Young Malaysians Research Articles

Interview with Muhammad Affan Othman on Small Changes

Interview with Muhammad Affan Othman on Small Changes

Being English Teachers in Malaysian Islamic Schools: Identity Narratives from a Five Year Life Journeyy

Malaysia’s national school system is a reflection of the diversity of Malaysians. Instead of a single unitary system, the formal school system in Malaysia consists of national schools for all young Malaysians, national type schools (for Mandarin and Tamil speaking students) and also national religious schools (or sekolah kebangsaan agama) that focus on Islamic education for the Muslim majority group. From informal Islamic schools (or sekolah pondok) of the past, today’s national religious schools continue to play a critical role in educating young Malaysians. Nevertheless, these schools are facing difficult challenges to remain relevant in a rapidly developing society. One of these difficulties relates to English language teaching. In national religious schools where Islamic education and Arabic language are given priority, teaching English as a core subject becomes a real challenge; some students deliberately resist learning English as it is a ‘Western’ language and some teachers view English teachers as the ‘Other’ within these schools. This research article is based on a longitudinal effort to study these difficult challenges and to shed light on the lived experiences of English teachers in Malaysia’s national Islamic schools. Drawing on ‘thick’ narrative data from face-to-face interviews, written narrative accounts, and informal online and mobile exchanges, this article deals with the ‘stories’ of becoming and being an English teacher within Malaysian Islamic schools. The stories and co-constructed narratives unveil the feelings, experiences and aspirations of two ‘Bumiputera’ Malay-Muslim English teachers, one female and one male, in the last five years of their professional lives.

FlexZhouse: New business model for affordable housing in Malaysia

flexZhouse: New business model for affordable housing in Malaysia

Reflexively Negotiating Individuality-collectivity: Malaysian Teenagers’ Self Identity and Their Consumption of the Global Television

Like any country, Malaysia experienced the effects of globalization on its cultural identity. Satellite television became one of the conduits for the inflow of transnational culture through the various channels in Malaysia. A study had been conducted to examine how the meeting of the global cultures through the media are shaping young Malaysians’ self-identity, by looking at what forms of global identities that are being reproduced. Secondly, if local collective identities and culture are being disembedded out of its locality due to their consumption of the global television programmes. By capturing the narratives of young Malay, Chinese, Indian and Kadazandusuns from their media diaries and focus group interviews, it is found that media globalization have led to the emergence of a fluid and hybrid identities among young Malaysians. Individualised identities based on Western fashion pleasure and music are forms of individualized identity that draws young Malaysians. However, local cultural identity - religion and ethnicity are not being disembedded rather it is negotiated along with global identities and re-embedded in new contexts. Using Giddens’ notion of ‘self-reflexivity’, it is found that young Malaysians reorganized their sense of self not because of the collapsing of the local culture but because of the prevalent forces of local culture in their daily lives that is constraining their position as global-modern subjects.

Construction of discursive fandom and structural fandom through anime comics and game fan conventions in Malaysia

This article discusses the concept of fandom structures centring on Japanese popular culture fan conventions by highlighting potential factors underlying young Malaysians’ involvement in such conventions. Data were collected from participatory observations at four conventions and interviews with nine Malaysians involved in conventions for at least 5 years. These participants felt marginalized in their school lives because of their fondness for anime, yet they expressed a sense of togetherness while at conventions. For those continuously involved, the conventions were not limited to only a temporal ritual space, as may be explained with the term ‘communitas’. While experiencing a feeling of ‘communitas’ with other convention attendees as of members of their discursive fandom, they acquired a hierarchical system within other activity-based fandom. In this way, young Malaysians have not merely been subsumed into an existing system as the respective structural fandom communities enable the inclusion of democratic aspects by being open to the public through local conventions.

