The knowledge in the first language serves as the foundation of an individual in verbalising thoughts using the second language. The goal of language acquisition and language learning is one's ability to communicate effectively with other people in a situation that is ideal for a second language speaker. In cases where a communication situation is not suitable for the second language learner, verbal expressions oneself becomes problematic. This study investigates the contexts wherein second-language speakers of English find difficulty in the various communicative tasks they encounter when dealing with other people. It was asked from the university students in the Philippines to recount their experiences using English as a language of oral communication and to describe circumstances which made speaking difficult for them. Narrative accounts of their lived experiences were analysed through a qualitative thematic approach and developed the categories from emerging themes. Data reveals that emerging difficulties in English speaking not only involve lack of linguistic competence but also encompass psycho-social fears of speaking across different communication tasks. A proposed model for the context-based speaking difficulty includes (1) prowess in speaking; (2) pressure by time; (3) political power and control; and (4) people as of press.

Using the environmental, social and governance (ESG) model, this study examines the sustainability of local communities living in smart cities in Malaysia and the Philippines. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 400 respondents living in smart cities in Malaysia and the Philippines. PLS-SEM was used to analyse the data using the Singapore smart city initiatives framework. Findings show that local communities' awareness, perception and readiness to participate in the smart city initiatives impact smart city sustainability. In line with SDG 11, towards a more sustainable city, the study provides micro-level data to show the significance of local communities who are ultimately the end-users. Keywords: smart cities, benchmarking, quality of life, SDG 11 eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4157

No abstract

This study investigated the challenges of teaching in the digital environment and identified digital competency among lecturers in higher learning institutions in the digital era. The survey was carried out from April to September 2022 with 155 valid responses among 200 lecturers, 77.5% response rate from private and public higher learning institutions from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. PLS-SEM was used to analyse the survey results and hypothesis testing was conducted through bootstrapping. Among the seven hypotheses proposed, six were accepted and one was rejected, which was the development of digital learning resources towards competency teaching in the digital era.