledge in the language itself. Apart from lack of exposure to the English language, I noticed that pupils faced difficulties in their reading comprehension. The same problems occurred when I conducted reading comprehension classes, one of them happened to intermediate level proficiency pupils in which they were struggling to sequence the reading texts accordingly. This group of pupils did not have troubles when it came to reading the texts. They were able to pronounce and read the words as well as sentences correctly and fluently but they were unable to comprehend the texts given and this indicated that they had low reading comprehension skills. Meanwhile, for low English proficiency pupils, because they already had low understanding level in the language such as having difficulties in recognising and pronouncing the words correctly, they were unable to understand and sequence the reading texts correctly even with the aid of pictures given. They usually sought help from the teacher to explain the texts in their favoured language which was Malay. As mentioned earlier, reading is essential for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and it is crucial for learners to be able to comprehend reading texts as reading comprehension is defined as an interactive process which involves both reader and the text. For this action research, instead of focusing on English language as a whole, big books were used to improve primary school pupils’ reading comprehension.

36 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 36 RESEARCH FOCUS Reading is essential in our life because through reading, we will able to develop and improve reading skills as well as gain knowledge of vocabulary and the structures of a language. Unfortunately, according to Tahar, Toranb, Mohd and Bari (2010), most of the Malaysian pupils are still incompetent in their reading and face difficulties in comprehending and understanding reading texts. Most of the schools in Malaysia use the Malay language or their mother tongues such as Mandarin and Tamil languages for certain schools as their medium of communication in the teaching and learning processes. They only apply or use English language during English lessons. Due to the lack of exposure to the language itself, the majority of the pupils find reading and comprehending texts in English difficult (Ibrahim et al., 2007). Therefore, to solve the difficulty in reading comprehension mentioned, this study was carried out, focusing on the use of big books to improve pupils’ reading comprehension. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE Big book can be used as one of the teaching reading strategies to enhance pupils’ perception of any given reading text. Therefore, the purpose of carrying out this research is to improve Year 2 pupils’ reading comprehension using big books. General Research Objective The objective of this study is as follows: 1. To improve Year 2 pupils’ reading comprehension using big book. Specific Research Objective The objective of this study is as follow: 1. To help to enhance and improve Year 2 intermediate and low English proficiency pupils in comprehending reading texts with the use of big books. RESEARCH TARGET GROUP The target population for this study was Year 2 pupils of one of the primary schools located in Miri. According to Quileste (2015), a big book is a type of book which is large, has colourful pictures and big texts size. The texts used in big books are usually stories for children. In addition, reading comprehensions used for the lower primary classes are mostly narrative and descriptive forms which are suitable to be portrayed through the use of big books. Thus, primary 2 pupils were chosen to be involved in this research. The participants comprised both intermediate and low proficiency pupils. Out of nine pupils in the class, four of them were chosen based on the results of the pre-test carried out as well as observation during the lessons.

37 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 37 METHODOLOGY Action research is a type of study that involves self-reflection mainly in the education field that is usually carried out by researchers which comprise educators or teachers. Researchers conduct studies as they came up with interventions that serve the purpose of improving and enhancing their practices which may contribute to the development of pupils’ performance. The processes involved in action research include reflecting, planning, implementing and observing. Problem Review For this study, the problem review was carried out through the implementation of reading comprehension tests and observations. Reading comprehension tests were used in this research to collect data on pupils’ achievements in their reading comprehension. The tests were given two times to the pupils. A pre-test was given to the pupils to differentiate the pupils’ performances in their reading comprehension. From the test conducted and also the observations carried out, four intermediate and low proficiency pupils were chosen to be the participants in this action research. After the reading test was given, the method in teaching the research participants and remaining pupils’ reading comprehension was done differently. The four chosen participants were taught in understanding the reading texts through the use of big books, while a traditional method of teaching which is teacher-centred was applied to the remaining pupils. The results for the post-test were used to compare the results achieved by the pupils so as to know whether through the use of big book has shown any improvement in the intermediate and low proficiency pupils’ reading comprehension. The reading comprehension tests used in this research comprised of eight pictures of the story and eight reading texts for pupils to read and sequence both pictures and sentences given correctly. Problem Analysis As mentioned previously, reading comprehension tests and observations were conducted in this action research that aimed to study the use of big books in improving pupils’ reading comprehension especially for Year 2 intermediate and low proficiency pupils. Pre and post-tests were used at the beginning and the end of this study. Both tests consisted of pictures and sentences related to the story that were appropriate for the respondents’ proficiency level. The pre-test was given before the teaching aid was applied to the target group in addition to the process of choosing the respondents in the study. A total of 15 minutes was given to the pupils to sequence all eight pictures and sentences correctly. According to the results collected, four intermediate and low proficiency pupils were chosen with the score of 79% and below. The remaining three pupils were the proficient users of English with achievements of 80% to 100% in their pre-test. Besides the utilised pre-test, observations were also carried out to identify and select both intermediate and low proficiency pupils as the participants for this research. Observations were conducted for a week in which I observed the way pupils reacted when completing reading comprehension during reading classes as well as the feelings and actions they portrayed when answering the pre-test. Generally, when it

