My Loghat!: Design, Development, and Evaluation of a Mobile Multimedia Application for Malay Dialect Learning and Cultural Immersion in Tourism

Abstract

As global tourism continues to expand, effective communication between tourists and local communities remains a persistent challenge. This paper presents the development and evaluation of My Loghat!, an interactive mobile e-learning application designed to teach Malay language dialects from four Malaysian states — Terengganu, Kedah, Sabah, and Perak — to tourists. Guided by the Multimedia Development Life Cycle (MDLC) methodology, the application integrated audio recordings of native dialect speakers, visual aids, culturally contextualised content (state history, traditional costumes, and notable places), and gamified quizzes. The system was implemented using Adobe Animate, Audacity, and Canva, and deployed as an Android APK. A structured evaluation was conducted involving two multimedia experts and 20 target users, assessed across three dimensions: content quality, effectiveness, and user satisfaction, using a four-point Likert scale. The results demonstrated strong overall acceptance, with 54.1% of target user responded at the 'Agree' level and 45.9% at 'Strongly Agree'. All responses were positive, indicating no disagreement with the application's features. The expert evaluations similarly yielded predominantly positive assessments. The findings suggest that My Loghat! represents a viable, accessible, and engaging tool for improving dialect comprehension and cultural immersion among tourists visiting Malaysia. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and cultural heritage preservation through technology.