ESL PRACTITIONER JOURNAL ISSUE 10 2022

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 46 INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIND MAPS IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING IN THE ESL CLASSROOM ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANITHA A/P SOMASUNDRAM SMK HWA LIAN MENTAKAB, PAHANG email: [email protected] 3 INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIND MAPS IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING IN THE ESL CLASSROOM 3

48 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 47 INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIND MAPS IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING IN THE ESL CLASSROOM ABSTRACT Writing is an essential public relation skill. According to the Report of the Commission on Public Relations Education (1999), which listed “informative and persuasive writing” among the skills necessary to join the field (page 4). Furthermore, writing is one of the four skills taught and tested under the Common Euraopean Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as it fosters the student’s ability to explain and refine one’s ideas and thoughts to others, therefore one cannot deny that writing skill is an important part of communication. However, to write confidently is a hurdle among students whose first language is not English especially in the sub-urban or rural areas of our county and a lot of guidance, motivation as well as teaching aids are developed by the English Language Teachers (ELT). As one of the initiative, this paper aims to share the outcome from applying the mind map technique to teach essay writing among 30 Form Five students from a secondary school in the East Coast of Malaysia whose first language is not English and these students mainly use their mother tongue to speak or write. Action research was conducted by the subject teacher to find a better technique to teach writing in a more systematic manner. A pre-test and post-test was administered before and after applying the mind map technique in the writing classrooms for a duration of five (5) weeks. To add on a set of survey questionnaire was used to gather the feedback from both teacher and students. Finally, the teacher also observed the students’ involvement and feedback using stick it notes during class. The results and findings from the pre-test, post-test, questionnaire and in-class observation revealed significant yet promising as well as progressive results. The outcome from this mini research was seen in the form of more structured writing, well elaborated paragraphs and an increased engagement level among students during writing activity in class. This indirectly enabled the students to improve their grades in the writing tests and examinations. Thus, these positive outcomes came as a great motivator to introduce this mind map technique to other ELT teachers as a tool to be used in their writing classrooms. Keywords: Mind Map, Structured Engagement, ELT, Writing Achievement INTRODUCTION The purpose of learning English Language in general is to improve one’s four skills which are namely listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to achieve the ultimate goal of mastering this language. Writing is one skill that need to be learned by the students as it is an essential skill and brings a lot of advantages. According to Walsh (2010), writing is important because it is used extensively in higher education and in the workplace. If students do not know how to express themselves in writing, they would not be able to communicate well with teachers, professors, employers, peers, or just about anyone else. Much of professional communication is done in

49 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 47 INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIND MAPS IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING IN THE ESL CLASSROOM ABSTRACT Writing is an essential public relation skill. According to the Report of the Commission on Public Relations Education (1999), which listed “informative and persuasive writing” among the skills necessary to join the field (page 4). Furthermore, writing is one of the four skills taught and tested under the Common Euraopean Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as it fosters the student’s ability to explain and refine one’s ideas and thoughts to others, therefore one cannot deny that writing skill is an important part of communication. However, to write confidently is a hurdle among students whose first language is not English especially in the sub-urban or rural areas of our county and a lot of guidance, motivation as well as teaching aids are developed by the English Language Teachers (ELT). As one of the initiative, this paper aims to share the outcome from applying the mind map technique to teach essay writing among 30 Form Five students from a secondary school in the East Coast of Malaysia whose first language is not English and these students mainly use their mother tongue to speak or write. Action research was conducted by the subject teacher to find a better technique to teach writing in a more systematic manner. A pre-test and post-test was administered before and after applying the mind map technique in the writing classrooms for a duration of five (5) weeks. To add on a set of survey questionnaire was used to gather the feedback from both teacher and students. Finally, the teacher also observed the students’ involvement and feedback using stick it notes during class. The results and findings from the pre-test, post-test, questionnaire and in-class observation revealed significant yet promising as well as progressive results. The outcome from this mini research was seen in the form of more structured writing, well elaborated paragraphs and an increased engagement level among students during writing activity in class. This indirectly enabled the students to improve their grades in the writing tests and examinations. Thus, these positive outcomes came as a great motivator to introduce this mind map technique to other ELT teachers as a tool to be used in their writing classrooms. Keywords: Mind Map, Structured Engagement, ELT, Writing Achievement INTRODUCTION The purpose of learning English Language in general is to improve one’s four skills which are namely listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to achieve the ultimate goal of mastering this language. Writing is one skill that need to be learned by the students as it is an essential skill and brings a lot of advantages. According to Walsh (2010), writing is important because it is used extensively in higher education and in the workplace. If students do not know how to express themselves in writing, they would not be able to communicate well with teachers, professors, employers, peers, or just about anyone else. Much of professional communication is done in ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 48 writing proposals, memos, reports, applications, interviews, emails and more are part of the daily life of a student or successful graduate. In the everyday English essay writing classrooms, the classic ‘five paragraph theme’ is used and taught to the students. In this five paragraphs theme, the first paragraph starts with a general statement and ends with a thesis statement which contains two to three main ideas, followed by each body paragraphs which discuses one of the issues in turn, and the final paragraph sums up what the students has written. However, writing a well-developed paragraph is not a natural skill but a skill that need to be learned. Students need to understand and follow a structure whereby a paragraph should state a main idea in one sentence, added with 4 to 5 supporting sentences which expands the main idea by giving explanations, details and examples to support the main idea and the conclusion of the essay should not introduce new ideas but instead restate the thesis statement and be able to show the reader how the ideas are demonstrated. Therefore, it is hoped through the use of mind maps in the essay writing classroom teachers will be able to guide students to learn how to write a well-developed paragraph as it is easy to be applied, at a minimum cost and can be integrated in the 21st Century Classroom approach. Problem Statement The Form Fiver Dynamic students consisted of 30 mixed gender mixed ability students from various background face difficulty in writing a concise paragraph or essay in English Language. Most of them lack the ability to elaborate, structure and conclude or tie up their paragraphs in order to produce a well explained and structured essay within the word limits given in the rubric during examinations. Moreover, they spent a lot of time trying to translate their ideas from their mother tongue to English and this was definitely a drawback as in the end they tend to do a direct translation from their mother tongue to English which causes a deficit in the engagement of the student with his or her piece of writing. As a consequence, their writing test results were below average and intervention activities were undertaken. One of the in-class intervention activity was the use of mind maps during essay writing activity. Aim The main aim of this mini research was to overcome the writing issue faced by the Form Five Dynamic students as most of them are not able to elaborate their main ideas in a structured manner as they tend to omit certain main ideas, elaborations or examples which are important details in a paragraph. Finally, was is hoped by applying mind mapping skill, essay writing will be more fun and as a consequence writing test results will improve indirectly.

50 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 49 Research Objectives The research objectives are to identify the effectiveness of mind maps to: I. improve elaboration skill in writing. II. write in a structured manner. III. increase student engagement during writing activity. IV. improve student achievement in writing tasks. Research Questions The research questions are: I. Do mind maps create a mean difference in writing test achievement during posttest? II. Do mind maps improve students’ elaboration skill in writing compared to traditional writing approach? III. Do mind maps act as a tool to help students write in a structured manner compared to traditional writing approach? IV. Do mind maps increase students’ engagement during writing activity? V. Do mind maps indirectly help improve students’ achievement in writing tasks? Hypotheses For the purpose of this mini research there were four hypotheses: Ho: There is no significant difference in the mean scores in writing test after using mind maps. Ho: There is no significant difference in students’ elaboration skill after using mind maps. Ho: There is no significant difference in writing structure after using mind maps. Ho: There is no significant difference in student engagement after using mind maps. Ho: There is no significant difference in student achievement in writing task after using mind maps.

51 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 50 Research Framework Figure 1 Conceptual Framework From the conceptual framework, the target population of this research were 30 Form 5 Dynamic pupils who had issues with their writing skills in the form of elaboration, structure, organization and also engagement issues during writing lessons as they were unable to stay connected to the lesson. Their English teacher observed these issues during their English Writing lesson and therefore recorded the in-class observation and later conducted a pre-test in order to justify her findings. From the Pre-Test results it was gathered that these pupils were unable to remember the main ideas, lack of elaboration skill as they were not able to connect their sentences in a well-structured manner and the paragraphs were not compact as they usually either only write one sentence for each main idea or they forgot to include examples and cohesive devices in their piece of writing. This leads to poor marks in the writing task and lack of engagement during writing lessons. Figure 2 Variable Draft Framework

52 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 51 Therefore, the subject teacher divided the pupils into control group and treatment group for five weeks and implemented the mind map technique in their writing classroom for the treatment group. On the fifth week a Post-Test was conducted and the results were compared with the Pre-Test results and the effect size was also tabulated and calculated. Then the survey questionnaire was distributed to gather information regarding the use of mind maps in the writing classroom for the treatment group. The outcome from the Post-Test, Effect Size and the Survey Questionnaire were analysed further and are discussed below. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework used in this research is shown below. There were 6 stages involved which starts with identifying the issue faced in the classroom, continued by the second stage which was reflect whereby the researcher reflects on ways to overcome the issue faced. This was followed by the third stage where a change was done by introducing the mind mapping technique in the writing classroom for a certain period. Then data is gathered and analysed after the change was implemented. Finally, reflection on the final finding was conducted for further improvement and reporting. Figure 3 Theoretical Framework

