Malaysian Culture Research Articles

Realisation of Maqasid Al-Shariah Using Value-Based Intermediation in Islamic Banks: Acceptance or Refusal

Value-Based Intermediation (VBI) is a strategy proposed by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) as an intermediary tool to deliver the maqasid al-shariah (intended outcomes of Shariah) through practices and products offerings in Islamic banks. However, in reality, VBI has not yet been fully accepted by all Islamic banks in Malaysia. Thus, the objective of this research is to investigate the reason(s) behind the acceptance and refusal of VBI among the Islamic Banks in Malaysia. This research had used the qualitative research methodology where semi-structured interviews were conducted with the shapers of VBI in Islamic banks or the dedicated officers in corporate social responsibility to gain information on the initiatives. This research shows that the Islamic banks which agree to implement VBI are purely supporting the BNM initiatives. However, the Islamic banks which refused to implement VBI feel that their banks had adopted a similar concept, idea or strategy as VBI much earlier in order to achieve maqasid al- shariah. It is recommended for BNM to revise and customize VBI in accordance with the Malaysian context and culture in order for it to be fully accepted by all Islamic banks and be able to avoid any conflicts between the regulator and practitioners. Keywords: Islamic banking; Maqasid-al Shariah; Value Based Intermediation

"Providing Sex Education Is Challenging": Malay Mothers' Experience in Implementing Sex Education to Their Children with Intellectual Disabilities.

Sex education (SE) is still a controversial and sensitive topic in Malaysia. Thus, individuals with intellectual disability receive less information about SE formally as Malaysian culture believes that students with disabilities should be shielded from everything connected to sexuality owing to their paucity of maturity and intellectual comprehension of the topic. Due to that reason, non-formal education by the parent is very important to fill that needful gap. This study aimed to explore the experience of mothers on the meanings of sexuality, and implementing sex education for their children with ID. We adopted a phenomenological framework and social cognitive theory to increase understanding of the phenomenon and conducted it using in-depth interviews. Twenty mothers with children aged 10–19 who were diagnosed with mild to moderate ID and/or other cognitive disabilities were involved. Almost all mothers acknowledged the influence of socio-cultural factors and religion on meanings of sexuality and practicing SE. They realized their children’s emerging sexual behavior as they go through the adolescence period. However, how they confronted sexuality and sex education with their vulnerable children was different. Three themes emerged: (1) Sexuality as an erotic experience in life, which enlightens mothers’ views on sexuality, relying mainly on sexual intimacy and sexual being; (2) Perceived their children’s sexual maturity is different, which reflects the mothers’ attitude toward their children’s sexual development; (3) Caution/hesitance in providing sexuality education, which summarizes mothers’ ways of delivering SE, either following physicality or through sociocultural ways. Our findings exemplify the need for strategies to increase parents’ understanding and awareness regarding sexuality and appropriate delivery of SE. To ensure its success, it should be a shared responsibility among all relevant stakeholders.

Challenges and Intercultural Adaptation Among Japanese Students to Malaysian Culture: A Case Study

Outcomes of a case study based on the Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters (AIE) released by the Council of Europe are presented in this article. The paper is created as a supplement to help students reflect critically on unique intercultural interactions. The study claims that the document may be utilised in its original question-and-answer format to examine intercultural experiences critically and as a framework for students to create intercultural encounter narratives. As a result, this document may be used to write reflective narratives on students’ intercultural experiences, such as studying abroad. Two Japanese students on a short program in Malaysia were asked to create a story on their intercultural experiences for this research. The students then submitted their responses to the same experience’s questions in AIE. They created their narrative using AIE as a framework, and content analysis of the two AIE narratives indicated that the narrative based on AIE was more critical in its perspective of intercultural encounters. According to the findings, the student found creating a story focused on AIE to be helpful to both herself and the audience. Therefore, it can be concluded that adopting AIE as a framework for writing intercultural encounter narratives might be beneficial, particularly in describing intercultural communication scenarios. Students might enhance their awareness of intercultural conflict situations and develop their communication skills by reading such collected narratives. Keywords: Autobiography, intercultural encounters, intercultural competence, narrative, critical thinking.

