Issues and Perspectives in Business and Social Sciences

The effectiveness of microlearning approach from the perspectives of practicum teachers

2023-08-04T16:28:49+08:00

Over the past years, practicum teachers have been assigned to schools for their teaching practicum. Many of them tend to struggle with the reduced attention span of students due to online learning. As such, microlearning has been seen to be the most recent method of teaching that could aid students to learn better. This research focuses on the interaction and relativity of microlearning with practicum teachers in the teaching and learning process. 8 groups of 20 students in each group were selected using a convenience sampling method, as the group of students were easily accessed by the researcher, and the practicum teachers acted as the data collectors for this research. The microlearning tool used to replace the traditional teaching method was a 3-minute video and images.. All selected students are in the same level of studies which is in Year 8. Majority of them have the same proficiency level which is upper intermediate. The results show that microlearning did help with their classroom management and students were able to practise their scaffolding skills in a more effective manner.

How do different values affect pro-environmental behaviours and happiness?

2023-06-27T16:02:36+08:00

Schwartz’s Value Theory has brought about a rebirth of research on human values. However, the mediating role of pro-environmental behaviours and happiness on human values is inadequate. Thus, this study adopted the bipolar dimensions of human values organised by Schwartz, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement as the independent construct of values to explore the mediating role of pro-environmental behaviours and happiness. Data were taken from a random sample of Klang Valley residents (N = 700) in Malaysia. Partial least squares and structural equation modeling tools were used to achieve the aims. The study found that self-transcendence plays a vital role in affecting pro-environmental behaviours and happiness. Pro-environmental behaviours lead to happiness, and it is an important mediator between human value with happiness. Happiness leads to pro-environmental behaviours, and it is also an important mediator between human values and pro-environmental behaviours. The results confirm that psychological factors (happiness) regarding the environment play a prominent role in determining pro-environmental behaviours. Hence, cultivating self-transcendence values is crucial to foster pro-environmental behaviours and boosting happiness. Engaging with pro-environmental behaviours is important to generate positive feelings, which will eventually boost happiness. Nurturing a sense of happiness will motivate pro-environmental behaviours as well.

Awareness and perception of alternative dispute resolution methods in Penang

2023-07-11T12:30:42+08:00

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods serve as cheaper and faster options to settle disputes in place of litigation. Although the local government and relevant ADR bodies in Malaysia have been taking initiatives to promote ADR to lighten overloaded courts’ load and create a peaceful and harmonious society, the awareness level still leaves room for improvement. This study aimed to investigate the perception and awareness level of ADR in Penang. Questionnaires were distributed to the course participants of an ADR training course in Penang. The analysis shows that while a large majority of the participants were aware of ADR before enrolling in the course, more than half of them believed that ADR methods were not actively utilised in Malaysia while about two-thirds believed that the general public was not aware of such options. Actions such as more media campaigns and greater institutional support should be undertaken to educate and heighten the public’s awareness about the ADR’s availability, processes and functions so that they could be translated into greater usage.

Determinants of consumers' intention to purchase and switch to products of bio-waste: Potential support for a closed-loop supply chain

2023-07-18T16:39:08+08:00

The impact of urbanisation and increasing number of populations have become major factors that lead to negative impact toward the environment. Although waste management has been practiced by most of the marketers, the problem of waste is still not well-managed. Therefore, this study is conducted with the aim to examine the impacts of consumers’ perception towards products of bio-waste and to understand consumers’ purchasing behaviour. The paper adopted multiple regression analysis in investigating consumers’ perception towards bio-waste products and consumers’ purchasing behaviour variables. The self-administered surveys were randomly disseminated to Penang consumers, where 99 responses were collected. The result shows a positive relationship between consumers’ perception towards bio-waste and purchase behaviour variables, which is consistent with the theory of planned behaviour. Thus, this study caters several implications and recommendations to the scholars, industrial practitioners and policymakers regarding consumers’ perception and purchasing behaviour towards bio-waste products.

Who moved my candy (sugar)? Happiness or money

2023-07-27T14:27:47+08:00

This study examines the interlinkages among happiness, income and sugar consumption using a short-balanced panel data of 129 countries for the period 2016-2020. Previous studies are mostly country-wise and do not consider their relationships simultaneously. This study generally finds that the direction of causality is from income to happiness, and to sugar consumption. Similar finding is observed for the developing economies. Meanwhile, income does cause happiness for the developed economies. For the economies in transition, it is from happiness to income and to sugar consumption. Both the impulse response and variance decomposition analyses complements these findings. This study is relevant for policy implications especially, to increase the society’s income.

The revelations of kuih peneram among young generations

2023-08-18T17:16:29+08:00

In the rapidly evolving Malay community, the younger generations seem to be gradually losing touch with the rich heritage of traditional Malay kuih. The uniqueness of traditional Malay kuih lies in its versatility, as it can be served in any course of meals, as an appetiser, dessert, or even as a snack. The term ‘traditional Malay kuih’ is broad, encompassing various sizes and methods of preparation, each bears dynamic flavours, either sweet or savoury. This study investigates the younger generations’ level of knowledge of kuih peneram, from its general knowledge to the process of making it. The study involves seven informants from the younger generations and five kuih peneram entrepreneurs. Adopting a qualitative approach, the data collected were subjected to content analysis. The primary objective of this investigation is to gain insights into the knowledge and proficiency of the younger generations concerning the art of making kuih peneram.

Exploring the nexus of entrepreneurial potential and entrepreneurial mentoring among TVET programme students

2023-08-19T08:07:25+08:00

Malaysia government aims to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem by launching The National Entrepreneurship Policy in 2019 to encourage TVET students to participate in entrepreneurship. TVET students are taught about business startups. This collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) seeks to nurture student entrepreneurs as job creators. Issues such as salary discrimination, and competency gaps are often faced by TVET graduates. A total of 252 students from Vocational Colleges in Malaysia were selected using stratified sampling. The result found entrepreneurial students and entrepreneurial interaction have a relationship with entrepreneurial potential. Yet, no relationship was indicated between entrepreneurial potential and the entrepreneurial mentor. The study expands knowledge of TVET students' entrepreneurial potential and provides insights into entrepreneurial potential studies for Malaysian entrepreneurship academia. It also helps the public and private sectors create entrepreneurship mentoring programmes. The findings support the TVET institution's goal of becoming an entrepreneurial hub.

Full issue

2024-01-26T15:03:04+08:00

Front matter

2024-01-26T15:09:52+08:00