ainol ibrahim | Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) (original) (raw)
Papers by ainol ibrahim
International journal of social science and humanity, 2013
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teachi... more Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teaching. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This paper reports results from an analysis of data collected from students at a Malaysian university. An end-of-semester survey was completed by 40 students taking a Public Speaking course. The survey was conducted to understand students' reactions towards the use of wiki in a blended learning environment. The survey data are being used to inform decisions on the course delivery structure and about adoption of new digital technologies for learning and teaching. Findings from the study indicate that the students found that using wiki facilitated their speech preparation process specifically in receiving feedback and improving speech delivery. Although some had reservation about publishing their speeches publicly on wiki, they understood that it was to their benefit. Therefore using wiki in a blended learning environment was found to be advantageous to the Public Speaking course.
International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics
The integration of information and communication technology is becoming a must for todays’ Englis... more The integration of information and communication technology is becoming a must for todays’ English as a second language teaching. Of late, worldwide situations and proven effectiveness have made technology integration necessary for educators to move with the flow. However, technology integration for English as a second language teaching environment among English educators in Pakistan is questionable. Therefore, this study aims to find out the barriers English language educators face in integrating technology in their teaching environments in the country. The study employed a mixed-method research design to collect data via an online questionnaire and interview protocols. The samples consist of 39 tertiary-level Pakistani ESL educators who responded to the online survey, and eight were chosen as interviewees. The findings revealed the unavailability of technology resources and lack of computer knowledge and skills training as part of the educators’ professional development as the cor...
MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends & Practices
The role of technology in language pedagogy and learning is significant both in EFL and ESL conte... more The role of technology in language pedagogy and learning is significant both in EFL and ESL contexts. Educational technology facilitates language teachers to enhance their teaching practices by implementing certain strategies to assist learners to achieve their academic goals successfully. However, the adoption and effective use of technology in EFL classes depends on the positive attitudes of the learners. An attempt was made to explore EFL learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced instructions of reading comprehension at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of 60 male EFL learners, divided into two groups. The research tools used for collecting the data were quantitative approach and an attitude scale questionnaire to explore the learners' attitude towards Active Reading Software (ARS) instruction. The experimental group received four-week treatment in the computer labs using ARS. The analysis of data showed positive attitudes of EFL learners toward ...
International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics
Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has opened new opportunities for language instructors ... more Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has opened new opportunities for language instructors to develop their use of technology and implement new teaching practices focused on learners. The increased use of technology in language learning means instructors can play a key role in motivating learners by integrating readily available technologies for language learning development into their teaching practices. The focus of this present investigation is to explore the attitudes of Saudi instructors teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding the implementation of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). The target population for this study was Saudi EFL instructors who are currently teaching English in Saudi Arabia. The research methods for the study included a questionnaire, as well as in-depth interviews that were conducted to explore the attitudes of EFL instructors. The results of the survey questionnaire and interviews revealed moderately positive attitudes among pa...
Journal on English Language Teaching, 2020
The present study endeavored to explore EFL students' perceptions regarding the acceptance an... more The present study endeavored to explore EFL students' perceptions regarding the acceptance and intervention of ARS in enhancing reading comprehension ability at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The study engaged 30 male undergraduates of English major B.A program. For data collection, the study utilized a qualitative technique using semi-structured interviews and the interview questions were constructed based on the principles of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989). Active Reading Software (ARS) was employed as a technological tool for teaching reading comprehension. The treatment group received intervention from ARS for the duration of four weeks in the computer lab. Qualitative data obtained from the students' interviews were evaluated by means of thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework. The results of the thematic analysis pointed out five major themes considered to be the factors that influenced participants’ perceptions towards ARS as ...
International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 2019
Reading ability of the learners plays a pivotal role in their academic success. Reading without c... more Reading ability of the learners plays a pivotal role in their academic success. Reading without comprehension affects learners’ learning outcomes. However, the development of learners’ reading ability has always been a great challenging task for language teachers. The efficacy of computer-assisted language (CALL) in improving language skills has been endorsed by many studies under different socio-cultural settings. However, in Saudi EFL context, using CALL in teaching and learning languages is still scarce and there are more for researchers to explore. The current study intended to examine the effects of Active Reading Software (ARS) on reading comprehension skills of Saudi EFL learners at tertiary level. A quasiexperimental study was carried out at Majmaah University involving 30 EFL learners, which were equally clustered into a control group and an experimental group. A fourweek treatment incorporating the ARS was assigned to the experimental group, while the control group receive...
