Abdel Salam El-Koumy

The aim of this book is to provide a compromise between past and present theories of language teaching and learning. The book is organized into six main parts. In the first part, the author highlights the strengths and weaknesses of both the skills-based approach and the whole-language approach. He then presents a theory that emphasizes the strengths of both and shares the weaknesses of neither. Part two consists of six chapters that are devoted to the integration of subsidiary skills with main language skills. Part three consists of four chapters that focus on the integration of main language skills with subsidiary skills. Part four consists of four chapters that are devoted to integrating main language skills with each other. Part five deals with the integration of all language skills through literature. Part six consists of two chapters that address error correction and assessment. In following the above organization, the author aims at building gradually toward whole language, and weaving error correction and assessment into the suggested approach.

Keywords: Language Skills; English Instruction; Teaching Methods; Whole Language Approach; Writing Skills; Vocabulary Development; Spelling; Grammar; Pronunciation; Handwriting; Listening Skills; Punctuation; Speech Skills; Reading Skills; Integrated Activities; Error Correction; Evaluation

Abstract Comparing the Effectiveness of Three Strategies of Teaching Composition: Guided, Free, and Guided-free Unpublished PhD dissertation submitted by Abdel Salam Abdel Khalek El-Koumy Problem of the study: The problem of the study lay in the dilemma faced by EFL teachers over the strategy to be followed for teaching written composition. Aim of the study: The study aimed to determine the most effective strategy for teaching written composition to secondary school EFL students by investigating the effectiveness of three strategies: guided, free, and guided-free. Design of the study: The study employed a pre-posttest experimental design. Participants for the study: The participants for the study comprised three experimental groups totaling 96 third-year secondary school students chosen at random from Menouf Secondary School for Boys, Menoufia, Egypt. Each group consisted of thirty-two students. Method and procedure of the study: In light of the previous literature relevant to the study, the researcher developed a composition course in the three forms: (1) guided, (2) free, and (3) guided-free. He also developed a valid and reliable scale for scoring the quality and quantity of written composition. Then, the three experimental groups of the study were randomly assigned to one of the three forms of the composition course. Afterwards, three EFL instructors with the same qualifications and similar teaching experiences were randomly assigned to teaching one of the three forms of the composition course after they were trained to do so. Before conducting the experiment the three experimental groups were pre-tested to measure their performance in free composition writing which is considered by writing specialists as the ultimate goal of composition instruction. The study lasted for fourteen weeks, one session per week, commencing at the beginning of the 1988-1989 academic year. After treatment, the three experimental groups were post-tested to measure their performance in free composition writing. The collected data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the t-test. Results of the study: The pre-test data analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in free composition writing among the three groups of the study (f=5.57, p= 0.95). However, the post-test data analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in free composition writing among the three groups of the study in favor of the guided-free strategy group (f=34.01, p< 0.05). Students in the guided-free strategy group scored significantly higher than those in the guided strategy group (t= 3.29, p< 0.05) who, in turn, scored significantly higher than those in the free strategy group (t= 4.87, p< 0.05). These findings suggest that the teaching of written composition to third-year secondary school students should be based upon the quality and quantity of writing, not upon either this or that. Conclusion: Within its limitations, the study concluded that the guided-free strategy is the most effective strategy for teaching written composition to secondary school EFL students. Keywords: Composition Instruction, Free Composition, Guided Composition, Guided-free Composition, Responding to Students' Writing, Scale for Scoring Written Composition, Student Writing Performance, Written Composition.

