Amrita Kaur

Inclusive assessment for linguistically diverse learners in higher education

Abstract As classrooms become increasingly diverse in higher education, educators are emphasising inclusive practices in teaching and learning to accommodate the needs of diverse learners. There is also an emerging need for an inclusive approach in assessment for accessibility, opportunity, relevance and engagement. This study, using design-based research guidelines with student–faculty partnership, designed, developed, implemented and evaluated contextually sensitive assessment protocol as inclusive and fair assessment. Data from students’ reflections and face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions suggested that, despite concerns such as potential bias, time and accommodation challenges, such assessment practices can make valuable contributions in creating a positive learning environment, improving relatedness and self-esteem and motivating and engaging students for better effort and effective learning. Implications for higher education practitioners with diverse learners are discussed.

Teacher autonomy support intervention as a classroom practice in a Thai school

Purpose – The benefits of teacher autonomy support for optimal school functioning is evident in literature. However, studies are meager about teachers applying the concept of autonomy support in real settings (regular classroom). Design/methodology/approach – Based on empirical data within self-determination theory, a longitudinal intervention program was designed to facilitate autonomy support instruction in a natural classroom setting and to assess its effectiveness on Thai students’ learning motivation. In a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design, with an appended withdrawal design, 103 students from Grade 6 of a Thai public school underwent the intervention for seven weeks in natural classroom settings. The students in both the groups self-reported their class-related experience before intervention (pretest), after intervention (posttest1) and after the withdrawal of intervention (posttest2). Findings – MANOVA results revealed a significant mean difference for all dependent measures on...

English Education Policy in Thailand: Why the Poor Results?

This chapter gives an overview of the development of the English language in Thailand from its past to its present status in Thailand. With the introduction of education reform through the National Education Act (NEA) of 1999, the Ministry of Education in Thailand sought to improve education standards in Thailand at all levels. Moreover, to prepare the nation to compete with other nations in the era of globalization, emphasis on English language skills acquisition was stressed. The chapter investigates a wide range of efforts, initiatives, national policies and education reforms that demonstrate Thailand’s willingness to compete in English language skills internationally. However, the current status of English language in the country shows slow progress in English language skills in relation to the effort made, and the chapter also examines policy related challenges and societal obstacles that inhibit or discourage the progress of English language in the country. Towards the end the chapter provides practical strategies and plans for various levels that may facilitate optimal growth of the English language in the country.

The role of goal orientations in students’ perceptions of classroom assessment in higher education

Abstract Students’ perception of assessment methods plays a significant role in determining their effort towards learning and their assessment tasks. Similar to the role of goal orientation in predicting students’ classroom learning, this study aims to examine how students’ goal orientations influence their perception of classroom assessments. Using a qualitative research design, the data was collected from 41 students enrolled in master’s degree programme at a public university in northern Malaysia, using reflection notes and semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using a typological approach to inductively develop the categories. The findings demonstrated that perception of mastery goal oriented students considerably contrasted with those with performance goal orientation. The distinctions in perception is discussed under four categories: assessment as a process or product, preferences for modes, reasons for effort and feeling and emotions. The implications of the findings are discussed for higher education practitioners.

Students’ experiences of co-creating classroom instruction with faculty- a case study in eastern context

ABSTRACT In order to co-create teaching and learning for enhanced student engagement, faculty–student partnership in higher education is emerging as a distinguished practice in the West especially for undergraduates. However, little is known about the impact of such practices in the East. This article reports the benefits of a term long collaboration between the faculty and students in designing and delivering classroom instructions through the experiences of faculty–student partnership of post graduate students. The findings indicate that while students had positive experiences, they were also distinct in a number of ways when compared with the experiences of students in the West. Students also provided insightful information on the mechanism of navigating through their newly assigned roles of partnership with their faculty. The implications are discussed for higher education practitioners and recommendations are provided for further investigation to achieve better understanding of this practice.

Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation

Abstract Classroom assessment is central to effective teaching and learning, making assessment literacy a core component for teacher education. The present study explores self-reported, differentiated assessment practices of Malaysian in-service teachers. The practices were evaluated using an analytic framework that was developed based upon the existing literature on components of differentiation. Data were collected from 32 in-service teachers using open-ended survey questionnaires. Twelve of the teachers also participated in in-depth interviews. Documents provided by the teachers were also analyzed. Data from the open-ended survey were analyzed using NVivo11 to develop codes for the analytic framework. The findings offer insights into teachers’ knowledge, application, and interpretation of differentiated assessment practices. The discussion explores teachers’ explanations of their own practices and, further, recommends ways to improve knowledge and application of differentiated assessment. The implications of the findings are discussed for assessment literacy-related professional development for teachers, school management and policies to facilitate implementation of differentiated assessment.

Ekstremisme Agama dalam Gerakan Islamic State of Iraq dan Syria (ISIS): Satu Analisis terhadap Akhbar The Star = (Religious Extremism in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Movement: An Analysis of The Star Newspaper)

The study aims to investigate the issues of extremism of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) movement in the English-language newspaper, The Star, over a two-year period from January 2015 to December 2016. Religious extremism is an important issue in dealing with the unity and security of a nation. Globalization has raised religious extremism to a larger scale. In the context of this study, an extremist organization such as ISIS is seen as a threat to a country as there are various tragic cases in the world that are associated with this group. There are studies exploring religious extremism in Malaysia but not specifically in the field of communication. Thus, this study explores the issue of religious extremism in the print media in Malaysia. Specifically, there are two objectives of the study: i) identifying news themes of extremism and, ii) identifying the direction of the news. Using content analysis method, 40 news stories have been analyzed. The findings revealed 13 issues that were derived from 3 main themes. The majority of news reporting on ISIS was negative. This study contributes to social implications on the importance of understanding the theme and direction of news about religious extremism in Malaysia that has a global impact. This is an exploratory study on the issue of extremism in the English newspaper that has the highest circulation in Malaysia.

A Cultural Insight into the Development of Teacher Autonomy Support Scale: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective.

Purpose The cross-cultural significance of autonomy within self-determination theory is divisive on universal significance. This paper aims to report a sequential exploratory mixed methods study conducted to construct and validate a scale to investigate how, in Malaysian context, the construct of autonomy is conceptualized in comparison with the existing scale owing to cultural variation. Design/methodology/approach Focus group interviews identified dimensions of autonomy support that were specific to Malaysian culture and guided the development of the survey and construct validation was done using structure equation modeling. Findings The results show that the proposed scale has satisfactory psychometric properties, and the hypothesized model had a good fit to the data. The new scale produced four dimensions of teacher autonomy support, namely, responsible, approachable, shows respect and conveys confidence, with three items in each dimension. Malaysian secondary school students’ perception of autonomy support was found to be distinctive from the traditional measure. Originality/value Implications for teachers are discussed for culturally meaningful interpretation of the autonomy construct for classroom teaching practices.

Defining intercultural education for social cohesion in Malaysian context

Schools are considered as powerful institutions that are capable of fostering a sense of coherence and common identity to integrate students of different ethnic, social, and cultural origins. Effective implementation of intercultural education at schools can facilitate social integration. However, it is important that the design and implementation of intercultural education be guided by the knowledge and understanding of the issues and patterns of discrimination and complexities within its context. This qualitative study explored perspectives of key stakeholders involved in the education process to define a framework for intercultural education in Malaysian context for successful social cohesion. The findings are discussed in terms of practical application for educators, researchers, and policymakers.

Post graduate students insights into understanding intercultural communication in global workplaces

Abstract Effective Intercultural communication competencies (ICC) are central to professional success. However, despite this emphasis several graduates remain poorly prepared to demonstrate these attributes and skills. Pedagogical innovations that are grounded in theoretical framework of teaching and learning and communication principles have the potential to yield meaningful learning experiences for students. This article draws on a term long qualitative study conducted under the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) inquiry that exposed post graduate students to real life interactions at global workplaces to construe their own meaning of ICC. The findings discuss pedagogical implications for the practitioners of communication education in higher education.