Dorothy DeWitt

• PhD(IT), MEd(MatEd), BScEd (Hons)
• Professor (Associate) at University of Malaya

Purpose Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is important when different cultural speakers learn Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL). The use of virtual reality (VR) has been shown to be effective for improving ICC. Hence, this study investigates a production-based instructional strategy where students use VR to view and create VR environm...

Mathematics learning presents significant challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study delves into the difficulties faced by ASD students in a private school in learning mathematics, according to the perspectives of teachers and parents. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with three spec...

Numerous studies have delved into the application of augmented reality (AR) in chemistry education, focusing on specific topics, equipment requirements, and advantages. However, there remains a notable dearth of research examining the evolutionary characteristics of AR in this context. This study, employing bibliometric analysis on 66 articles span...

Sustainable environmental education (SEE) can develop global citizens. However, environmental education in schools does not develop environmental citizenship (EC). Virtual reality (VR) could provide authentic immersive experiences to evoke emotions for positive action for EC. A SEE module, designed to include VR experiences, was evaluated at a seco...

Technology and digital learning tools can improve learning and engagement among students. This study investigates the extent of technology use and the perception of digital literacy skills and attitudes towards technology among secondary school students in Kuala Lumpur. A survey of 30 students revealed that while most students use technology tools,...

This study aims to determine the needs of teachers at proposed schools using the freedom of learning curriculum to acquire the foundational principles of its curriculum acquisition within the learning, namely critical thinking and adaptive learning. The study's data were obtained using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including...

Inclusive education is a new educational trend and its development is being refined in countries worldwide. This study provided a systematic review of the factors that influence the teaching practices of in-service teachers in inclusive education. This study was analyzed using a PRISMA-based systematic analysis approach by searching two databases,...

In the twenty-first century one of the most significant challenges is preparing professionals to adequately communicate technical information when writing and speaking. A number of studies have been published on various aspects of technical communication (TC), but few studies in China have investigated the curriculum design for TC. In this study, e...

This study employs a one-group pretest and posttest design to assess the written and oral technical communication (TC) skills of students in vocational colleges in China. Fifty-nine 1st-year students in automotive engineering participated in a 3-week implementation of a TC module. To measure learner differences, students took oral and written tests...

Metaverse technology introduces a new dimension to education, offering continuous and sustainable learning experiences. With its immersive, multimodal interactions, the Edu-Metaverse holds promise for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. As higher education moves towards digital transformation, the exploration of Metaverse technology’s app...

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed to identify primary school teachers’ perceptions of leveraging social media-based microlearning to improve students’ English-speaking abilities. Background: The value of social media as an effective educational tool for English language learning has been recognized by educators in higher education in China. However, th...

Purpose: Technical communication (TC) is an emerging topic which has received attention in both the field of language studies and among the technical profession in the last few decades. In this article, a scientometric review of academic publications to explore the intellectual landscape and evolutionary characteristics of TC research worldwide bet...

Purpose - Gamification is an effective method to boost students’ academic achievement and engagement in second language learning. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the gamification application, Class Dojo, among Year 4 pupils who are learning Mandarin as a Second Language (MSL). It also sought to investigate how the MSL learners became...

The most significant challenge in the 21st century is to prepare professionals to communicate technical information well through writing and speaking in the professional context. Research and studies on TC started to emerge in various aspects, but there is still scarcity in studies on curriculum design of TC. This paper explored the needs of curric...

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is the ability to interact and communicate appropriately with people from different cultures. The lack of ICC among non-native speakers has resulted in misunderstandings during interactions. Although Malaysia is a multicultural country, there has not been much emphasis in developing ICC in the curriculum...

In the twenty-first century, employers require graduates to work in teams. To do this, they need to collaborate as a team on completing certain tasks. Teamwork is an important skill for building interpersonal skills for employability. According to the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint, there is a mismatch in the supply and demand of graduates, wi...

