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The barriers that indigenous students face in pursuing higher education are substantial and far-reaching. This study seeks to understand the impact of institutional support on engagement of Orang A...

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the mediating effect of heutagogical activities on the relationships between (1) social learning environment & self-determined learning and (2) students’ psychological needs & self-determined learning. The proposed model hypothesised that self-determined learning is dependent on the social learning environment, student psychological needs, and heutagogical activities. This study fills the knowledge gap by applying the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed model based on a sample of 626 postgraduate students from a higher education institution in Malaysia. The findings revealed that heutagogical activities had mediating effect on postgraduates’ self-determined learning. These are new insights on self-determined learning as no studies have examined the mediating effect of heutagogical activities through structural equation modelling analysis. Overall, this study offers valuable contributions to the empirical evidence and body of literature on heutagogy by providing an extended understanding of the mediating role of heutagogical activities in postgraduates’ self-determined learning. The findings suggest that more efforts are needed to refine the learning activities in postgraduate education for the postgraduates’ development of self-determined learning. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

As a move towards educational transformation, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has established a policy on the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and its practices are being emphasized throughout Malaysian education system. However, due to a lack of meta-analysis, the types of pedagogical practices used by teachers in enhancing students’ HOTS in the local context is unclear. This study used a meta-analytical approach to fill in the gap in literature on the pedagogical practices of HOTS in Malaysian classrooms. A total of 32 empirical studies were included in the analyses. Therefore, this paper aims at synthesising the pedagogical practices of teaching HOTS among Malaysian teachers. The findings offered a synthesis of HOTS pedagogical practices employed by teachers in Malaysian schools, which could be categorised as practices that promote and practices that inhibit the teaching of HOTS. The synthesis revealed that some practices that promoted the teaching of HOTS were brainstorming, constructivist learning, inquiry teaching, thinking map, and problem-based learning whereas some practices that inhibited the teaching of HOTS were teacher-centered learning and teaching lower-order thinking skills.

Throughout the last decade in Malaysia, participation of students with disabilities in higher education has seen minimal growth. This paper investigates the policies and practices regulating disability in Malaysia’s higher education. Three aspects — legislation, funding, and governance — are analysed. To reveal the gaps in policy and practice, comparison is carried out with the cases of England and Australia. The research involved examining government documents such as disability acts, action plans, and research and statistics reports, combined with interviewing university administrators. It was found that Malaysian legislation requires more supporting details and that disability funding for universities should be considered. For governance, systematic legislation review and specific university monitoring are recommended. Establishing an independent national entity to conciliate grievances is proposed to address the inadequate redress mechanism available for students with disabilities. Overall, the government and universities could ensure that disability information is available in the public domain, especially online. Such practice would enhance disability awareness and knowledge for all. Although this paper mainly takes on the perspective of a developing nation, it attains an international orientation as it also depicts the workings of the developed world in governing disability in higher education.

Heutagogy was first introduced by Steward Hase and Chris Kenyon in year 2000. It is a novel teaching and learning approach being implemented at Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs), as a transformation initiative to improve the quality of education and to produce graduates who could meet the demands of the 21st century workforce. However, the extend of heutagogy principles being adopted and the challenges faced whilst implementing this new approach remains unclear. This study aims to fill in the knowledge gaps by conducting critical systematic reviews on the practices and challenges of heutagogy approach in teaching and learning at Malaysian HEIs. Research articles and policy papers on the practices of heutagogy approach in Malaysian higher education context were accessed through open-source and subscription databases. The results of systematic reviews found that four principles of heutagogy approach namely learner-centred, double loop learning, non-linear learning approach and a focus on skills development were being practiced at the local institutions. Nevertheless, the study also discovered several challenges, including lecturer, student, and environmental factors, that hinder the implementation of this new teaching and learning approach. The implications of the research findings were discussed in this paper.

