Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2018
Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers join... more Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers joining English language teaching for different reasons. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman has sanctioned the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as the main criterion for accepting English language teachers graduating from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Nonetheless, some fourth-year Student Teachers (STs) have failed to achieve the specified score due to reasons pertinent to the choices made in the initial English language teacher education program content knowledge and methods. This qualitative study, hence, investigates the perspectives of purposively selected STs and faculty members about the effect of SQU English Language Teaching (ELT) content knowledge and methods on the STs’ IELTS band scores. Results have shown that there is a need to reconsider the content knowledge and methods to create more opportunities for the program p...
The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among ... more The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among EFL learners of English. It specifically explores (a) how learners negotiate for meaning when they interact in CMC in terms of frequency of negotiations, its causes, and the phases of resolving communication breakdown, (b) the relationship between the task type and the amount of negotiation that transpires, and (c) the learners? perceptions about their task-based interaction in CMC. 24 NNS-NNS dyads collaboratively completed 6 communicative tasks falling under 3 task types while chatting in Moodle. The interaction scripts reveal that learners do negotiate for meaning in CMC when communication breaks down. The causes of these negotiations varied in the chat scripts but they were mainly content and lexical triggers. The observed differences in the online negotiations call for a new model of computer-mediated negotiation. The results also suggested that task type did have an effect on how much learners negotiated for meaning. Finally the interview data revealed the different views the learners held about the tasks and how they influenced their interaction, language learning, and their CMC.
Foreign language learning is a complex process determined by several explicit and implicit factor... more Foreign language learning is a complex process determined by several explicit and implicit factors and strategies. The literature on the field has highlighted the importance of foreign language strategies in improving learners’ command of the target language and has shown that learners employ different strategies to foster their learning of a target language. Today, English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Oman and elsewhere are surrounded more than ever by various out-of-class English sources that can potentially influence their English language learning, but which may have negative implications for EFL policy implementation in the country. This study investigates the use of out-of-class strategies by Omani EFL learners as a means to identify means of formulating the ELT policy. A 33-item questionnaire was developed, validated, piloted and e-mailed to all Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) first year students to investigate their perceptions about the strategies they employed when they were at school and which they thought had helped them improve their English. Analysis of the data showed that participants adopted certain passive/receptive and active/productive strategies that were counter to the ELT policy in Oman. The findings have implications for teacher practices and roles and for the EFL policy in the Omani and other similar EFL contexts.
In this study, an analysis was conducted in order to seek an improvement of a current working stu... more In this study, an analysis was conducted in order to seek an improvement of a current working student teaching system in a Middle Eastern country university using the instructional design approach ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) to indicate the need for an online-based system to manage the teacher preparation program in student teaching. The study sample involved twenty-five individuals from college supervisors, cooperating teachers and student teachers who took part in student teaching programs during Fall 2015. Focused group discussion, field notes, document analysis were the main tools used to analyze the status-qua of the system for the need to construct a new instruction. Results revealed several themes in the system based on three phases from the analysis phase of ADDIE approach. Future implications include utilization of current data to complete the next phases of the construction of an effective online system of managing student teaching.
Abstract: Reflective teaching practice has become a central theme in professional growth at the p... more Abstract: Reflective teaching practice has become a central theme in professional growth at the pre-service teacher education level almost everywhere. English language teaching (ELT) teacher trainers, like any other teacher trainers, have a powerful role to play in fostering reflection in their student teachers through the approaches and strategies they incorporate in their training, which can have implications related to the perceived worth of reflective practice. This quantitative study describes the responses of 90 final-year ELT student teachers and eight of their trainers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, to a survey about the roles, approaches and strategies used to help the student teachers to reflect on their teaching. The results show that while the trainers have helped their student teachers to develop as reflective teachers, there are certain practices and aspects adopted by the trainers that need to be reconsidered, as they can have negative implicati...