English Review: Journal of English Education, 2019
The main focus of this article is to evaluate the practices involving various approaches and meth... more The main focus of this article is to evaluate the practices involving various approaches and methods that the novice Saudi English Teachers (SETs) employ in classrooms, and to see how far these are successful in attaining the desired results. It also takes into cognizance the chasm between the measures taken by Saudi Ministry of Education to modify the curriculum to develop �communicative competence� and the actualization these measures in the classroom pedagogy. The dichotomy eventually brings to bear upon the learning outcomes of the students who fail to achieve the required proficiency in communicative skills. The study necessitated a qualitative approach (grounded theory) in which previous literature was ransacked. Data was gathered through structured interviews, surveys and documents analysis. The rudimentary results showed that SETs rely more on conventional teaching methods despite the State�s thrust on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) that tends to be more student-cente...
Journal of Language and Communication (JLC), Mar 4, 2015
This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IP... more This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of a Malaysian public university. A quantitative survey with 220 local and international students was conducted as the main data collection method for this study, and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The findings of the study showed adequate opportunities for both local and international students to be involved in IPC with their peers from other cultures and countries. About 80% of the participants reported that they experienced some interactions with students from different nationalities during their stay and study at the university. They gained some new cultural information throughout this process, and also learned how to interact with other people. The results confirmed that interactions among local and international students had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and enabled them to have more collaborative activities at the university campus. The qualitative findings of this study support the quantitative results and confirmed that IPC among students was beneficial for their social and academic lives. Findings of this study may encourage university students to have more interactions with students from different social and cultural backgrounds in collegiate environments
Wikis are emergent technologies which are increasingly used in writing classrooms. These web-base... more Wikis are emergent technologies which are increasingly used in writing classrooms. These web-based, authoring tools have been used in academic writing classrooms and specifically for collaborative work. This study investigated students ’ perception of using wikis for collaborative writing. Four-hundred twenty four undergraduate students enrolled in an academic writing course participated in the survey. In the course, students wrote, revised and submitted group research reports via wikis. This paper discusses two main issues, the first is to determine group participation level during group work via wikis and the second is, to identify the preferred collaborative writing mode. Findings indicate that students did not face major problems working together online. On the one hand, the students reported that wikis were useful for data storage and group work task completion. In addition, they claimed that using wikis for group work encouraged group participation. On the other hand, the stud...
2017 7th World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), 2017
Second (L2) or foreign (FL) language ecommunicators is essential because the non-native speakers ... more Second (L2) or foreign (FL) language ecommunicators is essential because the non-native speakers of English are unequally distributed across the globe and the populations continue to expand greatly. Likewise, students at the tertiary level should be provided with the opportunity to develop the ability to communicate effectively in English in computermediated communication (CMC) settings. This is especially important for the students whose job may require them to collaboratively work in team across organizational and geographic boundaries around the globe. The current study explores e-communication between engineering students in Malaysia and Liberal Arts students in Japan leading to a project completion by both parties. The students work in small teams exchanging authentic evidence from both countries. Finally, they prepared a short presentation to wrap up their findings. The current study highlights the need for more similar research to understand how communication unfolds in CMC and how it can best be used to promote language learning and intercultural appreciation.
This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IP... more This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of a Malaysian public university. A quantitative survey with 220 local and international students was conducted as the main data collection method for this study, and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The findings of the study showed adequate opportunities for both local and international students to be involved in IPC with their peers from other cultures and countries. About 80% of the participants reported that they experienced some interactions with students from different nationalities during their stay and study at the university. They gained some new cultural information throughout this process, and also learned how to interact with other people. The results confirmed that interactions among local and international students had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and enabled them to have more collab...
