Mohamed Akhiruddin Ibrahim

Listening Skills Strategies (P.I.S.A) Used in MUET: A Preliminary Study

Malaysian University English Test (MUET) has been implemented by the Ministry of Education to prepare tertiary students with the necessary English language skills. These skills are significant not just for the sake of passing the examination but also to train the students with English medium instructions in the classrooms at the tertiary level. The abovementioned skills are reading, writing, listening, and speaking; which will be examined amongst students to aid them to secure a place in universities. The four basic skills may sound manageable to learn but there are still gaps in students? proficiency of the language which disrupt their competency, especially in their listening skills. Current researches show that students are not adequately prepared with listening strategies and listening comprehension instruction in the classroom. Thus, this study aims to investigate 60 undergraduate students? listening strategies; P.I.S.A (Predicting, Inferring and Selective Attention), in answering their listening tasks. A quantitative approach was employed with the use of a questionnaire as the instrument. The findings confirmed that a majority of the students adopted steadily these three strategies in their listening skills. This result may help to increase the basic listening competency and cognitive abilities among the undergraduate students and thereby ultimately enhance students? listening strategies of MUET at tertiary level.

NAQLI KNOWLEDGE COURSE-BASED: AN OVERVIEW OF STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

This research analyses Al-Mabadik Al-Fiqhiyyah (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) as one of a compulsory course that should be taken by the students from Tamhidi of Shariah and Law students in Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Thus, this research aims to discover students’ perception regarding this course, including the level of difficulty of the content. Besides, this research also aims to study on how far this subject benefit the students especially when it comes to contemporary issues in order to ensure the effectiveness of teaching and learning process. This study also revealed their ability to differentiate with the other course that should be taken during first semester as well, which is Al-Madkhal ila al-Syari’ah and the relationship with other disciplines. They might have quite similar perception towards this course since they have been exposed to this field since their secondary school. The observation concludes that generally the students are able to understand the content of the course, relate it with contemporary issues and aware that this course indirectly connected with three main fiqh branches: Fiqh, Usul Al-Fiqh and Al-Qawa’id Al-Fiqhiyyah . This course also provides basic knowledge of Islamic Law, fiqh terminology as well as skills required in Islamic legal system as their preparation to further their Bachelor studies in Faculty of Shariah and Law The course required students to complete 4 credit hours for the whole semester as one of the conditions. In line with USIM’s principle which is the integration of Naqli and Aqli knowledge, this study found the importance of this concept for the development of education, institution and faculty, as well as widen the scope of the prescribed courses. Furthermore, education is one of the processes for country development by producing citizens with high level of intellectuality and can contribute for the better nation especially through universities’ curriculum. The result from this study will be a benchmark for Tamhidi Centre to continue and do some improvement in teaching and learning process without leaving behind the concept of the integration of Naqli and Aqli knowledge.

THE INTEGRATION OF NAQLI AND AQLI KNOWLEDGE IN CURRICULUM AT UNIVERSITI SAINS ISLAM MALAYSIA: THE STUDY ON STUDENT’S INTERNSHIP ORGANIZATIONS IN KELANTAN, MALAYSIA

The integration of Naqli and Aqli knowledge in curriculum has been a strategic plan of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia to become a prominent global reference institution on its instigation by year 2025. The university has introduced the term Naqli as divine knowledge; which it derives from Quran, Sunnah and references of respected books by previous religious scholars. While, the term Aqli denotes to modern knowledge that are gained through research and discoveries in the present. By having this integration in its curriculum on both of these disciplines, it has made Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia on its own as compared to other tertiary institutions. Through the integration; mandatory internship program for undergraduate students have embraced this curricular approach along with its students’ industrial training session. The objectives for students to undergo the industrial training are for them to be familiarized with their potential job scopes, in addition, to practice the knowledge that they have learnt theoretically in the university. Students are required to choose any particular organization that has to do with their field of study, in order to gain experience and exposure in their upcoming working world. This study then intends to review the organizations that the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia’s students have attended for their industrial training session on the integration of both Naqli and Aqli practices. Particularly, this study will focus on the organizations in Kelantan as this is the state where majority of all the students are being sent to. This study discovers that regularly, students experience their internship in the state government departments; such as the Department of Islamic Religious Affairs, Kuala Krai Syariah Subordinate Court, Gua Musang Islamic Religious Office, Bachok Islamic Religious Office, Tanah Merah Islamic Religious Office and Kuala Krai Islamic Religious Affairs Office. Also, the students have attended their internship at federal government such as the Department of Indigenous (Orang Asli) Development, Kelantan State Education Department, Tumpat District Education Office and Machang District Education Office. They also underwent their internship in the local authorities’ offices such as Jeli District Council, non-governmental organizations such as the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia as well as private companies such as KEL Computer Station Sdn Bhd. Keywords : Curriculum, Naqli and Aqli , Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, internship, Kelantan.

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN THE STATE OF SELANGOR, AS A COMPLEMENT TO THE CURRICULUM OF NAQLI AND AQLI KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION: A SURVEY OF ORGANIZATIONS FAVOURED BY THE STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF QURANIC AND SUNNAH STUDIES, UNIVERSITI SAINS ISLAM MALAYSIA

Industrial training has become an important activity for every higher learning institution these days. It is a form of experiential learning for a student after going through a period of acquiring theoretical knowledge in the lecture room. It does not have a standard scale for all universities around the world in terms of the time and duration of training. Some universities set it for a period of one semester and some set it to be longer than a semester of study. In terms of time to undergo the training, some institutions specified that students have to undergo training during the final semester, i.e the study session for the whole bachelors degree level ends as soon as the student has completed his or her training. While some institutions require students to return and continue their study at the university, after completing their industrial training session. As for students of the Faculty of Quranic and Sunnah Studies, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, they are required to undergo this training in the eighth semester, i.e. at the last semester of the final year of their bachelors degree programme. Upon completion of the industrial training session, they are considered to have completed the curriculum at that level. It is during this training that students practice what they have learnt through out all the lectures at the faculty, especially the integrated knowledge of Naqli and Aqli . This study looked at some organizations which are favoured by students of the faculty as their choice for industrial training in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The organizations that are frequently preferred by students namely are Awan Metro Sdn Bhd, Darul Syakir Enterprise, Islamic Religious Office of Kuala Langat District, National University of Malaysia, Transform Training & Consultancy, Faqeh Foundation, Akademi Fakih Intellect, Tabung Haji Office, PTS Media Group Sdn Bhd and Selangor Institute of Dakwah and Training. These organizations have various different backgrounds such as federal government departments, state government departments, statutory bodies, non-governmental organizations and private companies. In conclusion, the students of the Faculty of Quranic and Sunnah Studies of the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia are interested in organizations of various backgrounds regardless of whether they are private companies or government departments in gaining experience and exposure for their industrial training. Keywords : Industrial training, curriculum, Naql i and Aqli , Selangor, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.