Papers by Assoc Prof Dr. Madhubala Bava Harji
Bava Harji Madhubala,, 2019
The use of mobile devices for language learning, within Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL),... more The use of mobile devices for language learning, within Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), has been found to motivate children to read digital print. However, parents need to be convinced of the benefits of this new technology-assisted learning method within a multilingual learning context. A case study was conducted to propose a MALL framework in which teachers and parents created a shared meaningful learning environment to develop young children’s emergent multilingual literacy skills, using mobile devices installed with interactive multilingual eBooks. This paper reports the findings, specifically on the parents’ attitude and motivation towards reading multilingual eBooks with their children. A group of 25 multi-ethnic families, together with their 5-year-old children participated in this study. A mixed-method explanatory research design obtained data on parent's attitude and motivation from a questionnaire, interview, and feedback form. The results show a high level of parents’ acceptance toward reading eBooks with their children. Parents attributed their positive attitude and motivation towards MALL to the use of the multimedia, multilingual, and mobile platform. The MALL framework was also found to encourage parents and other adults to scaffold the children’s multilingual skills development. However, some parents expressed a stronger preference for printed books and were concerned with health issues associated with the children’s use of eBooks. Areas for improvements and future research are also made in this paper.
Madhubala Bava Harji, 2019
Globalisation and internationalisation of education had seen significant development in Malaysia ... more Globalisation and internationalisation of education had seen significant development in Malaysia but has unfortunately lifted our focus away from our own internal education issues. The teachers with effective multicultural behaviours and attitudes display appropriate understanding and acceptance of different cultures by responding to its subtle differences and complexities. The teachers set the ground for efficient and effective multicultural training in their respective classrooms considering the diverse cultural perspectives of their students. There is a need to understand the cultural dimensions of Malaysian students mainly from the three predominant races: Malays, Chinese and Indians who co-exist and come together in a class from various cultural backgrounds. This study is based on the assumption that the three predominant races of Malaysian students may display different learning approaches based on their cultural characteristics.
Madhubala Bava Harji, 2019
Since the 60s, research on emergent literacy has presented empirical evidence for the links betwe... more Since the 60s, research on emergent literacy has presented empirical evidence for the links between storybook reading to young children, parental involvement and language development. Stories, which provide children with vast opportunities to hear new words in a meaningful context subsequently lead to the acquisition of a richer mental model of both the world and vocabulary. Albeit research findings point to the strong causal links between storybook reading, literacy and language, development and parental involvement, little effort appears to be made in Malaysian's pre-schools to capitalise on storybooks as a vehicle to literacy development and engaging the young children's first teachers as partners for a common purpose. A structured program that builds bridges between schools and homes is lacking and researched upon. In exploring this missed opportunity, the Smart Partnership in Reading in English (SPIRE) project was piloted in a private preschool. 25 young children, their parents and the class teacher were involved in the project. The mix-mode method was adopted to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Findings show improved reading vocabulary and beyond: receptive and expressive language skills, print awareness, knowledge of grammar, meta-linguistic awareness. Implication is clear; storybooks can be a springboard to develop English literacy skills, specifically reading in English skills. Young learner providers would want to capitalise on this springboard, making learning to read more meaningful and pleasant, and less structured. A serious consideration ought to be made in involving parents (first teachers) to scaffold young learners' literacy development.
Madhubala Bava Harji, 2017
Malaysia government has called for schools and parents to collaborate in nurturing the culture of... more Malaysia government has called for schools and parents to collaborate in nurturing the culture of reading among children, as there is no formalised programme for a more active involvement of parents in academic matters. Based on the positive results of school-home partnership of past studies, this study proposed a formalised partnership, i.e. the Smart Partnership in Reading in English (SPIRE) project. The six month project aimed to foster a partnership among the teacher, parents and children in an English storybook reading programme. It involved 25 multiracial five year old children, 25 parents and a class teacher. The parents, in partnership, with the teacher scaffold the children's reading development by reading storybooks to the children at home. Qualitative data gathered via interviews, teacher journals and home visits showed the children largely benefited from the teacher and parents collaboration. The outcome of the study was the formation of two levels of partnerships, firstly, the formation of a teacher-parent partnership, where the teacher scaffolds the parents, who in turn scaffold the children's development of reading skills at home. Secondly, the family partnership, where all family members, including extended family members were involved in scaffolding the children's reading development. This partnership also positively influenced the other children and teachers beyond the participating group. Another pertinent outcome was a clear link between the levels of partnership and the children's reading progress. The closer the parents worked with the teacher, the better was the children's reading progress. Similar partnership can also leave conventional splits in EFL context in the past and genuine sharing of responsibilities for EFL literacy development in the future.
