scholarly journals An Assessment of the Effectiveness of CALL in Teaching English Language Writing Skills in Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailah Alhujaylan
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Short Period

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is playing a vital role in teaching English language to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. However, to best of my knowledge a little has been done in this regard to keep the students in line with the most recent advancements in this paradigm in Saudi Arabia. This paper evaluates the efficacy of CALL in improving students’ writing skills and provides innovative techniques and robust strategies for long-lasting learning. The research seeks to fill in the knowledge gap regarding prospects of using CALL in the Kingdom with these main research questions; 1) how is the technology presently used for teaching the writing skills?; 2) what is the true impact of using CALL on students’ writing skills?; 3) which area of the language (organization, structure, content, grammar) sees the most improvements by CALL to make them better writers? A quantitative research design was used for this study. The sample was sixty female students of a Saudi University divided equally into control and experimental groups. The elicited data analysis indicates that the performance scores of two groups differ significantly when taught through CALL. The research contends that using CALL can enhance students’ writing skills over a short period of time when compared to the traditional ways of improving the writing skills. The current study also recommends that language classrooms should be equipped with all the latest technological facilities to encourage the use of CALL.

scholarly journals Students’ Preferences and Attitude toward Oral Error Correction Techniques at Yanbu University College, Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Bushra Alamri ◽  
Hala Hassan Fawzi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Error Correction ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
University College ◽  
Teachers And Students

<p>Error correction has been one of the core areas in the field of English language teaching. It is “seen as a form of feedback given to learners on their language use” (Amara, 2015). Many studies investigated the use of different techniques to correct students’ oral errors. However, only a few focused on students’ preferences and attitude toward oral error correction techniques, which determine students’ success in language learning. This quantitative research explored teachers’ and students’ preferences as well as students’ attitude toward the use of oral error correction techniques in the language classroom. The participants of the study were English language students and English language teachers at Yanbu University College (YUC) in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. A classroom observation checklist and questionnaires were used to collect the data. The study findings revealed that recast and explicit correction are the preferred techniques by the majority of the students and teachers. The findings also indicated that students have positive attitude toward oral error correction. As the classroom observation revealed that recast was highly used by teachers, it is recommended that teachers should also use other techniques to correct students’ oral errors. In addition, it is recommended that before correcting students’ oral errors teachers should always take into account the purpose of the activity and the proficiency level of students.</p>

scholarly journals Anxiety in English Language Learning: A Case Study of English Language Learners in Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Jamilah Mohammed Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Language Anxiety

Language anxiety as a specific aspect of language acquisition has occupied a great body of research for the past few decades. In this study, the level of foreign language anxiety among English language learners was investigated. This study was carried out with a quantitative research design using a survey methodology to collect data about the participants’ language anxiety. The sample of the study included 100 university students from the college of Education at Princess Nora University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants were randomly selected. For this research study, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) was used to collect the research data. Based on the findings of the study, several implications are highlighted.

scholarly journals Challenges and Solutions of Teaching English as a Foreign Language Online During a Global Pandemic Like COVID-19: Saudi EFL Teachers’ Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Mahib ur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Teachers And Students

COVID-19, the most catastrophic global pandemic of the 21st century, has caused unbelievable disruption in various sectors, such as education, business and commerce, and tourism. According to UNESCO, education has been so severely affected by the pandemic that over 60% of the world’s student population were deprived of it. As a result, the growth of online teaching has accelerated. The present study aims to explore the challenges of teaching English as a foreign language online during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia and to assess whether the teachers are satisfied with online English language learning classes. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used with the help of a self-administered online questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among English as a foreign language faculty members of various universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using different online tools, such as email, WhatsApp groups, and Facebook. Fifty faculty members voluntarily participated. Analysis was carried out using SPSS 26. The findings revealed promising results that indicate that teaching English as a foreign language online can be very useful if proper training and orientation programs for teachers and students are implemented and online language learning platforms and tools are up to date.

Tertiary English-majored Students’ Perceptions toward the Role of Pronunciation in English Language Learning and their Practicing Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-279
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The University

Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020

Using Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) materials in English as Second Language (ESL) classrooms: perspectives of teachers and students in United Arab Emirates

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramia DIRAR SHEHADEH MUSMAR
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Student Diversity ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching

Integrating scaffolding-learning technologies has been recognized for its potential to create intellectual and engaging classroom interactions. In the United Arab Emirates, having language teachers employ computers as a medium of new pedagogical instrument for teaching second languages generated the idea of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as a medium of an innovative pedagogical instrument for facilitating and scaffolding language learning, with an aspiration that it will lead to improved English language attainment and better assessment results. This study aims at investigating the perspectives of students and teachers on the advantageous and disadvantageous impacts of CALL on learning and teaching English as a second language in one public school in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The results show that CALL has a facilitating role in L2 classroom and that using CALL activities is advantageous in reducing English learning tension, boosting motivation, catering for student diversity, promoting self-directed language learning and scaffolding while learning English. The results additionally report that numerous aspects like time constraints, teachers’ unsatisfactory computer skills, insufficient computer facilities, and inflexible school courses undesirably affect the implementation of CALL in English classrooms. It is recommended that further studies should be undertaken to investigate the actual effect of CALL on students’ language proficiency. 

