The use of standardised English proficiency tests like IELTS and TOEFL for admission and placement purposes is widely practised in academic institutions throughout the world. Similarly in Malaysia, many tertiary institutions utilise the results of a localised version of such tests called the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) as a measure of students' proficiency level, prerequisite for admission, as well as placement in various academic programmes. This paper reports on the predictive validity of MUET as a measure of undergraduates' English language proficiency and the appropriacy of the MUET cut-off bands for placement purposes. The MUET bands of 2884 undergraduates from various faculties and the grade they obtained in an English language enhancement course were analysed to answer the research questions. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between the undergraduates' MUET bands and their grades in the English language course. Chi square results also indicate that the difference between MUET band 3 undergraduates' ability to obtain good grades is significantly different compared to undergraduates with MUET bands 1 and 2. Besides providing evidence for MUET's validity as a measure of students' English language ability, the findings also recommend a need to review the cut-off MUET band for placement purposes.

The present quasi-experimental study examined the impact of pictures, via a modified version of Emily Calhoun's (1999) Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM), on the English vocabulary acquisition of Malaysian Year 1 pupils in a rural national primary school. Meara and Buxton's (1987) Yes-No Recognition Test (YNRT) was adapted and further tested for reliability to measure the recall and retention of subjects' vocabulary size. A total of 60 subjects participated in the research, comprising two intact classes; one class formed the Experimental group and the other formed the Control group. The former underwent the intervention while the latter received typical classroom instruction. Results gleaned from independent samples t-tests revealed superior vocabulary scores at the posttest and delayed posttest levels by the Experimental group, denoting greater vocabulary knowledge recall and retention that reflects the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing vocabulary acquisition among young Malaysian learners. This study and its findings are of significance to English language teachers, curriculum designers, policy makers, and scholars engaged in ESL/EFL research. It is also noteworthy that there exists a paucity with regards to in-depth research on the use of images for language learning among young learners, particularly within the Malaysian context.

This study assessed the effectiveness of using a CALL lesson (Computer Assisted Language Learning) over a conventional lesson to facilitate learning of English prepositions at Bario, Malaysia. CALL was developed by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia as support material to enhance learning of English prepositions. Both the conventional and the CALL lessons were matched with the same content except for the medium in which the lesson was being delivered. Students were provided with computers to go through the CALL lesson in a self-regulated manner; while a teacher taught the conventional lesson in a classroom. Test results indicate that students who received the conventional lesson outperformed those who went through the CALL lesson. The Relative Condition Efficiency measurement also showed that the conventional group learned more efficiently than the CALL group. The findings are interpreted from the perspective of cognitive load required in processing the presentation mode of the learning materials.

Accepted as an integral part of education, technology in teaching and learning can enhance practice not only in the traditional class but also beyond it. Schooling can now be extended to learning beyond the four enclosed walls of the classroom into the almost limitless possibility of education across time and space accessible via the domain of cyber technology. The significant contribution of technology to education has prompted educational bodies like the Malaysian Ministry of Education to prominently point out that online learning becomes the main pedagogical approach in higher learning institutions in the nation’s educational blueprint. The powerful potential of technology however, can only be realised through informed and purposeful use of it by teachers. Integrating technology in the language classroom requires that teachers not only have knowledge about the Technology but interplay between three components of knowledge – Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) which determines the essential qualities of teacher knowledge that are required when teachers employ technology in their teaching. The main study is therefore designed to measure teachers’ readiness to use technology in teaching English language in tertiary level classrooms to enhance student learning. To serve this purpose, a pilot study was carried out on 20 English language instructors to evaluate the reliability and the validity of a questionnaire that was adapted to gauge instructors’ readiness in carrying out technology-mediated classrooms at a public university in Malaysia. Correlations among items in the current study reveals lower coefficients compared to a previous study on the same instrument probably due to the smaller sample size in the current study but the correlationships are mostly positive which still suggests convergence validity. The internal consistency of the items was mostly better than two previous similar studies. Five items that seemed to be misbehaving in their respective measures were chosen based on their inter-item correlation and the item-total statistics and scrutinized via cognitive interviews with selected respondents to gain insights into the items but the results of the interviews revealed that the items are functioning as intended.

Amid a global pandemic, while schools in many parts of the world were closed to adhere to quarantine orders, schools in Japan resumed face-to-face classes after only a month of closure with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP). This study examined how speaking assessments were administered face-to-face for Grade 5 and 6 elementary school students prior to and after introducing the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and amid a global pandemic between April to October 2020. The paper also reports the challenges and strategies employed in carrying out the speaking assessments following the CEFR while adhering to the SOP. The study employed a qualitative research method that utilised semi-structured interviews to elicit information from four teachers who taught in eight schools within Niigata City, Japan. Findings suggest that prior to the implementation of CEFR, not all teachers carried out speaking assessments. However, the implementation of CEFR emphasised the need to teach speaking and carry out speaking assessments. The CEFR also served as guidance for the teachers in preparing the assessment scoring rubrics. The results also showed that the speaking assessments were implemented individually instead of in groups before the pandemic and the presence of the masks, which increased the student’s anxiety and affected their performance. However, the teachers employed various strategies to overcome the challenges by modifying the assessment tasks and utilising web conferencing technology.