Dr. Sabah Sabbah holds MA in TEFL and Ph.D. in English Language Curriculum and Instruction. She has worked as a teacher trainer, a supervisor and an assistant professor. She attended courses in English pedagogy in Jordan, Britain and U.S. She published 25 research papers and two books in Education. She presented papers in Innovations 2014 Conference in Anaheim, U.S.A., in CCQ Humanities Conference, in Qatar and Dubai TESOL, 2015
This article paper aims to highlight the sociolinguistic phenomenon of “diglossia”. A comprehensi... more This article paper aims to highlight the sociolinguistic phenomenon of “diglossia”. A comprehensive discussion of Ferguson‟s theory of diglossia is presented with more focus on diglossia definition and the use of language varieties. More specifically, some debates launched by Professor El-Hassan, Shaher, (1977) relating to the verification of Ferguson‟s theory for the Arabic language are emphasized. Multi-dimensional characterizations of diglossia in relation to attitudes and usage that included function, prestige, literary heritage, acquisition, standardization, stability, grammar, lexicon and phonology of diglossia in the Arab world are illustrated. Evidence from the Arabic Language are provided to illustrate each dimension. At the end of the article, a comparison between different spoken examples of dialectical expressions of some Arab countries are stated alongside their English-letters transliteration as the practical side of the article with a purpose of elucidating diglossia ...
This book consists of 134 pages. It highlights the new trends in teaching English as a Second Lan... more This book consists of 134 pages. It highlights the new trends in teaching English as a Second Language. The author has cited different references of outstanding researchers and books authors in teaching English Pedagogy. Classroom activities and assessment tips have been compiled from the author's own experiences in teaching English for 20 years. The book includes five chapters. Chapter one is entitled "Approaches, Methods, and Techniques." It starts by defining the terms: approach, method, and technique. Then, a general discussion on the theories of language and theories of learning is conducted followed by detailed information on the chronological emergence of English teaching methods. More focus has been given to highlight the main principles, premises, role of teachers, role of students, and ways of implementing each method . Chapter two includes details about teaching the four language skills. Chapter three sheds light on the use of technical and non-technical tea...
INTRODUCTIONReading, as a receptive skill is very important in learning a foreign language. McGin... more INTRODUCTIONReading, as a receptive skill is very important in learning a foreign language. McGinnis and Smith, 1982 (cited in Rizqiya 2013, p. 31) defined reading, as "a purposeful process of identifying, interpreting, and evaluating ideas in terms of the mental content or the total awareness of the reader." Reading consists of two related processes: word recognition and comprehension. "Comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text."(Pang, Muaka, Bernhardt, & Kamill 2003, p.6). These levels can be summarized as "Reading the lines, reading between the lines and reading beyond the lines." (Gray cited in Shermila 1999, p. 27). The successful comprehension of a text is achieved by employing various reading skills, such as making inferences, understanding the organizational pattern of the text, identifying the main idea and sub-ideas, and figuring out the relationship among these ideas and the details given in the text ...
This qualitative study investigated the factors that affected the motivation and receptivity of E... more This qualitative study investigated the factors that affected the motivation and receptivity of English as a second language of female students who enrolled in the English Language center of the Foundation Program in the Community College of Qatar in the academic year 2015/2016. Besides, the study attempted to identify the mechanisms that are used by families, teachers, college administrators, and classmates that motivate or demotivate the students. Finally, the study tried to identify how the classroom environment impacted students’ motivation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 students in different ESL levels in which the participants were asked different questions related to the impact of five dimensions on the respondents’ motivation to learn English. These dimensions are concerned about family impact, teachers’ impact, administrators’ impact, classmates’ impact, and impact of the respondents’ willingness and goals to learn the target language. The questions were ...
