- Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
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This article reports on a mixed-method research into cultural representation of Islam in an English language textbook series being used at a Saudi Arabian university. The current study utilized Ideology Critique Methodology and was framed... more
This article reports on a mixed-method research into cultural representation of Islam in an English language textbook series being used at a Saudi Arabian university. The current study utilized Ideology Critique Methodology and was framed within the Critical Research Paradigm. The research used a structured questionnaire, followed by open-ended questions administered to 30 purposefully chosen language teachers. The study attempted to ascertain, in the light of Muslim teachers? perceptions, the representation of Islamic (and Saudi) culture, the extent of an international cultural outlook, and presence of any culturally inappropriate or offensive material in the contents of a most popular English language textbook series. The study also evaluated the pedagogical benefits of employing learners? culture (source culture) in the light of Schema Theory of learning. The study endorsed the idea of appropriation of English according to variable contexts and opposed predominance of western cul...
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Because all disciplines are connected, interdisciplinary studies are one of the most significant discussions in the education sector. It involves the merging of two or more academic disciplines into one activity. The aim of this research... more
Because all disciplines are connected, interdisciplinary studies are one of the most significant discussions in the education sector. It involves the merging of two or more academic disciplines into one activity. The aim of this research paper is to explore the relationship of interdisciplinary research and network among all departments at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in ResearchGate (RG) by using the statistical network analysis of undirected social networks. In our academic network, the departments of the university represent the vertices and their academic relationships. We will detect the communities between the departments in RG network by using statistical analysis of the network for each community. Finally, we will compare the academic social network at KAU to some random graph models, and investigate some random graph characteristics, such as power-law, small-world, and scale-free models. In our research, we found that the Department of Chemistry has the highest degree fo...
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The concept of intercultural communication has become a focus in English language teaching (ELT) against the backdrop of globalization, as English is now used as a lingua franca (ELF) among people with different first languages (L1s).... more
The concept of intercultural communication has become a focus in English language teaching (ELT) against the backdrop of globalization, as English is now used as a lingua franca (ELF) among people with different first languages (L1s). However, the current linguistic landscape of ELF does not reflect well in ELT practices in which native speakerism ideology persists and curriculum design and teaching materials largely remain oriented to native speakerism. To address this gap, data drawn from a participatory action research were analyzed to discuss students’ understanding and reflection of critical intercultural literacy. Several training activities in an adaptive English as a foreign language (EFL) course of intercultural communication that involved reading academic articles related to intercultural literacy were first implemented and two follow-up workshops were conducted with 10 Chinese university students as participants. Data from further interviews and reflective journals from t...
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Proverbs tend to reflect a nation’s social values, attitudes, and beliefs. The connotative meanings underlying animal proverbial sayings can either be affectionate or abusive based on the cultural aspects of the language under... more
Proverbs tend to reflect a nation’s social values, attitudes, and beliefs. The connotative meanings underlying animal proverbial sayings can either be affectionate or abusive based on the cultural aspects of the language under investigation. Although the semantic connotations of animal proverbs have been extensively studied, little scholarly attention has been paid to the proverbial expressions pertaining to animals in Saudi Arabia. The main aim of this study is to semantically and pragmatically investigate the connotations of animal proverbs in Hijazi Arabic in Saudi Arabia. The paper also seeks to deduce the representation of human-animal relation and explore the cultural values of the Hijazi society as depicted in the proverbs. The data is collected from different sources, mainly from a book of Hijazi proverbs by Atique (2018). About 11 animal proverbs were selected, classified and translated, both literally and figuratively, into English. The analysis of data is based on Lakoff ...
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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many educational changes, especially the shift towards the use of technology in all subjects. This longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the effect of learning environments—blended and... more
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many educational changes, especially the shift towards the use of technology in all subjects. This longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the effect of learning environments—blended and online, alone and with graded-reading websites/applications—on the reading comprehension of Saudi undergraduates majoring in English during COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, 130 participants were selected (control: male [N = 21], female [N = 54]; or experimental: male [N = 21], female [N = 34]). Although the four gender-based groups were exposed to the same learning environments—first blended and later online, which were either partially or dependent on technology—only the male and female experimental groups were required to use graded-reading websites/applications for approximately 10 months during the COVID-19 school lockdowns. All participants took four tests (pretest, posttest 1, posttest 2, and delayed posttest). Using the SPSS program, the results ...
