Norshariani Abd Rahman

This study examines how interactive digital educational games influence English vocabulary acquisition among primary school learners. With technology becoming central to modern classrooms, it is important to evaluate whether gamified tools genuinely enhance engagement, motivation, and retention, especially in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings. To address this, a quasi-experimental design was applied with two Grade 4 classes of similar academic ability at Al Musbah First Cycle School in North Al Batinah Governorate, Oman. The study aimed to assess whether digital games could provide a more effective approach to vocabulary learning than traditional instruction. Over one semester, the experimental group was taught vocabulary using carefully selected digital educational games that integrated animated visuals, real-time auditory feedback, and adaptive challenges. These features were aligned with curriculum standards and intended to promote active learner participation. The control group, by contrast, learned through conventional methods such as textbook exercises and teacher-led repetition. Pre- and post-tests were administered to both groups to evaluate vocabulary development. Results showed significant vocabulary gains in the experimental group, highlighting the effectiveness of digital games in EFL instruction. Beyond improved performance, students displayed greater motivation and willingness to participate, suggesting reduced anxiety and stronger engagement. This research contributes empirical evidence to ongoing discussions on educational technology by demonstrating the pedagogical value of gamified learning. It further offers practical recommendations for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers on integrating digital games into EFL classrooms to foster inclusive, multimodal learning environments that sustain vocabulary growth.

In today’s educational landscape, developing higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)—such as analysing, evaluating, and creating—has become increasingly important, especially for students preparing to navigate a complex global world. A key component of HOTS is critical thinking (CTS), which enables learners to assess ideas logically, connect concepts, and make sound decisions. In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, verbal questioning plays a vital role in encouraging students to articulate their thoughts, reason through problems, and engage in meaningful dialogue. This study presents a systematic review of over one hundred academic sources—including peer-reviewed articles, educational reports, and case studies—exploring how verbal questioning techniques contribute to the development of HOTS and CTS in EFL settings. The findings point to several effective teaching strategies, along with recurring challenges and ways to address them. The review shows that inquiry-based approaches and collaborative learning tasks can significantly enhance learners' abilities to analyse, synthesize, and evaluate information. Active classroom methods like discussions and role-playing not only help students retain content but also apply it in practical ways. However, several barriers hinder the broader adoption of these strategies, including insufficient teacher training, overemphasis on standardized testing, and limited availability of teaching tools and digital resources. To address these obstacles, the paper highlights the need for continuous professional development, curriculum reforms that integrate CTS components, and greater support in terms of instructional materials and technology access. Together, these steps can help create more engaging and intellectually stimulating environments where HOTS and CTS can thrive.

The restaurant industry is a major contributor to global food waste, making effective waste management essential for sustainability. This study investigates the practices employed by restaurant managers and workers across five districts in Selangor, Malaysia, to mitigate food waste and enhance resource efficiency. Employing a qualitative approach through thematic analysis, the study identifies four key practices: waste reduction methods, recycling, technological integration, and social initiatives. The findings highlight that inventory management and real-time food preparation are crucial for minimizing excess food, while innovation in repurposing surplus food further reduces waste. Recycling efforts, such as composting and using food waste as animal feed, contribute significantly to sustainable waste cycles. Additionally, technological solutions, including inventory tracking and decomposition systems, facilitate effective waste monitoring and reduction. Social initiatives, such as community food donation programs, promote broader environmental stewardship. This study offers actionable insights for restaurant operators, policymakers, and stakeholders by highlighting the need for structured inventory practices, portion control policies, and investment in smart waste-reduction technologies to reduce operational inefficiencies and promote environmental sustainability. Despite these efforts, challenges persist, notably in addressing consumer behavior, staff shortages, and food over-preparation, which require continued attention and strategic intervention. Food waste management requires the integration of practical, technological, and community-based strategies tailored to the specific challenges of the local food service context.

Climate change issues require collaboration in large-scale problem-solving initiatives like environmental volunteering. Environmental volunteerism can reduce environmental management costs, improve environmental quality and personal development of environmental volunteers. In this regard, it is essential to investigate factors leading to volunteers’ dropping out of these programmes. This can be done by examining volunteers’ sustainability intention toward environmental volunteering participation. Therefore, this study examined the dominant factors that contribute to the sustainability intention in environmental volunteering through values orientation, society norms, and perceived well-being. 356 youth environmental volunteers from Klang Valley, Malaysia, were selected as respondents. Through structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, our findings validated three dimensions of values orientation (egoistic, altruistic and biospheric), three dimensions of society norms (requirement, cultures, and social influence) and three dimensions of environmental volunteers’ well-being (positive emotion, relationship, and achievement). The study’s findings showed that predictor variables (values orientation, society norms, and perceived well-being) contributing 72% to the intention to sustain environmental volunteering. Volunteers’ well-being is the main factor contributing to intention. Mediating analysis shows that perceived well-being was a half mediator in the relationship between values and intention. However, perceived well-being does not mediate the relationship between society norms and intention. Therefore, the environmental volunteering programmes developed need to align with youths’ values and well-being such as focusing on fun activities, competency development and expanding the network to attract volunteers to sustain their participation. This study has implications for environmental stakeholders, especially the government, environmental non-government organisations (NGOs), and education institutions in recruiting and engaging volunteers.

