Teaching practicum is an essential part of teacher-training that provides real classroom engagement for a beginner teacher. It is considered as one of the most critical components of teacher preparation with the greatest impact on teacher quality (Mtika, 2011; Zeichner, 2010; Graham, 2006; Tang, 2003) and is significant for the development of their pedagogical skills (Kauffman, 1992). The sudden upsurge of the Covid -19 infections around the world in the first quarter of 2020, witnessed massive closure of schools worldwide in order to contain the spread of the pandemic. This unexpected turn of events had flipped the more traditional face-to-face method of teaching and learning into distance learning that requires 21st. Century technology and skills. This paper explores the experience of a group of trainee teachers from an institute of higher learning in Malaysia, at managing this unprecedented challenge in delivering education remotely via technology. Data were collected from interviews and supplemental written records in the form of lesson plans, teaching evidence, and online tools employed for teaching and learning. The findings show that the trainee teachers undergo varied and often challenging experiences in ensuring the continuity of curriculum-based education and the students’ progress in learning. Their successes in delivering the lessons amidst the novel encounters are the epitome of resilient and flexible teachers in the making.

As one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, English in Malaysia is also an important language for both national and global operations widely used in the aspects of business, education, and international relations. Due to such importance, there is constant concern towards the English language performance of students at all levels of education, and it is one of the issues addressed in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025. This paper sought to answer the question of ‘What are the factors contributing to students’ English language performance?’, with specific reference to students from the religious education background at an Islamic-based public university in Malaysia. Derived from a larger study, this paper reported the qualitative findings gathered from interview sessions with a total of 47 English teachers, English and content subject lecturers as well as students regarding the factors contributing to the students’ English language performance. Findings revealed 4 main themes of internal features or inner components that influence the students’ English achievement which are: (1) teacher attributes (2) learner determination (3) learner beliefs / attitudes and (4) ‘I don’t understand’. The findings of this study reveal the needs to explore new areas to address the issue of students’ English language performance, particularly those of religious background education. It also has broader implications for the global community, which makes it critical for educators and policymakers to collaborate in developing new strategies and resources to help learners overcome the challenges and develop the language skills they need to thrive in today's interconnected world. With that, it is hoped that students are able to access the same opportunities for success as their peers, regardless of their linguistic or cultural background.

Every language curriculum is designed based on a particular theoretical orientation. Thus, when a language curriculum is designed based on specific theory, it is imperative that the contents presented in that curriculum align with its theoretical underpinning. This is to ensure the effectiveness of the curriculum. If the curriculum is not coherent, then the overall goals of the curriculum will not be achieved. The present Malaysian English language curriculum is developed and designed based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). In line with its label, the contents presented are expected to be coherent and in alignment with its communicative label including at its theoretical level. Thus, it is the aim of this current study to investigate if the theoretical grounding of the Malaysian form 4 English language curriculum, in particular, the speaking curriculum, is in alignment with its communicative label. The focus of the study is on the Malaysian form 4 English language speaking curriculum. Hence, data were collected from the form 4 English language curriculum specifications document and the form 4 English language textbook. Speaking-related statements were extracted from the documents and categorized under major Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories and second language (L2) speaking theories in order to identify their alignment with the communicative approach. The findings show that the socio-cognitive and sociocultural (SCT) theories, the two theories which were merged to represent the SLA theory for communicative instructional approaches, were highly reflected in the Malaysian form 4 English language speaking curriculum. Results also exhibit that both the Interaction Hypothesis (IH) and Output Hypothesis (OH) which made up the Interactive L2 speaking theory were reflected in the data analysed. This confirms that the Malaysian form 4 English language speaking curriculum is primarily in alignment with its communicative label as reflected in the two main documents analysed. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Malaysian English language speaking curriculum for Form Four is coherent with its communicative label at the Approach level.

In second/foreign language learning, it is hypothesised oral interaction facilitates language acquisition. Studies show that one aspect of interaction that promotes second/foreign language acquisition is through the process of negotiation, and one factor that influences interaction is the task or activity that learners are engaged in. Hence, it is the aim of this study to investigate if foreign language (FL) learners would engage in different negotiation strategies when completing different communication task types. Nine FL learners from a tertiary EFL class in groups of three participated in the study. They completed three different communication task types (i.e., information gap, jigsaw and decision-making) over a period of four weeks. Data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of the groups� oral interaction. This study qualitatively examined FL learners� oral interactions when engaged in three different types communication tasks. Data collected were analysed for instances of negotiation. Findings revealed that the different communication tasks elicited negotiation episodes as the participants engaged in task completion. They applied similar negotiation strategies during peer interaction. However, further scrutiny revealed that there were differences in terms of the depth of negotiation for the different communication task types. The results of this study exhibit evidence that language communication tasks do promote meaningful interactions among tertiary EFL learners. Data clearly showed widespread negotiation episodes during task completion. The knowledge on the types of communication tasks that can promote meaningful interaction and negotiation episodes can assist language practitioners to make informed decisions on tasks that are suitable for their learners.

