Abdel Salam El-Koumy is a professor emeritus of English language teaching with over 30 years of experience in teaching and supervising theses and dissertations in the area of curricula and instruction of English as a foreign language in Egypt and other countries. He presented papers at many national and international conferences, including the 30th TESOL Conference held in Chicago, Illinois (USA) from 26-30 March 1996, the 36th TESOL Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA) from 9-13 April 2002, and the American University in Cairo conference on EFL Skills 1997/2001/2005. He created some approaches, strategies and models for teaching English as a foreign language, including a guided-free strategy for teaching composition to EFL students, a comprehensive approach to teaching EFL skills, a multiple-strategies approach to teaching EFL to students with learning disabilities at the intermediate and advanced levels, and a multifaceted framework for EFL curriculum development to prepare students for building a 21st century Egypt. He was a member of the Academic National Committee for promoting university instructors of curriculum and instruction to associate professors for several years (2013-2019). Phone: +201003705669 Address: Suez Canal University
The aim of this book is to provide a compromise between past and present theories of language tea... more 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
47 earning strategies l ineffective ffective/ 2.6. Research into e 2.7. Research on teaching lear... more 47 earning strategies l ineffective ffective/ 2.6. Research into e 2.7. Research on teaching learning strategies to students with language/learning disabilities 51 Chapter Three: Teaching Communication Strategies to Students with Oral Communication Disabilities 3.0. Introduction 56 3.1. Definition of communication strategies 59 62 of communication strategies Classification 3.2. 73 communication strategies of 3.3. Benefits 3.4. A model for teaching communication strategies to students with communication disabilities 77 3.5. Research on teaching communication strategies to students with learning disabilities 86 Chapter Four: Teaching Reading Strategies to Students with Comprehension Disabilities 4.0. Introduction 88 4.1. Definition of reading comprehension strategies 94 4.2. Classification of reading comprehension strategies 95 97 ork w hat t trategies s comprehension .3. Reading 4 151 of writing strategies Benefits 4.3. 5.4. A model for teaching writing strategies to students with writing disabilities 153 5.5. Research on teaching writing strategies to students with writing disabilities 166 References 176 vi Overview 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 multiplestrategies 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: identify effective strategies for learning and using language skills, use multiple-strategies models for teaching language skills, strategies for language learning and language use into regular language activities, and finally both the processes and products of language learning of students with learning disabilities. Thus, the target audience of this book includes pre-and inservice regular teachers, special education teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and administrators. The Author Similarly, the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (2010) defines the term learning disabilities as "a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information" (p. 3). In the UK the term learning disabilities is used differently to refer to what is known in Australia and many other countries as intellectual disabilities which are out of the scope of this book; whereas the term specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) is used to refer to difficulties with certain aspects of learning. These SpLDs include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia (Department of Health, 2010). Many neuropsychologists and psychiatrist associations (e. g., Cortiella and Horowitz, 2014; Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta, 2010) agree that students with learning disabilities have average or above average cognitive ability, but they have neurologically-based disorders in one or more of the processes related to information processing such as perceiving, storing, remembering, retrieving, and communicating information. These disorders manifest themselves in significant difficulties with listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. Specifically, they interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following language skills: (1) oral communication (e.g., listening, speaking); (2) reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension); and (3) written language (e.g., spelling, written expression) (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2004). More specifically, research (e.g.,
Abstract Comparing the Effectiveness of Three Strategies of Teaching Composition: Guided, Free, a... more 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.
