Investigating the Beyond-classroom English Literacy Practices of Malaysian Public and Private University Students
In Malaysia, proficiency in the English language has become a vital component of academic success, particularly in university studies, allowing students to comprehend and share ideas more effectively, whether orally or in writing. It is therefore imperative that students are exposed to the Eng...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35799/1/Adeline%20Ho%20Chin%20ft.pdf |
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| Summary: | In Malaysia, proficiency in the English language has become a vital component of academic
success, particularly in university studies, allowing students to comprehend and share ideas
more effectively, whether orally or in writing. It is therefore imperative that students are
exposed to the English language and apply it within various settings, not just in the
classroom. Studies have shown, however, that there is limited opportunity for students to
practice using English outside the classroom. This study reported that students in this modern
era are exposed to various avenues and technologies that enable them to have a greater
opportunity than ever before to make use of their English skills. Thus, this study sought to
identify the beyond-classroom activities that students participated in in order to determine
the frequency of use of English outside the classroom. Two public and two private
universities were taken as representative samples of the Malaysian university student
population. A total number of 200 undergraduates enrolled in both the public and private
universities participated in this study. This quantitative study involved tertiary students aged
between 18 and 23 from different backgrounds. A questionnaire that consisted of 4 sections,
namely demographic information, self-perceived English language proficiency, how
students use English in various activities and how students cope with using English in
different situations was distributed. The questionnaire consisted of 48 items. Data analysis
through SPSS was conducted. The study showed that Malaysian university students are
actually surrounded by opportunities where they can practice using English. Participants who
possess high English proficiency tended to use English more frequently in their beyond�classroom activities as compared to those with low proficiency. There was a direct
correlation found between better English SPM results and increased use of English in the
beyond-classroom activities. Students with low levels of English proficiency tended to
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depend more heavily on tools such as Google Translate, bilingual dictionaries, and
computer-based thesauri to help cope with the difficulties faced when using English in their
beyond-classroom activities. Students from private universities, however, tended to
communicate verbally more in English compared to their public university peers. Overall,
students from both public and private universities used English very frequently in their
beyond-classroom activities. By better understanding the frequency and the context of use,
we can identify activities that can be used to effectively foster further use of English among
university students to improve their proficiency.
Keywords: English literacy, literacy practice, literacy as social practice, Malaysian
university public and private students |
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