ENGLISH LANGUAGE E-PROCEEDING

able to show how violent and brutal they can be by showing images of decapitated heads,
suicide killings and destructive bombings. One famous example was a video released in 2015
by Al Hayat Media Center, entitled, “A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the
Cross". The video showcased the slaughtering of 21 Christian men on a beach in Libya. They
were beheaded with such brutality by the ISIS soldiers and at the end of the video; it
showed the Mediterranean Sea being filled with the blood of the hostages (Durie, 2015).

Furthermore, Podder and Gates (2015) added how ISIS online communication would appeal
to the Westerners as their video production caters to the Western lifestyles and values.
They can appeal to the Western youth as their online videos take a more modern approach.
They utilize more visual imagery compared to text and that they would have catchy music in
the background and provide subtitles for better understanding. An example would be a
music video titled “Hijrah” which was released in 2015 by Al Hayat Media Center. The catchy
song lyrics and the acapella vocal arrangement in the video was ISIS way to appeal to the
younger generation. The video was also enhanced with the images of soldiers portraying
their innate strength and readiness for battle (Al Mutairi, 2017). The messages throughout
the video also affirm that ISIS will continue to be victorious against the West as their
virtuous lives and true faith will lead them to victory.

The Islamic State would also highlight the wrongdoings of their enemies while painting
themselves as good people who have done many good deeds for the sake of Allah (Podder
& Gates, 2015). Connor (2018) stated that ISIS released a video, “Answer the Call” in 2017
where they highlighted how the United States have done many attacks towards the Muslim
population and that they deserve to be killed. The English language video contained song
lyrics saying, “kill them all, it is now time to rise, slit their throats, watch them die” which
calls upon the audience to unite and kill the enemies of Islam. Another example by Al
Mutairi (2017) mentioned the release of an ISIS video called “Blood for Blood.” This video
which mimics the style of a Western music video depicts a restless young boy who wanders
around the land of destroyed buildings. This was a way to show how much damage has been
done by the forces of the West in the young boy’s neighbourhood. The video included lyrics
saying “Your soldiers kill our children and you call them heroes? You show no remorse for
the thousands you killed... You are liars and manipulators.” These lyrics are to evoke
emotional hatred towards the West among the audience.

CNN News (2015) also reported the released of an ISIS video, “The Cubs of the Caliphate,”
which showed children of ISIS who are being trained to kill. The content of this online video
shows the imagery of young boys training with weapons such as AK47 assault rifles and are
thought to create destructive bombs. These children are seen to be taking part in military
training where they use knives and guns as weapons and teddy bears as their training
target. In the video, one child was seen taking a knife where he beheads a teddy bear as
part of his training. This kind of videos by the Islamic State tells the audience that the
younger generation of ISIS are well cared for, well-trained and are ready to fight in the path
of Allah against the infidels.

184

2.4 ISIS’ Online Media Operation

ISIS would not have spread their ideologies without the help of their production company,
Al Hayat Media Center. Al Hayat Media Center is an institution which is responsible for the
production and distribution of ISIS’ online videos. Taneja (2017) discovered how ISIS would
employ highly educated jihadis to operate their social media operations. The stylization of
its online media content would contain a much more ‘westernized’ production value. ISIS
would release footage of their terrorist attacks, military strategies and recruitment videos
for their targeted viewers. This is to demonstrate their continuous military strength in
combating their enemies and to gain the support of more potential recruits (Gambhir,
2016).

The need to appeal to the public is what shapes how ISIS would conduct its online media
activities. They would have a great emphasis towards three apparent areas; the quality of
the produced media, the types of operations which appeals to the public and the
incorporation of religious ideologies into their content (Milton, 2016). ISIS recognizes the
need to make their content more visually attractive in order to appeal to a much wider
audience which includes casual viewers and less-religiously inclined individuals.

Furthermore, Milton (2016) mentioned that it is worth noting how ISIS strategizes the
release of its content by prioritizing certain operations over others. They would discuss
among media officials on what piques the interest of their targeted viewers in order to stay
relevant. They will discuss whether there is a need to show their viewers suicidal operations,
beheading assassinations, downing of aircrafts or other events such as military operations
and missile launches. He further adds how ISIS would implement religious elements into the
making of their online content. Media officials are instructed to create their contents based
on the rules contained in the Islamic law. Such actions prove that the group places great
emphasis on maintaining the ideology of Islamic purity in their organization and in their
online content.

Dukhan (2017) in his work mentioned how ISIS would depict the life of being an ISIS
member as idyllic through the publishing of photos and videos of their activities. ISIS would
even use music such as nasheeds in their messages as an effective attempt to appeal to the
younger Muslim viewers. This helps portray a softer side of the Islamic State as its content
focuses more on the beauty of being part of the Islamic State rather than focusing on the
violent nature of wars and fights (Dukhan, 2017). Most of the nasheeds are sung in the
Arabic language and contains messages that motivate people to the call of jihad. This type of
music is considered as highly persuasive as well, as it appeals to the emotions of its
listeners. The nasheeds are designed in a way where it is sung in a soft, sympathetic and
melodious voice. It romanticizes the concept of brutality and emotionalizes the idea of
violence. Therefore, it can evoke the feelings of their listeners which leads to the
normalization of violence and brutality.

In another study, Berube (2018) explained how ISIS videos are well received by viewers as it
would feature ISIS members from various types of ethnicities, nationalities and linguistic
backgrounds. Many of them are namely from Western countries such as Canada, Australia,
America, the United Kingdom and are fluent in English (Berube, 2018). In addition, the

185

videos produced would rely heavily on the narration given by the speakers, often selecting
young males who can speak directly to the targeted viewers. Meanwhile, Taneja (2017)
reported that ISIS’ recruitment videos were filmed using 4K high-definition cameras and
drones. They employed cinematic production, good use of music and various high-quality
editing skills when it comes to their videos

2.5 The Multilingual Approach in ISIS’ Online Strategy

According to Daleen and Shi (2018), since the emergence of ISIS, they have successfully
persuaded people through their online content which is made accessible globally. ISIS videos
produced under Al Hayat Media Center were in Arabic, however English translations were
provided as subtitles and vice versa. ISIS discovers this as a useful feature as it does a double
duty of appealing to both Middle Eastern Arabic audiences and Muslims who are living in
English speaking countries such as the US and UK. It is also available in several languages
such as Arabic, English, Turkish, German, Urdu, Russian, Hebrew and even French (La
France, 2017).

To gain supporters in South-east Asia, ISIS once released a video entitled, “Education in the
Caliphate”. According to Strait Times Asia (2015), the video featured about 20 Malay
speaking boys, both from Malaysia and Indonesia. In the video, one of the speakers spoke in
Malay, informing the audience the needs for financial funds and their invitation to join the
Islamic State. The video also showcased the military training of Indonesian, Malaysian and
even Thai children who have joined ISIS. The message of ISIS was to tell their audience that
these children will be the future fighters and that no matter how hard the enemies will
fight; they will continuously produce more young recruits who will continue their legacy.

Furthermore, ISIS has also up their propaganda efforts as they appeal towards those in post-
Soviet countries. A propaganda video released by Furat Media entitled, “Unity of the
Mujahideen of the Caucasus” featured Russian-speaking militants. The video provides the
message of hatred towards the United States authorities and that ISIS will wage wars
against them. Other than that, a French-speaking militant from ISIS was also featured in
their online propaganda videos. The video was released after the ISIS attack on Paris in
November 2015. The speaker who spoke in French tells his audience that ISIS will make
more attacks on the West to a point that they will forget about the September 11 incident.
According to the Strait Times Asia (2016), the video also shows the militant beheading five
kneeling men at the end of the 8 minutes video.

ISIS even featured a masked Hebrew-speaking militant as an attempt to appeal to viewers
living in the Jewish state. The 16 minutes video was released by SITE Intel Group. According
to Naylor (2015), the speaker sends the message of ISIS threatening to eradicate Jews from
the Holy Land. He highlights the numerous deaths that Israelis have committed towards the
Palestinians and that in the future, there will be war by ISIS against the Israelis. It was ISIS’
efforts to gain support from Palestinians however reports have shown that most
Palestinians were against any violent movements from ISIS.

ISIS has always been smart when it comes to understanding their targeted audience.
Hendricks (2018) saw how ISIS can understand how culture affects the acceptance of

186

persuasion. Therefore, ISIS has considered that understanding the culture of their
international audience is just as important when creating their online content. When trying
to understand culture, Hall (1976) introduced a theory discussing how culture is divided into
two, namely, high context (HC) culture and low context (LC) culture. High context cultures
refer to those who are from Asia, Middle East, and South America while low context
cultures refer to those from North America, Northern Europe and Australia.

Hall’s (1976) theory further explains how HC and LC cultures practice collectivistic and
individualistic values respectively and have their own preference in communication. Those
from high context community are more likely to focus on the establishment of relationships.
On the other hand, those from low-context community are more likely to communicate by
sharing information (Sarah, 2011). In HC cultures, messages being communicated are rather
implicit; therefore, a need to decipher the message (e.g. metaphors) is necessary to
understand the intended meaning. In LC cultures, they are into messages that are direct in
nature and simple to understand as they find interpreting metaphors as an added burden.

According to Brett (2015), non-Western culture focuses more on the value of loyalty
towards the society while Western culture strongly focuses on the identity and
achievements of an individual. Furthermore, logical and rational reasoning are important
elements when persuading Westerners as they believe more on a solid and sound argument
compared to mere assumptions. Brett (2015) further adds how individualistic values of
Western culture shapes their society to be economic driven, therefore, gaining material
benefits is something important to them. In terms of emotional appeal, Westerners view
emotions as a disruption towards ongoing social interaction. On the other hand, non-
Western culture is embedded with emotional values, therefore, using strategies that appeal
to their emotions would result in better persuasion.

3. METHODOLOGY

Two ISIS recruitment videos created and distributed by Al-Hayat media were selected for
the analysis of this study. The following videos were retrieved from ‘www.jihadology.net’.
First video is entitled, ‘Join the Ranks’ by Abu Muhammad al Indonesi and the second video
is entitled ‘The Chosen Few of Different Lands’ by Abu Muslim. The online speech given by
both ISIS members were observed in their original form as primary data for this study. As
there were no available transcription of the two videos seen online, it was necessary to
transcribe the speeches for the content analysis process. The videos were listened to
multiple times in order to gain an accurate transcription of both speeches. As the first video
was spoken in the Indonesian language, the English subtitles found in the video were
incorporated into the transcription. The selected videos and their transcriptions were
viewed and read numerous times to understand the meaning behind the messages spoken
by the ISIS speakers.

3.1 Data Collection Process

As Aristotle never specified a method on how to identify and examine persuasion in
communication, the rhetorical appeals in both speeches were identified using a coding
scheme adopted from Widyawardani (2016). The coding scheme used to complete the
checklist can be seen in Table 3.1. The transcribed speeches were observed based on the

187

description mentioned in the coding scheme and was used to gather relevant sentences that
fit the description. These sentences were further analyzed in the data analysis process.

Table 3.1: The Coding Scheme for Rhetorical Appeals Adopted from Widyawardani (2016).

Categories Subcategories Description
Character Perceived Speaker shares their expertise, knowledge and experiences. Also shown
& Ethics Intelligence when speaker shares evidence or information from a trusted source.
(Ethos) Virtuous Speaker establishes his or her image as someone who is good and honest by
Character telling his or her values, motives or experiences to the audience.
Emotions Goodwill Speaker greets compliments and gives thanks to the audience. This displays
(Pathos) the speaker’s understanding, empathy and responsiveness towards the
Personal audience.
Logical Pronouns Speaker uses the pronouns “you”, “we” and “us” to establish inclusiveness
Reasoning Competence with the audience.
(Logos) & Consistency Speaker shares previous success that was accomplished and will be achieved
Figures of again in the future.
Speech Speaker uses metaphor, similes and puns to establish a better
Emotional understanding of what is being said.
Statements Speaker evokes the emotions of the audience such as humour, sadness,
Rhetorical hatred, fear, anger, etc.
Questions Audiences are to reflect upon the question(s) given. Speaker persuades the
Enthymeme audience to have a mutual agreement with them.
Facts, Figures Statements which contain premises to form a conclusion.
or Statistics Speaker’s arguments are supported with factual, numerical data and
Historical statistics to convince the audience.
Events Speaker mentions any past historical events or background to further
explain or support their message.