This paper aims to examine students' perception on learning the concept of probability using mobi... more This paper aims to examine students' perception on learning the concept of probability using mobile phones. The project implemented a browser based mobile application prototype designed for pre university students to learn and practice basic concept of probability. This interactive mobile platform, ProbMobile, was utilized as supplement to the normal face-to-face class sections. The prototype was developed on Moodle environment with an addition of Mobile Learning Engine (MLE) as a plug-in of the Moodle platform. The prototype was explored by 141 students of a media based faculty at Multimedia University in Malaysia. Students worked through probability contents and lessons, attempted quizzes and filled up questionnaires. Data were collected through questionnaires. The results show that students generally agreed that they were able to learn probability on mobile phones. ProbMobile system enhanced their understanding on the concept of probability. They like more on the quiz feature as they could get immediate feedback while attempting quizzes but they were frustrated more on the speed of the Internet. However, some students (about 30-40%) were not the strong adopter as they were not sure and disagreed whether ProbMobile helps in their studies. Future research will look into this aspect by detailing which aspect needs to be improved for making browser based application easy to use or perhaps to propose application based mobile content for students to download.
The ProbMobile Learning Framework proposed in this study highlights the components of mobile lear... more The ProbMobile Learning Framework proposed in this study highlights the components of mobile learning resources, interactive questions, and group learning by utilizing mobile contents and mobile devices. This framework was tested in two Pre-U classes. A total of 176 participated in this study. The first study involved a class of 35 Pre-U Information Technology students who took part in a case study utilizing a standalone flashlite courseware. A second study involved 141 Pre-U Media students using a browser-based mobile website for learning. A mix-method approach was used to gather data through focus group interviews and questionnaire survey. The results of the studies shed some light on the feasibility of implementing a mobile learning framework for Probability lessons in Pre-U classes. Many of the students have positive reaction, such as active participation in class, increased classroom interaction, increased independent learning and increased engagement in classroom toward mobile learning activities. They favoured the interactive quiz for getting immediate feedback while attempting the quizzes. However, these studies also found that some students were not strong adopters as expected. Admittedly there is room for improvement, such as on the design of contents and delivery of ProbMobile through mobile application.
This paper aims to examine students' perception on learning the concept of probability using mobi... more This paper aims to examine students' perception on learning the concept of probability using mobile phones. The project implemented a browser based mobile application prototype designed for pre university students to learn and practice basic concept of probability. This interactive mobile platform, ProbMobile, was utilized as supplement to the normal face-to-face class sections. The prototype was developed on Moodle environment with an addition of Mobile Learning Engine (MLE) as a plug-in of the Moodle platform. The prototype was explored by 141 students of a media based faculty at Multimedia University in Malaysia. Students worked through probability contents and lessons, attempted quizzes and filled up questionnaires. Data were collected through questionnaires. The results show that students generally agreed that they were able to learn probability on mobile phones. ProbMobile system enhanced their understanding on the concept of probability. They like more on the quiz feature as they could get immediate feedback while attempting quizzes but they were frustrated more on the speed of the Internet. However, some students (about 30-40%) were not the strong adopter as they were not sure and disagreed whether ProbMobile helps in their studies. Future research will look into this aspect by detailing which aspect needs to be improved for making browser based application easy to use or perhaps to propose application based mobile content for students to download.
The ProbMobile Learning Framework proposed in this study highlights the components of mobile lear... more The ProbMobile Learning Framework proposed in this study highlights the components of mobile learning resources, interactive questions, and group learning by utilizing mobile contents and mobile devices. This framework was tested in two Pre-U classes. A total of 176 participated in this study. The first study involved a class of 35 Pre-U Information Technology students who took part in a case study utilizing a standalone flashlite courseware. A second study involved 141 Pre-U Media students using a browser-based mobile website for learning. A mix-method approach was used to gather data through focus group interviews and questionnaire survey. The results of the studies shed some light on the feasibility of implementing a mobile learning framework for Probability lessons in Pre-U classes. Many of the students have positive reaction, such as active participation in class, increased classroom interaction, increased independent learning and increased engagement in classroom toward mobile learning activities. They favoured the interactive quiz for getting immediate feedback while attempting the quizzes. However, these studies also found that some students were not strong adopters as expected. Admittedly there is room for improvement, such as on the design of contents and delivery of ProbMobile through mobile application.
