Trends in Undergraduate Research

Linguistic Taboos in the Rungus Culture

Kimm Victoria Jaffry, Yvonne Michelle Campbell — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

In this era of globalisation where intercultural communication occurs on a day-to-day basis, knowledge of linguistic taboos is crucial to avoid miscommunication and culture shocks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the categories and cultural context of the Rungus community’s linguistic taboos in relation to their indigenous worldview. This qualitative descriptive study involved interviews with 15 Rungus respondents from Kudat, Sabah. This study revealed five types of linguistic taboos namely morality-related, veneration-related, decorum-related, religion-related, and fear-related linguistic taboos. The cultural context of these linguistic taboos is based on the belief system where everything revolves around keeping the peace with fellow humans as well as the spirits. The cultural context can also be described using common elements in indigenous worldviews such as dynamic balance, kinships extending beyond the human realm, community, and reciprocity.

Corak Komunikasi Keluarga dan Penghargaan Kendiri Belia dalam Keluarga Ibu Bapa Tunggal

Siti Haslina Hussin, Nur Aisyah Ardila Abdul Rahman — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Komunikasi keluarga yang berkesan memainkan peranan penting dalam pembentukan penghargaan kendiri, terutamanya dalam kalangan belia yang berasal daripada keluarga ibu bapa tunggal. Ketiadaan pasangan dalam struktur keluarga ini mewujudkan cabaran melaksanakan komunikasi keluarga yang efektif dalam kehidupan seharian. Kajian ini dijalankan bagi meneliti hubungan antara corak komunikasi keluarga dengan tahap penghargaan kendiri dalam kalangan belia yang tinggal dalam keluarga ibu bapa tunggal. Responden kajian terdiri daripada 90 belia berusia antara 13 hingga 20 tahun di kawasan Sarikei, Sarawak. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan borang soal selidik yang mengandungi dua instrumen utama iaitu Revised Family Communication Pattern (RFCP) untuk mengukur corak komunikasi keluarga dan Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) bagi menilai tahap penghargaan kendiri responden. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis menggunakan perisian Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) versi 27. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahawa tiada hubungan yang signifikan antara corak komunikasi keluarga dengan tahap penghargaan kendiri belia. Namun begitu, dapatan kajian ini memberikan gambaran yang jelas mengenai interaksi belia dalam struktur keluarga ibu bapa tunggal, di mana ketiadaan pasangan mewujudkan cabaran komunikasi yang unik. Kajian ini juga berpotensi membantu pihak-pihak berkepentingan, termasuk kaunselor dan pendidik, dalam merangka intervensi yang sesuai bagi menyokong kesejahteraan psikososial belia daripada keluarga tunggal.

Lung Cancer Awareness and Media Framing: A Study of Public Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions in Malaysia

Su-Hie Ting, Jonnie Beng-Heng Kiew — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

The study examined knowledge, attitudes and perceptions the public towards lung cancer, and types of lung cancer information highlighted in newspapers in Malaysia. The descriptive study involved 155 questionnaire respondents and qualitative content analysis of articles on lung cancer published in four English dailies in Malaysia. The Health Belief Model underpinned the study. A majority of the Malaysian respondents had low to moderate knowledge of lung cancer, a high level of perceived severity, a low level of perceived risk, and positive attitudes and intentions towards lung cancer preventive measures (strong response efficacy, strong self-efficacy, strong belief in benefits). The newspaper articles crafted the threat of lung cancer through emphasis on severity (25.84%) and susceptibility (23.60%), rather than recommended actions (19.10%), benefits (16.85%) and barriers (14.61%). Both the questionnaire and content analysis results identify poor practical knowledge on ways to seek screening and diagnosis as a bigger barrier to adoption of health preventive measures than cost and addiction to tobacco smoking. The study provides novel findings on the need to distinguish between knowledge of severity, susceptibility and treatment options, which is moderate to good, and practical knowledge of ways to seek screening and treatment, in public education programmes.

