savoy093

The web log is an exceptionally valuable tool for the teaching of second language writing, particularly written communication skills (Johnson, 2004; Wu, 2005). More and more international educators have applied this easy-to-use technology to classroom instruction and language learning (Campbell, 2003; Johnson, 2004). However, what is largely unknown is Malaysian students’ reaction to writing web logs in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the perception of writing web logs among Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) HM115 diploma students who took the BEL311 English course in their third semester based on the three Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) variables. Specifically, the study sought to identify whether the two TAM determinants, Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU), affected the students’ behavioural intention (BI) to use web logs for specific writing tasks. This study employed Davis’s TAM (1989) and its questi...

Teaching elementary Mandarin to non-native speakers in UiTM is a demanding job. This is because the students have no basics in Mandarin and lecturers have a fairly short span of time to complete the syllabus in one semester. Besides, Malay and English are the two major mediums of instruction used in classrooms and students like to communicate using their own mother tongue. Therefore, the students’ exposure to Mandarin speaking environment is extremely limited. Because of the problems faced by the students in learning Mandarin, this paper proposes the Grouping, Arranging, Touching Up (GAT) module incorporating ‘Word Sequence’ Diagram (WSD) in the form of graphic impression that specifically caters for teaching non-native speakers how to restructure basic Mandarin sentences. Based on the theories proposed by Liu, Shen, and Zhang, it is apparent that WSD is very supportive in teaching students how to restructure basic Mandarin sentences correctly. This is because students only need to rem...