English and English Language Teaching Today No one can dispute the importance of the English lang... more English and English Language Teaching Today No one can dispute the importance of the English language today as a global lingua franca and a fundamental tool for achieving different purposes. It has established, developed, and legitimized its power through the support it has been receiving from the USA and UK throughout the contemporary history. Globalization, or "Americanization," to Phillipson (2008), has a linguistic dimension manifested in the new imperialism and neoliberal empire led by the Americans and English as an ideologically initiated project by UK and continued by the USA to promote English as a product and process. Phillipson (2008) wrote that "linguistic capital, its acquisition and investment, is a prime example of symbolic power in use" (p. 29) and that "language is a central dimension of ideological control, perpetuating the subordination of colonial times into the present" (p. 10). Millions of individuals thus learn English for employm...
Teacher preparation programs can advance the development of education by preparing distinguished ... more Teacher preparation programs can advance the development of education by preparing distinguished graduate teachers who can work in schools, collaborate with colleagues and facilitate students’ learning. This paper aims to investigate cooperating teachers’ and college supervisors’ perceptions of a teacher preparation program in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) pertaining to NCATE’s Blue Ribbon design principles for Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning. In this quantitative research, a random sample of 13 college supervisors and 95 cooperating teachers, who were involved in student teaching program, participated in the study and responded to a five-point scale questionnaire. The findings revealed significant differences between the perceptions of cooperating teachers’ and college supervisors’ towards the aptness of SQU’s teacher preparation program in relation to the Blue Ribbon’s design principles. Based on these findings, reco...
Proficiency of the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native Engl... more Proficiency of the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language Teaching (ELT) graduates of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as full-time teachers. The decision has generated significant debate and controversy amongst those involved in the Omani ELT system. This qualitative content analysis study hence triangulates data from interviews and the relevant literature about the different language proficiency measurement devices to determine the selection of SQU graduates to join the ELT force. The findings show that the Ministry of Education needs to rethink the decision of opting for the IELTS as a valid and reliable selection criterion. The results have important implications for setting selection criteria ...
Letter name knowledge is regarded as being among the soundest indicators of later reading skill a... more Letter name knowledge is regarded as being among the soundest indicators of later reading skill and an imperfectly established alphabetic knowledge is a well-known predictor of future reading challenges. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a synthetic approach to phonics, specifically Jolly Phonics (JP), to determine its contribution to Omani third graders’ acquisition of uppercase (UC) and lowercase (LC) recognition. The study sample consisted of 117 Omani male and female third graders in two cycle one schools in Al-Dhahira Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman during the academic year 2019/2020. The study employed a quantitative descriptive research design, in which data was collected using an UC and LC letter recognition test. The findings revealed that the although the third graders in this study’s sample have on average achieved the JP programme’s objective in terms of UC and LC letter recognition skills, not all students have achieved the minim...
This study investigated the reasons why Omani English language teachers at the Language Centre (L... more This study investigated the reasons why Omani English language teachers at the Language Centre (LC) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) tend not to publish in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field or a related one. Publishing has always been one of various venues for professional development in any academic area in any context. ELT at SQU is not an exception. Twenty Omani ELT teachers at the LC at SQU responded to an online questionnaire about their professional publication activities. The results showed that the participants are being overburdened with administrative and technical responsibilities and assigned a heavy teaching load. Furthermore, the participants hold perceptions about publishing as being a demanding and challenging process due to reasons related to their professional competence or the work culture and environment they belong to.
Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers join... more Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers joining English language teaching for different reasons. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman has sanctioned the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as the main criterion for accepting English language teachers graduating from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Nonetheless, some fourth-year Student Teachers (STs) have failed to achieve the specified score due to reasons pertinent to the choices made in the initial English language teacher education program content knowledge and methods. This qualitative study, hence, investigates the perspectives of purposively selected STs and faculty members about the effect of SQU English Language Teaching (ELT) content knowledge and methods on the STs’ IELTS band scores. Results have shown that there is a need to reconsider the content knowledge and methods to create more opportunities for the program participants to use the language communicatively. Results have further shown that certain faculty members adopt certain teaching methods insensitive to the needs and interests of the STs and which negatively affect their CLP. The results have important implications for the STs’ success in the IELTS and hence their employability.
Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native Engl... more Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language Teaching (ELT) graduates of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as full-time teachers. This qualitative content analysis study hence triangulates data from interviews and the relevant literature about the different language proficiency measurement devices to determine the selection of SQU graduates to join the ELT force. The findings show that the Ministry of Education needs to rethink the decision of opting for the IELTS as a valid and reliable selection criterion. The results have important implications for setting selection criteria of becoming an English language teacher in the Sultanate of Oman and beyond.
Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that ha... more Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that have been found to have considerable advantages and powerfully impact language learning and teaching. They are incorporated into language curricula to promote interactive engaging learning. This study investigates the role of games in the Omani ELT syllabus through conducting a thorough content analysis of Basic Education System English language textbooks across all grades as well as seeking the attitudes of teachers and students of three public schools representing the three teaching cycles in the educational system. A content analysis form and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Results showed that the Omani ELT syllabi endorsed a modest number of communicative games across grades, the majority of which focus on teaching vocabulary with a very timid focus on the language skills. Moreover, students hold highly positive attitudes about the role of games in improving their language whereas teachers have moderately positive attitudes about their role. Implications of these results on the language learning and teaching context are outlined.
Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2018
Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers join... more Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers joining English language teaching for different reasons. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman has sanctioned the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as the main criterion for accepting English language teachers graduating from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Nonetheless, some fourth-year Student Teachers (STs) have failed to achieve the specified score due to reasons pertinent to the choices made in the initial English language teacher education program content knowledge and methods. This qualitative study, hence, investigates the perspectives of purposively selected STs and faculty members about the effect of SQU English Language Teaching (ELT) content knowledge and methods on the STs’ IELTS band scores. Results have shown that there is a need to reconsider the content knowledge and methods to create more opportunities for the program p...
The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among ... more The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among EFL learners of English. It specifically explores (a) how learners negotiate for meaning when they interact in CMC in terms of frequency of negotiations, its causes, and the phases of resolving communication breakdown, (b) the relationship between the task type and the amount of negotiation that transpires, and (c) the learners? perceptions about their task-based interaction in CMC. 24 NNS-NNS dyads collaboratively completed 6 communicative tasks falling under 3 task types while chatting in Moodle. The interaction scripts reveal that learners do negotiate for meaning in CMC when communication breaks down. The causes of these negotiations varied in the chat scripts but they were mainly content and lexical triggers. The observed differences in the online negotiations call for a new model of computer-mediated negotiation. The results also suggested that task type did have an effect on how much learners negotiated for meaning. Finally the interview data revealed the different views the learners held about the tasks and how they influenced their interaction, language learning, and their CMC.
Foreign language learning is a complex process determined by several explicit and implicit factor... more Foreign language learning is a complex process determined by several explicit and implicit factors and strategies. The literature on the field has highlighted the importance of foreign language strategies in improving learners’ command of the target language and has shown that learners employ different strategies to foster their learning of a target language. Today, English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Oman and elsewhere are surrounded more than ever by various out-of-class English sources that can potentially influence their English language learning, but which may have negative implications for EFL policy implementation in the country. This study investigates the use of out-of-class strategies by Omani EFL learners as a means to identify means of formulating the ELT policy. A 33-item questionnaire was developed, validated, piloted and e-mailed to all Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) first year students to investigate their perceptions about the strategies they employed when they were at school and which they thought had helped them improve their English. Analysis of the data showed that participants adopted certain passive/receptive and active/productive strategies that were counter to the ELT policy in Oman. The findings have implications for teacher practices and roles and for the EFL policy in the Omani and other similar EFL contexts.
