Sarjit Kaur

• PhD (Applied Linguistics)
• Chair at University of Science Malaysia

This chapter presents the findings of an exploratory study, which examined the integration of moral and cultural values in ELT reading materials in ESL literature classrooms. The study employed a descriptive research design involving 35 TESL teachers, and data were collected using a questionnaire, interviews, and classroom observations. The finding...

The twin forces of globalization and internationalization brought about the democratization of education at all levels including postgraduate study. In Malaysia, an initiative referred to as MyBrain15 under the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP) has been put in place to produce 60,000 postgraduate doctoral graduates by 2023. Despite t...

The main aim of this study was to examine supervisors’ perspectives of their postgraduate students’ competency in terms of research and conceptual skills. The study employed a quantitative research design which was conducted in two local public universities involving 121 postgraduate supervisors. Data for the study were collected using a questionna...

The main aim of this study was to investigate postgraduate students’ perspectives of their supervisors’ supervisory practices in terms of and ethics, personal commitments and positive climate. The study employed a descriptive research design and involved a total of 209 postgraduate students from two local public universities in Malaysia. Data were...

In order to build and empower human capital development, the Malaysian Ministry of Education devised a plan referred to as “MyBrain15”. Under this plan, Malaysia hopes to produce a total of 60,000 doctoral degree holders by 2023. However, high attrition and low completion rates among postgraduate students to date have hindered the noble aspiration....

Being able to read academic texts and think critically is a much sought after skill in today’s globalised work environments. Postgraduate students need to learn how to develop their critical literacy awareness by being able to read and discuss a wide range of texts as it is seen as a response to the social construction of one’s peers, culture, fami...

The advent of the Information Age leading to the democratisation and massification of higher education has led to institutions of higher learning (IHL hereafter) offering more flexible and diverse learning modes that allow adult learners to pursue their studies and upgrade their skills. Researchers note that while IHLs have witnessed a steady incre...

The advent of the Information Age witnessed the democratization and massification of higher education in the twenty-first century all around the globe. Despite the significant increase in postgraduate study, attrition rates have been rather high, whilst graduate completion rates continue to fall. One of the reasons cited has been students’ incompet...

The twin forces of globalisation and internationalisation witnessed the global democratisation of higher education leading to the mushrooming of institutions of higher learning alongside with the rapid increase in student enrolments at all levels including postgraduate study. Despite the rapid developments in higher education, postgraduate study ha...

Rapid technological advancements, especially in the higher education landscape, have contributed towards the popularity of digital literacy in educational contexts. In general, digital literacy encompasses the knowledge, skills and awareness of searching, evaluating and disseminating digital information for purposes of improving and facilitating on...

The internationalisation and democratisation of higher education in the twenty-first century has raised myriad issues surrounding postgraduate supervision. Research supervision which was once regarded as a ‘private space’ defining a narrow and intense relationship between an academic and a research student is today viewed as a multidimensional rela...

Purpose – This article reports on the practical application of Learning Elements advocated by the multiliteracies approach to classroom practice. Its ideas are grounded in the multiliteracies pedagogical principles of teaching and learning that address issues on literacy and learning in today’s globalised world. The main objective of this study was...

Being able to communicate effectively is a much sought after skill by employers in today's globalised work contexts. This article examines the types of oral communication difficulties faced by Diploma level ESL learners. This study also analysed the types of communication strategies used by the students to cope with speaking and listening problems...

The transformation of the education curriculum in the Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025 focuses on the Higher Order Thinking (HOT) concept which aims to produce knowledgeable students who are critical and creative in their thinking and can compete at the international level. HOT skills encourage students to apply, analyse, evalua...

Purpose – This study aims to investigate English recreational reading habits of Arab Jordanian EFL university students when classes are in session and during vacation, and the types of recreational reading they engage in. In addition, the study explores other relationships such as the relationship between reading habits and students' cumulative gra...