Intervensi Visualisasi Tajwid: Keberkesanan Media Flashcard Terhadap Pembelajaran Mengingat Huruf Mad (Hukum Nun Sakinah (ْن) dan Tanwin (ـٌـــ ,ـٍـــ ,ًـــ ))

Siti Nasuha Binti Singki, Salinayanti Salim, Siti Aishah Chu Abdullah — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Ilmu tajwid merupakan aspek penting dalam membaca al-Quran kerana ia memastikan setiap huruf dilafazkan dengan betul mengikut makhraj dan sifatnya. Namun, penguasaan hukum tajwid, khususnya hukum nun sakinah (ْن) dan tanwin (ـٌـــ ,ـٍـــ ,ًـــ ), masih lemah dalam kalangan pelajar, terutamanya mereka yang berprestasi rendah. Kekeliruan dalam mengenal pasti dan mengaplikasikan hukum serta kekurangan bahan bantu mengajar yang interaktif menjadi antara penyebab utama. Justeru, kajian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pemahaman pelajar terhadap hukum tajwid tersebut melalui intervensi penggunaan media berasaskan flashcard dalam kelas Halaqah yang direka khusus untuk pelajar program Pendidikan Islam bagi memperkukuh kemahiran bacaan al-Quran mereka. Kajian ini menggunakan model kajian tindakan Kemmis dan McTaggart (1988) yang melibatkan empat fasa iaitu pemerhatian, perancangan, tindakan dan refleksi. Seramai 40 orang pelajar terlibat, namun hanya 12 orang pelajar berprestasi rendah dipilih sebagai fokus kajian berdasarkan keputusan ujian pra. Intervensi visualisasi tajwid berasaskan permainan media flashcard dilaksanakan selama sebulan bagi membantu pelajar mengenal, mengingat dan membezakan hukum nun sakinah dan tanwin. Hasil kajian menunjukkan peningkatan ketara dalam penguasaan tajwid dalam kalangan pelajar berdasarkan perbandingan ujian pra dan pos. Peningkatan ini dapat dikesan menerusi keputusan ujian pos yang dilaksanakan pada akhir intervensi yang menunjukkan perbezaan ketara antara ujian pra dan pos. Selain itu, peningkatan menerusi pemerhatian juga dilihat dari segi keyakinan diri, kemahiran berkomunikasi, serta keseronokan dalam proses pembelajaran. Penemuan kajian ini membuktikan bahawa penggunaan media flashcard sebagai intervensi visual mampu meningkatkan penguasaan hukum tajwid secara signifikan melalui pendekatan pembelajaran yang lebih interaktif dan berfokuskan pelajar. Oleh itu, kajian ini menyumbang kepada bidang Pendidikan Islam dengan menawarkan model intervensi pembelajaran tajwid yang terbukti efektif untuk meningkatkan prestasi pelajar berprestasi rendah.

Assessment of uS17 Expression in Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines HT-29 and HCT116 Reveals Minimal Variation

Ms Irene Khai-Yen Kho, Prof Edmund Ui-Hang Sim — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant neoplasm that develops in the large intestine, specifically in the colon and rectum. The ribosomal protein gene uS17 (RPS11) has been found to be overexpressed in CRC tissues, while its presence in normal colorectal mucosa is minimal. However, its expression pattern across different types of CRC remains poorly understood and its prognostic potentials is underexplored. In this study, we investigated the expression levels of uS17 in two CRC cell lines, HT29 and HCT116, to assess potential differences in expression between these cell types. HT29 was derived from a late-stage primary colorectal adenocarcinoma, whereas HCT116 originated from an advanced-stage metastatic colorectal carcinoma. A semi-quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assay, along with a two-tailed unpaired t-test for inferential statistical analysis, were used in our evaluation. Although a higher uS17 expression level was observed in the HT29 cell line compared to HCT116, the difference was not statistically significant, suggesting minimal variation in uS17 expression between two different CRC cell lines of different origins, cellular differentiation, and stages of malignancy. While further studies incorporating additional cell lines and in situ tissue analyses are warranted, our findings offer novel insights into the expression profile of uS17 in specific CRC cell models.

Analysis of Stomach Content from Estuarine Crocodiles in Sarawak

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

The population of Estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in Sarawak has increased over the past three decades. This population increase is believed to be associated with the rising number of crocodile attacks on human and livestock. However, the ecological factors underlying human-crocodile conflicts (HCC) remain poorly understood. Studying the gut contents of C. porosus is essential to understand their feeding behaviour and ecological role, providing insights that could help mitigate this long-standing HCC. Therefore, this study is carried out to assess the type and the amount of non-organic and organic items found in the crocodile stomach. Five individuals of adult crocodiles were examined for stomach contents following the standard operating procedure. The analysis revealed a total of 44 pieces of non-organic items are found in the crocodile stomachs, with plastic debris is the most common, followed by metal, fabric and glass. The organic items mainly consist of skeletal remains such as skull, bones, and other remnants of prey items. The findings of this study established baseline data on stomach content of adult crocodiles in Sarawak. The heterogenous composition of ingested materials indicates a high degree of complexity in the species’ feeding behaviour. In future, more in-depth research questions should be emphasized especially pertaining to feeding activity and pattern which will be useful for sustainable management of the HCC.