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Translation No.4 May, 2015 Pp. 269-288 Negativ... more Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Translation No.4 May, 2015 Pp. 269-288 Negative Transfer: Arabic Language Interference to Learning English Sabah Salman Sabbah English Language Center Community College of Qatar Abstract This paper is a survey of literature review whereby the researcher explored previous studies and pieces of research conducted to investigate the negative effects of Arabic language interference to learning English. Theories of negative language transfer were discussed, definitions of errors and mistakes were highlighted, sources of errors were stated, and different taxonomies of types of errors made by Arab students learning English were listed. It was not a purpose of this paper to discuss the sampling, or the setting of the previous research. Rather, it aimed at pinpointing their findings that can clarify the differences between Arabic and English and how these differences cause Arab learners of English to make mistakes in producing the target language. The researcher elucidated the types of syntactic, lexical, phonological, morphological, and orthographical errors made by the Arab learners of English as quoted from previous literature. Errors in forming tenses, pronouns, relative clauses, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, articles, pronunciation, and punctuation were listed. A lot of examples were used to illustrate these errors. At the end of the current paper, the researcher listed recommendations as a contribution to guide the English as a second language instructors on what might be regarded good pedagogical strategies and techniques to deal with their students' errors. Keywords: contrastive analysis; errors and mistakes; negative transfer.
It is educationally acknowledged that reading is an important skill for acquiring a second langua... more It is educationally acknowledged that reading is an important skill for acquiring a second language academically. However, it has been noticed that students' results in reading in the Foundation program in the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) are not satisfactory. This study used a quasi-experimental pre-posttest design to investigate the effect of using jigsaw cooperative strategy on ELS students' achievement in reading comprehension. Convenience sampling of the two classes was used from the female students enrolling in Level 4 reading classes in the Foundation Program in the Community College of Qatar in the fourth quarter of the academic year of 2013-2014. It is a non-probability sampling technique where two classes were selected because of their convenient accessibility to the researcher as the researcher was supposed to teach them reading. The two classes were assigned randomly to two groups: the experimental group (n=16 students) which was taught seven units in Real Re...
This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English nati... more This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English native and non-native speakers. The researcher used a chronological approach in describing each syllabus type in accordance to its emergence in epistemology of the syllabus design and pedagogical trends in teaching English in the world. Theories of language and learning, characteristics of each syllabus, and pros and cons of the discussed syllabi were highlighted throughout the article. Emphasis was also given to shed light on the interrelationship between syllabi types and pedagogical approaches and techniques. The process of syllabi design was also discussed with examples. The researcher endeavored to cite texts from proponents of authors and scholars who discussed each syllabus. The strategy used in presenting the information in this article was to list main titles and write explanatories to describe the syllabus. Primary and secondary resources were referred to for more ideas. Thus, some resources dated back to the 1985-2017. This was done on purpose to highlight authentic resources of the pioneer linguists and scholars of each type of syllabi.
This article paper aims to highlight the sociolinguistic phenomenon of “diglossia”. A comprehensi... more This article paper aims to highlight the sociolinguistic phenomenon of “diglossia”. A comprehensive discussion of Ferguson‟s theory of diglossia is presented with more focus on diglossia definition and the use of language varieties. More specifically, some debates launched by Professor El-Hassan, Shaher, (1977) relating to the verification of Ferguson‟s theory for the Arabic language are emphasized. Multi-dimensional characterizations of diglossia in relation to attitudes and usage that included function, prestige, literary heritage, acquisition, standardization, stability, grammar, lexicon and phonology of diglossia in the Arab world are illustrated. Evidence from the Arabic Language are provided to illustrate each dimension. At the end of the article, a comparison between different spoken examples of dialectical expressions of some Arab countries are stated alongside their English-letters transliteration as the practical side of the article with a purpose of elucidating diglossia ...
This book consists of 134 pages. It highlights the new trends in teaching English as a Second Lan... more This book consists of 134 pages. It highlights the new trends in teaching English as a Second Language. The author has cited different references of outstanding researchers and books authors in teaching English Pedagogy. Classroom activities and assessment tips have been compiled from the author's own experiences in teaching English for 20 years. The book includes five chapters. Chapter one is entitled "Approaches, Methods, and Techniques." It starts by defining the terms: approach, method, and technique. Then, a general discussion on the theories of language and theories of learning is conducted followed by detailed information on the chronological emergence of English teaching methods. More focus has been given to highlight the main principles, premises, role of teachers, role of students, and ways of implementing each method . Chapter two includes details about teaching the four language skills. Chapter three sheds light on the use of technical and non-technical tea...