53 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 52 LITERATURE REVIEW According to Buzan (2005) mind mapping gives different types of learners the opportunity to excel and are also useful for gifted learners as it does not place limitation on their learning instead gives space for learners to develop creativity in limitless ways. For the purpose of this research, the Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping Theory was applied. Why mind mapping? One would ask. According to Tony Buzan (2015), the image in the center of the mind map is the starting point. An image is used firstly because images are worth a thousand words, it stimulates memory, association and one’s thought. Next, then main cur venial branches which emanates from the central image are drawn as thinking is a natural and an organic process therefore these curvenial main branches usually called Basic Ordering Ideas (BOIs) in psychology are able to attract the brain more as these are the chaptered endings of ones thought. To add on, from these BOIs emanate the second level ideas, and this emanation process continues to the next level and the process follows. One will very quickly realise that a mind map is actually a manifestation of one’s thought and is an infinite thinking process which is endless. Mostly colours are used in the process of creating a mind map as colours are thinking tools which allow one to order, discriminate, code, highlight, generate thoughts and to remember. Figure 4 The Mind Mapping Process Next, Hedge (1988) states mind mapping is a strategy for note taking purposes before writing or scribbling ideas about a topic and later learners can develop those ideas as their mind makes association among those ideas. In addition, Hayes (1992) states mind maps enable students to turn random thoughts into patterns which can be further developed. Moreover, Steele (2012) states that ‘mind map is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to writing’ as it is a structured strategy which is able to show the hierarchical relationship of ideas’. Based on all the above literature, it is evident mind map is a useful tool to initiate the prewriting task during brainstorming activity which then help students to link and

54 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 53 develop the random ideas generated in the human brain in a more structured manner and finally enable the students to write and perform better in their writing task. METHODOLOGY This is a mini action research conducted by the subject teacher in the English language classroom using the mixed method design. According to (Bryman, 2012; Creswell, 2015; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011), mixed method research is a research methodology which incorporates multiple methods to address research questions in an appropriate and principled manner which involves collecting, analyzing, interpreting and reporting both qualitative and quantitative data. For the purpose of this mini action research, classroom observation was a form of qualitative research approach while the survey questionnaire, pretest and post-test were quantitative research approaches. The survey questionnaire used the 5 scale likert tool which used the ‘I can statements’. The 5 scale likert tool was used because it enabled students to specify their levels of agreement in the form of a statement, from high to low with one neutral option in the middle and the range was suitable for teenagers as it offered a wide range of choices. As for the researcher, this scale was easy to be understood and used and the final outcome was also easy to be tabulated without any special software. The sample chosen were a group of 30 form 5 pupils from class 5 Dynamic and the English teacher was their subject teacher for that particular school year. All 30 pupils were taken as sample as according to the theory by Arikunto (2002:112) who stated that ‘if the subject is less than 100, it is better to involve all participants as research study population’. From the sample, 18 were male and 12 were female. They consisted of mixed races namely 2 Indian, 3 Malay and 25 Chinese pupils whose first language was either Tamil, Bahasa Melayu or Mandarin and they are from SJK(T) or SJK(C) schools and even 2 of the Malay pupils were from SJK(C). The data collection method included classroom observation, survey questionnaire and a set of pretest and post-test before and after the implementation of mind maps in the writing classroom. Below is the flow of how the research was conducted. First and foremost, an in- class observation during teaching essay writing was conducted and recorded, then a pretest in the form of extended essay writing activity was administered, followed by a set of survey questionnaire which used the 5 scale likert tool. Then, from the pretest results and survey findings, an intervention plan in the form of introducing the mind map technique in the English language classroom was implemented for 5 weeks continuously and during this duration the classroom observation and recording still continued. On the fifth week, the participants were again administered a post-test in the form of an extended essay writing activity and a set of survey questionnaire with a 5 scale likert tool was administered. The pretest and post-test marks were then gathered, tabulated and analyzed. The in-classroom observation recording was analyzed and the 5 scale likert survey questionnaire was tabulated. A student’s t-test is used to analyze the findings and derive the outcomes. A t-test, was used to conduct the hypotheses testing to find the mean as this research consist of a small sample drawn from a normally distributed population where the population standard deviation was unknown.

55 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 53 develop the random ideas generated in the human brain in a more structured manner and finally enable the students to write and perform better in their writing task. METHODOLOGY This is a mini action research conducted by the subject teacher in the English language classroom using the mixed method design. According to (Bryman, 2012; Creswell, 2015; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011), mixed method research is a research methodology which incorporates multiple methods to address research questions in an appropriate and principled manner which involves collecting, analyzing, interpreting and reporting both qualitative and quantitative data. For the purpose of this mini action research, classroom observation was a form of qualitative research approach while the survey questionnaire, pretest and post-test were quantitative research approaches. The survey questionnaire used the 5 scale likert tool which used the ‘I can statements’. The 5 scale likert tool was used because it enabled students to specify their levels of agreement in the form of a statement, from high to low with one neutral option in the middle and the range was suitable for teenagers as it offered a wide range of choices. As for the researcher, this scale was easy to be understood and used and the final outcome was also easy to be tabulated without any special software. The sample chosen were a group of 30 form 5 pupils from class 5 Dynamic and the English teacher was their subject teacher for that particular school year. All 30 pupils were taken as sample as according to the theory by Arikunto (2002:112) who stated that ‘if the subject is less than 100, it is better to involve all participants as research study population’. From the sample, 18 were male and 12 were female. They consisted of mixed races namely 2 Indian, 3 Malay and 25 Chinese pupils whose first language was either Tamil, Bahasa Melayu or Mandarin and they are from SJK(T) or SJK(C) schools and even 2 of the Malay pupils were from SJK(C). The data collection method included classroom observation, survey questionnaire and a set of pretest and post-test before and after the implementation of mind maps in the writing classroom. Below is the flow of how the research was conducted. First and foremost, an in- class observation during teaching essay writing was conducted and recorded, then a pretest in the form of extended essay writing activity was administered, followed by a set of survey questionnaire which used the 5 scale likert tool. Then, from the pretest results and survey findings, an intervention plan in the form of introducing the mind map technique in the English language classroom was implemented for 5 weeks continuously and during this duration the classroom observation and recording still continued. On the fifth week, the participants were again administered a post-test in the form of an extended essay writing activity and a set of survey questionnaire with a 5 scale likert tool was administered. The pretest and post-test marks were then gathered, tabulated and analyzed. The in-classroom observation recording was analyzed and the 5 scale likert survey questionnaire was tabulated. A student’s t-test is used to analyze the findings and derive the outcomes. A t-test, was used to conduct the hypotheses testing to find the mean as this research consist of a small sample drawn from a normally distributed population where the population standard deviation was unknown. ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 54 DATA COLLECTION Data was collected in three phases namely pre-experimental, experimental and post experimental phase in order to clearly identify the changes before and after using mind maps in the writing classrooms. Table 1 Data Collection Phases By the end of Week Five, the data collected was analyzed using min, mod, median, standard deviation and t-score values and later categorized into bands accordingly. The pretest and post-test were scored and graded using the bands as below: Table 2 Achievement Level Grading The data collected from the survey questionnaire were calculated using the score item and value as shown below:

56 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 55 Table 3 Questionnaire Score Scale RESULTS Table 4 Pre-Test Result Analysis Table 5 Post-Test Result Analysis

57 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 55 Table 3 Questionnaire Score Scale RESULTS Table 4 Pre-Test Result Analysis Table 5 Post-Test Result Analysis ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 56 Table 6 Summary of Mean and Standard Deviation Table 7 Effect Size Criteria

58 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 57 In the pre-test, a few respondents scored fairly well but most of the other respondents were still not performing to their level best as shown by the group mean of 59.83, on the other hand, the post-test results was tabulated after the respondents were treated using mind maps for 5 weeks and the group mean increased to 66.77 which was an upward movement after the implementation of the mind maps technique on the respondents. The researcher also used the “Effect Size Formula” (EF) in this study to quantify the effectiveness of using mind maps in teaching essay writing in English Language. In order to calculate the pre-test and post-test mean, the formula below was used: In order to calculate the difference in mean, the formula below was used: In order to calculate the significance of the treatment on the respondents, the interval achievement scores of the respondents from the pre-test and the post-test were calculated using the T-Test method.