Purpose - This study examined the interrelationships between a set of antecedent academic intrinsic motivations and metacognitive strategy such as goal orientation, perceived value and religiosity in Fundamental Knowledge for Matriculation courses (FKM). It also investigated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and metacognitive strategy on one hand, and students' academic performance on the other. Methodology - A total of 471 second-year students (233 males and 238 females) were randomly selected to participate in a survey, following a stratified random sampling. Hypothesized relationships of academic intrinsic motivation, metacognitive strategy and their predictors were then tested by using Structural Equation Modeling. Findings - Using bootstrapping (data-based resampling), the findings confirmed the proposed model which suggests that goal orientation and perceived values contributed to students' academic performance directly and indirectly via intrinsic motivation and metacognition. Additionally, the findings also indicate that goal orientation was the main determinant of intrinsic motivation and metacognition, followed by perceived value. It was also found that religious motives within a perceived value construct contributed significantly to students' academic performance in a direct and indirect manner via intrinsic motivation and metacognitive strategy. Significance - The study suggests the importance of goal orientation especially mastery and performance as well as perceived value and most significantly, religious motive in students' intrinsic motivation and their use of metacognitive strategies. The study also highlights the significance of intrinsic motivation and metacognitive strategies in students' academic performance. Hence, it is recommended that learners should be helped to adopt appropriate academic goals, and be encouraged to use metacognitive strategies to enhance their learning attainments.

This study examined the use of WhatsApp mobile application as a tutorial platform for Arabic language lifelong learning (A3L) at the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). An exploratory research design was adopted and the purposive sampling technique was used in selecting participants for the study. Specifically, the study comprises 40 USIM A3L learners. The WhatsApp mobile application was used as a tutorial delivery tool for the learners. Two research questions were raised and analyzed qualitatively. The result of the analysis indicated that WhatsApp mobile application could be used as tutorial delivery tool for A3L following the prescribed steps and procedures. Twelve Arabic lessons were learned which include contents for learners, quizzes, feedbacks and learner supports. Based on the findings, it was recommended that researchers need to extensively respond to the growing need of a body of research in this area, especially building models and strategies that work for the use of social media for the improvement of A3L delivery. Additionally, the A3L facilitators should be equipped with the skills of using mobile technologies, particularly the social media for A3L enhancement.

Students who learn Arabic as a foreign language in a foreign country usually face difficulties to achieve proficiency in the language. This is primarily because of the lack of Arabic language resources. However, this situation does not hinder the emergence of a group of outstanding students who achieve fluency in Arabic by using their own methods. This study investigated the methods used by these students to be used as a guideline for other students. To collect the data, a set of questionnaire was developed from the Imitation Strategy Instrument introduced by Rosni Samah (2014). The questionnaires were distributed to 50 outstanding final year students from the Arabic language department, Faculty of Major Languages, Islamic Science University of Malaysia. The results showed that effective strategies for learning Arabic language as a foreign language were gathering, enhancing and applying. The targets are new vocabulary and sentence. The tools to perform the strategies were Arabic materials and language activities. This study recommends that in learning Arabic language as a foreign language, the three methods mentioned above should be applied. The Arabic materials should be provided and language activities should be organized. The effective methods used by outstanding students should be used as a guideline for other students to be more proficient in Arabic Language.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of annotations in nlultimedia on-screen texts using two presentational modes in enhancing learners comprehension level as well as vocabulary level. The subjects involved are 44 first year Biotechnology students of USIM. The methodology employed is experimental comparison of the performance of two groups of subjects under two different conditions: one using multimedia on-screen text with the annotations of 'text+animation' and the other using multimedia onscreen text with the annotations of 'voice+animation'. The instruments used in this study are the multimedia texts on "transgenesis method' which focuses on the processes involved in the "Protoplast Fusion' as well as the "Agro bacterium mediated transfusion' and a Comprehension Test that assessed the subjects understanding of the reading texts assigned. The neth hod of data analysis used is of descriptive statistics which uses the frequency count of the average (mean) value scores as well as the highest (max) and lowest score (min) in identifying the effectiveness of the multimedia annotations in facilitating the students comprehension level using the two presentational modes. Generally, the overall scores indicate that there is no significance difference in the use of annotations via the two presentational mode - 'text+animation7 and 'voice+animation' as the difference that exist in the scores are small. However, the findings do indicate that the subjects are found to emphasise on the use of their visual sense of modality in facilitating their reading tasks. Subsequently, this has resulted the students that are exposed to the presentational mode of 'text+animation' to do fairly better than the latter group 'voice+animation'. Finally, it is important to highlight here that the annotations (animations) found in the multimedia on-screen text, do to a certain extent, facilitate the students in understanding a science based text due to its ability to build referential connections between the two mental representations in short term memory hence, resulting in better performance in the tasks assigned