Postgraduate students have to play active roles in self-determined learning, as major agent in their own learning and research activities. There is a lack of validated research instruments to measure self-determined learning among postgraduate students. The Postgraduate Self-Determined Learning Questionnaire (PSLQ) was specifically developed to fill in the gaps. This study aims to examine the validity and reliability of the PSLQ through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The original version of PSLQ has 59 items and it was administered to a sample of 201 postgraduate students from a research-intensive university in Malaysia. The results of EFA revealed that PSLQ measures four distinct factors; learner-centered learning, interactive non-linear learning, double-loop reflection, and capacity development, which accounted for 54.22% of the variance in self-determined learning. The total number of items in PSLQ has been reduced to 42, after 17 items were removed. The instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha value of a=.959. The findings suggest that PSLQ is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to measure self-determined learning among postgraduate students. Implications of the research findings are discussed in this paper. Keywords: Heutagogy, Postgraduates, Reliability, Self-determined learning, Validity

Multicultural education is crucial in promoting cross-cultural understanding, recognition, and celebration of diversity in Malaysia-one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Preschool teachers play central roles in laying the foundation for cultural acceptance and positive racial interaction during early childhood. This study aims to explore Malaysian preschool teachers’ training and attitudes towards multicultural education. A quantitative questionnaire survey approach was used to gather the required data. The participants consisted of 1,067 preschool teachers from 267 private and government preschools providers in the country. Two validated instruments were employed to measure the variables in this study. The trainings received by the preschool teachers were measured by the Teachers’ Training Multicultural Education Scale (TTMES) while their attitudes towards multicultural education were gauged by the Multicultural Teaching Scale (MTS). Findings showed that preschool teachers were positive about the trainings that they received in relation to multicultural education. However, the extent to which they actually understood the concept of multiculturalism was doubtful in view that two thirds of the teachers demonstrated misconception about the fundamental principles of multicultural education when their attitudes towards multicultural education were examined. Significant differences were found in teachers’ training and attitudes according to the categories of preschools; teachers from mono-cultural preschools displayed the least positive attitudes towards multicultural education. Implications of the study were discussed in the paper.

In recent years, alcohol use among non-Muslim school-age adolescents has become rampant and unchecked, and spurred them to noticeable disciplinary and social problems in school, family and community. Previous studies in adolescence alcohol use were focused on quantitative methodology to examine the issue. However, the present study aims to examine the alcohol use among non-Muslim school-age adolescents between 14-18 years old from the perspectives of various determinants shaping the development of alcohol use. A total of 30 participants were involved in this descriptive qualitative case study. They were comprised of 15 school-going adolescents, five drop-outs and ten juveniles from the northern state of peninsula Malaysia. A qualitative descriptive case study approach was deployed in the current study to provide a more exhaustive and comprehensive findings on the development of alcohol use among non-Muslim school-age adolescents. Semi-structured questions were administered during the in-depth interviews to collect the data and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data collected. In the findings, the psychological determinants for shaping the development of alcohol use were comprised of depression, self-gratification, conduct problems and maturity. However, in the findings of social and cultural determinants, social events, cultural practices and parental factors were identified. Last but not least, the environmental determinants identified for shaping the development of alcohol use were alcohol advertising, accessibility of alcohol and the drinking act implemented.

Risk factors and impact of underage drinking have been favourite topics of discussion among parents, teachers and educationalists for decades. Many claimed that alcohol use among school-age adolescents has created social and disciplinary problems in school, family and community. Nonetheless, the current study aims to examine explicitly the risk factors for the early onset of alcohol use among school-age adolescents between 14-18 years old and the impact from the tendency to the development of juvenile and negative learning behaviour and academic performance perspective. A total of 35 participants were involved in this qualitative descriptive case study which comprised of 15 school-going adolescents, five drop-outs, ten juveniles and five counsellors. A qualitative descriptive case study methodology was adopted to provide more substantive and comprehensive findings. In-depth interviews were administered and semi-structured questions were used for the collection of data and concurrently thematic analysis was deployed to analyze the data collected. In the findings, negative curiosity, bad modelling, peer pressure and alcohol ignorance were among the risk factors attributed to the early onset of alcohol use. However, the noticeable impacts of underage drinking among school-age adolescents were lack of motivation in studies, inattentive and sleepiness in class, truancy, poor grades, emotional and involved in fighting and youth violence, and dropout from school.

