Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Talent vs Competency

 

Both talent and competency are important factors in determining success in any field, including football.

Talent refers to innate abilities or natural aptitude. A player with a lot of talent in football may have excellent ball control, good vision, or the ability to score goals easily.

Competency, on the other hand, refers to the ability to apply knowledge, skills, and abilities in a particular situation. A competent player in football is one who has a good understanding of the game, can make good decisions on the field, and is able to execute their skills effectively.

In order to be successful in football, a player should have a good balance of both talent and competency. Without talent, a player may struggle to perform at a high level, while without competency, a player may not be able to fully utilize their talents.

In general, a combination of both talent and competency is ideal, as it allows a player to perform well and achieve success in the game.

The same recipe can be replicated in the workplace. Workers need to have talent and competency. And attitude is if not the most important aspect or one of the determining factor which can push workers to be even better beside leadership and organizational culture or behavior

There are several ways to develop talent in the workplace:

  1. Training and development: Providing employees with training and development opportunities helps them to acquire new skills and knowledge that can enhance their talent.

  2. Mentoring and coaching: Pairing employees with experienced mentors or coaches can help them to learn from others and develop their talent.

  3. Stretch assignments: Giving employees challenging projects or assignments that are outside their comfort zone can help them to grow and develop their talent.

  4. Performance feedback: Regularly providing employees with feedback on their performance can help them to identify areas for improvement and work on developing their talent.

  5. Encouraging creativity and innovation: Creating an environment that encourages creativity and innovation can help employees to use their talent in new and different ways.

  6. Recognizing and rewarding: Recognizing and rewarding employees for their talent and efforts can help to keep them motivated and engaged in their work.

It's important to remember that developing talent is an ongoing process, and requires a commitment from both the employer and the employee to constantly learn and grow.

 On the other hand,d
eveloping competency in the workplace can be achieved through a combination of training, experience, and practice. Some ways to develop competency in the workplace include:

  1. On-the-job training: Providing employees with hands-on training and experience in their specific role can help them to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their job competently.

  2. Continuing education: Encouraging employees to pursue continuing education, such as online courses, certifications, or degree programs can help them to stay current in their field and improve their competency.

  3. Cross-training: Providing employees with the opportunity to learn different aspects of the business or other roles within the company can help them to develop a broader range of competencies.

  4. Job rotation: Rotating employees through different roles within the company can help them to gain a diverse set of skills and experience, and improve their overall competency.

  5. Performance evaluations: Regularly evaluating employee performance and providing feedback can help them to identify areas for improvement and work on developing the necessary competencies.

  6. Mentoring: Pairing employees with experienced mentors can help them to learn from others and develop their competency.

It's important to note that developing competency is an ongoing process and requires a commitment from both the employer and the employee to constantly learn and improve.

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Kahoot implementation in Malaysian academic

Gamification in teaching and learning has become the new norm. Experts acknowledge that the concept of gamification had been applied in various discipline aiming to promote and encourage certain aspects of human behaviors (Wood & Reiners, 2015). Central to the entire discipline of using gamification is towards the classroom dynamics. This shift has led to the wide use educational spaces (Ruhil Amal, Nor Fariza & Afendi, 2020) and as such, educators will opt for gamification to reinforce learning. Gamification is believed to give positive results toward students and the learning contents in a way that impacts teaching and learning on a whole new level. One of the many benefits that educators opt for gamification is because it has been found to enhance the learning process and students’ motivation (Lopez & Tucker, 2019). As such, gamification encourages learning for students and supports learning. 

As the world is evolving and adapting to more technologies into the learning process, the application of web-based gamification such as Kahoot is inevitable.  Kahoot has been recognized to be one of the leading learning applications based on gamification which was purposely designed to improve conventional learning into a more exciting experience that can be played on different types of devices. Kahoot is commonly used with over 30 million users because it is freely available, in real-time and is widely accepted globally (Chiang, 2020). It allows instructors to create interesting game-based quizzes, surveys, and others in which students get to compete against each other 

Gamification in higher education allows a more fun approach for students who are involved in academic courses. For example, a study among Universiti Sains Malaysia communication students found that the application of Kahoot in the classroom had encouraged both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as encouraged learning during lectures (Tan, Lin, Ganapathy & Kaur, 2018). The aim of that study was to examine the effects of using Kahoot among undergraduate students in Malaysia. Similarly, findings from Licorish, Owen, Daniel & George (2018) found that Kahoot is effective to be used as a learning tool in the classroom and gamification assisted teachers in minimizing classroom behaviors and activities.  However, with the many options available in game-based learning, it can be a daunting experience for instructors to ascertain whether Kahoot is truly suitable for learners' needs. What is not yet clear is the impact of using Kahoot to reinforce learning in the Malaysian higher education contexts. Hence, the present study aims to identify the suitability of Kahoot, to consolidate and reinforce learning for academic purposes among undergraduate students. The current research set out to answer the following questions:

  1. Is there a significant difference between gender in terms of attitude and perception of students toward the application of Kahoot for academic purposes?
  2. In what ways is Kahoot suitable for teaching and learning of academic courses at the university? 
 
 
taken from Mat Husin, M.Z., & Azmuddin, R.A. (2022). Learner Engagement in Using Kahoot! within a University English Proficiency Course. Educational Process: International Journal, 11(2): 167-180


Forza Inter ! Italian Cup 2023 Scare.

 

 

Buffon power..enuff said

Isu Sensasi Dua Negara - Thailand dan Malaysia (bukan berkaitan bola sepak)

 

need more to say?