Introduction- The role and position of the English language within the higher education has increasingly played a significant role as the leading language of academic publications, technologies as well as communication. The higher institutions in the country hold important responsibilities to educate and produce the younger generation of Malaysians as potential human resources that not only fulfil the needs of the local and international workforce in the attempt to achieve the national’s aspiration of a developed country. Purpose – This study seeks to understand and gain insights on the undergraduate students’ English language literacies in relation to the demand of the literacy practices and competencies needed at the tertiary level. The literacy practices in this instance include academic literacies that encompasses not only knowledge of discrete language skills and appropriate language use in context, but it is to be holistically understood to include also competence in reading and writing. Methodology – Subsequently, data were collected via questionnaires and focus groups with selected undergraduate from various disciplines to investigate whether their educational and environmental factors influence their existing level of English language competencies. Analysis of the course outlines was conducted to gain insights of the competencies and demands expected on the required university. Findings – In doing so, in-depth insights of the challenges faced, along with expectations held by various parties are gained in order to ascertain the expected proficiency needed for undergraduate students to meet the English language demands and needs at the universities. Significance – The study will contribute to the knowledge of how students’ English language literacies can meet the demand of the literacy practices and competencies needed at the tertiary level.

The role and position of the English language within the higher education has increasingly plays a significant role as the leading language of academic publications, technologies as well as communication. The higher institutions in the country hold important responsibilities to educate and produce the younger generation of Malaysians as potential human resources that not only fulfil the needs of the local and international workforce in the attempt to achieve the national’s aspiration of a developed country. This study seeks to understand the undergraduate students’ English language literacies in relation to the demand of the literacy practices and competencies needed at the tertiary level. The literacy practices in this instance include academic literacies that encompasses not only knowledge of discrete language skills and appropriate language use in context, but it is to be holistically understood to include also competence in reading and writing. Subsequently, data were collected via questionnaires and focus groups with selected undergraduate from various disciplines to investigate whether their educational and environmental factors influence their existing level of English language competencies.. Findings of the study provides in-depth insights of the challenges faced, and the language literacy practices needed in meeting the expectations of potential employers of the required English language skills to be used at workplace.

At the heart of mastering a language, second language(L2) learners must be able to make sense of the function, meaning and structure of the language system that operates in the target language as to equip them with the language proficiency needed. Subsequently, this paper focuses on an alternative approach, known as GLOw@CBI to enhance learners’ understanding of the grammatical tense and aspect of L2 English. Grounded by the theoretical principles of Vygotskian’s mediation theory (1978) and Cognitive-grammar model (Radden & Dirven 2007), the strength of this approach lies in the representation of the grammar items using concepts, that are presented using various multimedia annotations to motivate and enhance learners’ mastery of the L2. To explore the potential of GLOw@CBI as an alternative pedagogical solution, analysis of learners’ pre-post-tests results and their views regarding the approach are investigated to ascertain the effectiveness of this pedagogical grammar approach. In essence, findings gained from the study evidently suggest that GLOw@CBI provides an alternative platform, especially to low proficiency learners who are otherwise easily distracted, to focus on their English language learning performance and hence enhance their mastery of the target language.