3.2 Data Analysis Process

This study has developed its own original data analysis process which combines the use of
two research methods which are: content analysis and rhetorical analysis. When there is a
combination of more than one method of data analysis to answer the research questions, it
is known as an eclectic approach. According to the Neuman (2014), “No one methodology is
the best approach for all research designs”. Therefore, an eclectic approach evaluates the
strengths and weaknesses of each approach to decide what is best to answer the research
questions of the study.

For the first part of the analysis, the study employed a content analysis approach to analyse
the transcribed speeches from the selected videos for this study. It was conducted in
conjunction with the presence of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals which were found
throughout the transcribed speech. According to Neuman (2014), content analysis examines
content in written or symbolic material and the type of content can be in the form of words,
themes, ideas, meaning or any kind of message that is being communicated. Neuman (2014)
explains how a coding system is used as a set of rules of how the content of the analysis will
be observed for data collection.

Then, it further employed a rhetorical analysis based on the theoretical framework of
Aristotelian rhetoric to shed some light on the use of persuasive language in ISIS online
speech content. The reason behind using this theory as the central starting point of the

188

analysis for persuasion is because Aristotle is one of the most influential philosophers within
classical rhetoric (Stokes, 2013). Moreover, it is a widely used communication research
technique that has been conducted in order to assess and interpret the persuasive
strategies and its impact used in written or verbal content (Betram, 2016).

The second part of the analysis refers to past literature on sociolinguistics and cultural
factors to analyse the difference in ISIS online persuasion speech between speakers of
different linguistic backgrounds.

4. MAIN RESULTS

4.1 ‘Join the Ranks’ by Abu Muhammad al Indonesi

In his overall speech, Abu Muhammad al Indonesi highlights his support to the Islamic State
and that he calls upon the Muslims in Indonesia to join the ISIS movement.

Ethos (Credibility)

a. Perceived Intelligence

[1] Ya ikhwah, wallahi, kami yang menghadiri tempat ini, memberitahukan khabar
gembira kepada kalian bahawasanya kami telah melihat mata kepala sendiri daulah,
Alhamdulillah, telah menegakkan shariah islam secara totalitas dan secara
menyeluruh.
[By Allah, O brothers, I give you good news that here we have seen with our own eyes
that the Islamic State implements the Sharia of Allah in the entire land.]

[2] Kami juga telah menyaksikan dengan sangat jelas, kami telah membuktikan bahawa
manshat daulah adalah manshat yang tegak di atas tauhid, yang tegak di atas
pemahaman Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaah.
[We’ve seen and experienced that the Islamic State is established upon pure tawhid
and follows the way of AHLUS-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah]

In examples [1] and [2], the speaker tells the audience about his experience of what he has
seen being a part of the Islamic State. He convinces the audiences by letting them know of
his own first-hand experience of seeing how the Islamic State implements the rules of God
which is based upon pure belief and the ways of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah.

b. Virtuous Character

[3] Wallahi, ya ikhwah, kami datang ke tempat ini, adalah untuk berhijrah dan berjihad
di jalan Allah SWT.
[By Allah, we emigrated for the sake of hijrah and jihad in the path of Allah.]

The speaker is establishing himself and his members as people who are sincere in
their faith through example [3]. He is informing the audiences of how good they are and
that they have no other motives to emigrate but only for the sake of Allah. This paints a

189

picture of how faithful they are to their God hence making them look like they are good
people.

c. Goodwill

[4] Kami, ikhwan-ikhwan kalian, saudara- saudara kalian dari Indonesia yang bergabung
dan berada di daulah Islamiah menyampaikan salam kepada kalian.
[We are your brothers from Indonesia who have come to the Islamic State, we send
our salam to you all.]

[5] Semoga Allah SWT memuliakan kalian. Mengangkat izah kalian dan semoga Allah
memenangkan kalian di atas para taghut-taghut yang selalu menindas dan menghina
kalian.
[And we ask Him to raise your honour and grant you victory over the tawaghit,who
have humiliated you.]

[6] Semoga Allah memudahkan kalian, semoga Allah memuliakan kalian, semoga
Allah memenangkan kalian di atas tawhid yang penuh berkah ini.
[My brothers, may Allah conceal your faults, grant you honour, and support you upon
tawhid.]

Dylgjeri (2014) states that ethos can be established when a speaker builds a deep
connection with the audience. In example [4], the speaker shows his appreciation to the
audience by greeting them in the beginning of his speech. He introduces himself and his
members and gives peaceful greeting to the audience by saying “salam” which means peace
in Arabic. In examples [5] and [6], the speaker wishes the best for his audience, wishing that
Allah will bless them. He hopes that Allah will raise their honour and grant them victory. All
these examples make the audience see the speaker as friendly as he wishes good things for
them.

d. Personal Pronouns

[7] Maka dari itu kami menyerukan agar kalian bergabung dan bersatu kepada kami di
daulah Islamiah dan membaiat amir kami, Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi.
[And we invite you to join us, gather with us, and pledge allegiance to our leader,
AbuBakar Al-Baghdadi.]

Example [7] shows an example where the speaker invites the audience to be part of
the Islamic State. By using the pronoun “you”, the speaker makes the audience feel included
into the narrative. The speaker wants the audience to share the responsibility by including
others to pledge allegiance to their leader. The speaker also used the pronouns “we”, “us”
and “our” to invoke a sense of collectiveness and membership. It creates a feeling where
the audience would feel wanted and needed by the Islamic State to be a part of their
movement.

e. Competence and Consistency

[8] Bahkan ya ikhwah, daulah telah membebaskan tawanan-tawanan kaum Muslimin
dan daulah telah terbukti telah menghapuskan batas, batas wilayah yang dibuat oleh
orang-orang kafir, Sykes-Picot.

190

[The Islamic State also freed thousands of Muslim prisoners, united Muslim lands,
and demolished the Sykes-Picot borders that were made by the kuffar.]
[9] Yang pada akhirnya, kaum Muslimin dibebaskan dan tentunya pada akhirnya juga
insyaAllah di mana ada negeri yang ditindas dan tidak diteguhkan hokum Allah
[And inshaAllah, it will liberate all the lands of the oppressed Muslims from the
tawaghit who do not implement Sharia of Islam]

Through examples [8] and [9], the speaker is informing the audience how the Islamic State
previously had rescued Muslim prisoners, united Muslim lands and demolished the Sykes-
Picot borders in the past. This shows their competence in achieving their earlier efforts in
the path of Allah. Therefore, the speaker shows the Islamic consistency by saying that in the
future, they will eventually liberate all the lands of the oppressed Muslims from those who
do not implement the sharia of Islam.

Pathos (Emotions)

a. Emotional Examples or Statements

[10] Apakah harta kalian, apakah rumah kalian, apakah bisnes kalian, kalian takutkan dan
kalian khawatirkan ketimbang daripada memenuhi panggilan dan seruan Allah dan
rasulNya?
[Are your homes, businesses, and wealth, more beloved to you than Allah, His
messenger, and jihad in His path?]

[11] Ketika hukum Allah diinjak-injak, ketika Shariah Allah dihinakan, apakah kalian
tidak tergugar untuk berangkat menuju medan jihad fisabilillah?
[Where is your anger when the rule of Allah is mocked, and His Sharia is debased? Do
you not find the motivation to wage jihad in the path of Allah?]
Example [10] is the speaker’s way of instilling a sense of guilt while advocating

sacrifice to martyrdom. He is making the audience feel guilty by comparing their worldly
gains as more beloved than sacrificing themselves for the sake of Allah. Furthermore, in
example [11], the speaker tries to instill anger among the audience by questioning them
where their anger is towards those who mock Allah, His messenger and His laws. Moreover,
the speaker is evoking the sense of motivation for the audience to sacrifice themselves in
the path of Allah due to these reasons.

b. Rhetorical Questions

[12] Kami bertanya kepada kalian, kami bertanya kepada keimanan kalian yang dari hati
kalian yang paling dalam. Apa lagi yang kalian khawatirkan? Apa, yang kalian
takutkan?
[We ask you, where’s your faith? Why are you worried? What’s the reason for your
fear?]

[13] Apakah anak istri kalian telah menjadikan kalian berat untuk berjihad di jalan
Allah?
[Are your wives and children the reason that you’re prevented from jihad?]

191

According to Widyawardani (2016), rhetorical questions help shape the response of the
audience based on the speaker intentions. In example [12], the speaker is making the
audience think deeply about what could be the reasons that are preventing them from
contributing in the path of Allah. In example [13], the speaker attempts to persuade his
audience that their wives and children should not be the reason which prevents them from
performing jihad.

Logos (Logic)

a. Facts, Figures and Statistics

[14] Sebagai komitmen mereka untuk mencerdaskan warganya dan mengadakan daurah
-daurah syariah, membangunkan fasilitas-fasilitas sosial.
[The Islamic State built schools to fulfil its responsibility of teaching the people the
book of Allah and the Sunnah and sharia seminars are held, and social issues are
addressed.]

[15] Bahkan ya ikhwah, daulah telah membebaskan tawanan-tawanan kaum Muslimin
dan daulah telah terbukti telah menghapuskan batas, batas wilayah yang dibuat oleh
orang-orang kafir, Sykes-Picot.
[The Islamic State also freed thousands of Muslim prisoners, united Muslim lands,
and demolished the Sykes-Picot borders that were made by the kufr.]

Through examples [14] and [15], the speaker is providing factual evidence by
informing the audience of how the Islamic State has built schools and have freed many
Muslim prisoners. He is establishing that the group has given numerous contributions
towards the path of Allah and that this powerful group also cares for the welfare of its
people.

4.2 ‘The Chosen Few of Different Lands’ by Abu Muslim
In his overall speech, Abu Muslim who comes from Canada highlights his pitch by
persuading his viewers to be part of the Islamic State.

Ethos (Credibility)

a. Perceived Intelligence

[1] Rasulullah saw, he said that “You shouldn’t live so close to the kufr to even see
their light.”

In example [1], the speaker appears more credible as he quotes the saying of the
Prophet. In Islam, the hadith is a credible source as it is considered as a divine revelation
and is known as the second source of guidance after the holy Quran. By quoting the hadith,
the audiences are more likely to believe the speaker’s message.

192

b. Virtuous Character

[2] Before Islam, I was like any other regular Canadian. I went to the cottage in
summertime. I liked to fish. I liked to go hunting. I liked outdoors. I like sports. I was
like your everyday Canadian before Islam.

[3] So, it was not like I was some social outcast. It wasn’t like I was an anarchist or
somebody who wants to destroy the world and kill everybody.

[4] No, I was a very good person and you know, a mujahideen, are regular people too.

In example [2], the speaker continuously says the word ‘I’. He is describing himself in a way
that highlights his own personal qualities which makes the audience see him in a positive
manner. He uses a strategy where he creates solidarity with the audience. He is establishing
a good image of himself where he portrays himself as a regular Canadian. Through examples
[3] and [4], the speaker is trying to persuade the audience to not give in to the common
misunderstanding that most people have about mujahideen. He wants the audience to
believe that mujahideen are just like regular people and he himself is a normal person.

c. Goodwill

[5] My name is Abu Muslim. I’m your brother in Islam here in Syria. I originally come
from Canada.