In this study, an analysis was conducted in order to seek an improvement of a current working stu... more In this study, an analysis was conducted in order to seek an improvement of a current working student teaching system in a Middle Eastern country university using the instructional design approach ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) to indicate the need for an online-based system to manage the teacher preparation program in student teaching. The study sample involved twenty-five individuals from college supervisors, cooperating teachers and student teachers who took part in student teaching programs during Fall 2015. Focused group discussion, field notes, document analysis were the main tools used to analyze the status-qua of the system for the need to construct a new instruction. Results revealed several themes in the system based on three phases from the analysis phase of ADDIE approach. Future implications include utilization of current data to complete the next phases of the construction of an effective online system of managing student teaching.
Abstract: Reflective teaching practice has become a central theme in professional growth at the p... more Abstract: Reflective teaching practice has become a central theme in professional growth at the pre-service teacher education level almost everywhere. English language teaching (ELT) teacher trainers, like any other teacher trainers, have a powerful role to play in fostering reflection in their student teachers through the approaches and strategies they incorporate in their training, which can have implications related to the perceived worth of reflective practice. This quantitative study describes the responses of 90 final-year ELT student teachers and eight of their trainers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, to a survey about the roles, approaches and strategies used to help the student teachers to reflect on their teaching. The results show that while the trainers have helped their student teachers to develop as reflective teachers, there are certain practices and aspects adopted by the trainers that need to be reconsidered, as they can have negative implicati...
English and English Language Teaching Today No one can dispute the importance of the English lang... more English and English Language Teaching Today No one can dispute the importance of the English language today as a global lingua franca and a fundamental tool for achieving different purposes. It has established, developed, and legitimized its power through the support it has been receiving from the USA and UK throughout the contemporary history. Globalization, or "Americanization," to Phillipson (2008), has a linguistic dimension manifested in the new imperialism and neoliberal empire led by the Americans and English as an ideologically initiated project by UK and continued by the USA to promote English as a product and process. Phillipson (2008) wrote that "linguistic capital, its acquisition and investment, is a prime example of symbolic power in use" (p. 29) and that "language is a central dimension of ideological control, perpetuating the subordination of colonial times into the present" (p. 10). Millions of individuals thus learn English for employm...
Teacher preparation programs can advance the development of education by preparing distinguished ... more Teacher preparation programs can advance the development of education by preparing distinguished graduate teachers who can work in schools, collaborate with colleagues and facilitate students’ learning. This paper aims to investigate cooperating teachers’ and college supervisors’ perceptions of a teacher preparation program in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) pertaining to NCATE’s Blue Ribbon design principles for Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning. In this quantitative research, a random sample of 13 college supervisors and 95 cooperating teachers, who were involved in student teaching program, participated in the study and responded to a five-point scale questionnaire. The findings revealed significant differences between the perceptions of cooperating teachers’ and college supervisors’ towards the aptness of SQU’s teacher preparation program in relation to the Blue Ribbon’s design principles. Based on these findings, reco...
Proficiency of the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native Engl... more Proficiency of the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language Teaching (ELT) graduates of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as full-time teachers. The decision has generated significant debate and controversy amongst those involved in the Omani ELT system. This qualitative content analysis study hence triangulates data from interviews and the relevant literature about the different language proficiency measurement devices to determine the selection of SQU graduates to join the ELT force. The findings show that the Ministry of Education needs to rethink the decision of opting for the IELTS as a valid and reliable selection criterion. The results have important implications for setting selection criteria ...
Letter name knowledge is regarded as being among the soundest indicators of later reading skill a... more Letter name knowledge is regarded as being among the soundest indicators of later reading skill and an imperfectly established alphabetic knowledge is a well-known predictor of future reading challenges. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a synthetic approach to phonics, specifically Jolly Phonics (JP), to determine its contribution to Omani third graders’ acquisition of uppercase (UC) and lowercase (LC) recognition. The study sample consisted of 117 Omani male and female third graders in two cycle one schools in Al-Dhahira Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman during the academic year 2019/2020. The study employed a quantitative descriptive research design, in which data was collected using an UC and LC letter recognition test. The findings revealed that the although the third graders in this study’s sample have on average achieved the JP programme’s objective in terms of UC and LC letter recognition skills, not all students have achieved the minim...
