Browsing by Subject "TAFL"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Arabic connectives in native speaker and non-native speaker expository and argumentative writing(2016-05) Basheer, Nesrine; Al-Batal, Mahmoud; Raizen, Esther; Brustad , Kristen; Diab, Rasha; Glanville , PeterThis study investigated how native speakers (NS) and advanced non-native speakers (NNS) of Arabic use connectives to signal semantic relations in expository and argumentative writing. This exploratory, descriptive study analyzed 100 expository texts and 100 argumentative texts, divided equally between the NS and NNS groups. Connectives were examined in terms of (1) their functions and the type of discourse relations they signaled in the clause-, sentence-, and paragraph-initial positions, and (2) the similarities and differences between the NS and NNS groups in terms of connectives use. The study adopted Rhetorical Structure Theory (Mann & Thompson, 1988) to follow a semantic-functional approach to the analysis of discourse relations and connectives. The study identified 2,964 connectives that were not confined to the grammatical category of ḥurūf ‘particles,’ and signaled fifteen types of relations, the most frequent among which were conjunction, reason, and contrast. On average, NSs and NNSs produced comparable number of connectives per 100 words. At the clause and sentence levels, connectives organized main ideas and details within narrations, descriptions and argumentations. At the paragraph level, connectives mostly occurred in the NNS argumentative data, signaling a shift between larger text units. Salient similarities between the NSs and NNSs include the awareness of the polysemy of connectives, the diversity of connectives per text, the role of the zero (i.e., no) connective to transition between main ideas within a paragraph, and the association between connectives and repetition at the morphological, word, and structural parallelism. Major differences were that, as a group, the NS participants drew connectives from a wider repertoire, produced less choppy clause and sentence transitions, and exhibited structural and pragmatic control over morphological and complex structural parallelism. The NNS group showed clear evidence of experimentation, especially when addressing the argumentative task. Findings from this study invite a re-examination of the Arabic NS and MSA constructs. The study proposes a semantic-functional model for teaching Arabic connectives, applied within a reading-to-writing approach.Item Developing intercultural communicative competence in the Arabic curriculum : a survey of learners at beginner level(2014-08) Rehman, Muna Saeeda; Al-Batal, MahmoudIn recent years FLE researchers and instructors have become increasingly interested in devising theoretical frameworks and pedagogical materials that prepare learners for the realities of today’s globalized world. Current FLE research suggests that equipping learners with intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is the best approach to achieve this goal. As a result of this, administrators and instructors of foreign language programs are reassessing their curricula to ensure that the cultural content is effective and sufficient for enabling learners to successfully function in a culturally diverse world. This thesis aims to reassess the cultural component of the beginner Arabic curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin by serving two objectives. The first objective is to present the results of a survey that examines the impact of the cultural content in the current beginner Arabic course at the University of Texas at Austin on learners’ ICC development. The second objective is to incorporate these results in a pedagogical framework to further enhance the development of ICC in the beginner Arabic classroom setting. The results were gathered from two student surveys, conducted at the beginning and end of the academic year, and from follow-up interviews administered half way through the study’s duration. The findings indicate that the majority of Arabic learners at the beginner level are predisposed with good general knowledge and positive perceptions with regard to the Arab world, suggesting that they are primed to develop ICC before commencing their study of Arabic. In addition to this, the findings show that the current Arabic curriculum did help to further develop ICC in learners to a certain extent. However, there are some areas for improvement, mainly regarding the organization and selection of topics. These observations were taken into consideration in designing the pedagogical framework that presents learning outcomes specific to the beginner Arabic curriculum. The intention is that such a framework will align curricular goals that will in turn result in learners becoming informed global citizens of the world.Item Grammar sequencing in the communicative Arabic classroom : students’ written production(2013-05) Kauffman, Alan Ray; Al-Batal, MahmoudOver the course of the past 20 years, the rise in popularity of communicative language teaching as an alternative to traditional methodologies in Arabic-language pedagogy has led many within the field to re-examine their instructional priorities and methodological tenets. In general, traditional pedagogical approaches in the field of Arabic-language instruction dictate front-loaded presentation of grammatical concepts. The premise of communicative language teaching, on the other hand, is based on the primacy of successful foreign language interactions, where students are sequentially provided the grammatical concepts that are required to accomplish specific and targeted communicative functions and tasks. Concordantly, the