The most commonly held view in the 1950s and 1960s was that the mother tongue was the prime or even the sole cause of a learner’s problems with the second or foreign language. This view was closely linked to the behaviorist learning theory which sees language learning as a process of habit formation and old habits as obstacles to learning new ones. Yet, in the 1970s a growing body of empirical studies showed that transfer from the mother tongue plays little or no role in second language acquisition and that errors made by second language learners are to a large extent common to learners with different mother tongues. As a result of these findings in addition to the theoretical attacks on the behaviorist learning theory, L1 interference fell into disfavor and the mother tongue is no longer a hindrance to second or foreign language learning. Although Arabic is extensively used in the teaching of English in Egypt, there is a conspicuous absence of investigations of how it can be effectively used in this process. This study, therefore, is an attempt to determine the effect of mixing English and Arabic versus using the two languages separately on EFL listening comprehension. The subjects for the study consisted of 153 2nd year pupils enrolled in four classes attending two preparatory schools in Ismailia governorate. In two classes the mixing approach, in which the teacher read out the listening text in small units translating each unit into the mother tongue, was used. In the other two classes the separation approach, in which the teacher used only Arabic at the beginning and English in the rest of each listening session, was used.Data for the study were collected by means of a listening comprehension test, which was constructed by the researcher to be used as a pre- and post-test. Statistical analysis of the data using the t-test revealed a significant difference between the average mean scores of the two groups in favor of the group exposed to the separation approach (t=2.12, p

As language and culture are inseparably interwoven native speakers reflect their own culture in their speech and writing. For this reason, some language teaching theorists stress the need to teach the target culture to non-native speakers not only because the transmission of this culture breaks down isolation but also gives life and meaning to the foreign language. On the contrary, other language teaching theorists fear that learning the target culture may result in undermining the non-native speakers’ identity or lead to psychological problems such as frustration and feelings of inferiority. This study, therefore, provides the ground on which course designers can make decisions about the inclusion of culture in the EFL curriculum. The purposes of the study were: (1) to determine EFL teachers’ willingness and preparedness to deal with foreign cultures in the classroom, (2) to determine whether a significant difference exists between the mean scores of rural and urban teachers with respect to their willingness to deal with foreign cultures, and (3) to investigate the relationship between EFL teachers’ willingness to deal with foreign cultures and their own cultural awareness. Subjects for the study were 200 EFL teachers randomly drawn from secondary school EFL teachers in Menoufia and Qena (100 per governorate). Data for the study were gathered by means of a questionnaire which was designed by the researcher and comprised 30 statements of willingness and preparedness (15 items for each). Statistical analysis of the data was carried out through descriptive statistics, the t-test and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. Results of the study indicated that: (1) EFL teachers were neither willing nor prepared to deal with foreign cultures in the classroom, (2) there was no statistically significant difference between rural and urban teachers with respect to their willingness to deal with foreign cultures in the classroom, and (3) there was a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ willingness to deal with foreign cultures and their own cultural awareness (r= 0.62, p

This revised edition updates and expands on the first edition published in 2016. In this revised edition, theories of different types of learning strategies are expanded and more recent studies are added. A large amount of tabular information is also reconstructed in a more meaningful manner. The book is divided into five chapters. Chapter one covers the different definitions of learning disabilities to reach a consensus with respect to the meaning of this term. Chapter two discusses learning strategies as a general instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities at the intermediate level and beyond. Each of the other three chapters in this book presents detailed theoretical and experimental information on a specific type of learning strategies and introduces an innovative multiple-strategies model for teaching a specific language skill to those students. Chapter three addresses the teaching of communication strategies to students with oral communication disabilities. Chapter four deals with the teaching of reading strategies to students with comprehension disabilities. The last chapter is concerned with the teaching of writing strategies to students with written expression disabilities. The book also contains a list of references and a subject index.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of homogeneous versus heterogeneous reading-style grouping on EFL students' non-preferred reading style and reading comprehension. The study used a pretest-posttest experimental design. The original subjects of the study (N=86) were Egyptian English major senior students during the 2005/2006 academic year. At the beginning of this academic year, the Analytic/Global Reading Styles Inventory (AGRSI) was administered to these subjects to measure each student's analytic and global reading styles. Based on their scores on the inventory, strongly analytic and strongly global subjects (N=62) were randomly assigned to homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. Afterwards, both groups were tested to measure each student's reading comprehension before treatment using the Reading Comprehension Test developed by the researcher. Each group was then randomly assigned to pairs. During treatment, the members of each pair alternatively exhibited their reading behaviors by thinking aloud while reading and sharing answers to post-passage questions after reading. The study lasted for 28 weeks, one ninety-minute session per week. After treatment, the AGRSI and the Reading Comprehension Test were re-administered to both groups to measure each student's non-preferred reading style and reading comprehension. The differences in the pre-to-posttest improvement between the two groups were then analyzed for significance using ANCOVA. The results indicated that the heterogeneous group students demonstrated significantly greater pre to- posttest improvement in both their non-preferred reading style and reading comprehension than the homogeneous group students [f (1, 59)=60.33, p less than 0.001; f (1, 59)=43.18, p less than 0.001, respectively]. Based on these findings, the researcher concludes that the non-preferred reading style can be developed when students learn with and from others with different reading styles and that reading comprehension is neither a bottom-up nor a top-down process but an interaction between the two. Therefore, it demands the development and integration of both the left and right hemisphere functions of the brain. The study concludes with suggestions for further research.