IBIMA Business Review Journal, 2010
Most students see Mathematics as one of the most challenging and stressful subjects, which if giv... more Most students see Mathematics as one of the most challenging and stressful subjects, which if given an option, would rather opt out than undertake it. With low motivation and interest levels, the thought of undertaking a course in Mathematics can be worrying for some. Consequently, teachers are faced with disinterested students, who are passive in class, which makes teaching of the subject even more challenging. At times, with non participative students, Mathematics classrooms appear 'solemn'.
Madhubala Bava Harji, 2015
This paper aims to discuss constructivism and its various features as the theoretical foundation ... more This paper aims to discuss constructivism and its various features as the theoretical foundation for integrating authentic, Internet-based materials in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses. Two pivotal themes within the educational contexts, namely constructivism and internet use, have been merged in this study through a fairly comprehensive review of the available literature on various aspects of constructivism which lend support for the use of the internet in EFL courses. Constructivism, as a prominent learning theory, is used to provide the theoretical underpinnings for the use of the internet-based materials as a practical strategy for enhancing student learning.
An important aspect of this study is a focus on minimal use of the internet to make it appropriate for learners in contexts with limited access to the internet. It aims to provide sound theoretical foundations for incorporating authentic materials from internet in reading courses. The paper begins by briefly discussing constructivism, as the supporting learning theory, and proceeds by presenting its relevant characteristics which have been frequently mentioned in the literature as the requisites for constructive learning environments. This is followed by a discussion of each of these characteristics separately in light of previous research, and how each of these features can be achieved using the Internet-based materials.
Key Words: Constructivism, Internet-based instruction, Materials development
Madhubala BavaHarji, 2014
This study examined the effects of tasks, with varying levels of complexity, i.e. simple, + compl... more This study examined the effects of tasks, with varying levels of complexity, i.e. simple, + complex and ++ complex tasks on EFL learners' oral production in a multimedia task-based language teaching environment. 57 EFL adult learners carried out a total of 12 tasks, in sets of four tasks within three different themes and different levels of complexity. During the 16 weeks of the study, the students performed three oral test tasks that were assessed in terms of accuracy, fluency and complexity, using eight different measures. This study found that scaffolding learners in performing tasks with increasing levels of complexity in a multimedia task-based language teaching/learning context, results in improved second language oral production, particularly in terms of accuracy, fluency and complexity.
Harji, M. B, 2010
Second language development could be achieved through various teaching or learning processes; how... more Second language development could be achieved through various teaching or learning processes; however, employing multimedia has recently intruded the process in easing or complicating manners. This study has focused on the effectiveness of English subtitles on the EFL learner's vocabulary learning. The participants were 92 Iranian degree university students studying Translation at Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Iran. Having set two homogenized groups on the basis of their English language proficiency level, each was randomly assigned to be control and treatment groups. They were given two different instructions, one practicing instructional video episodes with subtitles and the other without subtitles. Their vocabulary learning was tested by a Content Specific Test (CST). The mean scores of the two groups were compared through a t-test. The findings illustrated that participants viewing the videos with subtitles could obtain a significantly higher mean score of the CST vocabulary tests than that of the ones who viewed the videos without subtitles. The findings of this research can get educators well informed of the effectiveness of subtitles on EFL learners' better vocabulary learning.
—This paper describes the design of a mobile application, termed Multilingual Mobile Storybook Re... more —This paper describes the design of a mobile application, termed Multilingual Mobile Storybook Reader (MMSR), which is aimed at developing early multilingual literacy skills in a mobile assisted language learning (MALL) learning environment. The MMSR forms a hub in the MALL model, with adults scaffolding preschoolers' early multilingual literacy development in a shared meaningful interactive multilingual storybook reading environment. The model will be tested and evaluated through a multilingual reading programme that links school and homes; with a shared purpose of developing children's early multilingual literacy skills. Index Terms—Early Multilingual Literacy, scaffolding, storybook, mobile assisted language learning, zone of proximal development.