38 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 38 came to reading comprehension activities, most pupils tended to show disinterest such as sad faces, letting out sighs and some even said “Susahnya.” When I interviewed the pupils, the pupils complained that they felt unmotivated when they saw the reading texts as the text had many words and sentences. Some even felt unconfident when sequencing the story as they were unsure of their answers and were scared to make mistakes. These happened as pupils were still unable to comprehend the reading texts given in which they do not understand the content of the story. For the post-test, it was given after the teaching aid was used, which was the big book. It was done in order to observe and analyse the achievements of respondents after the use of the big book and also to compare the results of pre and post-tests that showed before and after the use of the teaching aid. To prove that there is improvement in the pupils’ reading comprehension, they should achieve more than their previous results in the pre-test where most of them scored 60% and below. ACTIONS PROCEDURES For this study, there were two cycles with three processes – plan, act and observe as well as reflect for each cycle. In the second cycle, modification and improvisation were made during the ‘act’ process that made teaching more suitable to the pupils’ level for better improvement in their reading comprehension. First Cycle: Planning In this first process of the first cycle for this action research, planning can be seen implemented through conducting a pre-test. The aim of carrying out the pre-test was to identify the target group and at the same time to observe the pupils’ behaviours and their answers when sequencing the story given. The test consisted of eight pictures and texts. The story given was in narrative form from fable stories specifically with the title “The Boy who Cried Wolf” which was appropriate to the pupils’ proficiency level. The time allocated for the pupils to complete their reading comprehension test was 15 minutes and their answers were marked, analysed and recorded to select the respondents for this study. First Cycle: Act and Observe The processes after planning were act and observe, in which I started to implement the use of big book in helping the pupils to comprehend and understand the reading texts. Big books were used in teaching and learning of reading comprehension as a learning aid for the study participants while the remaining pupils were taught in a traditional teacher-centred method of teaching. The big books used contained stories in narrative form and were supported with colourful illustrations with texts that were big in font size. Simple sentences and repetition of words or phrases were also shown in the big books. In this cycle two big books with different stories from the fable’s genre were used to help respondents in their reading comprehension. The two big books were entitled The Frog and the Cow and The Greedy Dog. Three stages of activities were

39 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 39 carried out during the implementing of the big book as a learning aid for the target group, which were pre-reading, re-reading and close reading activities (Fisher, 1991 in Tatminingsih, 2013). To start the reading lesson, which was the pre-reading activity, pupils were asked to gather and sit in a “U” shape. I started the reading activity by showing the big book to the pupils, from the front to the back cover of the book and also the way to open the book in the correct manner. I then prompted the pupils to think by asking pupils to look at the cover picture of the big book and asked questions such as “What can you see?”. Through the question, the pupils were able to think and develop interaction skills. After that, I asked pupils about the possible content of the story based on the title and the visuals shown in the cover of the big book. From there, it helped the pupils to create and develop the meaning of the story they were going to learn. I then started reading the story in the big book from the beginning to the end. Intonation and expression were used during the reading of the story to attract pupils’ attention in the learning of the story. Moving forward to the re-reading activity, in this stage I repeated the story page by page. This time, I showed the words one by one by pointing at the words and reading clearly for pupils to listen, read and understand. This method helped pupils in their pronunciation and understanding of words that were unfamiliar to them. Besides that, pausing and asking of Wh-questions such as who, what, when, where and why were done during this stage as it acted as formative assessment for the pupils to recall, understand and identify their understanding level towards the story read. The keywords found in the story were also emphasised and discussed with the pupils in order to help them connect the ideas with their prior knowledge or experiences and then make meaning from them. I also conducted a reading aloud activity with the pupils by reading the story together. In the last stage before giving out worksheets for the pupils to work on, a closing activity was done by conducting activities such as role playing or retelling the story in their own words. By carrying out the activities for the pupils, not only it helped pupils to be attentive and actively participated in the lesson itself but also enabled them to have a better understanding of the story they had learnt from the big book, which would eventually helped them in their sequencing of the story in the reading comprehension worksheets or tests given. First Cycle: Reflect In this reflect process, I evaluated whether the use of big book was able to improve pupils’ reading comprehension by marking and analysing their answers in the worksheets given, which were collected at the end of the lesson. Based on their results, I found out that the majority of the pupils still faced difficulties in sequencing the story correctly. I conducted interviews with every pupil on their thoughts on the big book and reading comprehension given. All of the four pupils gave the response that the reading texts in both big book and reading comprehension exercises were slightly too long for them to understand. However, when I asked them about the idea of using big book, they gave positive responses explaining that it did

