Sarimah Shamsudin

Computer-Mediated Communication in English for Specific Purposes: A Case Study with Computer Science Students at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

This paper will describe an ESP approach to the design and implementation of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tasks for computer science students at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and discuss the effectiveness of the chat feature of Windows NetMeeting as a tool for developing specified language skills. CMC tasks were set within a programme of sustained-content language instruction (SCLI), a variation on the content-based instruction approach. Various studies have confirmed the potential of SCLI as a means of familiarising language learners with academic genres and the language skills expected of them in the content classroom. To date, however, there has been little or no research into the use of CMC within SCLI. We found that students who followed a programme of SCLI using CMC ESP tasks made significant improvements in their oral communication skills, and also achieved higher scores than their peers in a computer science project undertaken in the semester following the treatment.

Code-Switching: A Useful Foreign Language Teaching Tool in EFL Classrooms.

In every society, language plays a vital role in communicating with each other as it allows speakers to expand their knowledge, deliver their ideas, opinions and feelings in the society. English, as a global language, provides a platform for communication for people who speak the language. Due to the growing trend in linguistic globalisation, bilingualism has become a very common phenomenon in today’s world. In bilingual communities all over the world, speakers frequently switch from one language to another to meet communication demands. This phenomenon of alternation between languages is known as code-switching. The present study aims to focus on the teachers’ use of code-switching as a language teaching tool in EFL classrooms in Pakistan. It also deals with the functions and types of code-switching in EFL classrooms. Four EFL speaking skill classes were observed, and audio was recorded and transcribed to analyse why and how code-switching was used in the classrooms. The analysis of classroom interaction transcripts revealed that teachers code-switched to maintain discipline, translate new words and build solidarity and intimate relationships with the students before, during and after the lessons. The study found that code-switching from L2 to L1 in the speaking classes did occur although English remained as the main medium of instruction. All the teachers consciously code-switched throughout their lectures. Teachers also code switched to Urdu after the lectures. Three types of code-switching occurred during the EFL classes: tag-switching, intra-sentential code-switching and inter-sentential switching. Hence, code-switching is a useful teaching tool in EFL classrooms to facilitate teaching and learning.

Polytechnic English Language Lecturers’ Attitudes Towards The Teaching Of Communicative English

The aim of this study is to explore the polytechnic English Language lecturers’ attitudes towards the teaching of Communicative English, which has been introduced in 2010 in the current English syllabus. It also sets out to investigate the challenges the lecturers face in teaching Communicative English syllabus. Participants of this study were 15 English language lecturers teaching at Malaysian Polytechnics and the main mode of data collection was informal interview. Interview data were qualitatively analysed with initial descriptive codes being assigned to lecturers’ responses. Results from the study indicate that the English language lecturers felt that the current Communicative English syllabus could help to prepare students for the workplace needs. However, issues related to students, institutional policy, non-academic tasks and professionalism were reported as challenges in teaching Communicative English courses. This study allows relevant authorities to identify the attitudes and challenges faced by English language lecturers and to facilitate these lecturers who are teaching the new Communicative English syllabus at Malaysian polytechnics.

Investigating level of understanding and compliance of written work procedures to reduce occupational harm at MMHE

Over the last six years (2007 to 2013) Malaysian Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) has recorded four fatality cases, 36 cases of Lost Time Incident (LTI), 24,964 lost work days, 24 Restricted Work Case, 28 Medical Treatment Case, 83 First Aid cases with recorded 196,352,113 man hours worked. On average, it has approximately 29 workers sustaining occupational harm annually. This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted using a set of questionnaire, in order to identify the main causes of occupational harm occurring in MMHE. Data was gathered using 150 workers from various different work stations in the company. The findings indicated that the main causes of occupational harms were the workers (70% foreigners (from 7 nations) and 30% locals) were not following or understanding the written work procedures and the work procedures were not being enforced by managers or superiors. The findings were used to justify the need of research into investigating the effectiveness of written workplace procedures and to reduce workplace occupational harms