Theory and research on techniques for second language classrooms are reviewed in five areas: the ... more Theory and research on techniques for second language classrooms are reviewed in five areas: the scaffolding technique; questioning techniques; cooperative learning; techniques for promoting student interaction with text (reading instruction); and error correction. It is concluded that: (1) while there is some conflicting evidence, the majority of studies reviewed support the notion that reciprocal teaching improves reading and listening skills and fosters positive student attitudes toward reading; (2) studies of questioning show that teacher questions promote classroom interaction when open-ended, challenging, and interpretational, increasing teacher wait time after questions improves the quality and quantity of interaction, teacher encouragement and immediacy increase student questions, and the number of student questions in student/student interaction is much greater than in teacher/student interaction; (3) allowing students to interact freely in cooperative learning without close monitoring improves language skills; (4) heterogeneous grouping promotes interaction of low-ability students; (5) task differences influences interaction among group members; (6) interaction with prior knowledge and student-generated questions improve reading comprehension; and (7) error correction, even computer-generated, improves learning. Contains 103 references. (MSE)
The most commonly held view in the 1950s and 1960s was that the mother tongue was the prime or ev... more 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
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in foreign language reading comprehensio... more The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in foreign language reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students. The subjects for the study were 150 English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) university students randomly drawn from all freshmen enrolled in the English section at four schools of education in Egypt. Data required by the study were obtained by using two measures: the MAT-50 (Morton, 1975) and a reading comprehension subtest of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and a t-test. Results showed a significant variance in the mean scores among the high-, middle-, and low ambiguity tolerance groups. The t-tests revealed that the moderate ambiguity tolerance group scored significantly higher than the low and high groups, and the low and high groups were not found to be significantly different. A relationship may exist between ambiguity tolerance and learning strategies-high-, middle-, and low ambiguity tolerance students may exhibit different learning strategies that could, in turn , lead to different rates of language learning success. Based on these results, it is recommended that EFL students be helped to become moderate ambiguity tolerant students. Three tables and 26 references are included. (Author/KFT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori inal document. Differences in FL reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students*
Chapter Four: Performance Assessment via Computers 4.1 Theoretical Background 4.2 Research on Per... more Chapter Four: Performance Assessment via Computers 4.1 Theoretical Background 4.2 Research on Performance Assessment via Computers Chapter Five: Reliability and Validity of Performance Assessment 5.1 Theoretical Background 5.2 Research on the Validity and Reliability of Language Performance Assessment Chapter Six: Summary and Conclusions References Overview Performance assessment is also compatible with Howard Gardner's (1993, 1999) theory of multiple intelligences because this type of assessment has the potential of permitting students' achievements to be demonstrated and evaluated in several different ways. In an interview with Checkley (1997), Gardner himself expresses this idea in the following way: The current emphasis on performance assessment is well supported by the theory of multiple intelligences.. .. [L]et's not look at things through the filter of a short-answer test. Let's look instead at the performance that we value, whether it is linguistic, logical, aesthetic, or social performance …. let's never pin our assessments of understanding on just one particular measure, but let's always allow students to show their understanding in a variety of ways. Furthermore, performance assessment is consistent with the constructivist theory of learning which views learners as active participants in the construction and evaluation of their learning processes and products. Based on this theory, performance assessment involves students in the process of assessing their own performance (Shepard, 2000). 1.3 Purposes of Performance Assessment A large portion of performance assessment literature (e.g., Arter et al., 1995; Katz, 1997; Khattri et al., 1998; Tunstall and Gipps, 1996) indicates that performance assessment serves the following purposes: (a) documenting students' progress over time, (b) helping teachers improve their instruction, (c) improving students' motivation and increasing their self-esteem, (d) helping students improve their own learning processes and products, his/her teaching strategies and to improve students' performance. As Wiggins (1993) puts it: Assessment should improve performance, not just audit it…. Assessment done properly should begin conversations about performance not end them….If the testing we do in the name of accountability is still one event, year-end testing, we will never obtain valid and fair information. (pp. 5, 13, 267) At this stage, the teacher should also create a performance-based report card. This card should focus on reporting the strengths and weaknesses of the student performance instead of numerical grades (Fleurquin, 1998; Stix, 1997). Simply, the teacher must address the following questions at this stage: (a) What do these results tell me about the effectiveness of the instructional program? (b) What kind of evidence will be useful to me and to my students? (c) How can I report my students' results? 