59 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 57 In the pre-test, a few respondents scored fairly well but most of the other respondents were still not performing to their level best as shown by the group mean of 59.83, on the other hand, the post-test results was tabulated after the respondents were treated using mind maps for 5 weeks and the group mean increased to 66.77 which was an upward movement after the implementation of the mind maps technique on the respondents. The researcher also used the “Effect Size Formula” (EF) in this study to quantify the effectiveness of using mind maps in teaching essay writing in English Language. In order to calculate the pre-test and post-test mean, the formula below was used: In order to calculate the difference in mean, the formula below was used: In order to calculate the significance of the treatment on the respondents, the interval achievement scores of the respondents from the pre-test and the post-test were calculated using the T-Test method. ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 58 In accordance to the t value calculated above, it was higher than the t-table value calculated at the alpha value of 0.05 degree of freedom. Therefore, it was concluded that (N-1), which is (30-1) = 29 is 2.042 shows the calculated t value is much higher than the t table score. In addition, to identify the significance of the treatment, the researcher will use the Effect Size formula as shown below: Effect Size (ES) = t√(1/N) Effect Size = 13.58√(1/30) Effect Size = 13.58 √ 0.033 Effect Size = 13.58 x 0.18 Effect Size = 2.44 The Effect Size calculation which is 2.44, ES > 0.8 whereby 2.44 > 0.8 gives a feedback which shows mind maps usage gives a positive effect on pupils essay writing. Therefore, the Null Hypotheses (Ho) which states that there is no significant difference between the means is rejected and the Alternative Hypotheses (Ha) is accepted which states that there is a significant difference after the usage of mind maps on the respondents in the treatment group after 5 weeks. The findings from the in-class observation were gathered while pupils conducted individual writing tasks, collaborative group activity for writing and also during class presentation using poster papers. The feedback from peers in the form of questionnaire or stick it notes were taken into account during the in-class observation. The findings collected from the feedback from both students and teacher in terms of grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure are tabulated as below: Table 5 Summary of the Findings

60 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 59 The pupils’ vocabulary or word choices increased as there was more collaborative discussions and mind mapping involved, the sentences formed were more organised, structured and more compound and complex sentences were formed in paragraphs as the use of conjunctions and cohesive devices increased. As their writing skills improved and they understood what they were writing, the confidence while presentation increased and as a whole process writing skills improved among pupils using mind maps. Thus, mind helps improve writing skills as it was a helpful tool to organize one’s thoughts and therefore reduced writer’s block in both native and a foreign language like English Language and it also helped pupils to be more focused on the main ideas and the relevant supporting details without getting lost in minutiae. DISCUSSION Based on the research finding as calculated and tabulated using student’s pretest, post-test, t-test, mean scores, effect size and standard deviation, it was found that the scores of pupils who have been taught writing using the mind map technique was higher compared to pupils who were not taught using the mind map technique. Therefore, this shows mind mapping is an effective tool to help pupils improve their writing skill. This finding supports the previous research conducted by Suyanto (2010) on the effectiveness of the mind map technique to teach writing skill and Bukhari (2016) findings on Mind Mapping Techniques to Enhance EFL Writing Skill. Table 8 Pre-test and Post-test Results

61 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 59 The pupils’ vocabulary or word choices increased as there was more collaborative discussions and mind mapping involved, the sentences formed were more organised, structured and more compound and complex sentences were formed in paragraphs as the use of conjunctions and cohesive devices increased. As their writing skills improved and they understood what they were writing, the confidence while presentation increased and as a whole process writing skills improved among pupils using mind maps. Thus, mind helps improve writing skills as it was a helpful tool to organize one’s thoughts and therefore reduced writer’s block in both native and a foreign language like English Language and it also helped pupils to be more focused on the main ideas and the relevant supporting details without getting lost in minutiae. DISCUSSION Based on the research finding as calculated and tabulated using student’s pretest, post-test, t-test, mean scores, effect size and standard deviation, it was found that the scores of pupils who have been taught writing using the mind map technique was higher compared to pupils who were not taught using the mind map technique. Therefore, this shows mind mapping is an effective tool to help pupils improve their writing skill. This finding supports the previous research conducted by Suyanto (2010) on the effectiveness of the mind map technique to teach writing skill and Bukhari (2016) findings on Mind Mapping Techniques to Enhance EFL Writing Skill. Table 8 Pre-test and Post-test Results ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 60 Table 9 Comparison of Pre-test and Post-Test Result Mind mapping helps in writing because mind map is actually a visual representation of a collection of ideas generated in our mind when we think of a certain topic. Therefore, through mind maps it is easy to extract the ideas into a more visible and organised manner where each ideas are interconnected. This is proved by a study conducted by Farrand, Hussain, and Hennessey (2002) which found that mind mapping was able to improve long term memory of factual information among medical students by 10% because it is proven to be an effective study technique when applied to written material and it encourages ‘deeper level of processing’ for a better memory formation. Furthermore, Toi (2009) through his research found that recalling words among children improved by 32% with the use of the mind mapping technique. In addition, Al-Jarf (2009) from his research findings states that mind mapping is a powerful approach for students to improve their ability to generate, visualize and organise ideas as it promotes creative thinking. Therefore, mind mapping should be used and practiced and integrated in the ESL Classrooms now and also in the future. The researcher would recommend the use of mind map softwares to be explored more in the future and it is hoped with more research done on this software, the price of the software will be more affordable for pupils all around the world to use them in their daily learning journey. Another recommendation is to explore on the integration of mind maps with other online platform like Grammarly and Duolingo where through this integration the process writing skill can be more interesting and fun for the future 21st Century Digital Education Platform.

62 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 61 CONCLUSION As conclusion, mind mapping has many benefits in the form of memorizing information, conducting presentations, solving problems and many others yet to be explored. In this research we looked at mind map as a tool to improve writing skills among ESL learners. According to research, there are three types of learning namely non-learning where information goes in through one ear and goes out through the other ear, route learning where a person has learned something but it’s not connected to anything else in the subject learned and finally meaningful learning where a new knowledge is learned and it is connected to everything else one has learned in that particular subject matter. Mind maps helps in meaningful learning as it encourages the connection building between new and existing knowledge or commonly known as prior knowledge and new knowledge which then indirectly helps strengthen one’s depth of understanding. In my research, mind maps helped my pupils to generate main ideas, elaborate supporting ideas, and organise their ideas in a more structured manner. It also helped them to remember the main ideas and supporting details together with the examples more precisely. Last but not least, with better memorization of main ideas, supporting details and examples, the pupils were able to write out their essays faster and were able to edit and recheck their final piece of writing which then led to a better final piece of writing as a whole. Once they were able and confident that they were able to write better, automatically their engagement during writing task also improved as they really understood the requirement and the flow of the process better. Thus, this improved pupils’ engagement in the ESL Writing classroom. To conclude, the researcher would highly recommend the wide use of mind maps as a tool to improve writing skills among secondary school and higher education students as it not only helps to organise and structure the piece of writing but it also helps in an in-depth understanding of the topic being learned or wrote.

63 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 61 CONCLUSION As conclusion, mind mapping has many benefits in the form of memorizing information, conducting presentations, solving problems and many others yet to be explored. In this research we looked at mind map as a tool to improve writing skills among ESL learners. According to research, there are three types of learning namely non-learning where information goes in through one ear and goes out through the other ear, route learning where a person has learned something but it’s not connected to anything else in the subject learned and finally meaningful learning where a new knowledge is learned and it is connected to everything else one has learned in that particular subject matter. Mind maps helps in meaningful learning as it encourages the connection building between new and existing knowledge or commonly known as prior knowledge and new knowledge which then indirectly helps strengthen one’s depth of understanding. In my research, mind maps helped my pupils to generate main ideas, elaborate supporting ideas, and organise their ideas in a more structured manner. It also helped them to remember the main ideas and supporting details together with the examples more precisely. Last but not least, with better memorization of main ideas, supporting details and examples, the pupils were able to write out their essays faster and were able to edit and recheck their final piece of writing which then led to a better final piece of writing as a whole. Once they were able and confident that they were able to write better, automatically their engagement during writing task also improved as they really understood the requirement and the flow of the process better. Thus, this improved pupils’ engagement in the ESL Writing classroom. To conclude, the researcher would highly recommend the wide use of mind maps as a tool to improve writing skills among secondary school and higher education students as it not only helps to organise and structure the piece of writing but it also helps in an in-depth understanding of the topic being learned or wrote. ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 62 REFERENCES Annisa, R., Subali, B., & Heryanto, W. P. (2018). Peningkatan daya ingat dan hasil belajar siswa dengan mind mapping method pada materi listrik dinamis. JP (Jurnal Pendidikan): Teori dan Praktik, 3(1), 19-23. Brandner, R. (n.d.). Why mind mapping? https://www.mindmeister.com/blog/whymind- mapping/ Bukhari, S. S. F. (2016). Mind mapping technique to enhance EFL writing skill. International Journal of Linguistics and Communication, 4(1), 58-77. Buzan, T. (2006). Mind mapping. Pearson Education. Buzan, T. (2018). Mind map mastery: The complete guide to learning and using the most powerful thinking tool in the universe. Watkins Media Limited. DeBara, D. (2021, December 2021). 5 advantages of mind mapping. https://www.integrify.com/blog/posts/advantages-of-mind-mapping/ Edwards, S., & Cooper, N. (2010). Mind mapping as a teaching resource. The clinical teacher, 7(4), 236-239. Fiktorius, T. (2013). The use of mind-mapping technique in the EFL classroom. University of TanjungPura Publication. Gutrie, G. (2021, June 9). 8 science-backed benefits of mind mapping. https://nulab.com/learn/strategy-and-planning/8-science-backed-benefits-ofmind-mapping/ Kamli, H. M. A. (2019, July 19). The Effect of Using Mind Maps to Enhance EFL Learners' Writing Achievement and Students' Attitudes Towards Writing at Taif University. [Master’s thesis, Taif University]. [email protected] https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.232 Suyanto, A. (2015). The effectiveness of mind mapping in improving students’ writing skill viewed from Their IQ. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 2(2), 2015. Willis, C. L., & Miertschin, S. L. (2006). Mind maps as active learning tools. Journal of computing sciences in colleges, 21(4), 266-272.

