DESCRIPTION Conference Paper presented at the International Conference on the Humanities and Scie... more DESCRIPTION Conference Paper presented at the International Conference on the Humanities and Sciences (ICHSS 2014), Kuala Lumpur City Center, 2014
Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in... more Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in Malaysia were surveyed in a preliminary research to explore the students' socio-cultural and academic adjustment in universities. The survey questionnaire requires respondents to answer a 20-item measure of difficulty they face in relation to their interaction under two dimensions: socio-cultural and academic dimensions. Pearson correlation coefficient shows a positive relationship between social integration and academic adaptation with a significant level of 0.01. The higher the ability of the students to adapt socially into the new environment, the better their capability is in making adjustment academically.
Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual's ability to spea... more Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual's ability to speak an ethnic language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group. This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in Sarawak, Borneo.
Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of ... more Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of various constructions underpinning it occurrences. This paper explores plagiarism practices and its contributing factors among the engineering undergraduates in a higher learning institution. 500 questionnaires, consisting of 50 items, were distributed to the Engineering students as respondents in this study. The investigation hinges on four dimensions which include awareness about plagiarism, knowledge on academic referencing, intent and extent in committing plagiarism and contributing factors towards plagiarism. The findings provide some sociological insights for better understanding of the problem among students in universities.
Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual’s ability to spea... more Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual’s ability to speak an ethnic language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group. This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in Sarawak, Borneo. Keywords: Borneo, Ethnic identity and language, Kayan, language use and attitudes, Language loss.
This study employs an ethnography of communication approach to capture the organizational culture... more This study employs an ethnography of communication approach to capture the organizational culture and its cultural behaviour, as the approach acknowledges the link between language use and its cultural context. The purpose of the study is to obtain a description of the communicative processes and events in a homogenous speech community on an isolated offshore oil platform. An offshore oil platform is a restricted area that requires a safety license to be onboard, where the workforce has its own identity shaped by their working condition and organizational culture. The almost 300 employees stay together on the oil platform for a twoweek duration, away from their families, forming a distinct community with the purpose to attain the organizational production goal. The researcher stayed on the oil platform for three weeks to collect data based on participant observation and interviews. The unit analysis of this study is the communicative events, as communication in a community can be categorized into different kinds of events with different behavioral norms. The findings provide a rich insight into the communicative events on an offshore oil platform, within its unique organizational culture. The communication processes and events described will give a glimpse of the organizational subcultures, which include power distance, stress management, organizational commitment, and work culture. This crossdisciplinary paper about organizational communication and teaching English as second language will conclude with significant key take-aways for pedagogical implications. The discussion on the pedagogical implications, with the underlying theoretical framework of TBLT (task-based language teaching), contributes significantly to the body of literature and to language teachers, as it is based on an authentic research findings in a restricted working area beyond the classroom.
Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of ... more Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of various constructions underpinning it occurrences. This paper explores plagiarism practices and its contributing factors among the engineering undergraduates in a higher learning institution. 500 questionnaires, consisting of 50 items, were distributed to the Engineering students as respondents in this study. The investigation hinges on four dimensions which include awareness about plagiarism, knowledge on academic referencing, intent and extent in committing plagiarism and contributing factors towards plagiarism. The findings provide some sociological insights for better understanding of the problem among students in universities.
The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia operate very small-scaled business activities suc... more The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia operate very small-scaled business activities such as food stalls, burger stalls, night market hawkers, grocery stores, constructions, rubber and oil palm small holders, other agro-based services and activities. Why are they venturing into entrepreneurshipis it for survival, out of interest or due to encouragement and assistance from the local government? And why is it that some micro-entrepreneurs are lagging behind in entrepreneurship, and what do they need to rectify so that they able to progress further? Furthermore, what are the skills that the micro entrepreneurs should developed to transform them into successful micro-enterprises and become small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)? This paper proposes 7-Step approach that can serve as bases for identification of critical entrepreneurial success factors that enable policy makers, practitioners, consultants, training managers and other agencies in developing tools to assist micro business owners in Malaysia. This paper also highlights an experience of one of the successful companies in Malaysia that has transformed from micro-enterprise to become a large organization in less than 10 years. Tel: +605 3687764 many sales presentations, but all these are either ineffective or take up way too much of our time. We thought about advertising and promotions on newspapers, TV commercials and radio jingles, but the costs are exorbitantly high and the response rates are horrendously low. We got a web designer, spent a few of thousand of Ringgits, only to get a nice flashy website with no visitors, and collecting digital dust. We've attended training, seminars, and got bombarded with all sorts of joining affiliate programs, selling membership sites and learned nothing that is useful to our traditional business, after spending thousands of Ringgits.
Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in... more Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in Malaysia were surveyed in a preliminary research to explore the students' socio-cultural and academic adjustment in universities. The survey questionnaire requires respondents to answer a 20-item measure of difficulty they face in relation to their interaction under two dimensions: socio-cultural and academic dimensions. Pearson correlation coefficient shows a positive relationship between social integration and academic adaptation with a significant level of 0.01. The higher the ability of the students to adapt socially into the new environment, the better their capability is in making adjustment academically.
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is very much driven by the specific learning needs of the tar... more English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is very much driven by the specific learning needs of the target group and if learners" needs are not taken into account, the course will be based on unsuitable or irrelevant materials. It is therefore imperative to understand the students and their reasons for learning the language and seek answers to: Why are students learning the language? Who are the students and what are the reasons for them to learn the language? Learners" motivation to learn will be affected when there is a clear disconnect between the language needs and the course materials. This paper reports on a preliminary study carried out among students at a State Skills Training Center and proposes a theoretical framework for developing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for Oil Palm Supervisors. The paper suggests that when the ESP module is specific, tailor-made according to the specific needs of learners, the learners" capacity for greater understanding and learning is enhanced.
DESCRIPTION Conference Paper presented at the International Conference on the Humanities and Scie... more DESCRIPTION Conference Paper presented at the International Conference on the Humanities and Sciences (ICHSS 2014), Kuala Lumpur City Center, 2014
Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in... more Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in Malaysia were surveyed in a preliminary research to explore the students' socio-cultural and academic adjustment in universities. The survey questionnaire requires respondents to answer a 20-item measure of difficulty they face in relation to their interaction under two dimensions: socio-cultural and academic dimensions. Pearson correlation coefficient shows a positive relationship between social integration and academic adaptation with a significant level of 0.01. The higher the ability of the students to adapt socially into the new environment, the better their capability is in making adjustment academically.
Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual's ability to spea... more Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual's ability to speak an ethnic language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group. This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in Sarawak, Borneo.
Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of ... more Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of various constructions underpinning it occurrences. This paper explores plagiarism practices and its contributing factors among the engineering undergraduates in a higher learning institution. 500 questionnaires, consisting of 50 items, were distributed to the Engineering students as respondents in this study. The investigation hinges on four dimensions which include awareness about plagiarism, knowledge on academic referencing, intent and extent in committing plagiarism and contributing factors towards plagiarism. The findings provide some sociological insights for better understanding of the problem among students in universities.
Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual’s ability to spea... more Language and ethnic identity have been intrinsically linked where an individual’s ability to speak an ethnic language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group. This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in Sarawak, Borneo. Keywords: Borneo, Ethnic identity and language, Kayan, language use and attitudes, Language loss.
This study employs an ethnography of communication approach to capture the organizational culture... more This study employs an ethnography of communication approach to capture the organizational culture and its cultural behaviour, as the approach acknowledges the link between language use and its cultural context. The purpose of the study is to obtain a description of the communicative processes and events in a homogenous speech community on an isolated offshore oil platform. An offshore oil platform is a restricted area that requires a safety license to be onboard, where the workforce has its own identity shaped by their working condition and organizational culture. The almost 300 employees stay together on the oil platform for a twoweek duration, away from their families, forming a distinct community with the purpose to attain the organizational production goal. The researcher stayed on the oil platform for three weeks to collect data based on participant observation and interviews. The unit analysis of this study is the communicative events, as communication in a community can be categorized into different kinds of events with different behavioral norms. The findings provide a rich insight into the communicative events on an offshore oil platform, within its unique organizational culture. The communication processes and events described will give a glimpse of the organizational subcultures, which include power distance, stress management, organizational commitment, and work culture. This crossdisciplinary paper about organizational communication and teaching English as second language will conclude with significant key take-aways for pedagogical implications. The discussion on the pedagogical implications, with the underlying theoretical framework of TBLT (task-based language teaching), contributes significantly to the body of literature and to language teachers, as it is based on an authentic research findings in a restricted working area beyond the classroom.
Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of ... more Plagiarism is a complex phenomenon and addressing the problem requires a thorough examination of various constructions underpinning it occurrences. This paper explores plagiarism practices and its contributing factors among the engineering undergraduates in a higher learning institution. 500 questionnaires, consisting of 50 items, were distributed to the Engineering students as respondents in this study. The investigation hinges on four dimensions which include awareness about plagiarism, knowledge on academic referencing, intent and extent in committing plagiarism and contributing factors towards plagiarism. The findings provide some sociological insights for better understanding of the problem among students in universities.
The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia operate very small-scaled business activities suc... more The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia operate very small-scaled business activities such as food stalls, burger stalls, night market hawkers, grocery stores, constructions, rubber and oil palm small holders, other agro-based services and activities. Why are they venturing into entrepreneurshipis it for survival, out of interest or due to encouragement and assistance from the local government? And why is it that some micro-entrepreneurs are lagging behind in entrepreneurship, and what do they need to rectify so that they able to progress further? Furthermore, what are the skills that the micro entrepreneurs should developed to transform them into successful micro-enterprises and become small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)? This paper proposes 7-Step approach that can serve as bases for identification of critical entrepreneurial success factors that enable policy makers, practitioners, consultants, training managers and other agencies in developing tools to assist micro business owners in Malaysia. This paper also highlights an experience of one of the successful companies in Malaysia that has transformed from micro-enterprise to become a large organization in less than 10 years. Tel: +605 3687764 many sales presentations, but all these are either ineffective or take up way too much of our time. We thought about advertising and promotions on newspapers, TV commercials and radio jingles, but the costs are exorbitantly high and the response rates are horrendously low. We got a web designer, spent a few of thousand of Ringgits, only to get a nice flashy website with no visitors, and collecting digital dust. We've attended training, seminars, and got bombarded with all sorts of joining affiliate programs, selling membership sites and learned nothing that is useful to our traditional business, after spending thousands of Ringgits.
Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in... more Eight Hundred and thirty-one international students from seven public and private universities in Malaysia were surveyed in a preliminary research to explore the students' socio-cultural and academic adjustment in universities. The survey questionnaire requires respondents to answer a 20-item measure of difficulty they face in relation to their interaction under two dimensions: socio-cultural and academic dimensions. Pearson correlation coefficient shows a positive relationship between social integration and academic adaptation with a significant level of 0.01. The higher the ability of the students to adapt socially into the new environment, the better their capability is in making adjustment academically.
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is very much driven by the specific learning needs of the tar... more English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is very much driven by the specific learning needs of the target group and if learners" needs are not taken into account, the course will be based on unsuitable or irrelevant materials. It is therefore imperative to understand the students and their reasons for learning the language and seek answers to: Why are students learning the language? Who are the students and what are the reasons for them to learn the language? Learners" motivation to learn will be affected when there is a clear disconnect between the language needs and the course materials. This paper reports on a preliminary study carried out among students at a State Skills Training Center and proposes a theoretical framework for developing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for Oil Palm Supervisors. The paper suggests that when the ESP module is specific, tailor-made according to the specific needs of learners, the learners" capacity for greater understanding and learning is enhanced.
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Papers by Roselind Wan
language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks
at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island
of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous
language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group.
This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic
language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper
focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic
language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in
Sarawak, Borneo.
Keywords: Borneo, Ethnic identity and language, Kayan, language use and attitudes, Language loss.
language is said to reflect the extent of his or her belonging to that particular ethnic group. This study looks
at the case of an indigenous community, the Kayan who live in the interior part of Sarawak, on the island
of Borneo. With over 30 different ethnic groups living in Sarawak, how one speaks the indigenous
language can be a crucial identifier to his or her ethnic identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group.
This paper highlights how the Kayan community reflects on the importance and use of their ethnic
language and how they view the language in relation to their belonging to the ethnic group. The paper
focuses on the way the older generation perceives language use amongst the young speakers of the ethnic
language and seeks to specifically provide a case study of ethnic identity, language use and attitudes in
Sarawak, Borneo.
Keywords: Borneo, Ethnic identity and language, Kayan, language use and attitudes, Language loss.