The Learning Gap in Islamic Religious Education in the Digital Era

This research aims to explore the picture that occurs in Islamic Religious Education learning in the era of digitalization. This research is library research, using literature analysis from various sources on the internet. The results of the analysis in this research show that there are gaps in the implementation of PAI learning caused by various factors, including limited access to technology, lack of digitalization abilities or skills among educators and students, as well as uneven digital resources. The results of this research also suggest that a holistic approach needs to be taken in order to overcome this gap, including increasing access to technology, conducting digital skills training for educators, as well as developing digital-based learning content which is of course expected to be in accordance with the PAI curriculum.Penelitian ini memiliki tujuan dalam rangka mengeksplorasi kesenjangan yang terjadi dalam pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam di era digitalisasi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kepustakaan, dengan menggunakan analisis literatur dari berbagai sumber di internet. Hasil analisis dalam penelitian ini memperlihatkan bahwa terjadi kesenjangan dalam implementasi pembelajaran PAI yang diakibatkan dari berbagai faktor, termasuk diantaranya adalah keterbatasan akses teknologi, minimnya kemampuan atau skill digitalisasi pada kalangan pendidik maupun peserta didik, serta sumber daya digital yang tidak merata. Hasil penelitian ini sekaligus menyarankan bahwa perlu dilakukannya pendekatan holistik dalam rangka mengatasi adanya kesenjangan tersebut, diantaranya adalah termasuk peningkatan akses terhadap teknologi, melakukan pelatihan keterampilan digital terhadap pendidik, serta pengembangan konten pembelajaran berbasis digital yang tentunya diharapkan  sesuai dengan kurikulum PA

Educational Construction in Ibn Khaldun's Philosophy: Literary Analysis and Contribution to Contemporary Islamic Education

This article aims to analyze the construction of education in Ibn Khaldun's philosophy and explore its contribution to contemporary Islamic education through a literature-based approach. Using library research methods, this study examines Ibn Khaldun's major work, Muqaddimah, along with various secondary literatures that discuss his philosophical views on education. The findings reveal that Ibn Khaldun views education as a gradual social process, emphasizing practical and moral learning, and the importance of critical, non-dogmatic education. This concept is relevant to the challenges of modern Islamic education, particularly in efforts to integrate intellectual and ethical education to build a generation that contributes to the advancement of civilization

Knowledge, attitude and practice on carbonated drinks consumption among young adults in Pekan, Pahang

Consumption of carbonated drinks among young adults increases due to a variety of carbonated drinks available in the markets. This situation can put health condition of young adults at risk which may expose them to non-communicable disease such as diabetes. This study aimed at assessing knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on carbonated drinks consumption among young adults in Pekan, Pahang. A comparison between young adults males and females on knowledge, attitude and practice of carbonated drinks intake was studied. A total of 94 respondents consisting of 47 males and 47 females aged 18 to 35 years old participated in this study. The KAP questionnaires were distributed to various housing area around Pekan, Pahang. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Independent T-test (parametric test) and Mann-Whitney U test (non-parametric test). P-value was set at p<0.05 as statistically significant. Result obtained for knowledge showed that there was no significant difference in knowledge score in percentage between males and females (p=0.831). It indicated that there was no difference among males and females regarding knowledge and understanding level on carbonated drinks. Meanwhile, there were significant differences for both attitude (p=0.049) and practice (p=0.032) score in percentage between males and females. This study demonstrated that males have negative attitude and high practice on consumption of carbonated drinks compared to females. In conclusion, an awareness program is required to be implemented in this population in order to reduce the consumption of carbonated drinks as it can lead to adverse health effects. Besides, involvement from various agencies which include health professionals and media are important in order to make the community aware of the importance of good nutritional status and health

