National Defence University Of Malaysia Research Articles

Consociational politics as a mediating effect in strengthening ethnic unity among youth in Malaysian public universities

This study analyses the role of consociational politics as a mediating effect in enhancing ethnic unity among youth in Malaysia, with reference to the university students, through educational policy, economic system and religious practice. The research focuses on ethnicity due to its persistent influence on election outcomes over the previous two decades. Besides, a significant number of voters choose to base their political choices on the party that resonate with their ethnic interests. For this study, it involved a survey of 373 students from two Malaysian public universities, namely University of Malaya and the National Defence University of Malaysia. The obtained data are subjected to descriptive analysis as well as structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. The results indicate that all three domains are significant in strengthening ethnic unity among youth, and this finding has national significance since it demonstrates the efficacy of this strategy in safeguarding Malaysia's diverse population The study's findings demonstrate that the grand coalition, as a fundamental component of consociational politics, possesses the capacity to cultivate a political alliance comprising many ethnic groupings, ultimately earning the confidence of the broader populace, particularly the younger generation. This facilitates the ascendance of a politically diverse party with individuals from various ethnic backgrounds to take over governance of the nation. Hence, the successful promotion of racial peace among the youth in Malaysia can be attributed to the implementation of a consociational strategy within the country.

Psychological Impact and Coping Style Among Students of National Defence University of Malaysia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The outbreak of COVID- 19 has caused a significant impact on the world’s population. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the level of depression, anxiety and stress among students of National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM), and to assess coping styles during this critical time. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) on May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. DASS-21 and BRIEF COPE were used as the assessment toolsfor this study. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Independent T-test and One-way ANOVA with comparisons of multiple variables using post-hoc Tukey’s test. Results: A total of 603 participants were included in the study. Respondents’ mean age was 21.06 ± 1.75. They consisted of 52.6% male, 86.9% Malays and 76.9% non-cadets. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 51.9%, 46.9% and 18.7% respectively. Female, those who are from the Language Centre and non-cadet students, showed a statistically significant higher score of depression, anxiety and stress. A high-stress score was seen in Bachelor degree students compared to Foundation students. Those with no financial sponsorship showed the highest anxiety score. The most common coping style used among the respondents was religion and the least is substance abuse. Conclusion: This study has identified the risk groups for developing psychological distress during times of crisis. Thus, there is an urgent need to address the concern on mental health and provide a structured support for them. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 22 No. 01 January’23 Page : 105-114

Soft Skills for Employability from Academics Perspectives

Critical Thinking skills sum up the proficiencies needed for employment. Critical Thinking skills especially Soft skills are identified as a job barrier in Malaysia. Employers assert that our graduates lack Soft skills, thus in 2006, the Malaysian government introduces and encourages the use of Soft skills, which include communication skills, problem-solving and thinking skills, continuous learning skills and information management skills, work in group skills, leadership skills, entrepreneurship skills, and professional ethics. This study focuses on the Soft skills for graduates’ employability through three objectives: to investigate the Soft skills needed by graduates, to determine whether graduates have the soft skills required for employment and whether these skills are being taught at university. The research methodology consists of a survey aimed at lecturers at the Language Centre, National Defence University of Malaysia, using a mixed-method approach. The online survey contains both closed and open-ended questions and is analyzed using SPSS v.25.0 and manual content analysis. Results indicate that the most desired Soft skills are Communication Skills, Problem Solving and Thinking Skills, and Teamwork Skills. Lecturers agree that graduates must be equipped with the Soft skills needed for employment and they perceive that these skills are taught at the university. The lecturers agree on the importance of Soft skills, and this is supported by the overall findings. This research suggests that higher educational institutions should teach Soft skills either through a course specifically for Soft skills or integrated into courses designed to meet employers’ needs.

The influence of education, economy and religion domains in enhancing ethnic unity among Malaysian youths

The objectives of this study are to quantitatively analyse the influence of education, economy and religious domains on enhancing ethnic unity among youth in Malaysia with reference to university students. It involved a survey of 373 students from two Malaysian public universities, namely Universiti Malaya and the National Defence University of Malaysia. The obtained data are subjected to descriptive analysis as well as structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. The results show all these three domains are significant in strengthening ethnic unity, and the findings of this study could contribute to the current efforts by the government in the areas of the educational system, economic policies, and religious tolerance so that a more effective approach could be introduced.