Exergames are gaining popularity among children and youths. They are physically-demanding video games that require players to perform active tasks or sport-like actions for in-game control. The experiences described by relevant parties from verbatim interviews in exergaming training programs were systematically reviewed and meta-synthesized into th...

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the potential outcomes of applying the outdoor transdisciplinary language instruction paradigm to primary school students’ cognitive and emotional improvement with smart boards as an assessment tool. Background: Traditional approaches to teaching English in primary schools do not give particu...

Cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CICU) nurses have shared the role and responsibility for ventilator-weaning to expedite decision-making in patient care. However, the actions taken are based on individual's unstructured training experience as there is no clinical practice guideline (CPG) for nurses in Malaysia. Hence, this study aims to design a...

The purpose of this research is to investigate learners’ satisfaction, needs, and challenges with emergency remote teaching such as connectivity, devices, and learning strategies in a prominent public higher education institution during the pandemic. As this study utilized a nonexperimental quantitative research design, data were gathered from 251...

A successful Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) requires continuous efforts and cooperation from stakeholders, relevant industry and learning institutions in producing more skilled workers that are relevant for current and future industry. In the era of globalisation and rapid technological development, TVET institutions should...

Even though technology is known to have a transformative effect on teaching and learning, videos are not widely used as an instructional tool in the classrooms in Malaysia. This paper focuses on using videos a cognitive stimulator and an instructional tool especially in tertiary ESL classrooms. This paper the potential of using videos for retention...

Graphic Design is used in many industries and involves both the knowledge and skills in creating artefacts. Many Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students, especially in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are attracted in pursuing studies in this field, perhaps due to the visual nature of the course. However, lear...

Entrepreneurship is important in generating economic growth and social capital. Although entrepreneurship programs have been conducted in educational institutions, there seems to be uncertainty on components of entrepreneurship required in the curriculum. In addition, there has been very few successful entrepreneurs from these programmes. Further,...

In realizing the vision “education for all”, the educational development of the Orang Asli children remains a great challenge. Although various initiatives have been implemented by the government of Malaysia, there are still high attrition rates among Orang Asli children in school. Instructional programmes and educational initiatives in schools hav...

The current study examines the public’s perception on the mitigation of COVID-19 risk and knowledge of disease symptoms among older adults in nursing homes, with the intention to address gaps in knowledge using mobile technologies. An online survey questionnaire was completed by 611 adults residing in Malaysia. The four domains, derived from factor...

Background and Purpose: Students in higher education need intellectual skills for critical thinking, problem-solving and creating new knowledge. Social interactions during collaborative learning (CL) encourage these cognitive processes. However, instructors lack the skill to develop intellectual skills using appropriate pedagogy and CL tools. Hence...

History: Theory and Method Articles

Discussion forums have the potential for enabling knowledge construction during online interactions, especially when facilitated by a skilled e-moderator. Unfortunately, most e-moderators are not provided training for facilitating discussions, and hence may only summarise information and deliver factual knowledge without encouraging elaboration or...

Poor mastery of technical communication skills has affected the employability of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates. This has arisen from the lack of communication between TVET institutions and the industry when designing a curriculum for technical communication skills development. In Malaysia, little emphasis is given...

The recent interest in the use of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) in education seems to correspond with the increased affordability, accessibility and functionality of IVR hardware and software. IVR has the potential to enhance immersion, improve spatial capabilities, promote empathy, increase motivation and possibly improve learning outcomes. Howe...

The words Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) may bring to mind Confucianism. The words may also point to those of Chinese origin. Yes, although CHC evolved from Confucianism, yet it does not mean that it is the original Confucianism. CHC has evolved. Past literature has CHC related studies done mainly in the West and documents the achievements of CHC...

In graphic design education, students are trained for the industry through practising and applying graphic design principles in various classroom and real life projects. While possessing the knowledge of these principles is important, the researcher, through her experience as a graphic design educator in Malaysia, finds that Malaysian students also...