Proceedings of International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Intelligent Systems, 2021
This study aims to find out the perceptions of English as a second language (henceforth, ESL) tea... more This study aims to find out the perceptions of English as a second language (henceforth, ESL) teachers’ attitudes towards the use of technology for teaching of English to the undergraduate students in Pakistan. The study exposes the uses of information and communication technologies (henceforth, ICT) in teaching, and the difficulties faced in integrating technology for teaching of English. Data is collected through survey questionnaire and interview protocol from ESL teachers teaching at college level in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Survey data is analyzed through SPSS 22 while interview questions have a thematic analysis. Findings of survey and interview protocol used in the study reveal positive attitudes on the part of teachers towards the use of technology. No significant difference is found among teachers’ use of technology due to gender or academic qualification. However, the difference between teachers’ technology use can be ascribed to their competence. The use of technology is beneficial for teaching and learning environment, but its’ use is not optimal in educational environment in Pakistan. The findings highlight limited use of technology due to shortage of resources, unavailability of tools and lack of training. The study puts forward some recommendations for the effective use of technology in language teaching and the removal of the potential barriers in its use by teachers in Pakistan.
2017 7th World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), 2017
Effective teaching and learning processes are made possible as information and communication tech... more Effective teaching and learning processes are made possible as information and communication technology (ICTs) tools are used to support the environment. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This study employed the quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design to investigate the effects of blended learning in reducing anxiety and improving public speaking skills of ESL learners. Fifty-six students, enrolled in the fifth semester of the Bachelor in Civil Engineering program at a technical university in Malaysia, were involved in the study. The Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) was administered as the pre and post test to measure the students' level of anxiety pertaining to public speaking. The Competent Speaker Speech Evaluation Form (CSSEF) was used as an instrument to measure the students' public speaking performance at pre and post cond...
This paper presents a study on learners' level of anxiety when a podcast was used in developi... more This paper presents a study on learners' level of anxiety when a podcast was used in developing their public speaking skills. This study employs a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design where the control group was taught using the traditional method whilst a podcast was used as a teaching aid on the treatment group. The podcast makes it possible for the learners to have an authentic audience for their speaking activities. This study was thus conducted to see what would be the effect of using this facility on the learners. Richmond and McCroskey's (1998) Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) was the instrument used to measure the language learners' level of anxiety. The study found that there was no significant difference between the control and the treatment groups. A reduction in the level of anxiety was observed in all groups.
SSRN Electronic Journal
Speaking in a foreign language is considered to be a challenging aspect of language learning that... more Speaking in a foreign language is considered to be a challenging aspect of language learning that demands competence and mastery in learning any foreign language. Vocabulary learning verifies to play an important role in oral communication. However, literature lacks the studies where both English as a foreign language (EFL) students and teachers' views are obtained to provide analyses of the situations in which learners are not showing desired results in speaking. The current study explores the problems of lack of vocabulary that Saudi EFL students face with special focus on their speaking proficiency. It aims to seek EFL teachers' opinions on the extent to which lack of vocabulary has influence on EFL students' performance in listening, and conversation classes, and in expressing their ideas and feelings, and especially in speaking skill. A questionnaire was used for the responses from the students and an interview for the teachers to reveal their perceptions about the vocabulary hindrance in speaking skills. 20 EFL instructors and teachers of Preparatory Year Program (PYP) section of a public university and 110 EFL students participated in this study. The analysis of the data showed that both teachers and learners indicated that lack of vocabulary is one of the major factors in students' inability to speaking English. In the current study, among many other suggestions it is proposed that the inclusion of mobile assisted language learning could be useful way of developing vocabulary for spoken proficiency of Saudi EFL learners.
IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSRJRME), 2014
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different cultural backgrounds and co-ethnici... more This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different cultural backgrounds and co-ethnicity on the process of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). An embedded design of mixed methods was applied to conduct this study. The quantitative survey was conducted as the main method of this study and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The quantitative survey had 220 participants from both Malaysian and international students of UMP, and 12 of them were interviewed for the qualitative data as well. According to the results, the vast majority of participants reported that their different cultural backgrounds had positive effects on their interactions with students from different nationalities and their interactions with different people enabled them to gain some new cultural information. Findings of this study also confirmed the helpful influence of coethnicity on interactions among students who had students from their own ethnicities and tribes among local or foreign students of UMP. The results are supportive of the positive effects of cultural and tribal diversities of both local and international students of UMP on their daily interactions. Findings of this study may encourage university students to be involved in interactions with students from different cultures and ethnicities to experience the new multicultural environments and improve their social skills through their interactions with people from different societies.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014
Daily interpersonal communication among students of different cultures and countries, and their p... more Daily interpersonal communication among students of different cultures and countries, and their personal and academic lives at the collegiate environments are among the important educational issues to be evaluated. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effects of daily interpersonal communication between local and international students of a Malaysian public university, University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) on their personal and academic lives. Findings of this research project may help the related policymakers and working-bodies at universities to improve communication and academic skills of students by increase of daily interaction opportunities among them. The quantitative survey with its 220 participants from both local and international students of UMP was applied as the main method of this study, and also qualitative interviews were conducted to enrich the data. According to the findings of this study, interactions between Malaysian and international students of UMP had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and paved the ways for them to learn some essential communication skills, and also helped them to be happy, and have enough collaborative activities at the university campus. However, further studies may deepen the information on the related issues.
International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2013
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teachi... more Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teaching. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This paper reports results from an analysis of data collected from students at a Malaysian university. An end-of-semester survey was completed by 40 students taking a Public Speaking course. The survey was conducted to understand students' reactions towards the use of wiki in a blended learning environment. The survey data are being used to inform decisions on the course delivery structure and about adoption of new digital technologies for learning and teaching. Findings from the study indicate that the students found that using wiki facilitated their speech preparation process specifically in receiving feedback and improving speech delivery. Although some had reservation about publishing their speeches publicly on wiki, they understood that it was to their benefit. Therefore using wiki in a blended learning environment was found to be advantageous to the Public Speaking course.
International journal of social science and humanity, 2013
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teachi... more Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teaching. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This paper reports results from an analysis of data collected from students at a Malaysian university. An end-of-semester survey was completed by 40 students taking a Public Speaking course. The survey was conducted to understand students' reactions towards the use of wiki in a blended learning environment. The survey data are being used to inform decisions on the course delivery structure and about adoption of new digital technologies for learning and teaching. Findings from the study indicate that the students found that using wiki facilitated their speech preparation process specifically in receiving feedback and improving speech delivery. Although some had reservation about publishing their speeches publicly on wiki, they understood that it was to their benefit. Therefore using wiki in a blended learning environment was found to be advantageous to the Public Speaking course.
International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics
The integration of information and communication technology is becoming a must for todays’ Englis... more The integration of information and communication technology is becoming a must for todays’ English as a second language teaching. Of late, worldwide situations and proven effectiveness have made technology integration necessary for educators to move with the flow. However, technology integration for English as a second language teaching environment among English educators in Pakistan is questionable. Therefore, this study aims to find out the barriers English language educators face in integrating technology in their teaching environments in the country. The study employed a mixed-method research design to collect data via an online questionnaire and interview protocols. The samples consist of 39 tertiary-level Pakistani ESL educators who responded to the online survey, and eight were chosen as interviewees. The findings revealed the unavailability of technology resources and lack of computer knowledge and skills training as part of the educators’ professional development as the cor...
MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends & Practices
The role of technology in language pedagogy and learning is significant both in EFL and ESL conte... more The role of technology in language pedagogy and learning is significant both in EFL and ESL contexts. Educational technology facilitates language teachers to enhance their teaching practices by implementing certain strategies to assist learners to achieve their academic goals successfully. However, the adoption and effective use of technology in EFL classes depends on the positive attitudes of the learners. An attempt was made to explore EFL learners' attitude towards technology-enhanced instructions of reading comprehension at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of 60 male EFL learners, divided into two groups. The research tools used for collecting the data were quantitative approach and an attitude scale questionnaire to explore the learners' attitude towards Active Reading Software (ARS) instruction. The experimental group received four-week treatment in the computer labs using ARS. The analysis of data showed positive attitudes of EFL learners toward ...