Temporal geospatial analysis of secondary school students’ examination performance

Malaysia's Ministry of Education has improved the organization of the data to have the geographical information system (GIS) school database. However, no further analysis is done using geospatial analysis tool. Mapping has emerged as a communication tool and becomes effective way to publish the digital and statistical data such as school performance results. The objective of this study is to analyse secondary school student performance of science and mathematics scores of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Examination result in the year 2010 to 2014 for the Kelantan's state schools with the aid of GIS software and geospatial analysis. The school performance according to school grade point average (GPA) from Grade A to Grade G were interpolated and mapped and query analysis using geospatial tools able to be done. This study will be beneficial to the education sector to analyse student performance not only in Kelantan but to the whole Malaysia and this will be a good method to publish in map towards better planning and decision making to prepare young Malaysians for the challenges of education system and performance.

Preference for Locally Grown or Imported Fruit Among the Millennial Generation in Johor, Malaysia

ABSTRACTThis study attempts to explore factors influencing the choice of locally grown or imported fruits among young Malaysians. It investigates how consumer preference, socioeconomics, and demographic profiles can affect their choice of which fruit category they pick. Five hundred respondents were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire to collect information related to their fruit preferences and choices. The millennium generation in Malaysia, especially the Malay living in Johor, were surveyed as a representation of future consumers of fruit and their subsequent choices and demand. Factor analysis was carried out on statements regarding consumer preferences on choices of local or imported fruit. Five factors were identified as the outstanding consumer preferences for fruits. Demographic profiles of the respondents such as family size, and dimension of fruit preferences, including country of origin, perceived quality, and environmental concerns, were important factors that affect consumers’ purchasing behavior in choosing locally grown or imported fruits. Logit regression indicated that family size, country of origin product quality, perceived quality, and variety of fruits will likely influence the preferences for fruit among the younger generation.

Housing Affordability among Generation Y in Malaysia A Conceptual Analysis

Over the past few years, the house prices in Malaysia have experienced a huge value development and urned into a stress pattern for those who want to own a house, especially first time home buyers. This conceptual paper will examine issues of housing affordability among young Malaysians who have intentions of buying a house. The persistent increment of house prices have influenced the capability and ability of individuals to buy houses. The issue is extremely serious among the first time home purchaser, particularly the Generation Y. Thus, this paper will discuss some of the reasons behind this issue and also examine the current government housing policies which are in place to help home buyers. This conceptual study would form atheoretical framework for further empirical work to be done by future researchers and which can be usedby policy makers and stakeholders in designing affordable housing for Generation Y in Malaysia.

Examining Sport and Physical Activity Participation, Motivations and Barriers among Young Malaysians

<p>Although a considerable amount of research has contributed to our understanding of the underlying causes of sporting behaviour, there is a paucity of research examining the motivations and barriers in sport and physical activity participation among young Malaysians. In order to address the gap in the literature, thus, this study was designed to ascertain the motivations and barriers in sport or physical activity participation among young Malaysians across the country. The study included 2894 young Malaysians ranged in age from 15 to 30 years old. A cross-sectional survey questionnaires comprised of open and close-ended items pertaining to sport participation level, participation motivations and barriers, and socio-demographic characteristics were conducted. The results show that 1465 were active, 710 were less active and 719 were inactive in sport and physical activity participation. In terms of their motives and barriers to sport and physical activity participation, the results indicate that the common motives for participation included ‘physical fitness’, ‘improve health’, ‘reduce stress’, ‘leisure time’ and ‘active lifestyle’. On the other hand, common barriers for those who do not participate in sport and physical activity included ‘no time’, ‘no interest’, ‘weather’, ‘health reasons’, and ‘lack of facilities’. Thus, the sport organization management needs to understand the motives and barriers to sport and physical activity of young Malaysians participation in order to optimize throughout their sporting endeavor and exercise adherence.</p>

Examining Young Malaysians Travel Behaviour and Expenditure Patterns in Domestic Tourism