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 66 IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL) TO ENHANCE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AMONG FORM SIX STUDENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHUA CHEE KIAT SMK LABUAH, WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN LABUAN email: [email protected] 4 IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL) TO ENHANCE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AMONG FORM SIX STUDENTS 4

68 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 67 IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL) TO ENHANCE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AMONG FORM SIX STUDENTS ABSTRACT The aim of this project paper is to find out the effectiveness of using Project-Based Learning (PBL) in class particularly on Form Six Students who are taking MUET examination. The project required students to work in a group of four, to choose a given topic and to search and look for information via the internet. They planned on the content based on structured requirement and present their findings using powerpoint slides. A quiz in forms of a worksheet which was prepared by the group, was answered by the audience after each presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session; and finally, the group stated its stand or opinion on the topic and to write a 250-word report based on the new MUET writing format. The respondents were 26 Form Six social science students of researcher’s class in 2021. Pre and post-tests in the forms of a 30-question Likert Scale questionnaire based on PBL were answered by the students before and after the project. In general, students found that PBL implemented encouraged them to be more active in learning, allowed an in-depth understanding of the task given and they actively learned from each other’s presentation. A multi directional communication between the teacher and the groups were able to enhance the usage of the language throughout the period the project was carried out and students were able to improve and enhance their proficiency in using the English language particularly in the 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Keywords: Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Self-Learning INTRODUCTION The new intake for STPM students in May 2020 is going to sit for their new CEFR-aligned MUET in September 2021. Students who were respondents in this research are at the age of 18 to 19. They are the young adults who are preparing themselves to enter universities and the PBL reported in this paper was their second project with a higher level of tasks given, mainly to cover the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). The tasks given were debatable social issues with no right or wrong conclusions. Although Form 6 students have gone through 11 years of learning English, they do admit that using the language for daily conversation is not a problem but elaboration and argument of points based on topics given pose a great challenge as they are lack the necessary vocabulary and the general knowledge on current issues. Lacking of a standardized curriculum, text book and teaching materials posed additional challenges to having constructive and creative teaching and learning during class hours.

69 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 67 IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL) TO ENHANCE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AMONG FORM SIX STUDENTS ABSTRACT The aim of this project paper is to find out the effectiveness of using Project-Based Learning (PBL) in class particularly on Form Six Students who are taking MUET examination. The project required students to work in a group of four, to choose a given topic and to search and look for information via the internet. They planned on the content based on structured requirement and present their findings using powerpoint slides. A quiz in forms of a worksheet which was prepared by the group, was answered by the audience after each presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session; and finally, the group stated its stand or opinion on the topic and to write a 250-word report based on the new MUET writing format. The respondents were 26 Form Six social science students of researcher’s class in 2021. Pre and post-tests in the forms of a 30-question Likert Scale questionnaire based on PBL were answered by the students before and after the project. In general, students found that PBL implemented encouraged them to be more active in learning, allowed an in-depth understanding of the task given and they actively learned from each other’s presentation. A multi directional communication between the teacher and the groups were able to enhance the usage of the language throughout the period the project was carried out and students were able to improve and enhance their proficiency in using the English language particularly in the 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Keywords: Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Self-Learning INTRODUCTION The new intake for STPM students in May 2020 is going to sit for their new CEFR-aligned MUET in September 2021. Students who were respondents in this research are at the age of 18 to 19. They are the young adults who are preparing themselves to enter universities and the PBL reported in this paper was their second project with a higher level of tasks given, mainly to cover the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). The tasks given were debatable social issues with no right or wrong conclusions. Although Form 6 students have gone through 11 years of learning English, they do admit that using the language for daily conversation is not a problem but elaboration and argument of points based on topics given pose a great challenge as they are lack the necessary vocabulary and the general knowledge on current issues. Lacking of a standardized curriculum, text book and teaching materials posed additional challenges to having constructive and creative teaching and learning during class hours. ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 68 Problem Statement In a situation that lacks teaching material and references compared to the lower forms, teachers will have to be more resourceful and creative in designing productive lessons and activities that meet the requirement of the students. Students found that the chalk-and-talk method and excessive dependency on their textbook are boring and unproductive and getting students involved in critical thinking for an in-depth argument on current issues and presenting their ideas take great efforts and strategies (Adam, 2018). This will put burden and stress on the researcher as he has to constantly look for ways to make sure the lesson is interesting and at the same time students will benefit from each and every lesson. Therefore, this study seeks to answer, ‘How does PBL work in the MUET classroom in order to achieve the learning objectives?’ Aim The main aim of this research is mainly to identify if a properly planned PBL can be executed and workable to achieve the objectives stated. It is also the aim of this research to look for ways and ideas to continuously improve the design and execution of PBL to bring overall benefits, and to motivate and improve the learning quality of students in obtaining better MUET band results as a whole. Research Objectives The objective of this research is to meet the comprehensive target of students’ self-discovery of their potential in completing a given project to enhance their four skills in improving English proficiency. The listed objectives are as follows. i. to determine the effects of PBL in improving students’ English proficiency. ii. to identify if PBL managed to arouse learning interest and motivate students to reach a critical thinking level. iii. to identify ways PBL work to enhance multi directional communication between groups, class and their teacher. Research Framework The PBL was carried out during class hour with extra time for students to look for materials at their own convenience. Each period consists of 40 minutes with 10 periods of weekly contact hours. The research was conducted based on the following chart.

70 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 69 Figure 1 The PBL Execution Flowchart 1. Form groups 2. Explanation of Project 3. Grouping 4. Pre-Test 1. Search for information 2. Preparation for presentation 3. Prepare Questions * 1. Presentation by group 2. Answer questions 3. Q & A and feedback 1. PostTest 2. Write a 250 word report 2 periods 10 periods 10 periods 2 periods Note: i. The preparation of the PBL was done during class hours with close monitoring and guidance by the teacher. ii. Students were asked to search, identify and prepare materials using the internet outside the school hours. iii. Each group was asked to prepare a 10-question MCQ worksheet related to their presentation. The teacher helped to print and duplicate the worksheet based on the number of students in the class. Worksheets were distributed to audience during presentation and checking of answers was immediately done after the presentation. iv. Right after each presentation, the class was given the opportunity to ask questions or to share additional information regarding the topic presented. The teacher gave comments to the group on the strengths and weaknesses, and to add information to share and enrich the content of each presentation. LITERATURE REVIEW Project-based and problem-based learning are usually described as active, student-centred methods of instruction that encourage students to work in collaborative groups on real-world questions or challenges to promote the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills while teachers act as facilitators of learning. The main reasons for adopting this approach were student disenchantment and boredom caused by the vast amount of information they had to learn with presumably little impact on daily practice (Ferrero et al., 2020). Tiwari et al. (2017) in his paper gave a definition that Project-based learning is an instructional model of inquiry-based learning and is rooted in constructivism in which knowledge and comprehension are constructed by the learner and are built upon his or her past experience. Project-based learning often involves students working together, collaborating to solve a problem or create positive change (Lenz & Larmer, 2020). He also stressed that students should be given projects that are easy but to be gradually increased in difficulty. The chosen project must be suitable for the level of students and objectives set are clear and achievable aside from the teacher being supportive in properly guiding students’ work. According to Tiwari et al. (2017), PBL is a way to engage students to have their ownership over their own learning which is similar to empowering themselves to learn topics of their own interests. Loyens et al., (2018) stated that Self-Learning (SL) is closed linked with PBL as both of them has the similar nature, they were both studentcentred and supposed to be closely guided by the teacher. By conducting PBL, a