Past studies showed that indigenous students are underrepresented in higher education and they tend to have lower academic performance and are more atrisk of dropping out compared to non-indigenous students. Because of the scarcity of local studies, the specific challenges faced by indigenous students during postsecondary education in the Malaysian context are unclear. Indigenous students may encounter various psychological and non-psychological challenges. They are regarded as having significantly lower adaptation and are more prone to psychological problems, such as low self-esteem, compared to the nonindigenous students. These challenges often lead to lower academic achievement, which eventually resulted in withdrawal from the higher education institution. Hence we need to explore the challenges and psychological issues faced by indigenous students during postsecondary education in Malaysia. This study aims at filling in the literature gap by conducting a study on indigenous students at three selected Malaysian public universities. Because the research problem is a fairly unchartered area, a mixed method sequential explanatory study was employed for a better understanding of the research problem. Twelve indigenous students and 2 administrators were chosen for the in-depth semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. To further understand these challenges according to students’ demographic profile, 51 indigenous students were chosen to respond to questionnaires. The instruments used are the Adaptation Scale by Baker and Siryk (1989) and Self-Esteem Scale by Heatherton and Polivy (1991). The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Findings showed that social and academic adaptation and self-esteem were issues among the indigenous students. In addition, transitions into university and new programs may also pose certain challenges to indigenous students as first-year students and those enrolled in pre-diploma programs were found to have lower adaptation and self-esteem compared to their seniors. Low self-esteem seems to be a persistent issue cutting across all demographic profiles.

Research universities in Malaysia are striving to transform into world-class institutions. These universities have the capacity to attract the best students to achieve excellence in education and research. It is important to monitor the psychological well-being of students during the transformation process so that proactive intervention can help students cope with the learning and research demands. This study profiled and monitored the personality traits of postgraduate and undergraduate students in a selected Malaysian research university using a quantitative research method. The researchers profiled personality traits using an online assessment, the Behavioral Management Information System (BeMIS), and tracked real and preferred personality traits and positive changes during rapid institutional transition.Keywords: personality traits, BeMIS, undergraduate students, research universities, psychological well-beingMalaysia is advancing toward a knowledge-based economy and relies heavily on its universities to educate and train the much-needed human capital for the country (Fernandez, 2010). Research universities have the capacity to attract the best students and have the autonomy to select students who excel in education and research. Various measures are being implemented to transform universities into world-class institutions (Wan, 2008). The institutional transformation at Malaysian universities focuses on critical areas such as governance, leadership, academia, teaching and learning, as well as research and development (Ministry of Higher Education, 2011). Educational institutions must monitor the psychological profile and well-being of their students, especially those who are potentially at risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as substance abuse, in order to promote optimum human capital development (Wynaden, Wichmann, & Murray, 2013). Moreover, during the institutional transformation process, all levels of the university community, including students, may experience changes driven by higher standards and demands in teaching and learning as well as research performance (Schraeder, Swamidass, & Morrison, 2006) that might result in stress (Becker et al., 2004; Gladstone & Reynolds, 1997; Smollan & Sayers, 2009). Certain personality traits may build the community's resilience in coping with psychological stress (Lievens, Ones, & Dilchert, 2009; Nelson, Cooper, & Jackson, 1995). A detailed personality profile of university students can help research institutions put in place necessary support systems to strengthen students' well-being during institutional transformation.The Impact of Institutional TransformationInstitutional transformation at research universities in Malaysia can result in stress, anxiety and uncertainty for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Successful coping with new demands is integral to the process of transformation. Failure to cope with stressors may lead to fatigue and depressive mood. Such physical and psychological symptoms may impair daily living, work and school performance, and learning ability (Goretti, Portaccio, Zipoli, Razzolini, & Amato, 2010; See, Abdullah, Teoh, & Yaacob, 2011). Organizational change may affect personality changes in students and impact academic performance (Homg, Hu, Hong, & Lin, 2011; Nelson et al., 1995; Oreg & Sverdlik, 2011; See et al., 2011). Ongoing research including profiling and monitoring the personality traits and psychosocial behavior of students can assist students in adapting successfully (Marshall, 2010). Counselors and psychologists at the university can help students develop positive coping strategies during stressful transitional periods.Personality CharacteristicsConnor-Smith and Flachsbart (2007) have defined personality as characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors over time and across situations. Some theorists have described coping as a process of the personality responding to stress (Connor-Smith & Flachsbart, 2007). …

Multicultural early childhood education is necessary in a culturally diverse country like Malaysia. Preschool teachers play an important role in implementing multicultural education in the classroom. This paper reports the findings of a self-report questionnaire involving 854 preschool teachers in Malaysia. The preschool teachers disclosed their current multicultural education practices as well as the challenges they encountered when implementing multicultural education. While the majority of teachers claimed that they implemented multicultural education, a closer examination revealed that most of them used the tourist or contribution approach which focuses on only the outward manifestations of a culture when dealing with multicultural education. The transformation or anti-bias approach was used by only a small number of teachers. The teachers identified some challenges in multicultural education implementation, such as lack of instructional resources and the lack of stakeholder support. Thus, it is important to ensure teachers develop more critical understandings of multicultural education through teacher education training and programs. Other efforts to help teachers overcome challenges in implementing multicultural education include producing and developing more instructional materials and learning aids, which are suitable for young children and appropriate for the local context. Preschool teachers also need stakeholders to give more support and to acknowledge the importance of implementing multicultural early childhood education.

