scholarly journals Before and After: English Language Acquisition in Saudi Arabia and the New Possibilities in Teaching and Learning That the COVID-19 Pandemic May Have Brought

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 756-761
Author(s):  
Badriah M. Alkhannani

This article examines how the teaching and learning of English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia has evolved over time and the new possibilities the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to teaching and learning of English in Saudi Arabia. Various factors have influenced the pace and degree to which the English language has propagated in Saudi Arabia ever since it was first introduced. Learners of English also continue to be affected by several inherent and external factors when learning the English language. On top of having to grapple with first language and culture interferences, learners of English in Saudi Arabia have also to navigate unfavorable learning environments, lack of experiential exposure to English, and foreign language anxiety. Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have seemingly created issues (e.g., a reduction in time for interaction with peers and teachers) for learners of English due to emergency remote teaching, it has opened up new possibilities that can be the subject of additional research and development.  The benefits of online learning, translingual practices, and collaborative teaching should be further explored to benefit from the new normal of mandatory online learning that has arisen due to the pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1288-1294
Author(s):  
Badriah M. Alkhannani

This paper looks at the effectiveness of Collaborative Teaching and Learning (CTL) strategies in increasing students’ satisfaction in their learning outcomes, experiences, and achievements. The main strategy addressed in this paper is engaging Students as Partners in the CTL. Student engagement correlates with positive learning experiences and outcomes for students. ‘Students as Partners’ principles and approaches are relevant to many aspects of enhancement and innovation in curriculum and pedagogy, particularly in Higher Education. While this may not be a novel or new idea in the West, many countries in Asia and the Middle East have yet to incorporate collaborative approaches in the classrooms. As such, this review hopes to shed light on the possibilities and advantages of engaging learners in aspects that in a traditional classroom, the role that only educators and teachers take on. This paper also explores the potential issues, challenges, and further work required in the application of CTL in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom in Saudi Arabia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147-159
Author(s):  
Reem A. Al-Samiri

The pandemic of 2020 was a watershed moment for all educators worldwide as schools and universities were forced to close their doors to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Thus, a new movement towards widespread e-learning emerged with unknown consequences for learners and educators alike. The situation in Saudi Arabia was no exception. The purpose of this study is to explore how English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning at the tertiary level in Saudi Arabia was impacted negatively and positively by the move to online learning. It reviews research published since the onset of the pandemic, with a specific focus on English language teaching at Saudi universities, to analyze the challenges faced by Saudi EFL teachers and learners since the shift to e-learning. One of the biggest challenges observed was students’ lack of motivation, which upon further review was found to be linked to other contributing factors, such as technological issues, inapt learning environments, and students’ mental health. This paper also examines the unforeseen positive outcomes resulting from the digital transformation, including the benefits of the flexibility of place and time and promotion of particular language skills. The current research synthesis will help contribute to the knowledge of online English teaching in the Saudi context.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ika Lestari Damayanti

It is widely acknowledged that the use of stories supports the development of literacy in the context of learning English as a first language. However, it seems that there are a few studies investigating this issue in the context of teaching and learning English as a foreign language.  This action-oriented case study aims to enhance students’ written narrative achievement through a pedagogical intervention that incorporates oral story sharing activities. In this paper, the intervention will be briefly described and the preliminary findings from the students’ written texts will be presented. This study which was conducted in a lower secondary school in Bandung Barat region, Indonesia implemented the intervention within eight learning periods. The intervention comprised the following stages: (1) preparing before reading (stories), (2) detailed reading, (3) joint rewriting, and (4) individual rewriting. Before and after the intervention, students’ narrative texts were collected and analysed in terms of how each text achieved its purpose, how it moved through stages and phases of meaning, the control of field, relationship with the reader and its coherence.  The preliminary findings indicate that there is a shift in students’ ability from writing fragmented and spoken-like language to more literate written narratives.   It is expected that this study which implemented R2L pedagogy in the Indonesian context will contribute to English language teaching in EFL contexts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Akram Alsaleem

This study is conducted to evaluate learning and teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since English is still treated as a foreign language. Despite the prevailing high-level anxiety in Saudi learners of the English language, there are limited researches available to study the impact of language anxiety on the achievement of the student in a particular language. This literature search study explored the underlying causes and impacts of foreign language anxiety (FLA) and then studied these impacts on the language achievement of Saudi students in EFL classrooms in KSA. Credible academic researches and conference papers are critically reviewed in the context of the relationship between foreign language anxiety and language achievement of EFL students in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the review revealed that government initiatives and exposure to globalization in Saudi Arabia, students are encouraged to get expertise in English through EFL courses. However, the review of literature demonstrated that Saudi students experience anxiety while learning English as an unknown language. Additionally, the level of understanding in students of FLA negatively affected their accomplishment. Therefore, the collaborative strategies in classrooms are needed with complete participation of language instructors and favourable environment with positive competition building strategies encourage EFL students to enhance learning. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2245-2249
Author(s):  
Suzana Ejupi ◽  
Lindita Skenderi