Postgraduate supervision is a much explored field and a subject of close scrutiny in the West but there is scant empirical research in Asia; particularly in Malaysia. It was against this uncharted background that the current study was conducted to compare and contrast postgraduate supervision practices from the perspectives of supervisees from both...

Postgraduate supervision is a much explored field and a subject of close scrutiny in the West but there is scant empirical research in Asia, particularly in Malaysia. It was against this uncharted background that the current study was conducted to compare and contrast postgraduate supervision from the perspectives of supervisees from both Malaysia...

Being able to read texts critically is a much sought after skill in today’s globalised work environments. However, it is increasingly being reported that many tertiary students in Malaysia find this skill difficult to acquire and that research studies involving tertiary learners are relatively small in number (Normazidah, Koo & Hazita Azman, 2012;...

Postgraduate supervision has been a subject of close scrutiny all around the globe demanding transparency, parity and rigour as students cross international boundaries, prompting reflection and critical analysis of the student-centered paradigm shift in higher education. Therefore, this study investigated supervisees’ experiences of postgraduate su...

With continuing emphasis placed on higher education institutions in many countries to produce knowledge workers for the next generation, there has been a continuous demand to strengthen the provision and delivery of higher education systems.

Being able to read texts critically is a much sought after skill in today's globalised work environments. However, it is increasingly being reported that many tertiary students in Malaysia find this skill difficult to acquire. Students need to learn how to analyse a wide range of reading texts as it is seen as a response to the social construction...

The number of international students choosing Malaysia as a destination to further their graduate studies is steadily growing. This phenomenon has urged researchers to look for ways to ensure that they go through a smooth academic journey. One significant area of research has focused on the challenges faced by these students in their academic liste...

With dramatic changes taking place in higher education these days, the calls for teaching and learning that cross subject boundaries have been making themselves heard in recent higher education literature in many national contexts (Woods, 2007; Davies & Devlin, 2010). It is widely acknowledged that learning that crosses subject boundaries is an imp...

The consensus on 'socially responsible' practices in today's literacy pedagogy indicates that the parameters of school literacies have been significantly extended with the rapid cultural and technological changes in literate forms of communication in recent years. Increasingly, educators around the globe experience dilemmas in engaging with the iss...

This paper presents the findings of a study of 125 tertiary students' communication apprehension in two public universities in Malaysia. Data were collected using McCroskey's (1982) personal report on communication apprehension (PRCA-24) which measures the students' level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication w...

To work in a global context, engineering graduates must be competent professionally as well as be proficient communicators in English, the language widely used in international business (Lee, 2003). Increasingly, engineering graduates need to learn and develop skills about existing technical areas in order to enhance their competitiveness in today'...

Teaching English language literacy skills in contemporary ESL classrooms is evolving dynamically in cohesion with the multiplicity of communication channels, media, cultural and linguistic diversity (Kalantzis & Cope, 2009). Students engage with different texts according to their social and private contexts which include web-based stories, interact...

Technical oral presentations are an integral component of engineering courses, but it is no doubt an anxiety-inducing experience for most engineering students. This paper presents an in-depth qualitative analysis of the sources for anxiety experienced by engineering students in delivering Undergraduate Research Project (URP) oral presentations. The...

This chapter investigates the relationship between educational finance policy and college access in Asian and Pacific countries (a broader group than the stricter definition of Asia-Pacific used in Chap.1), compared with the global trends. The author uses panel data models to analyze the 9-year data (1998–2006) of the 98 countries worldwide and the...

This chapter examines the effects of globalization in terms of factors driving international student mobility, and the demand for and supply of international education in the Asia-Pacific region. It analyses the resulting patterns of cross-border student mobility in the region, where we observe that intra-regional student mobility is growing faster...

Higher education in Saudi Arabia has been undergoing rapid development and improvement for the past four decades. Current policies and strategies for the future have been largely shaped by, and in response to, the challenges and opportunities generated by both global trends in higher education and growing demands for a highly qualified national wor...