INFORMATION RETRIEVAL THROUGH MOODLE (LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) AND FACEBOOK (SOCIAL MEDIA) AMONGST STUDENTS OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA (NDUM

In higher education level of study, students often face difficulties in retrieving information especially academic information. In today’s modern world, it is found that there are many ways to retrieve information such as through Moodle, which is a Learning Management System and Facebook, which is a Social Media. The objectives of this study are to identify the preference between retrieving information through Moodle and Facebook, to investigate the reasons why students choose Moodle or Facebook and, to find whether there is correlation between the use of Moodle and Facebook in information retrieval activities. This study uses a quantitative approach where a questionnaire was constructed using Google Form. The sampling used in the study is a convenient sampling which focuses on students from five faculties at the National Defence University of Malaysia, in which questionnaires are distributed to 150 respondents. The data from the questionnaire are analysed using descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, inferential analysis, and thematic analysis. Descriptive analysis is conducted to collect the frequency, percentage, and mean values of data. The reliability analysis is conducted to six questions on Moodle and six questions on Facebook, inferential analysis is conducted to the Dependent Variable and Independent Variables of study questions, and lastly, thematic analysis is conducted to analyse the answers to the open-ended questions. The finding of the study exposed that most students preferred to use the Moodle in retrieving academic information where they claimed, it is a better platform to retrieve information as it has the features which are suitable and seen by the students as a more valid and reliable source of receiving academic information. Nevertheless, there is a fair percentage of students who preferred Facebook over Moodle. This implies that the disparity of students’ preferences in retrieving information should be taken into consideration by educationists when preparing teaching and learning.

Student-centred approach in medical education: A review of the teaching-learning activities and the perceptions of educators on the students engagement and performance at the faculty of medicine and defence health, national defence university of Malaysia

The knowledge and the beliefs on medical education influence the teaching-learning approach used by medical educators and their perception of students' ability to be active learners. This paper highlights the student-centred teaching methods used by the medical educators of the Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia for undergraduate medical student teaching, their medical education approach in teaching and their perception on students' performance.

Creation of Ship Navigation Data Using Simulation Technology in Training Module

All ships need navigation data to ensure they stay on track during course-changing maneuvers. Navigation data are usually obtained by shipyards while conducting turning trials at sea. The aim of this research was to generate navigation data for warships, such as the Leander Class Frigate (LCF). The research was conducted using the Ship Bridge Simulator (SBS) simulation technology at the Maritime Centre of the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). Turning trials were conducted at various speeds, rudder angels, and heading changes. Distance to new course, advance and transfer have been tabulated for LCF navigation data. Navigation experts validated the data by nautical chart plotting. The data were found to be highly reliable for the training module. The research was successfully conducted and generated LCF navigation data. The navigation data collected are highly accurate and effective for the naval cadet navigation training module at the NDUM. The SBS software is highly suitable for turning trials and navigation data generation.

Study into the Development of a Light Weight Smart Life Buoy Prototype (LWSLB)

Life Buoy, also known as a life preserver, is a crucial safety tool on board any marine ships. The most common and conventional lifesaver is operated manually to save people from drowning, yet this method poses a risk for both the victim and rescuer. Hence, with the help of current technology, a smart lifebuoy has been developed, whereby the rescuer just operates the lifebuoy using remote control. Yet, the existing smart life buoy system has been found heavy and hard to be operated, especially for women, children, and other people with disabilities.This paper focuses on the development of a lightweight smart life buoy system and its characteristics. Arduino Uno R3, Arduino Nano, DC motor 775, Transmitter and Receiver kit were the main components used in the development of the lightweight smart life buoy system (LWSLB). The developed LWSLB system was tested at the National Defence University of Malaysia’ swimming pool due to Covid-19 lockdown, and data such as speed, range of remote connection and battery endurance were obtained. It has been found out that the developed LWSLB weighs just 3.5kg overall compared to Brand S which weighs 13.75kg. However, in terms of speed, Brand S proves to be faster at 4.17m/s compared to LWSLB which exhibits a speed of 1.25m/s.