Keywords: Reading Comprehension; Cognitive Style; Brain Hemisphere; Reading Comprehension; Cognitive Style; Brain Hemisphere

In this thesis from the Islamic University of Gaza, the researcher (Iyad Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Ghazalah) investigated the effect of the  comprehensive approach, I developed in my book, Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language: A Comprehensive Approach, for teaching high frequency words on developing the writing skill of seventh graders. He  defines this approach saying, "The comprehensive approach is an approach developed by Dr. Abdel Salam Abdel Khalek El-Koumy, a full professor of TEFL at Suez Canal University, to aid learning English as a foreign language." (p.14)

Read the attached download for more details to see the effect of my approach on the writing skill of EFL seventh graders.
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In this thesis from Hamline University, which is ranked as the top Minnesota university in its class by U.S. News and World Reports, the researcher (Nancy Bjorn Nordeen) took my study, Effect of Dialogue Journal Writing on EFL Students' Speaking Skill, as a model for her own study. She  says, "El-Koumy's  work provides a model for my own study with workplace ESL learners" (p. 7). She further referred twelve times to my study in her thesis.

Read the attached download for more details to see the effect of my model on ESL adults' speaking skills.
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""In today’s knowledge society, European educators assert that education should play a significant role in achieving the European goal of social cohesion to prevent separation among European citizens. The present project—funded under the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme—suggests educational strategies that contribute to overcome social exclusion of students with learning disabilities and to promote social cohesion among all students, specifically in the areas of reading, math, science, and ICT. Related to the area of reading, the project recommends using the metacognitive strategies I suggested in my paper, Metacognition and Reading Comprehension: Current Trends in Theory and Research, to overcome inequalities and to promote social cohesion among students in reading classes.

Read the pages from 332 to 334 in the attached download.

To Whom It May Concern:
Let's  learn from this project how to promote cohesion among all citizens at both school and society levels and  to forget all about separation practices because such practices will lead to harmful effects on all. Let's always remember that  "Unity is strength," so says a wise old saying.""

In this study, Erten and Topkaya explored the  tolerance of ambiguity of 188 tertiary level EFL learners in reading classes at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.  They found that average students had lower tolerance for ambiguity in the process of learning, with female students reporting less tolerance than male ones. Related to their study, the researchers referred to my study, Differences in FL reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students, as "the only study that [they] could identify dealing with ambiguity tolerance and reading comprehension…." (p. 32)

Read the attached download for more details."

Teaching is a complex profession; and therefore, micro-teaching is needed to scale down its complexity to train pre-service teachers for future real teaching. However, micro-teaching experiences without reflection are insufficient for building or developing professional teaching skills. Therefore, this book aims at building and developing essential teaching skills through reflective micro-teaching in which teacher trainees, individually and collectively, reflect on their own micro-teaching practices with the assistance of reflection forms in controlled teaching environments. The book consists of three chapters. The first chapter covers the conceptual and theoretical framework of reflective micro-teaching. The second chapter deals with video-mediated microteaching as a stimulus for reflection. The third chapter includes the conceptual and theoretical framework of the core teaching skills and provides reflection forms that help teacher trainees to reflect on their own and one another's micro-teaching practices, for building and developing these core skills. The book contains eight tables and a list of 256 references.

Descriptors:
Classroom Communication, Experiential Learning, Foreign Countries, Feedback, Heterogeneous Grouping, Instructional Objectives, Interaction Analysis, Microteaching, Preservice Teacher Education, Questioning, Reinforcement, Reflective Teaching, Small Group Instruction, Teaching Skills, Video Technology.

