Universities In Peninsular Malaysia Research Articles

University Land Used Potential to Generate Income

Public universities currently struggle with reduced budget allocations from the Federal Government. Therefore, universities need to diversify revenue sources to sustain operational costs. One initiative that could be taken is to effectively manage the university assets, in which land is one of the essential components. If strategically managed and developed, universities typically possess substantial land holdings that could offer significant financial benefits. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of the potential utilization of university land to generate revenue. In order to achieve this, twelve universities in Peninsular Malaysia were interviewed on behalf of their respective land management organizations. Interviews were undertaken to explore the university’s current land use practices. Thematic and quasi analysis techniques will be used in this study. As a result, this research discovered several potential university land use to generate income that categorise into residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial. Leveraging this land’s potential can assist universities in innovating land use for generating income.

THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS COVID-19 IMMUNISATION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN PUBLIC MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020. Medical students are public advocates for COVID-19 vaccination to achieve herd immunity. Our objective is to ascertain the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 immunisation among medical students in Malaysia. The online study included four public universities in Peninsular Malaysia: Universiti Putra Malaysia, International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. Data collected include sociodemographic characteristics, history of COVID-19 infection, knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 immunisation. Analytical statistics were analysed with IBM Statistical Package Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) v27.0 using Pearson chi-square or Fisher’s exact test (significant if p < 0.05). From the total of 427 respondents, 60.2% had good knowledge whereby clinical students 67.0% had a higher proportion of good knowledge as compared to preclinical students 53.5% (p = 0.004). Respondents in the age group of 21 to 24 years old (p < 0.001) and 25 to 29 years old (p = 0.016), and Indian ethnicity (p = 0.006) were more likely to have good knowledge. Respondents registered in Malaysia’s National COVID-19 vaccination program were considered as having a positive attitude (n = 264, 61.8%). A vaccination rate of 100% was observed. In conclusion, 60.2% of medical students had good knowledge, 61.8% had a positive attitude and 100% were vaccinated in these four public medical schools in Malaysia. Sociodemographic factors (age group and Indian ethnicity) have an association with only good knowledge but none with the level of attitude and practice towards COVID-19 immunisation.

Social Media and Student's Learning Outcome: A case in South-East Asia

The study investigated the effect of social media on the academic performance among Malaysian youths of the ASEAN community by referring to technology acceptance model and theory of planned behaviour. It was believed that social media had caused the decrease in education standards and poor quality graduates. This study also examined the moderating influence of attitude on social media use and academic performance. The outcome of the study could help Malaysian government to consider proper educational and social policy decisions for better governance. A survey was conducted using proportionate stratified random sampling from three universities in Peninsular Malaysia. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression. It was discovered that the use of social media as a source of information for studies had a significant effect on the youths? academic performance in Malaysia. Therefore, the government and the management at universities should ensure that social media are mostly used for academic purposes by restricting the use of social media in the universities. It was suggested that the university may block other unimportant links and encourage students to use social media for academic issues such as assignments involving online journals. The scope of inquiry was limited to the Faculty of Business in the universities. Further studies need to look into social media usage by youths in secondary schools.

Gender differences in Learning Arabic Language Proficiency via M-learning among Malaysia University Students

The integration of multimedia would enable teachers to take maximum advantage of technology to educate non-native students regarding Arabic language proficiency. Multimedia teaching has many benefits compared to the conventional teaching model, where we differentiate by incorporating multimedia which makes Arabic classes more energetic, vibrant and interesting. However, the significant impact of multimedia learning could be different toward gender as their interest and preference could be differ. Therefore, this study aims to investigate gender differences in learning Arabic language proficiency via M-learning among Malaysia university students. This study is a pre-test and post-test quasi experimental study which comprises of 84 males and 189 females in treatment group; and 197 students in control groups. All of the participants are lower beginner Arabic language learners from four universities in peninsular Malaysia which were selected through stratified random sampling technique. The findings revealed that male learners received substantially greater adjusted average scores on the performance test versus females using the same courses. Noticeable correlations between M-learning modes and gender on achievement have been established. In regards, the concepts of M-Learning must be taken into account when developing online learning syllabuses in order to facilitate Arabic language learning. The findings of this study will help lecturers to improve their teaching practices in this era of technology advancement and provide a consideration on gender differences of the preference towards mobile learning practice.