History of the Che Wans fiom 1850 to 1900 is centered on Che Wan Ahmad Tun Ali who was "banished" from Pahang and took shelter in Terengganu. From Terengganu, he made several forays into Pahang but failed to make lasting impact on the people until he made alliances with Che Wan Idris of Jelai, Wan Ahmad Tembeling, Tok Gajah and Baginda Omar, the Sultan of Terengganu. Revolt of the Rawa people led by Che Wan Abdul Rahman and Tok Gajah against Bendahara Mutahir gave Che Wan Idris of Jelai or Tok Raja as he was also known, an opportunity to return to Pahang fiom Kelantan with his men and led the uprising from Jelai to Tembeling. The fall of Tembeling to forces allied to Che Wan Ahmad brought the young prince back to Pahang with an army from Terengganu equipped by Baginda Omar. Soon Chenor, Pulau Manis and all territories south from Gancong to Pekan fell to their onslaught. Tun Mutahir died in Sedili and his son Tun Koris died in Kuala Pahang. The death of Mutahir marked the end of his reign and Che Wan Ahmad was declared the new Bendahara of Pahang. The implication of Che Wan Ahmad Temenggong of Tembeling and his abdication during Che Wan Ahmad's rule as Sultan of Pahang when Pahang was under the British Resident is a piece of history missing fiom Pahang. Che Wan Ahrnad Temenggong survived British imperialism and resurfaced in Kampong Che Wan, Kijal. The village bore the Che Wan's name until this day.

The use of ICT in the teaching and learning of Quranic Language reflects the integration of Naqli (revealed) and Aqli (rational) knowledge. This study clarified 8 systematic approaches that will enhance student capability in the teaching and learning of Quranic Language for non-native speakers. The 8 approaches are (i) proper lesson plan, (ii) interesting set induction, (iii) lesson message, (iv)constructive responses, (v) group discussion, (vi) correction and additional input from lecturer, (vii) assessment on teaching outcome, and (viii) conclusion/homework. These eight approaches of Quranic teaching and learning consider 4 pedagogical factors in its implementation; (i) creativity, (ii) reflection, (iii) reciprocity, and (iv) responsibility. Operative and effective teaching requires extensive and substantial commitment to content and subject. Lecturers must have sense of responsibility towards the student understanding level. The results show that the integration of the systematic and proper approaches is very helpful in conducting the teaching and learning process of Quranic Language for non-native speakers. One�s success will be achieved when the person grasps deep responsibility, as portrayed by the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW. The integration of Naqli (revealed) and Aqli (rational) knowledge with honourable qualities are the drive to nurture a noble generation and a knowledgeable society.

21st Century Learning has commonly been directed to optimise learners’ acquisition of knowledge and skills. However, less emphasis is placed on the 21st century skills needed by the teachers, particularly in the teaching of Islamic Religious Studies which emphasises the integration of Naqli and Aqli knowledge. Saavedra and Opfer (2012) propose these nine pedagogical elements of 21stCentury Skills required for the 21stCentury Teaching; Making it relevant, teaching through the disciplines, developing thinking skills, Encouraging learning transfer, Teaching students how to learn, Addressing misunderstandings directly, Treating teamwork like an outcome, Exploiting technology to support learning and Fostering creativity. This paper investigated the knowledge, skills of 21st Century learning and the Naqli-Aqli knowledge that teacher trainees impart in their practicum training. Analysis is based on 21 Reflective Journals written by 21 pre-service teachers during their 4-month Practicum Training in public secondary national schools. Through rich and exclusive data, findings indicate that the teacher trainees to some extent did adopt some of these pedagogical elements as well as the integration of Naqli-Aqli knowledge. It is hoped that this paper is able to reveal some insights in understanding the issues of implementing 21st Century Learning and integrating the Naqli-Aqli knowledge in classrooms.

Although Tahfiz students’ Islamic knowledge is generally accorded privilege, Tahfiz students’ English language proficiency is considered weak and insubstantial. The advent of technology and the 21st century reveal the centrality of English proficiency as it is still the most spoken language in the world. As such, to become global Da’ie, Tahfiz students might better possess English language proficiency commensurate with the global demands. Based on Dornyei’s (2005) L2MSS, a new L2 motivational model for Tahfiz students has been proposed. In this paper, the authors describe one specific factor in the new model, namely the Islamic Drive which contains five items extracted via the Exploratory Factor Analysis. The element of Islamic Drive used singly is useful because it substantiates a unique aspect of motivation for Tahfiz students. In essence, the Islamic Drive suggests that Tahfiz students’ motivation is closely associated with their spiritual vision; to use English mainly as a means of da’wah is to communicate with other global Muslims.

Efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus have been carried out on a large scale around the world, and among the measures that have been taken is to change the mode of learning among students in universities to online learning. Although various online learning platforms have been made available for student use, the level of mastery of students as well as the challenges they face to maximize the use of technology while studying from home is still understudied. This study will add to the previous research by focusing on the aspects of English language online learning processes experienced by Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) students during the Movement Control Order period. This study collected qualitative data through open-ended questions which were distributed online, involving 29 first-year students from the Bachelor of English with Commerce (BELCOM). The data revealed two (2) categories of challenges – external and internal. Internet connection and environment are for external while understanding and communication are for internal. In relation to each of the challenges, the respondents also shared their coping mechanisms which are two-pronged. Some respondents just accepted those hurdles while many of them took charge and took action in solving the problems. These coping mechanisms could be used as guides for other learners facing difficulties in learning online at home.

