This research aimed to prepare, characterise and study the effectiveness of two magnetic graphene oxide-based nanocomposites, namely gellan gum-graphene oxide (GG-GO-Fe3O4) and pectin-graphene oxide (PEC-GO-Fe3O4) as nanocarriers for permethrin and cinnamaldehyde insecticide compounds. This research is divided into three parts, namely preparation, characterisation and effectiveness studies. Nanocomposites with amorphous structure were successfully produced based on the existence of conjugation mechanism between GG and PEC with iron oxide at wavenumber peak 650 cm-1. Results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have shown that the nanocomposites loaded with insecticides are thermally stable. Performance study of nanocomposites loaded with insecticides towards Aedes aegypti larvae was analysed through Abbott’s and Probit’s formula via in vitro at different pH using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer. The encapsulation o.....

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Making errors is considered to be an integral part of language learning process. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that different types and sources of students’ errors be identified. The present study aimed to examine the types and sources of errors in a corpus of essays written by 40 Iranian university students. They were given a title and asked to write an essay having at least 150 words. Based on Keshavarz’s (2013) model for error analysis, the errors made by the students were identified and tabulated according to their frequency. Moreover, the errors were classified into intralingual and interlingual ones. The results of the study indicated that the participants made 404 different errors among them, 71.88% were caused by interlingual interference, and 23.84% of them were caused by intralingual factors. The results of the study can be informative for EFL teachers to be aware of the frequency and different types of learners’ errors in EFL writing classes and the reasons .....

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Malaysian undergraduates have been facing writing difficulties as a result of lacking effective guidance tools in upskilling English writing and activating thinking skills. Failing to achieve writing competency, the problems extend to the high unemployment rate among fresh graduates. This paper proposes using Frangenheim’s Thinking Skills Framework (TSF) to improve university students’ academic writing proficiency. 60 students were selected to undergo a 6-week quasi-experiment to investigate the effectiveness of the TSF on academic writing and focus group discussions were held to explore students’ perceptions on utilizing the TSF in writing processes. The results of the study confirmed the positive effect of using the TSF in improving students’ academic writing and promoting the use of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) throughout the writing process. Findings reveal students’ perceptions on the TSF: an effective guidance tool with various writing strategies, comprises clues.....

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Poetry, as political activism, has been extensively tailored by the poets that choose to enlighten the reality of the social issues in a nation. However, the translatability of poetic activism may come into question, as language is closely linked to the poet’s personal or cultural background and the way of expression. This paper explored the strategies used in the translation of ‘Sahabatku (Kepada Dr M K Rajakumar)’, a Malay poem by Usman Awang, translated into English by Wong Soak Koon and Muhammad Haji Salleh. The analysis revealed that literal translation, verse to prose translation, free verse translation and interpretation strategy were useful for this translation purpose. The approach used by the two translators reflected their different intentions to address different audience and use of various styles. Comparative studies like this in reflecting the zeitgeist of an era could be useful for non-Malay speakers in understanding the cultural and socio-political climate of the .....

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The anxiety phenomenon has been widely acknowledged as one of the mostimportant psychological phenomena. Theorists and second language researchers claimed that anxiety and language learning are associated. Thus learners who portray low levels of anxiety allow more and better input into the brain, increasing their language learning performance. However this may not be the case for many learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). They face challenges of learning new vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and reading in the target language. In reading, most of the texts require critical synthesis, evaluation and interpretation to comprehend the authors’ point of views. These reading experiences may increase students’ levels of anxiety if they are unprepared for such demands. As a result, learners become tense and continue to experience high levels of anxiety as they suffer from poor performance in their studies. The objective of this paper is to examine the reading anxiety phenomenon.....

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The study aimed at investigating Malaysian English teachers’ readiness to teach online during the recent COVID-19 outbreak and the problems they faced while conducting online lessons. Data for the study were randomly obtained online from 103 respondents, using a questionnaire. Findings showed a positive indication of English teachers’ readiness for online teaching yet there were a few problems that need to be addressed, especially pertaining to the equitable network coverage and facilities, implying the needs for the authorities to provide ample support and innovations to assist both teachers and learners in achieving meaningful online learning.  ..

