Gender discrimination phenomenon not only exists in ‘male-centered’ literatures where ‘double-standard’ treatment is apparent in the writings of local male writers, but also can be seen in the twisted yet stereotypical images of the female characters. Such portrayal of female characters seems to come from the male writer’s imagination and personal experience, as well as from that of the ideas prevailing in the society in which they live. Their interpretation of characters is shaped by society’s customs, traditions, and taboos. By unveiling the social values and practices of the Malay society, only then these misperception and misrepresentation of women characters can be understood. Using sociological and feminist approach, this paper attempts to rectify the three stereotypical images (an ‘object’, the ‘other’ and ‘being female’) of women characters as created by Shahnon Ahmad in No Harvest but Thorn (1972), Rope of Ash (1991), Srengenge (1974) and Woman (1980). These images shall be revealed implicitly through glimpses of the women characters’ inner conflicts and explicitly through the development of characters and their relationship within the society.

This research conducted on the Quranic and Sunnah students at USIM studied the participants’ Language Learning Attitudes (LLA) in learning English as a second language using five personality traits as attitude indicators. It led to the findings that the participants were risk averse, low in self-image, low in tolerance of ambiguity, high in ego permeability and highly inhibited. One of the effective methods that can be used to nurture good attitudes as to enhance learning and acquisition is through the implementation of cooperative learning strategy. This strategy helps build learners’ confidence to take more risk in language learning as well as develop tolerance towards uncertainties in the learning process. Cooperative learning as the name suggests enables learners to work interdependently as to create learning network that provides appropriate language learning support to produce better LLA. To achieve this aim, ESL teachers ought to know how cooperative learning helps to mend learners’ LLA. In addition, they also need to know how it can be exploited to produce favourable learning attitudes in the classroom, which in the case of this study is to improve the abovementioned five learning personalities.

Language learning attitude is one of the factors that language. This study attempts to identify language learning attitude and its relationship with English Language proficiency amongst second language learner of English in KUIM. Survey method is employed through th administration of questionnaire to each individual group. The finding indicate that the subjects have less favorable language learning attitude as portrayed by the inclination of personality traits towards the less favorable attitude zones. This show that language learning attitude does influence the subjects’ performance in their English language examination as pointed out by their final English examination results at the end of the first semester of their freshman year cooperative learning strategies are recommended in the English language activities conducted in the classroom as to improve the students’ language learning attitude. The implementation of these strategies in all four skills is in the aim to improve students’ language learning attitude, which contribute to the enhancement of their performance in the English language examination.