40 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 40 help them to understand the story better and a slight change of behaviours was seen where they requested for more stories from the big books. Thus, I decided to make some modifications and improvements on both big books and reading comprehension texts or worksheets. I simplified the words and the sentences according to the pupils’ understanding level. Example, in The Greedy Dog story, the original sentence was “One day, while a hungry dog was walking along the street, he came across a huge chunk of meat!”. I simplified the sentence into 2 simple sentences which were “One day, a hungry dog was walking along a street. Suddenly, he saw a big piece of meat in front of him.” The vocabulary used were simple and familiar to them as it was applied in their daily conversation during the lesson with the teacher. The reading texts in the big books should be simple and easier for Year 2 pupils to understand so that they would not cause confusion among the pupils and demotivate them in their reading comprehension. Second Cycle: Planning For this second cycle or revised plan process, I carried out the reading lessons using improvised big books and reading comprehension worksheets with easier and shorter sentences. Another two big books from fables genre were used which were The Goose that Laid Golden Eggs and The Lion and the Mouse. Second Cycle: Act and Observe Three reading activity stages were again conducted throughout the lessons to help improve the reading comprehension of pupils with the aid of big books. The stages were pre-reading, re-reading and post reading activities. Similar to the first cycle, in both pre-reading and re-reading stages, I started the reading activity by telling the stories in details, asking questions to ignite their interests and thinking skills and also guided the pupils in reading as well as understanding the stories. When it came to role playing or retelling stories in the close reading activities stage, I was able to notice some changes among the pupils. The intermediate and low proficiency pupils volunteered themselves to participate especially in retelling the stories in their own words. These behaviours portrayed by the pupils showed that they were confident and able to show good comprehension of the story learnt. Second Cycle: Reflect In this self-reflection process, from the pupils’ reading comprehension answers that were collected and marked, I was able to assess whether the use of big books were able to improve their reading comprehension skills. From the results collected, the pupils showed positive improvements, other than they were simply active in reading activities, as they managed to sequence at least six pictures and sentences correctly without help and guidance from me and their peers. Based on what I observed, the pupils did not frown and were able to complete their reading comprehension calmly and with full focus. When I asked the pupils, they responded that they found the exercises were easy to understand and were happy that they were able to complete the worksheets given.

41 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 41 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The objective of this study was to improve Year 2 pupils’ reading comprehension using big books. To test whether there was any improvement in the pupils’ reading comprehension before and after they were taught using big book, the mean of the results was used. Table 1 The results of target group’s pre and post-tests calculated using means. No. Name of pupils Pre-test (%) Post-test (%) 1 Cass 37.5 87.5 2 Ara 50 100 3 Zira 25 75 4 Amri 25 62.5 Mean (%) 34.38 81.25 Table 1 above shows the comparison of results collected between the pre and post-tests of the participants in this research. The table shows there was an increase in the mean marks pre and post-test, that is from 34.38% in the pre-test to a rise of 46.87% which resulted in the average mark of 81.25% for the post-test. Most of the respondents had an improvement of 50% from their pre-test. One respondent even scored perfect marks which is 100%, in the post-test. From this, it can be said that there was an improvement in the average score of reading comprehension before and after the big books were used among the pupils in the target group. Reflections The results analysed above clearly showed that the use of big books was able to improve both intermediate and low proficiency pupils’ reading comprehension. There were some advantages that can be gained by pupils and even teachers when implementing big books during lessons. Among them was that the use of big books can help pupils in comprehending and constructing meaning from the reading texts (Karges-Bone, 1992 in O’Connor, 2006; Mahayanti, Padmadewi & Wijayanti, 2017). As mentioned by Sukarno (2008), selection of materials and media is important in the planning and conducting of teaching and learning processes for the pupils. This was because by having suitable media, teachers will be able to create a fun and meaningful learning process, incorporating interactive and authentic materials for the pupils according to their needs and indirectly developing pupils’ ability to construct meaning from the reading texts which helps them to understand the text better. Other than developing better understanding of the reading texts, big books can also help in increasing the pupils’ motivation to learn and read. This was said because of the characteristics of a big book itself as it is a large-size book that contains stories with big, colourful pictures and prints (Quileste, 2015). From there, the pupils will feel excited and want to know more about the story which indirectly motivates them to read and understand. Furthermore, the use of big books not only motivates but also increases the attention of pupils in the lessons. Since pupils, especially those at a young age, have a low attention span which makes it easier for them to get bored

