Malaysian Undergraduate Students Research Articles

Academic procrastination and self-efficacy among a group of dental undergraduate students in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND:Undergraduate dental students have to do multiple tasks as part of their extensive curriculum in order to achieve the proficiencies expected of them. During the course of their study, a tendency to procrastinate and question their self-efficacy is detrimental for the students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of procrastination and self-efficacy and its related factors among dental undergraduate students.SUBJECTS AND METHODS:This cross-sectional study was conducted among all (n = 361) consented dental undergraduate students of our dental school. A twenty-item Lay's Procrastination Scale for student population and a ten-item General Self-Efficacy Scale were used for the study after getting institutional ethical approval. The quantitative data were explained using descriptive statistics. Independent sample t-test and ANOVA were used to determine the association between self-efficacy, academic procrastination, and genders and academic years. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between self-efficacy and procrastination. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the related factors to academic procrastination.RESULTS:High procrastination (score ≥62) was seen among 28.5% of students. The mean self-efficacy score was 29.5. There was no significant difference between genders for procrastination scores (P = 0.835) and between academic years (P = 0.226). Males showed significantly more self-efficacy (P < 0.001), and self-efficacy did not show any significant difference (P = 0.204) between academic years though a tendency for year 5 students to have lower self-efficacy scores was observed. Academic procrastination was negatively correlated with self-efficacy (r = −0.238 and P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS:For dental undergraduates who have cognitive load as well as work associated with patients, procrastination and self-efficacy are negatively correlated.

Psychometric Properties of Graduate Employability Instrument among Malaysian Higher Education Institution Students

Sustainable Development Goals defined that quality education and youth employment are two inter-related indicators that reflect the economic growth. It is important to conduct early assessment of graduate employability to better equip them with necessary knowledge and skills to increase their chance of achieving more sustainable future in their career path. This study aims to develop and validate an instrument termed as the Graduate Employability Instrument to measure the employability attributes among the undergraduate students. This involved five stages of scale development. The technical analyses are done according to the accepted standards in psychometric testing comprising exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analyses. Total 425 Malaysian undergraduate students were involved in the study. The findings supported the main proposed model with 33 items grouped in 7 constructs; work and career resilience, human and social capital, teamwork, conscientiousness, critical thinking, academic, and leadership. This study contributed in measuring self-perceived employability of undergraduate students, which reflected the dimensions of strengths in the higher education institution studied towards preparing youth to fit in the competitive working environment. This can be used for continuous programmer improvements and intervention plans to improve the quality of education and resolve youth unemployment issues.

VARK LEARNING STYLES TOWARDS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG STUDENTS OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN SELANGOR

The objectives of this study are twofold: (a) to examine the influence of students’ learning styles on their academic performance; and (b) to identifies the preferred learning styles of students between high/low achievers, gender, and different clusters. By using VARK standard questionnaire, 433 undergraduate students from four faculties at the Private University in Selangor are used as observations for this study. The study finds that all students were unimodal learners and Kinesthetic (K) type of learning style is the learner type with the most number of students. High achievers are preferred Kinesthetic (K) learning style while Read/Write (R) learning style is more practiced by students with low achievement. Male students are more preferred Kinesthetic (K) learning style, but female students had a preference for Visual (V) learning style. Social science students are more preferred an Aural (A) as compared to the pure science students which are more preferred Read/Write (R) learning style. Further, this study confirms that Visual (V) and Kinesthetic (K) learning style preferences are positively and significantly influence students’ academic performance. This indicates that different subjects required different kinds of learning styles and instructions to optimally potentiate and benefit the students. This result is consistent with the “Meshing Hypothesis” which states that the learning outcomes could be highly achieved if learning was matched with a predominant learning style of the learner. This study gives a better representation of the current situation in the learning preferences among undergraduate students in Malaysia.

Designing an e-Portfolio Framework for Academic Writing of Second Language Learners

Technology has transformed assessment by multiplying the methods as well as resources that can be used to measure learning. One such transformation is the e-Portfolio, an innovative tool that catalyses the sharing of work and the inclusion of digital evidences. The use of e-Portfolio to assess academic writing among undergraduate students in Malaysia provides enhanced testing and learning opportunities. This study therefore aims to design an e-Portfolio framework that aligns with the current aspirations for higher education in Malaysia, paving the way to a more contextualised and sustainable form of assessment for English Language courses. To design the framework, relevant concepts, models and frameworks in the past studies, ranging from the year 2000-2018 were reviewed. Relevance was determined based on application in higher education and in the ESL context. The data were imported to NVivo 12, and content analysis was employed as the primary method of data analysis. Using an inductive approach, concepts and theories regarding assessment, academic writing, and learning were merged to form the e-Portfolio framework. Based on the analysis, the proposed e-Portfolio framework has footing in assessment theory for learning, process writing approach, and the theory of constructivism. This framework prescribes that by using the e-Portfolio as an assessment, instructor and peer feedback can be better communicated, revision can be easily done, and a wide range of authentic and multimedia resources can be included. Overall, this leads to an improved emphasis on learner involvement and progress when being assessed.