71 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 69 Figure 1 The PBL Execution Flowchart 1. Form groups 2. Explanation of Project 3. Grouping 4. Pre-Test 1. Search for information 2. Preparation for presentation 3. Prepare Questions * 1. Presentation by group 2. Answer questions 3. Q & A and feedback 1. PostTest 2. Write a 250 word report 2 periods 10 periods 10 periods 2 periods Note: i. The preparation of the PBL was done during class hours with close monitoring and guidance by the teacher. ii. Students were asked to search, identify and prepare materials using the internet outside the school hours. iii. Each group was asked to prepare a 10-question MCQ worksheet related to their presentation. The teacher helped to print and duplicate the worksheet based on the number of students in the class. Worksheets were distributed to audience during presentation and checking of answers was immediately done after the presentation. iv. Right after each presentation, the class was given the opportunity to ask questions or to share additional information regarding the topic presented. The teacher gave comments to the group on the strengths and weaknesses, and to add information to share and enrich the content of each presentation. LITERATURE REVIEW Project-based and problem-based learning are usually described as active, student-centred methods of instruction that encourage students to work in collaborative groups on real-world questions or challenges to promote the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills while teachers act as facilitators of learning. The main reasons for adopting this approach were student disenchantment and boredom caused by the vast amount of information they had to learn with presumably little impact on daily practice (Ferrero et al., 2020). Tiwari et al. (2017) in his paper gave a definition that Project-based learning is an instructional model of inquiry-based learning and is rooted in constructivism in which knowledge and comprehension are constructed by the learner and are built upon his or her past experience. Project-based learning often involves students working together, collaborating to solve a problem or create positive change (Lenz & Larmer, 2020). He also stressed that students should be given projects that are easy but to be gradually increased in difficulty. The chosen project must be suitable for the level of students and objectives set are clear and achievable aside from the teacher being supportive in properly guiding students’ work. According to Tiwari et al. (2017), PBL is a way to engage students to have their ownership over their own learning which is similar to empowering themselves to learn topics of their own interests. Loyens et al., (2018) stated that Self-Learning (SL) is closed linked with PBL as both of them has the similar nature, they were both studentcentred and supposed to be closely guided by the teacher. By conducting PBL, a ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 70 student will have the autonomy to conduct SL and hence achieving the maximum output required. METHODOLOGY The class was divided into 7 groups. There were 4 groups with 4 members each and 3 groups with only 3 members. Members in each group chose their own team leader and to pick a topic prepared by the researcher and answer a questionnaire on PBL. Then they started a discussion on looking for materials, information and data based on the topic during class hours with assistance and guidance from the teacher, and allocation of additional time lead by group leaders during non-MUET classes. The group then had their division of task, preparation for presentation based on introduction to the chosen topic, negotiation three content points to be developed by each member and the draft for the conclusion. The group leader took the role to develop the introduction and conclusion, while each member in the team took one content point to elaborate. The teacher went from group to group to give guidance, input, resources and motivation. The preparation of presentation slides and questionnaire were done during class hours while the rehearsal for presentation was done during students’ own time. The presentation was based on a prepared schedule during class hour. Finally, each student was asked to complete a post-presentation PBL Questionnaire and the groups produced a write-up of 250 words following the format of MUET Writing Question 2 (opinion-based questions). Figure 2 The Presentation Structure of Each Group Each group will discuss the content points, division of tasks, search and gather information. The group leader will present the introduction and conclusion. Other 3 members are to prepare and elaborate 1 content point. Each presentation slides will be filled with charts, pictures or pictorial information with not more than 10 words in each slide The duration of each presentation is 20 minutes with an addition of 10 minutes for Q & A Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Note: i. Stage 2 and 3 were closely monitored and guided by the researcher.

72 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 71 DATA ANALYSIS The quantitative data, based on a 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire was distributed and collected right after the teacher explained about the project. The questions are self-construct by the researcher. The same questionnaire was given again right after the project was completed. The 30-question questionnaire was categorized into 6 major areas, namely suitability of topic and content, group interaction, the project itself, creation of questions, presentation and impact of the project. The outcome of the data analysis was generated by SPSS and presented as follows. Table 1 Demographic & Telecommunication Facilities No. of Student Percentage Male 6 23.1 Female 20 76.9 Mobile Prepaid 17 65.4 Mobile Post Paid 8 34.6 Home Wifi / Fiber 19 73.1 Based on Table 1, there were a total of 26 respondents where 6 are male and 20 females. All of them had mobile phones with internet access and 17 of them used pre-paid package while 8 of them used post-paid package provided by their own respective telecommunication companies. However, only 73.1% of the students had home wifi or internet connectivity at home. Availability of internet connection especially during non-class hours has restricted the students from preparing and carrying out PBL activities. Students will have to meet at their peers’ home with internet facilities in order to search for relevant materials. Table 2 Feedback of Questionnaire based on the Criteria (Mean) Criteria Pre-Test Post-Test Deviation Percentage Suitability of content and topic 3.774 3.924 0.15 3.97 Group Interaction 4.416 4.100 -0.316 -7.15 The Project Itself 3.844 3.902 0.058 1.50 Question’s creation 3.854 3.852 -0.002 -0.05 Presentation 3.574 3.744 0.17 4.75 Impact of PBL 4.234 4.238 0.004 0.09 Overall 3.949 3.960 0.011 0.28 Based on the pre and post-test, 4 criteria recorded a positive change in perception (Suitability of content and topic, the project itself, presentation and impact of PBL) while 2 criteria recorded a negative change (group interaction and question creation).

73 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 71 DATA ANALYSIS The quantitative data, based on a 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire was distributed and collected right after the teacher explained about the project. The questions are self-construct by the researcher. The same questionnaire was given again right after the project was completed. The 30-question questionnaire was categorized into 6 major areas, namely suitability of topic and content, group interaction, the project itself, creation of questions, presentation and impact of the project. The outcome of the data analysis was generated by SPSS and presented as follows. Table 1 Demographic & Telecommunication Facilities No. of Student Percentage Male 6 23.1 Female 20 76.9 Mobile Prepaid 17 65.4 Mobile Post Paid 8 34.6 Home Wifi / Fiber 19 73.1 Based on Table 1, there were a total of 26 respondents where 6 are male and 20 females. All of them had mobile phones with internet access and 17 of them used pre-paid package while 8 of them used post-paid package provided by their own respective telecommunication companies. However, only 73.1% of the students had home wifi or internet connectivity at home. Availability of internet connection especially during non-class hours has restricted the students from preparing and carrying out PBL activities. Students will have to meet at their peers’ home with internet facilities in order to search for relevant materials. Table 2 Feedback of Questionnaire based on the Criteria (Mean) Criteria Pre-Test Post-Test Deviation Percentage Suitability of content and topic 3.774 3.924 0.15 3.97 Group Interaction 4.416 4.100 -0.316 -7.15 The Project Itself 3.844 3.902 0.058 1.50 Question’s creation 3.854 3.852 -0.002 -0.05 Presentation 3.574 3.744 0.17 4.75 Impact of PBL 4.234 4.238 0.004 0.09 Overall 3.949 3.960 0.011 0.28 Based on the pre and post-test, 4 criteria recorded a positive change in perception (Suitability of content and topic, the project itself, presentation and impact of PBL) while 2 criteria recorded a negative change (group interaction and question creation). ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 72 RESULTS With reference to Table 2, respondents generally agreed that content and topics given were suitable for them with high mean score for pre and post-test (3.774 and 3.924 respectively) and they generally agreed that Presentation helped to boost confidence and improve their English proficiency. The post test showed an improvement of 4.75% on Presentation. The project itself was also found to be helpful in generating opportunities to use the four skills with an increase of 1.5% after project implementation. On the other hand, respondents disagreed that they can work well with their group members (-7.15%) and the creation of quiz questions did not help in their presentation (-0.05%). The overall performance of PBL was positive with a high mean score of 3.960 or an improvement of 0.278% after project implementation. Accuracy of the above scores are purely based on students’ perception based on before and after PBL is carried out; no references or previous research has been conducted to be able to compare with this outcome. DISCUSSION The pre and post-tests generally showed an improvement based on students’ perception regarding PBL but the main challenge in carrying out this project was the availability of the internet connection for students to access materials during class hours. There was no continuation of the project in order to verify if the PBL does answer to the research questions as a whole, that was to improve the proficiency of students’ achievement in their MUET examination. It is suggested that the future research need to be carried out to answer the research question. The researcher agreed with Ferrero (2021) that further research with more specific set objectives and implementation plans needed to be enhanced to strengthen the support for the effectiveness of PBL as a whole. The researcher was aware that he did not help enough in checking the students’ individual presentation drafts and making corrections on their speech or use of the language which probably caused students not enjoying the chances to see their improvement in their language proficiency. Some weaker students were found to be heavily depending on their prepared notes with contents copied from their own resources. This was probably due to students’ own capability in language proficiency. However, it was interesting to note that the PBL carried out was able to generate a scenario where multi-directional communication was successfully aroused especially during the process of preparation for presentation. Students were found to be engaged and actively involved in discussion with their group members. They were also eager to ask the teacher for clarification, guidance and resources related to their assigned topic. Audiences were also actively providing questions and opinions after each presentation. As a conclusion, the researcher believed that PBL is a still a successful and workable project based on the research objectives but there are always rooms for improvement. Based on the current research, focus shall be put more on creating more tasks or interesting topics, to give more time for students’ preparation and to give individual guidance on students’ presentation in future research.

74 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 73 REFERENCES Adams, D. R. (2018). An empirical study on teachers' and students' perception of project-based learning. [Master’s thesis, University of Arkansas]. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2764/ Lenz, B. & Larmer, J. (2020). Project-based learning that makes a difference. Educational Leadership, 77(6), 66-70. Ferrero, M., Vadillo, M. A., & León, S. P. (2021). Is project-based learning effective among kindergarten and elementary students? A systematic review. PLoS ONE 16(4): e0249627. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249627 Loyens, S. M. M., Magda, J., & Rikers, R. M. J. P. (2008). Self-directed learning in problem-based learning and its relationships with self-regulated learning. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 411–427. Tiwari, R., Arya, R. K., & Bansal, M. (2017). Motivating students for project-based learning for application of research methodology skills. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 7(Suppl 1), 4-7.

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 73 REFERENCES Adams, D. R. (2018). An empirical study on teachers' and students' perception of project-based learning. [Master’s thesis, University of Arkansas]. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2764/ Lenz, B. & Larmer, J. (2020). Project-based learning that makes a difference. Educational Leadership, 77(6), 66-70. Ferrero, M., Vadillo, M. A., & León, S. P. (2021). Is project-based learning effective among kindergarten and elementary students? A systematic review. PLoS ONE 16(4): e0249627. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249627 Loyens, S. M. M., Magda, J., & Rikers, R. M. J. P. (2008). Self-directed learning in problem-based learning and its relationships with self-regulated learning. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 411–427. Tiwari, R., Arya, R. K., & Bansal, M. (2017). Motivating students for project-based learning for application of research methodology skills. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 7(Suppl 1), 4-7.