In the beginning of the speech, the speaker greets the audience by introducing himself as in
example [5]. He uses the word “brother” to appear much friendlier in the eyes of the
audience. He is creating solidarity by making the audience feel like he is part of their Muslim
family.

d. Personal Pronouns

[6] And if you can’t give money, then you can assist in technology and if you can’t assist
in technology, you can use some other skills.

[7] So, this means more than just fighting. We need the engineers, the doctors, we
need professionals, we need volunteers, we need fundraising, we need everything

The speaker numerously repeated the pronoun “you” in example [6]. This draws the
audience by making them feel more involved with the speaker’s message. In example [7],
the speaker is persuading the audience that those in the Islamic State need help. The use of
pronoun “we” creates a mental idea in the audience’s mind that ISIS is open to accept help
from their fellow Muslims who can help contribute to their movement. When the speaker
says “we need” to the audience repetitively, it gives the impression that the audience are
needed and wanted for help.

Pathos (Emotions)

a. Figurative Speech

193

[8] The trade is a very good trade. You know it’s like trading something worthless for the
most precious diamond in the world.

In addition, the speaker makes a comparison through example [8] with the use of a
metaphor. The speaker is comparing how worthless one’s worldly gains are and to be part
of the Caliphate is much more worth it. He is saying that its worth is like gaining the most
precious diamond in the world. As most people know how delicate, rare and expensive
diamonds are, therefore, the audience will infer that living in the Islamic State would be a
golden opportunity they should not miss out on.

b. Emotional Examples or Statements

[9] You should be very grateful, and you probably know Islam better than me even and
maybe you have studied, and you know the Sahih Bukhari and half of the Quran and
you know Arabic very well and you have all this knowledge.

In example [9], the speaker evokes the sense of gratefulness in the audience. The
speaker makes the audience feel as if they should be giving more for the sake of Allah as
they have all that knowledge to share.

c. Rhetorical Questions

[10] My brothers, how can you answer to Allah SWT when you live on the same street,
when you’re using their lights and you’re paying taxes to them and they use these
taxes to assist their war on Islam.

The speaker shows his disappointment through example [10] by questioning his “brothers”
which transitions as an accusation. The audience may infer themselves as less ethical
compared to Abu Muslim. The audience would feel guilty about the accusations as they
would start to believe that they could be the ones assisting the West in the alleged war on
Islam.

Logos (Logic)

a. Enthymeme

[11] But at the end of the day, it’s downright kufr. And at the end of the day, you cannot
obey Allah SWT fully as you can by living in a Muslim country and in an Islamic State.

In example [11], the speaker presents the following argument:
1st minor premise: If you do not live in a Muslim country and not in an Islamic State
2nd minor premise: You cannot obey Allah SWT fully.
Conclusion: Therefore, it is downright kufr.

The speaker uses this argument to persuade the audience that to fully obey Allah is to be
part of a Muslim country and in an Islamic State. This tells the audience if they do not want
to be said as kufr, they should live in the Islamic State.

194

b. Facts, Figures and Statistics

[12] You will be very well taken care of here. Your families will live here in safety just like
how it was back home. You know, we have wide expansive territory here in Syria and
we can easily find accommodation for you and your families.

The suggestion that the Islamic State is a safe place could appeal to the audience. In
example [12], the speaker is informing the audience that they can find a place to stay here
as Syria has a wide expansive territory for them to live in. This would make the audience
believe that ISIS takes care of the welfare of its community; therefore, joining a group that
cares for their people is an admiring quality that may appeal to the audience.

4.3 Discussion

4.3.1 Modes of Persuasion Used in ISIS Online Communication

Results show that all three of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals; Ethos, Pathos and Logos are
present in both ISIS videos. This proves that ISIS does use persuasive language to make their
persuasive content more powerful.

Both ISIS videos had a high use of Ethos and Pathos in their speech. They effectively
advocate a sense of personal sacrifice, martyrdom and fearlessness in their content. In
terms of Ethos, both speakers shared their own personal experience of being part of the
Islamic State. Verdeber (2012) explained that credibility can be established through the
sharing of one’s own personal experience on the subject matter. This will help portray the
speaker as someone who has special knowledge about the field that others are not aware
of. Both speakers also tried to persuade their audience of their good character and efforts
that the Islamic State has done for Muslims. This helps persuade the audience of their good
character; hence, making them appear much more trustworthy in the eyes of the audience.
It is also important to note that Abu Muslim quoted the Hadith of the Prophet to make his
arguments stronger. This was his way to appear credible by reciting a credible source. This is
aligned with Hendricks (2018), who believes that persuasive speakers establish their
credibility by supporting what is being said with other reliable sources. This makes their
argument(s) sounder and more believable.

In terms of Pathos, both speakers played with the emotions of their audience. They both
tried to invoke a sense of guilt and anger among their audience. Shabarina (2016) supports
that emotions can powerfully influence the audience’s rational judgment. Therefore, both
speakers used pathos to help affect the audience’s decision to join ISIS.

Findings showed that there were minimal uses of Logos by both speakers. However, the use
of content was strong enough to convince the audience. They both shared factual evidence
of what the Islamic State has done and are willing to do for their members. This helps make
their audience believe what is being said. This is supported by Widyawardani (2016), who
believes that providing factual examples can help establish strong reasoning in an argument.

195

4.3.2 ISIS Online Persuasion Speech Content between Speakers of Different Linguistic
Backgrounds.

Based on the findings, it was found that Abu Muhammad used a lot of ethical (ethos) and
emotional appeals (pathos) to persuade his audience. He established a sense of unity
between him and the audience by wishing them with positive words and prayers. This can
be supported by a study by Sarah (2011) which states that high context culture is more
focused on the establishment of relationships (Sarah, 2011). Moreover, Abu Muhammad
used more Arabic terms in his speech compared to Abu Muslim. He used the terms such as
“wallahi”, “hijrah”, “fisabilillah”, “jihad” and so on in his speech. A possible reason for this
could be that his targeted audiences are Indonesians and Indonesia is known as an East
Asian country with a large population of Muslim followers. The audience’s upbringing could
be from an Islamic cultural background, thus, Abu Muhammad incorporates these terms
into his speech, so the audience would have a better understanding of what the speaker is
saying. On the other hand, as a Canadian, Abu Muslim adopts the Western rhetoric which
places great emphasis on individualism. He portrays himself as someone who is intelligent
by quoting the Hadith. In addition, he focuses more on material gain in his speech which
appeals more in Western culture. He mentions how they will be gifted with good homes and
that being part of ISIS is a good trade compared to the worldly life.

5. CONCLUSION

Through the analysis of the rhetorical strategies used in ISIS online speech content, both
videos have applied all three of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals. These appeals work together
to create a sense of credibility on both ISIS speakers, to evoke the emotions of their
targeted audience and to have argued and supported their claims using logical reasoning
and factual evidence. In the findings, both speakers have numerously used the ethical and
emotional appeals (ethos and pathos) in their attempt to persuade their targeted audience.
Both speakers demonstrated their ability to cater to the culture of their targeted audience.
It was discovered that Abu Muhammad used persuasive strategies that will appeal to the
culture of his audience. As he is an Indonesian speaker, he comes from a South East Asian
country that upholds a high context culture. This online persuasive speech focuses more on
using rhetorical appeals that appeal to the sense of collectivism that is highly practiced in his
community. On the other hand, Abu Muslim used persuasive strategies that appeals to the
Western culture. As he is Canadian, he comes from a Western country that upholds a low
context culture. His speech focuses more on using rhetorical appeals that appeal to the
sense of individualism that is highly practiced in his community. He uses words and
statements that highlight the material gain that his targeted audience will achieve if they
were to join the Islamic State. This research has provided an analysis on the usage of
persuasive language in ISIS online communication. However, it did not cover ISIS online
communication comprehensively as it only utilized two videos for the study. Therefore, it is
highly recommended for future research to conduct a similar study but with a higher
number of videos, involving those from different extremist groups and that of other
languages to be analysed for the findings. This can be further analysed through a
quantitative approach by counting the most prominent rhetorical appeal that is used for
each respective video.

196

Bibliography: Tengku Azriana Zainab binti Tengku Anuar Mussaddad is currently a final year
student majoring in bachelor’s degree in English for International Communication (Hons.).
She is from Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University
Malaysia (IIUM) Pagoh, Malaysia. The paper that will be presented for this conference is
given the title, “The Use of Persuasive Language in Extremist Groups: A Case Study of ISIS
Online Communication”. The title of the submitted abstract is “Abstract of the Use of
Persuasive Language in Extremist Groups: A Case Study of ISIS Online Communication”.
Presenter can be contacted through her email address at [email protected]

Acknowledgment: The author would like to express her appreciation for the support of the
sponsors of the 3rd International Language and Tourism Conference 2019.

REFERENCES
Almohammad, A. (2018). From total islam to the Islamic State: radicalization leading to

violence dynamics as a subject of reciprocal affordance opportunities. Journal for
Deradicalization, 15, 1-42. Retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/
article/view/148/117
AlMutairi, A. (2017). Social media as a recruitment tool for ISIS (Master’s thesis). Retrieved
from https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1081&context=masters
essays
Ascone, C. L. (2017). Islamic State 2.0: as the caliphate crumbles, ISIS evolves. Retrieved
from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/europe/isis-20/index.html
Awan, I. (2017). Cyber-extremism: ISIS and the power of social media. Social Science
and Public Policy, 3 (17), 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s12115-017-0114-0
Behr, I. V. (2013). Radicalisation in the digital era the use of the internet in 15 cases of
terrorism and extremism. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/content/dam/
rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR453/RAND_RR453.pdf
Betram, L. (2016). Terrorism, the internet and the social media advantage. Journal for
Deradicalization, 7, 225- 252. Retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/
article/view/63/58
Berube, M. (2018). Understanding the diversity of jihadi rhetoric: who says what, and
how? TSAS Working Paper Series, 18(1), 1-19.
Blaney, C.B. (2014). The language of political persuasion: three case studies exploring
“rhetoric of coercion” (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from https://jscholarship.
library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/37272/BLANEY-THESIS-2014.pdf
Brett, J. M. (2015). A cultural analysis of the underlying assumptions of negotiation theory.
Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8698/d848d1bb8f7de41a85c9135
4e6091b12ce7c.pdf

CNN News (2015). ISIS videos show children training to kill. Retrieved from
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/11/18/isis-inside-raqqa-syria-training-
video-labott-tsr-pkg.cnn

Daleen Al Ibrahim & Shi, Y. (2018). The media in the service of ISIS propaganda war.
Malaysian Journal of Media Studies, 20(2), 13-21. Retrieved from
https://jpmm.um.edu.my/articschmile/view/12022

197

Dylgjeri, A. (2014). Logos, ethos and pathos in Albanian political discourse. Journal of
Educational and Social Research, 4(4), 55-59. Retrieved from
http://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/viewFile/3467/340

Dukhan, H. (2017). A thematic analysis of vocal hymns (nasheeds) of the so-called
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security
Studies, 11 (1). 143-152. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/34264700/

Durie, M. (2015). ‘A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross’. Retrieved from
https://myislam.dk/articles/en/durie%20a-message-signed-with-blood-to-the
nation-of-the-cross.php

Erickson, J. & Giacomello, G. (2006). The information revolution, security, and international
relations: (IR) relevant theory? International Political Science Review, 27(3), 221-244.
Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20445053?seq=1#page_scan_tab_
contents

Gambhir, H. (2016). The virtual caliphate: ISIS’s information warfare. Washington: US. The
Institute of the Study of War.

