International Journal of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics

Investigating Pre-University Students’ Perceptions of Using the Among Us Video Game as an ESL Teaching Tool

Villerie Menuin — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The integration of video games into educational contexts, particularly Among Us, has gained significant attention for its potential to engage and enhance students' learning experiences. In response to the global demand for English language proficiency, educators are constantly exploring innovative methods to make language learning more engaging and enjoyable. Traditional teaching approaches often struggle to captivate students effectively. This study explores pre-university students' perceptions of using Among Us as a tool for teaching English, highlighting how their views can inform and enhance pedagogical strategies to make learning more engaging and effective. Understanding these perceptions can bridge the research gap and contribute to developing innovative teaching methods. Using a quantitative research design, this study collected data from pre-university students through a questionnaire. The findings revealed that students widely believed that Among Us positively contributed to their language proficiency and communicative competence in ESL. The game's interactive nature, requiring communication and collaboration, proved effective in fostering language skills and enhancing motivation. Furthermore, the research explored potential gender differences in students' perceptions of Among Us as an ESL teaching tool. The results indicated that gender did not significantly influence students' views on the game's effectiveness, highlighting its inclusivity. In summary, this study provides valuable insights into the potential of Among Us as a pedagogical tool for ESL. It demonstrates its positive impact on language learning and suggests that it can engage students regardless of their gender. These findings offer educators a compelling avenue to create dynamic and interactive ESL classrooms, ultimately enhancing language proficiency in an engaging and enjoyable manner.

A Figurative Analysis of Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

This paper investigates the various forms of figurative language employed in Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey and anal-
yses the context in which these literary devices are utilised. The poet Kaur received mixed reactions from critics for her concise and free-form poetry as well as its emotional impact on society. Her controversial writings explore issues on sexual assault and violence, and it was reported that Milk and Honey is one of the most banned books in the U.S. Thus, this paper aimed to highlight the significance of context in increasing the comprehension of a literature text. The data extracted in this research are based on the four sections in Milk and Honey, namely ‘the hurting’, ‘the loving’, ‘the breaking’ and ‘the healing’. A descriptive qualitative method is employed for the study where data was gathered and analysed through observation and library research. Mainly, the frameworks used in this study were developed by the Knickerbocker and Reninger theory and the Halliday theory in classifying the various figurative language in Milk and Honey. The findings show ten types of figurative language, namely metaphor, personification, irony, hyperbole, allusion, dead metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, simile and paradox used in Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey. The most utilised figurative language was a metaphor and the lowest were dead metaphors and allusion. This study offers insights for educators, which may serve as a pedagogical tool to help students gain a deeper understanding of literary works. Future researchers are suggested to discuss other works by Kaur or other rising poets, focusing on other frameworks, and examine how Kaur’s works are effective at empowering women for the benefit of potential readers.

Fluencemes in EFL Learners’ On-screen Communication

Ambalegin Ambalegin, Afriana Afriana, Nurma Dhona Handayani — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Nowadays, on-screen communication is more popular than face-to-face communication. Since people have an ad-
vanced communication facility, communication is unlimited, and people-to-people connections are made from home with computers and telephones. Through on-screen communication, people are more accessible to express themselves. Nevertheless, hesitation is always present. Fluency-enhancing strategies are present to lessen hesitations through fluencemes. Fluenceme is the disfluency in the flow of conversation. However, fluencemes are not always hesitant. Indeed, they act as strategies. This qualitative study identified the types of fluenceme while ELF learners were making on-screen communication and the functions of fluenceme in enhancing the strategy of fluency. Ten pairs of EFL fifth-semester students were taken by adapting a purposive sampling approach. The observational method was applied for data collection by watching and listening to video recordings and noting the dialogues. By applying the identity method, the utterances which show fluenceme issues were analysed by identifying and revealing them to classify their types. The finding was described descriptively. The investigation uncovered that the participants naturally presented filled pauses, discourse markers, explicit editing terms, false starts, identical repetition, modified repetition, and morphological substitution. They had relaxed conversations because there was speaker-and-hearer-only on screen. Thus, the disfluency was not a hesitancy but a strategy to cover disfluency. Hoping that future researchers may explore a wide variety of fluencemes and develop a solution to avoid the excessive fluencemes use in communication. Finally, this study may become an incentive for further research to describe profound insight of fluenceme as a wealth of linguistic knowledge.

Jargons in Immunisation Brochures and Its Influence on Students’ Vaccination Intention

Nisa Nur Arisyia Mawardi, Janudin Sardi, Nur Husna Serip Mohamad, Nadia Anuar — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

This qualitative study identifies the in the Ministry of Health’s National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme bro-
chure and explores the influence of the jargons on university students’ vaccination intentions. Through content analysis, key jargon terms were identified and categorised based on Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics, specifically the ideational metafunction. Following this, semi-structured interviews with three university students revealed varying levels of comprehension regarding technical terms and their influence on vaccination decisions. Findings also indicate that while the brochure conveys essential scientific information, its complex language may hinder understanding, emphasising the need for clearer communication to foster vaccine acceptance. This study also highlights the importance of accessible health messaging in promoting public health initiatives.

‘Break the Silence’: A Tool in Enhancing English Presentation Skills among Second Language Learners

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Proficiency in delivering oral presentations is one of the most crucial skills students are expected to develop throughout their educational journey. However, previous research has shown that oral presentation tasks are typically difficult for second language learners to complete. Some of the many reasons for this difficulty experienced by learners during oral presentations were forgetting what to say, and not being confident talking in public. Hence, ‘Break the Silence’ is an innovation tool developed to assist students in structuring their oral presentation, specifically in informative speech. It offers a distinct advantage through presentation phrases tailored to specific topics useful for structuring students’ thoughts in oral presentation. This study aims to i) explore students’ perceptions regarding the usability of ‘Break the Silence’ as a learning tool; and ii) investigate students’ perceptions on the influence of ‘Break the Silence’ to enhance their oral presentation. 12 students from Universiti Teknologi MARA were chosen to try the ‘Break the Silence’ tool and share their experiences from using it. Findings revealed that students demonstrated a positive outlook on the usage of ‘Break the Silence’ as a learning tool. With its interactive features, the tool is easy to be used and navigation is not an issue for students. The study also discovered that the tool has managed to assist students in structuring their presentation and boost their confidence in speaking. It is envisioned that the ‘Break the Silence’ will continue to provide support to students in delivering an effective oral presentation.

Exploring Gen Z’s Career Decision-Making: A Case Study of Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The rise of new forms of employment has significantly contributed to the growth of the gig economy, where workers, often freelancers, engage in brief, temporary tasks or agreements independently or with multiple employers. This case study aims to explore Higher Education Institution (HEI) students' perceptions of social media influencing a career choice within the gig economy using a qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 participants from three Malaysian HEIs and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed a complex landscape of opinions, highlighting the allure and challenges of this career path. Key themes identified from the thematic analysis include career viability, social perception, sustainability, excitement factors, advantages, and disadvantages. While the potential for fame and financial reward is acknowledged, concerns about job security and online harassment are also prominent. This duality underscores the need for a balanced and strategic approach to pursuing a career in social media influencing.