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan students

Introduction: Malaysian is one of the highest sugar consumers in the Asia Pacific region. There has been no available report quantifying sugar intake among Malaysian until Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) 2003 study was done. However, data concerning sugar consumption among university students is scarce. Objective/aim: This study was conducted to assess sugar sweetened beverages intake among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan students. Methodology: A total of 42 of IIUM Kuantan students was recruited by convenience sampling method. A questionnaire consisting of 3 days food record was distributed to all participants as a tool for data collection. Food record was analyzed using the Nutritionist Pro software prior to statistical analysis with SPSS version 12.0. P value was set as p<0.05 as statistically significant level. Results: The mean energy intake of the students is 1631 + 466 kcal/day, which is lower than the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI) for Malaysian. The mean energy intake for male is 2197 ± 300 kcal/day and; while 1405 ± 295 kcal/day for female. The mean percentage of sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages in this population is 7.18%. A higher sugar-sweetened beverages consumption is found at breakfast, lunch and dinner compared to other meals. Conclusion and implication: Sugar intake from sugar sweetened beverages among the IIUM Kuantan students did not exceed the standard guidelines. Hence, this population is not at risk of adverse effects from excessive sugar intake which lead to lower risk of developing non-communicable disease

Prevalence and intervention of malnutrition risk of Malaysian elderly living in the community: A literature review

Introduction: Malnutrition among the elderly is a concern around the globe, including in Malaysia due to its negative effects to health. The aims of this review are to identify prevalence of malnutrition risk in Malaysian elderly living in the community; and to identify the types of nutrition intervention provided to the elderly following malnutrition risk identification. Methods: Literature searches were undertaken using online databases and a manual search. Main keywords used for literature search strategy were malnutrition, elderly and Malaysia. Inclusion criteria for the literature searches are studies performed in Malaysian community, using either nutrition screening or assessment tool and elderly aged ≥60 years old. Exclusion criteria are studied among hospitalized elderly, conducted in nursing homes, validation and development studies of nutrition screening tool. Results: Four published studies were eligible to be included in the review. The studies showed that prevalence of malnutrition in the Malaysian elderly living in the community is approximately 1.3% - 36.3%. A range of 25.3% to 48.5% elderly was reported to be at malnutrition risk. All of the identified studies were cross-sectional studies; whilst none of the studies provided nutrition intervention to the elderly. Conclusions: Alarming rates of malnutrition risk of Malaysian elderly living in the community has been identified. Appropriate nutrition intervention for malnourished and at risk elderly should be targeted to improve nutritional status and prevent health deterioration. Further evaluation of effectiveness of nutrition intervention following malnutrition risk identification is warranted in future studies

The research methodology for malnutrition risk identification and dietary practices among community living elderly

Introduction: Nutrition screening is an initial procedure to identify malnutrition, whilst subsequent nutrition intervention is warranted for at risk individuals. However, none of nutrition screening studies conducted among Malaysian elderly, accompanied by individualized nutrition intervention. The objective here is to describe the methodology to determine malnutrition risk and nutritional status of elderly in community at baseline and after 3 months of nutrition intervention; and to assess perception of elderly on their dietary practices. Methods: Elderly aged ≥ 60 years will be recruited as participants at several FELDA in Terengganu and Pahang with the calculated sample size of 416. Nutrition screening will be performed to identify malnutrition risk using a validated nutrition screening tool for the elderly in the community; the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form. Dietary intake will be assessed using the diet history method and individualized nutrition intervention will be provided to improve nutritional status. Nutrition screening and assessment will be repeated after three months for malnourished and at risk elderly. An in-depth individual interview will be conducted to assess perception on dietary practices particularly prophetic food intake. Quantitative and qualitative data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS software and NVivo software, respectively. Results: Nutritional status of the elderly is anticipated to improve after 3 months of nutrition intervention and the elderly will perceive that their dietary practices are good. Conclusions: This research is at the forefront to provide individualized nutrition intervention following nutrition screening among Malaysian community elderly. It can potentially prevent further health complications associated with malnutrition through timely malnutrition identification and nutrition intervention

Assessment of fruit and vegetable consumption among female university students

The low intake of fruits and vegetables is a global issue. This research aimed to determine the association of fruit and vegetable intake with waist circumference and barriers of intake. A total of 279 female students from the International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, were recruited through convenience sampling and provided with a set of questionnaires to identify their fruits and vegetable intake. The waist circumference of respondents was measured. The majority of students consumed only one serving of fruit and vegetable per day, which is less than the levels recommended by the Malaysian Dietary Guideline. Only 9.0% of students had a fruits intake of two servings/day, while 6.5% had a vegetable intake of three servings/day which meets the recommendation. There was no significant association of fruits and vegetable intake with waist circumference among female students. Non-availability and not delicious were identified as major barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption respectively. In conclusion, the fruit and vegetable intake among the majority of female university students is inadequate. Thus, there is a need to increase awareness and develop strategies to promote adequate fruit and vegetable intake among this specific target group