Challenges of E-Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: An Experience Of Educators And Students Of Faculty Of Medicine And Defence Health (FMDH), National Defence University Of Malaysia (NDUM)

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the medical teaching paradigm worldwide. Online classes and assessments have been introduced using many teaching platforms. Medical faculties in Malaysia faced many challenges in the past two years when most clinical teachings were halted. Students were also struggling to adapt to the new online learning versus traditional classroom settings. This paper describes the experience of educators of the faculty of medicine of NDUM. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(5) 2021 p.175-177

The Determinants Of Employees’s Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is the education and understanding of how money is made, spent, and saved, as well as the skills and ability to use financial resources to make decisions. These decisions include how to generate, invest, spend, and save money. The concept can be applied to individuals and organizations. Good financial management is about long-term financial goals and to achive that, it is necessary to have an adequate knowledge in financial management. The aims of this study is to examine the extent of financial literacy among employees at all level of management in National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). The determinants that involved in this study are differences in ages, level of financial literacy, marriage status, type of job and level of education. The study employed a quantitative analysis for 150 employees of the National Defence University of Malaysia. The level of financial literacy is divided into savings, debts, investments and monthly expenses. The discoveries of the investigation demonstrates that the degree of financial literacy are connected with the level of education. Neither age nor marital status are associated with financial literacy among employees. This study contributes the body of knowledge of financial literature on financial literacy among employee and revisit the determinants of financial literacy that are useful for policy maker to develope effective approaches in providing financial knowledge among the employees or targeted group.

Preface

The International Conference on Innovation in Science Technology (ICIST 2019) is an event organized by the Politeknik Negeri Semarang in Semarang - Indonesia. ICIST’s collection of articles written by scholars and practitioners in the fields of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. This conference was organized by the Politeknik Negeri Semarang and was held at Grand Candi Hotel, Jl, Sisingamangaraja No.16, Kaliwiru, Kec. Candisari, Kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah 50232, Indonesia. Advances in Applied Research for Future Innovations, Developing Technologies, and Commercials is a theme based on the fact that over the past few years there has been an impressive increase in the use of technology being a key resource in any information system configuration. Wireless and fixed-line networks complemented by a growing range of mobile devices are having a significant impact on the way we run our lives and our business.We would like to express our gratitude to all keynote speakers and presenters from around the world who traveled to Semarang to deliver and exchange their ideas. It includes Prof. Dr. Ir. Khisbullah Hudha, M.Sc. (National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM)), Denni Kurniawan, B.Eng., M.Eng., D.Eng (University Teknologi Brunei), and Dr. Ir. Tedjo Mulyono, MT. (Politeknik Negeri Semarang). We would also like to express our highest appreciation to all those who have supported the success of this conference. To all distinguished authors, attendees, keynote speakers, sponsors, Head of Research and Community Dedication Center Polines and Director of Polines thank you very much. I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to all reviewers for their great support in reviewing all papers.List Of Committee, Conference Photograph are availble in this pdf.

STUDENTS’ ACTIVE ROLES IN ARABIC LANGUAGE DEBATE ACTIVITIES IN NDUM

Students’ interest in learning Arabic as a foreign language is an important aspect that has to be addressed by language instructors. By addressing this affective factor, they will be able to cater the needs of the students, particularly in selecting relevant activities that suit the students’ abilities and at the same time comply with the syllabus. This study explores the students' interest in learning Arabic using debates. It also intends to investigate the challenges faced and efforts made by students in the process of learning Arabic through debates. This is a single case study involving ten participants consisting of National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) students from diverse backgrounds. The participants were interviewed, with the sessions recorded and saved in MP3 audio format. The interviews were then transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The findings show that on the whole, the students have good interest in learning Arabic language through roleplay activities, but there are various challenges experienced by the students in the learning process. For example, the insufficiency of the vocabulary to express their ideas and the need to always translate it first. They also get demoralised when interacting with more fluent and proficient speakers. Despite these challenges, they demonstrated a persistent and satisfied effort as they feel like they are being challenged to be better while achieving the objective of the activity. This study provides some pedagogical recommendations in terms of prepping students with communicative function activities such as debates with several guidelines, particularly for minimising the constraints of students with basic Arabic language experience.

A REVIEW ON TECHNIQUES AND CHALLENGES IN SENTIMENT ANALYSIS OF STUDENT’S COMMENTS

Assessment of instructors by students is needed for assessing the teaching quality of a lecturer towards achieving the objectives of a course. This paper aims to examine the techniques used in sentiment analysis for assessing the effectiveness of a lecturer’s or a teacher’s teaching style in the learning process at a university or school. In addition, the effectiveness of sentiment analysis techniques in assisting the teaching evaluation process is also discussed. The challenges for assessing the quality of teaching of National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM)lecturers are also discussed in this paper. The sentiment analysis technology is capable of analysing views or opinions on a matter, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. Data from the sentiment analysis can be used by specific parties or anyone else to rectify any weakness or to improve any aspect that the user commented on. The purpose of this study is not to find the weakness of the lecturer, but rather the results of this assessment process can be useful to the management for rectifying weaknesses and for improving the teaching process.