Henderson, J. (2011). What Is propaganda, and what exactly is wrong with it? Public
Affairs Quarterly, 11(4), 383-413. Retrieved from https://pdfs.emanticscholar.org
/8bf3/5cce170290065ebdf61123ff6b69002da506.pdf

Hendricks, L. (2018). Trump’s logic: rhetoric in the 2016 US elections (Bachelor’s Thesis,
Tilburg University, Netherlands). Retrieved from http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=
146214

Keraf, L. (2004). The study of persuasion language in life insurance advertisements.
International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 6(2), 267-270.Retrieved
from http://www.irjabs.com/files_site/paperlist/r_1680131014110738.pdf

La France, A. R. (2017). Constructing the appeal of terror: manipulative discursive
strategies in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. English-Language Recruitment
Videos (Doctoral Dissertation). doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20762.44489

Lakomy, M. (2018). Picturing the Islamic State’s online propaganda: vanishing or
resurfacing from the world wide web? Retrieved from http://cadmus.eui.eu/
bitstream/handle/1814/60161/RSCAS_2018_70.pdf?seqence=1

Marcin, S. (2016). ISIS communication strategy. doi: 10.14746/ps.2016.1.13
Mshvenieradze, T. (2013). Logos, ethos and pathos in political discourse. Theory and

Practice in Language Studies, 3 (11), 1939-1945.Retrieved from https://pdfs.
semanticscholar.org/c735/50e647326fa2f6b49a55679c01d62ed6369.pdf
Naylor, H. (2015). Islamic State Video Features Hebrew-Speaking Militant for the First
Time. The Washington Post. Retrieved fromhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/
news/worldviews/wp/2015/10/23/
Neuman, R. (2014). Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches
(7th Ed.). Harlow: Pearson.
O’Keefe, D. J. (2014). Trends and prospects in persuasion theory and research. Readings in
Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining, 1(2), 31-43. Retrieved from
https://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/en/publications/trends-and-prospects-in
persuasion-theory-and-research

Olubunmi, A. P. (2016). Persuasive communication strategies: pictures, source credibility
and fear appeals. Research Journal of Mass Communication and Information
Technology, 2(3), 1-9. Retrieved from https://iiardpub.org/get/RJMCIT/VOL

198

.%202%20NO.%203%202016/Persuasive%20Communication%20Strategies.pdf
Perloff, R. M. (2003). The dynamics of persuasion: communication and attitudes in the 21st

century. Retrieved from https://pages.uoregon.edu/tbivins/stratcomweb/readings/
persuasion_def.pdf
Podder, S. & Gates, S. (2015). Social media, recruitment, allegiance and the Islamic State.
Perspectives on Terrorism, 9(4), 107-116. Retrieved from https://www.
universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on
terrorism/2015/volume-4/11-social-media-recruitment-allegiance-and the-islamic
state-by-scott-gates-and-sukanya-podder.pdf
Poggi, I. (2005). The goals of persuasion. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/
profile/Isabella_Poggi/publication/233569057_the_goals_of_persuasion/links/55ad
6cd08aed614b097af8e/The-goals-ofpersuasion.pdf
Sarah (2011). What is fair in persuasion? Retrieved from http://sarahfairpersuasion.
blogspot.com/2011/10/high-context-vs-low-context.html
Schmid, A. P. (2015). Challenging the narrative of the “Islamic State”. ICCT: The Hague,
10, 1-21. Retrieved from https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads 2015/06/ICCT-Schmid-
Challenging-the-Narrative-of-the-Islamic-State June2015.pdf
Shabarina, I. (2016). Persuasive strategies used in Hillary Clinton’s political campaign
speech (Bachelor’s thesis). Retrieved from http://etheses.uinmalang.ac.id/
4016/1/12320012.pdf
Strait Times Asia (2015). ISIS posts footage of boy-trainees from South-East Asia. Retrieved
from https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/isis-posts-footage-of boy- trainees
from-south-east-Asia
Stokes, P. (2013). Philosophers of persuasion. Retrieved from https://philpapers.org/
rec/STOPE
Taneja, K. (2017). Understanding ISIS: from conception to operations. Occasional Papers,
121 (17), 1-10.
Umbreht, T. (2018). Art of persuasion: political discourse in democratic societies. Retrieved
from https://www.academia.edu/37642867/Art_of_Persuasion_Political_Discourse_
in_Democratic_Societies
Vlăduţescu, S. (2014). Two types of theories about manipulative communication.
International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 38, 34-40. doi:
10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.38.34

Verdeber, S. (2012). The challenges of speaking (15th Ed). Boston: Wadsworth.
Widyawardani, Y. I. (2016). Rhetorical analysis of Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy

announcement speech (Bachelor’s thesis). Sanata Dharma University. Retrieved
from https://repository.usd.ac.id/4879/2/111214096_full.pdf
Yu, S.H. & Haque, O. S. (2016). Vulnerabilities among young westerners joining ISIS. The
Brown University Child and Adolescent Behaviour Letter, 32 (2), 1-6. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cbl.30099

199

Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

ALGORITHM AS A PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
OF THE MALAY LANGUAGE

Faridah binti Nazir *1, Zanariah Jano2, Norliza Omar3
1 Kuliyyah of Language and Management

International Islamic University, Pagoh Education Hub.
2,3 Technical University of Malaysia Malacca

(E-mail: * [email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of using scratch program to teach
Malay language subject. 32, 4th year students in a primary school of Seremban district
participated in the study. A case study was used. The teachers teach Malay subjects using
scratch programs with the theme of agriculture and title of food product from agriculture. The
students were to arrange the basic words into grammatical sentences based on the scratch
program and write a cake recipe using an algorithmic technique, a series of instructions
contained in the scratch program. This conceptual teaching and learning algorithm was
conducted in five steps namely the induction set; step 1; step 2; step 3; and enrichment and
recovery. Students could understand the concepts of algorithms taught and did not require
recovery activities. This implies that the algorithm concept of how to prepare a cake through a
scratch program has been fully understood by the students. Students are also excited about the
algorithmic techniques and the scratch program generated. They remain focused throughout the
session which shows that the use of algorithms and scratch programs is better than conventional
methods in teaching the Malay Language.

Keywords: Scratch program; Algorithm; Basic words; Grammatical; Instruction

200

1. INTRODUCTION
Computational Thinking (CT) is a new approach in solving problems. This approach uses the
methods in Computer Science to solve problems or execute a task (C.A.R. Hoare and N.
Wirth, 1972). Nevertheless, computational thinking or CT is not merely using software or
computer programs alone but is also interlinked with information and communication
technology (ICT) and computer science based on problems; tools; action (praxis); solutions;
concepts; and social needs as shown in Figure 1, the Triangle of Computational Thought.

Figure 1 : Triangle of Computational Thinking
Source : C.A.R. Hoare and N. Wirth, 1972

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT
According to N. Wirth (1973), CT is a combination of Algorithms and Data Structures that
produces the Program. Thus, CT is a combination of information basing on computing work
to solve problems. The most difficult part of CT is characterizing a problem. Four main
techniques are utilized in characterizing CT-based problems, namely:

a. Decomposition
b. Pattern recognition
c. Pattern generalisation/abstraction
d. Algorithm design

Decomposition
Decomposition refers to the identification of information needed to solve a problem.
Information is summarized into multiple fractions. Furthermore, the breakdown of the
information is identified to address the breakdown of the problem as shown in Figure 2.

201

Figure 2 : Decomposition
Source : N. Wirth (1973)

Pattern Recognition

Pattern recognition comprises two aspects: to identify patterns in the problem; identify
patterns in the information. When identifying patterns in the problem, two questions must
be asked namely,

a. Have I seen or experienced such problems before?
b. How was this problem different from my previous problem ?.

Accordingly, four questions are asked on the pattern contained in the information:

i. How is the structure of this information?
ii. Is there any relevant links in this information?
iii. Have I seen this information in such pattern before?
iv. How is this information different from the information I have ever seen?

Pattern Generalization

Pattern generalisation or Abstraction needs two questions and sub-questions as follows:

a. What is the main issue in this problem?

i. Which part is static and how are the parts in the problem / sub problem
arranged?

ii. Which part is changed?

b. What is the information pattern in the problem?

i. Which information is static?
ii. Which information is changed?

Algorithm Design

Clear CT instruction to solve problems needs algorithm as follows:

a. What are the steps contained in the information from the beginninguntil the
202

end stage of problem solving?
b. How do these problem parts link to each other?
c. How does the information change in every step?

CT focuses on problem solving ranging from information, computing to the information
structuring instead of computer programs like decomposition; abstraction; patterns; and
algorithm. CT begins with a concrete assumption of a problem until the problem is solved
using the algorithm set instruction.

1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are as follows:

a. To determine the effectiveness of using scratch program in teaching Malay
language in ways that students are able to:

i. write algorithm set instruction using a single sentence using scratch
program.

ii. produce a cake recipe using an algorithmic technique, a series of
instructions contained in the scratch program.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions are as follows:

a. How effective are the scratch program in teaching Malay language?

i. Are students able to write algorithm-based instructions using single
and plural sentences based on scratch program?

ii. To what extent students can produce a cake recipe using the
algorithm set instruction in the scratch program?

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The CT approach began in schools in the Europe when the students compared the events
that occur in the life of ancient Rome children with their own lives. These students also
recorded a series of instructions in the life of the ancient Roman children. Teachers also
emphasized role-playing and simulation methods for the students to better understand the
series of instructions available. Teachers also guided students to apply the good values of
ancient Rome children's lives, into the lives and careers of their future students (Barr, D,
Harrison, J, Conery, L. (2011). The instruction series produced by students was an algorithm
in CT approach.

Algorithm refers to a series of commands or set of rules to execute an assignment. MDEC
and Jag Systems (2016) have categorized algorithms as online activities (i.e, scratch
program) or offline (unplugged activity). The offline activity is to create a monster face and

203

appearance through a series of algorithm instructions, namely the algorithm 1 is about the
the face and the giant form and the algorithm command 2 is how to paint the monster as
follows:

Algoritma 1 is about my monster face and appearance:

a.
b.

Algoritma 2 is on how to paint my monster:

a.
b.

The scratch program is ideal for algorithmic concepts application in CT approach. Sprite or
character in the scratch program is moved through a series of algorithm instructions as
shown in Figure 3. The computer program also uses an abstract concept to solve a problem.
Through the abstract concept, only a series of important commands are presented, while
non-essentials are eliminated (Csizmadia, A and et al., 2015).

Instruction 1 Instruction 2

Figure 3 : Scratch Program Algorithm Instructions Series
Source : Researcher

3. METHODOLOGY

A survey was conducted with the observation technique among 32, 4th year students at a
Seremban district primary school. Teachers taught Malay Language subjects using scratch
programs. The theme was agriculture, and the title was food products from agriculture. This
teaching and learning session had an objective of being able to arrange the words into
grammatically single and plural sentences based on the scratch program based on the
following Teaching Plans (RPH):

204

Lesson Name Agriculture
Theme Agricultural-based Food
Duration 60 mins.
Standard Content
3.3 Constructing and writing words,
Standard Outcome phrases, and
Existing knowledge sentences correctly
Objectives 3.3.4 Constructing and writing single and

Materials and tools compound sentences based on graphical
materials correctly.
Students have learned single and
compound sentences.

To arrange the given words to be a
single sentence based on the graphic
material correctly.

To write instructions using single and
compound sentences to
produce cake recipes based on the
scratch program.

Picture
Computer
Scratch Program

Steps:

Activation Duration:

Inductio Chicken Life 1.Students peruse the given 4 mins
n Set
cycle picture. Decompositio n
Step 1
2.Students construct single
Step 2
sentences orally on the picture

3.Teacher assists the students in

constructing the sentences.

1.Oral 1.Teacher shows the conversation 6 mins

conversation in using the scratch program. Abstraction

the scratch 2. Students are to read the script of

program. conversation and identify

2.Agricultural agricultural-based ingredients in
based a cake.
ingredients in 3. Students have a question and
the cake: answer session with teacher on
the agricultural-based

Eggs ingredients in a cake.

