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Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology is being used to help EFL learners overcome their difficulties with their language skills, especially writing skills. Past studies showed that the instrument that provides immersion will positively affect learners’ written performance. In line with that, this study aims to investigate the vocabulary usage and writing performance of learners who learn vocabulary via IVR versus those who learn from conventional classroom-based instruction. A total of 144 Chinese-speaking English learners, who were divided into experimental group (N = 69) and control group (N = 75), experienced the treatments related to the writing tasks. The results show that the learners in the experimental group wrote more informatively and presented more details. Comparative analysis revealed that learners using IVR performed significantly better on target word usage, lexical density, distribution richness, and completion of task than those in the conventional classroom. Based on the results, it would seem that the positive transfer of learning may be related to the experience of exploring in a virtual environment. The immersion of IVR and the sense of presence and embodiment enable learners to benefit from their immersive experience which aids the use of vocabulary in their writing. The implication of the study demonstrated the impact of the technological factors, whereby what causes the improvement in writing performance is due to the learners’ virtual experience and their sense of embodiment.

The study investigates the impact of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) on players’ application of vocabulary learning strategies. The participants are experienced online gamers aged between 24 and 25 years old. Apart from identifying the vocabulary learning strategies used by the ESL players during online gaming, in order to find out how aspects related to MMORPG influence the use of strategies, data were also obtained from online semi-structured interviews with these (ESL) players who are involved in Guild Wars 2, a popular MMORPG computer game. Using Gu and Johnson’s (1996) categorisation of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS), it was found that these ESL players utilise metacognitive, cognitive, memory and activation strategies in order to learn game-related vocabulary during the MMORPG game-play sessions. Additionally, there are four factors that affect the vocabulary language learning experience of the players, and they consist of; (a) the role of game storylines in enhancing MMORPG gaming immersion, (b) freedom to learn while being away from classroom-related rules, (c) social interaction that enriches players’ learning experience, and (d) the role of collaboration among the MMORPG community in enriching learning experience.

Background and Purpose: Recent technological advancements and Covid-19 pandemic have prompted more opportunities for online learning. However, there is a dearth of empirical research that is focused on high school students. Therefore, this study aims to obtain a more comprehensive view of ESL learners’ involvement or word contributions in a ‘normal’ face-to-face situation and in a synchronous online text-based environment by relating it to their personality and language proficiency. Methodology: In this study, a quasi-experiment was carried out over four weeks. It involved eight sessions of face-to-face and online discussions with 48 Malaysian high school students who were divided into two matched-sample groups. The participants' feedback was used to support and provide insights on the findings. The quantitative data were analysed using using IBM SPSS statistics 26 software while the participants’ responses to the online feedback session were analysed using open coding and axial coding strategies. Findings: Statistically significant difference was found in learners’ word contributions during face-to-face and online discussions. Apart from the extroverts with high-intermediate language proficiency, the other groups of learners who are either introverts or having lower level language proficiency were found to produce significantly more words in synchronous online text-based discussions. The non-face-to-face context of online forums might have lowered the learners’ level of anxiety and increased their confidence to interact with their peers. Contributions: Learners’ personalities and language proficiency levels should be considered when choosing a discussion setting and when facilitating discussion activities. More support should be provided for the less proficient or introverted learners to express themselves in a face-to-face discussion. Keywords: Personality, Language proficiency, Computer-mediated communication, Synchronous text-based online discussions, Word contributions Cite as: Chew, S. Y., & Ng, L. L. (2021). The influence of personality and language proficiency on ESL learners' word contributions in face-to-face and synchronous online forums. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 199-221. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp199-221

Despite learning styles being one of the main topics of interest in education, not many studies have considered the influence of learning styles regarding students learning foreign languages in Malaysia. This study investigates the learning style preferences of 35 Spanish beginner level students aged between 20 and 24 years, the teaching style preferences of their Spanish teacher, and the relationship between the matching of teacher and learner styles and the learners’ language achievement. Data were collected using an adapted perceptual learning style preference questionnaire, a teaching style questionnaire, interviews and class observations. The findings show that the learners preferred kinaesthetic and auditory learning styles, while the teacher preferred kinaesthetic and tactile teaching. Interestingly, the results suggest that improvement in terms of achievement may not necessarily be related to a match between teacher and learner style. It was found that learners who improved were those who could adapt to the teacher’s styles and also those who would use multiple strategies to learn Spanish. Also, the results indicate that application of multiple teaching styles help students learn Spanish in a more enjoyable and effective manner. These insights are of interest to research on learner styles in general, and specifically to Spanish teachers in their instruction planning.