The Level of Physical Fitness among First Year Female Students in National Defence University of Malaysia

The physical fitness among university students is a basic necessity that is equally important to the needs of education. Thus, it is important to know which level are they in physical fitness. As a student especially among female, are they fit enough to live in multi-tasking exercise in their daily life? In more systematically and accurately, the level of their physical fitness can be measured by implementing the test batteries. The objective of this study was to measure the level of physical fitness and to build the fitness norm among the first year female students at the National Defence University Malaysia (NDUM) Kuala Lumpur, based on seven test batteries. The sampling population were all the NDUM first year students. Those who passed the selection criteria had been selected as subjects who consist of 130 female students from the various demographic backgrounds. The instruments involved the seven test batteries (2.4 km running, sit-up, push up, 30-meter sprint, 10-meter zigzag, sit and reach and stand long jump) and self-administered questionnaire for demographic characteristics. Data collection has been conducted in the standard size synthetic track and gymnasium in the university. The subjects had been given a description and physical fitness manual procedures before performing all the physical exercise. The end of the study, the physical fitness level of 130 first year female students at NDUM had been determined based on the seven test batteries. The construction of fitness norms has also been successfully set up. In average, less than 30% of the subjects have an excellent physical fitness. The results of this study can be used as a reference for future scientific studies among university student in Malaysia.

Internet Addiction a Global Concern: A Cross-Sectional Appraisal amongst Imminent Medical Doctors of National Defence University of Malaysia

Background: Recent evolution in terms of technology and availability of the internet has brought several innovations that made work and access to information straightforward. Nonetheless, the danger of pathological internet addiction and its adverse consequences are frightening. Objectives: The primary goal of this research is to determine the level of internet addiction among undergraduate medical students at National Defence University, Malaysia. Methods: A structured questionnaire comprising of section A consisting of student demographic information and section B made up of Dr. Kimberly Young’s 20 items internet addiction test (IAT) in 5-point Likert’s scale. Internet addiction scores were classified based on Young’s scale. Results: The response rate obtained from this study was 89.6%. Out of the 224 respondents, only 4 (1.8%) were found to be regular internet users, 98 (43.8%) were established to be mild addicts, 110 (49.1%) were moderate addicts and finally, 12 (5.4%) were severe internet addicts. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean internet addiction score between males and females, with males having higher ratings. Conclusion: The prevalence of internet addiction among undergraduate medical students is high and needs to be controlled. As such, the use of the internet at colleges and universities may need to be regulated.

Correlation between Military Character Strengths and Leaders of Character in Software Development Process among Computer Science Students

The National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) is the sole provider of tertiary education for future military personnel. As a boutique university, NDUM emphasises on developing military character strengths among its students in all aspects of co-curricular and academic curriculum. This paper will present the relationship between Military Character Strengths (MCS) and the software development process (SDP), as part of the Final Year Project (FYP) for Computer Science students at the Faculty of Defence Science and Technology. This study has analysed the formation of an outstanding and successful NDUM student, which can be influenced by the MCS. NDUM has outlined the characteristics of its ideal graduates, known as the 'Leaders of Character' (LoC). The results showed that MCS are important attributes of LoC implementation. The results further showed that there was a correlation between MCS and LoC in software development process for Computer Science students in NDUM.

Preface

2019 International Conference on Energy, Chemical and Materials Science (ECMS 2019) was successfully held on Dec 6-8, 2019 in Malacca, Malaysia. This conference gained great supports from Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Kuala Lumpur and National Defence University of Malaysia. We were honored to have A. Prof. Mohd Arif Agam from University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia as our Conference Chair and over forty experts at home and abroad as our committee members. We were pleased to invite Prof. Rajan Jose form Universiti Malaysia Pahang, who presented us a marvelous academic report with topic of Future of Materials Research: Renewable Materials & Smart Discovery Platforms, and Prof. Mailadil Sebastian from National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology, India, who also gave a report on Materials for 5 th generation (5G) wireless communication and internet of things (IOT).The aim of this conference is to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, lecturers and practitioners in this filed all over the world to present their research achievements and development trend in the fields of energy, chemical and materials. It also provides chances for lecturers to exchange new thoughts, face-to-face communicate, and enhance business and research correlation for future collaboration with global partners. All papers submitted in the conference have been gone through rigorous review, and a volume of them with high quality has been selected to publish. We sincerely hope the achievements of this conference can make a contribution to the advance research in this scientific field.At last, we would like to express our gratitude to all staff of the conference for their diligent work, committee members for reviewing and selecting the submitted papers, all guests from all over the world for attending the conference, and all staff from IOP. We sincerely hope 2019 International Conference on Energy, Chemical and Materials Science (ECMS 2019) will become an excellent forum and give a reference for all lecturers in this filed.List of Committee member are available in this pdf.

