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Although there are several studies conducted by linguistics researchers on the differences between the linguistic styles of female and male writers, there are not many studies conducted on the use of boosters in academic writing. Boosters are used to convince and emphasize statements made. This study analyzes the regularity of boosters used in the Introduction section of Ten Research Articles (RAs). The influence of gender differences in the use of specific boosters will also be looked at. A document analysis method was chosen as the 10 RAs were analyzed as the corpus in this study. The findings showed that male writers used more boosters than female writers. Even though the number of words for the female writers was more than the male writers, it did not affect the number of boosters used in the Introduction section of those articles. In conclusion, it can be deduced from the analysis that both the female and male writers used boosters to highlight their claims or their beliefs regardless of their gender, while the use of boosters was more evident among the male RAs as the male writers seemed to be more direct in illustrating and mentioning their claims.

Evaluation of research performance has significantly increased in importance, particularly in many emerging higher education systems. In Malaysia, the Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) was developed to evaluate the research performance of universities and Research Centres of Excellence (RCoEs). This paper reports on a participatory action research approach aimed at developing a new framework for measuring research performance of Malaysian RCoEs. The introduction provides the contexts leading to the development and adoption of the MyRA including the challenges and its appropriateness as a tool for evaluating the research performance of relatively smaller entities namely, RCoEs. A stepwise approach in developing an alternative system of assessment for RCoEs is then described, leading to a list of prioritised components and criteria for the newly proposed tool. Finally, some of the wider implications of the new assessment framework are discussed, including the applicability to other contexts, lessons learned, and the contribution to the literature.

Purpose: In Malaysia, research indicates that there is an interest amongst the stakeholders, namely, administrators and academicians to be engaged in education for sustainable development (SD), but it is rarely implemented as a part of the higher education curriculum due to various barriers. This paper aims to develop a framework for integrating SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum, using a case study approach. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted at a local university located in Selangor, Malaysia, offering a foundation programme to students between 17 to 18 years of age. Data was collected using a qualitative approach that involved 12 experts as informants. The collected data was analysed via three coding stages, namely, open coding, category coding and thematic encoding using Atlas.ti 7.0 software. Findings: The research revealed that six aspects contribute to the integration of SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum, namely, educational policy, awareness, resources, curriculum, pedagogical approach and stakeholders' engagement. The proposed framework was formulated by considering these aspects. Originality/value: The findings of this study can be used as a guide to facilitate the integration of SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum. It is expected to encourage the involvement of more teachers in adopting sustainable chemistry teaching.

A geographic information system (GIS) is a tool and technology capable of addressing the effects and challenges of natural disasters, particularly flash floods. GIS applications are used to generate flood risk maps to tackle flood issues. However, various challenges and problems arise when employing GIS to manage flash flood disasters in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Hence, this study aims to identify these challenges and gaps in GIS utilisation by Malaysian agencies for flash flood management in Shah Alam. Using the quadruple helix model technique, informal interviews were conducted as part of the study's qualitative methodology. Five respondents were chosen from each of the four main sectors for primary data collection: government, academia, business, and community/NGO. The data were analysed using Taguette qualitative theme analysis. The findings reveal that the primary challenges lie in government management, particularly in providing equipment and access to GIS for all stakeholders, including the public. This challenge is attributed to the high costs and complexity associated with GIS data usage, limiting accessibility. Furthermore, there is a lack of expertise and research on GIS in Malaysian universities concerning flash flood management. The government should take proactive steps to improve flash flood management in Shah Alam, Malaysia, in order to solve these issues. Specifically, GIS training should be given to stakeholders, particularly those in the government and academic sectors, in order to develop GIS specialists who will be necessary for efficient flood management in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of foundation chemistry learners concerning the sustainable development concept. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted. Atlas.ti software was used to analyse the chemistry curriculum based on selected themes and sub-themes. A survey was carried out involving 132 chemistry learners. The chemistry learners were students from a foundation programme in a local university located in Selangor, Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using SPSS 21.0 involving descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: Document analysis on the chemistry curriculum shows that water is the theme most covered in the chemistry learners' textbook, as compared to other themes. In general, the chemistry learners have good knowledge and attitude concerning the sustainable development concept. However, their knowledge and attitude do not reflect in their behaviour as an individual, as well as in the classroom. Moreover, their knowledge, attitude and behaviour focus more on environmental dimension, as compared to other sustainable development dimensions. Practical implications: This paper is instrumental in assisting educators to assess how chemistry learners perceive sustainable development, and this may help to bring about changes to improve chemistry teaching and learning processes towards education for sustainable development. Originality/value: This paper is an original and novel research paper which is first conducted on sustainable development concept in chemistry curriculum in Malaysia.