An empirical research was done to examine and analyze the crucial domains in the organizational culture of world-ranked or premier universities in Malaysia, particularly in terms of their core values, direction, management effectiveness, innovation, customer focus, and institutional policies. The research employed a survey instrument on organizatio...

Problem-solving skills areimportant at the workplacein Culinary Arts for initiating innovative andcreative solutions. However, graduates from community colleges in Malaysia seem to haveonlyaverage level of problem-solving skills, while instructors do not seem to emphasise developing problem-solving skillswhen conducting lessons. Hence, providing mo...

Developing students’ attitude domain is as important as developing their cognitive strategies and motor skills, because attitude-related affective skills help students establish ways of inquiry, become active learners, build a sense of responsibility for their own learning, and promote lifelong learning. However, many higher education institutions...

Developing technical communication is vital to ensure employability of graduates in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. However, limited studies are available to guide its development in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. Hence, this study is aimed at proposing a framework for technical communication development for eff...

Purpose - Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is important in intercultural exchange, to address problems and conflicts which may arise due to miscommunication that results from interlocutors’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Interlocutors may have different perceptions and interpretations of communicative behaviour. However,...

The article considers the issues related to the semantic, grammatical, stylistic and technical difficulties currently present in machine translation and compares its four main approaches: Rule-based (RBMT), Corpora-based (CBMT), Neural (NMT), and Hybrid (HMT). It also examines some “open systems”, which allow the correction or augmentation of conte...

Business finance, traditionally taught in a lecturer-centered approach, underestimates the postgraduate students’ rich tacit knowledge and results in suboptimal knowledge management processes. One way to enhance these processes is to engage students via Padlet, an interactive virtual wall. Thirty-two postgraduate business finance students were aske...

Developing students' employability skills is pivotal in preparing them for future workforce. However, mismatch between graduates' employability skills and the needs of industry, has resulted in unemployment among our local graduates. The current study is motivated to review selected studies that explored employers' perspectives on relevant employab...

Prior to the implementation of the technology, assessing learners’ readiness for its using is imperative. So, the study applied Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to investigate whether Iranian EFL learners are ready to be involved in using mobile technology in English language learning process. The survey used in the study was administered to 200 EF...

Transformasi Pendidikan Teknikal & Vokasional (TVET) Malaysia membincangkan mengenai kemahiran yang diperlukan dalam TVET, teori-teori asas berkaitan kemahiran tersebut, pembangunan kurikulum yang berkaitan dengan TVET serta struktur TVET di Malaysia dan beberapa negara maju, cadangan untuk penambahbaikan TVET serta strategi yang boleh digunakan ba...

Abstrak: Globalisasi telah membawa kepada satu keperluan yang mendesak terhadap pembangunan kemahiran komunikasi antara budaya (ICC) yang berjaya dalam kalangan pelajar bahasa asing. Walau bagaimanapun, kebanyakan kursus Bahasa Mandarin sebagai Bahasa Asing yang ditawarkan di institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) di Malaysia tidak memberi penekanan terh...

Culinary Arts is an area in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) where students need to possess problem-solving skills besides having fundamental subject matter knowledge and hands-on skills required for the technical aspects of cooking. The key components for learning to solve problems are analogizing, modelling, reasoning causally,...

Developing human capital through education is very important for Malaysia. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is one of education lines that is aimed to produce skilled workers for our country. This education platform is hoped not only to develop students’ academic and technical knowledge, but also to help students acquire high...

It is important for science students to develop higher order thinking (HOT) so that they can reason like scientists in the field. In this study, a HOT instructional model for secondary school science was developed with experts. The model would focus on reflective thinking (RT) and science process skills (SPS) among Grade 7 students. The Fuzzy Delph...