Investigating the Psychological Determinants of the Intention to Use E-Hailing Services

The transportation industry has changed rapidly in recent years. The increased availability of location data and the increasing number of applications, together with other forms of information and communication technologies (e.g., e-commerce, telecommunication), are transforming transportation supply and demand in numerous ways. The integration of the global mobile positioning system (GPS) and electronic payment along with the continuous need for flexible travel has led to the Grab e-hailing service becoming one of the most prominent on-demand private driver platforms in the Asian region. Hence, this study aimed to examine the behavioral intentions of Generation Z to use the Grab e-hailing service. The study used 330 samples collected from undergraduate students in Malaysia. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the perceived price and advantages, perceived convenience, and perceived accessibility towards the behavioral intention to use the Grab e-hailing service. This research study offers useful and essential information for stakeholders to achieve a further understanding of the psychological determinants to address the needs of special interest group of end-users.

Accounting as a Choice of Academic Programme: A Comparative Study between Malaysian and Indonesian First-year Under-graduate Accounting Students

Although rapid and tremendous economy development worldwide has sparked a massive demand for accountants, developing nations like Malaysia and Indonesia are dearth of this profession. Triggered by this mismatch and emulating variables postulated by Theory of Reasoned Action, the objectives of this study are to decipher intention to choose accounting as academic programme with regards to attitude towards accounting profession and social group influence in Malaysian and Indonesian contexts. A total of 350 Malaysian and 150 Indonesian under-graduate accounting students participated in the study. Data were analysed using Sequential Equation Modelling (SEM) of Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) version three. Results for both nations indicated that the attitude towards accounting programme and social group influence were more likely to affect student's intention to choose accounting as academic programme. The former perceived that the paramount prospect offered by the profession is good long-term income, while the later believed that it is broad job opportunities. Likewise, students for both nations were more likely motivated to comply with the expectations of family, followed by teachers, friends, counsellors and peers. These discoveries provide useful insights for policy makers, accounting professional bodies and higher education to formulate policies exposing students and social groups on the importance of incentives and prospects of the accounting profession. It is hoped that the initiatives will produce many accountants and thus expedites the countries' aspiration of becoming full-developed nations in due time.

English

Introduction: Studies among undergraduate students in Malaysia have assessed the impact of stressors on the mental health of students. Nursing students are subjected to a variety of stressors during their study. Severe and prolonged stressors may lead to psychological distress which may affect students’ academic performance, physical health and quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the rate of psychological distress and its relationship with stressors faced by the students. Methodology:A sample of 174 nursing students from International Islamic University Malaysia participated in this study. The psychological distress was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The sources of stressors were identified by giving the students a list of the most possible source of stressors which were chosen depending on previous studies, and then the severity of stressors and their relationship with psychological distress were assessed. Results: The prevalence of psychological distress was 31.6%. No significant differences between the gender and age of students in relation to psychological distress. Regarding the source of stressors, the top five stressors decided by the students were fear of failing, examination and grades, study pressure and obligations, fear of unemployment after graduation andacademic overload. Conclusion: psychological distress is present among nursing students which require early intervention. Academic and psychological factors can be considered as sources of stressors that may precipitate emotional disturbances among the nursing students.

Understanding Learners' Satisfaction in Blended Learning among Undergraduate Students in Malaysia

Blended learning has extensively been used in many higher education institutions including Malaysia. Hence, instructors and institutions need to be well-equipped with adequate knowledge and skills, so that blended learning could be implemented successfully. This paper investigates the satisfaction among learners in blended learning environment at one of the universities in Malaysia through a survey study. The participants were 317 undergraduates enrolled in a blended learning course. The questionnaire was adapted from Zhai, Gu, Liu, Liang and Chin-Chung (2017) and Naaj, Nachouki and Ankit (2012). Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the learners' demographic and their satisfaction towards blended learning. The results indicate that the learners' satisfaction towards blended learning employed at their institution was positive. This study also highlights several implications and recommendations that could anchor a greater understanding in the implementation of blended learning at higher institutions.

