Linguistic Awareness and Knowledge among Prospective English Teachers in Kuwait: Implications in Inclusive Classrooms

Almusawi, Hashemiah; BinAli, Sumaya; Alqallaf, Bader

doi:10.2478/jesr-2019-0030

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The present study looks specifically into the phonological errors made by Kuwaiti speakers of English when L1 has a parallel phoneme of only one of the two contrasting L2 phonemes in its L1 phoneme and/or orthography, namely /p/ and /b/, /v/ and /f/, and finally /t∫/ and /∫/. It should be noted here that Arabs (including Kuwaitis) live in typical diglossic communities [42], where the speakers are introduced to several spoken regional vernaculars employed in their everyday speech, that coexist with a spectrum of high standardized language varieties practiced only in formal contexts [43]. In Kuwait, the community follows a similar diglossic pattern, where the various language varieties represent variable phonological, syntactic and lexical structures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Phonological Awareness of English Phonemes by Kuwaiti Arabic Speakers with Evidence of Phonemic Hypercorrection

Akbar¹,

Taqi²,

Al-Gharabally³

2020

IJECS

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Research in the area of L2 phonological awareness continues to grow rapidly considering the importance of achieving proficient spoken English and ensuring being understood during communication, but most importantly on guaranteeing learners (worldwide) better professional opportunities. In Kuwait, conversing in English at a level at which the users can understand and be understood has become crucially important, regardless of the field in which the population studies or works. Within such intriguing context of phonological awareness in second language acquisition, the current study investigated the association of English phonemes production and perception by speakers of Kuwaiti Arabic and the main triggers of incorrect production. The present study looked specifically into the phonological errors made by Kuwaiti speakers of English when L1 has a parallel phoneme of only one of the two contrasting L2 phonemes in its L1 phoneme and/or orthography systems. The study was conducted on 244 Kuwaiti male and female participants between the ages of 18 and 30. The sample answered a 44 words questionnaire consisting of three English phonemes, namely, /p/, /v/ and /t∫/ and their counterparts /b/, /f/ and /∫/. The participants were asked to choose the correct sound they hear in word-initial and word-final positions. Findings of the study suggest that many Kuwaiti learners of English found it difficult to identify the English phonemes as a result of a deeper level of complications triggered by the occurrence of contrasting phonemes in both L1 and L2, hypercorrection, and interference of orthography. It is, hence, believed that perception is not the sole reason that causes Arabic learners of English to produce English sounds incorrectly.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Phonological Awareness of English Phonemes by Kuwaiti Arabic Speakers with Evidence of Phonemic Hypercorrection

Akbar¹,

Taqi²,

Al-Gharabally³

2020

IJECS

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“…This is inadequate for fulfilling even the regular needs of sign language users, regardless of the urgent needs during pandemics or other disasters. The shortage of sign language interpretation training in Saudi ( Alasim, 2020 ) and Kuwaiti ( Almusawi et al, 2019 ) universities has led to self-directed learning efforts in an attempt to satisfy the societal demands for these vocations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparities in health literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic between the hearing and deaf communities

Almusawi

Alasim

BinAli

et al. 2021

Research in Developmental Disabilities

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Background Barriers to communication for those with hearing loss are not only associated with social, emotional, educational and occupational difficulties, but also with reduced access to essential healthcare services, health information, and poorer health outcomes (Emond et al., 2015). These concerns are amplified with mandates such as physical distancing and the use of masks, which although needed to prevent respiratory transmission of SARS-Cov-2, obscure access to facial features needed for lipreading and sign language. Objectives To compare the disparities of health knowledge and practice surrounding COVID-19, if any, among hearing and Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals. Methods A total of 110 (70 hearing and 40 DHH) participants were recruited in the unique linguistic context of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia utilising a cross-sectional electronic survey. Participants were differentiated according to status of hearing loss, communication mode, as well as country, age, sex, occupation, education level and satisfaction with available information. Various aspects of knowledge relating to COVID-19 and associated public health measures were tested by means of a questionnaire. Results A multivariate regression analysis showed that both the degree of hearing loss, and use of sign language as the primary means of communication were associated with lower scores. In addition, disparities exist in the use of health information sources, where DHH participants relied mostly on social media compared to the hearing group who relied predominantly on official government sources. Conclusions In light of the pandemic, bridging the gap in health literacy for DHH individuals is essential in both policy and practice, in order to ensure equal access to healthcare and universal compliance with health directives at the population level.

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“…Twenty of the respondents proceeded with the study and read the handbook; they subsequently indicated higher levels of confidence in teaching children affected by CAPD. Finally, a recent study in Kuwait (Almusawi et al, 2021) investigated pre-service teachers' awareness of CAPD in relation to their college demographic variables. Participants were 287 students from the department of special education with various academic subspecialties, program completion and achievement levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theoretical and Practical Knowledge of Central Auditory Processing Disorder ‎among Primary School Teachers

2023

Jordan Journal of Educational Sciences

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Children's ability to process, store and retrieve auditory ‎information is the foundation of their literacy, numeracy, and ‎academic achievement. This progression is hampered by Central ‎Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), which causes non-‎specific symptoms. A teacher's role is critical in ‎multidisciplinary efforts to observe, recognize, refer, manage, ‎and intervene on the child's learning and progression as part of ‎CAPD. This study aims to investigate primary school teachers’ ‎awareness of CAPD’s characteristics, causes, symptoms, ‎management, and intervention strategies. A questionnaire was ‎developed and distributed to randomly selected primary schools ‎across the six educational districts in Kuwait. Results from ‎‎1003 teachers showed a reasonable degree of awareness of ‎CAPD, which was mostly attributed to prior exposure and ‎years of teaching experience. However, many of the teachers ‎confused CAPD with other conditions such as deafness, ‎learning disabilities, or behavioural disorders.‎‏ ‏Recommendations are made for bridging the gap between ‎theoretical knowledge and professional practice in teachers’ ‎education and progression.‎ ‎(Keywords: Central Auditory Processing Disorder, Primary ‎School Teachers, Knowledge and Awareness, Kuwait)‎

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Linguistic Awareness and Knowledge among Prospective English Teachers in Kuwait: Implications in Inclusive Classrooms

Cited by 7 publications

References 55 publications

Phonological Awareness of English Phonemes by Kuwaiti Arabic Speakers with Evidence of Phonemic Hypercorrection

Phonological Awareness of English Phonemes by Kuwaiti Arabic Speakers with Evidence of Phonemic Hypercorrection

Disparities in health literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic between the hearing and deaf communities

Theoretical and Practical Knowledge of Central Auditory Processing Disorder ‎among Primary School Teachers

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