International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics
Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has opened new opportunities for language instructors ... more Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has opened new opportunities for language instructors to develop their use of technology and implement new teaching practices focused on learners. The increased use of technology in language learning means instructors can play a key role in motivating learners by integrating readily available technologies for language learning development into their teaching practices. The focus of this present investigation is to explore the attitudes of Saudi instructors teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding the implementation of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). The target population for this study was Saudi EFL instructors who are currently teaching English in Saudi Arabia. The research methods for the study included a questionnaire, as well as in-depth interviews that were conducted to explore the attitudes of EFL instructors. The results of the survey questionnaire and interviews revealed moderately positive attitudes among pa...
Journal on English Language Teaching, 2020
The present study endeavored to explore EFL students' perceptions regarding the acceptance an... more The present study endeavored to explore EFL students' perceptions regarding the acceptance and intervention of ARS in enhancing reading comprehension ability at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The study engaged 30 male undergraduates of English major B.A program. For data collection, the study utilized a qualitative technique using semi-structured interviews and the interview questions were constructed based on the principles of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989). Active Reading Software (ARS) was employed as a technological tool for teaching reading comprehension. The treatment group received intervention from ARS for the duration of four weeks in the computer lab. Qualitative data obtained from the students' interviews were evaluated by means of thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework. The results of the thematic analysis pointed out five major themes considered to be the factors that influenced participants’ perceptions towards ARS as ...
International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 2019
Reading ability of the learners plays a pivotal role in their academic success. Reading without c... more Reading ability of the learners plays a pivotal role in their academic success. Reading without comprehension affects learners’ learning outcomes. However, the development of learners’ reading ability has always been a great challenging task for language teachers. The efficacy of computer-assisted language (CALL) in improving language skills has been endorsed by many studies under different socio-cultural settings. However, in Saudi EFL context, using CALL in teaching and learning languages is still scarce and there are more for researchers to explore. The current study intended to examine the effects of Active Reading Software (ARS) on reading comprehension skills of Saudi EFL learners at tertiary level. A quasiexperimental study was carried out at Majmaah University involving 30 EFL learners, which were equally clustered into a control group and an experimental group. A fourweek treatment incorporating the ARS was assigned to the experimental group, while the control group receive...
English Review: Journal of English Education, 2019
The main focus of this article is to evaluate the practices involving various approaches and meth... more The main focus of this article is to evaluate the practices involving various approaches and methods that the novice Saudi English Teachers (SETs) employ in classrooms, and to see how far these are successful in attaining the desired results. It also takes into cognizance the chasm between the measures taken by Saudi Ministry of Education to modify the curriculum to develop �communicative competence� and the actualization these measures in the classroom pedagogy. The dichotomy eventually brings to bear upon the learning outcomes of the students who fail to achieve the required proficiency in communicative skills. The study necessitated a qualitative approach (grounded theory) in which previous literature was ransacked. Data was gathered through structured interviews, surveys and documents analysis. The rudimentary results showed that SETs rely more on conventional teaching methods despite the State�s thrust on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) that tends to be more student-cente...
Journal of Language and Communication (JLC), Mar 4, 2015
This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IP... more This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of a Malaysian public university. A quantitative survey with 220 local and international students was conducted as the main data collection method for this study, and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The findings of the study showed adequate opportunities for both local and international students to be involved in IPC with their peers from other cultures and countries. About 80% of the participants reported that they experienced some interactions with students from different nationalities during their stay and study at the university. They gained some new cultural information throughout this process, and also learned how to interact with other people. The results confirmed that interactions among local and international students had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and enabled them to have more collaborative activities at the university campus. The qualitative findings of this study support the quantitative results and confirmed that IPC among students was beneficial for their social and academic lives. Findings of this study may encourage university students to have more interactions with students from different social and cultural backgrounds in collegiate environments
Wikis are emergent technologies which are increasingly used in writing classrooms. These web-base... more Wikis are emergent technologies which are increasingly used in writing classrooms. These web-based, authoring tools have been used in academic writing classrooms and specifically for collaborative work. This study investigated students ’ perception of using wikis for collaborative writing. Four-hundred twenty four undergraduate students enrolled in an academic writing course participated in the survey. In the course, students wrote, revised and submitted group research reports via wikis. This paper discusses two main issues, the first is to determine group participation level during group work via wikis and the second is, to identify the preferred collaborative writing mode. Findings indicate that students did not face major problems working together online. On the one hand, the students reported that wikis were useful for data storage and group work task completion. In addition, they claimed that using wikis for group work encouraged group participation. On the other hand, the stud...