Butter

Learn By Doing Duration

- Scratch 1. Students are to discuss in small ( 10 mins)

Program groups on how to write Inquiry Based

- Mahjung instructions on steps of baking Learning

Paper cake

Algorithm

205

Step 3 - Mahjung 2. Students scrutinize scratch Duration
Paper program conversations and (5 mins)
write steps to prepare cakes in Evaluation
Closure the mahjung paper.
Duration
3. A representative of each group (5mins)
present the results of their
discussions to the class.

Integration

1. Teacher compares the
presentation of each group.

2. Teacher explains if there are
groups that make mistakes in
arranging steps in baking a
cake.

3. Teacher associates students’
assignments with cake baking
activity in real life.

Summarize

1. Teacher puts emphasis on pure
values found in group activities
(step by step and size accuracy
for baking cakes).

2. Teacher praises the group who
are successful in arranging the
steps in cake baking and
selecting proper material.

Additionally, students are also asked to write a cake recipe using an algorithmic technique, a
series of instructions contained in the scratch program. The algorithm used consists of five
instructions, namely:

a. Sift flour
b. Mix sugar, butter and eggs and stir well in a mixer
c. Mix the baking powder and dried fruit into the wheat flour
d. Mix the wheat flour and dried fruits batter with sugar, butter and eggs batter
e. Bake the dough for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4. RESULTS

The findings of this study are based on the lesson implemented in a 4th year class based on
four steps, namely the induction set; step 1; step 2; step 3; and enrichment activities.

206

Results and Induction set

The students are shown a picture of a life cycle of chickens as shown in Figure 4. Based on
the picture of this life cycle, the students have constructed grammatical single sentences for
example:

a. The chicken in the picture is a hen.
b. The eggs have hatched.
c. A chick hatches from a chicken egg

Figure 4 : Chicken Life cycle
Source : Researcher

Findings of Step 1

Teacher showed a scratch program conversation as shown in Figure 5. Students were able to
read conversations and identify agricultural-based cake-baking ingredients. Next, the
question and answer session was conducted on the agricultural-based ingredients in the
cake.

Figure 5: A scratch program conversation Source :
Researcher

207

Findings of Step 2

The scratch program was shown and students successfully listed ingredients based on
agricultural products for example, butter; eggs; and granulated sugar, referring to a dialogue
in the scratch program. After the dialogue in the scratch program was read, the students
listened carefully to the steps of baking the cake as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Steps in baking a cake
Source : Researcher

Findings of Step 3

Students formed four small groups as shown in Figure 7 and wrote steps to prepare cakes.
Group representatives present their own group findings and four groups were able to write
the correct steps in a cake preparation.

Figure 7 : Small group discussion and presentation Source
: Researcher

208

Findings on Enrichment Activities
Students were asked to write steps to prepare the cake using a single sentence based on the
scratch program. Students were able to write these steps using a grammatical single
sentence as shown in Figure 8. The examples of single sentences formed are as follows:

a. First, the flour must be sifted.
b. Stir sugar, butter and egg well.
c. Mix flour and baking powder into the dough.
d. Mix dried fruit and stir well
e. Stir the dough well.
f. Bake the dough in an oven.

Figure 8 : Steps in enrichments activities
Source : Researcher

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Teaching and learning with scratch programs are particularly attractive to students in
primary schools. Evidently, scratch programs are fun and easy to understand by students.
Consequently, students are more focused in their learning. The use of the scratch program
has led the students to write an algorithm-oriented instruction on baking steps with
grammatical single sentences. Students are also not bound by the use of dull textbooks
during teaching and learning process.

209

REFERENCES
Barr, D., Harrison, J., Conery, L. (2011). Computational Thinking: A Digital Age.

Learning & Leading with Technology, March/April, 20-23.
C.A.R. Hoare and N. Wirth, (1972). An Axiomatic Definition of the Programming Language

PASCAL.Acta Informatica 2, 335--355 (t973)
Csizmadia, A and et al. (2015). Computational Thinking – A Guide for Teacher.

Computing At School. UK.
Jag Systems, (2016). http://www.jagsystems.com.my/
N. Wirth (1973), Algorithms and Data Structures. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall

210

Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

ANXIETY IN ARABIC SPEAKING SKILL AMONG LOWER SECONDARY
STUDENTS

Mohd Ieruwan Mohamed Mokhtar*1 and Sueraya Che Haron2

1, 2 Kuliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia, Gombak, MALAYSIA.
(E-mail: *[email protected], [email protected])

ABSTRACT
Students’ academic performance in speaking fluently in a foreign language classroom depends
on their confidence or anxiety levels. The study aims to investigate four (4) factors for anxiety,
which cause speaking anxiety among students in an Arabic Language classroom at secondary
schools. As a preliminary study, total numbers of forty (40) students at the Federal Territory of
Kuala Lumpur were selected based on random stratified sampling, to analyse their anxiety in
Arabic as their foreign language. The four (4) issues that commonly influence students’
achievement are test anxiety, communication apprehension, anxiety in classroom and fear of
negative evaluation anxiety. Hence, the researcher investigates this area of anxiety using the
established questionnaire of (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz (1986). This study uses SPSS
version 22.0 software application to process and interprete the data for the descriptive
statistics. The descriptive statistics are the means, standard deviation and percentage, which
show the significance of this study. The study will have significant contributions and
suggestions for the process of learning of the Arabic language as a foreign language in daily
secondary schools. The findings can help the teachers to understand students’ anxiety in the
process of studying the Arabic Language, especially in Arabic speaking skill at the daily
secondary schools and another secondary school in general.
Keywords: Anxiety; Language Anxiety; Communication Anxiety; Arabic Speaking Skill

211

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Emergence of Arabic Language in Malaysian System of Education

The Arabic Language in Malaysia is one of the foreign languages which are learnt by students
at secondary school, especially for the Muslims community. It started before an Independence
Day at small institutions which also known as “Madrasah” and “Pondok” until the present day,
at Secondary School. Nowadays, the Arabic Language is a formal subject at Secondary School
as a foreign language and an elective subject for those in the religious medium class. Under
the leadership of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, many initiatives were taken to improve
and empower the Arabic Language as a Foreign Language in Malaysia, especially in the process
of education such as replacing new text-book, encourage teaching aids (including the usage
of technology), scholarship, and opportunity to further study in the Arabic Language. The
process of studying Arabic Language in Malaysia has been going through a long process and
has received considerable attention from the government, especially in terms of
implementation (Febrian, Lubis, Md Yasim, & Abdul Wahab, 2017).

1.2 The Nature of Arabic Speaking Skill and Anxiety

There are four essential skills learned in Arabic language learning among high school students:
reading, writing, listening and speaking. Besides, (Bailey, Onwuegbuzie, & Daley, 2003) states
that speaking skills are generally a combination of some real-time, aural, verbal and
productive skills. According to (Kuśnierek, 2015) speaking skill designate as a productive skill
as it involves the production of one's language.

In explaining the real-time element, (Ahmad, Qasim, & Khushi, 2019) justified it as the other
interlocutor is required to wait for a speaker to speak right then, and the speaker cannot
subsequently revise his response as he might do in writing. In terms of the productive element,
the language is direct outward. In terms of the aural element, the response is interrelated with
the input often received aurally, and it is oral because the speech produced orally.

Furthermore, according to (Winn & Olsen, 1997) level of speaking ranging from the highest to
its lowest level can be identified one’s speech; being able to take apart into text, revelation,
clause, phrase, word, morpheme and phoneme. Among these, the text is the highest whereas
phoneme is the lowest level of speaking. In circumstances of the level of speaking, (Ahmad et
al., 2019) stated success in speaking means being able to communicate, presenting the
message accurately, and making the acceptable use of language throughout these levels. For
assessment purpose, knowing about these levels helps test maker understand what to expect
from test taker’s performance.

Anxiety is a very complex topic of discussion, and many aspects are often associated with
language learning. Since the 1970s, the study on the consequence of the anxiety in the second
language widely done at the West and (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) have conceptualised
angst or apprehension in the process of learning the language as expressing the complexities

212

of self-observation, beliefs, emotions, and practices identified with the introductory language
taken from the emergence of the language learning process.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Anxiety

The researcher (Peter D. MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) stated that the combination of both,
stress and fear contribute to apprehension and uneasiness in learning a foreign language
or second language. Also, (Gardner, 1985) state that the leading cause of failure in
speaking foreign languages is anxiety. Researchers like (Aida, 1994) and (Phillips, 1992)
found on the connection of foreign language anxiety with skills in a foreign language.
Furthermore, studies in skills of a foreign language, for instance, listening (Elkhafaifi,
2005), reading (Saito, Garza, & Horwitz, 1999); (Sellers, 2000) and writing (Cheng,
Horwitz, & Schallert, 1999) also did.

2.2 Foreign Language Learning Anxiety

Language anxiety is a familiar topic in academic research on education. The language
anxiety among students begins to realise when they are unable to communicate effectively
and persuasively, regardless of being in or out of the classroom. Previous studies on
language anxiety have shown that speaking skills are the most common anxiety among
students (Horwitz, 2001), (Tsiplakides & Keramida, 2009) and (Melouah, 2013). Failure to
convey the message or meaning in speech activities involving more than one friend is of
the causes of language anxiety. According to (Şimşek, 2015) his discussion regarding
Foreign Language Anxiety was concluded that it is an emotion that is difficult to explain
and complicated. Thus, the results of a literature review indicate anxiety as
multidimensional as stated by (P.D. MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991); (Horwitz, 2001) and
(Young, 1991).

According to (Young, 1990) foreign language learning study is related to four language
skills and as listed here are based on the most recent researches, for example, speaking
skill (Leong & Ahmadi, 2017), listening skill (Lili, 2015), writing skill (Daud, N. S. M., Daud,
N. M., & Kassim, 2016) and reading skill (Paci, 2018). Many empirical studies of language
skills like speaking, reading, and listening adapt the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale
(FLCAS) as a guide for studying Foreign Language Anxiety while writing skill adopts Writing
Efficacy Scale.

Moreover, (Tóth, 2006) also stated that the study on language anxiety is also present in
English as a foreign language; however, at a lesser amount. Hence, for the Arabic language,
few studies on it for instance (Elkhafaifi, 2005); study area in learning language strategy
(Che Haron, Ahmed, Mamat, Wan Ahmad, & M. Rawash, 2016); study area in technology
in teaching Arabic (Abdullahi, Mohmad Rouyan, & Mohd Noor, 2018b); and macro-skills in
learning of Arabic (Abdullahi, Mohmad Rouyan, & Mohd Noor, 2018a). The process of
education in the second language is challenging and not merely as a native language
(Pinter, 2006). There have been studies that have successfully identified some of the

213

problems faced by learners in learning a foreign language. Similarly, numerous suggestions
for better learning processes have been suggested based on the level of skills required by
students (Pan & Yan, 2012).
2.3 Research Objectives

This study has objectives that need to be determined which are;
1. To identify the levels of language anxiety in the areas of communication
apprehension for Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language.
2. To examine levels of language anxiety in the areas fear of negative evaluation for
Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language.
3. To investigate the levels of language anxiety in the areas test anxiety and anxiety
in the classroom for Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language.

2.4 Research Questions

There have three research questions need to be answered by this study:
1. What are the levels of language anxiety in the areas of communication
apprehension (CA) Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language?
2. What are the levels of language anxiety in the areas fear of negative evaluation
(FNE), for Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language?
3. What are the levels of language anxiety in the areas of test anxiety (TA) and anxiety
in the classroom (AC) for Arabic Language learners in speaking the Arabic language?

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1. Sample/Participants

This study involves participants who are learning Arabic as a foreign language in the
classroom. All participants are selected based on data provided by JPWP KL (Jabatan
Pelajaran Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur/Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Education
Department). The probability sampling employs in this study aims to achieve a significant
result and receive non-biased data. The sample of the population selection method, which
is base on stratified sampling methods according to the data obtained from valid source
data. The participants were 40 students consisting of male individuals from form one (N =
10), female individuals from form 1 (N = 10), male individuals from form 2 (N = 10), and
female individuals from form 2 (N = 10). This proportion of samples is intended to provide
a significant and non-biased effect on gender.