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This study quantifies the associations among Islamic attributes of destination, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty. Islamic attributes of destination consists of four dimensions namely worship facilities, halalness, alcohol &... more
This study quantifies the associations among Islamic attributes of destination, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty. Islamic attributes of destination consists of four dimensions namely worship facilities, halalness, alcohol & gambling free, and Islamic morality. A survey instrument is used to examine the relationships in the proposed model by employing SEM technique. The collected primary data (n=243) from tourists in Aqaba city located in Jordan is conducted to test the relationship between exogenous and endogenous construct expressed in the proposed structural model. The findings revealed that Islamic attributes of destination directly and tourists’ satisfactions have significant impact on destination loyalty, besides tourists’ satisfaction has significant impact on tourists’ destination loyalty. However, as the coefficient of determination (R²) for the research endogenous variables for tourists’ satisfaction, and tourists’ destination loyalty were 0.41, and 0.18 respec...
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Gender is considered a vital factor that contributes in affecting the use and interpretation of politeness strategies by interlocutors (Mills, 2003) which is affirmed by various studies. The objective of the present study is to... more
Gender is considered a vital factor that contributes in affecting the use and interpretation of politeness strategies by interlocutors (Mills, 2003) which is affirmed by various studies. The objective of the present study is to investigate the use of politeness strategies among male and female interlocutors (a male interviews male and female interviewees) in a Saudi TV show to examine differences in case there are any. The present study is primarily based on the theoretical framework proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987). Such framework gives rise to a systematic network of politeness strategies, presupposing that speech acts are generally linked to the abstract cultural notion of “face”. Two questions are addressed as; firstly, Does the male interviewer use the same politeness strategies with both male and female interviewees? Secondly, what are the politeness strategies used by male and by female interviewees in their interaction with the male interviewer? Are they the same or dif...
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Over the last few decades, teaching English become a phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, especially to young learners. English is taught as a main subject in kindergarten and elementary schools. Like any other children, Saudis accept new foreign... more
Over the last few decades, teaching English become a phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, especially to young learners. English is taught as a main subject in kindergarten and elementary schools. Like any other children, Saudis accept new foreign languages easily, but they get bored very fast if the teacher is teaching them using the old conventional methods and techniques. The aim of this paper is to prove that games are effective tools when devised to explain vocabularies and they make it easier to remember their meanings. This paper deals with a literature review of teaching English vocabulary to young learners using games. Then it discusses the importance of using games in teaching vocabulary and in what way using them is helpful. After that it investigates the practical implications of using games to teach vocabulary that includes the implementation of vocabulary games and some examples of games that could be used to teach vocabulary to children. And finally it examines challenges teach...
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This paper presents the results and discussion of qualitative interviews that were conducted with 20 of Saudi university students, including findings concerning their opinions about the compatibility of Facebook with Saudi culture. It... more
This paper presents the results and discussion of qualitative interviews that were conducted with 20 of Saudi university students, including findings concerning their opinions about the compatibility of Facebook with Saudi culture. It also examines their reasoning and privacy concerns when disclosing personal information online, and reports their perceptions about discussing social and political issues on Facebook. Findings revealed that Saudi students disclosed much of their personal information. They disclosed more than half of their personally identifiable information, about three quarters of their sensitive personal information, and about half of their potentially stigmatising personal information.
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Teachers all over the world strive to keep their students engaged, and research has shown that task engagement can be elevated by utilising technology to complete classroom activities. Reasons suggested for this is that technology’s... more
Teachers all over the world strive to keep their students engaged, and research has shown that task engagement can be elevated by utilising technology to complete classroom activities. Reasons suggested for this is that technology’s alignment with students’ interests, as well as the stimulatingly transformative effect that technology can have on activities. Due to current students’ preferences, authors now encourage incorporating mobile phones into the classroom, claiming that it will improve task engagement. However, this has not been empirically proven. Therefore, this mixed method quasi experimental study examined whether two groups completing identical activities, where one group using their smartphones, would have any difference in their engagement with the given activities. The results indicated that a statistically significant difference in the initiation times and distraction between experimental and control settings. Although no significant emotional difference was observed...
