Higher education and linguistic dualism in the Arab Gulf

Characteristics of a Good EFL Teacher

“…The value of incorporating explicit instruction in Western cultures into EFL classrooms is an area of considerable debate, with this issue being especially relevant to the Arab and/or Muslim worlds in light of fears of the loss of traditional values and cultural beliefs as witnessed in the research and scholarship of a number of authors (see Al-Tamimi, 2009;Charise, 2007;Edge, 2003;Findlow, 2006;Karmani, 2005;Sinno, 2008). The fact that student participants here did not agree that it was important for their instructors to be well-versed in Western cultures, therefore, perhaps implies that they did not believe a knowledge of these cultures to be central to English language learning, and thus suggests that they prefer a "value-free" English, which can be tailored to meet their demands and express their own concerns-much like the Malaysian Muslim students in studies such as Mostafizar Rahman (2008) and Kim (2003).…”

E-learning Barriers in the United Arab Emirates: Preliminary Results from an Empirical Investigation

“…The majority of studies have focused on the perceptions of the educators about how to integrate the new technologies into their teaching and learning, along with their perceptions of the value or not of e-learning in the UAE context. Other local studies focus on language competence and language use to access the Web [4], and the impact of globalism on Arab and Higher Education [5]. A recent study being carried out at Zayed University in the UAE by Birks, Hunt & Martin [6] researches the use of information literacy web resources by Arabic students.…”

History of English-as-A-Second-Language Teaching in the Middle East and the Current Scenario in Bahrain

“…Language came to be recognized as the most important characteristic of nationality (Zughoul & Taminian 1984). Even more important than the sense of belonging was the long-held belief of Muslims that command of Arabic is the only way to understand the teachings of the Qur'an, which gave impetus to the 'Arabization' movement, making Arabic fundamental to the curriculum literature of Islamic schools and universities in the Gulf (Findlow 2006). After years of suppression under colonial rule, promoting the Arabic language, and the Arab-Islamic culture inside and outside the Arab world became the prime aim of Arab League's Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (ALESCO n.d.), and the official use of Arabic came to be regarded as a symbol of unity among the Arabic-speaking Muslims of the world (Charise 2007).…”

“…Tertiary education, however, in both government and private sectors, is characterized by a marked bifurcation (Almekhlafi 2006;Findlow 2006). In higher education, traditional subjects like Islamic studies are taught through the medium of Arabic, whereas, subjects related to medicine, commerce, industry, and internationalism are taught in English considering the fact that the bulk of academic books and research studies are published in English, not to mention the information explosion since the advent of the Internet.…”

“…In higher education, traditional subjects like Islamic studies are taught through the medium of Arabic, whereas, subjects related to medicine, commerce, industry, and internationalism are taught in English considering the fact that the bulk of academic books and research studies are published in English, not to mention the information explosion since the advent of the Internet. Arabic has thus come to connote religious affiliation, authenticity of culture, tradition, emotions, and localism; in contrast, English represents modernity, business, material values, and secularism (Al Zeera 1990;Charise 2007;Findlow 2006). Al Zeera (1990) and Zughoul and Taminian's (1984) views seem to be applicable to today's Arab world, too: English is the choice of instruction for people with modern values, and career goals, whereas Arabic is the preferred medium of instruction for learners with religious and traditional values.…”