Students experience different levels of autonomy based on the mediation of self-regulated learning (SRL), but little is known about the effects of different mediation technologies on students' perceived SRL strategies. This mixed explanatory study compared two technology mediation models, Icourse (a learning management system) and Icourse+Pigai (an automatic writing evaluation system), with a control group that did not use technology. A quasi-experimental design was used, which involved a pre and post-intervention academic writing test, an SRL questionnaire, and one-to-one semi-structured student interviews. The aim was to investigate 280 Chinese undergraduate English as a foreign language (EFL) students' academic writing performance, lexical complexity, and perceptions of self-regulated strategies in academic writing. One-way ANCOVA of writing performance, Kruskal-Wallis test of lexical complexity, ANOVA of the SRL questionnaire, and grounded thematic content analysis revealed that, first, both Icourse and Icourse+Pigai provided significant support for the development of SRL strategies vs. the control group, although there was no significant difference between the two groups. Second, Icourse+Pigai-supported SRL was more helpful for improving students' academic writing performance because it enabled increased writing practice and correction feedback. Third, Icourse+Pigai-supported SRL did not significantly improve students' lexical complexity. In conclusion, we argue that both learning management systems and automated writing evaluation (AWE) platforms may be used to assist students' SRL learning to enhance their writing performance. More effort should be directed toward developing technological tools that increase both lexical accuracy and lexical complexity. We conclude that the technical tools used in this study were positively connected to the use of SRL techniques. However, when creating technologically mediated SRL activities, students' psychological study preferences should be considered.

Translanguaging has received increasing attention from linguists and scholars. Although there have been studies investigating translanguaging practices in the classroom settings, there is a lack of studies that involve multilinguals and their multiliteracy skills in digital media. In view of the popularity of digital media, such as social media, as a means of social interactions among young people in multilingual and multicultural societies, this study aims to investigate the translanguaging practices of Malaysian university graduates in digital media. The research focus is on the digital postings of a group of university graduates in social media and emails, with an aim to investigate how they utilize their linguistic repertoires such as language choice in different online dialogic exchanges. The research also aims to explore how these young adults construct their identity through their translanguaging practices within the digital media. The findings of the study show that there are four factors affecting translanguaging practices and two factors influencing identity construction through translanguaging. Among others, the findings suggest that multilingual employees perhaps should be allowed to practice translanguaging at the workplace, as it helps to facilitate specific work-related processes. Simultaneously, translanguaging practices also enable the multilinguals to maintain their sense of identity through their linguistic expressions.

The differences between a discussion carried out face-to-face and online can be better understood through the analysis of numerous communication models such as: (1) the simplest model; (2) Shannon’s information theory model; (3) the intermediary model (gatekeeper/ two-step flow model); (4) the interactive or cybernetic model; (5) the transactional model; and (6) Foulger’s Ecological Model of Communication (2004). Foulger’s is one of the most comprehensive models, which has drawn the process of communication in detail and shows us that there are four essential constituents in communication: messages, languages, media, and the people. These components are crucial and they can influence the success of communication.