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 76 THE IMPACT OF NEWLY CREATED GAMECREATE FUN LEARNERS (MyVocab2021) ON PUPILS’ VOCABULARY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAYALAKSHMI A/P MURUGIAH SK JALAN BELLAMY, WILAYAH PERSEKUTAN KUALA LUMPUR email: [email protected] 5 THE IMPACT OF NEWLY CREATED GAMECREATE FUN LEARNERS (MyVocab2021) ON PUPILS’ VOCABULARY 5

78 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 77 THE IMPACT OF NEWLY CREATED GAMECREATE FUN LEARNERS (MYVOCAB2021) ON PUPILS’ VOCABULARY ABSTRACT This study explores whether the usage of a newly invented game named Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) improves pupils’ level of vocabulary contrasted with the teacher-fronted approach. Pupils from Year 5 face challenges in spelling and composing straightforward words because of the less adequate level of vocabulary among them. A new game-Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) was designed for pupils to overcome this problem. In addition, this game motivates them to learn vocabulary in a fun way and pupils will also think smartly in solving vocabulary quiz. This study aims to facilitate new mastery techniques among primary school category intermediate level students, expand the vocabulary or terms of the subject through fun game methods and stimulate logical thinking in solving problems using the vocabulary or vocabulary and terms of other subjects. Twenty-two respondents were chosen from Year 5 for this study. These respondents are from the same capability level, which is the medium capability, and same age bunch, which is eleven years of age. These respondents were separated as pairs, which is a piece of the game principles. The study was carried out for ten weeks with various methodologies. Firstly, a combination of boggle (word search) and spelling tests were administered as a pre-test for the respondents. Secondly, respondents have gone through a session on how to play this new game (Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021) with guidelines and demonstrations. Ten weeks later, spelling tests were administered as a post-test for the respondents. Furthermore, interviews were completed, and video recordings were taken during this study. Results show that a large portion of the respondents, nineteen of them (86%), encountered improvement in their vocabulary. Three of the respondents (14%) didn't show drastic improvement. Overall, this game proved to be useful in pupils’ vocabulary improvement. Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021 is a game-based learning method that made learning exciting and informative. Keywords: Spelling, Improve Vocabulary, Game-based, Learning Method, Fun Learners INTRODUCTION Vocabulary plays an important role in teaching English effectively, especially for primary school pupils. A low level of vocabulary mastery is one of the reasons why pupils having difficulties in communicating in English. The ability to master vocabulary, at least a word a day allows pupils to master English words slowly and steadily. Generally, pupils want something fun and exciting in their daily life, which also motivates them to move forward in life. Games play an essential role in developing a high level of vocabulary among pupils. Based on the concept and idea of the Master Mind game, this game (MyVocab2021) was created for Year 5 pupils. Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) involves a board consisting of a laminated A4 sheet and pasted on a magnetic sheet, along with a game cover consisting of a toothpaste box as well as colored and colorless magnets. Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021)

79 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 77 THE IMPACT OF NEWLY CREATED GAMECREATE FUN LEARNERS (MYVOCAB2021) ON PUPILS’ VOCABULARY ABSTRACT This study explores whether the usage of a newly invented game named Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) improves pupils’ level of vocabulary contrasted with the teacher-fronted approach. Pupils from Year 5 face challenges in spelling and composing straightforward words because of the less adequate level of vocabulary among them. A new game-Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) was designed for pupils to overcome this problem. In addition, this game motivates them to learn vocabulary in a fun way and pupils will also think smartly in solving vocabulary quiz. This study aims to facilitate new mastery techniques among primary school category intermediate level students, expand the vocabulary or terms of the subject through fun game methods and stimulate logical thinking in solving problems using the vocabulary or vocabulary and terms of other subjects. Twenty-two respondents were chosen from Year 5 for this study. These respondents are from the same capability level, which is the medium capability, and same age bunch, which is eleven years of age. These respondents were separated as pairs, which is a piece of the game principles. The study was carried out for ten weeks with various methodologies. Firstly, a combination of boggle (word search) and spelling tests were administered as a pre-test for the respondents. Secondly, respondents have gone through a session on how to play this new game (Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021) with guidelines and demonstrations. Ten weeks later, spelling tests were administered as a post-test for the respondents. Furthermore, interviews were completed, and video recordings were taken during this study. Results show that a large portion of the respondents, nineteen of them (86%), encountered improvement in their vocabulary. Three of the respondents (14%) didn't show drastic improvement. Overall, this game proved to be useful in pupils’ vocabulary improvement. Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021 is a game-based learning method that made learning exciting and informative. Keywords: Spelling, Improve Vocabulary, Game-based, Learning Method, Fun Learners INTRODUCTION Vocabulary plays an important role in teaching English effectively, especially for primary school pupils. A low level of vocabulary mastery is one of the reasons why pupils having difficulties in communicating in English. The ability to master vocabulary, at least a word a day allows pupils to master English words slowly and steadily. Generally, pupils want something fun and exciting in their daily life, which also motivates them to move forward in life. Games play an essential role in developing a high level of vocabulary among pupils. Based on the concept and idea of the Master Mind game, this game (MyVocab2021) was created for Year 5 pupils. Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) involves a board consisting of a laminated A4 sheet and pasted on a magnetic sheet, along with a game cover consisting of a toothpaste box as well as colored and colorless magnets. Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 78 provided with the above equipment where pupils will play in pairs. One creates the word as well as arranges the word on a magnetic sheet using a colorless magnet, covers the word with the cover of the created game, and asks his partner to guess the word. This pair of pupils will guess and arrange the words on the same board based on the guidelines and the number of letters required. This experiment is a maximum of ten times. Players will give clues to the opponent by arranging colored magnets based on numbered squares on the adjacent game board, i.e. ‘Vocab Guide’. The indication used is a green magnet indicating that the letters arranged are correct and exactly on the correct square/ row @ column. The red magnet serves as an indication that the stacked letters are wrong and the yellow magnets indicate that the stacked letters exist but are stacked in the wrong square. Creation Games Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) creates logical thinking skills among students, learn vocabulary or vocabulary in Malay, English and language of other subjects are widely through fun and educational methods. Usage of games in teaching vocabulary in schools, help pupils remember words easily. This technique boosts confidence and instils positive thinking among pupils in learning English without hesitation. To increase pupils' involvement in this game, the teacher rewards the winners. These pupils had no English background at home, which assisted them to understand some words in English. This game (MyVocab2021) is an innovation to facilitate teaching and learning techniques in schools. Pupils are being active, having fun, and think logically in completing their missions, play while learning is an effort to improve vocabulary mastery, recognize keywords and other word terms. Problem Statement Pupils from Year 5 faced difficulties in spelling and writing simple words during English lessons in the classroom due to a less adequate level of vocabulary among them. To overcome this problem, a new game - Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) was designed for pupils, to motivate them to learn vocabulary in a fun way. Besides that, pupils will also think logically in solving vocabulary quiz. Objective This study aimed to explore the use of the newly created board game- Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) in teaching vocabulary among Year 5 pupils. Based on this study, new mastery techniques facilitated among primary school category intermediate level students, vocabulary or terms of the subject expanded through fun game methods and makes pupils intelligent in solving problems using the vocabulary or vocabulary and terms of other subjects. The pre-test and post-test results were presented using the board game Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021).

80 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 79 Conceptual Framework This conceptual framework was based on several steps and Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) innovation revenue chronology. Figure 1 Conceptual Framework Pupils from Year 5 faced challenges in spelling and composing straightforward words. A combination of boggle (word search) and spelling tests were administered as a pre-test for the respondents. Introduced the game Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) Respondents had gone through a session on how to play this new game - Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) with guidelines and demonstrations. Spelling tests were administered as a post-test for the respondents after ten weeks. Scores were recorded. Interviews were held and video recordings were taken during this study. Re-explained the concept of Create Fun Learners - MyVocab2021 through improvements to the target group. Respondents’ achievement was shown in tables and graph. LITERATURE REVIEW The current paper has looked into the impacts of utilizing games on further developing jargon learning in English as an unknown dialect of English as a second language setting. One of the troublesome aspects of learning the objective language for English language students is the securing of jargon. Utilizing instructive games for showing jargon has been very mainstream for a very long while. Various examinations uncovered those games are valuable in jargon learning since they upgrade understudies' capacity to remember words, empower understudy's collaboration, work on their informative abilities and improve understudies' inspiration. Games additionally