42 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 42 during classes, big books can be used to overcome the issue as they have colourful and interesting illustrations for pupils to see and understand the story. In addition, the participation of pupils during teaching and learning processes can be increased with the implementation of big books. As mentioned before, a big book is a type of book that is large in size and it has colourful illustrations and big text to go with it. Using big books enables pupils to see and also respond to the words in the story effectively as the font of the words are large (Fahmi, Suhartono & Arifin, 2014). The pupils’ involvement in the lesson can also be seen through the use of big books as they will pay attention and actively follow the flow of the story from the beginning until the end. This will also trigger pupils’ curiosity as they want to know and learn more on the story by asking questions and learning unfamiliar vocabulary from the story. Harun and Rahim (2010) also stated that using big books will help pupils in understanding the story as well as answering questions given related to the story read. Therefore, these indicate that big books do help and bring benefits especially to pupils in their reading comprehension and also their learning process in the classroom. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION As analysed in the reflections above, there are a few suggestions regarding this research. One of them is for English teachers, who can consider using big books as a method to teach pupils’ reading rather than using the traditional method of teaching which is teacher-centred. This is because as this study has found the use of big books is more effective than the traditional method for pupils of lower primary grades and helps improve pupils’ reading comprehension. It is also suggested that, other than using big books for English classes, they can be applied in other language subjects such as Malay and Chinese lessons as they play the same role of using a large-size book that contains stories with colourful illustrations and big texts to improve pupils’ reading. Apart from teachers, for other researchers who are interested in conducting similar research, it is suggested that the same study on the use of big book in improving the reading comprehension of low proficiency pupils can be conducted but with different primary pupils other than Year 2 pupils. The study also can be carried out on different language skills besides reading, skills such as listening, speaking, writing and language arts. For instance, researchers can conduct a study on the use of big books in improving pupils’ listening skills, which can be done by implementing big books with no reading text and only pictures, so as to identify and test pupils’ listening abilities in understanding the story. Besides that, researchers are also recommended to use different types of reading texts in the big book to help pupils with their reading as there are many types of texts, like descriptive reading types and stories available, for instance, fantasy, mystery, comedy and many more. To make the use of big books suitable in the teaching and learning processes of the 21st century, it is recommended that big books can also be used in digital form. Instead of the traditional big book that is in physical form with pictures and reading text, a digital big book is suggested as the use of videos, sounds and animations which can capture pupils’ attention and interest in learning the story, is also possible.

43 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 43 REFERENCES Abdul Halim Ibrahim, Mariam Mohamed Nor, Abdul Ghani Abu, & Azizah Atan @ Abdullah. (2007). Reading Skills of Malaysian Students: Focus on the Knowledge of Linguistic Cues. Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. Fahmi, D. I., Suhartono, L., & Arifin, Z. (2014). Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension Using Big Book. 1-11. Harun & Rahim, N. A. (2010). Students’ Perception Towards the Usage of the Big Book. Gadiing Business and Management. 14(2003), 48-54. Mahayanti, N. W. S., Padmadewi, N. N., & Wijayanti, L. P. A. (2017). Coping with Big Classes: Effect of Big Book in Fourth Grade Students Reading Comprehension. International Journal of Language and Literature. 1(4), 203- 212. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v1i4.12583 Mohd Mokhtar Tahar, Hasnah Toranb, Mohd Hanafi Mohd, & Safani Bari. (2010). Reading Skills among Year One Students in Malaysia. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 9, 378-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.168 R. M. (2015). Children’s Big Book: Kinds, Guidelines and Usage. [PowerPoint slides] https://www.slideshare.net/RonaldQuileste/childrens-big-book-preparationusage-and-guidelines Sukarno. (2008). Teaching English to Young Learners and Factors to Consider in Designing the Materials. Jurnal Ekonomi & Pendidikan, 5(1), 57-73. Tatminingsih, S. (2013). Big Book, A Teaching Alternative for Improving Children’s Reading Readiness in Kindergarten. Proceeding International Conference on Educational Research and Innovation. 417-431.