Based on the framework by Foulger (Models of the communication process, 2004) and insights from research and relevant language-learning theories, a model which describes the communication process among language-learners in face-to-face (F2F) and online settings is constructed and named group discussion model for language learners. The model describes the importance of the medium and the participants (acting as creators or consumers) in affecting the messages composed using English as a second language. Unlike Foulger’s (2004) model, which describes the communication process in general, this model focuses on group discussions among language-learners and adds aspects that can interrupt and enhance the communication process. The added aspects include affective domain, group dynamics, noise and distractions, preparation and support. This model will be helpful in enlightening language instructors and researchers about the aspects to consider when facilitating discussions. The chapter also includes recommendations for facilitating discussion activities in language classes.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) refers to communication between humans via digital tools. With a functioning digital tool, CMC can be available at any time and any place through instant messaging, emails, discussion forums, social media platforms etc. This chapter highlights the role of communication media in language classes with a focus on CMC and face-to-face (F2F) communication. For a better understanding of these media, their similarities and differences are compared. The relevant theories and models related to the effective usage of communication media are also highlighted. Some of the important theories and models include social presence theory, lack of social context cues hypothesis, media richness theory, cues-filtered-out theories, common ground theory, media synchronicity theory, social information processing theory, the hyperpersonal model of CMC, efficiency framework and the ICT succession model. Lastly, the implications from CMC theories and the potential of CMC in a language class are discussed.

Communicating effectively is an important life skill that can influence career and personal life, but communicating using a language that is not one’s mother tongue can be complicated, especially for a learner. Since practice makes perfect, one of the best ways to improve communication is through communication itself. This chapter explores the importance of communication in language acquisition by looking at the developments in learning approaches and why communicative language teaching is now so popular. In addition, the relevant theories which support the role of communication or interaction in language learning are discussed, including Krashen’s input hypothesis, affective filter hypothesis, Swain’s comprehensible output hypothesis and Long’s interaction hypothesis. The changes and development brought about by technology in communication and language learning are also explored and linked to the Malaysian context. The chapter ends by highlighting the potential of discussion activity as a communicative task in a second-language classroom.

It is pertinent to understand learners’ individual differences in accomplishing a certain task or goal and identify the facilities or environments that would enable them to learn and use the target language in different contexts more effectively. As both face-to-face (F2F) and online discussions are deemed relevant in the contemporary learning and teaching scenario, individuals need to be aware of the particular affordances that could be supported in CMC or F2F environments with attention paid to one’s individual differences. This chapter looks into the differences in the participation styles of learners who have different personalities and levels of language proficiency in different discussion settings. In addition, the lexical complexity and interactive competence displayed by different language learners in F2F and online discussions are discussed. Lastly, this chapter explains the influence of group composition on group discussions.

In addition to discussion settings (e.g. face-to-face or online) and learners’ individual differences (e.g. personality, levels of language proficiency), there are also other factors which could influence the communication process during large-group discussions. The main factors discussed in this chapter include the affective domain, noise and distractions. The affective domain refers to the area related to the attitude and emotion of the learners. Confidence, language anxiety and motivation are crucial elements of the affective domain which are found to play an important role in influencing learners’ communication during group discussions. Apart from the affective domain, noise and distractions could also affect the communication process. We should anticipate potential disruptions or noises that could occur during group discussions in face-to-face (F2F) and online settings so that we are better prepared to intervene if problems arise.

A sustainable diet which is healthy and environmental friendly is a climate change mitigation option in addition to being a health promoting diet. However, there is a scarcity of information if the Asian diets are sustainable. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate if the diet of the Malaysian population is healthy and sustainable. This is a cross sectional study using dietary data generated from food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). The carbon footprint data were linked with the food items/ food groups in the FFQ. The nutrients of the participants’ diet were computed and the proportions of those who met the recommended nutrients intake were established. Contribution of carbon footprint for different food groups and total carbon footprint for each participant’s diet were computed and expressed as kgCO2eq. Comparison of carbon footprint from participants’ diets between age, sex and ethnicity were carried out. A total of 4825 participants were included in the analysis. Majority were Malays (66.4 %), females (84.0%), married (80.0%) and in the age groups of 30s to 40s (68.8%). The mean total energy intake was 2485+1000 kcal/day. Only 40 to 60% of all participants achieved the Malaysia Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for calcium and less than half of the female participants who were aged 50 years and below fulfilled the RNI for iron. The most commonly consumed food groups were vegetables (270g/day), wheat, rice, fruits, sugar, seafood, poultry, legumes, snacks, milk and beef (46g/day). Total carbon footprint from the participants’ diets were 2.96 kgCO2eq/day, with the highest contributions of carbon footprint from rice, vegetables, beef, sugar, other cereals, poultry, seafood, wheat, milk, fruits, legume and snacks. Subgroups such as males, Malays and younger participants were more likely to consume diets with higher carbon footprint, compared to their counterparts. The participants’ diet was low in carbon footprint and environmentally friendly, however the quality of diet may need to be improved. Education measures should be targeted for all population and specifically for the sub-groups that consumed diets with higher carbon footprint.