Young travellers, though restricted by relatively low levels of disposable income, are commonly having highinterest and leisure time in exploring new destinations. It has been found that young travellers have highexpectations regarding the importance of value for money though they have their financial resources availablefor travelling. Therefore, it has raised questions on the worthiness of carrying out a study about the travelbehaviour and expenditure patterns among the young travellers in Malaysia. The study employed a surveyquestionnaire to collect data, which was adapted from standardized measures. A total of 643 respondents, whichhas been randomly selected in the Northern States of Malaysia were involved in the study. The completedquestionnaires were analysed to measure the variables of the study consisted of selected socio-demographic,travel behaviour and expenditure patterns. This study found the expenditure patterns of the young travellers varywith regards to the purchase of tourism products. In addition, the results of the study also portrayed thedifferences of selected travel-related characteristics of young travellers in relation to the purpose of travel. Thus,this study may provide information which will help tourism marketers to develop marketing tools to satisfy andfulfill those young tourists’ needs and understand certain reasons behind their spending patterns.

Readiness of Young Malaysian Fishermen to Use Global Positioning System within the Fishing Operation

Global Positioning System or GPS is an advanced tool that has been widely used in a number of industries including fisheries industry. The main attempt of the present study has much to do with GPS as it aims to identify young Malaysian fishermen readiness to use GPS within their fishing operation. The study is quantitative in nature where a developed questionnaire was used to collect the required data. A total of 240 young fishermen aged between 15 to 40 years old from four fishing areas in Malaysia were selected as the respondents. Overall, it can be concluded that young Malaysian fishermen are ready to use GPS within their fishing operation. However, their readiness can be further improved if aspects such as financial affordability, number of agencies staff, availability of workshop repairing dysfunction GPS and access to GPS are considered by the related agencies.

Hidden participation in the public sphere: Understanding Malaysian university students’ public discourse practices in cyberspace

A recent development in Malaysia was the unprecedented rise in young Malaysians’ participation in the country’s social and political affairs, facilitated almost entirely by the Internet. This phenomenon caught many by surprise considering that university students in the country had been barred through legislation from active involvement in political activities for more than 30 years. Through a survey of 514 university students in a Malaysian public university, supplemented by interview data and samples of students’ writing, this study investigated in which ways Malaysian tertiary students are participating in the public sphere through the Internet. Following Hauser’s (1999) conception of public discourse as personal, interactive, informal, and distributed voices among the citizenry, we argue for a perspective that explains how online interactions in the friendship frame among young people represent their participation in the public sphere in the context of contemporary society.

Examining the Role of the English Literature Component in the Malaysian English Curriculum

This paper examines the role and the position of the English Literature component in the current Malaysian English curriculum. A brief historical overview of the role and the position of English literature in the Malaysian curriculum will be provided. English literature has been through volatile changes throughout the years and is often seen to play a secondary role to help increase English proficiency of students. In the preliminary National Education Blueprint (2013 – 2025), once again English literature is juxtaposed as a tool to help increase English proficiency. Given the many revamps the curriculum in Malaysia has undergone, this paper argues that there is a general state of ambivalence towards the role and position of English Literature in the curriculum. This paper proposes that English Literature as a subject should be reconceptualised given its potential to help educate and prepare young Malaysians for the impact of globalization and the vibrant changes and challenges in the Malaysian political and social context. Literature should no longer be considered merely as a tool to increase English proficiency; it should serve as a bridge to educate young Malaysians about their rich literary traditions, heritage and culture.