3.2 Instrument(s)

The set of the questionnaire used in this study has two different sections, namely Section
A and Section B.

3.2.1 Section A: Demographic Background

214

This section includes the demographic information of the respondents, which tells about
the representative’s age, gender, school, years of learning the Arabic language, hours in
learning the Arabic language per week for each class.

Table 1: Demographic data about the age of participants

Age of Student

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

13 years 20 50.0 50.0 50.0
14 years
20 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total
40 100.0 100.0

Table 2: Demographic data about the gender of participants

Gender of Participant

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Male 20 50.0 50.0 50.0
Female
Total 20 50.0 50.0 100.0

40 100.0 100.0

Table 3: Demographic about the time of learning Arabic in the Classroom

Time Learning Arabic in Classroom

Cumulative

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent

Less than 3 hours per Week 12 30.0 30.0 30.0

3 hours per Week 9 22.5 22.5 52.5

More than 3 hours per Week 19 47.5 47.5 100.0

Total 40 100.0 100.0

3.2.2 Section B: Set of Questionnaire (FLCAS)

The second questionnaire was a set of the questionnaire developed by (Horwitz et al.,
1986) also known as the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale instrument (FLCAS). It is used by
researchers (Horwitz et al., 1986) to assess their students' level of concern in Spanish as a
foreign language in classroom learning. Therefore, the researcher uses this questionnaire
for the study of anxiety in Arabic speaking skills as a foreign language in this study. Such
decision was due to the items in this questionnaire are very authoritative and have been
used extensively in previous researches on the same concern; in speaking foreign
languages and extended to various languages. Besides, in this study, words for foreign
languages is changed to Arabic, enabling the researcher to collect sufficient data and
facilitate participants in responding to the survey.

This set of questionnaires were developed by (Horwitz et al., 1986) and had 33 items. It
was tested using the Likert scale as a measuring tool. The scale was constructed using

215

numbers to facilitate participants to answer and choose the answers accordingly, starting
with a scale of 1 that “strongly disagree”; scale 2 indicates “disagree”; scale 3 indicates
“not sure or unknown”; scale 4 indicates “agree”, and scale 5 indicates “strongly agree”.
The set of questions posed in this questionnaire identifies four primary constructs of
communication, communication anxiety, test anxiety, and fear of negative assessment in
a foreign language class.

Table 4: Variables distribution in the instrument

Set of Questionnaire (FLCAS)

Frequency Number of Items

Communication Apprehension (CA) 8 1,9,14,18,24,27,29, 32

Test Anxiety (TA) 5 2,8,10,19,21

Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) 9 3,7,13,15,20,23, 25, 31,33

Anxiety in Classroom (AC) 11 4,5,6,11,12,16,17,22,26,28,30

Total 33 33

3.3 Data Collection Procedures

The data collection process took place since early July 2019 with 40 participants consisting
of 20 randomly selected male and female students. They were between the ages of 13 and
14-year-old who learn Arabic as a foreign language in the Daily Secondary School Religious
Class in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. They were asked to understand and respond
with honesty as their answers will have a significant impact on the research. The
researcher tries to make sure the participants understand each question by translating the
question into Bahasa Melayu.

3.4 Data Analysis

Researcher analised descriptevily all the answers and reaction received from the
participants of the questionnaire. This study approached the Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS), which is version 22.0 software used in analysing the data. The results of
the analysis are interpreted unambiguously by observing at the mean and standard
deviation of each questionnaire which indicates the anxiety and anxiety of learning a
foreign language. The researcher’s findings are then presented in the form of a table to
facilitate the presentation and understanding of the results.

4 MAIN RESULT

4.1 Mean

Table 5: Total of Mean and Standard Deviation distribution FLCAS

Content of instruments (FLCAS)

Mean Standard Deviation

Communication Apprehension (CA) 3.01 1.05

216

Test Anxiety (TA) 2.97 2.97
Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) 3.12 1.18
3.04 1.04
Anxiety in Classroom (AC) 12.1 6.24
Total

Based on table 5 shown above, the highest average (mean) distribution is the fear of
negative evaluation (FNE), having a value of mean (μ) = 3.12. The total number of items
for fear of negative evaluation (FNE) variable is the nine (9) items included in this
questionnaire. Based on the items in the questions, they show that participants have
anxiety problems, such as feeling nervous whenever the teachers asked questions.
Besides, they feel humiliated to answer questions voluntarily when asked by their teacher
and feel that others can speak Arabic better than they do. Moreover, participants also feel
frustrated if they fail to understand the correction described by the teacher and feel
ashamed and afraid of being rejected by their classmates. In short, participants felt that
they were evaluated and given a poor perception by their teachers and peers in the
classroom during their Arabic language learning sessions.

Next, anxiety in the classroom ranked second in the ranking list, having a value of mean
(μ) = 3.04. These levels of fear and anxiety in the classroom could potentially cause them
to forget what they have learnt. Holistically, they will be scared if they do not know what
the teacher is saying in class during the study session. Besides, participants also felt
anxious in the classroom even though they had prepared well.

Communication anxiety ranks in the third place, having mean values of (μ) = 3.01. The
results showed that participants could feel panicked and anxious when asked to speak or
speak in front of other friends without careful preparation. They find it very uncomfortable
and self-conscious to talk in front of other classmates. Moreover, participants felt unsure
of themselves, in that they presume that they do not have an adequate level of confidence
when they want to use and speak the language in the foreign language class. They also feel
the need to understand every word spoken by the language teacher in the classroom.

Lastly, the test of anxiety is the lowest, having a mean value of (μ) = 2.97 as compared to
the other three types of anxiety. Logically, examinations or tests can cause anxiety and
apprehension for the candidates, and in this case, the participants. Nevertheless, anxiety
does not happen because no audience is watching them. They only know their test anxiety.

Table 5: Total of Average in Mean and Standard Deviation distribution FLCAS

Instruments of (FLCAS)

Mean Standard Deviation

Communication Apprehension (CA) 3.01 1.05

Test Anxiety (TA) 2.97 2.97

Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) 3.12 1.18

Anxiety in Classroom (AC) 3.04 1.04

Total 3.03 1.56

217

4.2 Items Analysis

Table 6 below shows the findings that show the highest levels of anxiety is fear of negative
evaluation (FNE), consisting of a mean value of 3.12. It shows that participants preferred
more statement of agreement (SA + A) as an answer than the statement of disagreement
(DS + D) based on the percentage in the study findings table. The participants feel anxious
and uncomfortableness when they know their teachers and peers evaluate their speaking
ability. Statements in the questionnaire reported that participants who choose the
statement of an agreement, having the mean value of 3.53 and comprising 80 per cent for
item 15. Similarly at items 7, 23, and 33 with the statement consisting of the mean value
of 3.50 and 80 per cent.

Number of Table 6: Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Standard
Items Deviation
SD D N A SA Mean

3 12.5 17.5 30.0 22.5 17.5 3.15 1.27

7 10.0 10.0 25.0 30.0 25.0 3.50 1.26

13 17.5 30.0 27.5 15.0 10.0 2.70 1.22

15 2.5 17.5 25.0 35.0 20.0 3.53 1.09

20 22.5 50.0 17.5 7.5 2.5 2.18 0.96

23 10.0 12.5 22.5 27.5 27.5 3.50 1.30

25 2.5 25.0 32.5 25.0 15.0 3.25 1.08

31 22.5 20.0 25.0 25.0 7.5 2.75 1.28

33 10.0 10.0 17.5 45.0 17.5 3.50 1.20

Overall Mean 3.12 1.18

Table 7 below shows the 16th items with the highest average with the mean values
recorded at 3.93 and 80 percentage in measuring anxiety in the classroom. It means the
test indicates that participants were scared, fearful, apprehensive and worried that they
would be ready to present their language skills to the public when the teacher request to
do so. This statement further reinforced by a response to item 28, which the mean value
being 3.88 and having more than 80 per cent, indicating that participants were feeli ng
uncomfortable and anxious while in a foreign or second language class.

Table 7: Anxiety in Classroom (AC)

218

Number of SD D N A SA Mean Standard
Items Deviation

4 2.5 17.5 25.0 47.5 7.5 3.28 1.09

5 5.0 7.5 20.0 47.5 7.5 2.70 1.11

6 17.5 45.0 22.5 10.0 5.0 1.48 0.88

11 5.0 17.5 37.5 25.0 15.0 3.58 1.11

12 15.0 30.0 30.0 20.0 5.0 3.40 0.96

16 5.0 15.0 15.0 47.5 17.5 3.93 1.19

17 72.5 12.5 10.0 5.0 0.0 2.40 1.06

22 5.0 12.5 22.5 40.0 20.0 3.58 1.11

26 5.0 12.5 22.5 40.0 20.0 2.48 1.09

28 0.0 10.0 20.0 42.5 27.5 3.88 0.94

30 12.5 20.0 50.0 15.0 2.5 2.75 0.95

Overall Mean 3.04 1.04

Table 8 of finding below explains the communication apprehension among the participants
in this study. The highest mean value is item 29, which has a value of 3.50 and 80 per cent.
Most participants feel anxious, uneasiness, and scared when they find it difficult to
comprehend the words the teacher is saying when interacting in a classroom. It shows that
they are very anxious when learning a foreign language because of the misunderstanding
and confusion of what the teacher is saying during the learning process. Besides, this is
also followed by item 9, which states that participants will begin to feel consternation
when asked to speak in front of the teacher without any preparation.

Number of Table 8: Communication Apprehension (CA) Standard
Items Deviation
SD D N A SA Mean

1 7.5 27.5 37.5 27.5 0.0 2.85 0.92

9 10.0 7.5 32.5 30.0 20.0 3.43 1.20

14 25.0 17.5 50.0 2.5 5.0 2.45 1.06

219

18 2.5 20.0 47.5 15.0 15.0 3.20 1.02

24 12.5 25.0 25.0 32.5 5.0 2.93 1.14

27 7.5 15.0 47.5 25.0 5.0 3.05 0.96

29 2.5 20.0 17.5 45.0 15.0 3.50 1.06

32 12.5 27.5 42.5 12.5 5.0 2.70 1.02

Overall Mean 3.01 1.05

Based on Table 9, test anxiety scored the lowest finding score among the other three
constructs. However, the majority of participants remained anxious and concerned about
learning a foreign language. Item 10 had the highest value of mean in the table of finding
below, having a value of 3.75 and 50 per cent chose the statement “agree”, while 22.5 per
cent selected statement “strongly agree.” The meaning of statement item 10 is that almost
all participants feel anxious, afraid and concerned if they get a result or grade “not to pass”
a foreign language class.

Number of SD Table 9: Test Anxiety (TA) Mean Standard
Items Deviation
D N A SA

2 5.0 20.0 40.0 32.5 2.5 3.08 0.92

8 0 7.5 45.0 37.5 10.0 3.50 0.78

10 7.5 5.0 15.0 50.0 22.5 3.75 1.10

19 25.0 17.5 30.0 20.0 7.5 2.68 1.27

21 42.5 32.5 22.5 2.5 0 1.85 0.86

Overall Mean 2.97 0.99

5. CONCLUSION

According to the table of findings, it seems that anxiety in Arabic speaking skills is quite
common among students learning Arabic language. This study demonstrates that anxiety
levels among lower secondary school students are high and should be taken promptly to
reduce anxiety in their speech. Speaking skills is a productive skill in the field of linguistics
because it requires confidence and knowledge in practising the speaking skill.