Written corrective feedback (WCF) is widely used among writing teachers in attempt to improve students’ language accuracy in their written tasks. Experts of second language (L2) writing stated that WCF plays a significant role in language accuracy development because it is related to the development and improvement of students’ accuracy in second language writing. Corrective feedback can be grouped into direct WCF and indirect WCF. However, results in many past empirical studies were inconclusive because of variation in how the effectiveness of WCF was measured. Additionally, there is a lack of investigation pertaining to the students’ perceptions toward the feedback they received, which may reveal important factors that influence the students’ reception of the feedback that resulted in performance changes. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore factors that contributed to the accurate use of the past tenses resulting from direct WCF and indirect WCF. Interviews were conducted with 12 students and the qualitative findings revealed the following factors: 1) learner attitudes towards feedback provided, 2) learner beliefs towards what corrections entailed, and 3) types of scaffolding. Additionally, the findings revealed the importance of teacher-student conference, the need for students to be trained over a longer period of time in relation to the use of error codes and the need for instructor to understand and implement direct and indirect feedback accordingly in their teaching. Keywords: written corrective feedback; second language acquisition; direct-indirect feedback; past tenses; mixed methods

Recognising that active involvement with the target language is important in learning a second language, this research compared the participation style of the language learners in different discussion settings; online and face-to-face. The personality (extroversion and introversion) and language proficiency (high-intermediate and low-intermediate) of the 48 participants were looked into. Qualitative data were obtained through observation, survey and online feedback session to substantiate the main data gathered from the quasi-experiment. The findings revealed that the use of synchronous online setting helps elicit more contribution of words and balance the participation of ESL learners especially among the introverts and the less proficient learners. The findings also implied that language instructors can capitalise on this setting to elicit more participation from selected group of students and encourage more balanced participation in the language classroom. In addition, the findings of this study showed that the medium played a role in influencing the messages produced by certain group of learners more than the others.

Unemployment among the Malaysian public universities’ graduates due to their inability to communicate proficiently and accurately in English language with proper pronunciation has been a concern among various parties. One possible method to address such issue is to look at how these graduates learn and improve their command of English language. Language learning strategies (LLS) is one of the prominent variables that can affect their language learning process. With that in view, this study investigated the LLSs used by the first year undergraduates in a Malaysian public university. It also examined the relationship between language learning strategies based on gender. The survey utilised the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) by Oxford (1990) on 535 male and 1173 female respondents. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, One-way ANOVA and chi-square test. Finding revealed that females employed more strategies if compared to males. The research result also showed that metacognitive strategies were highly employed by these undergraduates whereas affective strategies were least used among them. Further ANOVA test revealed there was a significant difference between the language learning strategies used by these undergraduates. The implications of these findings to educators, scholars and researchers were also discussed.

Introduction: Return-to-work (RTW) can be a problematic occupational issue with detrimental impact on the quality of life of previously-employed breast cancer survivors. This study explored barriers and facilitators encountered during the RTW process in the area of cancer survivorship. Materials and Methods: Six focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide on 40 informants (employed multiethnic survivors). Survivors were stratified into three groups for successfully RTW, and another three groups of survivors who were unable to return to work. Each of the three groups was ethnically homogeneous. Thematic analysis using a constant comparative approach was aided by in vivo software. Results: Participants shared numerous barriers and facilitators which directly or interactively affect RTW. Key barriers were physical-psychological after-effects of treatment, fear of potential environment hazards, high physical job demand, intrusive negative thoughts and overprotective family. Key facilitators were social support, employer support, and regard for financial independence. Across ethnic groups, the main facilitators were financial-independence (for Chinese), and socialisation opportunity (for Malay). A key barrier was after-effects of treatment, expressed across all ethnic groups. Conclusions: Numerous barriers were identified in the non-RTW survivors. Health professionals and especially occupational therapists should be consulted to assist the increasing survivors by providing occupational rehabilitation to enhance RTW amongst employed survivors. Future research to identify prognostic factors can guide clinical efforts to restore cancer survivors to their desired level/type of occupational functioning for productivity and wellbeing.