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The primary goal of teaching a language is to ensure learners can communicate in the target language successfully. In order to completely acquire a language, learners need to ensure effective acquisition of speaking skills. Hence, an appropriate assessment is required as it will enable learners to learn better. The objective of this literature review was to scrutinize the potential of dynamic assessment when implemented in EFL speaking classrooms. Also, to identify a common structure which aids educators in the process of teaching speaking skills to EFL learners. The present study reviewed five international peer-reviewed articles published within past five years. All the articles were testing the effects of dynamic assessment in EFL speaking context specifically. The findings suggest that dynamic assessment can be used in an EFL classroom setting to promote development of learner’s speaking skills. In addition to that, it was also concluded that EFL learners respond positively to dy.....

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Kajian ini bertujuan menganalisis masalah, cara penyelesaian dan pembinaan model dalam penulisan Bahasa Tamil murid tahun 5 SJK (Tamil). Kajian ini menggunakan Model CALLA yang merangkumi elemen-elemen dan ciri-ciri yang berkait tanggungjawab guru dan murid serta pembelajaran bahasa untuk mengkaji masalah dalam penulisan Bahasa Tamil murid tahun 5. Selain itu, tiga teori pembelajaran bahasa, iaitu teori konstruktif yang menekankan pengetahuan sedia ada, teori kognitif yang menekankan unsur dalaman dan teori behavioristik yang menekankan sikap digunakan dalam mengkaji masalah penulisan murid tahun 5. Reka bentuk kajian kes digunakan dalam kajian ini. Kajian ini dijalankan dalam kalangan 5 orang guru, 30 orang murid dan 5 orang ibu bapa tahun lima di 5 buah Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) di Daerah Manjung, Negeri Perak. Temu bual, pemerhatian serta analisis dokumen sebagai instrumen kajian dianalisis secara kualitatif. Data kajian kualitatif menggunakan pendekatan analisis tematik. Has.....

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Masyarakat Melayu merupakan masyarakat yang mempunyai kepelbagaian corak budaya dan tatacara dalam struktur sosial. Kepelbagaian budaya menyebabkan tercetusnya pertukaran idea dan sudut pandangan baharu. Setiap teguran, sindiran dan pengajaran akan disampaikan melalui pantun, cerita-cerita seperti berunsurkan jenaka, legenda, mitos dan sebagainya. Cerita lisan Melayu mengandungi nilai estetikanya yang tersendiri sebagai panduan dan tunjuk ajar. Dalam konteks ini, cerita lisan diperturunkan dari mulut ke mulut melalui satu generasi kepada genarasi yang lain. Oleh itu, sudah semestinya tokok tambah dalam cerita rakyat akan berlaku kerana bergantung kepada situasi dan lapisan golongan pada waktu tersebut. Sehubungan dengan itu, kajian ini bermatlamat untuk mengenal pasti dan menganalisis ritual sumpahan yang terkandung dalam cerita-cerita lisan Melayu. Pengaplikasian Teori Budaya adalah sebagai deduktif dalam kajian ini. Kajian ini juga membataskan 12 data cerita lisan Melayu yang dipilih.....

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Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti kelemahan yang terdapat dalam 12 konstruk penilaian kemahiran membaca LINUS bahasa Melayu. Setelah meneliti kelemahan-kelemahan yang wujud, kajian ini memberikan cadangan untuk penambahbaikan konstruk tersebut. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dengan melibatkan kajian kepustakaan terhadap 12 konstruk penilaian kemahiran membaca LINUS dan mengaplikasikan teori pengsukukataan bahasa Melayu yang diubah suai daripada teori pengsukukataan Goldsmith (2011). Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan terdapat dua kelemahan yang wujud dalam 12 konstruk penilaian tersebut, iaitu penilaian kemahiran membaca suku kata tertutup (Konstruk 4 dan 5), dan penilaian kemahiran membaca konsonan /ng/ (Konstruk 6). Konstruk 4 dan 5 tidak menghuraikan secara jelas bentuk suku kata tertutup yang perlu dikuasai oleh murid, manakala Konstruk 6 sepatutnya dimasukkan dalam konstruk suku kata terbuka atau suku kata tertutup kerana /ng/ merupakan konsonan sama se.....

580 hits