Exploring Malaysian Culture through the Power of Story

Exploring Malaysian Culture through the Power of Story

The Globalization of Hallyu Phenomenon: Impact on Malaysian Young Female's Attitude and Behaviour

Hallyu phenomenon is a globalized cultural product from South Korea that has spread uncontrollably into many parts of the world, and Malaysia was no exception. With the aid of media and the internet, the domination of its significant products such as K-drama, K-pop music, K-Food, K-Beauty, and technology brands left an indisputable impact on society. Hallyu's wide acceptance in Malaysia, however, received backlash from the anti-Hallyu group who criticized it for degrading the value of Malaysian culture, specifically targeting young females in Malaysia for their "obsession" with this foreign culture. This paper aimed to study the relationship between the globalization of Hallyu phenomenon and young females in Malaysia. It employed a quantitative method to explore the impact of Hallyu on young females' attitudes and behaviour by distributing online surveys to 300 targeted respondents with prior knowledge regarding the topic. The findings showed that the most popular Hallyu cultural product is K-Pop, which consequently further influenced their attitude and behaviour towards other Hallyu products. The success of Hallyu culture among young females in Malaysia owed a lot to the internet and social media as the tools to disperse information, hence shaping their thoughts, attitudes and behaviour on the issue. The results also noted a few behavioural changes among the respondents in terms of time and money spent on Hallyu products. Overall, this study suggested that most respondents have a positive attitude towards Hallyu and that any behavioural changes were still within their control, hence denying the claim of "obsession" and "degrading one's cultural value" as claimed by the anti-Hallyu group.

Examining the Use of Personal Pronouns in Political Speeches by Tun Dr. Mahathir and President Trump

Personal pronouns are often used to the point they often get overlooked. Unlike content words, they do not convey meaning but portray the perception of the speaker (Nakaggwe, 2012). Looking deeper into this, personal pronouns have the power to include or exclude a person or people of the subject (Khafaga, 2021), and it is crucial to master them especially in the political context. However, cultural differences exist in the use of personal pronouns since culture affects the way a person communicates and interprets information (Gocheco, 2012). For this reason, this qualitative research attempts to identify the use of personal pronouns, specifically those that demonstrate inclusiveness and exclusiveness, in the collectivistic Malaysian and individualistic American cultures, and compare the similarities and differences in the use of personal pronouns in speeches given by Tun Dr. Mahathir who represents the collectivistic Malaysian culture and Mr. Trump who represents the individualistic American culture. The AntConc software was used to determine the speech profiles and identify the personal pronouns based on the coding schemes and guidelines. It was found that the most popular personal pronoun used in their speeches is we, while the least popular are me and the subject singular you. They was used more frequently by Tun Dr. Mahathir to indirectly address the audience, while Mr. Trump opted to directly convey his message by using the plural you. The results have practical implications for speech writing and political persuasion and negotiation skills.

The Lure of Diaspora: Diaspora Discourse, Accented Style, and Sinophone Malaysian Culture

The Lure of Diaspora: Diaspora Discourse, Accented Style, and Sinophone Malaysian Culture

REVEALING THE INVESTMENT VALUE OF PENANG HERITAGE PROPERTIES

Heritage buildings are a representation of historic features and the Malaysian culture. The intangible value of a heritage property comprises aesthetic quality, spiritual aspects, social functions, and its own uniqueness. Therefore, heritage properties have been seen to be moving away from traditional alternative investments, which are not covered by conventional real estate schemes. Additionally, the characteristics of heritage properties are expected to be seen as ‘art’, and they offer a highly beneficial diversification strategy with a relatively low correlation towards traditional assets classes. The Penang (Island) Heritage Property Price Index (PPHPPI) is estimated to be using a hedonic regression method. Based on the index, the heritage property records the highest quarterly returns and risk among the conventional assets considered in this study.