1.5 Merits and Demerits of Performance Assessment The advantages of performance assessment include its potential to assess 'doing,' its consistency with modern learning theories, its potential to assess processes as well as products, its potential to be linked with teaching and learning activities, and its potential to assess language as communication (Brualdi, 1998; Linn and GronLound, 1995; Mehrens, 1992; Stiggins, 1994). Although performance assessment offers these advantages over traditional assessment, it also has some distinct disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that performance assessment tasks take a lot of time to complete (Oosterhof, 1994). If such tasks are not part the instructional procedures, this means either administering fewer tasks (thereby reducing the reliability of the results), or reducing the amount of instructional time (Nitko, 2001). The second disadvantage is that performance assessment tasks do not assess all learning targets well, particularly in the situations where some learning targets focus on bits and pieces of information (Bailey, 1998; Soodak, 2000). The third disadvantage is that the scoring of performance tasks takes a lot of time (Rudner and Boston, 1994). The fourth disadvantage is that scores from performance tasks may have lower scorer reliability (Fuchs, 1995; Hutchinson, 1995; Koretz et al., 1994; Miller and Legg, 1993). The fifth and final disadvantage is that performance tasks may be discouraging to less able students (Gomez, 2000; Meisles et al., 1995). Recently, new technology has made it possible to implement projects on the computer if students have the Internet access. For information about how this can be done see, Warschauer (1995) and Warschauer et al. (2000). Research on Language Projects A review of research on language projects revealed that only two studies were conducted in this area in the last decade. In one of them, Hunter and Bagley (1995) explored the potential of the global telecommunication projects. Results indicated that such projects developed students' literacy skills, their personal and interpersonal skills, as well as their global awareness. In the other study, Smithson (1995) found that the ongoing assessment of writing through projects improved students' writing. 2.2.3 Portfolios Portfolios are purposeful collections of a student's work which exhibit his/her performance in one or more areas (Arter et al.
This study investigated the effects of three classroom questioning strategies on the reading comp... more This study investigated the effects of three classroom questioning strategies on the reading comprehension of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Subjects were 86 first-year EFL students in the school of education of Suez Canal University (Egypt), randomly assigned to three treatment groups. The same instructor taught the three groups using the same 20 reading passages, but used three different questioning strategies: student-generated questions; teacher-provided questions; and questions formulated reciprocally by teacher and student. Analysis of pre-and posttest performance revealed significant differences among the treatment groups' mean scores. Students in the reciprocal questioning group scored significantly higher than the teacher-questioning group, which in turn scored significantly higher than the student-generated-question group. Implications and suggestions for instruction and for further research are outlined. Contains 47 references. (MSE)
Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves st... more Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves students in the learning process in all of its aspects. Therefore, the need for self-assessment has grown to engage learners in constructing their own knowledge and developing their thinking skills to succeed academically and in life. In response to this need, the researcher conducted two experimental studies with English majors at Suez Canal University. The first study took place during the 2000/2001 academic year and examined the effect of student selfassessment versus no assessment on English-major seniors' knowledge achievement and academic thinking. During the 2004/2005 academic year, he conducted the second study which examined the effect of self-plus-teacher assessment versus self-assessment on the same dependent variables that were investigated in the previous study with other English-major seniors at the same school. The results of the two studies provided evidence that statistically significant improvement in knowledge achievement and academic thinking can occur only when the teacher assesses students self-assessments. This paper is a report on these two studies. The researcher started the paper by defining student self-assessment and explaining the theory behind it. Then, he showed the advantages and shortcomings of this form of assessment. Next, he surveyed the research related to it. After that, he displayed the findings of the two studies and explained the reasons behind these findings. Finally, he drew conclusions and offered recommendations based on the results of the two studies.
As language and culture are inseparably interwoven native speakers reflect their own culture in t... more 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
A study investigated the relationship between reading and writing skills and their development in... more A study investigated the relationship between reading and writing skills and their development in both native English-speakers (NES) and learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were 150 NES students, English majors in American universities, and 150 EFL students enrolled in schools of education at four Egyptian universities. Data were gathered using standardized reading comprehension and writing tests designed for either native speakers or non-native speakers of English. Results indicate a statistically significant positive correlation between NES students' reading and writing scores, but no statistically significant correlation for EFL students. It is suggested that this difference between the two groups may be due to teaching methods of NES and EFL teachers, differences in language proficiency levels, or language use outside the classroom. Implications for instruction include the need for more integrated instruction of reading and writing, simultaneous teaching of reading and writing from the beginning of language instruction, better preparation of English teachers to read like writers and write like readers, and understanding of the gaps between receptive and productive skills. Contains 57 references. (MSE)
This revised edition updates and expands on the first edition published in 2016. In this revised ... more 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.
Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves st... more Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves students in the learning process in all of its aspects. Therefore, the need for self-assessment has grown to engage learners in constructing their own knowledge and developing their thinking skills to succeed academically and in life. In response to this need, the researcher conducted two experimental studies with English majors at Suez Canal University. The first study took place during the 2000/2001 academic year and examined the effect of student selfassessment versus no assessment on English-major seniors' knowledge achievement and academic thinking. During the 2004/2005 academic year, he conducted the second study which examined the effect of self-plus-teacher assessment versus self-assessment on the same dependent variables that were investigated in the previous study with other English-major seniors at the same school. The results of the two studies provided evidence that statistically significant improvement in knowledge achievement and academic thinking can occur only when the teacher assesses students self-assessments. This paper is a report on these two studies. The researcher started the paper by defining student self-assessment and explaining the theory behind it. Then, he showed the advantages and shortcomings of this form of assessment. Next, he surveyed the research related to it. After that, he displayed the findings of the two studies and explained the reasons behind these findings. Finally, he drew conclusions and offered recommendations based on the results of the two studies.
The aim of this book is to provide a compromise between past and present theories of language tea... more 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
47 earning strategies l ineffective ffective/ 2.6. Research into e 2.7. Research on teaching lear... more 47 earning strategies l ineffective ffective/ 2.6. Research into e 2.7. Research on teaching learning strategies to students with language/learning disabilities 51 Chapter Three: Teaching Communication Strategies to Students with Oral Communication Disabilities 3.0. Introduction 56 3.1. Definition of communication strategies 59 62 of communication strategies Classification 3.2. 73 communication strategies of 3.3. Benefits 3.4. A model for teaching communication strategies to students with communication disabilities 77 3.5. Research on teaching communication strategies to students with learning disabilities 86 Chapter Four: Teaching Reading Strategies to Students with Comprehension Disabilities 4.0. Introduction 88 4.1. Definition of reading comprehension strategies 94 4.2. Classification of reading comprehension strategies 95 97 ork w hat t trategies s comprehension .3. Reading 4 151 of writing strategies Benefits 4.3. 5.4. A model for teaching writing strategies to students with writing disabilities 153 5.5. Research on teaching writing strategies to students with writing disabilities 166 References 176 vi Overview 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 multiplestrategies 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: identify effective strategies for learning and using language skills, use multiple-strategies models for teaching language skills, strategies for language learning and language use into regular language activities, and finally both the processes and products of language learning of students with learning disabilities. Thus, the target audience of this book includes pre-and inservice regular teachers, special education teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and administrators. The Author Similarly, the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (2010) defines the term learning disabilities as "a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information" (p. 3). In the UK the term learning disabilities is used differently to refer to what is known in Australia and many other countries as intellectual disabilities which are out of the scope of this book; whereas the term specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) is used to refer to difficulties with certain aspects of learning. These SpLDs include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia (Department of Health, 2010). Many neuropsychologists and psychiatrist associations (e. g., Cortiella and Horowitz, 2014; Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta, 2010) agree that students with learning disabilities have average or above average cognitive ability, but they have neurologically-based disorders in one or more of the processes related to information processing such as perceiving, storing, remembering, retrieving, and communicating information. These disorders manifest themselves in significant difficulties with listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. Specifically, they interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following language skills: (1) oral communication (e.g., listening, speaking); (2) reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension); and (3) written language (e.g., spelling, written expression) (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2004). More specifically, research (e.g.,
Abstract Comparing the Effectiveness of Three Strategies of Teaching Composition: Guided, Free, a... more 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.