Problem-solving is the highest level of learning in the cognitive domain. However, studies have shown that Malaysian students seem to lack problem-solving skills. This may be due to the lack of understanding of thinking skills and problem solving among teachers and the inability to apply appropriate teaching strategies for teaching problem solving....

Language cannot be taught outside the culture of the society. A foreign language learner needs to learn the context and the cultural elements to avoid conflicts and misunderstanding arising from differing values, beliefs, and customs. Hence, foreign language instruction needs to emphasise intercultural communicative competence and include cultural...

Sudanese students seem to lack proficiency in writing English. In addition, teachers continue to use traditional, teacher-centered methods in teaching English as a second language (ESL). The flipped learning (FL) approach where video lectures are assigned as online homework before class, followed by learning activities during class, might be able t...

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) can support online learning by enabling interactions for social and cognitive processes. Teachers may not have sufficient knowledge to support such interactions, so support needs to be designed into learning modules for this purpose. This study investigates to what extent an online module for teaching nutrition i...

Basic Life Support (BLS) can increase a victim’s chances of survival when administered promptly and correctly. Cardiac and respiratory arrests occur more frequently when the victim is at home far from clinical support. Hence, prompt action by family members trained in BLS can save the victim’s life. In this study, the requirements for the design of...

Engagement theory posits that students in the classroom can be fully engaged and motivated in learning when a technology is being used for them to find information and knowledge to solve a problem, or to complete an assignment, and by so doing they can understand better the meanings and relationships of concepts involved. Today in developed and dev...

The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of readiness of students towards Flipped Learning at Community Colleges. There has not been much research on students' readiness for Flipped Learning. This research employed a survey approach using the Flipped Learning Readiness questionnaire which was administered to 35 Culinary Arts students at a...

A quasi-experimental research design was used to investigate the effectiveness of synthetic phonics in the development of early reading skills among struggling young English as a second language (ESL) readers in a rural school. The pretest and posttest, adapted from the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) for Preschool Students and Gra...

The practice of homeschooling still receives contrasting responses on its relevancy and effectiveness. The current study is aimed to map the trends in the selected eleven studies from various educational journals. The analysis focuses on mapping the trends on: a) research settings, b) target sample, c) method or instrument used, d) common focus or...

Culinary Arts is one area in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) where students need to possess real-world problem-solving skills besides fundamental subject matter knowledge, techniques and hands-on skills for cooking in order to survive in the industry. Problem solving skill is highly sought after by employers but past studies have...

Deaf students have communication and learning problems which is amplified when they attend higher education institutions which do not have facilities which cater to their needs. Padlet is a web application for interactions, may be used for communication among deaf students. This exploratory implementation study for the design of a learning module f...

The current study is aimed at investigating the potential of video game in teaching Malay language for foreign students in a Public Higher Education Institution (PHEI).The main objective is to consolidate the opinions of experts on types of video games, predicted year of appearance, and suitability of types of video games. Fuzzy delphi (FDM) is mai...

Teaching the advantages and disadvantages of ICT can be boring and unchallenging to students. Hence, a lesson was designed for interactivity and collaboration using Padlet. Padlet is an online tool and has been used for maintaining interactions and communication for collaborative learning. In this study, Padlet was used in a synchronous online deba...

The PTechLS module combines learning styles with the use of technology to increase students’ learning experience, especially in learning abstract concepts. The PTechLS module prototype was developed by Norlidah Alias (2010). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of the Physics PTechLS module in a rural seconda...

Deaf students have communication and learning problems which is amplified when they attend higher education institutions which do not have facilities which cater to their needs. Padlet is a web application for interactions, may be used for communication among deaf students. This exploratory implementation study for the design of a learning module f...

Wikis have been shown to be beneficial for collaborative learning. The knowledge management processes required during collaborative writing develops higher level cognitive skills. These processes are important for sustaining collaboration and innovation in the online learning environment. However, there does not seem to be many studies in the use o...

