The Effect of the Policy of English as Medium of Instruction on Arabic in Kuwait

Alazemi, Abdullah M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-53297-0_3

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…This issue could cause an information gap as students miss aspects of their lectures. Thus, lectures become more of a burden than an important source of information (Alazemi, 2020). If students go to lectures and find themselves in deeper confusion, lectures could become more of an obstacle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…English has been taught in Kuwait for nearly a century (Alazemi, 2020); however, it was not taught officially in public schools until the 1960s. By that time, it was only taught in the intermediate and secondary stages.…”

Section: English Teaching In Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This established a greater emphasis on the importance of English, and it was believed that it would result in students' better attainment in English after graduating from school and embarking on their journey at the tertiary level. However, several studies have shown that such a step does not fulfill the preset learning targets (Alazemi, 2020), as there was an evident gap of knowledge between students' level of English upon graduation and what Kuwaiti colleges and universities required. Furthermore, Alotaibi et al (2014) found that only 21% of students applying to the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), one of Kuwait's public tertiary institutions, passed the placement test required to enter certain colleges.…”

Section: English Teaching In Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using Students’ L1 (Arabic) in English L2 Classrooms in College Classrooms in Kuwait

Alazemi

Alnwaiem²,

Alenezi³

2021

IJELT

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This study explored the use of students’ L1 (Arabic) in one of Kuwait’s public institutions—namely, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). The purpose of this study was three-fold: (1) to look at the functions of using L1, (2) to explore any comprehensibility issues and/or academic gains, and (3) to investigate any psychological issues students face when not using L1. The study employed a two-stage data collection phase, where a total of 278 students participated in the closed-ended questionnaire and 6 students participated in the semi-structured interviews. The results showed that students attach several important aspects to the use of L1 in their L2 classrooms. Students expressed that the inclusion of Arabic eases their intake from lectures and allows them to better understand the lectures’ content. However, the findings also indicated that students object to the overreliance on Arabic and instead prefer that teachers strike a balance between L1 and L2 use to maximize their learning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: English Teaching In Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: English Teaching In Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using Students’ L1 (Arabic) in English L2 Classrooms in College Classrooms in Kuwait

Alazemi

Alnwaiem²,

Alenezi³

2021

IJELT

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“…However, while a policy to promote the use of EMI in public universities has been in place since the early 1990s, Kuwait has been relatively slow to institute educational reforms that would bring about widespread use of EMI. For example, most public schools use Arabic as the medium of instruction and still teach English as a foreign language for only several 45minute periods per week (Alazemi 2020). Consequently, students entering tertiary education are ill-prepared to transition to an EMI environment.…”

Section: Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Emi at the Tertiary Level in the Arab Gulf: Achievements and Challenges

Deveci,

Ayish,

Midraj

2023

ESPEAP

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While an abundance of fossil fuels has helped Gulf Arab countries develop rapidly over the past several decades, governments in the region have invested heavily in education, science, and technology relatively recently as a means to diversify their economies in order to ensure their continued growth. In the process, English, as the perceived language of science and technology, has been adopted as the medium of instruction (EMI) in most tertiary institutions. This paper describes how EMI has developed in these countries and the achievements and challenges to date. Recommendations to address these challenges are also given.

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“…English has become the language of qualified communication, and science (Belyaeva & Rubtsova, 2020). Students who want to pursue their HE, particularly in medical, health, engineering, computer science and applied science majors, have no option but to study in EMI (Alazemi, 2020;Masri, 2019). Saudi Arabia , where Arabic is the official language, adopted EMI policy at public and private universities (Al-Bataineh, 2020).…”

Section: Emi In Computer Science Undergraduate Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and Challenges in the Implantation of EMI among Saudi Students

Raffaa,

Ali

2023

IJARBSS

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The Ministry of Higher Education decrees English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI) in all the higher education institutions across the kingdom. Since Arabic is the sole and official spoken language in the kingdom, it is the only medium of instruction in all schools up to the secondary level. English is formally introduced as the language of instruction at the undergraduate level. This shift in languages leads to problems in classrooms where English is used as a medium of instruction. This paper examines students' attitudes toward EMI among Saudi undergraduate students at one premier public university in Saudi Arabia and identifies the challenges resulting from using EMI in teaching and learning in a Computer Science College. The study employs a quantitative research design. Using a questionnaire as an instrument, the study examines three factors: students' attitudes towards EMI, the challenges of EMI implementation, and the effect of these challenges on students' learning experiences. A total of 200 undergraduate students from a computer science department were selected as a sample for this study. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS. The results demonstrated that the students' overall level of attitude of EMI was relatively high, regardless of their low English proficiency level. The findings also indicated that students in EMI classrooms encounter a variety of difficulties, including difficulties in writing, comprehending lectures and communication with non-native teachers. Another important finding is that using EMI's challenges has an effect on how students learn English. Some recommendations and implications are provided at the end of the paper to improve students' performance in EMI.

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The Effect of the Policy of English as Medium of Instruction on Arabic in Kuwait

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Using Students’ L1 (Arabic) in English L2 Classrooms in College Classrooms in Kuwait

Using Students’ L1 (Arabic) in English L2 Classrooms in College Classrooms in Kuwait

A Survey of Emi at the Tertiary Level in the Arab Gulf: Achievements and Challenges

Attitudes and Challenges in the Implantation of EMI among Saudi Students

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