Implications of Oral Presentation for Fostering Learners’ Autonomy: A Case Study with Saudi Learners Major in English as a Foreign Language (Published)
This present paper focuses on pinpointing the implications of Oral presentation for fostering learners’ autonomy by employing the experimental and qualitative research methods. The study investigated a group of participants comprised of (15) students major in English as A foreign language at Najran University. The key data was collected from the participants who were interviewed through a focusing group interview conducted on purpose to obtain a deeper insight into Saudi learners’ perceptions of how Oral presentation provides opportunities for them to fostering autonomy learning. The results are enlightening, as the students of the College of Science and Arts in Sharurah comprised in the sample find an overall positive satisfaction with the Oral presentation as they believed that Oral presentation did not only help them decide on materials, plan and prepare it for class presentation but also It provided them with motivation to learn English, gained self-esteem, confidence and become active learners. Finally, Oral presentation stimulated learners to create their own identity of learning the English language and enabled them to sort out their learning materials that satisfy their learning needs.
Keywords: English as a foreign language, Saudi learners, learners’ autonomy, oral presentation
Teachers’ Attitude toward a Foreign Language: Factors Effecting the Target Language Teaching Process (Published)
The purpose of this study is to find out the teachers’ attitude toward reaching effective teaching process as well as the key factors which influenced their attitude for selecting this profession. It was carried out during the fall semester 2016/ 2017. The participants were 42 males and 117 female English language teachers, a total of 159 English teachers. They were all randomly selected and were all teaching English as a foreign language in different stages in Kuwaiti public elementary schools. The data was collected through a questionnaire and an individual interviews. The results mainly showed the teachers’ attitude reflected on their passion to learn more about this language and its culture. Moreover, some teachers associate English language teaching with the language of the British Colonialization. Others see English simply as a means of doing business and making money.
Keywords: Effective Language Teaching, English as a foreign language, English language teaching, Teachers’ Attitude
Tailoring For the Needs of Graduate Students in Kuwait (Published)
Drawing on their long experience of teaching English as a foreign language in Kuwait, the researchers propose a course designed to meets the needs of Kuwaiti students seeking to pursue their higher studies in a university in one of the English speaking countries, particularly the UK or the USA. The need for this course stems from the fact that students who go abroad to pursue their higher studies struggle a lot, not only with the authentic language that they encounter for the first time, but also with the culture. So the content of the course is based on teaching the language within its cultural context. This paper gives details of this course in terms of goals, objectives, content, the stages of the learning experience and ways of implementation.
Keywords: English as a foreign language, language skills, syllabus design, training course