This study investigated the reasons why Omani English language teachers at the Language Centre (L... more This study investigated the reasons why Omani English language teachers at the Language Centre (LC) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) tend not to publish in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field or a related one. Publishing has always been one of various venues for professional development in any academic area in any context. ELT at SQU is not an exception. Twenty Omani ELT teachers at the LC at SQU responded to an online questionnaire about their professional publication activities. The results showed that the participants are being overburdened with administrative and technical responsibilities and assigned a heavy teaching load. Furthermore, the participants hold perceptions about publishing as being a demanding and challenging process due to reasons related to their professional competence or the work culture and environment they belong to.
Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers join... more Communicative Language Proficiency (CLP) in the target language is critical for the teachers joining English language teaching for different reasons. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman has sanctioned the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as the main criterion for accepting English language teachers graduating from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Nonetheless, some fourth-year Student Teachers (STs) have failed to achieve the specified score due to reasons pertinent to the choices made in the initial English language teacher education program content knowledge and methods. This qualitative study, hence, investigates the perspectives of purposively selected STs and faculty members about the effect of SQU English Language Teaching (ELT) content knowledge and methods on the STs’ IELTS band scores. Results have shown that there is a need to reconsider the content knowledge and methods to create more opportunities for the program participants to use the language communicatively. Results have further shown that certain faculty members adopt certain teaching methods insensitive to the needs and interests of the STs and which negatively affect their CLP. The results have important implications for the STs’ success in the IELTS and hence their employability.
Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native Engl... more Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language Teaching (ELT) graduates of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as full-time teachers. This qualitative content analysis study hence triangulates data from interviews and the relevant literature about the different language proficiency measurement devices to determine the selection of SQU graduates to join the ELT force. The findings show that the Ministry of Education needs to rethink the decision of opting for the IELTS as a valid and reliable selection criterion. The results have important implications for setting selection criteria of becoming an English language teacher in the Sultanate of Oman and beyond.
Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that ha... more Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that have been found to have considerable advantages and powerfully impact language learning and teaching. They are incorporated into language curricula to promote interactive engaging learning. This study investigates the role of games in the Omani ELT syllabus through conducting a thorough content analysis of Basic Education System English language textbooks across all grades as well as seeking the attitudes of teachers and students of three public schools representing the three teaching cycles in the educational system. A content analysis form and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Results showed that the Omani ELT syllabi endorsed a modest number of communicative games across grades, the majority of which focus on teaching vocabulary with a very timid focus on the language skills. Moreover, students hold highly positive attitudes about the role of games in improving their language whereas teachers have moderately positive attitudes about their role. Implications of these results on the language learning and teaching context are outlined.
The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among ... more The book mainly investigates task-based, synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) among EFL learners of English. It specifically explores (a) how learners negotiate for meaning when they interact in CMC in terms of frequency of negotiations, its causes, and the phases of resolving communication breakdown, (b) the relationship between the task type and the amount of negotiation that transpires, and (c) the learners? perceptions about their task-based interaction in CMC. 24 NNS-NNS dyads collaboratively completed 6 communicative tasks falling under 3 task types while chatting in Moodle. The interaction scripts reveal that learners do negotiate for meaning in CMC when communication breaks down. The causes of these negotiations varied in the chat scripts but they were mainly content and lexical triggers. The observed differences in the online negotiations call for a new model of computer-mediated negotiation. The results also suggested that task type did have an effect on how much learners negotiated for meaning. Finally the interview data revealed the different views the learners held about the tasks and how they influenced their interaction, language learning, and their CMC.
Uploads