This study reports the findings of a classroom intervention experiment investigating the effectiveness of explicit instruction in teaching the English articles’ semantic properties (definiteness and specificity) to Hejazi Arabic-speaking learners. Additionally, the study explores whether learners fluctuate (use the instead of a/ an and vice versa) in contexts where the taught semantic properties do not match. Fifty-four Hejazi Arabic-speaking participants were divided into two groups (instructed and control/uninstructed). The instructed group received explicit instruction on specificity and definiteness, since specificity is currently not taught to learners of English whereas definiteness is. The control group received traditional English language lessons with no explicit instruction on article semantics. By comparing the participants’ performance with twenty-three native English speakers, the findings of the study show learners’ sensitivity to specificity in article choice. They further show evidence supporting explicit instruction. The instructed group outperformed the uninstructed group and this effect was sustained until the delayed post-test with respect to average effects. The paper concludes that generative linguistics can inform the language classroom by predicting areas of acquisition difficulty. It also stresses that explicit language instruction is more beneficial than standard classroom instruction in teaching articles. On the basis of the findings, theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Identifying students’ learning styles is advantageous for both teachers and students. Awareness of students’ learning styles allows teachers to plan lessons to reach each student in the classroom by providing proper activities and classroom materials that suit every individual. Furthermore, students can raise their own awareness of the learning process and maximize their opportunities to learn by knowing their preferred learning styles. Using the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire, this study aims to investigate Saudi EFL students’ preferred learning styles and explore whether these learning styles are affected by students’ academic majors. The participants were 120 Saudi students at a private college in four different majors. The results show that the kinaesthetic learning style is the most commonly preferred learning style among students of all majors. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications and directions for further research are highlighted.

The Social Interdependence Theory offers pedagogical implications indicating that positive participation in the learning process results in higher academic and social progress. In light of this theory, this study explores Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions of cooperative learning (CL) activities in English reading classrooms. A large body of research has investigated the application of CL in language classrooms, but it has mostly focused on how implementing CL affects learners’ achievements and academic performance rather than their perceptions of CL. Therefore, this study investigates Saudi learners’ perceptions of CL in reading classrooms. The study’s participants were 64 low-level EFL learners taking a general English course as part of their preparatory year requirements. The study adopted a descriptive survey-based design. The participants were first given a language background questionnaire and the Oxford Quick Placement Test to determine their proficiency levels. Then, they were taught using a method of CL – Reciprocal Teaching – for six one-hour sessions. The learners were next given a survey questionnaire that consisted of 14 items concerning their perception of CL activities in reading classrooms after all of the Reciprocal Teaching sessions had been completed. Overall, the findings reveal that the participants have positive views of CL in reading classrooms. Based on the findings, the study offers pedagogical implications for future classroom practices.

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