Hariharan NKrishnasmy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Hariharan NKrishnasmy

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the a... more This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2020

This article categorically analyzes the key issues faced in the teaching of culture in foreign an... more This article categorically analyzes the key issues faced in the teaching of culture in foreign and second languages to students. The definition of these two interrelated concepts given, respectively. Next, the characteristics and components of culture that need to be in cooperated into the EFL classrooms. Additionally, the article defines relevant concepts such as language and culture that although commonly used some learners may not be able to identify how they relate. The article also provides various techniques used to incorporate cultural studies into second and foreign language classes. Besides, providing various views and assumptions on culture in the teaching foreign language. Moreover, factors such as teachers and curriculum explored and additionally the role they play in integrating culture to foreign language learning and the guidelines necessary to ensure that culture is integrated into EFL classrooms. This article sheds some light on this matter and additionally assists ...

International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE)

Intralingual comparison in language learning is an effective teaching method, which introduces a ... more Intralingual comparison in language learning is an effective teaching method, which introduces a new learning from what students have mastered to what they are going to learn. The study is to investigate the effects of applying intralingual comparison on the teaching of English adverbial relative clauses to Chinese Senior high school students. Data was collected utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods in a mixed method design. Data was gathered via experimental research (n=103) and semi-structured interview (n=12). The experimental group’s posttest scores improved statistically significantly after intervention. Research findings suggest that applying intralingual comparison in teaching could be considered as an effective teaching method in improving students’ performance on learning English adverbial relative clauses. Besides, students would have more active and positive attitudes toward learning adverbial relative clauses than the traditional teaching method.

Journal of critical reviews

Qualitative interview data is commonly used in the field of social sciences as it involves collec... more Qualitative interview data is commonly used in the field of social sciences as it involves collection of data between the interviewer and interviewee via verbal interaction. However, the issue of qualitative is mostly related to the validity and reliability of its data especially for inexperience researchers to perform a systematic procedure of conducting the interview session. A pilot test is also one of the procedures that need to be mastered by a researcher in collecting qualitative data as it may assists in the improvisation to the actual interview. The paper aims to describe the process of conducting the pilot test to determine the validity of the qualitative data for a study on factors related to learners' satisfaction in blended learning English proficiency courses. Moreover, this study will also provide a better understanding on the importance of piloting interview instrument. The semi-structured interview was selected and tested on the first year undergraduates' learners in English proficiency course. Based on the result of the pilot test, it showed that the instrument can be considered valid and reliable, and at the same time allowing opportunity for refinements and modifications in the research tool.

Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership

This study focuses on the indigenous peoples of Malaysia who are collectively categorized as the ... more This study focuses on the indigenous peoples of Malaysia who are collectively categorized as the orang asli (indigenous people) in Malaysia. This group was selected as they face many challenges in the field of education which is often linked to poverty, incompatible teaching-learning methods, lack of facilities, and school leadership. The study investigates the role of school administrators, teachers, parents, and pupils in five selected schools in Malaysia. Five school headmasters, two administrative officials, 10 teachers, 10 parents, and 10 students took part in this qualitative study. Interviews on school leadership were explored in terms of challenges and good practices which leads to the development of a model that incorporates the findings from the study. It is hoped that the model which emphasizes sociocultural sensitivity, the need to draw on the knowledge and the skills of the orang asli for educational development, and reaching out to them will be helpful to indigenous pe...

Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Thai students’ L2 reading comprehension level for... more The purpose of this study is to investigate the Thai students’ L2 reading comprehension level for lower order thinking skills (LOTS) and higher order thinking skills (HOTS) questions. This study seeks to compare the scores between LOTS questions, HOTS questions and overall questions. The participants of this study were 60 first year students from a college in Pattani province, south of Thailand. The instruments used in this study are six reading comprehension passages. Each passage consists of six multiple choice questions (four questions for LOTS and two questions for HOTS). The findings indicated that Thai students’ mean scores for the overall achievement in comprehension are only at average level. The findings from paired sample t-test indicate that students mean scores for LOTS questions is significantly higher than HOTS questions. This study has crucial pedagogical implication to Ministry of Education and Teacher Training Division because serious planning and implementations ar...

