<p class="apa">Writing skill is seen as a cornerstone of university students’ success in both academic and career life. This qualitative study was conducted to further explore the teachers’ and students’ perceptions on the relationship between writing apprehension and writing performance, contributing factors of writing apprehension, and strategies to reduce writing apprehension. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to get more in-depth information from two respondents: one experienced instructor of teaching writing at the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD), International Islamic University Malaysia, and another, a graduate student who was reported to having a high level of writing apprehension using Daly and Miller’s (1975) questionnaire on writing apprehension. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Both respondents were convinced that writing apprehension has a negative influence on students’ writing performance; the sources of contributing factors could be students, instructors, and teaching learning setting; and writing apprehension could be reduced through suggested strategies. It is recommended that instructors should be more aware of students’ problems in the writing skill.</p>

Abstract-This article reports the investigation that seeks to address the possibility of using selected texts in the English language classrooms that could develop students' sense of shared identity. In so doing, this study attempts to examine perceptions of teachers and students about classroom collaborations between studentsstudent and student-teacher using case-based narratives which was selected by teachers. It also seeks to identify how their collaborative acts can be suggestive to transforming a linear classroom lesson to a more vibrant and effective one and simultaneously develop students sense of shared identity. A qualitative inquiry employing semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and group interviews with 12 secondary English language school teachers and their students were conducted. Teachers' classroom practices (and instructions) are then analysed to gauge their impact on students' interactions with each other during task completion. The preliminary results indicate that teachers' were reluctant to relinquish their authority and power to students for various reasons which could be detrimental to the construction of shared identity. Teachers, more than students felt that their authoritative figure were one of the key indicators of classroom progress in a result-driven education system. The results obtained aim to be informative in pointing to the viability of providing avenues for syllabus designers or other stakeholders to take into considerations texts types which could be used for secondary schools English Literature syllabus in developing students sense of shared identity. Meanwhile, it is also found that students' sense of shared identity could be halted without teachers' support and encouragement of these transformational learning spaces.

This study seeks to identify the construction of collective identity in ESL classroom among students in a secondary school in Selangor, Malaysia. Identity construction can be helpful in supporting students academically and socially, especially in the English language classrooms. Being non-native speakers, students may have the tendency to feel isolated because of the limited knowledge in English. A qualitative investigation was employed and the samples comprised of 12 secondary students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jeram, Kuala Selangor. In-depth interviews were carried out with the respondents.The results revealed that when constructing their personal identities, individuals may want to identify themselves with the mutual interest of the groups they are part of. Identifying oneself with a group not only means wanting to be accepted, but also adhering to having mutual identities and values of the group. Therefore, the current study seems to confirm the finding of previous studies where researchers stated that the identity of an individual is defined by its majority group with whom the individuals share the physical environment and the territory they inhabit.

This article presents evidence to the need for Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) to construct students' identity in the Malaysian classrooms. Since an important objective of education is to prepare individuals to exercise efficaciously in their environment, all students in multicultural society could benefit from exposure to CRT (Gay, 2000). In this study, a specific text (Ah Khaw Goes to Heaven) was used in the English literature classroom, which depicted conflicts in multicultural Malaya in the 1940s. A qualitative inquiry employing semi-structured, in depth interviews with 9English language teachers in 6 schools around Kuala Lumpur were carried out. Classroom observations were conducted, and group interviews with 6 groups of students were also carried out. Thematic analysis were performed and the findings suggest that students' interpretation of CRT were influenced by an orthodox perception of their identity in the classroom and in the teaching and learning process, while teachers were more skeptical and reserved in developing CRT. © the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.

This paper explores the challenges of offering peace education in public primary school in Malaysia. In exact, this study: first, investigates how school educational leaders perceive peace education and how peace education could be included in the school curriculum. This study has adopted a qualitative design, employing semi-structured interview as an instrument of data collection. Findings suggest that all respondents reported that they mutually agreed to include peace education as part of the curriculum to maintain harmony, inculcate tolerance among students, minimize conflicts and know their country's history. Obstacles and challenges in introducing peace education as a subject in the school's curricular can be minimized to implementation of costs and teacher training. Lack of expertise and lack of interests among students are identified as another challenge in introducing peace education. Furthermore, school educational leaders were found to have low levels of awareness, knowledge, and skills related to peace education.