Theory and research on techniques for second language classrooms are reviewed in five areas: the ... more Theory and research on techniques for second language classrooms are reviewed in five areas: the scaffolding technique; questioning techniques; cooperative learning; techniques for promoting student interaction with text (reading instruction); and error correction. It is concluded that: (1) while there is some conflicting evidence, the majority of studies reviewed support the notion that reciprocal teaching improves reading and listening skills and fosters positive student attitudes toward reading; (2) studies of questioning show that teacher questions promote classroom interaction when open-ended, challenging, and interpretational, increasing teacher wait time after questions improves the quality and quantity of interaction, teacher encouragement and immediacy increase student questions, and the number of student questions in student/student interaction is much greater than in teacher/student interaction; (3) allowing students to interact freely in cooperative learning without close monitoring improves language skills; (4) heterogeneous grouping promotes interaction of low-ability students; (5) task differences influences interaction among group members; (6) interaction with prior knowledge and student-generated questions improve reading comprehension; and (7) error correction, even computer-generated, improves learning. Contains 103 references. (MSE)
The most commonly held view in the 1950s and 1960s was that the mother tongue was the prime or ev... more 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
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in foreign language reading comprehensio... more The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in foreign language reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students. The subjects for the study were 150 English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) university students randomly drawn from all freshmen enrolled in the English section at four schools of education in Egypt. Data required by the study were obtained by using two measures: the MAT-50 (Morton, 1975) and a reading comprehension subtest of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and a t-test. Results showed a significant variance in the mean scores among the high-, middle-, and low ambiguity tolerance groups. The t-tests revealed that the moderate ambiguity tolerance group scored significantly higher than the low and high groups, and the low and high groups were not found to be significantly different. A relationship may exist between ambiguity tolerance and learning strategies-high-, middle-, and low ambiguity tolerance students may exhibit different learning strategies that could, in turn , lead to different rates of language learning success. Based on these results, it is recommended that EFL students be helped to become moderate ambiguity tolerant students. Three tables and 26 references are included. (Author/KFT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori inal document. Differences in FL reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students*
Chapter Four: Performance Assessment via Computers 4.1 Theoretical Background 4.2 Research on Per... more Chapter Four: Performance Assessment via Computers 4.1 Theoretical Background 4.2 Research on Performance Assessment via Computers Chapter Five: Reliability and Validity of Performance Assessment 5.1 Theoretical Background 5.2 Research on the Validity and Reliability of Language Performance Assessment Chapter Six: Summary and Conclusions References Overview Performance assessment is also compatible with Howard Gardner's (1993, 1999) theory of multiple intelligences because this type of assessment has the potential of permitting students' achievements to be demonstrated and evaluated in several different ways. In an interview with Checkley (1997), Gardner himself expresses this idea in the following way: The current emphasis on performance assessment is well supported by the theory of multiple intelligences.. .. [L]et's not look at things through the filter of a short-answer test. Let's look instead at the performance that we value, whether it is linguistic, logical, aesthetic, or social performance …. let's never pin our assessments of understanding on just one particular measure, but let's always allow students to show their understanding in a variety of ways. Furthermore, performance assessment is consistent with the constructivist theory of learning which views learners as active participants in the construction and evaluation of their learning processes and products. Based on this theory, performance assessment involves students in the process of assessing their own performance (Shepard, 2000). 1.3 Purposes of Performance Assessment A large portion of performance assessment literature (e.g., Arter et al., 1995; Katz, 1997; Khattri et al., 1998; Tunstall and Gipps, 1996) indicates that performance assessment serves the following purposes: (a) documenting students' progress over time, (b) helping teachers improve their instruction, (c) improving students' motivation and increasing their self-esteem, (d) helping students improve their own learning processes and products, his/her teaching strategies and to improve students' performance. As Wiggins (1993) puts it: Assessment should improve performance, not just audit it…. Assessment done properly should begin conversations about performance not end them….If the testing we do in the name of accountability is still one event, year-end testing, we will never obtain valid and fair information. (pp. 5, 13, 267) At this stage, the teacher should also create a performance-based report card. This card should focus on reporting the strengths and weaknesses of the student performance instead of numerical grades (Fleurquin, 1998; Stix, 1997). Simply, the teacher must address the following questions at this stage: (a) What do these results tell me about the effectiveness of the instructional program? (b) What kind of evidence will be useful to me and to my students? (c) How can I report my students' results? 