Enhancing Reading Skills for Saudi Secondary School Students through Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL): An Experimental Study

Keezhatta, Muhammed Salim; Omar, Abdulfattah

doi:10.5539/ijel.v9n1p437

Cited by 35 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Numerous scholars (Alkhaleefah, 2017;Keezhatta & Omar, 2019;Widiyastuti, 2018) have discussed the difficulties that learners encounter during their reading skills, and most of them have highlighted the same issue that hurdles the process of effective reading in FEL context. Unlike other skills, EFL reading skill is not a natural phenomenon, and learners need to make purposeful efforts by combining reading with other skills.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another study, (al-Mansour & al-Shorman, 2011) indicated similar findings where lack of adequate vocabulary and the environmental aspect is the most problematical issue in developing reading skills. Keezhatta and Omar (2019) conducted a research study in the MALL background. They also noticed that Saudi EFL learners have poor reading skills and use of technology can improve the reading skills greatly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating Reading Challenges Faced by EFL Learners at Elementary Level

Khan

Shahbaz²,

Kumar

et al. 2020

Register J.

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It is hard to ignore the importance of reading skills for desired proficiency in foreign languages. Reading can be beneficial for learners to immerse themselves in the target language and learn it efficiently. In EFL contexts like Saudi Arabia, learners face many challenges in reading skills. The main purpose of this research was to explore reading problems of elementary level students and causes of the readings skills inabilities. Following random and convenience sampling techniques; this mixed-method research obtained quantitative data from 290 elementary level students and qualitative data from nine teachers and supervisors. The analysis of quantitative data from the reading test and checklist and qualitative data retrieved from interviews suggests that students considerably perform relatively low in reading skills, and the main reasons are poor vocabulary, incorrect pronunciation, wrong spellings, slow reading pace, and flawed grammar. These five areas account for more than 90% of the challenges faced by learners in reading skills. Based on evidence from this research, we suggest that policymakers, teachers, and students should focus on these five areas for solving the issues related to reading skills. Although other avenues are essential, these items demand special attention to develop the reading skills of EFL learners in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world.Keywords: Reading skill, Elementary level, Reading Pace, EFL

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Reading Challenges Faced by EFL Learners at Elementary Level

Khan

Shahbaz²,

Kumar

et al. 2020

Register J.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The literature also suggests that the use of CALL in EFL contexts is associated with enhancing motivation and developing positive attitudes to language learning. Keezhatta and Omar (2019) investigated the use of digital technologies in enhancing the motivation of struggling EFL learners in Saudi secondary schools. They conducted an experimental study with 120 grade 10 students from four public secondary schools in the Riyadh district in Saudi Arabia.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is even the medium of instruction in many programs, including business, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and informatics. Although there used to be some resistance to English language instruction in Saudi schools, especially in the last quarter of the 20 th century, the increasing use of English globally and the need for graduates who can use English appropriately in Saudi society are now putting pressure on Saudi educationalists to improve English language instruction in Saudi schools (Hamdan, 2015;Keezhatta & Omar, 2019). As a result, numerous studies have been undertaken in recent years to provide insights into how to improve teaching and learning practices, as well as how to enhance English as a foreign language (EFL) students' language skills in general and reading in particular (Al-Nafisah & Al-Shorman, 2011;Al Nooh, 2013;Alqahtani, 2016;Moskovsky & Picard, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A computer-based model to improve the performance of struggling EFL readers in lifelong and continuous learning programs in Saudi universities

Omar

Alluqmani

2021

JLLS

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Although there is a wealth of literature on improving the reading skills of EFL learners at Saudi universities, very little work has been done on struggling readers in lifelong and continuous learning programs. To address the issue, this study seeks to explore the needs of struggling learners in reading comprehension classes. Interviews were conducted with selected instructors from three Saudi universities to reflect on the challenges and problems faced by struggling readers, as well as their language needs. The instructors reported that the majority of EFL learners in lifelong and continuous learning programs have difficulty decoding monosyllabic and polysyllabic words. They also reported that around 15-20% of learners have difficulties identifying the English alphabet. They attributed the main challenges to poor linguistic knowledge, lack of self-esteem, and lack of motivation. In light of these results, the study proposed a computer-based model implemented through insessional support courses to help struggling readers with their reading courses and improve their reading performance. The proposed model addresses the linguistic needs of struggling readers and enhances their motivation and positive attitudes toward L2 learning. In-sessional support courses for struggling readers are supposed to have the potential to improve their vocabulary decoding and retention skills, as well as to enhance their working memory. The use of computers can promote the effectiveness of exploiting reading material in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, use of words in different contexts, and comprehension. The findings of the study emphasize the significance of incorporating technology in EFL reading instruction.

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“…The learning atmosphere of English in Saudi Arabia is not inspiring for the students for many grounds including the traditional teaching strategies, incompetent instructors, tedious learning materials, and cultural issues (Keezhatta, & Omar, 2019). The education system in Saudi Arabia needs to adopt new techniques and methods of teaching English to students in higher education in order to improve their skills in the English language.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of Role-Play in Teaching and Formative Assessment for Undergraduate English- Major Students in Saudi Arabia

Keezhatta¹

2020

AWEJ

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This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the role-play as the teaching and formative assessment strategy for the undergraduate English major students from the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. To find the effectiveness and the impact of role-play as a teaching strategy, a quasiexperimental method was employed by using a pretest-posttest design wherein the pre and posttest results of 70 EFL students from experimental and the control groups were compared. The experimental group was taught some new areas of grammar, functions and vocabulary using roleplay; simultaneously, the control group was taught the same items using the traditional method of teaching. The pretest revealed no significant difference in the knowledge level of the students between the two groups. On the other hand, the posttest results showed that there was a significant difference in the knowledge level of the students in favour of the experimental group. Further, a structured questionnaire was used to understand the perspective of the teachers on the efficacy of role-play in the assessment of students in the English language classes. A sample size of 20 teachers was used where it was found that role-play had a significant impact on the formative assessment. The findings of the study suggested role-play as an effective technique for the undergraduate English-major students in Saudi Arabia to solve the classroom interpersonal troubles, and it would help the students to imbibe the human-relation along with increasing their proficiency in the English language.

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Enhancing Reading Skills for Saudi Secondary School Students through Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL): An Experimental Study

Cited by 35 publications

References 12 publications

Investigating Reading Challenges Faced by EFL Learners at Elementary Level

Investigating Reading Challenges Faced by EFL Learners at Elementary Level

A computer-based model to improve the performance of struggling EFL readers in lifelong and continuous learning programs in Saudi universities

Efficacy of Role-Play in Teaching and Formative Assessment for Undergraduate English- Major Students in Saudi Arabia

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