Recycling is not yet a common practice for everyone, but it is crucial for protecting the environment. According to the National Solid Waste Management Department (NSWMD), only 31.52% of Malaysians participate in recycling, which falls short of expectations. This figure is notably lower than the rates of other developed countries, which typically exceed 60%. These statistics indicate that Malaysia still has significant progress to make in recycling efforts. However, the nation aims to reach a 60% recycling rate by 2025. Although achieving this goal may seem challenging, there is a strong commitment to making it happen. This study focuses on educating young children about the benefits, challenges, and innovations of recycling. The study involved six children from a government preschool as the primary participants. To make learning more engaging, traffic road play was used as a tool to promote recycling. Data was collected through a qualitative approach within an action research framewor.....

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Gamified educational applications have proven to be practical tools for teachers, particularly in second language (L2) instruction, as they can enhance student interest, motivation, and assessment outcomes in online sessions. Despite these benefits, however, many higher education institutions rely on traditional teaching methods, mainly because of the challenges associated with maintaining student motivation throughout online learning sessions, a critical factor for successful learning outcomes. The aims of this study are to further understand the use of gamification in teaching and learning, particularly with large audiences during online classes, its impact on learning performance, familiarisation, active learning, formative learning, and student attitudes. Utilising a mixed-methods research design, 177 students participated in a survey, while 10 were interviewed for triangulation. Validated by three experts, the instrument demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.81. The results .....

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This study aimed to determine the professional duty of Malaysian geography teachers to integrate authentic assessment into the teaching and learning process. Questionnaires were distributed online to 379 geography teachers at the secondary school level by a simple online snowball distribution method. Descriptive and ANOVA analyses were used to address each research question. The study’s findings revealed that most teachers continued to assess their students using conventional methods. However, online assessment methods were also used in a small percentage of cases. Each variable possessed high knowledge, skills, and professional responsibility practice. Analysis of the relationship between the study variables and teachers’ work experience indicated significant differences. In conclusion, the knowledge, skills, and professional responsibility practices associated with authentic assessment implementation were high during the teaching and learning process, and certain online assessmen.....

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Dua Space Dance Theatre, founded by Anthony Meh and Aman Yap in 1998, is a full-time contemporary dance company emphasising technical virtuosity and narrative choreography and often selecting themes centred on the local Chinese community. The dance company is highly associated with highlighting intercultural collaboration and embracing diversity. In 2006, with the nebular concept of Shang Jian Yi Jia (one family regardless of whether disabled or normal), Anthony and Aman were invited to establish a wheelchair dance troupe, Shuang Fu Performing Arts Troupe. This article explores the interaction between Dua Space Dance Theatre and Shuang Fu Performing Arts Troupe in terms of dance training, performance, artistic development, and its contribution to the collaboration of international disabled dance practitioners and producers. Their collaboration promotes innovation in dance-making, advocates accessibility to dance appreciation, and challenges disability stereotypes. Through interviews an.....

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As of September 2024, there are 322,274 and 94,807 cases due to dengue in Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively. Prompt actions must be taken to control mosquito population and mosquito-borne diseases proliferation. Larvicidal control is one of the effective strategies that are promoted by World Health Organization (WHO). Bintaro (Cerbera odollam) are highly available in wetlands, but they are extremely toxic, especially their seed kernels. In this study, the active compounds of C. odollam seed kernels were gradually extracted using Soxhlet extraction with n-hexane, chloroform and ethanol and were further distilled with a rotary evaporator. Nanoemulsions were formulated with Arabic gum and Triton X-100 by using both homogenisations of high-speed and ultrasonic. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were used to characterise oils and nanoemulsions. Encapsulation efficiencies of nan.....

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This paper aims to address those methodological issues by exclusively applying the newest modification to the Money Demand Model (MDM) in the form of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to estimate the Malaysian shadow economy (SE) from 1985 to 2020. Methodological errors and spurious regression issues hindered earlier studies on the Malaysian SE. Some studies included Malaysia in their analyses alongside other Asian countries with similar levels of development, without accounting for the distinct economic environments of these countries. This study accounts for the influence of economic uncertainty (EU) and structural breaks. The study finds that Malaysia's SE averaged 40.8% of its official gross domestic product (GDP), peaking in 1995–1996, after which it gradually declined and stabilized around 39.4% of GDP. This substantial size highlights the critical need for tailored economic policies to manage SE growth effectively. The findings not only provide a clearer under.....

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The immune system is essential for the defense against infections and is critically implicated in various disorders, including immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, inflammation and cancer. The current study includes a new design of palmitoylated derivatives of thioglycolic acids (PTGAs) capable of triggering innate immune responses. The new series were accessible through a three-step synthetic route, including N-palmitoylation, Claisen–Schmidt condensation and thia-Michael addition. Their structures were elucidated using different 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques and their purity was confirmed by elemental analysis. The most active PTGAs induced a 12–26-fold increase in the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA and triggered a marked release of NO in isolated macrophages. These levels were comparable to the responses elicited by heat-killed E. coli and S. aureus. The position of the palmitamide chain and aryl substitution had a significant effect on the TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA expre.....

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This study observed that many teacher professional development programmes are designed without considering teacher’s voice. The present study addresses this gap by designing an online speaking skills upskilling programme that is based on a group of ESL teachers’ needs. The study employed the mixed methods research approach. Using the convenience sampling, 104 ESL teachers answered an online needs analysis survey. In the qualitative phase, an online interview was carried out with seven teachers who took part in the upskilling programme. Based on the findings, two conclusions can be made. First, for an upskilling programme that focuses on the enhancement of the speaking skills to be successful, psychological constructs such as self-esteem and anxiety need to be considered at the design stage. Second, as the programme was conducted fully online, having synchronous sessions is an important design feature. There are two implications. Firstly, it underscores the importance of integrating.....

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Even though mobile tourism analysis is developing, there is still a lack of literature regarding its formation patterns which makes the picture of its evolution incomplete. The evaluation in this study was carried out in general by emphasizing the evolution of exploratory analysis on the theme of "mobile tourism". This article aims to determine the increasing development of mobile tourism in terms of the number of publications, journals, authors, and the most relevant citations. Then analyze the itinerant tourism distribution map based on grouping, with merging, joint citation, collaboration network analysis, and joint word assessment, and interpret the conceptual structure of the country's co-occurrence and collaboration network regarding its visual representation. The method used is a descriptive approach through bibliometric analysis. An in-depth search of the Scopus database and RStudio software was conducted, screening, analyzing, and interpreting 752 relevant articles from 2014 t.....

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Background. The development of tactical and technical skills is critical for young athletes engaged in team sports, particularly in field hockey, where quick decision-making and strategic play are essential for success. Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured tactical and technical training module on the performance of field hockey players (U-16) in Malaysia. Materials and methods. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving 40 participants who were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). The intervention group underwent an eight-week tactical and technical training module, while the control group followed their regular training regimen. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted to measure knowledge and performance in four key areas: ball action/direction, opponents’ action, positioning, and action during changing situations. The data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (M.....

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