PENGEMBANGAN BAHAN AJAR BAHASA INGGRIS DENGAN MEDIA AUDIO UNTUK SEKOLAH MENENGAH PERTAMA

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sugeng Susilo Adi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
Communicative Language Teaching ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Comprehensible Input ◽  
Level I ◽  
Audio Media

The composition of English language learning tools for middle schools has often not utilized the instrctional technology approach and only used approaches related to the educational discipline of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). English language learning materials in several middle schools in East Java also do not provide audio media-based activities for practice of listening skills. This article is the research results of the Borg & Gall research and development model which aimed to develop, validate, and test textual learning materials aided by audio recordings to develop the English-language competency of middle school students. The results of the development showed that audio media was proven to be e ectively capable as sca olds that play a role as learning aids. Audio media provides sound input that guides students to imitate the audio with accurate pronunciation. In addition, audio media input can also be comprehensible for students in accordance with the Input Hypothesis Theory of Krashen that states that those learning languages at “level i” should obtain comprehensible input at “level i + 1” or slightly higher than the current level, and this theory of Krashen is identical to the zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory of Vygotsky. This development also resulted in a learning design which applied the audio lingual communicative (ALC) strategy which is eclectic in its combination of two language learning strategies, which are the audio lingual method with communicative language teaching (CLT). The application of this method was appropriate with the Indonesian classroom context where the number of students in a classroom is on average 40 pupils or more. AbstrakPengembangan bahan ajar Bahasa Inggris untuk sekolah menengah pertama selama ini sering kali tidak menggunakan pendekatan teknologi pembelajaran dan hanya menggunakan pendekatan disiplin ilmu pendidikan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing atau teaching English as a foreign language/TEFL. Selain bahan ajar bahasa Inggris di beberapa sekolah menengah pertama di Jawa Timur tidak menyediakan bahan penyerta berupa media audio untuk latihan keterampilan menyimak (listening). Penelitian ini adalah penelitian pengembangan (R&D) model Borg & Gall yang bertujuan untuk mengembangan, memvalidasi, dan menguji bahan ajar tekstual berbantuan rekaman audio untuk meningkatkan kompetensi bahasa Inggris siswa sekolah menengah pertama. Hasil pengembangan ini menunjukkan bahwa media audio telah terbukti mampu secara efektif menjadi sca olds yang berperan sebagai bantuan belajar. Media audio menyediakan input suara yang memandu siswa menirukan audio dengan akurasi pelafalan yang tepat. Selain itu, input dari media audio dapat dipahami (comprehensible) bagi siswa, sesuai dengan Input Hyphothesis Theory Krashen yang menyatakan bahwa mereka yang belajar bahasa yang berada pada “tingkat i” seharusnya memperoleh comprehensible input pada “tingkat i + 1” atau sedikit lebih tinggi dari tingkat ia berada yang identik dengan teori zone of proximal development (ZPD) yang dikembangkan Vygotsky. Pengem- bangan ini juga menghasilkan desain pembelajaran yang menerapkan strategi audio lingual communicative (ALC) yang bersifat eklektik yang memadukan dua pendekatan pembelajaran bahasa, yaitu audio lingual method dengan communicative language teaching (CLT). Penerapan metode ini sesuai dengan konteks kelas Indonesia dengan jumlah siswa rata-rata 40 orang atau lebih dalam satu kelas. ia dengan jumlah siswa rata-rata 40 orang atau lebih dalam satu kelas.

Education of undergraduate: Epistemic and cultural beliefs as obstacles to technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092098431
Author(s):  
Fahad SS Alfallaj ◽  
Ahmed AH Al-Ma'amari ◽  
Fahad IA Aldhali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Language Curriculum

This study aims to identify the epistemological and cultural beliefs that act as barriers in English learning by Saudi undergraduate learners. English is a compulsory component of education from the early school years in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Education invests a great deal of workforce and financial resources in this sector in a concerted effort to ensure that Saudi students attain language proficiency. The study employed a mixed-method research design and was conducted with 85 undergraduate learners at Qassim University. It used a questionnaire and interviews to obtain insight into the factors that inhibit the English learning experience. Results revealed that the respondents' resistance to the learning of others' culture stems mainly from the epistemic and cultural barriers embedded in English language learning. Implications of the study will provide the basis to policymakers, educationists, institutions, and learners for contextualizing the English language curriculum of Saudi Arabia.

How Gaming Applications of CALL influence inputs of English Grammar: كيف تؤثر تطبيقات ألعاب الكمبيوتر المساعدة في تعليم اللغة على مدخلات قواعد اللغة الإنجليزية

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (47) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Obaid M Alsuhaymi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Full Sample ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

The present study aims to research the influences of games through Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) compared to Teacher-Centered Instruction (TCI) on teenagers' achievement in English language education in Saudi Arabia. Two groups of students tested, before and after instruction, so to determine success of the application of pedagogies. The full sample consisted of 22 teenagers, divided randomly, into two equal groups. The first group was the control (TDI) group, which used a school textbook. The second group was the experimental group (CALL), which given a CALL application, based on the game ‘Kahoot.’ Two types of tests were conducted, a pre-test and a post-test, at each of two periods for each group. The pre-test administered before instruction, and the post-test taken after the instructional period. Findings indicate that both groups increased their proficiencies with English object pronouns. However, performance on the post-test by the experimental (CALL) group significantly exceeded that of the control (TCI) group.

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