PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The Malaysian University English Test (MUET) has been used as a tool to measure students’ proficiency in the English language. It serves as a prerequisite for entry to tertiary education, as well as a requirement for graduating students, particularly those pursuing a non ESL programme. Students’ continuous poor performances in the writing component in MUET resulted in the revamp by the Malaysian Examination Council. In analysing the cause for such poor performances, this study aims to investigate pre-university students’ perceptions on the use of mobile learning (e.g., learning via smartphone, iPad, tablet computer and Personal Digital Assistant) for writing. A total of 157 pre-university students from five national secondary schools in Betong, Sarawak were involved in this study. This study employed a mixed-method approach. The findings indicated that a majority of the students had positive perceptions on the use of mobile learning. The use of mobile learning could enhance the students’ proficiency in English language. This is crucial because having excellent proficiency helps to improve students’ writing skills and performance. By integrating the elements of ICT in learning, it also meets the Malaysian Education Blueprint necessity to maximise the use of ICT in the classroom; in line with the twenty-first century learning.