Multicultural education is important in multicultural societies. Multicultural education should be introduced in the early years as the preschool years are a critical time when young children develop the moral values and ethical standards of their society. Therefore, it is crucial for preschool teachers to be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to promote multicultural education. This paper reports the findings of a survey involving 854 preschool teachers who were serving in both public and private preschools in Malaysia. The preschool teachers completed a questionnaire to demonstrate their understandings of multicultural education, their perceptions of its importance in early childhood education and their opinions about other preschool teachers’ attitudes towards multicultural education. The findings indicated that the Malaysian preschool teachers had a limited understanding of multicultural education. Although most of them acknowledged the importance of introducing multicultural education at preschool level, the extent to which they actually understood the concept was still doubtful. Even though a majority of the preschool teachers believed that other preschool teachers had favourable attitudes towards multicultural education, there were a considerably high percentage of preschool teachers who actually possessed unfavourable or condition-dependent attitudes. Thus, it is critical to focus on supporting teachers in developing more critical and deeper understandings of multicultural education. Efforts such as reviewing teacher training programmes as well as enhancing teachers’ openness, self-reflective abilities, commitment to social justice and positive intercultural experiences are needed to promote teachers’ positive beliefs and attitudes towards diversity.

This study identified the fundamental lifestyles adopted by a university community in Malaysia. Rapid growth and expansion of higher education in Malaysia is inevitable as the country moves from a production-based economy to one that is innovative and knowledge-based, requiring the development of a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce. Research universities in Malaysia are leading the way in the generation of intellectual property and wealth for the country, as well as enhancing the quality of life of its people. A case study approach found that the university community's lifestyle is focused on recognitions. Implications for university personnel are discussed.Keywords: Malaysia, higher education, university community, lifestyle, transformation, BeMISHigher education is one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing service sectors in many parts of the world (Kapur & Crowley, 2011 Lee, 2004; Ministry of Higher Education, 2011a; "Transform Higher Education," 2011 UNESCO, 2005; Varghese, 2009). In fact, the rapid growth and expansion of the higher education sector in Malaysia is inevitable as the country is currently moving from a production-based economy to one that is innovative and knowledge-based and requires the development of a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce (Arokiasamy, 2012). The shift towards a knowledge-based economy in the era of globalization also has contributed to the increasing demand for more and better quality graduates (Lee 2004; Varghese 2009). In order for higher education in Malaysia to remain relevant locally and competitive globally, it must undergo transformation (Levin 2001; "Transform Higher Education," 2011). The push for excellence in research, innovation and commercial activities is particularly crucial to achieve the national agenda in Malaysia. As a matter of fact, research universities in Malaysia are now leading the way to generate intellectual property and wealth for the country and to enhance the quality of life of the people (Ismail, 2007). With the changing landscape of higher education in Malaysia, local universities have imposed stricter key performance indicators (KPI) targets on the staff (Azizan, Lim, & Loh, 2012). KPI measures the performance of academic and non-academic staff and also gauges their eligibility for promotion. The pressure to publish research papers, particularly in top-ranked journals, is an important facet of KPIs as it reflects recognition received by academics in local and international arenas. In addition, academic staffare encouraged to work together with industry and the community to leapfrog multi-disciplinary knowledge creation to address social, economic, environmental and health-challenges of the nation or region (Gill, 2012). At the same time, student and staff mobility can be promoted via exchange programs and collaboration with international institutions, which is in line with the internationalization policy outlined by the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (PSPTN) in Malaysia (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, 2011b). This implies that engagement with the local and international community through mobility, research and outreach activities are crucial.Fundamental LifestyleFundamental lifestyle is a way to segment people into groups based on three things: opinions, attitudes and activities (Harcar, Kaynak, & Kucukemiroglu 2004). As such, it measures peoples' activities in terms of how they spend their time, interests, where they place importance in their immediate surroundings, and their views of themselves and the world which may differ according to socio-demographic factors (Plummer, 1974). According to Khan (2006), there are four main characteristic lifestyles:* a group phenomenon that influences society* influence on all life activities* implies a central life interest* affected by social changes in societyStudies have shown that lifestyle affects the performance of over 80% of employees in organizations (Robertson, 2012) and is a factor that should not be overlooked. …