1.5 Merits and Demerits of Performance Assessment The advantages of performance assessment include its potential to assess 'doing,' its consistency with modern learning theories, its potential to assess processes as well as products, its potential to be linked with teaching and learning activities, and its potential to assess language as communication (Brualdi, 1998; Linn and GronLound, 1995; Mehrens, 1992; Stiggins, 1994). Although performance assessment offers these advantages over traditional assessment, it also has some distinct disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that performance assessment tasks take a lot of time to complete (Oosterhof, 1994). If such tasks are not part the instructional procedures, this means either administering fewer tasks (thereby reducing the reliability of the results), or reducing the amount of instructional time (Nitko, 2001). The second disadvantage is that performance assessment tasks do not assess all learning targets well, particularly in the situations where some learning targets focus on bits and pieces of information (Bailey, 1998; Soodak, 2000). The third disadvantage is that the scoring of performance tasks takes a lot of time (Rudner and Boston, 1994). The fourth disadvantage is that scores from performance tasks may have lower scorer reliability (Fuchs, 1995; Hutchinson, 1995; Koretz et al., 1994; Miller and Legg, 1993). The fifth and final disadvantage is that performance tasks may be discouraging to less able students (Gomez, 2000; Meisles et al., 1995). Recently, new technology has made it possible to implement projects on the computer if students have the Internet access. For information about how this can be done see, Warschauer (1995) and Warschauer et al. (2000). Research on Language Projects A review of research on language projects revealed that only two studies were conducted in this area in the last decade. In one of them, Hunter and Bagley (1995) explored the potential of the global telecommunication projects. Results indicated that such projects developed students' literacy skills, their personal and interpersonal skills, as well as their global awareness. In the other study, Smithson (1995) found that the ongoing assessment of writing through projects improved students' writing. 2.2.3 Portfolios Portfolios are purposeful collections of a student's work which exhibit his/her performance in one or more areas (Arter et al.
This study investigated the effects of three classroom questioning strategies on the reading comp... more This study investigated the effects of three classroom questioning strategies on the reading comprehension of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Subjects were 86 first-year EFL students in the school of education of Suez Canal University (Egypt), randomly assigned to three treatment groups. The same instructor taught the three groups using the same 20 reading passages, but used three different questioning strategies: student-generated questions; teacher-provided questions; and questions formulated reciprocally by teacher and student. Analysis of pre-and posttest performance revealed significant differences among the treatment groups' mean scores. Students in the reciprocal questioning group scored significantly higher than the teacher-questioning group, which in turn scored significantly higher than the student-generated-question group. Implications and suggestions for instruction and for further research are outlined. Contains 47 references. (MSE)
Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves st... more Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves students in the learning process in all of its aspects. Therefore, the need for self-assessment has grown to engage learners in constructing their own knowledge and developing their thinking skills to succeed academically and in life. In response to this need, the researcher conducted two experimental studies with English majors at Suez Canal University. The first study took place during the 2000/2001 academic year and examined the effect of student selfassessment versus no assessment on English-major seniors' knowledge achievement and academic thinking. During the 2004/2005 academic year, he conducted the second study which examined the effect of self-plus-teacher assessment versus self-assessment on the same dependent variables that were investigated in the previous study with other English-major seniors at the same school. The results of the two studies provided evidence that statistically significant improvement in knowledge achievement and academic thinking can occur only when the teacher assesses students self-assessments. This paper is a report on these two studies. The researcher started the paper by defining student self-assessment and explaining the theory behind it. Then, he showed the advantages and shortcomings of this form of assessment. Next, he surveyed the research related to it. After that, he displayed the findings of the two studies and explained the reasons behind these findings. Finally, he drew conclusions and offered recommendations based on the results of the two studies.
As language and culture are inseparably interwoven native speakers reflect their own culture in t... more 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
A study investigated the relationship between reading and writing skills and their development in... more A study investigated the relationship between reading and writing skills and their development in both native English-speakers (NES) and learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were 150 NES students, English majors in American universities, and 150 EFL students enrolled in schools of education at four Egyptian universities. Data were gathered using standardized reading comprehension and writing tests designed for either native speakers or non-native speakers of English. Results indicate a statistically significant positive correlation between NES students' reading and writing scores, but no statistically significant correlation for EFL students. It is suggested that this difference between the two groups may be due to teaching methods of NES and EFL teachers, differences in language proficiency levels, or language use outside the classroom. Implications for instruction include the need for more integrated instruction of reading and writing, simultaneous teaching of reading and writing from the beginning of language instruction, better preparation of English teachers to read like writers and write like readers, and understanding of the gaps between receptive and productive skills. Contains 57 references. (MSE)
This revised edition updates and expands on the first edition published in 2016. In this revised ... more 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.
Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves st... more Higher education in Egypt has recently shifted towards the constructivist theory that involves students in the learning process in all of its aspects. Therefore, the need for self-assessment has grown to engage learners in constructing their own knowledge and developing their thinking skills to succeed academically and in life. In response to this need, the researcher conducted two experimental studies with English majors at Suez Canal University. The first study took place during the 2000/2001 academic year and examined the effect of student selfassessment versus no assessment on English-major seniors' knowledge achievement and academic thinking. During the 2004/2005 academic year, he conducted the second study which examined the effect of self-plus-teacher assessment versus self-assessment on the same dependent variables that were investigated in the previous study with other English-major seniors at the same school. The results of the two studies provided evidence that statistically significant improvement in knowledge achievement and academic thinking can occur only when the teacher assesses students self-assessments. This paper is a report on these two studies. The researcher started the paper by defining student self-assessment and explaining the theory behind it. Then, he showed the advantages and shortcomings of this form of assessment. Next, he surveyed the research related to it. After that, he displayed the findings of the two studies and explained the reasons behind these findings. Finally, he drew conclusions and offered recommendations based on the results of the two studies.
This systematic review of available research strategy training in language learning was conducted... more This systematic review of available research strategy training in language learning was conducted by Hassan, X., Macaro, E., Mason, D., Nye, G., Smith, P., and Vanderplank, R. (2005) of the Open University and Oxford University, UK. The aims of the review were to identify and evaluate the primary research on strategy training in order to gather together, present and comment on the strength of evidence about its effectiveness in teaching and learning of languages. The main steps in the process of this review included: extensive searching for reports of studies, application of inclusion and exclusion criteria to references found, production of a descriptive map of included studies, an in-depth review describing and appraising the quality of a subset of the mapped studies, and a synthesis of findings from these studies. At least two reviewers independently carried out each step of the work, and quality assurance was provided by the EPPI-Centre at the Institute of Education, University of London. Application of the criteria for the in-depth review (see section 2.3.1) resulted in 25 of 38 mapped studies being included for in-depth evaluation. See Appendix 4.2 (p. 95) for the weight of evidence components for the 25 studies selected for this in-depth review. Note that I have one among these 25 studies. This study is entitled “Effects of three semantic mapping strategies on EFL students’ reading comprehension. Read the attached download for more details.”
Abu Ghazalah, Iyad Ibrahim Mustafa (2010). The Effect of Using a Comprehensive Approach for Teaching High Frequency Words on Developing the Writing Skill of Seventh Graders. Available at library.iugaza.edu.ps/thesis/90211.pdf , 2010
In this thesis from the Islamic University of Gaza, the researcher (Iyad Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Ghaz... more 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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Nordeen, Nancy Bjorn (2006). Focused Topic Dialogue Journaling in ESL Workplace Instruction. MA Thesis, Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Available at www.hamline.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=2147490907, 2006
In this thesis from Hamline University, which is ranked as the top Minnesota university in its cl... more 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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INCLUD-ED Consortium (2007). Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from education, Project 1. Brussels: European Commission., Dec 14, 2007
""In today’s knowledge society, European educators assert that education should play a significan... more ""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.""
Erten, I. H. & Topkaya, E. Z. (2009). Understanding tolerance of ambiguity of EFL learners in reading classes at tertiary level. Novitas-Royal 3(1), 29-44. , 2009
In this study, Erten and Topkaya explored the tolerance of ambiguity of 188 tertiary level EFL l... more 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)
Teaching is a complex profession; and therefore, micro-teaching is needed to scale down its compl... more 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, ... more 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... more 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, a... more 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.
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Papers by Abdel Salam El-Koumy
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
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
Read the attached download for more details to see the effect of my approach on the writing skill of EFL seventh graders.
"
Read the attached download for more details to see the effect of my model on ESL adults' speaking skills.
"
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.""
Read the attached download for more details."
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.
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.