This book provides a multifaceted framework in which curricular content and methods of teaching, learning, and assessment are all tuned to adequately prepare students at the secondary school level and beyond for building a 21st century Egypt at no added cost, both during and after their formal education. This framework was developed in light of: (a) relationship between language and twenty-first century skills; (b) theoretical and experimental literature on twenty-first century skills and dispositions;  (c) needs of Egyptian learners and Egyptian society; (d) constructivist theories of teaching, learning, and assessment; and (e) existing potentials of Egypt without additional cost or support from others. The book consists of four parts. The first part lays the theoretical foundations for the proposed framework. The second part deals with development and assessment of multifaceted curricular content prior to its wide-scale implementation in schools. The third part tackles multifaceted teaching and learning methods. Finally, the fourth part considers multifaceted assessment of both teaching and learning. The book includes nine tables, three figures, a bibliography, and a subject index.

The idea of this book arose out of an awareness that students with language learning disabilities are completely ignored in the Egyptian school system and there are no special programs that cater to these students. They are placed in normal schools that are not prepared to deal with their unique difficulties. This book, therefore, is an attempt to provide teachers with multiple-strategies models for teaching English language skills to these students at the intermediate level and beyond. More specifically, this book will help pre-and in-service teachers to: (1) identify effective strategies for learning and using language skills, (2) use multiple-strategies models for teaching language skills, (3) interweave strategies for language learning and language use into regular language activities, and (4) improve both the processes and products of language learning of students with learning disabilities. Thus, the target audience of this book includes pre-and in-service regular teachers, special education teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and administrators.

Abstract
Comparing the Effectiveness of Three Strategies of Teaching Composition: Guided, Free, and Guided-free

Unpublished PhD dissertation submitted by Abdel Salam Abdel Khalek El-Koumy

Problem of the study: The problem of the study lay in the dilemma faced by EFL teachers over the strategy to be followed for teaching written composition.
Aim of the study: The study aimed to determine the most effective strategy for teaching written composition to secondary school EFL students by investigating the effectiveness of three strategies: guided, free, and guided-free.

Design of the study: The study employed a pre-posttest experimental design.

Participants for the study: The participants for the study comprised three experimental groups totaling 96 third-year secondary school students chosen at random from Menouf Secondary School for Boys, Menoufia, Egypt. Each group consisted of thirty-two students.

Method and procedure of the study: In light of the previous literature relevant to the study, the researcher developed a composition course in the three forms: (1) guided, (2) free, and (3) guided-free. He also developed a valid and reliable scale for scoring the quality and quantity of written composition. Then, the three experimental groups of the study were randomly assigned to one of the three forms of the composition course. Afterwards, three EFL instructors with the same qualifications and similar teaching experiences were randomly assigned to teaching one of the three forms of the composition course after they were trained to do so. Before conducting the experiment the three experimental groups were pre-tested to measure their performance in free composition writing which is considered by writing specialists as the ultimate goal of composition instruction. The study lasted for fourteen weeks, one session per week, commencing at the beginning of the 1988-1989 academic year. After treatment, the three experimental groups were post-tested to measure their performance in free composition writing. The collected data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the t-test.

Results of the study: The pre-test data analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in free composition writing among the three groups of the study (f=5.57, p= 0.95). However, the post-test data analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in free composition writing among the three groups of the study in favor of the guided-free strategy group (f=34.01, p< 0.05). Students in the guided-free strategy group scored significantly higher than those in the guided strategy group (t= 3.29, p< 0.05) who, in turn, scored significantly higher than those in the free strategy group (t= 4.87, p< 0.05). These findings suggest that the teaching of written composition to third-year secondary school students should be based upon the quality and quantity of writing, not upon either this or that.

Conclusion: Within its limitations, the study concluded that the guided-free strategy is the most effective strategy for teaching written composition to secondary school EFL students.

Keywords: Composition Instruction, Free Composition, Guided Composition, Guided-free Composition, Responding to Students' Writing, Scale for Scoring Written Composition, Student Writing Performance, Written Composition.