Sustainable Design & Product and Health & Safety Awareness among Public University Students

In this article, the focus is on understanding the awareness of sustainable design & product and health & safety among engineering and architectural students at university levels as these young graduates are representative of the workforce. This survey was conducted at five public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. On average, the majority of respondents provided positive responses (more than 80%) on the needs of sustainable design & product and health & safety aspects in their workplaces. These figures bode well for such an ambitious country to be on par with developed countries. It is also noteworthy to highlight that a significant portion who are not comfortable with investing with sustainable features. Keywords: Sustainable Design & Products; Health and Safety (H&S) eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bsby e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI3.2578

Financial problems associated with food insecurity among public university students in Peninsular Malaysia

Introduction: Food is a necessity for students. Yet, students’ food expenditure is anticipated to be restrained by their financial status. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence of food insecurity and its determinants among university students attending public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Multistage random sampling was used to select respondents from public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 427 undergraduate students completed a selfadministered questionnaire at four randomly selected universities (Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Pahang and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia). The questionnaire consisted of information concerning demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, food security status, eating behaviour, financial literacy, and financial problem among university students. Frequency, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyse the variables. Results: Mean age of the respondents was 21.6 years, and 60.9% were found to be food insecure. Gender (χ2=5.415), origin (χ2=3.871), number of siblings (χ2=4.521), financial problem (χ2=42.364), and regular breakfast intake (χ2=5.654) were associated with food security status (p<0.05). Male respondents had 1.5 times (AOR=1.547, 95% CI: 1.006-2.380) the risk of having low food security status. Those with higher financial problems (AOR=3.575, 95% CI: 2.332-5.481) were 3.5 times more likely to be food insecure. Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity among public university students in Peninsular Malaysia was significantly high. Thus, intervention studies should focus on students with financial problems. Moreover, establishing a better system for an on campus food pantry or food bank is needed to counter the high prevalence of food insecurity among university students.

Factors Affecting the Adoption of Social Media as a Business Platform: A Study among Student Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

Social media has been identified as a platform for student entrepreneurs to sell products and services, and to interact and connect with customers. However, the factors contributing to the adoption of social media as a platform among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia have not been established. This article aims to identify factors affecting the adoption of social media as a business platform among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia. This study employed a cross-sectional design and quantitative data was collected from 300 selected student entrepreneurs listed in the ‘entrepreneurship centres’ in all public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings suggest that performance expectancy, perceived trust, perceived enjoyment and perceived risk have a significant positive effect on the adoption of social media. It is noted that there is a significant positive moderating effect of social influence between the relationship of facilitating conditions and the adoption of social media. Student entrepreneurs adopt social media as a business platform if they believe it improves their performance. Risk and trust are the most important factors influencing the adoption of social media as a business platform. Based on the findings, government agencies should promote social media as a business platform by instilling trust in the system with the hope that it will positively affect students’ entrepreneurial activities using social media as a business platform.

THE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY OF MALAYSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: WHAT MATTERS MOST?

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the organisational quality management initiatives (OQMI) and organisational culture (OC) on the sustainability of Malaysian higher education institutions (SMHEI). The study utilised 263 top administrators’ completed questionnaire survey from universities in Peninsular Malaysia. The statistical techniques employed in this study were descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and a full-fledged structural equation modelling to address the research questions and hypotheses testing. The findings revealed that long-term strategic planning initiatives (LSPI) required a thorough revision; communication and decision-making, and organisational climate of Malaysian higher education institutions (MHEI) persisted as challenges in improving the SMHEI. It was also revealed that the implementation of balanced scorecard could enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of MHEI. This study provides a basis for future studies, particularly in the Peninsular Malaysia context. Theoretically, the study also found that not only leadership perspectives required further investigation but also the financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth perspectives in the administration for SMHEI.

Social Media and Student's Learning Outcome: A case in South-East Asia

The study investigated the effect of social media on the academic performance among Malaysian youths of the ASEAN community by referring to technology acceptance model and theory of planned behaviour. It was believed that social media had caused the decrease in education standards and poor quality graduates. This study also examined the moderating influence of attitude on social media use and academic performance. The outcome of the study could help Malaysian government to consider proper educational and social policy decisions for better governance. A survey was conducted using proportionate stratified random sampling from three universities in Peninsular Malaysia. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression. It was discovered that the use of social media as a source of information for studies had a significant effect on the youths? academic performance in Malaysia. Therefore, the government and the management at universities should ensure that social media are mostly used for academic purposes by restricting the use of social media in the universities. It was suggested that the university may block other unimportant links and encourage students to use social media for academic issues such as assignments involving online journals. The scope of inquiry was limited to the Faculty of Business in the universities. Further studies need to look into social media usage by youths in secondary schools.