Exploring emoji as a viable cultural tool in WhatsApp communications among Malaysian undergraduates

An emoji is a form of a symbol in communication available on almost all social media platforms. Its convenience brings potential implications for its usage in digital communication. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of emojis in WhatsApp communication and the influence of culture on emoji usage among undergraduates in Malaysia. The study employed a qualitative approach in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight undergraduates of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Overall, the findings revealed that emojis increase communication efficiency. The participants have positive attitudes towards emoji usage. They describe emojis as viable symbols that help them to maintain social relations and express feelings. Additionally, the findings showed that Malaysian culture influences emoji communication by promoting harmony and relationships as well as instilling high context values in emoji usage. This research concludes that emojis can influence WhatsApp Communication positively if utilized correctly.

A Counselor’s Cultural Identity: Implications from A Multicultural Counseling Perspective in Malaysia

Malaysia is a country with a diversified cultural background, ethnicities, and religions. Islam is the most widely practiced religion, followed by Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, other traditional Chinese religions, as well as other indigenous religions. Despite the richness of the cultural landscape, the counseling services in Malaysia seem to be very limited in terms of diversification of multiculturalism. Cultural relevance of counselling theories, adaptation of Western-trained counseling services to suit a Malaysian culture, and multicultural counseling competencies, are among the concerns in the profession. This paper focuses on factors that shape a counselor’s identity based on their cultural background, and its implications on multicultural counseling in Malaysia. Among the important factors highlighted in this paper are religious beliefs and values, locus of control, gender, and personality. This paper encapsulates the importance of understanding a counselor’s cultural identity for the effectiveness of multicultural counseling in Malaysia.

Stimulating Interactive Apps in Conserving Batik Block Pattern

Batik is a Malaysian culture where the motif and pattern represent our identity and cultural heritage. People prefer to dress elegantly and simply in contemporary society. Additionally, the current batik pattern lacks a robust Malaysian identity. The traditional element also struggles to develop a local identity due to the lack of a descriptive document describing the Malaysian design. This research aims to identify traditional Malaysian batik patterns and develop an interactive application that will aid in the preservation of Malaysian culture and heritage. This study collected data through a review of contextual documents, in-depth interviews, and online survey questionnaires by establishing that Malaysian batik contains numerous patterns that all Malaysians must preserve as part of the country's heritage. Our finding shows that the proposed batik apps have the potential to increase Malaysians' awareness of batik patterns while also contributing to the preservation of culture and heritage value. Individuals can use the app to search for information about batik easily. Furthermore, for the Jabatan Warisan Negara, which is part of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, the app will act as a medium for promoting one of Malaysia's cultural and heritage treasures, Batik design.

Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Performance Assessment of Self-care Skills among Older People in Community

Background: The Performance Assessment of Self-care Skills (PASS-Home) is a client-centered, performance-based, criterion-reference, observational form designed to capture client’s performance skills in completing daily task activities. The aim of the study was to describe the process of translating, adapting and validating the PASS-Home from English language version into a Malay language version. Methods : The development of the translated Malay version of the PASS-Home consisted of two stages. Stage one involved the exclusion of the items that were not culturally relevant to the Malaysian culture. Stage two involved the translation process. The five steps of the cross-cultural adaptation process were followed: a) initial forward version; b) a summary of recommendations by the expert panels; c) the back-translation; d) modifications of the translated Malay version of PASS and a summary of problems found during the pre-testing, and e) the final version of the PASS Malay Version (M-PASS). Results: A total of five items from the PASS-Home were omitted in the Malay version (M-PASS) and another five items that were considered as suitable in Malaysian context were added in the M-PASS. The Content Validation Index (CVI) showed perfect agreement with an average of I-CVI was reported at 0.99 and S-CVI/universal agreement (S-CVI/UA) was at 0.93. Test-retest reliabilty showed that the M-PASS were highly reliable reported of its three main constructs of Independence (0.706), Safety (0.906) and Adequacy (0.950). Conclusion: M-PASS showed strong evidence as a valid and reliable assessment in evaluating the functional level of older people who live independently in community. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/JSKM-2021-1902-14

Lean production system: compatible with Malaysian culture?