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Issue on English Communication Apprehension at Workplace

Malaysia consists of several races who speak their own first language such as Malay, Chinese, Tamil and other ethnic’s languages. English had been recognized to be the second language spoken in this country (Hassan & Ong, 2019). The teaching of English as second language in Malaysia mostly started during primary school until tertiary education with most Malaysians on average spend eleven years learning English language within classroom context. The importance of English language is high in the employment sector even though its status as the second language as employers expect their staff to be able to communicate using English language effectively in different communicative situation (Hassan & Ong, 2019). In addition to that, Shahariah Saleh and  Murtaza (2018)  claimed that English position that English is more significant that other languages at the Malaysian workplaceWithin Malaysia context, English had become the main language for most private sector organizations (Ngah et al., 2011; Radzuan & Kaur, 2010). In supporting that, studies concluded that good English communication skills was one of the main criteria in jobs recruitment (Isarji et al., 2013; Kassim & Ali, 2010; Nurhamizah Ishak et al., 2020; Radzuan & Kaur, 2010). In spite of that, public or government sectors in Malaysia still did not fully use English as the main language for communication. This had been supported by study by Ting  (2002) who revealed that in a Malay organization, the support staff  when communicate using English faced difficulties as their jobs scope dominantly used Malay.

Mastering English language is recognized to be one of the most sought-after traits in employees in countries that use English as Second Language (ESL) or English as Foreign Language (EFL). Within the context of Malaysian workplace, English language is used as a medium for employees, employers as well as international stakeholders to communicate (Saleh & Murtaza, 2018). Gill (2002) and Noor Shahariah Saleh and Siti Fatimah Murtaza (2018) further claimed that English play a significant role toward accomplishing “Malaysia’ status to be in line with other countries in terms of economic development” (p.85). Employees are required to use English language to communicate both internally and externally in their workplace. The trait is a must especially when the companies or workplace involve stakeholders from foreign countries that use English as the medium of interaction. Oral communication in particular, is pointed out by researchers to be one of the most valued skills in relation to mastering English language.

Taking into the perspective of workplace communication, having good oral communication skills using English language is one the ways to become a successful employee. Indeed, the skill is regarded to be an additional advantage for employees (Moslehifar & Ibrahim, 2012). Oral communication skills need to be highlighted as the most important skills compared to other language skills as this skills is the most focused upon by employer (Kassim & Ali, 2010). Hence, is pertinent for employees to master oral communication or speaking skills in English. However, Zailani Jusoh et al.(2018) mentioned that for many English learners, speaking skill is the most daunting skill to be developed and mastered. One possible reason is due to lack of proficiency in speaking skills wherein speakers concern their image might be tarnished in front of other individual consequently their language self-worth (Brown, 2001). This situation then can lead toward fear in communicating or feeling anxiety to speak in certain communication contexts which is known as Communication Apprehension (CA).

One of the challenges that most second language learners experience dealing with oral communication is anxiety.  Since 1970s, many studies in the field of second language learning had been conducted toward exploring the effect of anxiety (Zulkifli, 2007). Casado and Dereshiwsky (2001) stated language anxiety still exist even though the learner progress in term of their proficiency level and age. McCroskey (1977) introduced the concept of Communication Apprehension (CA) as “ an individual level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or imagined communication with another person or persons”(p.78). Lucas (2012) further explained that CA is a problem related to psychological elements and can be found commonly in all human beings. CA can be both advantageous and also disadvantageous toward second language learning process (Jusoh et al., 2018).

 

Public universities in Malaysia are currently embarking on the journey of becoming the hub of tertiary education not only toward ASEAN students but also other regions. As such, the staff comprises academic and administrative staff need to be able to speak or converse in English confidently as well as effectively. Administrative staff comprises officer and support staff are required by the management and university stakeholders to be able to communicate in English in term of interacting with international staff and students related to non-academic matters with the purpose of delivering the best possible service. Consequently, Malaysian public administrative staff are required to use English in their communication competency at the workplace.

 

Taking into account of the requirement to use English more frequently at workplace, issue on communication apprehension is very significant among Malaysian public universities administrative staff. Communication apprehension can be defined as fear of speaking in front of other people or felling anxious of giving speech. Speakers may experience a variety of behaviours before, during or after giving speech, or using certain language in a certain context. That certain behaviours that related with communication apprehension may involve rise in body temperature, trembling hands, fingers or legs, palms become sweaty, blurry mind and shortness of breath (Coopman & Lull, 2011). As a result of these behaviours, speakers would tend to avoid or reluctant to take part in speaking or using certain language.

Numerous factors can be associated with feeling of apprehension. Zimbardo (1998) claimed CA stemmed from shyness in which students lack the tendency to talk and engage in the communication. In addition to that, Khan et al. (2009) research toward pharmacy students found out that race, gender, age and year of studies language contributed toward CA. Zailani Jusoh et al. (2018) suggested that one factor contributed toward CA is the level of language proficiency that particular individual has. 

Many studies have been done toward exploring the factors behind language learners’ apprehension or anxiety especially in the context of second language acquisition in the context of secondary (Bastida Jr. & Yapo, 2019; Jones & Procopio, 2017) and tertiary education (Kimberley et al., 2020; Razawi et al., 2015; Zulkifli, 2007). Little attention had been put toward exploring CA among adult learners especially in the context of workplace(Jusoh et al., 2018). So far, there are only two studies being carried out toward exploring CA in Malaysian university workplace context (Abdullah, 2014; Jusoh et al., 2018).     

concept paper presented at  Konvensyen Pentadbir Universiti Awam 2022 anjuran MASTI dan PERTISAS UTM di Pulai Spring Resort, Johor Bharu, pada 18 hingga 20 Ogos 2022

 

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