Past studies found that teacher self-disclosure positively impacted the socio-psychological aspect of teaching and learning within its dimensions of amount, relevance and negativity. However, much understanding about teacher self-disclosure today is derived from quantitative studies using established scales, conducted in non-Asian countries and usually in high school or college settings. Investigations pertaining to teacher self-disclosure in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom and its effects on language learning are limited. Using the qualitative approach, this exploratory study, therefore, aimed to investigate factors essential for understanding teacher selfdisclosure in the Malaysian ESL writing classroom. An ESL teacher was observed in an Academic Writing course that comprised 32 lecture and tutorial contact hours at a private institution of higher learning in Malaysia during a fourteen-week semester. A one-to-one teacher interview was then conducted to supplement the.....

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Children currently spend more time on the Internet and corresponding technologies to socialise virtually and play video games. Scholars have not reached a consensus on whether childrens participation in such recreational activities is beneficial or detrimental. Although Malaysian parents are concerned about the digital threats that may be encountered by their children, most of the detriments remain unknown. Children still hesitate to inform their families about their online exposure to inappropriate content, such as cybersex and pornography, which remain taboo subjects in Malaysian households. This study performed a descriptive analysis to determine the risk factors associated with childrens internet use with 420 school-going children aged from 9 to 16 years around Selangor. Resultantly, children were highly exposed to unwanted exposure to pornography (17.4 %), potentially dangerous user-generated content (9 %), sexting (8.8 %), personal data misuse (6.4 %), cyber grooming (3.3 %), and.....

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The deprivation of knowledge from the bond of true belief will destroy and ruin human life and nature. This has been demonstrated in the Western scientific and technological civilisations that dominate the world today. Western scientific civilisation today is the product of scientists who have no real faith in the Creator of the universe. Nevertheless, there are efforts among Western scientists who have awareness in this modern era, who began to take steps to restore the agenda of Science and Technology within the framework of religious beliefs. This literature-based study discovers many negative effects resulting from the absence of true theology in understanding Science and Technology, which is based on a secular understanding. Apart from that, this article also reveals the nature and appearance of Science and Technology that are firmly embroidered with natural theology leading to universal well-being. IIUM Press...

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Of the many uses of social media, educationists advocate its use for teaching the English language. The traditional method of learning the English language is associated with inattention among learners. The adoption of social media in teaching the English language can create a fun, stress-free, and pleasant environment that is able to cultivate a positive attitude among the learners. Hence, this study carried out a systematic review to assess the use of social media for English learning in the Southeast Asia context. The study systematically searched the peer-reviewed literature using the SCOPUS database and identifi ed 46 articles. After thorough reading, 21 articles met the inclusion criteria. Articles that were excluded from the analysis were conducted outside Southeast Asia, do not focus on Southeast Asias English learning, and do not engage with social media usage. The fi ndings suggest that the use of social media for English learning was associated with improving communication s.....

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The genus Calophyllum in Sabah and Sarawak, including Brunei comprises 69 species with 13 varieties currently recognised. Its distribution is from the coasts up to submontane habitats, including the ultrabasic hills. A total of 1,115 specimens of Calophyllum were observed from nine herbaria in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Eighteen new species and ten new varieties were described and illustrated herein. Key to species of Calophyllum in Sabah and Sarawak is constructed mainly based on its morphology. Two types of inflorescences development were observed, based on bud elongation followed by bracts opening to bearing inflorescence (majority of Calophyllum studied) and bracts opening followed by main axis elongation that bears inflorescence in C. elegans, C. pyriforme, C. nodosum and its complexes, C. pulcherrimum and its complexes, C. depressinervosum, C. complanatum and C. pulcherrimoides. Bracts of the first type is deciduous, while the second type is persistent or subpersistent. 2023.....

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A total of eleven ortho-carboxamidostilbene derivatives were synthesized through Heck coupling with a different type of amide derivatives. These compounds were characterized by FTIR, 1D-and 2D-NMR as well as mass spectroscopy analysis (HRESIMS). The synthesized compounds were tested for their cytotoxic potential against four human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7/TAMR-1, and A549), as well as two human normal cell lines (MCF-10A and BEAS-2B) using tamoxifen and cisplatin as a positive control. The active compound has proceeded with molecular docking on the colchicine binding site of tubulin protein using AutoDock Vi-na and Biovia Discovery Studio. Compounds 6a, 6d-6k exhibited selective cytotoxic activity against A549 cells rather than breast cancer cell lines. Compounds 6d, 6f, and 6g showed moderate cytotoxicity to A549 cells after 72 hours, with IC50 values of 10.4 M, 6.47 M, and 8.99 M, respectively. Interestingly, these compounds had a high selective index (SI) value ag.....

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Skills of reading and comprehending in English are crucial for academic success in schools. Pupils with low reading ability skill may result in obtaining low grades and poor test scores. Traditionally pupils are taught to lift specific information as a reading strategy to answer comprehension questions, comparatively, this study uses retelling strategy to evaluate pupils' understanding. Past research indicated that retelling strategy enhances accuracy and greater comprehension. Thus, far study that investigates effectiveness of this strategy remains scarce in Malaysian English as Second Language (ESL) primary schools. As reading skill starts to develop in early stage of schooling, it is deemed necessary to conduct this study among primary level pupils. The present study specifically analyzes the effects of written retelling strategy on pupils' understanding of story structure among year three primary school pupils in Malaysian ESL classroom. A quasiexperimental research design with pre.....

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Purpose: Ownership of insurance policy among Malaysians is growing, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of economic and non-economic factors that may contribute to incidence of failures in medical and health insurance claims. Research design, data and methodology: This study used primary data with samples collected in an online survey involving 210 respondents, in Perak State. By adopting the Howards-Sheth consumer behavior theory, the multiple binary logistic regressions were used. Results: The study established that income, saving and prior experience is the significant factors effecting the incidence of claim failures in at least 95 percent cases. This is supported by the Howards-Sheth consumer behavior theory. When the odds ratio value of income is at 47.84 percent, insurance claim will have less probability of success. At a certain income level, the probability of failure in insurance claim will be lower. Concl.....

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The primary objective of this article is to undertake a comprehensive and methodical examination of corpus-driven research endeavours carried out in the Asian region. A plethora of recent scholarly investigations have elucidated that the employment of corpus-driven methodologies across diverse fields and aims could derive advantageous outcomes through the utilisation of a diverse array of corpus linguistics software tools. The primary objective of corpus-driven analysis is to facilitate scholars in acquiring novel insights pertaining to a specific corpus, including the identification of pivotal keywords. The present investigation undertook a comprehensive examination of 21 scholarly research publications through the meticulous application of a systematic literature review methodology. The selection of Google Scholar and Scopus as the designated databases for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive search for pertinent scholarly resources has been made. A total of twelve research arti.....

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Sub-optimal learning outcomes have been observed, often attributed to monotonous educational processes that struggle to retain students' focus and stimulate active participation. This study investigates the potential influence of Augmented Reality (AR) on student motivation, utilizing a time series analysis approach. The primary objectives include assessing the impact of AR on student learning outcomes and identifying the most suitable model for elucidating this relationship. The central research question is: can the implementation of AR enhance student motivation in elementary education? A time series design with a quantitative methodology was employed, involving a cohort of 29 fourth-grade students in Indonesia. Data collection was conducted through a Likert scale questionnaire. Four trend models were tested: the Linear Trend Model, Quadratic Trend Model, Growth Curve Model, and S-Curve Trend Model. The analysis of the collected data, tabulated and analyzed based on the established t.....

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