81 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 79 Conceptual Framework This conceptual framework was based on several steps and Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) innovation revenue chronology. Figure 1 Conceptual Framework Pupils from Year 5 faced challenges in spelling and composing straightforward words. A combination of boggle (word search) and spelling tests were administered as a pre-test for the respondents. Introduced the game Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) Respondents had gone through a session on how to play this new game - Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) with guidelines and demonstrations. Spelling tests were administered as a post-test for the respondents after ten weeks. Scores were recorded. Interviews were held and video recordings were taken during this study. Re-explained the concept of Create Fun Learners - MyVocab2021 through improvements to the target group. Respondents’ achievement was shown in tables and graph. LITERATURE REVIEW The current paper has looked into the impacts of utilizing games on further developing jargon learning in English as an unknown dialect of English as a second language setting. One of the troublesome aspects of learning the objective language for English language students is the securing of jargon. Utilizing instructive games for showing jargon has been very mainstream for a very long while. Various examinations uncovered those games are valuable in jargon learning since they upgrade understudies' capacity to remember words, empower understudy's collaboration, work on their informative abilities and improve understudies' inspiration. Games additionally ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 80 can assist the instructors with making settings where the language is valuable and significant (Derakshan & Khatir, 2015). Essentially, an examination has led to an investigation on the impact of games on the progress of Iranian EFL jargon information in kindergartens. The point of their investigation was to figure out how to help youthful EFL students fix the clever jargon to them. The investigation was led at two kindergartens. The trial bunch gives an online language showing game and the benchmark group gives standard instructing. The aftereffect of their examination uncovered that Games did not just carry a good time for students to the class, however, they additionally propel students and work on their certainty (Aslanabadi & Rasouli, 2013). Besides that, Aghlara and Tamjid (2011) proposed that understudies who utilized games for their learning moved to the next level in learning new words contrasted with the individuals who took in a similar jargon through customary strategy. As indicated by an examination on showing jargon through games - a cheery advance, jargon is dominating in working on one's open ability. Language is all the more impressive when it is being utilized impeccably. Educators ought to consider the foundation of students and help them to learn and foster their jargon from multiple points of view particularly through games. Sufficient information on jargon is one of the reasons for the disappointment of understudies in instructive foundations. The English instructor assumes a prevalent part to assist her understudies with securing adequate jargon to appreciate. Language is all the more impressive when it is being utilized impeccably. The more it is utilized, the better it is learned. Educators ought to furnish understudies with freedoms to assist them with procuring dominance over the utilization of words. Understudies need something comprehensive, something invigorating, and something new with a cut of life in it (Anil, 2011). An assessment reliant upon the effects of instructive games on working with understudies' language learning was conducted by Dolati & Mikaili (2011). The study was to acquire data about the job of the games in the degree of jargon learning among understudies. The participants of the study were 70 female understudies the age of 12-13 years of age who were chosen from one of the Iranian grade schools in Iran. To lead this investigation, they use pre-test and post-test. by breaking down the pre-test and post-test they found that applying games have a significant job in instructing vocabulary to the language students, they additionally found that game has its potential as an instructive apparatus for abstract preparing and can inspire and connect with students particularly the peaceful and aloof ones in the entire learning measure (Dolati and Mikaili, 2011). In light of examination on the impacts of showing English through games, the discoveries uncovered those understudies had essentially worked on jargon information and capacity to convey. Additionally, they would in general have more uplifting outlooks towards learning English through games. Concerning results, it tends to be suggested that utilizing games in showing English is advantageous to novices particularly those in elementary school (Chirandon et al., 2010).

82 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 81 METHODOLOGY Data collection started by conducting a Spelling Bee (Pre-Test) for 22 respondents from a primary school. These respondents were from the same proficiency level, which was medium proficiency. These scores were recorded in the spelling score sheet as pre-test results. The teacher introduced a new board game named Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) to these respondents. Teacher records video of pupils playing board game-MyVocab2021. A few weeks later, the Spelling Bee was conducted as a post-test. These scores were recorded in the spelling score sheet as a post-test result. Comparison of respondents' scores based on pre-test and post-test were analysed. There were several methods adopted in this study to collect data as explained below: Twenty-two pupils from Year 5 were selected for this study. They were from the same proficiency level, which is medium proficiency. Invention of a new game The teacher created a new game to make pupils interested in learning vocabulary. The game was named Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021 (Refer to Figure 1). Guidelines on how to play this game was laminated and shown to players (Refer to Figure 3). This game was made of magnetic sheets, magnets, alphabets laminated in coloured papers, cover which is made of reused products. Two players played this game at the same time (Refer to Figure 2). Clues were given to the player during this game. Coloured magnets are used as indicators of correct and wrong answers. (Refer to Figure 4). At the end of this game, players who managed to figure out the answer faster, within ten rounds, and obtained fewer red magnets are considered winners of the game. Figure 2 Figure 3 A newly invented game Demonstration on how to play ‘CreateFun Learners-MyVocab2021’ ‘Create Fun LearnersMyVocab2021’

83 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 82 Figure 4 Figure 5 Guidelines on how to play Image of the game CreateFunLearnerCreateFunLearner-MyVocab2021 MyVocab2021 played by respondents Interviews The teacher conducted interviews (pre and post) by asking several questions to pupils. The list of questions asked during an interview of this study: i. What are the problems you face when learning vocabulary? ii. Does this game help you in learning new words? iii. How do you play this game? iv. Shall we play this game often, to improve our vocabulary? Video Recordings The teacher taught the pupils on how to play this game. Then pupils were asked to play this game in pairs. While they were playing, the teacher records them. These video recordings will be used to guide the next batch of respondents in the future. Boggle (word search) Respondents were shown the word ‘HANKERCHIEF’ and asked to make as many words as they can as pre-test and post-test activities. Spelling Bee Test Pupils were evaluated by giving them the same set of words through spelling bee as pre-test and post-test. RESULTS Data Analysis Results of pre-test and post-test of spelling bee activity were analysed based on our twenty-two respondents. Most of the respondents had shown better results in spelling bee after playing this game. This game helped our respondents not only learning new words but also memorizing words. Interviews were carried out among twenty-two respondents from the proficiency level. Most respondents enjoyed playing this newly invented game. In addition, they were interested to learn new words, which is a positive impact of this study. Another activity, word boggle, where pupils were asked

84 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 83 to create as many words as they can also had shown vocabulary improvement. Respondents abled to create more words using the word ‘HANKERCHIEF’ during their post-test. This new game taught them more new words and functioned as a vocabulary booster for pupils. Table 1 List of spelling for year 5 respondents (both pre-test and post-test) Spelling List Year 5 Town Monument Café finished Currency Famous Library dangerous Favourite Sports Opposite tourist Message Japanese Noisy transport Speakers Especially cleaner shopping centre Table 2 Respondents spelling score for pre-test and post-test No. Name Spelling Score Pre-test Post-test 1. Iman 1 3 2. Syahirah 9 15 3. Abid 0 2 4. Darwisy 8 15 5. Qhaira 17 20 6. Farish 18 20 7. Rayyan 12 16 8. Iffah 14 18 9. Atiq 18 20 10. Iqbal 12 18 11. Auni 8 15 12. Alya 11 15 13. Haziq 7 16 14. Danish 2 4 15. Fazeela 13 16 16. Keisha 14 16 17. Dayana 14 17 18. Intan 4 7 19. Sakinah 12 16 20. Shah jiehan 0 1 21. Alya 10 18 22. Putri 2 5

85 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 84 Figure 6 Comparison of spelling scores by respondents using Create Fun LearnersMyVocab2021 Based on the pre-test and post-test, the results of pupils generally increased. Some of the respondents' results remain the same but most of the respondents' scores increased after using the newly invented game Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021). DISCUSSION Usage of games in teaching vocabulary, not only increases pupil’s knowledge in learning new words but also cultivates the interest in learning something new. Pupils take initiative by reading books, refer to dictionaries, and surf the internet to learn new words. Once they learn new words, they apply them to this game by testing the opposite team player. In this way, pupils start to have confidence in trying something new and different in which helps them to develop their language skills. This game helps pupils to remember new words and implement them while spelling words, writing tasks, and while communicating with people. CONCLUSION As an overall study, this newly invented game Create Fun LearnersMyVocab2021 gives a positive impact on pupils' vocabulary improvement. 19 respondents (86%) had shown good improvement meanwhile, 3 respondents (14%) didn’t show drastic improvement (Refer to Figure 5). Pupils learn new words daily, remembers English words while playing this game. This helps them to spells and write simple words during English lessons in the classroom. Create Fun Learners (MyVocab2021) is a stepping stone for pupils to master English as a second language. 1 9 0 8 17 18 12 14 18 12 8 11 7 2 13 14 14 4 12 0 10 3 2 15 2 15 20 20 16 18 20 18 15 15 16 4 16 16 17 7 16 1 18 5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Spelling scores Name of Respondents Comparison of Spelling Scores By Respondents Using Create Fun Learners-MyVocab2021 Spelling Score Pre-test Spelling Score Post-test

86 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 85 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, praises to God for giving me the strength to complete my study. I would like to thank ICEL Organization, my school headmaster, senior assistants, my parents, my siblings, colleagues, and pupils (year 5) for all the assistance, moral support, and encouragement.

