The difference is that print imparts a list context, but the dot operator creates a scalar context. Your sqlExecute() ends with "return @result". An array in a scalar context evaluates to the number of items in the array, but in a list context, it's all the elements of the array.

Update: Here are a couple ways to get what you want without three lines:

• Use commas: print "\t\t".$key." : ", sqlExecute($value), "\n";
• Interpolate an anonymous array reference: print "\t\t$key : @{[ sqlExecute($value) ]}\n";

The first is better for print, but the second can be useful in other places where you want to interpolate a function call.