An Examination of Students’ Perceptions of Class Discussions in ‘Malay Language for Professional Communication’ (Analisis Persepsi Terhadap Perbincangan Kelas dalam Kalangan Pelajar ‘Bahasa Melayu untuk Komunikasi Profesional’)

HADAYAT RAHMAH HASAN, SYAMIMI TURIMAN, SALWA OTHMAN, ZAAMAH MOHD NOR

Abstract


ABSTRACT: Class conversation is a beneficial mechanism that involves students’ listening, thinking, and speaking abilities. It is a tool used in most language classes to promote student involvement and solicit their feedback, allowing them to improve their comprehension of the lesson. While this student-centred method has its advantages, having students to actually engage in a debate can be difficult. This may be attributed to a lack of enthusiasm and curiosity among students, as well as language incompetency, to list a few factors. The aim of this study is to discover out how students feel about engaging in class discussions and voicing their agreement and dissatisfaction using the English language as the tool of instruction. The participants in this research are first-semester Malay Language for Professional Communication students. These students are majoring in Malay Language Studies, and they are required to take the English for Oral Presentation course as part of their degree requirements. This comprehensive research discovered that students’ perceptions of engaging in class debates, as well as voicing consensus and opposition, were relatively poor to medium. Their negative impression suggests that the students could be confronted with barriers that prevented them from having productive class discussions. The findings of this research would have important consequences on how class discussions are used in language classrooms.

Keywords: Class discussion; general participation; expressing agreement; expressing disagreement; benefits of class discussions

 

ABSTRAK: Perbincangan kelas adalah proses konstruktif yang melibatkan pendengaran, pemikiran dan kemampuan bertutur pelajar. Ini adalah kaedah yang digunakan dalam kebanyakan kelas bahasa untuk mendorong penyertaan umum dan mengundang pendapat daripada pelajar, yang memungkinkan mereka untuk meningkatkan pemahaman tentang pelajaran. Pendekatan berpusatkan pelajar ini mempunyai banyak faedah tetapi membuat pelajar untuk mengambil bahagian secara aktif dalam perbincangan boleh menjadi sangat mencabar. Ini mungkin disebabkan oleh kurangnya motivasi dan minat serta ketidakupayaan bahasa dalam kalangan pelajar, dengan menyebutkan beberapa faktor lain. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka persepsi pelajar bagi turut serta menyatakan persetujuan dan penolakan mereka dalam perbincangan kelas menggunakan bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa pengantar. Kajian ini dijalankan kepada pelajar semester pertama Program Bahasa Komunikasi Profesional Bahasa Melayu. Pelajar ini mengambil jurusan Pengajian Bahasa Melayu dan kursus Bahasa Inggeris untuk Persembahan Lisan diambil sebagai sebahagian daripada syarat ijazah mereka. Kajian kuantitatif ini mendapati bahawa pelajar secara amnya mempunyai skor min rendah hingga sederhana pada persepsi mereka terhadap penyertaan, serta menyatakan persetujuan dan penolakan dalam perbincangan kelas. Persepsi negatif mereka menunjukkan bahawa pelajar mungkin menghadapi cabaran yang menghalang mereka untuk melakukan perbincangan kelas yang berkesan. Hasil kajian ini akan memberikan implikasi yang menarik terhadap penggunaan perbincangan kelas dalam kelas bahasa.

Kata kunci: Perbincangan kelas; penyertaan umum; menyatakan persetujuan; menyatakan tidak setuju; faedah perbincangan kelas


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