Working with English learners for many years, gives you the opportunity to encounter linguistic obstacles that they face while learning English language as a foreign language. Additionally, teaching for 13 years and observing the learning process, it enables you to recognize the students’ needs and at the same time, detect linguistic mistakes that they make, while practicing the target language. During my experience as a teacher, in terms of teaching and learning verbs in general and its grammatical categories in specific, it is noticed that Albanian learners find it relatively difficult the correct use of verbs in context and even more confusing the equivalent use of verbs in Albanian. Since verbs present an important part of speech, this study aims to investigate several differences and similarities between grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian. As a result, the Albanian learners of English language will be able to identify some of the major differences and similarities between the grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian; overcome the usual mistakes; gain the necessary knowledge regarding verbs and use them properly in English and Albanian.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdulteeef M. Al Khateeb

The purpose of this research is to measure in-service English language teachers' digital competence, particularly for the enhancement of teaching English as a second/foreign language in schools in Saudi Arabia. Information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge is currently considered as a vital skill for foreign language teachers in addition to their linguistic competence. Recently, there has been a focus on digital competence, since it can be regarded as a gateway for enriching knowledge, economies, societies and individuals. There is also a massive need for teachers to assess their own digital competence according to non-conventional norms (i.e., having the ability to share content and manage information). In light of this rationale, this paper investigates the following research question: to what extent are English language teachers in Saudi Arabia digitally competent and in what aspects? This study used a standardized questionnaire that was constructed using a validated comprehensive framework. This instrument was designed to assess the professional capability of English language teachers in terms of their willingness and readiness to use ICTs along with their current digital competence used throughout their teaching and educational practices. The research included a diverse range of participants who come from various backgrounds, genders and experiences. The study was concluded with a presentation of useful recommendations and key research questions for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4892
Author(s):  
Sandra Stefanovic ◽  
Elena Klochkova

This manuscript aims to present possibilities for developing mobile and smart platforms and systems in teaching and learning the English language for engineering professionals in different engineering study programs. Foreign language teaching and learning processes are based on traditional methods, while in engineering and technical sciences, teaching and learning processes include different digital platforms. Therefore, the following hypotheses were stated. (H1) It is possible to develop a software solution for mobile platforms that can have a higher level of interactivity, and it may lead to better learning outcomes, especially in the field of adopting engineering vocabulary. (H2) Implementation of the developed solution increases motivation for learning and leads to a higher level of satisfaction with the learning process as a part of the quality of life. (H3) Students who have digital and mobile platforms in the learning process could have higher achievement values. This manuscript presents software application development and its implementation in teaching English as a foreign language for engineering and technical study programs on the bachelor level. Initial results in implementation and satisfaction of end users point to the justification of implementing such solutions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-202
Author(s):  
Elias Bensalem

This paper reports on a study of how a group of tertiary level EFL teachers perceived and used mobile devices in their teaching and personal learning. One hundred and fifty teachers (66 female, 84 male) from public universities in Saudi Arabia completed an online questionnaire. Results showed that the majority of participants used mobile devices and applications in their teaching and learning. Survey data showed that the vast majority of teachers had positively perceived and frequently used mobile technologies in their teaching and personal learning. In addition, there was a correlation between teachers’ use of mobile technologies in their teaching and their use in learning. There was also a correlation between how teachers perceived the value of mobile technologies in learning, and how they use them in their teaching.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Huyi Intan Sari ◽  
Choiril Anwar

Anxiety is a topic mostly investigated in the field of foreign language education. Unfortunately, the main focus of the studies on the aforementioned topic has primarily been provided in relation to anxiety suffered by students not teachers. Anxiety in speaking English while teaching has been proven to be a separate obstacle to the success of the language teaching and learning. This still happens to teachers who even have years of teaching experience. This study aims to investigate the English language teaching anxiety as experienced by the pre-service teacher at the department. The FLTA questionnaire consisting of 27 out of 45 items was adopted to collect data. Since this study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, the questionnaire was distributed to the participants via email. The analysis was then made by implementing the qualitative descriptive approach and simple quantification to support the description. The results show that there were five factors of anxiety occur during the program. They were teaching inexperience, self-perception of language proficiency, fear of negative evaluation, lack of student�s interest, and difficulty with time management. These findings are expected to become a reference for the efforts of developing an internship preparation program.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kartikasari Tandy Rerung

<p>Nowadays, the communicative teaching has been influenced by the development of technology. Becoming interactive teacher would not be enough if it is not supported by technology usage. Online learning in this case has been a powerful tool to help language learners during their learning progress.  It is said that that online instruction raised the good and average student’s reading performance and the performance of the lowest-performing as well. In listening and speaking, online learning can help students improve their pronunciaton as well the comprehension skill. Therefore, the following study is designed to find out the students’ perceptions towards the use of both online and face-to-face learning in listening and speaking classroom. There are 30 students from the 1<sup>st</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> semester of English Language and Culture Departement and they joined the class for 1 semester. Online learning platform used was taken from Cambridge Learning Management System integrated with Unlock 2 and Unlock 4 books as the source of learning. The result shows that most of the students see online learning as an alternative tool to help them during their learning process.<strong></strong></p><strong>Keywords: </strong>blended learning, online learning, face-to-face learning, language learning


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