Some studies (Fung, 2010; Hwang & Mohamed Amin, 2007; Nadzrah, 2005; Puteh-Behak, 2013; Tang & Abdul Ghani Kanesan Abdullah, 2007) show that a significant characteristic in Malaysian learning is that the ability of a particular student is usually measured through his/her performance in the examination. In this examination-based culture, learning usually concentrates on techniques in answering examination questions through the process of drilling. Often students are well-prepared for the examination however unable to use the knowledge gained in praxis. Being part of a larger study, this paper explores the implementation of a multiliteracies approach in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom in Malaysia. It was a participatory action research project and involved two lecturers as co-researchers and 30 Diploma of Civil Engineering students as participants. Data was collected through qualitative means such as classroom observations, informal conversations and classroom artefacts. Data was analysed through Critical Reflective Analysis Steps (Puteh-Behak, 2013) which included the process of observing and noting personal reflections, confronting and thinking, and taking action. The findings suggest that through the multiliteracies approach the students experienced a shift from monotonous drilling activities to exciting yet challenging learning activities. It seems that the use of the multiliteracies approach enhanced the students’ learning experience by providing a sense of adventure in the usually-monotonous learning process.

Goal achieving curricular are often coherent at their fundamental level. In order for a curriculum to achieve its goals, it is imperative that the curriculum is coherent at all levels. What is presented in a curriculum must align with its theoretical underpinning. The present Malaysian English language curriculum is developed and designed based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine if the theoretical grounding of the Malaysian form five English language curriculum, in particular the speaking curriculum, is in alignment with its communicative label. In line with its label, the speaking curriculum embedded in the Malaysian form five English language curriculum should be developed and designed based on the CLT. It should reflect the CLT approach. The data for this study were collected from the Form Five English Language Curriculum Specifications document and the Form Five English Language textbook. In analyzing the alignment of the Malaysian form five English language speaking curriculum with the communicative approach, the data were categorized under major second language acquisition (SLA) theories and second language (L2) speaking theories. The findings show that the socio-cognitive and socio-cultural theories are highly reflected in the Malaysian form five English Language speaking curriculum, the two theories which are closely related to the communicative approach. This shows that the Malaysian form five English language speaking curriculum is primarily in alignment with its communicative label. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications on English as a foreign language (EFL) speaking instruction.

Introduction- Teaching practicum is an essential part of teacher-training that provides real classroom engagement for a beginner teacher. It is considered as one of the most critical components of teacher preparation with greatest impact on teacher quality (Mtika, 2011; Zeichner, 2010; Graham, 2006; Tang, 2003) and is significant for the development of their pedagogical skills (Kauffman, 1992). The sudden upsurge of the Covid -19 infections around the world in the first quarter of 2020, witnessed massive closure of schools worldwide in order to contain the spread of the pandemic. This unexpected turn of events had flipped the more traditional face-to-face method of teaching and learning into distance learning that requires 21st. Century technology and skills. Purpose – This paper explores the experience of a group of trainee teachers from an institute of higher learning in Malaysia, at managing this unprecedented challenge in delivering education remotely via technology. Methodology – Data were collected from interview and supplemental written records in the form of lesson plans, teaching evidence and online tools employed for the teaching and learning. Findings – The findings show that the trainee teachers undergo varied and often challenging experiences in ensuring the continuity of curriculum-based education and the students’ progress in learning. Significance – Their successes in delivering the lessons amidst the novel encounters are the epitome of resilient and flexible teachers in the making.

The advent of the Internet and the arrival of the World-Wide–Web have provided an alternative and potential tool for enhancing the ESL teaching and learning throughout the world. As the Internet provides authentic, captivating and useful sources for language teachers and learners, the capability of Internet as an educational tool is only limited by the imagination and creativity of both language users. As such, it is pertinent for a study to be carried out in evaluating websites for ESL classroom teaching and learning. In this study, 4 relevant ESL websites have been selected and evaluated using the criteria for website evaluation by Mohamed Amin Embi (2004). A total group of 32 learners of KUIM responded to the selfreport questionnaire consisting of Likert scale items. The analysis of the data is of descriptive statistics, which include frequency counts and mean scores. Results obtained identified that both groups responded positively towards the use of websites in ESL learning. Identification of the relevant criteria of the selected ESL websites that they find would enhance and motivate learning were also made.