instruction of grammar concepts that are deemed surplus to the requirements of level-appropriate interactions is deferred until the student has become linguistically prepared to incorporate and effectively utilize more complex grammatical structures. This thesis presents the results of a study of students’ spontaneous and planned written production in Arabic focusing on the production of dual and feminine plural forms, which have been strategically delayed in the sequence of grammar presentation. Additionally, individual interviews with both students and instructors were conducted to gather their impressions of, and strategies for, dealing with the sequence of grammar presentation in which these concepts are delayed. Results indicate that students who were not presented detailed instruction regarding the dual and feminine plural constructs early in their pedagogical sequence displayed level-appropriate patterns of avoidance and generalization in their early language production. As students progressed through the third-year courses and into post third-year courses, they displayed high levels of successful incorporation of the Modern Standard Arabic dual and feminine plural forms in their written production. With their successful conceptual uptake, the learners demonstrate their ability to acquire grammatical concepts despite the sequential delay in presentation thereof. Interview results show students’ and instructors’ awareness of the intent and focus of the pedagogical sequence. Based on their personal experience in studying and/or teaching Arabic, and despite instances of frustrations or challenges arising from the delay in grammar sequence, all interviewees expressed their support and endorsement of the methodology.Item Key components in a successful Arabic immersion program for high school students : a case study(2010-05) Milliman, Britten Moya Jo; Al-Batal, Mahmoud; Schulte-Nafeh, MarthaAs more second-language acquisition research is published about the optimal age to begin foreign language instruction, and the best methods for teaching foreign languages, many colleges and universities are seeking to create intensive immersion programs which would prepare prospective students for the rigors of their language programs and serve as a productive language-learning environment. One such program, the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy, is based on the highly successful summer language schools model. This research isolates the components which would help create successful, intensive Arabic immersion programs. Specifically, this thesis asks: How can an institution create a successful Arabic immersion learning environment for high school students? To answer this question, this thesis reviews current literature in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), includes personal observations about the program and analyzes responses to surveys administered to two groups of stakeholders, namely students, and teachers/resident assistants. After the descriptive section, the thesis proposes a curricular framework which encompasses the main components of the curriculum (including goals, teacher and learner training, instructional materials, and native versus target language use). This framework is presented as a model to help teachers and other administrators as they try to set up new Arabic programs for high school students.Item Metacognitive awareness and strategy usage among intermediate and advanced L2 readers of Arabic(2016-05) Whiting, Katherine Grace; Al Batal, Mahmoud; Nassif, LamaThis study examined the metacognitive awareness and reading comprehension strategies used by intermediate and advanced-level readers of Arabic as a second language enrolled in third and fourth year Arabic courses. The study looked at the perceived use of reading strategies by these two groups of intermediate and advanced L2 readers of Arabic (n=44) while reading texts in Arabic and their actual strategy usage while reading a text in Arabic (n=18). The goal was to quantitatively investigate their reading strategy profiles by giving them a modified version of the Survey of Reading Strategies (Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002) (n=44), which is a self-report measure, then investigate their actual strategy usage and the features of their reading strategy profiles using a think-aloud protocol with a portion of the original sample (n=18). Additionally, the study presents four qualitative case studies spanning profiles of both strong and weak readers as determined by comprehension levels. The results indicate that the third and fourth year students both reported and used Problem-solving Strategies the most in regard to the three strategy categories presented in the Survey of Reading Strategies (henceforth SORS). The third year students then had higher perceived and actual use of Support Strategies, whereas the fourth year students had higher perceived and actual use of Global Strategies. Overall, the fourth year students reported higher strategy usage on the SORS than the third year students, which runs in contrast to the think-aloud protocols where the third year students had more instances of strategy usage. Of the strategies used in the think aloud protocols, however, the fourth year students garnered a correct or partially correct meaning from their strategy usage in a higher percentage of the strategy instances than the third year students, suggesting that while they used fewer strategies, they were ultimately more skillful in their strategy usage. The topic of this study is pertinent to the field of Second Language Acquisition because it adds to the small body of research on the perceived and actual strategy usage of L2 learners of Arabic.