Theoretical basis An instructor could link the case to lean production principles and Kurt Lewin’s change management model, key reading materials on these theories are, namely, Lewin, K (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science; equilibrium and social change. Human Relations 1(1): 5–41 Stewart, J. (2012). The Toyota Kaizen continuum: a practical guide to implementing lean. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Wickramasinghe, V. and Wickramasinghe, G. L. D. (2020). Effects of human resource management practices, lean production practices and lean duration on performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(11), 1467–1512. Research methodology This case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source included three face to face meetings with Mr CK in University Putra Malaysia (two meetings) and WSAE factory (Rawang, Malaysia – one meeting), respectively. Interviewed three workers at Rawang factory. The secondary source was taken from the company website and company reports. Case overview/synopsis Dr Wan, the Chief Executive Officer of WSA Engineering Sdn Bhd (WSAE) accepted the invitation from Small Medium Industries Development Corporation to participate in a Malaysian-Japanese Industry Cooperation program that focused on Lean Production System (LPS). Dr Wan was worried about Malaysia’s culture incompatible with Japanese-originated LPS. The case shares how the organization and behavioral change took place, for LPS buy-in. Successes and challenges WSAE faced in the 10-year journey of implementing LPS were elaborated. Complexity academic level This case was written for use in an operations management course, on the topic of lean production. It can also be used as a training material targeting the operation managers of a manufacturing company aiming to implement lean production or any change management process.

Malaysian and Indonesian Batik: The Best Practices

Malaysian artisans continue to produce crafts and visual art based on a well-tried formula: an inherited framework determined by tradition. However, new ideas and expressions are constantly being developed—with the only real limit being the imagination of the artist/craftsman. Batik sits uniquely in Indonesian culture as it has been declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as its cultural heritage and has been awarded ‘Best Practice’ in its education and production of batik (Kepres, 2009). Indonesia also celebrates its National Batik Day on October 2nd every year. The word batik in Malaysia generally describes the process of decorating cloth using the block printing (cap) or hand-drawn (canting) techniques, or a combination of both. The method of dyeing and coloring varies with the use of materials of various textures, such as cotton, silk, rayon and organza. It may also be identified by the range of traditional designs and motifs used. Batik has become a symbol of national pride and a form of attire for all races. Batik is ingrained in Malaysian culture. Indonesia is aggressive in its efforts in promoting batik as a national identity. The love for batik is instilled through batik-related subjects offered at primary and secondary school levels. In Malaysia, education about batik is introduced at the secondary level.
 Keywords: Malaysian and Indonesian batik, best practices

Visitors’ Behavioral Patterns and the Interactive Models at the Penang House of Music, Malaysia

As a world-class tourist destination, Penang or "The Pearl of Orient" is a very widely known state in Malaysia and abroad, where there are various notable attractions available in this state such as dazzling beaches, heritage landmarks, delightful street food, and several other. Nonetheless, there are several Malaysians who do not realize that there is a considerable number of interactive museums in the state of Penang. The interactive museums in Penang also provide top-notch and first-class collections and facilities that could lure local visitors and tourists from all over the world. Besides the city-state of Kuala Lumpur and Malacca which is becoming the center of attraction for tourists, Penang is another state that receives lots of tourists from numerous parts of the world. Through observation, tourists visit Malaysia, not only for their interest in Malaysian culture, heritage as well as foods but tourists from different parts of the world nowadays are heading towards museums for, they realize that museums offer many things they could learn from. In discussing museums, Penang offers museums of many kinds. The Penang House of Music, as an example, is Penang's most well-known interactive museum which features an unparalleled variety of interactive models. This interactive museum is one of the well-received museums in Penang by both local visitors and tourists. The interactive models introduced at the Penang House of Music are among the finest in Penang, which is discussed in this article. As one of the World Heritage Sites, the city of Georgetown, the capital of Penang, is believed to consist of the greatest number of interactive museums in Malaysia, which have the potential to expand aggressively. Other than discussing models of interactive museums, this article also analyzes the behavioral pattern of the visitors at the Penang House of Music, as these topics are linked to each other. This is because the models at the interactive museums influence the behavioral pattern of visitors in terms of attendance at the museums regardless of age, educational background plus the purpose of visit. The central issue in this paper will however emphasize more on the interactive models to relate to the museum’s effort in attracting more returners.