220

There are many studies on anxiety worldwide that involve many languages since 1970s
such as English, Spanish, Japanese and Arabic. However, there are only a few in Malaysia.
Based on the researcher’s literature review, the studies primarily focused on the study of
a foreign language or second language such as English in Malaysia (Rafek, Ramli, & Hassan,
2018) and (Mohamed Noor, Rafek, Megat Khalid, & Mohammad, 2015). Sample of the
population in the study on anxiety in the Arabic language only focuses on students at
higher education levels such as universities. There is no study done for secondary school
students to assess the anxiety level in the Arabic language.

From the psychology point of view, anxiety is reduced able and dealt through some
practical ways. For instance, teachers need to be more friendly, use rewarding methods
and give encouragement to their students during the foreign language learning p rocess in
the classrooms.

Recent studies have shown and reported that students who study a foreign language
experience heart palpitations, nervousness, fear of laughter for all types of anxiety.
Teachers are encouraged to use methods such as deep breathing, relaxation and positive
affirmation among students as they learn foreign language skills. Teacher for foreign
language, primarily Arabic language teachers, are also encouraged to use a creative way
of teaching such as humour as a way to reduce tension among students in the classroom.

The study concludes that anxiety in Arabic speaking skill exists just like anxiety in any
language learned by humans. This research aims to improve the understanding of the level
of fearless in Arabic speaking skill among lower secondary students in Kuala Lumpur.
Findings indicate that teachers are encouraged to reduce anxiety levels in the education
process of a foreign language, such as Arabic as a second language. Based on the findings,
students' academic achievement in speaking skills could be enhanced by reducing their
level of anxiety. Hence, anxiety, fear, uneasiness and nervousness will diminish and cause
the learners to grow in confidence when delivering a speech in a foreign language either
in or out of the classroom, including the Arabic language.

Bibliography
Mohd Ieruwan Mohamed Mokhtar, Kuliyyah of Education, International Islamic University
Malaysia, Gombak, MALAYSIA.

REFERENCES
Abdullahi, A., Mohmad Rouyan, N., & Mohd Noor, S. S. (2018a). A Review on the Factors

Affecting the Learning of Arabic Macro-Skills Among Malay Undergraduate Students.
Humanities and Social Science Research, 1(1), p53.
https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v1n1p53
Abdullahi, A., Mohmad Rouyan, N., & Mohd Noor, S. S. (2018b). The Use of Web 2.0
Technologies to Determine Receptive Skills among Malay Learners of Arabic Language.
International Journal of Asian Social Science, 8(9), 651–659.
https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2018.89.651.659

221

Ahmad, M., Qasim, H. M., & Khushi, Q. (2019). Specifying Criteria for the Assessment of
Speaking Skill: A Library Based Review. International Journal of Educational Sciences,
24(1–3), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.31901/24566322.2019/24.1-3.1075

Aida, Y. (1994). Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope’s Construct of Foreign Language
Anxiety: The Case of Students of Japanese. The Modern Language Journal, 78(2), 155–
168. https://doi.org/10.2307/329005

Bailey, P., Onwuegbuzie, A., & Daley, C. (2003). Foreign Language Anxiety and Student
Attrition. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7.

Che Haron, S., Ahmed, I. H., Mamat, A., Wan Ahmad, W. R., & M. Rawash, F. M. (2016).
Challenges in Learning to Speak Arabic. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(24), 80–85.

Cheng, Y. S., Horwitz, E. K., & Schallert, D. L. (1999). Language anxiety: Differentiating writing
and speaking components. Language Learning, 49(3), 417–446.
https://doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00095

Daud, N. S. M., Daud, N. M., & Kassim, N. L. A. (2016). Second Language Writing Anxiety: Cause
or Effect? Malaysian Journal of ELT Research, 1(1), 19., 1(1), 19.

Elkhafaifi, H. (2005). Listening comprehension and anxiety in the Arabic language classroom.
Modern Language Journal, 89(2), 206–220. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-
4781.2005.00275.x

Febrian, D., Lubis, M. A., Md Yasim, I. M., & Abdul Wahab, N. S. (2017). Teknik Pengajaran
Bahasa Arab Interaktif Di Pusat Bahasa Arab Negeri Selangor. Asean Comparative
Education Research Journal on Islam And Civilization (ACER-J), 1(1), 78–93.

Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes
and motivation. In H. Giles (Ed.), Edward Arnold (Vol. 4). https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-
251x(87)90081-9

Horwitz, E. K. (2001). Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (LANGUAGE A, Vol. 21). USA:
Cambridge University Press.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The
Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2012281-29

Kuśnierek, A. (2015). Developing students’ speaking skills through role-play. World Scientific
News, 7(7), 73–111. Retrieved from www.worldscientificnews.com

Leong, L.-M., & Ahmadi, S. M. (2017). An Analysis of Factors Influencing Learners’ English
Speaking Skill. International Journal of Research in English Education, 2(1), 34–41.
https://doi.org/10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.1.34

Lili, Z. (2015). Influence of anxiety on English listening comprehension: An investigation based
on the freshmen of English majors. Studies in Literature and Language, 11(6), 40–47.
https://doi.org/10.3968/7952

MacIntyre, P.D., & Gardner, R. C. (1991). Methods and Results in the Study of Anxiety and
Language Learning: A Review of the Literature. Language Learning, 41(1), 85–117.

MacIntyre, Peter D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The Subtle Effects of Language Anxiety on
Cognitive Processing in the Second Language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x

Melouah, A. (2013). Foreign Language Anxiety in EFL Speaking Classrooms: A Case Study of
First-year LMD Students of English at Saad Dahlab University of Blida, Algeria. Arab World
English Journal, 4(1), 64–76. Retrieved from www.awej.org

222

Mohamed Noor, A., Rafek, M., Megat Khalid, P. Z., & Mohammad, R. (2015). Communication
apprehension in language learning: Is it serious? International Journal of Arts and
Sciences, 08(02), 311–320.

Paci, R. G. (2018). The Relationship Between Student Anxiety and English Reading
Achievement. Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

Pan, J., & Yan, J. X. (2012). Learner variables and problems perceived by students: An
investigation of a college interpreting programme in China. Perspectives: Studies in
Translatology, 20(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2011.590594

Phillips, E. M. (1992). The Effects of Language Anxiety on Students’ Oral Test Performance and
Attitudes. The Modern Language Journal, 76(1), 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-
4781.1992.tb02573.x

Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching Young Language Learners. Retrieved from
https://login.ezlib.iium.edu.my/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire
ct=true&db=edsclc&AN=edsclc.tEHSfigkfjFHkmgj&site=eds-live

Rafek, M., Ramli, N. H. L., & Hassan, J. (2018). Language and Gender: Fear of Evaluation in
Second Language Learning. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and
Social Sciences, 8(1), 531–540. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v8-i1/3825

Saito, Y., Garza, T. J., & Horwitz, E. K. (1999). Foreign language reading anxiety. Modern
Language Journal, 83(2), 202–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00016

Sellers, V. D. (2000). Anxiety and reading comprehension in Spanish as a foreign language.
Foreign Language Annals, 33(5), 512–520. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-
9720.2000.tb01995.x

Şimşek, E. (2015). Anxiety and L2 Self Images the “Anxious Self.” Toronto.
Tóth, Z. (2006). First-Year English Majors’ Perceptions of the Effects of Foreign Language

Anxiety on their Oral Performance. In M. Nikolov & J. Horváth (Eds.), Pécs, Lingua Franca
Csoport (Vol. 6, pp. 25–37). Retrieved from www.xanga.com/lingua_franca
Tsiplakides, I., & Keramida, A. (2009). Helping students overcome foreign language speaking
anxiety in the English classroom: theoretical issues and practical recommendations.
International Education Studies, 2(4), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v2n4p39
Winn, J., & Olsen, B. (1997). Interaction in the Language Curriculum: Awareness &
Authenticity. The TESOL Quarterly, 31(2), 371–372.
Young, D. J. (1990). An Investigation of Students’ Perspectives on Anxiety and Speaking.
Foreign Language Annals, 23(6), 539–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-
9720.1990.tb00424.x
Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a Low‐Anxiety Classroom Environment: What Does Language
Anxiety Research Suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75(4), 426–439.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb05378.x

223

Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

BLIND STUDENTS ENGAGEMENT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING: CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES

Alies Poetri Lintangsari1, Ive Emaliana2, Fatmawati3
1,2,3 Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia

(Email: *[email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

ABSTRACT
The current study explores the experience of blind students in learning language through
their college engagement. 2 blind students completed a semi-structured interview about
their ESP (English for Specific Purposes) learning engagement in three domain, cognitive,
affective and social. This research reports the theoretical and practical implications related
to the factors affecting the learning engagement of blind students. The result shows that
the barriers of Blind students in learning language is not their visual impairment but the
teacher attitude and teaching approach.
Keywords: blind students, engagement in learning language, ELT, Inclusive Education

224

1. INTRODUCTION

The raise of inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education worldwide has
provoked the Indonesian government to urge the implementation of it as a cost-effective
alternative to educate students with disabilities, including the blinds. The term inclusion
not only refers to the philosophical values but also disseminate into practices by placing
the blind students into mainstream classes together with sighted peers. These inclusive
practices let the blind students have the same educational experience and opportunities as
those provided for sighted students. Including the blind students in the mainstream context
not only igniting opportunities but also leaves challenges for the blinds themselves. Visual
limitations experienced by the blind students challenge them since they are left to gather
information through another medium such as tactile and auditory sense. Thus, the
condition of having visual limitations predicted will influence their learning process that
inevitably affects their engagement in learning.

Wide-ranging researches have reported the provision of blind students toward the learning
process (Coskun, 2013; Lowe, 2015; Nikolic, 1986), but less research explored the blind
students' engagement in learning a language. Instead, student engagement plays a pivotal
role in students achievement. Engagement refers to the term repeatedly engaged to
debate learner interest and involvement in a learning activity (Finn and Zimmer, 2012). This
research is driven by the notion that engagement is a central issue affecting the learning
process and academic achievement.

English Language Teaching (ELT) Practices in Indonesia context has evolved to welcome
many students with diverse characteristics, including blinds students. Provoking the issues
in ELT practices, this research tries to seek the engagement of blind student and possible
factors affecting the blind students' engagement in English class.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Provisions of Blind Students in Learning Language

Broad research has reported that Blindness does not impede language learning. Since the
visually-impaired learners' increased aural sensitivity and memory training that makes
them better-than-average learners (Nikolic, 1986). There were still some challenges faced
by blind students because of the missing or visual input. Although it does not interfere with
the communication abilities, the blinds had less understood words as vehicles, words as
references, actual experiences, and they are struggling to form hypotheses about word
meaning (Kirk, 2009). Moreover, blindness invites significant efforts in vocabulary
development because blind children are comprehending the vocabulary grounded in their
own (limited) perceptual experiences that is not an impersonating of the sighted
vocabulary.

In the context of classroom activities, the blind student may encounter some problems
related to academic activities such as reading, writing, and others. According to (Pratiwi,

225

Lintangsari, Rizky and Rahajeng, 2018), blind students face some barriers in terms of
reading, in-class activities, and finding references as elucidated in Table 1.

Table 1: Barriers, Accommodation, and Assistive Technology for Blind Student

Barriers Accommodation Assistive Technology
Screen Reader such as
Blind students cannot Providing the reading JAWS or NVDA

access reading materials in materials in an accessible Alt text or alternative text
attached to the picture so
a printed forms format such as word, pdf or the blind student can have a
clear description on the
e pub. picture.
Slate, Stylus, Picture
Blind students cannot Teacher needs to describe Descriptor Software such as
cloud vision, note taking
access visual concepts such the visual concepts software such as Evernote,
write pad and so on.
as diagram, colours, table,

and so on

Blind students are Teacher should provide the

struggling in taking notes, materials before the class so

summarizing, and the blind students can have

understanding all lecture enough time to learn in.

materials presented in Teacher can allow blind

visual concepts. students to record and use

their handheld devices

during the lecture.

