Academic words are specialised vocabulary of academic texts. The knowledge of these words is vital for comprehension and communication purposes, particularly among university students, to enable them to engage with authentic complex input, such as textbooks and journal articles. Limitation of academic vocabulary in their mental lexicon may restrict students 'comprehension to grasp the academic concepts they are learning. The current study investigated Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) undergraduates' knowledge of academic words, based on Coxhead's (2000) Academic Word List (AWL). The AWL consists of academic words commonly used in academic texts across four general disciplines of studies namely arts, commerce, law, and science. The list consists of 570 word families categorised in 10 sub lists based on frequency and range. One hundred and eleven first year undergraduates with different levels of English language proficiency and from different academic disciplines at a research university in Malaysia participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which comprised a list of words derived from the AWL. Findings show that AWL words from sub lists 8 until 10 (which consist of low frequency and low utility academic words) had the highest percentage of unknown AWL words reported by students compared to the other sub lists. The distributions of unknown academic words reported were also different among students with regards to their academic disciplines and English language proficiency. Although the findings in general are rather evident, identifying unknown academic word among undergraduates from different academic programmes is significant to instructors and learners so as to enable them to focus on the right words during valuable class and independent study time.

Many studies have been done on language learning strategies employed by different type of learners and in various contexts. However, very little studies have been done on gifted students regarding language learning. Gifted students have unique characteristics and have different ways if thinking and learning. These characteristics affect how they learn a language. The main objective of the study was to investigate language learning strategies use among gifted students enrolled in special programme called PERMATApintar Education Programme. Data was gathered using a survey questionnaire with 104 gifted students. The instrument used in this study was Strategy Inventory Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire by Oxford (1990). Data was analyzed using descriptive analysis. It provides mean, percentages of responses and level of frequency. The findings revealed that gifted students use more indirect strategies particularly metacognitive strategies than direct strategies. There was variation in responses with regard to the use of language learning strategies among Malaysian gifted students. Language learning strategies have many potential benefits to educators, teachers and students. Implications and suggestions for future research are further discussed.

The educational system across the world had immensely been affected due to COVID-19 outbreak. Teaching and learning shifted from traditional way which involves face-to-face interaction and in physical classroom, to online learning either synchronously or asynchronously. Therefore, the aim of this study to examine the level of students' satisfaction towards online learning implemented at the higher education level during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted the quantitative approach through survey which was collected through online questionnaire. The study respondents were drawn from 65 undergraduate students enrolled in online leaning at Faculty of Education, The National University of Malaysia. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package Social Science 23 (SPSS 23) software and presented in the form of percentages and mean scores. The study revealed that undergraduate students were satisfied towards the use of online learning in term of learners' dimension (M = 3.31), technology characteristics (M = 3.66) and instructor characteristics (M = 3.70). The study revealed the students had positive perceptions towards online learning and accepted this as the new learning system. In fact, online learning has emerged as a new way of enhancing the learning process. The findings of the study will facilitate educational institutions and policy makers to take this online learning process to the next level in a better way.

Pandemic COVID-19 has given a significant impact and change the normal way of live whereby online learning has become the main way to teach and learn. In line with the emerging use of online learning, it is crucial to identify whether the students are ready and fit enough for online class or not. By knowing the level of readiness towards online learning, the educators can make full use of online learning in order to help the students to gain knowledge, apply the knowledge, upgrade their skills and performed well in their study. This study examines the students' perception on readiness towards the use of online learning at the university level during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student readiness of online learning can be assessed comprehensively from five main domains which consists of motivation, possession of facilities or equipment for online learning, capability to assess and use technology, usefulness of online learning and self-directed learning. For this study, the quantitative approach has been adopted and responses from 65 undergraduate students of Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were collected through online questionnaire. This research study was conducted during April -June 2021. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package Social Science 23 (SPSS 23) software and presented in the form of percentages and mean scores. Main findings obtained from this study revealed that undergraduate students were ready towards the use of online learning in term of their motivation (M = 3.77), facilities (M = 3.93) and technology capabilities (M = 3.92). Based on this finding, the study recommend that constant reminder and structured assignment should be given to the students in order to help them to be ready for self-directed learning and they able to improve relevant skills during online learning. Further study should be done to identify the relationship between students' readiness with their academic achievement in order to see the effectiveness of online learning during COVID-19 pandemic

Realizing the importance of writing strategies, there are numbers of researches conducted in figuring which of the proposed models is the most effective strategy in conducting writing tasks. In writing stages, one of the most basic and important stages is "pre-writing stage". Pre-writing stage is known for its efficiency in constructing a well-organized essay regardless of the types of essay questions. The purpose of this study is to explore students' perceptions towards pre-writing stage as a strategy in writing directed essay. Thirty students were selected from an academy known as Menara Gading which is located in Pahang, Malaysia. Based on the findings, it could be observed that students do use pre-writing stage but they are not aware that it is considered as a strategy in writing directed essay. This is because the students were not aware of the term used for the first few steps before writing was called "pre-writing stage". As far as the students' perception is concerned, it could be concluded that students have positive perception on the pre-writing strategy as the strategy helps them to be more confident in writing. In a nutshell, teachers should ensure that students are aware of the importance of "pre-writing stage" and conduct interesting pre-writing activities which are helpful, fun, time-saving and effective in order to enhance students' skills in writing.

Reading English academic texts can be a daunting task for many ESL university students. The complex features of academic texts which include academic discourse, text structure, and vocabulary may affect the reading process. An investigation of how ESL university students read English academic reading materials would provide insights on what learners do to attain comprehension of the text. This study aims to investigate the cognitive processes that take place when ESL undergraduates read English academic texts using eye movement data. Quantitative data (total fixation duration, total fixation count, fixation duration) and qualitative data (scan path) of eye movements derived from eye tracker accompanied with retrospective interview were collected from twenty ESL undergraduates from two academic programmes. The findings revealed that participants who failed to recall the texts had longer fixation duration and resulted in more in words regressions compared to participants who recalled and explained the texts accurately. Vocabulary used in academic texts was found to be one of the factors that affect the comprehension of the texts. The findings of the study suggest that specialised instructions that emphasise academic reading skills should be implemented at the early level of tertiary education.

The application of technology in education has become a significant option for a more efficient and interactive approach, particularly in language teaching. However, few studies have investigated the use of technology in the teaching of writing in English language classrooms, especially in the Malaysian context. The present study investigates the teaching of writing practices and technology tools employed by English as a second language teachers when teaching writing skills. Using Technology Acceptance Model as the underpinning theory, this study also examines the effectiveness of the use of technology in the teaching of writing by collecting data from forty secondary school English teachers in Malaysia using a set of questionnaires. The findings indicated that technology is an important tool to improve students’ writing skills, assist teachers as a teaching aid and promote student engagement in the classroom. However, the lack of technical support hinders some teachers from using technology because it takes a lot of time which disrupts the teaching and learning process. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that technology plays an important role in helping teachers to improve students’ writing skills. Significantly, the findings of this study provide evidence to improve the application of technology in language teaching and learning.

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