Transition services are required by law for students with disabilities in many developed countries. In Malaysia, however, there is still no specific legislation mandating that school-to-work transition planning and services be provided to students with disabilities. This study investigated the state of the transition services provided by educational organisations to students with disabilities in Malaysia. A mixed method research design, which utilises both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, was employed to obtain information from 23 government organisations and NGOs involved in the education and training of students with disabilities. This study found that the organisations surveyed were aware of the lack of transition support and call attention to the importance of instituting a national policy on school-to-work transition services and supported employment systems for students with disabilities. The legislative and educational implications for Malaysia are discussed.

The literacy practices of many communities today show new ways of meaning making in the contemporary, technological and digital culture. A number of Malaysian adolescents belong to this culture. This pilot study reports the preliminary findings of a larger study aimed at describing the online activities of Malaysian adolescents. Fifty-four participants from an urban secondary school in Penang took part in this study. One finding showed that the percentages of language use on the Internet were: 80.6 per cent in English, 10.6 per cent in Bahasa Malaysia and 8.8 per cent in Chinese. In addition, the study also revealed some common websites that these adolescents frequented. The findings point to the need to investigate the extent of these online literacy practices beyond school among the adolescent population in Malaysia and to look into the implications for ESL education.

The objective of the study was to profile and compare the perceived communication skills of persons with sensory impairment according to employment status. A total of 456 persons with sensory impairment (272 hearing impaired; 184 visual impaired) have participated in this study. The sample was made up of both employed and unemployed respondents. Respondents were required to self-assess their competency in communication skills. The results show that the ratings of communication skills by the employed respondents were significantly higher than their unemployed counterparts, despite the type of sensory impairment. The significant educational implications of the findings were discussed in this paper.

Tujuan – Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh faktor keluarga dari segi gaya asuhan ibu bapa, suasana pembelajaran keluarga dan penglibatan keluarga dalam pembentukan kemahiran pembelajaran regulasi kendiri. Metodologi – Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah tinjauan terhadap 639 orang murid Tahun 4 dan Tahun 5 dari 10 buah sekolah kebangsaan di Pulau Pinang. Teknik persampelan kelompok telah digunakan untuk memilih sampel tersebut. Kemahiran pembelajaran regulasi kendiri murid telah diukur dengan komponen kemahiran belajar dalam Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire(MSLQ) manakala faktor keluarga diukur dengan Parental AuthorityQuestionnaire, Family Environment Scale dan Perseption of ParentsScales (POPS). Dapatan – Dapatan menunjukkan korelasi antara pembelajaran regulasi kendiri dengan dua faktor keluarga iaitu penyertaan ibu bapa dan orientasi pencapaian keluarga adalah positif dan berkekuatan sederhana. Pembelajaran regulasi kendiri murid sekolah rendah hanya mempunyai hubungan yang signifi kan dengan gaya asuhan autoritatif dan autoritarian. Namun, hubungan antara variabel-variabel ini adalah lemah. Analisis regresi berganda stepwise pula menunjukkan bahawa faktor keluarga adalah peramal pembelajaran regulasi kendiri yang signifi kan iaitu penyertaan ibu bapa, orientasi pencapaian keluarga, sokongan ibu bapa, gaya asuhan tidak responsif dan gaya asuhan autoritatif. Secara keseluruhannya, keputusan analisis regresi berganda menunjukkan bahawa faktor keluarga menyumbang sebanyak 30.6% (R2=.306) dalam pembelajaran regulasi kendiri murid sekolah rendah. Kepentingan – Implikasi pendidikan dapatan kajian telah dibincangkan dalam kajian ini. Penglibatan keluarga, gaya asuhan ibu bapa dan suasana pembelajaran keluarga mempengaruhi pembelajaran regulasi kendiri. Faktor keluarga dapat membentuk murid yang mengawal atur strategi pembelajaran sejak kecil. Jadi, kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa ibu bapa mempunyai kesedaran tentang kepentingan pembelajaran regulasi kendiri sejak sekolah rendah.