Collaborative problem-solving in science instruction allows learners to build their knowledge and understanding through interaction, using the language of science. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools facilitate collaboration and may provide the opportunity for interaction when using the language of science in learning. There seems to be lit...

In this study, the PTEchLS WebQuest on Gas Laws was evaluated. It was designed for Form Four students with active learning styles. The focus of the evaluation was on the usability and effectiveness of the PTechLS WebQuest. Data were collected from interviews and students' achievement scores. Two teachers and eight students volunteered to participat...

In the digital age when there is unlimited information on the internet, knowledge management (KM) is important for management and generation of new knowledge. However, KM is not taught formally in learning institutions. There are few studies incorporating KM processes in learning, and even less with ICT tools. There is a need to determine suitable...

Collaborative learning has been shown to be effective for the construction of knowledge. In science instruction, collaboration and knowledge-construction needs to be done in the language of science. A collaborative mLearning (CmL) science module employed uses three computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools: wiki, discussion forum and text messagi...

Collaborative learning has been shown to be effective for the construction of knowledge. In science instruction, collaboration and knowledge-construction needs to be done in the language of science. A collaborative mLearning (CmL) science module employed uses three computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools: wiki, discussion forum and text messagi...

Malaysia has embarked Malaysia has embarked on several ICT programmes since 1996. These programmes have contributed to developing the ICT skills of the digital natives in the institutions of higher learning. This study was aimed at determining the technology applications which digital natives in the first year undergraduate studies in a Malaysian p...

This paper provides content analysis of studies in the field of Wikis that were published in six major journals: TOJET, Educational Technology & Society, Educational Technology Research &Development, Computers & Education, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology and British Journal of Educational Technology. These articles were cross analyze...

There is a shift in school improvement paradigm over the years due to the advancement of technology. School improvement efforts are more focused on capacity building, improved teaching and learning processes, high level student learning outcomes, and creating a community of learning amidst a digitized learning environment. This has transformed the...

Youtube, as a Web 2.0 tool, can be utilized for knowledge generation through observation and social interactions. However studies related to the use of Youtube in education have focused mainly on academic achievement, with very few studies are conducted in the instruction of the performing arts. In addition, there are very few studies done in the p...

The study was aimed at designing and developing a web-based teaching courseware, Webquest, for secondary school Physics module by employing the Isman Instructional Design Model and to test the effectiveness of the module. The paper draws attention to the design principles of the Isman Instructional Design Model. The prototype module was tested amon...

This study explored the preference for learning styles of ICT students in university of Malaya. Two separate questionnaires were used in the study in order to list down the students’ learning styles preferences and their technology preferences to explore the technology preferences for different learning style categories. Through a analysis of the d...

Collaborative learning has been shown to be effective for the construction of knowledge. In science instruction, collaboration and knowledge-construction needs to be done in the language of science. A collaborative mLearning (CmL) science module employed uses three computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools: wiki, discussion forum and text messagi...

Communication skills are required for collaborative discussions among scientists in constructing science knowledge. A collaborative mLearning (CmL) module with online communication tools (discussion forum, wiki, and text messaging) can enable authentic discussions for learning of science outside the classroom. This study seeks to determine whether...

Textbook in Malaysia is not limited to serve only as a source for curricular document but as the main source of materials to inculcate societal values, philosophy and national identity in realising national aspirations. Thus the purpose of the research is to produce a Textbook Content Transformation Model in Malaysia as a guide for quality enhancem...

Communication skills are required for collaborative discussions among scientists in constructing science knowledge. A collaborative mLearning (CmL) module with online communication tools (discussion forum, wiki, and text messaging) can enable authentic discussions for learning of science outside the classroom. This study seeks to determine whether...

In Malaysian schools the learning of science does not reflect the nature of science. An instructional module which could address this problem is needed. A developmental research approach was used to design a collaborative mLearning module for a topic in science. Data from the analysis phase indicated that discussion forums and text messaging with m...