This chapter is concerned with the global perspectives and strategies of eight Asia-Pacific research universities, together with five universities from four other countries. Drawing on case studies conducted in one leading national research university in each of 12 countries, it focuses on the interviews with the university head—the president, rect...

This chapter examines the scale and spread of transnational higher education (TNE), also known as “program and institutional mobility”: educational programs delivered by an institution based in one country to students located in another. Various modes are outlined, including cross-border distance education, partner-supported programs, branch campus...

This chapter explicates the history and context of internationalization of higher education in Malaysia and presents the challenges and benefits of internationalization to the country, in relation to academic, economic, and socio-cultural areas. It examines the continuities and the gaps between on one hand the purposes and rhetoric of the Malaysia...

The chapter examines the trends and policies in India as a source country for the global supply of human capital, both in relation to professionals and tertiary-level students. Globalization is associated with a growing and mobile Indian knowledge diaspora of primary strategic importance to India, the USA and other countries. The chapter discusses...

Closed to the outside world during the Pol Pot regime, restructured as a socialist state, then pushed towards democracy and a market economy as a result of foreign technical assistance provided through numerous multi- and bi-lateral aid and development programs, Cambodia is still one of the poorest countries in the Asia-Pacific region, albeit with...

This chapter outlines Malaysia ’s Strategic Plan which encompasses the dual aims of repositioning higher education for democratization of education for the masses and achieving excellence through strategic internationalization policies. Within the backdrop of increasing global competitiveness, interconnectedness and diversity, it traces higher educ...

This chapter focuses on issues of higher education reform strategies in Thailand during the post-economic crisis period (1997–2007). The Thai Government attests five key reform policies in teaching and learning, finance, human resources, research, and administration. When examining governmental policies and actions, educational law, and education...

Throughout the world the internationalization of higher education has assumed a key position on domestic policy agendas, not only for educational and scientific reasons but also increasingly due to socio-economic considerations. National contexts are still influential in the actual process of internationalization. In the case of Japan , in addition...

Between 1990 and 2007 Australia ’s share of the global market in cross-border degrees grew from 1 to 7% (OECD 2009). Full fee-paying foreign students constitute one-fifth of on-shore enrolments and education has become Australia ’s third largest export. Positioned as an Anglo-American system on the edge of Asia, Australia has differentiated itself...

Education has long been considered as a corner stone in economic development. The twenty-first century has brought new challenges and opportunities for higher education. In the wake of the transition from elitist to mass education, universities worldwide are under pressure to enhance access and equity, on the one hand, and to maintain high standard...

This chapter presents the history of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and discusses the strategic responses taken by its leaders in tackling various issues and challenges plaguing the provision of quality higher education, ranging from educational partnerships, international student support, research and innovation to academic cooperation, research...

In a networked global environment in which global, national and local nodes are often equivalent (Castells 2000) all research universities must pursue strategies for building global capacity and facilitating cross-border staff and student movement and research collaboration. The chapter compares readings of the global environment, global and intern...

This chapter examines the current status of the internationalization of Japanese universities by focusing on the multiplicity of its connotations and practices from a Japanese socio-historical perspective. First, it conceptualizes university nternationalization and introduces emerging phenomena in the internationalization of Japanese universities....

Singapore ’s goal to re-build itself into an innovation-driven economy with world-class capabilities has opened new opportunities and challenges for its universities. This chapter analyses the Global Schoolhouse, a key education policy platform that aims to transform Singapore into a “knowledge-based economy”. Two Global Schoolhouse initiatives are...

Higher education , as an integral part of China ’s nation building project, is critically important. China identifies building national strength through science and education as a strategic policy, and one way to achieve this goal is to have a higher education system of international stature. China is heavily investing in improving its best univers...

This chapter introduces the themes and chapters of Higher Education in Asia-Pacific: Strategic responses to globalization. It begins with the definition of the Asia-Pacific region—the long arc of coastal nations from Southeast Asia to Japan plus the adjoining nations of the Western Pacific—and a statistical overview of population, economy and educa...