87 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 85 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, praises to God for giving me the strength to complete my study. I would like to thank ICEL Organization, my school headmaster, senior assistants, my parents, my siblings, colleagues, and pupils (year 5) for all the assistance, moral support, and encouragement. ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 86 REFERENCES Aghlara, L. and Tamjid, N.H. (2011) The effect of digital games on Iranian children’s vocabulary retention in foreign language acquisition. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 552-560. Anil, B. (2011). Teaching vocabulary through games--A Sanguine Step. Journal on English Language Teaching, 1(4), 46-50. Aslanabadi, H., & Rasouli, G. (2013). The effect of games on improvement of Iranian EFL vocabulary knowledge in kindergartens. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 6(1), 186-195. Chirandon, A., Laohawiriyanon, C., & Rakthong, A. The Effects of Teaching English through Games. (2010, April 10). The 2nd International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. Derakhshan, A., & Khatir, E. D. (2015). The effects of using games on English vocabulary learning. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(3), 39-47. Dolati, R., & Mikaili, P. (2011). Opinions related to the main reasons on Iranian Students difficulties in Spoken English proficiency. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(11), 1142–1148.

ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 90 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE USE OF VIDEO AND AUDIO MEDIA IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PUNGODI A/P SHANMUGAM SMK AIR PUTIH, PAHANG email: [email protected] 6 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE USE OF VIDEO AND AUDIO MEDIA IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION 6

92 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 91 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE USE OF VIDEO AND AUDIO MEDIA IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION ABSTRACT Video has been applied as a tool in designing Instruction to optimize Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Little research has been done on the effects of this tool on English language learning especially in the context of vocabulary instruction. The current empirical study attempts to investigate the use of video and audio in vocabulary acquisition. Video has significant effects on vocabulary learning among students. In this mixed-mode study, data is gathered using a pretest-posttest and delayed post-test design. Specifically, the participants of 20 students from a school in Port Dickson would be assigned into two groups to administer the video and audio vocabulary acquisition. The pre and post activities related to the British Animated Video require participants answering VKS test and fill-in-the-blanks. The improvement on students` vocabulary knowledge is determined by analyzing the score obtained. This study helps to investigate the use of video and audio for vocabulary acquisition and contribute to the body of knowledge on vocabulary teaching instruction. This study has shown that students can acquire vocabulary through audio and video. However, most of the students prefer video then audio because it illustrates visual examples to help develop understanding in vocabulary acquisition. Keywords: Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Vocabulary acquisition, VKS test, Video, Audio INTRODUCTION Second Language Acquisition (SLA) researchers are expanding at a tremendous speed, with the exploration of new technologies to see how they facilitate language learning. There are many instructional materials prepared with or without using technologies which have altogether changed the role of the educators. Multimedia technology is used in almost every aspect of language including speaking, listening, reading, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar (Chun, 2016). It is not too much to say that a combination of second language acquisition and technology has fruitful effects on learners and educators. According to Chun (2016), the research on CALL is no longer focused on the effectiveness of technology but it has gone deeper into researching the specific features of computer-based materials which can help the specific types of L2 learners in a particular language learning task. Furthermore, technology has become both a research tool and a medium for teaching and learning. For example, the negotiation of meaning using computer software, multimodal presentation of video using subtitles or without subtitles, hyperglosses and online dictionaries are used in the research of vocabulary and reading. Even mobile phones, tabs, wikis and chats are used to investigate the sociocultural aspects of language learning (Elola and Oskoz, 2010 in Chun, 2016). Technology as a research tool is used widely to study the construct of noticing by recording participants’ eye gaze while they are engaged in a short chat interaction task. Other technologies such as an Intelligent Language Tutoring System, can provide information on errors and feedbacks to learners (Chun, 2016).

93 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 92 Statement of the Problem There has been much debate on settling for an effective and efficient tool for learning vocabulary. Ever since the Grammar Translation Method in the 18th century, reading was used as a way to improve vocabulary knowledge. Hill and Laufer (2003) claimed that extensive reading has caused vocabulary growth. They also stated that a learner needs to know 3,000-word families or 5000 lexical items to cover 90-95% of any text. Furthermore, guessing a meaning using contextual clue is difficult because consistent good guessing is needed to know 98% of the words in the text. According to them, the native speakers know 5,000 words in primary school and gradually develop their vocabulary size by 1,000 words per year. The average L2 vocabulary size of a graduate student ranges from 1,500- and 4,000-word families from reading, which is one fifth of the total vocabulary size of a graduate student with 20,000 word families (Goulden, Nation, & Read, 1990). The pick-up rates of unfamiliar words from short or long text are1 to 5 words from a text of more than 1,000 words (Hulstijn, 1992). This clearly proves that incidental vocabulary learning through reading has a very small gain. According to Haynes (1993), this is probably because of the lack of contextual clue in most reading texts. According to Hill and Laufer (2003) a Second Language Learner would have to read 420 novels to increase by 2,000 words. However, in order to improve incidental vocabulary learning, reading is proven to be a time–consuming method and a process that is difficult to implement. It is a huge problem for the educators who are still using reading as the only way to improve vocabulary. It is known that in Malaysia reading is still regarded as the only way to improve language by vocabulary acquisition. As such in a multimedia environment, the researcher believes that incidental vocabulary learning can be enhanced by using visual and sound. This study is believed to shed light on incidental vocabulary learning through visual and sound that supports the statement that the dual mode is a better way of remembering a word than single mode, either textual or visual alone. This is because dual mode vocabulary acquisition involves both verbal code and non-verbal code to manipulate a word. In Malaysia, there is lack of study on vocabulary acquisition. This could be because the importance of vocabulary is less emphasized in schools. Teachers do not teach vocabulary explicitly, but it is taught just to understand a text. This means that the teachers do not have a specific method that emphasizes vocabulary acquisition among students. This could be because there is no syllabus in the English Curriculum Specification that requires the teachers to teach vocabulary explicitly (English Curriculum specifications, 2003). English language proficiency in Malaysia is deteriorating. Therefore, there is a growing concern about the level of English proficiency among students. Virtual Learning Environment is introduced to exert powerful motivation by providing exciting new ways to learn the language (Bakar, 2006). According to Bakar (2006), teachers are very much prone to traditional methods of teaching and they have the attitude that the multimedia technologies are only for younger teachers. As a result, their attitude impedes them from acquiring the knowledge on multimedia use in English language teaching. Bakar (2006) stated that the teachers do not have enough knowledge on multimedia and the teachers have the perception that learning to use multimedia is

94 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 93 not an easy task. This is proven by a study conducted by Hussein (2014), on the usage of Virtual Learning Environment among teachers which revealed that the teachers lack the readiness and possess inadequate skills in accessing Frog VLE. Language Learners in Malaysia find difficulties in acquiring their four skills of language: listening, speaking, reading and writing because of their limited vocabulary knowledge. In order to solve the problem, effective vocabulary learning should be given serious attention (Yunus, 2016). In the study conducted by Yunus (2016), to evaluate the form three Malaysian textbooks, he found that the textbooks are weak in terms of their vocabulary presentation in vocabulary items. This proves that vocabulary is not given the priority automatically causing hindrance in language acquisition. The findings from this study support the Dual Coding Theory, which states that information is much easier to retain and retrieve when it is coded in verbal and visual forms (Paivio, 1991). Research Objectives English as Second Language Acquisition involves the competency in vocabulary knowledge. Vocabulary helps learners to improve reading, writing and speaking. As such, the study aims to investigate how the methods facilitate the process of delivering vocabulary knowledge to learners using technologies of video and audio. Research Questions Using a mixed mode method, this study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. How do the use of video and audio facilitate students` performance on vocabulary acquisition? 2. What are the students` perceptions of their learning of vocabulary using video and audio?

95 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 ESL Practitioner Journal, Issue 10, 2022 94 Theoretical Framework Cognitive Theory of Multimedia According to the Cognitive Theory proposed by Mayer (2002), information is processed in three systems, namely sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. When a word or picture is presented, it is captured in our eyes or in ears to activate cognitive processing. In this process, all the information is organized to represent in the form of a picture model or a verbal model. This knowledge is integrated with other prior knowledge to be stored in the long-term memory. Cognitive Theory is based on three assumptions that they are dual channels, limited capacity and active processing. The dual channel is similar to Paivio`s Dual Coding Theory, which states that there are separate information processing channels for visual and audio inputs. The limited capacity assumption states that the limited amount of information can be processed in each channel. This is because readers can retain information on images for only a few seconds in their memory. The active process refers to active processes such as paying attention, organizing incoming information and connecting information with prior knowledge. Another theory related to Paivio’s dual coding theory is the generative theory of Meyer (1997). According to the theory, multimedia instruction draws meaningful learning. Learners of vocabulary known as „knowledge constructor` interconnect visual and verbal knowledge until meaningful learning takes place. The learners` engagement in visual and verbal information which is received through eyes and ears, enable them to enter the working memory. This information will be organized by learners in a coherent way by integrating and connecting until it becomes a meaningful learning Dual Coding Theory This subsection is dedicated to the Dual Coding Theory developed by Paivio (1991). This theory is related to the information processing of visual information which is stored in the memory. According to the theory, both the memory and cognition are two different systems with different functions. The verbal system and visual system store information in different characteristics. Verbal system stores words and sentences called Logogens which is in discrete but sequential units. On the other hand, the visual system has a picturelike storage called Imagens. The description which is in the form of verbal form has to be lengthier and sequential to achieve higher level of detail. When describing a human face, both visual and verbal information has t to be in different forms to achieve equal input for information processing. In the visual input, a picture of a human face shows all the units of information such as the face shape, eye shape, the nose and the mouth whereas for verbal information all the units shown in the picture need to be described in detail sequentially to reach the same level of detail as in visual information.