The advancements in science and technology brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution have indirectly highlighted the need to integrate spiritual components into science education effectively. Nevertheless, as this transformation unfolds, educational institutions are increasingly expressing worries about students' character and emotional and spiritual growth. The conventional cognitive domain list, which has been the main emphasis of traditional education and is commonly used to organize curriculum learning objectives, needs to be revised to address the existing gap, especially from an Islamic education point of view. Various pedagogical approaches have been proposed to reconcile scientific knowledge with Islamic ideals by integrating Islamic teachings and science. This research analyses the existing teaching and learning that combine religion, primarily Islam, with the science teaching and learning model. This study has identified the key characteristics required for an educational approach that combines science and religion, which are tadabbur (contemplation), ibrah (lesson), and reflection, in addition to other conventional cognitive aspects, such as innovating and creative thinking. These characteristics can be suggested to produce a comprehensive integrated Islam and science curriculum taxonomy which is important for the holistic development of human being.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

The serious environmental issues require a variety of teaching and learning approaches towards environmental solutions. Environmental education is crucial in solving the environmental issues and enhance ethical behaviour towards the environment. However, since environmental education is conducted across the curriculum, the application of environmental education depends on the creativity of the teacher. Therefore, this study aims to explore the implementation approaches of environmental education in Integrated Islamic Science Schools based on the teachers’ perspectives. This qualitative study was conducted using interview from 9 teachers from two Integrated Islamic Science School; four science teachers, four Islamic education teachers and an advisory teacher of Geography and Environmental Club. Data from teacher's interview transcriptions has been analyzed according to the theme of environmental education approach that were implemented by teachers. The findings show that the implementations of environmental education in the Integrated Islamic Science Schools have been implemented through formal and informal education. The integration of environmental education was also supported by the administrators through learning activities in the classroom and co-curriculum. This efforts hopefully will foster student's awareness in changing the environmental behavior.

Pro-environmental behaviour is imperative to promote sustainable management and consumption of energy in the fight against climate change. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been widely used to explain and predict behaviour in a multitude of behavioural domains including pro-environmental behaviour. However, the TPB does not prioritise the influence of knowledge and habits on pro-environmental behaviour. Past studies also confirmed the influence of cultural factors in predicting environmental intent and behaviour, which were not covered by TPB. Considering that Malaysia is a multicultural country, on top of the environmental education factors, cognitive competencies, and affective factors, the influence of values that contribute to the pro-environmental intention behaviour on energy conservation has also to be considered. Hence, this study employed Fuzzy Delphi Method to determine the indicators explaining the effects of educational and psychological factors on pro-environmental behaviour. It was hypothesized that educational factors, cognitive competencies and affective factors influence secondary students’ pro-environmental behaviour on energy conservation. The students’ cultural viewpoint was also proposed as the regulating effect on their energy conservation behaviour. A total of 25 experts were selected to validate the questionnaire developed. The items/constructs developed were environmental factors (formal, non-formal and informal educations), cognitive factors, affective factors (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and civic values) and environmental conservation behaviour. The value construct, which comprised of values of empathy, respect, cooperation, responsibility, justice, equality, integrity, and altruism. Majority of the items/constructs were accepted by the experts. This reflects that the items/constructs developed were relevant to the study as the experts agreed with these items/constructs.

Pro-environmental behavior in addressing climate change is influenced by multi-dimensional factors—knowledge, values, intention and sociodemographic background. Correlational studies between environmental values and environmental behaviors have not been able to determine values or behaviors that need to be given priority in future interventions. Therefore, this study firstly determined the environmental values and pro-environmental behavior that are easy or difficult to embrace by 152 respondents with low socioeconomic background. Secondly, we identified the extent pro-environmental behavior is triggered by environmental values. This survey study employs the Rasch analysis model. The respondents had difficulty in associating themselves with biospheric values however readily demonstrated consideration toward altruistic values, especially related to concerns for future generations. In terms of environmental conservation behavior, the respondents were not willing to relinquish comfort easily, such as giving up self-driving and taking public transportation or reducing usage of electricity. In addition, adults of low socioeconomic background find it difficult to endorse statements such as getting involved in campaigns related to environmental conservation. Thus, younger family members must be educated about conservation behaviors such as environmental campaigns commonly offered at schools, and these youngsters can be encouraged to extend their role by educating their parents.