Young Malaysian Children's Silence in a Multicultural Classroom

In a multicultural classroom, second language learners’ silence has always been related to the lack of understanding the target language or psychological or linguistics withdrawal. However, the findings of the study reported in this paper presented a different explanation. The study employed an ethnographic case study research design exploring the second language acquisition experiences of three six year old Malaysian children who were attending a mainstream multicultural classroom in the United Kingdom. Data were gathered through interviews with the children, their class teacher and their mothers.Classroom and home observations were also carried out as a means of triangulation. Findings from the teacher and parents’ interviews illuminated that the silence was due to cultural practices as well as a display of personality. Meanwhile the children's responses as well as observations of their behaviours indicated their silence as a coping mechanism in their language learning process as well as their way of expressing their identity. This implies that teachers of multicultural classrooms need to understand and be aware of the different meanings of silence and be better prepared in dealing with children from different cultural backgrounds.

Treatment of Lesch–Nyhan disease with S-adenosylmethionine: Experience with five young Malaysians, including a girl

Background: Lesch–Nyhan disease (LND) is a rare X-linked recessive neurogenetic disorder caused by deficiency of the purine salvage enzyme hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT, EC 2.4.2.8) which is responsible for recycling purine bases into purine nucleotides. Affected individuals have hyperuricemia leading to gout and urolithiasis, accompanied by a characteristic severe neurobehavioural phenotype with compulsive self-mutilation, extrapyramidal motor disturbances and cognitive impairment. Aim: For its theoretical therapeutic potential to replenish the brain purine nucleotide pool, oral supplementation with S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) was trialed in 5 Malaysian children with LND, comprising 4 related Malay children from 2 families, including an LND girl, and a Chinese Malaysian boy. Results: Dramatic reductions of self-injury and aggressive behaviour, as well as a milder reduction of dystonia, were observed in all 5 patients. Other LND neurological symptoms did not improve during SAMe therapy. Discussion: Molecular mechanisms proposed for LND neuropathology include GTP depletion in the brain leading to impaired dopamine synthesis, dysfunction of G-protein-mediated signal transduction, and defective developmental programming of dopamine neurons. The improvement of our LND patients on SAMe, particularly the hallmark self-injurious behaviour, echoed clinical progress reported with another purine nucleotide depletion disorder, Arts Syndrome, but contrasted lack of benefit with the purine disorder adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency. This first report of a trial of SAMe therapy in LND children showed remarkably encouraging results that warrant larger studies.

Intention to use internet marketing

Purpose – This is a pilot study that aims to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use internet marketing among Malaysians and South Koreans, the two fast developing Asian countries with good internet infrastructure. Many businesses in these countries have leveraged on the rapid growth of World Wide Web by investing in internet marketing due to the anticipation that its acceptance and usage rates are on the increasing trend. However, the extent of intent to use internet marketing remains a question of interest. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopts unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as the underpinning theory to assess the intention to use internet marketing. Data were collected using convenience sampling method from 150 Malaysians and 150 South Koreans through the use of self-reporting questionnaires. The questionnaire was prepared in two languages, English and Hangul to obtain accurate responses. Findings – The findings suggest that different factors affect intentions to use internet marketing between Malaysians and South Koreans. Research limitations/implications – This is a pilot study and due to its exploratory nature, future research directions are provided for an actual scientific study to be conducted. Practical implications – The results inform various stakeholders in the two countries and recommend strategies from the perspective of internet marketing's increased adoption. Originality/value – The theoretical and practical contributions of this paper are articulated to guide organizations and policy makers in terms of the strategies to increase internet marketing acceptance and use among the young Malaysians and South Koreans.

Knowledge of Colorectal Cancer Screening among Young Malaysians

The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and associated factors regarding colorectal cancer screening among university students in Malaysia. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle practice and knowledge of colorectal screening. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 students (21.3±1.4 years old). The majority of the participants were Malay with a monthly family income of less than 5,000 Ringgit Malaysia (equal to 1,700 USD) (67.0% and 76.0%, respectively). Regarding their lifestyle practices, the majority were non-smokers and had never consumed alcohol (83.7%, and 88.0%, respectively). The majority of the participants had no knowledge of digital rectal examination, colonoscopy, barium enema and fecal occult blood screening (63.3%, 60.7%, 74.0% and 62.3%, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that their age and the discipline which the students were studying significantly influenced their level of knowledge about colorectal screening. The present study results indicate that education campaigns about colorectal cancer should be promoted.