2017 7th World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), 2017
Second (L2) or foreign (FL) language ecommunicators is essential because the non-native speakers ... more Second (L2) or foreign (FL) language ecommunicators is essential because the non-native speakers of English are unequally distributed across the globe and the populations continue to expand greatly. Likewise, students at the tertiary level should be provided with the opportunity to develop the ability to communicate effectively in English in computermediated communication (CMC) settings. This is especially important for the students whose job may require them to collaboratively work in team across organizational and geographic boundaries around the globe. The current study explores e-communication between engineering students in Malaysia and Liberal Arts students in Japan leading to a project completion by both parties. The students work in small teams exchanging authentic evidence from both countries. Finally, they prepared a short presentation to wrap up their findings. The current study highlights the need for more similar research to understand how communication unfolds in CMC and how it can best be used to promote language learning and intercultural appreciation.
This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IP... more This study aimed to examine the characteristics and advantages of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of a Malaysian public university. A quantitative survey with 220 local and international students was conducted as the main data collection method for this study, and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The findings of the study showed adequate opportunities for both local and international students to be involved in IPC with their peers from other cultures and countries. About 80% of the participants reported that they experienced some interactions with students from different nationalities during their stay and study at the university. They gained some new cultural information throughout this process, and also learned how to interact with other people. The results confirmed that interactions among local and international students had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and enabled them to have more collab...
Proceedings of International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Intelligent Systems, 2021
This study aims to find out the perceptions of English as a second language (henceforth, ESL) tea... more This study aims to find out the perceptions of English as a second language (henceforth, ESL) teachers’ attitudes towards the use of technology for teaching of English to the undergraduate students in Pakistan. The study exposes the uses of information and communication technologies (henceforth, ICT) in teaching, and the difficulties faced in integrating technology for teaching of English. Data is collected through survey questionnaire and interview protocol from ESL teachers teaching at college level in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Survey data is analyzed through SPSS 22 while interview questions have a thematic analysis. Findings of survey and interview protocol used in the study reveal positive attitudes on the part of teachers towards the use of technology. No significant difference is found among teachers’ use of technology due to gender or academic qualification. However, the difference between teachers’ technology use can be ascribed to their competence. The use of technology is beneficial for teaching and learning environment, but its’ use is not optimal in educational environment in Pakistan. The findings highlight limited use of technology due to shortage of resources, unavailability of tools and lack of training. The study puts forward some recommendations for the effective use of technology in language teaching and the removal of the potential barriers in its use by teachers in Pakistan.
2017 7th World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF), 2017
Effective teaching and learning processes are made possible as information and communication tech... more Effective teaching and learning processes are made possible as information and communication technology (ICTs) tools are used to support the environment. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This study employed the quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design to investigate the effects of blended learning in reducing anxiety and improving public speaking skills of ESL learners. Fifty-six students, enrolled in the fifth semester of the Bachelor in Civil Engineering program at a technical university in Malaysia, were involved in the study. The Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) was administered as the pre and post test to measure the students' level of anxiety pertaining to public speaking. The Competent Speaker Speech Evaluation Form (CSSEF) was used as an instrument to measure the students' public speaking performance at pre and post cond...
This paper presents a study on learners' level of anxiety when a podcast was used in developi... more This paper presents a study on learners' level of anxiety when a podcast was used in developing their public speaking skills. This study employs a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design where the control group was taught using the traditional method whilst a podcast was used as a teaching aid on the treatment group. The podcast makes it possible for the learners to have an authentic audience for their speaking activities. This study was thus conducted to see what would be the effect of using this facility on the learners. Richmond and McCroskey's (1998) Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) was the instrument used to measure the language learners' level of anxiety. The study found that there was no significant difference between the control and the treatment groups. A reduction in the level of anxiety was observed in all groups.