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviours regarding the concept of sustainable development among pre-university programme educators, as well as the potential barriers and opportunities they face in adopting the concept of sustainable development in the teaching of the pre-university level chemistry module at a public university in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted with eight educators of a pre-university programme at a public university located in Selangor, Malaysia. This pre-university programme exposes students to advanced courses in science, which are very much like first-year university courses for candidates who are interested in gaining admission to degree programmes. For this study, the focus was on chemistry educators only. The collected data were analysed through descriptive analysis following which interviews were conducted with the respondents. Findings: In general, the educators have good knowledge and attitudes towards the concept of sustainable development. Moreover, their projected knowledge (K), attitude (A) and behaviour (B) focus more on environmental dimensions, as opposed to other sustainable development dimensions. While the integration of the concept of sustainable development in chemistry teaching is restricted by a few barriers, such as content-based learning, lack of guidebooks related to sustainable development and an overcrowded curriculum, positive responses from the chemistry educators indicate that there are opportunities to implement sustainable chemistry concepts in the pre-university chemistry module. Research limitations/implications: The present study was conducted with several limitations; the data were obtained from a small sample size at an institute located within a public university. The respondents of this research consisted of only three existing chemistry educators and five administrators who are also educators. Further studies about sustainable chemistry teaching should include samples from other public and private universities. Originality/value: This paper is instrumental in assisting the Ministry of Education, administrators, as well as educators within the pre-university sector to shift their goals towards sustainable chemistry teaching to achieve success in education for sustainable development.

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a battery powered device which imitates the feel and experiences of smoking a conventional cigarette. This device has gained considerable attention since their inception into the European and American markets in the early 2000s and have become increasingly common in many countries, including Malaysia. As of 2020, 33.7% of Malaysians reported ever using ECs and 5.4% used ECs on daily basis. The aim of this study was to gauge the level of knowledge and perceived benefits of e-cigarette users in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study was conducted at an e-cigarette stall in Kuala Lumpur Downtown Night Market, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Questionnaires were given to 73 respondents that met both the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Out of 73 participants, 54.8% were regarded as having a medium level of knowledge while the rest were under high level of knowledge. Findings from this study also showed that there are no significant associations between duration of e-cigarette usage and class of income with the levels of knowledge of the e-cigarette users on this device. High percentage of respondents strongly agreed that e-cigarette had positive perceived benefits which outweigh the risks. As a conclusion, this battery powered device may be considered as an alternative to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) available in an attempt to quit smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a battery powered device which imitates the feel and experiences of smoking a conventional cigarette. Recently, Malaysian government has banned the selling of e-cigarette and the nicotine-containing e-liquid. The decision may be influenced by studies from overseas. However, in-depth studies on the effectiveness of e-cigarette are needed especially in Malaysian setting. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the cost effectiveness of using e-cigarette, the reduction in pack-year after using e-cigarette, % of users who completely changed from conventional cigarette to e-cigarette and to assess the general lung function of e-cigarette users using peak flow analysis in e-cigarette users in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study was conducted at an e-cigarette stall in Kuala Lumpur Downtown Night Market, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Questionnaires were given to 73 e-cigarette users who met both inclusion and exclusion criteria. After answering the questionnaires, a peak flow meter test was carried out. The peak flow meter test was also carried out on conventional cigarette smokers for comparison. Findings from this study suggested that e-cigarette is a cost-effective device which showed a significant reduction of average monthly expenditure. In addition, results also showed that e-cigarette helped in the reduction of pack-year. The peak flow readings of the e-cigarette users are also significantly higher compared to the conventional cigarette smokers suggesting better general lung function in those who uses e-cigarette. In conclusion, e-cigarettes could serve as a viable alternative to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for traditional cigarette smokers seeking to quit. Nonetheless, it is imperative to conduct long-term studies on the potential side effects of e-cigarettes to thoroughly evaluate their benefits against potential risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humour in English Language Teaching (ELT) is known to be beneficial for both the educators and students. However, the literature addressing the types of humour used by Malaysian lecturers in higher education on this matter are yet to be explored. To address these issues, the study focusses to explore on the types of humour used in ELT by Malaysian lecturers in relation to the four types of humour: verbal, visual, auditory and figural humour. The research design is a qualitative study which implements two instruments; classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse the data. The results from the study show that there are three types of humour commonly used: verbal humour, visual humour and auditory humour. The data analysis indicates that there are four factors which influence the types of humour used in the classroom: humour used for content delivery, humour to build rapport, humour to attract attention and humour to instil discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]