A Student Perspective on Low English Proficiency in Oman

Al-Mahrooqi, Rahma

doi:10.5539/ies.v5n6p263

Cited by 44 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Al Yaqoobi, Ali, and Sultan's study (2016) has examined Omani EFL learners' errors in certain consonant sounds, which are limited to only some plosive and affricate sounds. Al Mahrooqi's (2012) study has focused on Omani students' perspectives on low proficiency of English in Oman in which some reflections have been made on phonological aspects. In view of the limited perspective of phonological problems of Omani learners available in the literature, this study focuses on examining all those phonological aspects where deviations are observed in Omani school learners' phonological productions in English.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phonological Problems of Omani EFL Learners: Pedagogical Perspectives and Implications

Thakur¹

2020

AWEJ

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Like many non-native learners, English is a Foreign Language to Omani learners; therefore, Spoken English turns out to be difficult and often problematic. Non-native learners of English face several phonological problems mainly because most languages follow specific, predictable rules of pronunciation, but English does not. There are native and non-native varieties of English, which differ not only in terms of vocabulary and grammar but also in pronunciation. In the backdrop of phonological differences between varieties of English and ensuing pronunciation problems, this action research was conducted to investigate the phonological problems that Omani learners at school level encounter. The study was based on focused observation using the diary as a tool for data collection for six months each in one (1) class of grade seven (7) and one (1) class of grade nine (9) in two Omani public schools. The total sample size was 100. The collected phonological data were coded and organized in terms of marked thematic categories. The recurrent problems which surfaced in the Spoken English of Omani learners involved in this study were pure vowel substitution for diphthongs  and , replacement of  by sound, insertion of the vowel sound  while pluralizing the words, syllabification of initial and final consonant clusters, deletion of sound occurring as the final element from consonant clusters, the alternation between // and /, // and //, / / and / / sounds, replacement of // by / / sound, lengthening of certain vowel sounds, pronouncing 'r' in all phonetic environments, irregularities in the use of weak forms, and not following the rules of aspiration. Based on the emerging phonological problems, certain remedial activities were planned and used with the students, which helped improve their phonological problems considerably. These remedial activities are proposed and recommended as measures of pedagogical intervention.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phonological Problems of Omani EFL Learners: Pedagogical Perspectives and Implications

Thakur¹

2020

AWEJ

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“…Many studies criticized the traditional methods implemented by English language teachers in Oman (McLean, 2011;Al-Mahrooqi, Hassan & Asante, 2012;Al-Mahrooqi, 2012;Tanveer, 2013). The current literature is talking about an "awakening" period in the TESOL field (Kumaravadivelu, 2006) which is characterized by moving beyond methods of teaching English to approaches where teachers are teaching for social transformation.…”

Section: The Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating TESOL Teachers' Awareness of Critical Pedagogy at Higher Education Institutions in Oman: Implications for Critical Professional Development

Riyami¹,

Issa

2018

KJHSS

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Critical Pedagogy (CP) has been proposed as an alternative pedagogy capable of meeting the complex demands of teaching English within a particular sociopolitical context. Despite the fact that CP has been present in education since the 1960s, much of the research on CP has been conducted recently in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) contexts. There is a growing but as yet small amount of research that addresses the usage of CP in TESOL contexts, to which this study hopes to make a useful contribution. Therefore, this study investigates the extent to which TESOL teachers from four higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman are aware of CP. In order to achieve this, a questionnaire is administered to 178 English Language Teachers. The main findings reveal a widespread lack of awareness of the concept of CP among TESOL teachers. Nonetheless, minorities of teachers are aware of CP and implement it in a limited fashion in their classes. On the other hand, there are teachers who, whilst being aware of CP, do not implement it. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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“…ELT in Oman has suffered from various shortcomings at the implementation level (Al-Issa & Al-Bulushi, 2012;Al-Mahrooqi, 2012). Research has shown that teachers, as powerful socialization agents, have contributed largely to this dissatisfaction at the general education level through adopting a counter progressive/humanistic, democratic and liberal approach to ELT education (Al-Issa & Al-Bulushi, 2012).…”

Section: Elt In Omanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting Students’ Expectations in an Arab ICLHE/EMI Context: Implications for ELT Education Policy and Practice

Al-Issa

2016

Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Engl. Lit.

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Students’ expectations have seldom received any attention in English Language Teaching (ELT) education research in the Arab World in general and in Integrated Content and Language in Higher Education (ICLHE)/English Medium Instruction (EMI) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in particular, despite their importance for policy and practice. This mixed-method study investigates the expectations of 50 students attending an ICLHE/EMI EAP course at College of Law, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in the Sultanate of Oman. The results have shown that the students had course materials and content and course pedagogy and design implementation expectations. The results have further revealed that the teacher played a key role in meeting his students’ expectations through his effective teaching. The findings have important implications for ICLHE/EMI policy implementation in other similar local, regional and global contexts. Keywords: Students’ expectations; English Language for Law (1); Integrated Content and Language in Higher Education/English Medium Instruction; English Language Teaching; College of Law

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A Student Perspective on Low English Proficiency in Oman

Cited by 44 publications

References 14 publications

Phonological Problems of Omani EFL Learners: Pedagogical Perspectives and Implications

Phonological Problems of Omani EFL Learners: Pedagogical Perspectives and Implications

Investigating TESOL Teachers' Awareness of Critical Pedagogy at Higher Education Institutions in Oman: Implications for Critical Professional Development

Meeting Students’ Expectations in an Arab ICLHE/EMI Context: Implications for ELT Education Policy and Practice

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