The variations of microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation behavior of Mo-V-Cu-N coat... more The variations of microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation behavior of Mo-V-Cu-N coatings are directly correlated to the chemical compositions, which significantly affects their tribological behavior. The aim of this work was to characterize Mo-V-Cu-N coatings with different chemical compositions deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) using single Mo-V-Cu segmental target, and to investigate the correlations between the lubricative oxides formed on coating surfaces with the variation of tribological behavior at different temperatures. The oxidation of Mo-V-Cu-N coatings started at 400 °C with the lubrication oxides of MoO and Cu-MoO were formed, which led to the decrease in coefficients of friction and wear rates of the coatings. It was found that the rapid outward diffusion of Mo and Cu atoms took place preferentially at around the growth defects (e.g. microparticles and pores). The incorporation of V atoms into Mo-Cu-N coatings enhanced the oxidation resistance at temperatures below 400 °C. At 500 °C, all the fcc B1-MoN and VN phases disappeared due to the severe oxidation, and the V 2 O 5 phase was first appeared. Even though a relatively low coefficient of friction was obtained at 500 °C, the wear resistance of Mo-V-Cu-N coatings was decreased due to the severe oxidation and loss of mechanical strength.

Teacher Professional Knowledge and Development for Reflective and Inclusive Practices, 2017

An important soft skill that would be advantageous for undergraduate students is the ability to c... more An important soft skill that would be advantageous for undergraduate students is the ability to communicate effectively in English in the workplace. The current study is part of a larger study which is being conducted since 2012 in a tertiary level institution in Malaysia. English is taught as a second language in Malaysia. This study looks into the use of two video recordings of two small groups of students who were enrolled for a Business and Professional Communication course. Both groups consisted of five students each. Both groups were assigned the same small group discussion activity. Each group was required to identify the main points in a letter of complaint and respond to these points. The session of 40 minutes was video recorded. Both groups of students were given a period of three days to view or review the video of their respective groups. Individual interviews with the ten students showed that there was more awareness regarding the way they, as well as their friends comm...

In 1991, Malaysia launched the Vision 2020 agenda to create a time frame for achieving the status... more In 1991, Malaysia launched the Vision 2020 agenda to create a time frame for achieving the status of a developed nation.English is considered an integral part of the Malaysian development process.In this regard, English language teaching and learning as a second language is a major national concern.However, the challenges of learning English as a second language are manifold, especially for secondary students from the lower socio-economic strata who live in rural communities.To date, an understanding of these challenges is generally confined to an individualist perspective.The argument in this research project is that a cognitive approach to second language learning whilst necessary is insufficient to significantly improve ESL outcomes for disadvantaged social groups in Malaysia.Thus, this research project presents evidence to support an innovative sociolinguistic paradigm for understanding the process of English language acquisition among Malaysian rural schoolchildren.This paradig...

One of the factors that determines students’ success in learning a language, is through their cor... more One of the factors that determines students’ success in learning a language, is through their correct choices of strategy used. The study aims at identifying the students’ language learning strategies. The respondents were 48 diploma students from two different diploma programmes which are Diploma in Polymer Science and Diploma in Sports Recreation. The researcher adapts Edvardsdottir’s (2010) questionnaire in acquiring the information needed for the study. The findings reveal that students from both programmes preferred guessing from context, asking their classmates, using google and using an online dictionary. On the other hand, they rarely seek their lecturer’s help in finding the meanings of words and they would rather seek others help. Future research should consider the use of a semi-structured interview with the respondents as to find the reasons why they preferred some strategies as compared to the others.

