Social Sciences

Currently it is observed that political participation by youth in Malaysia is increasingly less well received, this is because most of these people are more focused on their studies and their careers. Therefore this paper will discuss the factors that influence the political participation of youth in Malaysia. Among the factors that are highlighted are the Demographic factors, Leadership and Management Factors, the factor of the Leaders’ Communication, Mass Media Factors and Social Environmental Factors that consists of Family Influence, Peer Influence and Influence of the Local Community. From these factors, to a certain extent we are able to more or less see in detail the problems that exist in the political participation of youth, which can also provide some input in the best way to encourage political participation of youth in Malaysia.

Helping English learners acquire a foreign language effectively is an essential issue which needs to be investigated. Obtaining a good listening comprehension which acts as a basis for the development of the other skills is very important. This study intended to explore and see whether using authentic English songs can improve the EFL learners’ listening comprehension. This paper reported the results of this study which was implemented on two groups in Tarlak English institute in Bandar Anzali. The study determined the effect of English songs on the language learners’ listening comprehension. This study was executed on 40 intermediate level students who were assigned to two groups as the control group and the experimental group. A pre and postlistening test was applied to both groups. The findings showed that the use of English songs had statistically significant impact on the language learners’ listening comprehension. Key Terms, listening, songs, authentic listening

As mobile technology continues to diffuse, the numbers of mobile subscribers continue to grow, so as the numbers of complaints toward telecommunication operators in Malaysia (Celcom, Maxis and DiGi). Based on National Consumer Complaint Centre (NCCC) annual report, there is an increase in number of complaints by 30 per cent in year 2007 as compared to previous year. This indicates that consumer are aware more of their rights or the telecommunication operators perform worse in 2007. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between students’ complaint behaviour and defection in Malaysian telecommunication industry. A convenience sampling technique and self administered questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 366 university students from 18 Malaysian public higher learning instituition were recruited to participate in this study. The regression analysis were employed to explore the relationship between the two variables. The study demonstrated that there is a strong positive linear relationship between students’ complaint behavior and defection.The study also found that the influence of private complaint on the defection is much stronger than public complaint which corroborates with the previous study.

The system of caste is said to have originated in India though the exact origin of caste system cannot be traced. The records of Indo Aryan Culture contains its first mention. According to Dr. Muzumdar the caste system took its birth after the arrival of Aryans in India. In order to maintain their separate existence the Indo-Aryans used for certain groups and orders of people the favourite word ‘Varna” and ‘Colour’. Of the relation subsisting between four classes-Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vis and Sudra-Brahmin is definitely said to be superior to Kshatriya.

This study was an attempt to find out to see any possible relationship between emotional intelligence and reading proficiency within English language students. This study aimed to determine whether emotional intelligence and English reading proficiency are correlated . In this work participants were 110 fresh men English language students, studying in Azad University , Tehran- North Branch , both male and female , who selected randomly . Regression and correlation analyses were used and results indicated that there is a significant positive correlation between the emotional intelligence and English reading proficiency, and also there was a significant relationship between emotional intelligence sub- factors and English reading proficiency with no relationship between gender and two variables. key words: Reading, emotional intelligence.

Widespread perception about the motivations behind decision making process in purchase of a new product is crucial for the success behind the development of innovative products. This article used a quantitative research method to test hypothesises that were associated with different stimulating factors of consumers personality traits that affect the sale of new products; at the same time, it helped to highlight factors that have a significant effect. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used to distribute questionnaires to 105 students living in the UK. This research paper has found out that differences in personality traits of consumers have a significant effect on buying behaviour and intentions in case of new products, which in turn affects the final purchase of the products.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) serves as one of the most effective assessment tools to evaluate candidates’ overall English language proficiency being highly accepted by organizations and educational systems. Given that reading skills is believed to be a crucial skill for academic attainment (Cochran, 1993), test takers’ attitudes on reading for such an internationally recognized test and its relationship with their reading proficiency have been rarely explored. The present study was an attempt to investigate the attitudes of candidates towards IELTS test and its impact on their reading performance. To this end, 149 Participants (76 male and 73 female) were given a standardized attitude questionnaire (Rasti, 2009) to investigate the participants’ attitudes. The questionnaire was followed by two tests: A reading proficiency and a vocabulary test. The participants were also required to take a mock standard IELTS Academic Reading test to integrate statistical information. The results revealed that there is a significant positive correlation between the test takers’ attitudes towards the IELTS test and their reading performance. Additionally, there is a significant positive correlation between attitudes in general and reading proficiency and vocabulary knowledge. The findings consistent with other research (e.g., Chemutai, 2015; Hosseini, Hosseini, & Roudbari, 2013; Malallaha, 2000; Petrides, 2006) suggest that attitude should be considered as a key element through the processes of reading acquisition which may lead to better performance in proficiency tests. Key Words: attitude, proficiency, reading comprehension

This paper examines the effects and consequences of globalization on the identity of young Iranian. At first we describe concepts of globalization, identity, young and then with the method of analysis and explanation we seek the impact of these cases to know the impact of globalization on the identity component and their influence on Iranian young identity. Globalization is fueling a crisis of identity that challenges distinct form of official identification and facilitate the identification based on traditional value based on local value, identity-based on public value, open, plural and identification based on consumption.

This research seeks to examine the nonverbal communication of an influential leader to change mind and behaviour of others, particularly in the field of dakwah. The portrayal of young Imam in the Malaysian reality show “Imam Muda” brings new landscape of muslim socialization process and implies significant values of dakwah. The definition of young Imam and its role as a progressive leader in a modern, multiracial society are described and illustrated in this 10-episode show. The researchers give special attention to nonverbal communication of the winner as this aspect is a determining factor of being a good and influential leader. The contestants may have more or less the same quality in terms of Islamic knowledge, but to gain social influence as an Imam, obviously nonverbal communication talks louder than verbal communication. The silent messages displayed by an individual are more countable and reliable in the eyes of people, as concluded in Mehrabian’s 7%-38%-55% Rule. Five episodes of Imam Muda have been selected and five elements of nonverbal communication have been analysed – kinesics, paralanguage, haptics, appearance and proxemics. A thorough analysis of the top Imam is carried out to see to what extent he uses the nonverbal communication in interpersonal or mass setting that promote him as the most eligible young Imam.

What should we do when the customer service is poor or when we buy a faulty product but the store does not let us return it? We should resolve such problems through complaining effectively. Having a good command of grammatical rules and vocabulary of the language is necessary but it is not enough; the ability to produce language that is socially and culturally appropriate is a real asset in settling such problems. This study attempted to compare the pragmatic competence of Iranian EFL learners with that of native speakers of English language when they find it necessary to perform the speech act of complaint. Ten Iranian EFL students of Azad University in Lahijan served as the subjects of this study. The data were collected through comparing the complaint letters written by American native speakers with those by Iranian EFL learners. The responses were analyzed in terms of the main components of complaints. The findings indicated that American native speakers and Iranian EFL learners showed different pragmatic behaviors.