Indicators of L2 writing value among undergraduate students

This article reports on a study that investigated the L2 writing value of undergraduate students in Malaysia. A task-value instrument was developed through a multi-stage process, focusing on the values that students place on academic writing in English. The participants were 310 Malaysian university students aged 19 to 22. The participants completed a writing task-value questionnaire and a writing proficiency test. The results of the study indicated that Malaysian undergraduate students place high utility value on academic writing. Results also showed significant differences in attainment and intrinsic values among the three writing proficiency groups. Limitations of the study are discussed, and directions for further investigation are outlined. Implications for writing instruction and second language teaching are also discussed.

The Effects of Problem-Based Language Learning on the Listening Comprehension Skills of Malaysian Undergraduate Students

The Effects of Problem-Based Language Learning on the Listening Comprehension Skills of Malaysian Undergraduate Students

Students as ‘Customers’: unmasking course experience and satisfaction of undergraduate students at a Malaysian Research University

ABSTRACT The scarcity of Malaysian undergraduate students’ course experience and their overall satisfaction in higher education literature has prompted this study to examine the effects of five course experience quality factors on students’ overall satisfaction and gender difference perspective. Data were collected from 315 undergraduate students at a Malaysian research university using a Malay version course experience questionnaire (CEQ). This quantitative study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Findings of Henseler’s multigroup analysis and the permutation methods revealed no significant differences between male and female groups with the five course experience quality factors on students’ overall satisfaction. However, findings of the pooled dataset revealed good teaching, clear goals and standards, appropriate workload and appropriate assessment have significant effects on students’ overall satisfaction. The findings have provided empirical evidence to inform university authorities to tailor well-planned courses to meet students’ needs and their satisfaction.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) for Malaysian Undergraduate Students

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) for Malaysian Undergraduate Students

The Association of Rumination and Perfectionism to Social Anxiety

Objective: Evaluative concerns perfectionism is related to both rumination and social anxiety. However, the mediating role of rumination between two types of perfectionism—namely, evaluative concerns perfectionism and personal standards perfectionism—and social anxiety has yet to be studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of rumination on the association between perfectionism and social anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 Malaysian undergraduate students using self-report questionnaires. Results: Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that evaluative concerns perfectionism and rumination were significant positive predictors of social anxiety. Multimodel analysis revealed that rumination partially mediated the association between evaluative concerns perfectionism and social anxiety. Conclusions: The results suggested that evaluative concerns perfectionists were more likely to engage in rumination and were consequently more likely to experience social anxiety.

Connecting with culturally diverse others The case of Malaysian students’ social interactions on campus

Connecting with culturally diverse individuals require in-depth understanding and knowledge of intercultural competence. This paper focuses on the Malaysian students’ intercultural competence in the Malaysian campus to gain insights into their social interaction. Specifically, we highlight the Malaysian students’ reflection of intercultural competence based on their encounters with the international students in the Malaysian university environment. Using a qualitative approach, we collect data from in-depth interviews with the selected Malaysian undergraduate students from three universities in Northern Malaysia. The findings draw attention to two emerging themes: self-other awareness and interlingual communication strategies. The paper contributes to enhancing awareness of self and other, and language-related accommodation strategies in embracing intercultural communication.

The Effect of Human Capital on Social Entrepreneurial Orientation among Undergraduates Students in Malaysia

In an era of entrepreneurship popularity, a growing need exists for scholars and practitioners to develop beyond the mere perceptions or templates regarding the social entrepreneurial orientation among university students and instead have scientific data and scientific results about the impact of human capital on the social entrepreneurial orientation of students. The aim of this research is to study the effect of human capital on social entrepreneurial orientation among undergraduate students in Malaysia. The survey was conducted on 600 students who are social science, and business administration from six universities in Malaysia but only 514 questionnaires were obtained. The study combined exploratory factor analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop the research model. The findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for academics and organization practitioners. The results indicated that a direct positive and significant effect of human capital on social entrepreneurial orientation. It was suggested that future research might widen the scope by considering social entrepreneurship-related studies in other categories, such as women, adult or general youth. Also, invite researchers focused on the legal role to support entrepreneurship based on social effect.

Psychometric Properties of the Self-Efficacy Scale among Undergraduate Students in Malaysia.

BackgroundSelf-efficacy (SE) is a person’s belief in his or her own capability to perform and accomplish a task that could produce a favourable outcome, despite facing obstacles. This study aimed to confirm the validity and reliability of an SE scale among undergraduate students at the Health Campus of the Universiti Sains Malaysia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students using a self-administered questionnaire. After using a purposive sampling method, 562 students completed the questionnaire. Mplus 8 was employed to conduct the confirmatory factor analysis on the psychometric properties of Bandura’s 18-item SE scale with three factors (internal feeling, competing demands and situational). Then, the composite reliability was calculated for each factor.ResultsMost of the students were Malay (73.3%) females (79.0%) who exercised 2.62 times a week for an average of 43.37 min per session. The final measurement model was obtained after removing six problematic items, and the model was deemed fit based on several indices [Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.067, Standardised Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.004, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.924]. The composite reliability values of the three factors were acceptable (0.65 to 0.84).ConclusionThe simplified 12-item SE scale with three factors displayed good fit indices with regard to the data, and they were considered to be acceptable for the current sample.