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While traditional Saudi Arabian courtship is rigidly structured according to a set of Islamic codes of conduct, over the past decade, Saudis have increasingly turned to unconventional means of finding and courting a potential spouse:... more
While traditional Saudi Arabian courtship is rigidly structured according to a set of Islamic codes of conduct, over the past decade, Saudis have increasingly turned to unconventional means of finding and courting a potential spouse: matrimonial Web sites. This research explores the debate in the literature on computer meditated communication regarding whether online settings provide rich information about other users, as they show that online interactions can provide more information about the opposite sex for users who belong to gender-segregated societies than they can get through their offline lives. The article will shed some light on the interplay between young generations and their obsessions with the world of Internet dating and the societal norms and social conducts with which they are comfortable while living in Saudi Arabia. The article may contribute to the online dating literature by showing the similarities and differences between conservative, Islamic Saudi users and Western users when using Web sites to search for a potential mate. The research shows the power of both social and religious norms in affecting these users’ behaviors and decisions when using matrimonial Web sites.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Teaching English as a Second Language, Middle East Studies, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, and 8 moreEnglish as a Lingua Franca, Saudi Arabia, World Englishes, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Linguistics, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Language Studies, and English As a Second Language (ESL)
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the history of education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its impact on modern teaching practices. It explores the relationship between traditional practices, teacher identity... more
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the history of education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its impact on modern teaching practices. It explores the relationship between traditional practices, teacher identity and English language teaching within an increasingly complex context.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake a critical review of education in Saudi Arabia utilising critical reflexivity and their local social knowledge as a means of interrogating practice, research of the field, and related texts.FindingsThe paper indicates a direct link between historical teaching practices in early Saudi Arabia and the current teaching of English. It suggests the concept of “hybridity” as one way for local English teachers to construct identities that meet the contextual challenges.Practical implicationsThis paper has implications both locally and internationally. It provides insight into teaching practices preferred by teachers and students in an Arabian ...
Research Interests: Education, Teacher Education, History of Education, English language, Information Policy, and 11 moreSaudi Arabia, Curriculum Development, Teaching EFL, History Teaching, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, English language teaching, Teaching practice, Design Methodology, English Language Teaching, English Language, and Teaching Culture In the EFL Classroom
Saudi English has recently emerged as a new variety within the World Englishes framework. Many scholars have argued that there is still a gap in the literature and more studies on Saudi English are needed. This study hopes to contribute... more
Saudi English has recently emerged as a new variety within the World Englishes framework. Many scholars have argued that there is still a gap in the literature and more studies on Saudi English are needed. This study hopes to contribute to the growing research interest in Saudi English studies. The current study aims to identify Saudi English syntactic characteristics classified in relation to noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, and clausal structure. Data were collected using three methods: conversation in natural settings, open-ended questions, and students' writings. The findings confirm that substrate-superstrate interaction affects many syntactic characteristics of Saudi English.
Over the last few decades, teaching English has become a phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, especially to young learners. English is taught as a main subject in kindergarten and elementary schools. Like any other children, Saudis accept new... more
Over the last few decades, teaching English has become a phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, especially to young learners. English is taught as a main subject in kindergarten and elementary schools. Like any other children, Saudis accept new foreign languages easily, but they get bored very quickly if the teacher teaches them using the old conventional methods and techniques. The aim of this paper is to highlight that games are effective tools when devised to explain vocabularies and they make it easier to remember their meanings. This paper deals with a literature review of teaching English vocabulary to young learners using games. Then it discusses the importance of using games in teaching vocabulary and in what way using them is helpful. After that it investigates the practical implications of using games to teach vocabulary that includes the implementation of vocabulary games and some examples of games that could be used to teach vocabulary to children. And finally it examines challenge...