SSRN Electronic Journal
Speaking in a foreign language is considered to be a challenging aspect of language learning that... more Speaking in a foreign language is considered to be a challenging aspect of language learning that demands competence and mastery in learning any foreign language. Vocabulary learning verifies to play an important role in oral communication. However, literature lacks the studies where both English as a foreign language (EFL) students and teachers' views are obtained to provide analyses of the situations in which learners are not showing desired results in speaking. The current study explores the problems of lack of vocabulary that Saudi EFL students face with special focus on their speaking proficiency. It aims to seek EFL teachers' opinions on the extent to which lack of vocabulary has influence on EFL students' performance in listening, and conversation classes, and in expressing their ideas and feelings, and especially in speaking skill. A questionnaire was used for the responses from the students and an interview for the teachers to reveal their perceptions about the vocabulary hindrance in speaking skills. 20 EFL instructors and teachers of Preparatory Year Program (PYP) section of a public university and 110 EFL students participated in this study. The analysis of the data showed that both teachers and learners indicated that lack of vocabulary is one of the major factors in students' inability to speaking English. In the current study, among many other suggestions it is proposed that the inclusion of mobile assisted language learning could be useful way of developing vocabulary for spoken proficiency of Saudi EFL learners.
IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSRJRME), 2014
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different cultural backgrounds and co-ethnici... more This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different cultural backgrounds and co-ethnicity on the process of interpersonal communication (IPC) among local and international students of University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). An embedded design of mixed methods was applied to conduct this study. The quantitative survey was conducted as the main method of this study and the qualitative interviews were done to enrich the data. The quantitative survey had 220 participants from both Malaysian and international students of UMP, and 12 of them were interviewed for the qualitative data as well. According to the results, the vast majority of participants reported that their different cultural backgrounds had positive effects on their interactions with students from different nationalities and their interactions with different people enabled them to gain some new cultural information. Findings of this study also confirmed the helpful influence of coethnicity on interactions among students who had students from their own ethnicities and tribes among local or foreign students of UMP. The results are supportive of the positive effects of cultural and tribal diversities of both local and international students of UMP on their daily interactions. Findings of this study may encourage university students to be involved in interactions with students from different cultures and ethnicities to experience the new multicultural environments and improve their social skills through their interactions with people from different societies.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014
Daily interpersonal communication among students of different cultures and countries, and their p... more Daily interpersonal communication among students of different cultures and countries, and their personal and academic lives at the collegiate environments are among the important educational issues to be evaluated. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effects of daily interpersonal communication between local and international students of a Malaysian public university, University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) on their personal and academic lives. Findings of this research project may help the related policymakers and working-bodies at universities to improve communication and academic skills of students by increase of daily interaction opportunities among them. The quantitative survey with its 220 participants from both local and international students of UMP was applied as the main method of this study, and also qualitative interviews were conducted to enrich the data. According to the findings of this study, interactions between Malaysian and international students of UMP had positive effects on their personal and academic lives, and paved the ways for them to learn some essential communication skills, and also helped them to be happy, and have enough collaborative activities at the university campus. However, further studies may deepen the information on the related issues.
International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2013
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teachi... more Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new environment for learning and teaching. Today, apart from a fully face-to-face or online environment, blended learning promises opportunities for teaching and learning to be done in both environments. This paper reports results from an analysis of data collected from students at a Malaysian university. An end-of-semester survey was completed by 40 students taking a Public Speaking course. The survey was conducted to understand students' reactions towards the use of wiki in a blended learning environment. The survey data are being used to inform decisions on the course delivery structure and about adoption of new digital technologies for learning and teaching. Findings from the study indicate that the students found that using wiki facilitated their speech preparation process specifically in receiving feedback and improving speech delivery. Although some had reservation about publishing their speeches publicly on wiki, they understood that it was to their benefit. Therefore using wiki in a blended learning environment was found to be advantageous to the Public Speaking course.