A STUDY OF COMPARISON ON KNOWLEDGE AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HIV/AIDS AMONG STUDENTS IN A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

This descriptive cross-sectional study is aimed at studying the comparison on knowledge and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS among the Malaysian undergraduate students at SEGi University, Kota Damansara, Malaysia. Data was collected from a stratified random sample of 180 students using a validated questionnaire survey which included a socio-demographics section and four sub-sections of 36 questions which assessed the general knowledge, general public perceptions, the respondent’s views on the measures to prevent the disease and misconceptions related to the disease. The data were analysed by using the SPSS software, and Chi-square test was used to find the p-value for each of the questions. The average mean score assessing the knowledge of the Malaysian students in SEGi was 81.48%, where the Health Science students scored 44.31% with a standard deviation of 0.015 and the Non-Health Science students scored 37.17% with a standard deviation of 0.036. When comparing each question using the Chi-square test, most of the answers of the Health Science students and Non-Health Science students showed a significant difference where the p-value was &lt;0.05. From the results of this study it is clear that the Health Science students had better knowledge and fewer misconceptions about HIV/AIDS than the Non-Health Science students. Thus, more emphasis should be directed toward raising awareness and eliminating misconceptions among the Non-Health Science students.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATIONS FOR LEARNING CHINESE: A CASE STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

For the past few years, undoubtedly due to China’s growing economic status, there has been a significant increase in the number of students learning Chinese. As a third language in university curricula in Malaysia, it also enjoys a popularity never seen previously. From the angle of didactics, therefore, it is indeed of particular importance to carry out a multi-perspective research on motivations of Malaysian learners behind choosing Chinese as a foreign language. Based upon our experience, there is a remarkable gender difference in this field. This study examined these differences in motivation for learning Chinese amongst undergraduate students in Malaysia. A representative sample of 75 participants was selected from elementary level Chinese classes at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. Findings of the investigation, based on a questionnaire, were analyzed by the software ‘IBM SPSS Statistics’. The analysis of the data revealed that female participants look at the practicability of the language when learning Chinese, whereas male participants are motivated primarily by their social responsibility and the learning situation. An overall analysis of the variables showed that male participants received a higher mean value in ‘learning situation’ only, and female participants were rather dominant in respect of ‘individual development’, ‘social responsibility’, ‘task value’, ‘information medium’, ‘self-efficacy’ and ‘intrinsic interest’. Through awareness of these gender-driven differences, both teaching and learning efforts can be optimized in the didactics of Chinese at universities in Malaysia.

The Growing Trend of Social Entrepreneurship among Malaysian Undergraduate Students

Social entrepreneurship is viewed as having the abilities to combat socio-economic problems in which government, businesses, and non-profits may not be able to solve the problems alone. Consequently, the collaboration among these sectors are needed to create social values and development in a nation, specifically among the developing economies. Therefore, it is the best time to investigate the vital factors lead the university’s student to form social entrepreneurial intention. This study employed quantitative and cross-sectional approach. The empirical data collected from approximately 1,066 students of Malaysian public universities from multidisciplinary faculties was used. There are eight (8) relationships have been tested. Only five (5) relationships were proven significant and consistent with prior findings. It is hoped that the findings of this study will shed light on the existing literature of social entrepreneurship, specifically the social entrepreneurial intention studies from the emerging economies perspective.

Factors Contributing to the use of Conversational Silence in Academic Discourse among Malaysian Undergraduate students

Asians are said to use silence in academic situation more than other learners from Europe and America. With the increased need for students’ oral participation in the language learning classroom and other academic situations, the Asian silent behavior has been considered a problem. The aim of this study is to investigate factors that contribute to the use of conversational silence by Malaysian science and non-science undergraduate students in academic discourse. Seventeen undergraduate students from a local university in Malaysia participated in a focus group interview which required them to respond to questions related to the beliefs of their culture on the use of silence, the extent to which the participants practice silence in academic discourse, and factors that contribute to the use of conversational silence. There were two groups each from the Departments of English and Computer and Communication System who informed the research. The study was underpinned by Brown and Levinson Politeness Theory, which is tied to the concept of ‘face’ as something that is highly valuable, and must be guarded in interaction. The findings suggest that some factors such as socio-cultural upbringing, personality and intimidation by the environment play a role in the use of silence by the informants of this study. Keywords: Use of conversational silence; Academic discourse; Politeness; Malaysian undergraduate students; Focus Group Interview