In postcolonial multilingual societies, matters of education are deeply rooted in the discourse of ethnicity. In Malaysia, the interface between ethnicity and education is reflected in recent debates on the choice of medium of instruction (MOI). In 2002, the Malaysian government introduced English as MOI by replacing Malay, the national language, for teaching mathematics and science, at the school level. However, in 2009, the policy was reversed to Malay. This policy initiative has been actively contested in the Malaysian media. Through an analysis of news reports on the controversy published by the Malaysian Chinese newspaper, Nanyang Siang Pao, this paper aims to illustrate how a sizeable ethnic minority is able to position itself vis-a-vis a national policy. To explain the ethno-political construction of MOI debates in the newspaper, we use two concepts, namely, ‘plurality of struggles’ (Laclau, 2006a, 2006b; Laclau & Mouffe, 1985) and ‘transmission of the speech of others’ (Bakhtin, 1981). These notio...

Studies showed that interest in anime motivates students to learn the Japanese language and culture (Manion, 2005; Fukunaga, 2006; William, 2006). However, little has been written about the practical use of anime in a Japanese language classroom. By employing the method of classroom research, this study will try to narrow the gap between theory and practice of using anime as a teaching tool in the Japanese language classroom. This qualitative study will focus on discussing what the participants think about the use of anime as a teaching tool. A course named “Learning Japanese language and Culture through Anime” was planned and conducted in a public university in Malaysia. During the administration of the course, the data were collected via the participants’ learning diaries at 7 intervals and a group interview at the end of the semester. The findings presented from the data analysis on the participants' perception of the use of anime as a teaching tool include motivation, language and cultural awareness, critical thinking, sense of prejudice, and stereotypes. The findings reveal that giving a place for anime in the Japanese language classroom is like opening a new door for educators to connect with the students and deepen understanding about the students’ learning experiences of using anime as a language and culture learning tool. This is important to provide insightful ideas to the Japanese language educators regarding the option of using anime as a teaching tool.

This paper discusses findings from a study investigating feedback efficacy on the accurate use of prepositions by ESL learners in written work over a period of 12 weeks. The study involved two treatment groups and a control group comparing the differential effects of the focused indirect with the unfocused indirect corrective feedback on the uptake and retention measured from the pretest, immediate and delayed posttests. The study also analysed the language-related episodes (LREs) occurring in the collaborative dialogue during the treatment sessions to identify the factors affecting uptake and retention of the corrective feedback in subsequent writing tasks. Findings revealed that both treatment groups outperformed the control group in the posttests, but, there was no significant difference between the unfocused and focused corrective feedback groups. Evidence from the LREs analysis suggests that extensive engagement in all the three functions of the Swain (2005) output hypothesis: noticing, hypothesis testing and metalinguistic, during the collaborative dialogue contribute toward the enhancement of uptake and retention. Since both correction types were equally facilitative in increasing accuracy of preposition usage, teachers may consider using them accordingly in writing tasks.

Increasing survivorship warrants evidence-based intervention to help women manage living effectively with breast cancer. Breast cancer survivors may have many medical and psychosocial issues in the post- treatment period. Qualitative research was carried out to assess survivors' overall experience and if intervention helps in survivorship care. This paper reports exploration of benefit-findings from participation in an earlier 4-week self management intervention.We used a grounded theory approach to analyze three focus groups conducted between May and August 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. We used random sampling to recruit the informants (n=21), all of whom had earlier participated in the 4 week self-management program held two years previously.The women reported positive experience and growth with the self management program. Self-efficacy appears as an important underlying theme for successful experiences. The lack of proactive plans to provide bereavement support to surviving women was a key negative experience.The intervention successfully brought women together to work in close partnership with health professionals on ways to self manage the medical, emotional and role task as they live indefinitely with breast cancer, a new chronic illness. The beneficial effect from the 4 week intervention was expressed by women even at 2 years after the program. Having successfully developed a tightly knitted group, a major oversight was the lack of professional support on bereavement for grieving members when close friends passed away.