Kajian ini menghasilkan sebuah instrumen untuk mengukur pengetahuan tentang strategi pembelajaran aturan kendiri. Ia juga mengkaji hubungan antara pengetahuan tersebut dengan pembelajaran aturan kendiri. Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 322 pelajar dari dua buah sekolah menengah. Pengetahuan pelajar tentang strategi pembelajaran diukur dengan Self–Regulative Knowledge Scale yang dihasilkan dalam kajian ini. Pembelajaran aturan kendiri pula diukur dengan Learning Strategies Subscale (Pintrich, et al., 1991). Skala yang dihasilkan didapati sahih dan boleh dipercayai. Selain itu, dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pengetahuan pelajar tentang strategi pembelajaran aturan kendiri mempunyai hubungan yang positif dan signifikan dengan pembelajaran aturan kendiri mereka. Kata kunci: Pengetahuan aturan kendiri; alat ukur; pembelajaran aturan kendiri; strategi–strategi pembelajaran; aturan kendiri This study produced an instrument to gauge self–regulative knowledge. It also looked into the relationships between such knowledge and self–regulated learning. The sample consisted of 322 students from two secondary schools. Self–regulative knowledge was measured by the Self–Regulative Knowledge Scale, developed in this study. Self–regulated learning, on the other hand, was measured by the Learning Strategies Subscale (Pintrich, et al., 1991). The newly developed instrument was found to be valid and reliable. In addition, the results showed that students’ self–regulative knowledge was positively and significantly related to their self–regulated learning. Key words: Self–regulative knowledge; scale; self–regulated learning; learning strategies; self–regulation.

Despite having education and vocational training, the unemployment rate of persons with disabilities in Malaysia is persistently high. This phenomenon suggests that there is a school-to-work transitional gap among persons with disabilities, whereby many of them have failed to move into employment after leaving schools. Due to a lack of policy on school-to-work transition, it is unclear to what extent is transition planning currently being implemented for students with disabilities and how well these students are prepared for employment. This chapter approaches the school-to-work transitional issues from an educational and psychological framework. A mixed method research design was used to collect the data for this study. Qualitatively, semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain the stakeholders’ views about the current educational system and vocational training in preparing students with disabilities for school-to-work transitions. A total of 82 participants made up of 23 school administrators, 21 special education teachers, and 38 students with disabilities were interviewed. Quantitatively, a questionnaire survey technique was employed to collect the data on profiles of employed and unemployed persons with disabilities. The sample was made up of 941 persons with disabilities. The findings suggest that school-to-work transition is not a smooth path for persons with disabilities. Based on the comparison of profiles between employed and unemployed persons with disabilities, job-related skills, and positive psychological traits were identified as critical skills that could make a difference in the employment outcome. Strategies were proposed to make school-to-work transition a more successful process for persons with disabilities in the country.

This study explored the research experiences of postgraduates and determines their relationships with the supervisors’ training backgrounds and the student's psychosocial attributes. A total of 134 higher degree research students from an Australian university were sampled. The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) was administered online to gauge the research experiences of the postgraduates. Overall, the respondents’ ratings of their experiences in supervision, skill development, and goals of the research project were above average. Infrastructure and intellectual climate, however, were rated as average by the respondents. This study also found that the respondents’ research experiences differ according to supervisor's background and it was related to their psychosocial attributes.

Purpose – This quantitative study explored willingness to communicate (WTC) across two settings, ESL in Malaysia, and EFL in Indonesia and Thailand. Participants’ WTC levels were measured and communicative situations in which participants were almost always willing and almost never willing to communicate in English were identified. Method – Convenience sampling was used to select the three countries, four secondary schools and 42 intact classes from Years 7 to 10. Two schools were in Malaysia, while one school each was in Indonesia and Thailand. A total of 1038 participants, consisting of 291 Malaysians, 325 Indonesians and 422 Thais took part in the study. The instrument used was an adapted questionnaire measuring WTC inside and outside the English classroom. Findings – The major findings were: 1) Situations in which students were almost never willing to communicate in English were mainly found outside the classroom; 2) Students were almost always willing to communicate in English in brief, predictable situations requiring the use of set phrases; 3) ESL students had a higher level of WTC than EFL students; and 4) WTC inside the classroom was significantly higher than WTC outside the classroom. Significance – The findings have implications for ESL/EFL classroom instruction. English teachers remain the main interlocutors in increasing WTC in the classroom. They also need to bridge the gap between the classroom and the outside world by preparing students for real social situations. This is consistent with the situation-specific aspect of WTC in the heuristic model proposed by MacIntyre, Clément, Dörnyei, & Noels (1998).