High leverage teaching and tutoring practices to accelerate oral language proficiency of Arabic as a foreign language learners in the United States
Titles of the Individual Presentations in a Panel
Mr. Ebrahim Bamanger, M.Ed. Ms. Amani Gashan, M.Ed.
Subject Area
Arabic and Islamic Studies
Abstract
Research efforts continue to focus on exploring the practices that enhance oral second language skills (Garbati & Madi, 2015).
This paper presents a study explored Arabic as a foreign language AFL learners’ views about the teaching and tutoring practices that they think could enhance their oral language proficiency. It also investigated their perspectives about the tutoring practices that are perceived to be effective in fostering their oral production.
To achieve the goals of this study, a multi-case qualitative study was utilized, using a semi-structured interview as a data collection method. The data was gathered from a sample of three AFL learners who were enrolled in the Arabic Flagship Program, at a university in a Midwest State in the United States, 2018. A thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyze the collected data.
The study found that AFL learners view role-playing, class discussion, authentic encounters, and asking questions as the most effective teaching practices that help to enhance oral proficiency. The findings also reported that the participating sample perceives the tutoring practices of asking questions, role-playing, and leading discussions as influential ones on improving the oral foreign language output.
The study calls for more teaching practices that integrate more authentic encounters with an emphasis on the importance of having a more relaxed language learning context and a supportive scaffolding to enhance AFL learners’ oral proficiency.
The study suggests further research directions that explore the views of the learners of different ages and different levels of learning progress regarding effective teaching practices.
Brief Bio Note
Ebrahim Bamanger is doing his Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a minor in Arabic Linguistics at Indiana University-Bloomington. He is also a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at King Saud University. He is an Arabic conversation instructor at the Arabic Flagship program, Indiana University-Bloomington.
Amani Gashan is doing her Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a minor in Arabic Linguistics and Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University-Bloomington. Ms. Gashan is also an Arabic conversation instructor at the Arabic Flagship program, Indiana University-Bloomington. Her research interests focus on Arabic teaching and learning.
Keywords
Oral proficiency, views, Arabic as a foreign language, teaching practices.
Location
Afternoon Session 1 (PARB 227)
Presentation Year
April 2019
Start Date
4-11-2019 2:55 PM
Embargo
11-12-2018
Recommended Citation
Bamanger, Ebrahim M. and Indiana University - Bloomington, "High leverage teaching and tutoring practices to accelerate oral language proficiency of Arabic as a foreign language learners in the United States" (2019). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 22.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2019/2019/22
High leverage teaching and tutoring practices to accelerate oral language proficiency of Arabic as a foreign language learners in the United States
Afternoon Session 1 (PARB 227)
Research efforts continue to focus on exploring the practices that enhance oral second language skills (Garbati & Madi, 2015).
This paper presents a study explored Arabic as a foreign language AFL learners’ views about the teaching and tutoring practices that they think could enhance their oral language proficiency. It also investigated their perspectives about the tutoring practices that are perceived to be effective in fostering their oral production.
To achieve the goals of this study, a multi-case qualitative study was utilized, using a semi-structured interview as a data collection method. The data was gathered from a sample of three AFL learners who were enrolled in the Arabic Flagship Program, at a university in a Midwest State in the United States, 2018. A thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyze the collected data.
The study found that AFL learners view role-playing, class discussion, authentic encounters, and asking questions as the most effective teaching practices that help to enhance oral proficiency. The findings also reported that the participating sample perceives the tutoring practices of asking questions, role-playing, and leading discussions as influential ones on improving the oral foreign language output.
The study calls for more teaching practices that integrate more authentic encounters with an emphasis on the importance of having a more relaxed language learning context and a supportive scaffolding to enhance AFL learners’ oral proficiency.
The study suggests further research directions that explore the views of the learners of different ages and different levels of learning progress regarding effective teaching practices.