School-Based Assessment (SBA) was implemented in Malaysian primary schools in 2011 and secondary ... more School-Based Assessment (SBA) was implemented in Malaysian primary schools in 2011 and secondary schools in 2012. Since its implementation, teachers have faced several challenges to meet the aims and objectives of the SBA.Based on these challenges, this study intends to identify the differences in assessment knowledge, school support, teacher readiness, teacher skills and challenges faced by teachers based on gender in the implementation of SBA.In addition, this study identifies the relationship between knowledge, school support, teacher readiness, teacher skills and challenges that teachers face in the implementation of SBA.The research participants were 243 teachers who were teaching Grade 8 students comprising 60 (24.69%) male teachers and 183 (75.31%) female teachers.The questionnaire was designed by the researcher to determine school support (12 items), teacher readiness (20 items), teacher knowledge (16 items), teacher skills (12 items), and challenges faced by teachers (29 it...

Background: In School-Based Assessment (SBA), teachers have the autonomy to carry out formative a... more Background: In School-Based Assessment (SBA), teachers have the autonomy to carry out formative and summative assessment.In a sense, teachers’ integrity and credibility is recognized and enhanced.Teachers are indeed suitable to continuously monitor their students’ performance in schools. SBA was officially introduced by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, and implemented in stages, in-line with the Standards based Primary School Curriculum, starting in the year 2011 as part of Malaysia’s educational reform.Literature has shown that teachers still have difficulty in accepting the changes made in the school assessment policy, they do not get sufficient information on SBA and as well as relevant trainings.Objective: This paper deals with the implementation of SBA in Malaysia and the issues related to its early years of implementation, which include teachers understanding of SBA and their readiness to implement SBA in their respective schools.This paper sets out to provide a glimpse of ...

Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 2021

Silence in the English language classroom is a common problem faced by language instructors, espe... more Silence in the English language classroom is a common problem faced by language instructors, especially for students in the lower proficiency classes and instructors see language anxiety as one of the main reasons this is so. The intervention of educational entertainment or Edutainment in the English Language classroom is important to improve the language learning experience of this generation of millennial students. This paper looks at Films to provide not only language learning enjoyment but useful input to students of the lowest level English course at UUM. In this research, intervention in the form of film viewing and activities related to the films was carried out. A class of twenty students from a first level English class weregiven six movies of their choice to watch and conduct activities with in addition to the normal course scheme of work.Through film viewing and activities, students were exposed to language use in context which is supported by visual and linguistic support and storyline. Before and after the intervention, The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) instrument which measures levels of Communication Apprehension was administered. The results of the study shows that students indicated lower communication apprehension levelsoverall and within the subcategories of group discussion, meetings, interpersonal communication and public speaking. Students' reflections were also positive in nature. The findings of this study concur that language acquisition takes place meaningfully through films by providing comprehensible input and that films are an important medium that facilitate communication and language learning for this generationof students.

Jurnal Intelek, 2019

This is a conceptual paper on low achievers and vocabulary learning strategies. The paper focuses... more This is a conceptual paper on low achievers and vocabulary learning strategies. The paper focuses onwhat vocabulary is, its importance, types of vocabulary learning strategies, low achievers and theirvocabulary learning, the importance of explicit teaching of vocabulary learning strategies to lowachievers and also studies done on them. Low achievers need to be made aware of the existence of thesestrategies and employ them in their learning. This is because they have less motivation to learn Englishas they are weak in this subject. Learners should also be taught on these strategies explicitly so that theyare able to be autonomous in their learning. The knowledge on the strategies that they get will be helpfullater in the work place as they will encounter various types of vocabulary that are related to their job.The paper ends with the conclusion and recommendations on ways to help low achievers to enhance theirvocabulary knowledge. Keywords: language learning strategies, vocabulary l...

PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, Nov 1, 2017

The implementation of an effective, comprehensive standardized assessment for Physical Education ... more The implementation of an effective, comprehensive standardized assessment for Physical Education has seen several challenges that need to be investigated. This study investigated qualitatively the implications of the implementation of the SEGAK test.The major focus of the study was to explore teachers’ and students’ perspectives about the SEGAK test. Based on stratified random sampling in five schools, 10 Physical Education teachers and 20 students in a selected district in Malaysia participated in the study. Interview sessions were conducted in the schools and the information they gave was analysed thematically. The findings showed that teachers generally agreed that the SEGAK test will be more effective if it can be conducted by teachers who were specifically trained in the discipline. Many teachers were non-optionists and had to familiarize themselves with the SEGAK test and acquire skills regarding the field. Most of the teachers believed that there was a dire need for more teachers who were optionists as they could better perform the tasks of evaluation under SEGAK. The students mentioned that they were aware of the SEGAK test but did not fully understand its impact on them or the health benefits of taking part in the test. Based on the findings, the study suggests that there is a need for more trained and qualified teachers for Health and Physical Education. Future research could look at schools in other states in Malaysia as such findings would be more representative of the issues related to the implementation of the SEGAK test.

Proceedings of the ICECRS, 2017

In Thailand, YouTube has not been widely used for educational purposes especially in Narathiwat. ... more In Thailand, YouTube has not been widely used for educational purposes especially in Narathiwat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using YouTube on EFL reading comprehensionamong vocational students. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. Two groups of first year vocational students at Narathiwat Technical College were purposefully assigned to the experimental and the control groups. The instruments used in this study were pre-test and post-test. Students in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension using YouTube and the students in the control group were taught using conventional method. The results showed positive effects of using YouTube. Therefore, YouTube should be considered as an effective instructional tool for improving English reading comprehension and as an important teaching resource in English classrooms.

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2016

Interactional competence, or knowing and using the appropriate skills for interaction in various ... more Interactional competence, or knowing and using the appropriate skills for interaction in various communication situations within a given speech community and culture is important in the field of business and professional communication [1], [2]. Similar to many developing countries in the world, Malaysia is a growing economy and undergraduates will have to acquire appropriate communication skills. In this study, two aspects of the interactional communicative competence were investigated, that is the linguistic and paralinguistic behaviors in small group communication as well as conflict management in small group communication. Two groups of student participants were given a problem-solving task based on a letter of complaint. The two groups of students were video recorded during class hours for 40 minutes. The videos and transcription of the group discussions were analyzed to examine the use of language and interaction in small groups. The analysis, findings and interpretations were verified with three lec...

British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 2016

This study focused on whether the use of nursery rhymes in ESL classroom could significantly prom... more This study focused on whether the use of nursery rhymes in ESL classroom could significantly promote the interests towards learning English of the elementary students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Eight third grade level students participated in this study with the intervention of two elementary teachers. The quasi-experimental research design was employed. The experimental group has taught English language using nursery rhymes while the control group was taught using the conventional method over a period of eight weeks. A survey based on questionnaires regarding their interest towards learning English, which was used as the instruments to gather data for the study in the pre-intervention and post-intervention. The findings indicated that the optimisation of nursery rhymes significantly promoted the students’ interests towards learning English. The students from the experimental group affected higher interests on their preferences in learning, teacher’s Original Research Article Hery et al.; BJESBS, 17(1): 1-14, 2016; Article no.BJESBS.26752 2 performances, communication, and interaction. These students also took more class activities’ participation, and they were more confident to improve their English compared to their counterparts in the control group. Due to its interesting nature, this study concluded that the use of nursery rhymes can significantly enhance the students’ interests towards learning English. This study affirmed that nursery rhymes provided strong pedagogical innovation and stimulated motivation for the students. Hopefully, the ministry of education in Indonesia and the teachers’ training institution might train teachers to use nursery rhymes to promote the young Indonesian learners’ interests towards learning English.