LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 3 March 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Problems Encountered by Arab EFL Learners

Loae Fakhri Ahmad Jdetawy, Ph.D. Candidate

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on problems encountered by Arab EFL learners focusing on the many problems in English language learning and the reasons that lie behind these problems. This paper concludes that Arab EFL learners encounter many serious problems in the four language skills, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing. It also concludes that the reasons that lie behind these problems are many such as: English is not the mother tongue of the Arab EFL learners, Arab learners use Arabic as their formal language of communication, the lack of the target language exposure as spoken by its native speakers, the Arab EFL learners' preference for using Arabic in EFL classrooms rather than English, the lack and weakness of the input in their language teaching context, the lack of the Arab EFL learners' personal motivation, the inappropriateness and weakness of the English language curricula adopted by some academic institutions, etc.

Introduction

Arab countries make special efforts to facilitate the use of English language among their citizens in the present globalised era (Al- Khatib, 2000). English language started to be introduced in the school curriculum in most Arab countries in 1920s when most of these countries came under the British mandates. Consequently, English became a widespread language in many Arab institutions and among Arab learners. Thus, teaching English language became the main focus and interest of most Arab researchers (ibid).

For years, researchers have investigated various problems encountered by Arab EFL learners, (e. g. Mourtaga 2004; Abdul Haq 1982; Wahba 1998; Abbad 1988; Rabab'ah 2003). In addition, many studies have been conducted in Arab countries to investigate lexical, phonological, and syntactic errors made by Arab EFL learners (e.g., Abdul Haq 1982; Wahba 1998; Zughoul/Taminian 1984). Furthermore, many researchers such as: Abdul Haq (1982), Wahba (1998), and Abbad (1988), state that Arab learners of English encounter problems in both speaking and writing. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to offer a better insight into the different problems encountered by Arab EFL learners.

Study of the Problems Encountered

Many researchers such as Zughoul (1983), Mukattash (1983), and Suleiman (1983) agree on some reasons which they believe to lie behind the problems encountered by Arab EFL learners while learning English. These include the lack of learners' personal motivation, the inappropriateness and weakness of the English language curricula adopted by some academic institutions, the lack of the appropriate and effective language environments, and the ineffective teaching methodology.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Balbir Madhopuri's Changiya Rukh - A Critique of Dalit Identity and Politics | Multiple Nested Triglossic Situation in Pakistan | Problems Encountered by Arab EFL Learners | Language and Nomenclature Imbroglio among the Kukis | Indigenous Language Abandonment in the Religious Domain in Murree - A Family Report Analysis | A Comparative Study of New Woman through the Female Protagonists of Kamala Markandaya and Shashi Deshpande | A Look into the Causes of Language Choice among Female Students in Academic Setting in Pakistan | Census and the Aspects of Growth and Development of Bangla vs. Bangla-Hindi Bilingualism -With Special Focus on West Bengal | Joshi's The Foreigner - Within and Without | To Investigate the Sense of Teacher Efficacy between Male and Female Teachers of Secondary Schools of Wah Cantt. | Comparative Study of Cost Effectiveness of Formal and Non-Formal System of Primary Teacher Certificate Programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) | Sudha Murty's Short Stories as a Motif of Values | Standard English as a 'Fiat Code' and the Dwindling Faith behind It | Effect of the Use of Motivational Techniques on the Academic Achievement of the Teachers at the Higher Education Level in Pakistan | A Critical Analysis of the Function of Mass Media Language as a Tool of Social Oppression | The Use of Films in the Teaching of English in India | A Comparative Study of Effectiveness of Concept Attainment Model and Advance Organizer Model in Teaching of English in Teacher Education Course | The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Academic Achievement of Low Achievers in English | Imagining a Borderless World: A Comparative Study of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda | Teaching English in Schools: Problems and Solutions - A Case Study from Rajasthan, India | Socio-cultural Patterns of the Tamil Brahmin Community in the Novels of R. K. Narayan | Effects of Multimedia Glosses on Aiding Vocabulary Acquisition in EFL Environment | English Language Teaching in Rural India - Issues and Suggestions | Teaching Paragraph Writing - "Bilingual" Newspapers as Tools | A Study of Teachers' Academic Qualification, Morale and Their Teaching Behaviour | Syllable Onset Clusters and Phonotactics in Pahari | Literary Criticism as a Shared Set of Measurement | Ted Hughes's Poetry - The Problem of the Evil of Self-Consciousness | Travelogue as a Literary Genre | Bim's Unfailing Strength in Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day | Impact of Education on Development of Self-Concept in Adults | An Analysis of the Lack of Primary English Language Skills among the Technical Students of Hindi Speaking States | Emergent Literacy Experiences in the Classroom - A Sample Survey in Mysore City | ICT Enabled Language Learning Using Handphones - An Experimental Study | Creative Writing in Language Classes | Business Communication: Techniques and Methods by Om P. Juneja and Aarti Mujumdar (Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, 2010) | Word Formation in Surjapuri | Beatrice Culleton and Her April Rain Tree - Identity Crisis of the People of Mixed Races of Colonization | A PRINT VERSION OF ALL THE PAPERS OF MARCH, 2011 ISSUE IN BOOK FORMAT. This document is better viewed if you open it online and then save it in your computer. After saving it in your computer, you can easily read all the pages from the saved document.

Call for Papers for a Language in India www.languageinindia.com Special Volume on Autobiography and Biography in Indian Writing in English | Call for Papers for a Special Volume on Indian Writing in English - Analysis of Select Novels of 2009-2010 | HOME PAGE of March 2011 Issue | HOME PAGE of Language in India | CONTACT EDITOR languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com

Loae Fakhri Ahmad Jdetawy, Ph.D. Candidate
School of Language Studies and Linguistics
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
Also at

College of Arts and Sciences - Department of General Studies/English Center
Applied Science University (ASU)
Kingdom of Bahrain
loae_jdetawy@yahoo.com
jdtwy@yahoo.com

 
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