The research methodology for malnutrition risk identification and dietary practices among community living elderly

Introduction: Nutrition screening is an initial procedure to identify malnutrition, whilst subsequent nutrition intervention is warranted for at risk individuals. However, none of nutrition screening studies conducted among Malaysian elderly accompanied by individualized nutrition intervention. The objective here is to describe the methodology to determine malnutrition risk and nutritional status of elderly in community at baseline and after 3 months of nutrition intervention; and to assess perception of elderly on their dietary practices. Materials and Methods: Elderly aged ≥60 years will be recruited as participants at several FELDA in Terengganu and Pahang with the calculated sample size of 416. Nutrition screening will be performed to identify malnutrition risk using a validated nutrition screening tool for elderly in community; the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form. Dietary intake will be assessed using diet history method and individualized nutrition intervention will be provided to improve nutritional status. Nutrition screening and assessment will be repeated after three months for malnourished and at risk elderly. In-depth individual interview will be conducted to assess perception on dietary practices particularly prophetic food intake. Quantitative and qualitative data will be analysed using IBM SPSS software and NVivo software, respectively. Results: Nutritional status of the elderly is anticipated to improve after 3 months of nutrition intervention and the elderly will perceive that their dietary practices are good. Conclusion: This research is at the forefront to provide individualized nutrition intervention following nutrition screening among Malaysian community elderly. It can potentially prevent further health complications associated with malnutrition through timely malnutrition identification and nutrition intervention

A survey on students’ perception on leisure reading in English among form one students in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan La Salle, Klang / Aliya Han Ira Hamirudin

This study intends to find out Form One students’ perception on leisure reading in English. In addition, the study was designed to investigate the students’ involvement in reading in general and leisure reading, and to determine whether the students read English materials and the genres that the students read. The tool in gathering the data was questionnaire. The research questions are: Do the students read English written texts?, Are the students involved in reading activity?, Are the students involved in leisure reading activity?, Why are the students involved in leisure reading activity?, Where do the students read?, What are the kinds of books that the students read?. The questionnaire was distributed among 36 Form 1 E students of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan La Salle, Klang. The study indicated that 92 % of the students read non-English materials and English materials a minimum of 30 minutes per week. 59 % read English materials more than 4 hours per week. A large number (83 %) of the students indicated that they are involved in leisure reading activity. In term of the places where the students often spend time on reading, 75 % of the students like to read at home. In addition, the findings indicate that ‘Mystery’ is ranked as the top genre among the students as 56% of them chose this genre. J.K. Rowling and Enid Blyton are ranked as the top two in the students favourite writers’ list. 33% of the students chose J.K. Rowling, while 19% chose Enid Blyton. Aside from books, the students read a lot of magazines and newspapers. The favoured magazines among the students are ‘Galaxie’ and ‘Reader’s Digest’; 31 % read ‘Galaxie’ and 28 % read ‘Reader’s Digest’. It was found that some of the students read more than one newspaper. The most favoured newspaper is ‘The Star’ (92 % read this newspaper) and followed by New Straits Times, The Sun and Malay Mail. Most (70 %) of the students obtained English books through buying from the bookstores. Half (50 %) of the students indicated that their purpose in reading in English is to improve English. It also seems that parents play a significant role in motivating students to read as 61 % said that they were motivated by their parents. The findings show that the students’ perception towards leisure reading in English is generally positive. Although most (78 %) of the students regard reading in English as a method to improve their grade in English subject, one-third (33 %)of them genuinely love to read in English. 70 % of the students indicated that their problem in reading in English is understanding difficult words. Two students stated that they have no problem in reading as they always have dictionary in hand. The students’ common solution (75 %) to overcome their problems in reading is through utilizing dictionary. It is hoped that the outcomes of the study will be beneficial to the teachers in assisting their students to overcome reading problems