This article explores the English Foreign Language (EFL) learning identities of first year Education students against the backdrop of post 9/11 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study makes use of narrative analysis (Benwell & Stokoe,... more
This article explores the English Foreign Language (EFL) learning identities of first year Education students against the backdrop of post 9/11 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study makes use of narrative analysis (Benwell & Stokoe, 2006) identifying the types of stories (master narratives) the respondents identify with, as well as how they perform their identities within these stories. The data indicate that in contrast to conservative forces within Saudi Arabia that promote a fixed Islamic/Arab identity, the student respondents firmly aligned themselves with master narratives relating to globalisation, the information age and individuality, thus preempting educational reforms. This study is significant since it highlights the complex learning identities of Arab youth and the need for a more sophisticated curriculum development within this context.
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This research paper discusses the concept of constructive alignment theory (Biggs, 1996) with the learning outcomes in teaching of English at a Saudi university. The Saudi context has received no empirical attention in the professional... more
This research paper discusses the concept of constructive alignment theory (Biggs, 1996) with the learning outcomes in teaching of English at a Saudi university. The Saudi context has received no empirical attention in the professional literature. Thus, this paper uses constructive alignment framework to examine the Foundation Year English Program (FYEP) curriculum at King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. More specifically, one of the major components of this program, namely, the speaking course, was used as an example to evaluate the extent to which intended learning outcomes, assessment practices, and teaching methods are aligned in this course. It should be mentioned that the 104 speaking course has been selected as an example for two main reasons, which will be discussed in the paper. Therefore, some suggestions are provided to help solve this issue constructively. The paper also highlights the importance of using the constructive alignment framework to enhance teaching, lea...
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The aim of this study was to investigate different types of corrective feedback (CF) including learner uptake moves in error treatment sequences occurring in the low intermediate EFL classes. The findings show that recast was the type of... more
The aim of this study was to investigate different types of corrective feedback (CF) including learner uptake moves in error treatment sequences occurring in the low intermediate EFL classes. The findings show that recast was the type of feedback which was mostly preferred by the EFL teacher, though it led to the lowest amount of repair. The findings of the current study showed that those CF types that were much more effective in eliciting repair, namely metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, repetition and explicit correction, rarely occurred in the EFL classrooms.
Due to the spread of the English language in various domains and the fact that English is used as a global language, researchers and educators have started to rethink the models and aims of English language teaching in different settings.... more
Due to the spread of the English language in various domains and the fact that English is used as a global language, researchers and educators have started to rethink the models and aims of English language teaching in different settings. From the World Englishes (WE) perspective, this study investigated the attitudes of Chinese university students toward the localized variety of “China English,” as well as the students’ identity construction and negotiation during their English language learning journey. Data were collected through a questionnaire completed by 190 respondents and interviews conducted with 20 participants. The findings revealed the students’ positive attitudes toward China English and non-conformity to English as a native language (ENL). This further reflected the communicative function of English and the students’ interest in forming a Chinese cultural identity. However, the students also showed self-contradictory attitudes toward China English, as most did not wan...
Cross cultural neuroimaging work has demonstrated differences in neural correlates of some cognitive processes between individuals from different cultures, often comparing American and Chinese subjects. In contrast, a limited number of... more
Cross cultural neuroimaging work has demonstrated differences in neural correlates of some cognitive processes between individuals from different cultures, often comparing American and Chinese subjects. In contrast, a limited number of studies examined Arab and/or Filipino participants. This fMRI study aimed to demonstrate neural activations during animal and tool picture naming by 18 healthy Arabs and 18 healthy Filipino participants. In animal naming contrasted with tool naming, Arabs preferentially activated regions in the right lateral occipital and fusiform cortices, whereas Filipinos recruited bilateral visual areas. Cross-group comparisons of animal naming revealed that Arabs recruited right visual areas more than Filipinos, who in turn recruited the cerebellum more than Arabs. In tool naming, Arabs preferentially activated a predominantly left frontoparietal network, whereas no regions were identified in Filipinos, and no differences in activation between groups were found. ...