Destination selection for education tourism

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to empirically examine the critical factors that are influencing international students’ perception in the selection of a destination for education tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis research seeks to develop a comprehensive framework embedded with service quality, destination image and spirituality behavior. The data were collected by administering a self-administered questionnaire to a sample of 220 respondents who were studying at the universities in Peninsular Malaysia. The constructs and items used in the questionnaire were adapted from the literature review. This research applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe outcome of this research indicated that there is a substantial relationship between service quality and the choice of a destination for education tourism. This research also explored that destination brand image significantly relates to the selection of a destination for education, tourism when the destination loyalty variable plays a strong mediation role. Interestingly, the direct relationship between spirituality behavior and selection of destination was not significant. On the other hand, a significant relationship was discovered between spirituality behavior and choice of destination when the tourists’ intention plays as a mediating function.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the limitation is in the scope of this study, as only five constructs were examined. Future research may include other types of variables in exploring the antecedents of destination selection for education tourism. Second, the sample size was only 220 and respondents were restricted to only a few universities. Future research should be done on a bigger sample size and on more diverse sample.Practical implicationsManagers of the respective higher learning institutions need to focus on tourists’ satisfaction by providing a memorable experience. International students who have satisfactory experience with the respective higher learning institutions will spread a positive word of mouth about the destinations to other prospective foreign students. Today, tourists have a strong urge to see the spiritual side of their liveliness. Policymakers need to offer services with the comportment of the spiritual settings in their respective educational environment to extend the spiritual experience toward international students.Social implicationsThere is a need for more research on how to build a comprehensive model for selection of a destination in educational tourism. The results of this empirical research are of particular significance to policymakers, as it better informs them as to how best to use the antecedents in designing the destination choice for education tourism to establish it as more practical regardless of the diverse spiritual beliefs.Originality/valueThis research is one of the initial attempts on part of the researchers in Malaysian education tourism context where spirituality has been taken into consideration.

Presence and Perceived Learning in Different Higher Education Blended Learning Environments

Blended learning as “third generation” of distance learning has the potential to offer multimethod instruction through the blend, to leverage the strengths of current online and traditional instructions. Therefore, higher education institutions having recognized the fact that blended learning is beneficial, adopted this alternative approach as a new educational delivery method. The study determined the difference in perceived learning among three different blended learning environments in Malaysian higher education institutions. The data were collected from three public universities in Peninsular Malaysia and the respondents were undergraduate students from these universities. The result showed that the students' presence in classroom meetings contributes to their learning. The results also indicate that high levels of perceived learning were reported by undergraduate student in the blended learning environment face-to-face meeting rather than online sessions

The Role of Egoistic Motives for Malaysian College Students’ Involvement in Volunteering Activities

Egoistic motives play an important role for the involvement of college students in volunteering activities. This study extends the prior research to the Malaysian context and aims to emphasize on descriptive analysis of egoistic motives. A quantitative cross sectional survey research method was used to collect data. A self-administered questionnaire comprised of a demographic and an adaptation of Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI) was administered to samples from four public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. They were proportionately and randomly selected in the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. In a sample of 310, the results of the study revealed that egoistic motives in terms of career needs, self-protection and social needs were from high to very high level. The results also showed that the need to reduce the feeling of loneliness had recorded the highest mean of items. Besides, the results found that majority of the respondents acknowledged that egoistic motives were important for their involvement in volunteering activities. Meanwhile, 96 per cent of them acknowledged that the most important reason for their involvement in volunteering activities was to protect them from loneliness. The implications for theory and volunteers’ managerial practices are discussed and put forward.

Examining the Effect of Extracurricular Activities on Academic Achievements among the Public University Students in Malaysia

The objective of this study is to examine how physical, educational, and social extracurricular activities affect academic achievements of the participating students in Peninsular Malaysia. A cross-sectional design and quantitative method is applied, and complete data is collected from 150 students from three public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings of this study indicate that there is no significant positive association between participation in extracurricular activities and student’s academic achievements. These alarming findings suggest that, besides emphasizing on promoting extracurricular activities to improve students’ knowledge and understanding, both universities and policy makers should be more aware of designing effective extracurricular activities and should establish a standard framework for continuous assessments of the outcome of these activities.

Understanding the Personality Traits of Medical Students Using the Five Factor Model

Performance of both medical students and doctors is influenced by certain personality characteristics. It is therefore important to choose students with the right personality besides excellent performance academically for medical schools. The main objective of this study was therefore to ascertain the personality of students studying medicine based on gender and year of study. Participants for this study were 1029 medical students in seven universities in Peninsular Malaysia. They were selected by stratified random sampling. NEO personality Inventory-Revised was used to measure personality. Results showed that the medical students differ significantly in openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness based on gender. Female students scored higher on conscientiousness than male students. Apart from that the fifth year students scored highest on conscientiousness and lowest on neuroticism compared to those in the lower year of study. The implication of this study indicated that places in medical study program should be given to students with the right personality besides having excellent academic results.