Vocabulary is a fundamental requirement of language acquisition, and its competence enables indep... more Vocabulary is a fundamental requirement of language acquisition, and its competence enables independent reading and effective language acquisition. Effective language use requires adequate level of vocabulary knowledge; therefore, efforts must be made to identify students' vocabulary base for greater efficiency and competency in the language. Students with limited vocabulary size may fail to comprehend the contents of the reading materials and their learning may be impaired. This study had aimed to address this concern and sets out to examine the vocabulary knowledge, i.e. in terms of vocabulary level and size of undergraduates at a private university in Malaysia, where English is the medium of instruction. 120 first year undergraduates from three academic programs, who participated in this study, sat for the Nation and Laufer's (1999), Version A of Productive Vocabulary Levels Test, which is recommended and used for diagnostic purposes. The findings show that almost none of the students have acquired the vocabulary required at UWL, and most of them managed to acquire only a 2000 word level at Level A. At UWL, a larger proportion fell on the lower scale, implicating that their vocabulary knowledge is insufficient to cope with the reading text and possibly with the studies at the university.
Madhubala Harji, 2016
Realising the clear dichotomy between schools and homes, the Malaysia government has now turned i... more Realising the clear dichotomy between schools and homes, the Malaysia government has now turned its attention to stakeholders and called for an increase involvement of parents, who are critical in transforming the education system. However, a clear line of demarcation continues to exist between the two prime educators of young children. Schools have yet to fully embrace the concept of active parental involvement, particularly in academic matters and have yet to design formalised programmes that provide avenues for active parental involvement. The six month Smart Partnership in Reading in English (SPIRE) formalised programme, which created a platform for non-native parents to play a more active role in developing early literacy skills in young children, particularly, reading skills in English language, was explored as an option. 25 non-native five year old children, 25 parents and the class teacher were involved in the programme. A rich ESL literacy environment was created both at school and homes by making a wide range of English storybooks and multimedia materials available for the children to be taken home. The parent-teacher partnership scaffold the children's reading development. The teacher reads storybooks in school and the parents at home. Qualitative data gathered via interviews, home visits, meetings and informal conference provided evidence for parents' positive attitudes towards reading English storybooks and towards being involved in their child's reading development, a positive link between levels of parental involvement and reading development, and the plausibility of involving non-native parents through a formalised reading programme. The SPIRE programme explored in the Malaysian context can also be adopted in non English speaking countries for similar purposes.
Madhubala BavaHarji , 2014
This paper presents a feasible framework for building bridges between schools and homes to develo... more This paper presents a feasible framework for building bridges between schools and homes to develop five year olds ESL literacy skills, using storybooks as a springboard. A reading program, i.e. Smart Partnership in Reading in English (SPIRE) was designed in response to the government's aspiration to raise literacy rates to 100% by 2020 and the Minister of Education's call for both parents and teachers to play a more active role for reading to be developed as part of the Malaysian culture. Evidence of the positive effects of storybook reading abounds in the literature and various successful reading programs that bridges schools and home to develop L1 literacy have been carried out, particularly in the UK and USA. However, a similar approach appears to be not adopted in Malaysia. Hence, the SPIRE project was conceptualised to make schools more " permeable " and to move L2 literacy from the classroom into the L2 naturalistic context at homes. 25 multiracial children, their parents and the class teacher participated in this project. Storybooks and other multimedia materials were frequently and repeatedly read/listened to in school, and were taken home for parents to scaffold their children's ESL literacy development at home. The mixed method approach, using numerous instruments was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. The study found that the children's progress corresponded to the storybook reading experiences at home. The children, whose parents displayed higher levels of involvement made faster progress compared to the children whose parents were less involved. Consequently, 16 children made substantial improvements and were independent readers at the end of the six months project.
Concerned with intellectual theft, we decided to examine intellectual theft among undergraduates ... more Concerned with intellectual theft, we decided to examine intellectual theft among undergraduates at a higher education institution. The aim of this study was to compare the act and frequency of plagiarism, particularly between programmes, gender, year of study and academic performance. This study adopted the quantitative approach, using a questionnaire to gather the students' background information and the general practice of intellectual theft. It was administered to 120 students. For the purpose of this study, we categorised the programmes into Technical programme (TP) and Non-Technical programme (NTP). This study found that the act of plagarising was prevalent in both categories of the programmes, however, more prevalent among the technical programme students than the non-technical programme students. We also found that the act of intellectual theft was more evident among the males than female, junior than seniors and average academic achievers than high achievers. A comparison between programmes found significant differences in the act of plagiarism among gender, particularly among the female NTP students, among the Year 3 students and among the high achievers. No significant difference was found in relation to the frequency of plagiarism between programmes and gender, but among the students who sometimes plagiarise by level of study and by academic achievements.
