Pramela Krish

Utilising social networking sites to improve writing: a case study with Chinese students in Malaysia

With the advancement of technology, writing in English is no longer confined to the classroom as nowadays students are exposed to various forms of writing on the Internet. Specifically with Generation Y in mind, online writing is a new method that needs to be implemented to enhance Malaysian students’ writing skills. This article aims at identifying what motivates English as a Second Language students to write in English on Facebook. Ten Chinese-speaking students from a private urban school were selected for this study. These students had just started secondary education after being educated in Chinese-vernacular elementary schools for six years. The students were required to participate in an ongoing discussion on their Facebook class page in order to complete a writing task. Data for this study comprised both online discussions and interviews. The findings suggest that peer influence and school surroundings motivated the students to write better in English on Facebook. The findings also imply that the use of technology in writing tasks made students write better in English owing to the exchanges of feedback and ideas that took place through this social networking site.

Language Learning in the Virtual World: Instructors' Voices

Abstract Teaching and learning has taken a new turn in the era of Information Communication Technology (ICT). With this paradigm shift, the focus is on learning and not teaching and the role of an instructor changes from a purveyor of knowledge to that of a facilitator. This article focuses on ‘real-world’ learning and the value of ‘authentic experiences’ shared by instructors teaching English language through an online mode. How do the instructors make learning more authentic, holistic and meaningful in the virtual classrooms? This question is addressed through in-depth interviews with instructors at a virtual university to find out their experiences and new possibilities in the synchronous online teaching and learning. The results of the study suggest that instructors should carefully plan, implement, and reflect on the activities, while remaining flexible in coping with the complexities of learning in a virtual environment.

Gender differences in attitudes towards learning oral skills using technology

This paper reports a quantitative study on gender differences in attitudes when learning oral skills via technology. The study was conducted at Tafila Technical University, Jordan, with 70 female and 30 male students, to find out if female students are better and faster in learning a language than male. Specifically, it seeks to investigate differences in attitudes between females and males in terms of practicality, confidence and anxiety. The results of the study show that there were no significant differences between female and male students when comparing the pre- and post-test mean scores. Both genders establish the same levels of attitudes before and after undergoing this course, which suggests that the exposure to language learning using technology did not contribute to any significant gender inequality. The paired sample t-test results showed improved attitudes toward learning oral skills in both females and males. The study also indicates female and male improvement in the anxiety dimension showing that their initial strong apprehension toward this course was greatly reduced at the end of the course. In terms of confidence, female showed better enhanced confidence level than male at the end of the course.

Teacher Learning Via Communities of Practice: A Malaysian Case Study

Abstract This article features the extent of learning traced during the development of online communities of practice (CoPs) among a group of Smart School teachers in a partnership model designed to help them develop professionally through the use of online tools. In the e-CPDelT project which involved 20 teachers of English, Mathematics and Science from five Smart Schools, teachers collaborated with other teachers by sharing classroom issues and experiences using online tools. A central conviction underlying the design of the project is that teacher collaboration in online CoPs can help teachers grow professionally. This article attempts to probe whether the CoP approach facilitates teacher learning in the English cohort. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model propounded by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) was used to understand the dynamics of online teacher learning. Although social, cognitive and teaching presences are the prerequisites for a successful and meaningful educational experience, for the purpose of this preliminary study, only cognitive presence is examined since it is related to knowledge-building through inquiry and refl ection. The findings based on participant blog entries revealed that teacher learning was evident in the blog interactions to a small extent due to varied participation patterns and group dynamics. The article concludes with several recommended measures to enhance teacher learning.

English Orthographic Depth among Malay Learners at a Primary School

This study concerns the spelling difficulties in English as a second language among young Malay learners. The objectives of this study are to identify and categorise the spelling errors produced by these learners and to investigate the linguistic factors for the error productions. This study employs Wardhaugh’s Contrastive Analysis as the main approach and Orthographic Depth Hypothesis as the foundation of the research. The Contrastive Analysis approach indicates that the linguistic differences between L1 and L2 may cause difficulties in L2 learning. The theoretical basis of this study claims that the degree to which an orthography deviates from easy one-to-one letter-sound plays a major role in L2 learner’s spelling performance. This study adapts a spelling assessment from El-Dakhs and Mitchell that tests students’ phonological, orthographic and morphological awareness and knowledge. The sample of this study consists of 46 eleven-year-old Malay students from a selected school in Selangor. The data for the study was gathered from the subjects’ responses in the assessment and interviews with selected students based on their test scores. The findings showed that the learners’ spelling performance was poorer in the orthographic tasks and better in the morphological and phonological tasks, suggesting the salience of orthography in the early stage of L2 learning. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that educators employ orthographic, phonic-based and form-meaning approaches in their teaching to enhance their students’ spelling proficiency so as to assist their students in their literacy development. Keywords: English language; Malay language; morphology; orthography; phonology; spelling; young Malay learners