This study examined the challenges of English learning encountered by Chinese international students in a Malaysian university, as well as the contributing factors and strategies students employ to cope with these challenges. A total of 60 Chinese international students (51.7% male and 48.3% female) participated in this study, with an average stay…

With the internationalization of higher education, more Chinese students are pursuing their postgraduate study in English-medium instruction (EMI) institutions abroad. Related studies have mostly investigated EMI policies and implementation and students' attitudes; however, they have not examined how Chinese students cope in…

The present study aimed to compare the nature of peer-peer dialog among two Iranian (EFL) and two Malaysian-Chinese (ESL) dyads during eleven collaborative writing sessions. Pair talks were video-recorded, transcribed verbatim and subsequently were analyzed at three levels: type of talk, type of activity and type of episode. The types of talk were…

This study aimed to explore the experiences of Chinese EFL doctoral students in constructing their academic identities through critical argumentation in their thesis writing in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) context. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Narrative analysis was used to examine…

Intellectual engagement is essential for international students' academic success. However, academic speaking challenges associated with communicative language anxiety and inadequate prior learning experience could impede students' academic communication abilities in foreign universities. Thus, students adopt academic speaking strategies to tackle…

An increasing body of scholars have investigated noun phrase complexity in L2 English writing from varied perspectives, but few of them focus on the differences of the English writing produced by EFLs and ESLs. Thus, the study explored how three international postgraduates from China and three local Malaysian postgraduates in a top university of…

This study explores the relationship between the experience of confusion and the outcomes of Chinese character learning by learners of Chinese as a heritage language (CHL). Based on the claim that impasses triggering confusion can lead to deeper learning of conceptually difficult material, the study employed three impasse-driven tasks. The tasks…

Purpose: Internationalization of education has made it important to have not only a command of English as a global language, but also of Languages Other Than English (LOTEs), which can be a second, national or heritage language. This narrative inquiry explored LOTE teachers' perspectives on their use of English and other pedagogical practices for…

There is a growing recognition of diverse settings and different varieties of English and accents. However, there seems to be a lack of research on the investments and views of Expanding Circle students who relocate to study in Asian Outer Circle countries, especially on the identities of proficient speakers and/or teachers of English. This study…

English skills particularly in conversation are essential in workplace situations especially in the context of higher learning institutions. Little attention is being given to examining the needs of English communication skills and issues related to administrative support staff at their workplace particularly at public universities. A…

The present study aims to identify the factors that can potentially affect code switching in a college classroom in Malaysia. The participants were twenty bilingual international students enrolled in an English course in Malaysia. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participating students. The findings of the study…

Japanese EFL international students may experience high levels of apprehension when communicating in English due to their culture, educational background, attitudes towards the role of English in their society, and lack of opportunities to practice speaking in English. Although the students in this study had studied English before joining the…

Writing in English for academic purpose is a difficult task for many Jordanian postgraduate students (JPS) as English is a foreign language to them. This study aimed to explore academic writing problems encountered by JPS at a Malaysian university and to investigate how they address the problems. Employing a case study approach, a total of 182…

This study examines the use of metadiscourse markers among 50 Malaysian and 50 Arab Pre-University students. The findings of this study indicated that there was a significant difference in the use of metadiscourse markers between Malaysian and Arab Pre-University students {?[superscript 2] (1, n = 100) = 7.17, p-value is 0.007} where the use of…

This study aims at reviewing the curriculum design by including video games in the implementation of the Malay language course at an Institute of Higher Learning. The objective of this study is to obtain expert opinion on the expected manner of implementation of video games in learning the Malay language. The Fuzzy Delphi technique (FDM) is used…