This experimental design study examined the effects of viewing captioned instructional videos on ... more This experimental design study examined the effects of viewing captioned instructional videos on EFL learners' content comprehension, vocabulary acquisition and language proficiency. It also examined the participants' perception of viewing the captioned instructional videos. The 92 EFL students in two classes, who were undertaking the Tape and Video Interpretation course, participated in this study. The randomly assigned experimental class viewed 30 episodes of captioned Connect with English and the control class viewed the same episodes without captions. Adopting the quantitative approach, a Michigan English Test, Content-Specific Tests and a questionnaire were administered to examine the participants' content comprehension, vocabulary acquisition and language proficiency development as well as the experimental group's perception towards viewing captioned instructional videos. Although, both groups recorded gains, the findings were in favor of the use of captioned instructional videos. The results showed that the effects of viewing captioned instructional videos are greater on vocabulary acquisition and language proficiency development than on content comprehension. The participants' perceptions of the use of captioned instructional video were consistent with the results. They felt that it enhanced their language learning, but did not affect their comprehension of the movie and that captions were not a form of distraction. Pedagogical implications for EFL instructions, especially where multimedia technology tools may be limited is that, captioned instructional videos can be deemed as a promising media to enhance language learning.
Fuel and Energy Abstracts, 2011
Although a plethora of research evidence highlights positive and significant outcomes of the inco... more Although a plethora of research evidence highlights positive and significant outcomes of the incorporation of the Graphing Calculator (GC) in mathematics education, its use in the teaching and learning process appears to be limited. The obvious need to revisit the teaching and learning of Probability has resulted in this study, i.e. to incorporate GC in the teaching and learning of Probability, specifically on the issue of attitudes towards learning probability. The objective is to examine the effectiveness of GC interactive learning, particularly on students' attitudes towards Probability. A total of 65 foundation students participated in this study; 32 students in the experimental group and 33 in the control group. The teaching approaches varied between the groups. While the experimental group experienced the GC approach, the control group encountered the conventional teaching approach of chalk and talk. Students' attitude towards learning probability was assessed using the Probability Attitude Inventory (PAI), was administered prior to and after the study. The results show significantly difference in the improved attitude towards Probability between the groups, particularly in terms of usefulness of Probability, interest in Probability and self-concept in Probability. This study provides evidence that learning Probability with GCs benefits students.
Proceedings of the …, Jan 1, 2003
The use of multimedia in teaching and learning presents challenges to institutions of higher lear... more The use of multimedia in teaching and learning presents challenges to institutions of higher learning. Multimedia refers to any computer-mediated software or interactive application that integrates text, color, graphical images, animation, audio sound, and fullmotion video in a single application. Multimedia learning systems consist of animation and narration, which offer a potentially venue for improving student understanding (Mayer & Moreno, 2000). Aimed to complement and supplement the teaching process and leaning materials, Multimedia University (MMU) has spearhead the initiative towards a multimedia learning environment by developing a new interactive teaching tool, i.e. the MultiMedia Learning System (MMLS).
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Papers by Assoc Prof Dr. Madhubala Bava Harji
An important aspect of this study is a focus on minimal use of the internet to make it appropriate for learners in contexts with limited access to the internet. It aims to provide sound theoretical foundations for incorporating authentic materials from internet in reading courses. The paper begins by briefly discussing constructivism, as the supporting learning theory, and proceeds by presenting its relevant characteristics which have been frequently mentioned in the literature as the requisites for constructive learning environments. This is followed by a discussion of each of these characteristics separately in light of previous research, and how each of these features can be achieved using the Internet-based materials.
Key Words: Constructivism, Internet-based instruction, Materials development
An important aspect of this study is a focus on minimal use of the internet to make it appropriate for learners in contexts with limited access to the internet. It aims to provide sound theoretical foundations for incorporating authentic materials from internet in reading courses. The paper begins by briefly discussing constructivism, as the supporting learning theory, and proceeds by presenting its relevant characteristics which have been frequently mentioned in the literature as the requisites for constructive learning environments. This is followed by a discussion of each of these characteristics separately in light of previous research, and how each of these features can be achieved using the Internet-based materials.
Key Words: Constructivism, Internet-based instruction, Materials development