Written examination Teacher can provide reader Recorder, Laptop, Braille

that assist the blind Translation software,

students to do the exam. Braille Printer.

Reader will help the blind

students by reading them

the question and writing

their answers on the answer

sheet. Alternatively,

teachers can design

examination that is

accessible for blind students

such as providing the

examination in form of

audio, braille or word file.

Source: Pratiwi, Lintangsari, Rizky and Rahajeng, 2018.

2.2. Students Engagement

Various explanations can be used to define student engagement. Student engagement
described as the extent of students' involvement and active participation in learning
activities (Cole & Chan, 1994: 259). Besides, Berman (2014), Lippman (2013), and Rocca
(2010). Therefore, collaborative learning environments is highly suggested to enhance

226

students' engagement and learning (Lumpkin et al., 2015). (Hamman et al., 2012) Found
out that collaborative learning such as small groups brings greater satisfaction to students
rather than full-class or online class. They argued that small groups stimulate their interest
and support them to have a deeper engagement with the material.
In language learning, the construct of language engagement is relatively evolutionary.
(Svalberg, 2007) Argued that Language awareness, the factor that was contributing to
language learning, is encroaching with engagement with language. She saw Language
Awareness as the active factors triggering the engagement with language. To make
engagement measurable, (Svalberg, 2009) testing this construct and come up with three
aspects that trespassing each other in determining student engagement in language
learning. The three aspects of engagement, cognitive, affective and social are posited,
including triggering notions, i.e. attention, autonomy and agency (see table 2).

Table 2: Criteria for identifying engagement with language

3. METHODOLOGY
Research Procedures
This research utilized qualitative method by employing semi-structured interview. Before
interview, the researchers make sure that participants were willingly involved in the
research by reading, understanding and signing the informed consent. The interview done
by the researchers using Bahasa Indonesia and recording to record participants response.

227

After transcribing the interview record, the researched did data reduction and data analysis
according to the principles of engagement as reflected in research instruments.

Research Participants

Participants involved in this research are two blind students who are taking English Class as
one of the compulsory subject. Here is the characteristics of participants:

Table 3: Characteristics of Research Participants

Student Gender Major
A
B Male International Relationship Program

Female Library and Archive Program

Research Instruments

The interview guideline was developed under the Language Engagement principles
proposed by that consist of 3 aspects; (1) Cognitive Engagement, (2) Affective Engagement,
(3) Social Engagement; and (4) Facilitators or Impediments. To measure Cognitive
Engagement, this research formulate questions according to the criteria for finding
engagement as illustrated in table 2 above. Sample of interview questions are elaborated
in table 4 below:

Table 4: Interview Guideline

Dimension Sub-Dimensions Interview Questions
Cognitive
student alertness on 1. How is your feeling when joining English
Affective
language learning Class? Are you enthusiastic or lethargic?

Student attention on 2. Can you follow the class attentively?

the language

Student 3. Have you evaluated your English learning

critical/analytical after or out of the class?

thinking on language

learning

Students 4. Have you compared English to other

autonomous/directed languages (such as your mother tongue,

learning. your first language or other second

language that you learns)?

(1) Student 5. Where do you seat when attending

willingness English class?

6. Are frequently involved in discussion

session?

(2) Student 7. Do you have other purposes in English

Purposeful class beside getting the score?

Engagement

228

Social (3) Learning 8. Do you have special strategies to learn
Autonomy. English outside the class?

1) Maintaining 9. Are you only referring to the sources given
interaction by the lecturer to learn English?

2) Ready to interact. 10. If you have difficulty in comprehending
material, do you ask to your lecturer or
friends?

11. How often you discuss with your friends
about English learning?

4. MAIN RESULTS

To begin with an exploration of the question, how is the engagement of blind students in
learning English, this section looks briefly at the experience of Blind students in attending
English Class through 3 dimensions of engagement; cognitive affective and social.

Cognitive Engagement

The cognitive engagement reflected in a attentive energy to understand complex ideas.
The cognitive engagement indicates by behaviour indications such as asking questions,
clarification of concepts and other cognitive strategies to guide learning. This research
measures the blind students cognitive engagement through its sub dimension such as (1)
student alertness on language learning; (2) Student attention on the language; (3) Student
critical/analytical thinking on language learning; (4) Students autonomous/directed
learning.

The finding shows that Student A is not well engaged cognitively to the English lesson
triggered by two reasons; teacher attitude and course schedule. The lecturer less
accommodate student learning process such as do not provide accessible materials for the
blind student, do not verbalise the visual information, frequently use deictic languages and
rarely provide the guided discovery that trigger students alertness and focus on language
learning. The lecturer tend to use teacher-centred strategies and less provide student-
centred activities. Other factor that contribute to his less-engaged English class is the
course schedule held in the evening so he has been tired.

On the other hand, student B acknowledge that she is well engaged in English class because
the lecturer employs communicative learning approach. He gives the students lot of task
such as dictation, rote learning activities, expose students with English daily expressions
through many authentic conversation scenarios and grants high-achievers students with a
reward. One of the activities that is believed induce students alertness and focus on
language learning is the pre-teaching activities. Before the lecturer starts the lesson, he
leads the students to review previous materials by randomly inviting students to answer
his questions. Student B confesses that this routines makes her alert and forces her to learn

229

before the class because she feels disgrace if she cannot answer the questions. Her
engagement in English class also supported by the course that is scheduled in the morning
which is considered as a prime time to studying.

Affective Engagement

Affective Engagement deals with the emotional response level indicated by feeling of
involvement in English class. It provides the enticement for student to fully participate in
class endeavours. The affectively engaged students will feel included in class activities. The
affective engagement consist of 3 sub-dimension; (1) Student willingness; (2) Student
Purposeful Engagement and (3) Learning Autonomy.

Both of blind students show positive affective engagement in two areas; willingness and
purposeful engagement. Both of them are aware of their needs to access auditory
information as well as possible so they always have a set in a front row near the lecturer,
so they can hear lecturer’s explanation as well as possible. Their purposeful engagement
are shown by their confession that they learn English to study abroad. In terms of learning
autonomy, student A is more autonomous than student B. Student A reveals that he always
find English materials through online resources to compensate materials that he missed in
class. Otherwise, Student B confesses that she never act a supplementary activities outside
the class to improve her English, she only learn from what her teacher ask to.

Social Engagement

Social Engagement links to interaction and to learners initiation in maintaining interaction.
The social engagement emphasizes on with whom language learners need and want to
interact and in what context. It consists of two sub-dimensions; (1) Maintaining interaction
and (2) Ready to interact. Both of blind students prefer to maintain interaction with peers
in improving their English. Student A concerns with the English registers used in Political
Discourse and less care about English grammar, otherwise, Student B frequently discuss
about grammar and English Daily Expression.

Facilitators and Impediments of Blind Students Engagement in Learning English

Facilitators are the factors of the dimension that positively affect the students engagement
in English learning, whilst Impediments are the negative factors as listed in table 5 below.

230

Table 5: Factors Affecting Students Engagement in English Learning

Source: Svalberg (2019)
The table illustrate factors that may positively or negatively affecting engagement. One
factor can be facilitators for someone but it can be an impediments for others. There are 5
factors reported in Cognitive domain, those factors affecting differently to both of blinds
students engagements. Energy level become facilitator for student B since the class is
scheduled in the morning but it becomes impediment for student A since the class is
scheduled in the evening. The course scheduled significantly affect students energy and
enthusiasm that influence their engagement in learning. Both of student agree that
immediate surroundings such as noise are negatively affecting their cognitive engagement
since they only rely on auditory inputs. In term of emotional state, it become impediment

231

for student A because they feel bored with the class activities which sounds more teacher-
centred but it become facilitator for students B because their emotional state during the
class make her more alert and more focus to the lesson. This emotional state of being worry
triggered by teacher behaviour and teaching approach that invite students to be active by
throwing questions every meeting. The feeling of ‘worry’ being pointed out to answer the
questions, unexpectedly positively affect students cognitive engagement by increasing her
alertness and focus toward English learning. Training or educational background less
explored since both of students cannot recall their experience in learning English in their
secondary level. Task or activity becomes facilitator for student B but less explored in
Student A since the lecturer more teacher-centred and rarely give assignment. Teaching
approach and teacher behaviour are significantly affecting student engagement in English
class. Communicative-learning employed by student B lecturer enhance student B
engagement in language learning while teacher-centred approach employed by student A
lecturer create the gap of social intimacy between student and teacher that may suggested
as a factor that impede blind student engagement since the teacher less interact with the
students.

Talking about factors affecting affective domain, the characteristic of Student A who is
more critical and autonomous than student A successfully compensate his low engagement
in cognitive domain (especially teaching approach and teacher behaviours) because he is
self-directed to improve his English skills through outside class activities and online
resources. Otherwise, students A who is more less autonomous has been well supported
by the teaching approach applied by her lecturer. The student-cantered approach is
apparently well-suited to maintain learning process of less autonomous student.

Social dimension reveals that their disabilities of being visually impaired trivially has
impeded their engagement in language learning since both of them are digital literate and
benefit technology to support their learning and daily life. Both of blind students are having
spelling problems due to inconsistency between English sounds and spelling. They are also
struggling in comprehending listening materials with British Accents because they are more
familiar with American Accent since their screen reader equipped with American Accent.

5. CONCLUSION

Blind students, deal with visual-loss condition, should compensate other learning sources
and senses to boost their language learning process. It triggers issues on how their
limitation may affect their engagement in learning language? Broad of research has
reported stimulating findings on teaching strategies for the blinds but less research taking
the perspectives of the blinds. This paper offers the report of inclusive education practices
from the students perspective through the analysis of student engagement. Enthralling
findings insinuate that the visually-impaired state of blind students is not a vital
impediment to their engagement in language learning as well as personality type/learning
style. Intriguingly, teaching approach and teacher attitude are found as the foremost
factors that can be positively and negatively affecting student engagement in language

232

learning.

Stressing out this notion, teaching approach and teacher attitude can be positively boosting
student engagement if the teacher is able to minimizing the gap of social intimacy between
teacher and blind students so the teacher can well identify the blind student needs. The
degree of social intimacy plays role in creating the conducive condition for cognitive
development. In addition, innovative teaching approach that promote student-centred
approach can be facilitator to improve student engagement in language learning.
Therefore, University that has applied disability inclusion should consider a program that
empower the lecturers with inclusive teaching principles and encourage teacher to create
innovative ways to improve the students engagement. Student-centred approach and
communicative approach are highly suggested to enhance students engagement in
language learning. Opportunities of engaging blind students in language learning are widely
open that lead to other insightful research that potentially contributing the inclusive
practices of ELT. Educational institutions should open to the challenge of inviting blind
students in English learning and welcome the opportunities to explore innovative teaching
strategies and media that accommodate the needs of blind students in language learning.

Contesting the students perspective on their engagement in language learning, the current
research has elaborated blinds students engagement in language learning, but this
research less elaborate the role of other factors that may influence blind student
engagement such as gender, learning style, social networks, and linguistic factors that
potentially initiate the further research.

Bibliography:
Alies Poetri Lintangsari, M.Li, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, [email protected], blind
students engagement in language learning: challenges and opportunities.
Dr. Ive Emaliana, M.Pd, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, [email protected], blind students
engagement in language learning: challenges and opportunities.
Fatmawati, M.Sn, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia, [email protected], blind students
engagement in language learning: challenges and opportunities.

Acknowledgment: The authors would like to express their appreciation for the support of
the sponsors with Institute of Research and Community Services (LPMM) Universitas
Brawijaya for Hibah Penelitian Pemula year 2019.

REFERENCES

Berman, R. A. (2014). Engaging students requires a renewed focus on teaching. Chronicle
of Higher Education, 61(3), 28-30

Cole, P. G., & Chan, L. K. S. (1994).Teaching principles and practice(2nd ed.). New York,
NY: Prentice Hall.

233