INTRODUCTIONReading, as a receptive skill is very important in learning a foreign language. McGin... more INTRODUCTIONReading, as a receptive skill is very important in learning a foreign language. McGinnis and Smith, 1982 (cited in Rizqiya 2013, p. 31) defined reading, as "a purposeful process of identifying, interpreting, and evaluating ideas in terms of the mental content or the total awareness of the reader." Reading consists of two related processes: word recognition and comprehension. "Comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text."(Pang, Muaka, Bernhardt, & Kamill 2003, p.6). These levels can be summarized as "Reading the lines, reading between the lines and reading beyond the lines." (Gray cited in Shermila 1999, p. 27). The successful comprehension of a text is achieved by employing various reading skills, such as making inferences, understanding the organizational pattern of the text, identifying the main idea and sub-ideas, and figuring out the relationship among these ideas and the details given in the text ...
This qualitative study investigated the factors that affected the motivation and receptivity of E... more This qualitative study investigated the factors that affected the motivation and receptivity of English as a second language of female students who enrolled in the English Language center of the Foundation Program in the Community College of Qatar in the academic year 2015/2016. Besides, the study attempted to identify the mechanisms that are used by families, teachers, college administrators, and classmates that motivate or demotivate the students. Finally, the study tried to identify how the classroom environment impacted students’ motivation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 students in different ESL levels in which the participants were asked different questions related to the impact of five dimensions on the respondents’ motivation to learn English. These dimensions are concerned about family impact, teachers’ impact, administrators’ impact, classmates’ impact, and impact of the respondents’ willingness and goals to learn the target language. The questions were ...
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Translation No.4 May, 2015 Pp. 269-288 Negativ... more Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Translation No.4 May, 2015 Pp. 269-288 Negative Transfer: Arabic Language Interference to Learning English Sabah Salman Sabbah English Language Center Community College of Qatar Abstract This paper is a survey of literature review whereby the researcher explored previous studies and pieces of research conducted to investigate the negative effects of Arabic language interference to learning English. Theories of negative language transfer were discussed, definitions of errors and mistakes were highlighted, sources of errors were stated, and different taxonomies of types of errors made by Arab students learning English were listed. It was not a purpose of this paper to discuss the sampling, or the setting of the previous research. Rather, it aimed at pinpointing their findings that can clarify the differences between Arabic and English and how these differences cause Arab learners of English to make mistakes in producing the target language. The researcher elucidated the types of syntactic, lexical, phonological, morphological, and orthographical errors made by the Arab learners of English as quoted from previous literature. Errors in forming tenses, pronouns, relative clauses, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, articles, pronunciation, and punctuation were listed. A lot of examples were used to illustrate these errors. At the end of the current paper, the researcher listed recommendations as a contribution to guide the English as a second language instructors on what might be regarded good pedagogical strategies and techniques to deal with their students' errors. Keywords: contrastive analysis; errors and mistakes; negative transfer.
It is educationally acknowledged that reading is an important skill for acquiring a second langua... more It is educationally acknowledged that reading is an important skill for acquiring a second language academically. However, it has been noticed that students' results in reading in the Foundation program in the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) are not satisfactory. This study used a quasi-experimental pre-posttest design to investigate the effect of using jigsaw cooperative strategy on ELS students' achievement in reading comprehension. Convenience sampling of the two classes was used from the female students enrolling in Level 4 reading classes in the Foundation Program in the Community College of Qatar in the fourth quarter of the academic year of 2013-2014. It is a non-probability sampling technique where two classes were selected because of their convenient accessibility to the researcher as the researcher was supposed to teach them reading. The two classes were assigned randomly to two groups: the experimental group (n=16 students) which was taught seven units in Real Re...
This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English nati... more This article aims at probing the different types of syllabi used to teach English to English native and non-native speakers. The researcher used a chronological approach in describing each syllabus type in accordance to its emergence in epistemology of the syllabus design and pedagogical trends in teaching English in the world. Theories of language and learning, characteristics of each syllabus, and pros and cons of the discussed syllabi were highlighted throughout the article. Emphasis was also given to shed light on the interrelationship between syllabi types and pedagogical approaches and techniques. The process of syllabi design was also discussed with examples. The researcher endeavored to cite texts from proponents of authors and scholars who discussed each syllabus. The strategy used in presenting the information in this article was to list main titles and write explanatories to describe the syllabus. Primary and secondary resources were referred to for more ideas. Thus, some resources dated back to the 1985-2017. This was done on purpose to highlight authentic resources of the pioneer linguists and scholars of each type of syllabi.
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