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This quantitative study examines the effects of internationalization practices on university quality service and students’ loyalty as perceived by international students in Malaysian public universities. A total of 1,575 international students from 10 different public universities in Malaysia and from different home countries participated in this study. Stratified sampling was used to select the international students by dividing the population into continents. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using SmartPLS Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The findings of PLS-SEM confirmed the effect of internationalization of higher education practice and university quality service on international student loyalty in Malaysia. It was also found the effect of internationalization of higher education practice on university quality service. The research reported here adds to the growing body of knowledge on foreign student satisfaction and perceptions of quality, internationalization of education, and student mobility. It also helps provide some insights for the education industry in Malaysia and beyond in their effort to gain global recognition in the field of academic teaching, research, and professional development.

In the modern world, leadership styles play an important role in company performance and employee performance. This research examines how the transformational and transactional leadership styles affect job satisfaction among the employees of both the public and the private sectors in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Data became available through a survey which was sent to 89 employees via Google Forms and was analyzed with statistical program SPSS version 26. Frequencies, percentages and means of the scores were used in descriptive analysis and correlation and regression analysis were done to understand the relationship between leadership styles and job satisfaction. The results showed that both transformational and transactional leadership styles have a positive relationship with job satisfaction and both leadership styles significantly influence staff satisfaction. Notably, transformational leadership had more of an effect. The study highlights the role of effective leadership in boosting the employee satisfaction and performance of an organization. Through the prism of the leadership adaptability and social exchange theory, the research creates an integrative conceptual framework that connects leadership behaviors and employee outcomes in different environments, and the theoretical contribution to the literature of HRD and leadership practice, especially in emerging markets.

This study highlights teachers’ involvement in professional development (PD) activities teachers in the Darussalam Modern Islamic Boarding School (DMIBS), East Java, Indonesia. It evaluates the implementation of PD programs by identifying teachers` perception toward PD they participated in. The study used a survey research approach to investigate professional development and the level of teacher`s self-efficacy at the boarding school. The majority of teachers have a high level of satisfaction toward the implementation of PD activities in DMIBS in terms of course content, instructor, relevancy to teaching practice and course management. Also, teachers reported that the school had given them an adequate opportunity to participate in different types of PD activities. However, the study did not find significant differences between the length of teaching experience and teachers’ academic qualifications in teachers` perceptions towards PD activities. Some studies found that teachers with higher levels of academic qualification, showed higher and increased levels of efficacy. However, the current study did not show similar results as teachers with degrees and DMIBS qualifications respectively showed no significant differences in their levels of efficacy. This indicates that having different academic qualifications did not affect the increase in teachers` efficacy.

How prevalent is COVID-19 in Southeast Asia (SEA), and when will the region open its doors to foreign visitors? Following more than a year of global travel restrictions, these are the major concerns of potential visitors. The article examines border relations in SEA in the face of border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2020, the region had been successful in sustaining low COVID-19 rates. This began to change with the emergence of the delta strain, which forced numerous countries in the region to deal with large outbreaks. For this paper, we relied heavily on secondary data, including the most recent relevant literature and credible and reliable publications from reputable organizations, to ensure the data sources' validity, reliability, and quality.

This article explores the concept of ‘linguistic landscape’ (Landry & Bourhis, 1997) and applies it to the Tutong Town Centre, which was depicted briefly in the film Gema Dari Menara (1968). Due to the cursory and grainy depiction on screen, a study of the present linguistic landscape of the town featured in the film is far more practical than a detailed comparison of the linguistic landscape of Tutong town then and now. In essence the film has provided a geographical scope for linguistic/ semiotic analysis presented in this paper. The study of signs ‘in a given geographical location’ (Ben Rafael et al, 2006: 14), using the distributive count approach, lends itself to a greater understanding of the ethnolinguistic vitality and sociolinguistic interactions of the language groups living in what can be described as a multilingual and multiracial small town. Such evidence of language use in the public sphere results from an interplay of various factors within the town’s societal context, that could be related to Scollon & Scollons’ (2003:2) idea of ‘the social meaning of material placement of sign and discourses'. This study challenges the notion of ethnic languages’ 'disappearance' from public sphere, and instead raises questions about their ‘initiation’ into public use. The study also concludes that the supposed multilinguality of the Tutong Town population is not represented in the linguistic landscape.

