Many students in Malaysia lack proficiency in the English language, from difficulty understanding the meaning of the text to inferring the text. The use of explicit instruction to introduce reading comprehension skills are also rarely employed in the classroom. This study investigated how metacognitive reading strategies and peer tutoring improved Year 7 students’ reading comprehension at a home-school centre. A total of 20 Year 7 students took part in this research, whereby 10 students were placed in the controlled group and 10 students in the experimental group. Students in the experimental group were exposed to 12 weeks of training on metacognitive reading strategies and peer tutoring session. In addition, IGCSE reading comprehension, learning journals and a semi-structured interview were employed to collect data from the experimental group. A paired sample t-test was conducted to analyse the quantitative data of this study whereas document analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyse the qualitative data. The results obtained from this study indicated that metacognitive reading strategies have assisted students to use suitable techniques to comprehend the reading text and answer the reading comprehension questions. In addition, peer tutoring aids student by having their peers translate meaning of the texts in their native language, explain how to properly use the metacognitive reading skills as well as provide guidance and support in the classroom. Therefore, the findings of this study are significant as it suggests the difficulty of students to adapt to new strategies in a short time; hence, they should be exposed at primary level. Keywords: Metacognitive reading strategies, peer tutoring, reading comprehension, home- school centres.

For centuries people have conveyed meaning through the use of visual images, without the aid of written text. Consequently, wordless picture books have become a distinct genre within the world of literature. The wordless book is unique in that its content must be communicated solely through the use of illustrations. The reading of wordless picture book is an open-ended process in which viewers read stories by bringing their background experiences and personal histories to bear on the visual images they encounter within the text. This study looks at the use of wordless picture books on a seven-year old male nonreader. The investigation focuses on the exploration of the child's responses to a selection of narrative wordless picture books. This study suggests that wordless picture books are a good source for analyzing a child's early and emergent literacy. Acknowledging the importance of wordless picture books may deepen the definitions of emergent literacy and broaden our approaches to the teaching of reading.

Throughout the years, a lot of research has been looking at the significance of effective atmosphere in second language classrooms. We often overlook the fact that humour is a vital element in attaining a supportive learning environment that can benefit students. There is limited research conducted on the effectiveness of the use of humour in ESL classroom, especially in the context of motivating the students to learn, in which the students are used as the indicator and method in gaining insights as they are the ones who experienced the learning process. Thus, this study was conducted to look at students’ views towards the effects of humour on their intrinsic motivation to learn English. A survey was conducted using questionnaires adapted from Deci & Ryan’s (2003) Intrinsic Motivation Inventory Test (IMI) on 70 students of various programmes from the Faculty of Education, UiTM. The acquired data were then compared based on each of the programmes in the Faculty of Education, UiTM. The findings from this study revealed that majority of the respondents strongly agree that humour has positive effects on students’ intrinsic motivation in learning English. The positive responses received from the respondents indicate that humour is indeed an effective teaching tool in promoting intrinsic motivation in learning the second language. KEYWORDS: ESL learners, Humour, Learning English, Motivation

The study has given a myriad of insights and a deeper understanding of the issue of second language anxiety, especially in Malaysia. This study encompassed several aspects of second language learning. This study focused on the relationship between second language anxiety and beliefs about language learning. Besides that, the role of gender in second language anxiety has also been one of the main focuses of the study. On top of that, this study also emphasized the effect of second language anxiety on second language achievement. To achieve the purpose, a study was conducted quantitatively among 334 respondents from a local public institution, which is a polytechnic in Negeri Sembilan. The respondents of the study were from Commerce Department which is the largest department in the institution. The respondents were the students from the third semester in the second year. This study used the modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI). From the study, it is found that the second language anxiety of the students is moderately related to their beliefs about language learning. Besides, the second language achievement is negatively correlated with the second language anxiety, thus explains the low performance while experiencing high level of anxiety. This study also reveals that there is no significant difference found between male and female students in second language anxiety. It is anticipated for researchers to continue and expand the field of study in order to continue contributing to the body of knowledge on second language anxiety.   KEYWORDS: Achievement, Beliefs, Gender influence, Second language anxiety

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