Rapid socio-economic change in Vietnam has resulted in increasing numbers of Vietnamese pursuing overseas study. The dramatic rise in self-funded students is largely the result of Vietnam’s increasingly affluent middle-class choosing overseas study over a domestic tertiary system that is lacking in both capacity and quality. A key consequence of t...

Global flows of students in higher education are growing at an unprecedented pace and sustained scale. This has far-reaching economic and academic implications for sending and receiving countries, institutions and students themselves. China is one of the largest countries which actively engages in both sending students abroad and receiving internat...

In the light of the country and institutional studies in the preceding chapters, this concluding chapter explores the factors that determine the global effectiveness of higher education systems across the Asia-Pacific. Both the regional success stories and the failures have something to teach. Higher education systems are shaped by a combination of...

The consensus among learner autonomy experts indicates that the parameters of today's teaching and learning processes have been significantly extended to ensure that our learners become autonomous lifelong learners. Such initiatives place a critical demand on educators to ensure they equip their learners with all the necessary learning tools and sk...

This chapter focuses on higher education in systems influenced by Confucian educational traditions: China, Hong Kong China, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. Though there are many differences between these countries there is convergence in system design in higher education. Apart from Vietnam, the modern Confucian systems exhibited a mar...

This survey provides unprecedented scope and detail of analysis on higher education in the Asia-Pacific region. In this era of global integration, convergence and comparison, the balance of power in worldwide higher education is shifting. In less than two decades the Asia-Pacific region has come to possess the largest and fastest growing higher edu...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of reflective journal writing in helping learners monitor their own learning. In this study, monitoring refers to the ability of students to check, verify and correct oneself in the performance of a learning task. The study was conducted in an intact Malaysian ESL class of 42 students at an urban...

Interdisciplinary higher education is becoming more important in learning across subject boundaries. This is occurring in global, national and institutional contexts. In Malaysia, interdisciplinarity is clear in the country's National Higher Education Strategic Plan (2007). While varying interpretations of interdisciplinary learning and teaching ex...

Students studying Art and Design courses need to have good proficiency in English in preparation for today's globalised work contexts. This study evaluated the perceptions of 47 final year diploma Art and Design students and 10 members of staff about the current English Language course in a private college in Penang, Malaysia. This study used both...

Literature is an expression of life through the medium of language and in the ESL classroom it is often seen as an authentic means of learning the target language. A literature-enriched curriculum not only helps learners improve their reading and writing skills but more importantly helps them internalise grammar and vocabulary. The many benefits of...

Incl. bibl. references This article investigates the changing state-university relations in Japan and Malaysia. Its main objective is to identify and examine possible lessons for Malaysia, based on the Japanese experience. Notably, since the late 1970s, Malaysia has been looking towards Japan as a model for socio-economic development (the 'look-eas...

The global knowledge economy is associated with rapidly growing knowledge flows via the Internet. How is knowledge translated from the open source setting into formal processes and institutions so these secure coherence and a controlling role within the global knowledge-economy? If the k-economy consisted solely of commercial markets in knowledge t...

Biodata of Authors Sarjit Kaur is Associate Professor and Programme Chairperson of the English Language Studies Section at the School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Widely published, her research areas include Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), workplace literacies, multiliteracies approach, postgraduate education a...

In Malaysia, postgraduate coursework and research training have expanded significantly in attracting both domestic and international students from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The task of evaluating the student learning experience in postgraduate education can point out to researchers and university educators various mismatches that would no...

Incl. bibl., index

Teacher trainees going out to schools for their teaching practicum are often required to keep reflective diaries to help provide them with valuable insights into their own thoughts, beliefs and practices. Reflective writing is a form of authentic communication, more superior to talk as it helps shape our thinking. This process of shaping experience...

Engineering graduates today need to possess both hard and soft competencies to work effectively in a competitive professional world. Among soft competencies highly valued in the engineering industry are effective oral communication skills (Grant & Dickson, 2006). In the Malaysian context, English has become the main language used in many establishe...