Purpose This paper aims to present the qualitative findings on students’ and teachers’ experiences in communicating and interacting with students and teachers from different ethnic backgrounds in the Malaysian vision schools initiative. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face interviews were conducted involving 15 informants comprising of three headteachers, three teachers and nine students. The interviews centred on the informants’ experiences and views living and experiencing the reality of the vision schools which is comprising three major races; Malays, Chinese and Indians; which is represented by the three school types which are a national school, Chinese vernacular and Indian vernacular schools. Findings The interview data revealed that the intercultural communication in the vision schools had triggered intercultural understanding and awareness of cultural diversity in the schools. However, the interview data with experienced teachers showed some drawbacks of the intercultural dynamics at the school complex. Among the weaknesses were the absence of structured and formal training on intercultural and multicultural education, lack of trust and poor social skills which may have hindered effective intercultural communication from taking place. Originality/value This study presents the informants’ experiences and views on the reality of intercultural interaction among students and teachers in the context of the Malaysian vision school initiative.

This paper examines the nexus of income and multidimensional life satisfaction (LS) in the oil- and gas-rich Belait district of Brunei Darussalam. Using a random sample of 1,000 Belait residents and principal component factor analysis to sort 11 domains-of-life satisfaction into three uncorrelated LS spheres–LS with materialist life (job, stress, and income); LS with post-materialist life (family, spirituality, neighbors, and community activities); and LS with public life (health, neighborhood facility, feeling safe at home, and quality of living environment)—we discover the following. First, positive income effects on LS with materialist life sphere are evidenced from lower-middle- to high-income bands. Second, a positive income effect on LS with post-materialist life sphere is only found in the high-income band. Income does not relate to LS with public life sphere. These findings are robust to using each domains-of-life satisfaction and treating scores on domain satisfaction as ordinal and cardinal measures.

The initial policy of the countries that developed vaccines has been to lock the vaccine by patent. This has been due to the fact that domestic demand for vaccine was mounting. Since only a few countries could invest in it, manufacturing and export remained at the behest of those few resulting in deep inequity in the global rollout. Pandemics are global health crises. Hence, calls for the patent waiver for the COVID-19 vaccine are growing to access the vaccine. The vaccine and its production, marketing and distribution have been politicized driven by the hegemonic aspiration. Both manufacturing and import-dependent countries are racing to win the diplomatic battle: the former has to win to gain hegemony and the latter to get the vaccine. Hence, the vaccine distribution has been marked with deep discrimination, and as a result, the migrant community is less likely to get their vaccine on time. This article engages in the decades-long debate over intellectual property rights and patenting life-saving vaccines. We argue that exemption of COVID-19 vaccines from intellectual property rights would improve global access and equity.

This study examines Muslim converts' perceptions in a Muslim-majority country of the influence of mass media (television and radio), and social media (Facebook and YouTube) in addressing Islamophobia within the framework of Stig Hjarvard's mediatization concept. Mediatization, according to Hjarvard, is the understanding of how media increasingly shape and influence various aspects of society, transforming the way individuals and institutions engage with the world. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach in order to understand Muslim converts’ lived experiences and their perspectives on the media strategies in combating Islamophobia. The participants were 20 Muslim converts living in Sabah and Sarawak city centres. Data was collected through individual interviews and analysed using the thematic analysis and interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA). The study discovered the presence of Islamophobia in Sabah and Sarawak. It is found that Muslim converts in Sabah and Sarawak perceive the media, including both Islamic mass media and social media, as influential tools in combating Islamophobia, with a focus on dispelling myths, promoting understanding and engaging in interfaith dialogue. This research expands Hjarvard's concept of media influence in countering Islamophobia through Islamic da’wah. In conclusion, this study emphasises the media's vital role as an alternative information source, aiding in educating about Islam and potentially decreasing or eliminating Islamophobia in Malaysia and the global setting.

This sequential exploratory mixed-methods study explores the self-efficacy (SE) of Islamic Education (ISED) teacher trainees in three domains (i.e., curriculum design and implementation, teaching and classroom assessment) as they experienced a four-month teaching practicum at various schools in Malaysia. The survey sample comprised 56 ISED undergraduates, aged 21 to 30, who were in their final year of teacher training at the Kulliyyah of Education, IIUM. They completed a two-part Likert-type questionnaire with 23 items measuring their confidence levels in specific aspects of the three SE domains. The interview participants were four ISED trainees randomly selected from the survey sample. The survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while the interview data were scrutinised for recurring themes on trainees’ SE beliefs and teaching practicum challenges. Consistent with many previous studies, the results indicated high levels of self-efficacy among the ISED teacher trainees, particularly in technology usage (89.3%) and collaborating with colleagues and administrators (85.7%). Five broad areas of self-efficacy improvement were identified, namely higher-order teaching, differentiating instruction, classroom management, learning assessment and lesson evaluation. The study recommends the use of lesson study and increasing the contact hours for microteaching to further develop teacher trainees’ instructional competencies, thereby increasing their levels of self-efficacy in teaching ISED as a school subject.