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This study aims to investigate the techniques of teaching new lexis which are adopted by non-native teachers of English language. It also aims to investigate the strategies of learning new lexis which are adopted by learners in relation... more
This study aims to investigate the techniques of teaching new lexis which are adopted by non-native teachers of English language. It also aims to investigate the strategies of learning new lexis which are adopted by learners in relation to their level. The work is based on two hypotheses: It is hypothesized that there is a relationship between the techniques and strategies which are used for teaching and learning new English lexis.It is hypothesized that the level of learner, might not affect his or her choice for a particular strategy. To test these hypotheses, the researcher has chosen a purposive sample: the pupils of the seventh class, the eighth class and teachers of English language at the Basic level schools, in the River Nile State, Sudan, in the school year 2014. The instruments which were used to collect data, were two questionnaires (a teachers ’ version and a pupils’ version). To analyze and interpret the data percentages and Chi Square were used. The results showed that...
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The high increase in the number of companies competing in mature markets makes customer retention an important factor for any company to survive. Thus, many methodologies (e.g., data mining and statistics) have been proposed to analyse... more
The high increase in the number of companies competing in mature markets makes customer retention an important factor for any company to survive. Thus, many methodologies (e.g., data mining and statistics) have been proposed to analyse and study customer retention. The validity of such methods is not yet proved though. This paper tries to fill this gap by empirically comparing two techniques: Customer churn- decision tree and logistic regression models. The paper proves the superiority of decision tree technique and stresses the needs for more advanced methods to churn modelling.
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This chapter sought to investigate aspects of gender in one of the currently used English language series, namely New Headway Plus: Special Edition within the conservative context of Saudi Arabia. The series is used for female/male adult... more
This chapter sought to investigate aspects of gender in one of the currently used English language series, namely New Headway Plus: Special Edition within the conservative context of Saudi Arabia. The series is used for female/male adult language learners from beginner to intermediate levels in King Abdulaziz University at the foundation year program, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In effect, the research analysed the images in the series in terms of gender positioning in images from a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) perspective. The findings revealed that the series is biased in terms of gender representation. First, there was a huge gap between the number of male and female images. Second, males were depicted in a wide range of social contexts in their single images compared to females. Third, males had a higher status than females in the single images in all the books under investigation. Finally, the body language of males in the series indicated laboriousness in the work environment, ...
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The aim of this study was to investigate different types of corrective feedback (CF) including learner uptake moves in error treatment sequences occurring in the low intermediate EFL classes. The findings show that recast was the type of... more
The aim of this study was to investigate different types of corrective feedback (CF) including learner uptake moves in error treatment sequences occurring in the low intermediate EFL classes. The findings show that recast was the type of feedback which was mostly preferred by the EFL teacher, though it led to the lowest amount of repair. The findings of the current study showed that those CF types that were much more effective in eliciting repair, namely metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, repetition and explicit correction, rarely occurred in the EFL classrooms.
While there has been much research into teachers’ professional quality in general education, scant attention has been paid to the professional quality of EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers, especially those working in adverse... more
While there has been much research into teachers’ professional quality in general education, scant attention has been paid to the professional quality of EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers, especially those working in adverse areas, for their sustainable career trajectories. Drawing on Wu’s framework of EFL teachers’ professional quality, this study adopted a mixed-method study design to investigate the professional quality of experienced EFL teachers in China’s rural areas. A questionnaire was administered online to 367 Chinese EFL teachers from 15 high schools in the northeast part of China. Follow-up interviews were then conducted with four volunteers. The results of the exploratory factor analysis produced a two-module structure of teachers’ professional quality, addressing teacher beliefs and English language pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for their sustainable career development. The teacher belief module addresses beliefs about language teacher learning and dev...
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This chapter briefly explores selected English and general education policy documents, curricula, and textbooks within the context of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective and examines how they have... more
This chapter briefly explores selected English and general education policy documents, curricula, and textbooks within the context of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective and examines how they have changed pre- and post-21st century. First, a policy document related to education in KSA in general (pre-21st century) is analyzed along with an English language teaching (ELT) policy document of the same period. Next, two general policy documents post-21st century are explored, followed by one related to ELT policy. Finally, one post-21st century document related to higher education is discussed. The “network of practices” within which these documents are situated are first detailed, as well as the structural order of the discourse, and some linguistic analysis of the choice of vocabulary and grammatical structures (Meyer, 2001). Issues which might be problematic to the learning and teaching identities of the students and teachers interpreting thes...