Antibiotic Use: A Cross-Sectional Study Evaluating the Understanding, Usage and Perspectives of Medical Students and Pathfinders of a Public Defence University in Malaysia.

Background: Antimicrobial prescribing behaviors are often influenced by the local culture and prescribing appropriateness of medical doctors and other health care professionals. Globally, antimicrobial utilization practices have a profound impact on antimicrobial resistance and are a tremendous public health concern. The aim of this survey was to explore the knowledge and attitudes of medical students from the National Defence University of Malaysia regarding antimicrobial usage and antimicrobial resistance. Research design and methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of undergraduate medical students in each year group from the National Defence University of Malaysia. Students receive limited formal training on the use of antibiotics in their curriculum, and most of this learning is opportunistic whilst on clinical placement. Universal sampling was used as the study population was small. Data were collected utilizing a previously validated instrument regarding antibiotic use. Simple descriptive statistics were used to generate frequencies and percentages with SPSS V21. This research was approved by the Centre for Research and Innovation Management, National Defence University of Malaysia. Results: 206 questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 99.03%, 54% (110) male, and 46% (94) female. Out of the respondents, 65% (132) had used antibiotics in the last year. Respondents displayed a moderate level of knowledge about antibiotics. Conclusions: This study revealed that the older the student was, or when the year of study and total knowledge score was higher, the students were less likely to stop antimicrobials when they felt better or use leftover antibiotics without consulting a doctor. Therefore, the nearer the students were to graduation, the better their knowledge and skills were, and this translated into their own behaviors regarding use of antimicrobials. This finding has clear implications for curriculum design and the inclusion of formal teaching throughout the medical program on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, more research is needed on this topic, including the prescribing habits and antibiotic use of practicing doctors.

Self-medication of antibiotics: investigating practice among university students at the Malaysian National Defence University.

Background: Self-medication of drugs to alleviate symptoms is a common global behavior, helping relieve burdens on health services, but many drugs eg, antibiotics are prescription-only. Self-medication of antibiotics (SMA) is an irrational use of drugs, contributing to microbial resistance increasing health care costs and higher mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to assess SMA among university students.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among medical and non-medical students of the National Defence University of Malaysia. A validated instrument was used to gather data. Ethics approval was obtained. Random and universal sampling was adopted, and SPSS 21 was used for data analysis.Results: A total of 649 students participated in the study: 48.5% male and 51.5% female, 39.3% reported self-medicating with antibiotics. Penicillin, doxycycline, clarithromycin were the antibiotics most used with the majority reporting no adverse drug reactions. Cost savings and convenience were the principal reasons for SMA which were mainly obtained from local retail pharmacies. Despite medical students (particularly the more senior) having better knowledge of antibiotic use than non-medical students, 89% of all research participants responded that practicing SMA was a good/acceptable practice.Conclusion: SMA is common amongst Malaysian students and, despite understanding why SMA is unwise, even medical students self-medicate.

A cross-sectional study evaluating the knowledge and beliefs about, and the use of antibiotics amongst Malaysian university students

ABSTRACTBackground: The introduction of antibiotics into modern medicine has changed clinical care by saving millions of lives. However, misuse of antibiotics has led to their benefits being overshadowed by the development of antimicrobial resistance.Aims of Study: This study aimed to assess university students’ knowledge and beliefs about and their use of antibiotics.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 674 medical and non-medical students of the National Defence University of Malaysia, using universal and convenience sampling methods. The data was collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS 24, and the MANOVA test and Logistic Regression were used to explore the associated factors.Results: More than half of the respondents’ knowledge was low and their health beliefs outdated. Age, race and program were significantly associated with up-to-date knowledge and beliefs about antibiotic use, factors associated with finishing a course of antibiotics were studying medicine, personal health, and ethnicity. The significant factors associated with antibiotic self-prescribing were beliefs having been prescribed antibiotics during the last one year, and trusting the doctors who did not prescribe antibiotics.Conclusion: This study has identified a concerning low knowledge about antibiotics amongst some Malaysian university students, reflected in use of un-prescribed antibiotics and a lack of adherence to treatment. There is a need for educational interventions for students regarding antibiotic usage and resistance issues.