Attachment Styles and Marital Quality Between Spouses

The research was aimed to study the relationship between attachment styles and marital quality between spouses. A total number of 52 spouses representing teachers from Sekolah Menengah Agama Daeratul Ma'arifil Wataniah 1 (SMA DMW 1), in Peninsular Malaysia's northwest coast, participated in this study. There were two sets of questionnaires used in this study: Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) and Marital Adjustment Test (MAT). The results showed that there was a significant relationship between attachment styles and spouses' styles. However, there is no relationship between marital satisfaction among spouses, and there is also no relationship between attachment styles and marital satisfaction among spouses. Future research is suggested to enhance the research by moving beyond self-report instruments to develop alternative methods of assessment as some of the questions should be more specifically suitable in Malaysian culture.

Postpartum depression symptoms in survey-based research: a structural equation analysis

BackgroundSince the last decade, postpartum depression (PPD) has been recognized as a significant public health problem, and several factors have been linked to PPD. Mothers at risk are rarely undetected and underdiagnosed. Our study aims to determine the factors leading to symptoms of depression using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. In this research, we introduced a new framework for postpartum depression modeling for women.MethodsWe structured the model of this research to take into consideration the Malaysian culture in particular. A total of 387 postpartum women have completed the questionnaire. The symptoms of postpartum depression were examined using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and they act as a dependent variable in this research model.ResultsFour hundred fifty mothers were invited to participate in this research. 86% of the total distributed questionnaire received feedback. The majority of 79.6% of respondents were having depression symptoms. The highest coefficients of factor loading analysis obtained in every latent variable indicator were income (β = 0.77), screen time (β = 0.83), chips (β = 0.85), and anxiety (β = 0.88). Lifestyle, unhealthy food, and BMI variables were directly affected by the dependent variable. Based on the output, respondents with a high level of depression symptoms tended to consume more unhealthy food and had a high level of body mass indexes (BMI). The highest significant impact on depression level among postpartum women was unhealthy food consumption. Based on our model, the findings indicated that 76% of the variances stemmed from a variety of factors: socio-demographics, lifestyle, healthy food, unhealthy food, and BMI. The strength of the exogenous and endogenous variables in this research framework is strong.ConclusionThe prevalence of postpartum women with depression symptoms in this study is considerably high. It is, therefore, imperative that postpartum women seek medical help to prevent postpartum depressive symptoms from worsening.

Zakaria Ali’s Principle as a Method of Analysis in Uncovering the Elements of Malaysian Culture, Based on Chuah Thean Teng Batik Painting

Zakaria Ali’s Principle as a Method of Analysis in Uncovering the Elements of Malaysian Culture, Based on Chuah Thean Teng Batik Painting

The Civilisational and Cultural Heritage of Iran and the Malay World: A Cultural Discourse

The event was hosted and organised by IAIS Malaysia in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Malaysia and Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur. The public talk is part of the French Talks series aimed at creating a space for dialogue and a bridge between French and Malaysian cultures. The event featured Abdennour Bidar, French philosopher and author of L'Islam sans soumission (Islam without Submission), and IAIS Deputy CEO, Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil, as the moderator. The event brought together a healthy crowd of 150 attendees, which included local activists, NGO workers, and representatives from the French community in Malaysia.

A FACTOR ANALYSIS OF MALAYSIAN YOUTH LIFESTYLE DOMAIN

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to validate the 15 items that were newly developed to measure youth lifestyle within the context of Malaysian society. It is indeed essential to examine the relevancy of the items from the scope of the Malaysian culture since most of the tools in measuring lifestyle originated from outside the context of Malaysian society. An exploratory factor analysis was applied in order to generate simpler and more explicitly defined constructs to classify the lifestyles of youth based on Malaysian respondents. The result shows that there were only 9 items of the scale used to measure youth lifestyle in Malaysia. The 6 items that were initially used were dropped from the total items due to the lower than expected score for communalities. There were five proposed initial domains which were reduced to three domains. The justification of the new dimensions and implications of the findings are discussed.