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The purpose of this volume is to promote the examination of applied and theoretical frames of reference that operate in the GCC and to probe the relevant aspects of scale, proportion, and the grounding of education in the gulf region. The... more
The purpose of this volume is to promote the examination of applied and theoretical frames of reference that operate in the GCC and to probe the relevant aspects of scale, proportion, and the grounding of education in the gulf region. The contributions to this volume discuss different elements of policy and curriculum, teachers and teacher identity, students and student identity, and social conditions that affect teaching and learning in the 21st century in GCC states. Based on the assumption that education must support students in realizing their fullest potential as well as supporting the economic and development needs of a country, the papers included in this volume investigate the conditions of education in the GCC countries.
Research Interests: Education, Teaching English as a Second Language, Languages and Linguistics, Teacher Education, Higher Education, and 14 moreGulf Studies, Arabic Language and Linguistics, The Persian Gulf, TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL), Arabian Gulf, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, English language teaching, Gulf Cooperation Council, Arabian/Persian Gulf Studies, Teacher Preparation, Applied Lingustics, and Higher Education In The Gcc
This paper presents an analysis of the status updates generated by Saudi university students on their profiles along with their levels of disclosure. Indeed, this study conducted thematic and quantitative content analyses of profiles of a... more
This paper presents an analysis of the status updates generated by Saudi university students on their profiles along with their levels of disclosure. Indeed, this study conducted thematic and quantitative content analyses of profiles of a sub-sample of 50 students to explore the status updates they generated and the types of information they disclosed. It also presents the relationship between status updates and levels of disclosure of personal information, and the extent to which the status updates reflect reported gratifications. Analysis of Saudi university students " Facebook usage revealed 16 distinctive themes of status updates. These themes most often related to communication with friends and discussion of social, religious, and political issues.
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This paper presents a literature review focused solely on research about users' behaviour on Facebook. The selected studies were chosen because of their application of the same variables, age groups, or theoretical approaches as the... more
This paper presents a literature review focused solely on research about users' behaviour on Facebook. The selected studies were chosen because of their application of the same variables, age groups, or theoretical approaches as the present research. This paper reviews studies that have examined obtained gratifications from using Facebook, followed by a section that discusses studies concerning status updates; and then reviews studies of self-disclosure and concern studies that have investigated gender differences on Facebook. Next, the final section concludes the paper by highlighting the gaps in the literature.
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This paper presents and discusses the results from the designed quantitative self-report questionnaire. It addresses two main research objectives: first, to contribute to the uses and gratifications research by exploring the... more
This paper presents and discusses the results from the designed quantitative self-report questionnaire. It addresses two main research objectives: first, to contribute to the uses and gratifications research by exploring the gratifications that research participants who belong to a conservative Islamic culture obtain from using Facebook, and second, to inform theoretical and empirical media and communications research through proposing a typology of users based on their obtained gratifications, usage variables, and demographic variables. The findings showed that Saudi university students obtained 11 gratifications from using Facebook, including communicational, personal, recreational, and academic gratifications.
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Teachers all over the world strive to keep their students engaged, and research has shown that task engagement can be elevated by utilising technology to complete classroom activities. Reasons suggested for this is that technology's... more
Teachers all over the world strive to keep their students engaged, and research has shown that task engagement can be elevated by utilising technology to complete classroom activities. Reasons suggested for this is that technology's alignment with students' interests, as well as the stimulatingly transformative effect that technology can have on activities. Due to current students' preferences, authors now encourage incorporating mobile phones into the classroom, claiming that it will improve task engagement. However, this has not been empirically proven. Therefore, this mixed method quasi experimental study examined whether two groups completing identical activities, where one group using their smartphones, would have any difference in their engagement with the given activities. The results indicated that a statistically significant difference in the initiation times and distraction between experimental and control settings. Although no significant emotional difference was observed between the groups, the students themselves indicated a significant difference in their emotional attitude towards smartphone activities as compared to paper-based ones. The smartphone group managed to engage with activities, thereby overcoming many factors which affected the control groups' engagement levels.