The present study sheds light on teaching English through two ways of questioning (Socratic & Traditional) methods in Kuwaiti elementary public schools. Data were collected through a qualitative observational method. The study engaged 15 female participants, seven of whom were newly graduate English language teachers with experience in how Socratic questioning works, while the other eight teachers had >10 years experience in teaching English as a foreign language. The study revealed that some new and experienced teachers encouraged their students to go further and explore beyond the topic of today's lesson. However, others used the deductive approach by stating questions and expecting certain answers because they did not comprehend or had lack of time. The present study implication is that English language teachers should be provided with more training on Socratic method of questioning to facilitate students' thinking for themselves and develop the students' mind by encouraging their natural curiosity.

Gender and teaching are gaining increasing attention in the field of higher education. The significance of teacher gender seems even more crucial in an environment based on gender segregation. In the scope of language teaching and gender, this study investigates the influence of gender on the students' selection of teachers in general, and language teachers more specifically. The participants, 146 English major students in an all-female college of education, were given a questionnaire of 32 statements--to be answered on a 5-point likert scale--and four open-ended questions; all of which aim at examining the difference between male and female English language teachers in terms of attitude, grades, teaching and even appearance. The statistics were analyzed in terms of frequency, mean and variance in correlation with the independent variables of age, social status, GPA and years in college. It was found that most students prefer male teachers as they believe that the positive personal traits of the male teachers far exceed those of the female teachers. Nonetheless, the statistics have revealed that both genders (and sometimes female more than male teachers) are good language teachers. Hence, reflecting the main finding: gender is not a criterion for good language teaching, but it is our students' criterion for choosing a language teacher.

This study examines the perceptions of the Kuwaiti kindergarten school teachers and parents as well as the English curriculum in an attempt to identify areas that need to be improved in the kindergarten teachers' program at the CBE (College of Basic Education). In addition, the paper looks closely into the delivery of information and sequence of interaction in relation to the learning process of English as a foreign language in kindergarten stage in Kuwait. The participants were 12 kindergarten teachers who speak Arabic as their first language and have no experience or knowledge in teaching or speaking the target language, English. The data was collected through the school year 2010/2011 by using observation, interviews and artifacts. The present study implication is that the kindergarten teacher who is teaching the English language without any educational training needs to know English language curriculum, real communication skills and innovation in the classroom, and be competent in teaching English language to kindergarten students.

The current study aimed at investigating the characteristics of the phonic-based approach and seeking to show two points: the first was the students' ability to recognize the English sounds (/p/, /v/, /ʧ/) when heard (which will be tested by reading to children). The second point was the ability to realize these sounds while reading.