“DRAGON, KUNG FU AND JACKIE CHAN…”: STEREOTYPES ABOUT CHINA HELD BY MALAYSIAN STUDENTS

This study explored stereotypes about China held by young Malaysians. It focused on the learners of the Mandarin language in a big public university. The study not only examined the content but also assessed the favourability and salience of the language learners' stereotypes, which had not been done in the previous studies. The stereotypes about China provided by the participants were diverse; they referred to culture, politics, language, history, climate, landscape, economics, religion and the Chinese people. Overall, the stereotypes were favourable. Especially the stereotypes referring to Chinese traditional and popular culture and cultural symbols were among the most frequent and most salient images of China. An interesting finding was that transnational popular culture played an important role in the formation of the stereotypical images about China. The study concludes by highlighting some pedagogical implications based on these findings. China's ascendance in global politics and economy has heightened the interest of the mass media and the general public toward the country. Perceptions about China have fluctuated over the years and between the countries. In 2005, a BBC World Service survey of public opinion about China revealed that the respondents in most of the 22 polled countries viewed China's global presence and its economic power positively (Program on International Policy Attitude 2005). At the same time, China's growing military might was perceived negatively by 59% of the respondents. It is interesting to note that the younger respondents or those between 18 and 29 years old had more positive perceptions about the country compared to the older people.

Practice and Barriers towards Organ Donation among Young Malaysians

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine students' practice and barriers towards organ donation. Methodology: A total of 181 university students were enrolled in a cross-sectional study conducted among the Management and Science University students, Malaysia. Simple random sampling was used in this study to select the study participants. Questionnaires were distributed at the following places in the university: university plaza, university square, university cafe and to students in the classroom. The questionnaire consisted of 16 items: seven items for assessing socio- demographic characteristics among the study participants, such as course, age, gender, race, marital status and family income; four items for measuring knowledge of the students towards organ donation; and five items for measuring attitude towards organ donation. Consent forms were obtained and the objectives of the survey were explained. Data were analysed using SPSS version 13 and t-tests. Results: A total of 181 university students participated in this study. The majority of them were males (74%), younger than 22 years of age, single (94.5%), Malays (74.6%) and with income equal or less than 3000 Ringgit Malaysia. The barriers towards organ donation were lack of knowledge (76.8%), followed by 'do not know who will get the organ' (14.4%) and the religious beliefs (8.8%). Regarding the practice, only 6.6% were registered as organ donors. With respect to the attitude, about 50.3% of participants were interested to get registered as donors in the future. Age and race were significant factors influencing the practice of university students towards organ donation. Conclusion: The barriers of participants showed lack of knowledge of organ donation.

PERCEPTION TOWARDS BANGSA MALAYSIA AND EXPRESSIONS OF SOLIDARITY AMONG YOUNG MALAYSIAN BLOGGERS

In the process of nation-building, solidarity is a factor that depends on racial integration among its people. As racial integration is a crucial but slow process, voices of the younger generation indicating solidarity among them can seen as be a strong indicator that racial integration is at work. In the Malaysian context, unity in diversity is the focal point in moving towards solidarity in its multiethnic and multicultural landscape. As studies have shown the proliferation of blogs as means of communication among young Malaysians, the focus of this study is to investigate the language of student bloggers from different ethnic groups to glean elements of racial integration and the acceptance of the Bangsa Malaysia concept among them. A blog was set up by the researchers to foster a virtual discourse community for 13 months. A combination of discourse analysis and social presence theory was used in the analysis of data. This not only gives an insight of the language used but also their perspective of other bloggers. The study found that the language features of bloggers fostered solidarity among the various ethnic groups and exhibited positive support for the general concept of Bangsa Malaysia.