High School Students’ Weakness of Arabic Reading Comprehension and its Linkage to the Teaching Methods used by Teachers The Case of the UAE

(Sawsan Skaf)

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Abstract

This study focuses on Arabic reading comprehension. It aimed to identify students’ perspective regarding teaching and learning practices during reading lessons in the United Arab Emirates high schools. The study adopts a descriptive method through a focus group of 12 freshmen female students at Zayed University. After analyzing students’ responses, the study found that reading lessons are mainly conducted in traditional way where teachers are the supplier of the information and students are simply the recipients. It also indicated that teachers focus primarily on word-by-word understanding of the text without stimulating the students’ higher thinking skills such as analysis, interpretation, comparisons, inference, criticism, and evaluation. The study also found that teachers did not give the importance of grammar lessons to reading lessons whereas few teachers used interactive teaching methods in class to stimulate students’ thinking and increase their motivation. The study concluded that the students were dissatisfied with the methods used during reading lessons, as they do not show interest in class participation since their minds are not challenged. The study recommended reconsidering qualifying and training programs for Arabic language teachers at the university level. It also emphasized the importance of the continuous professional development in a practical context in addition to monitoring the process of teaching Arabic language in general and reading in particular in an attempt to support teachers with needed help to make Arabic reading a daily habit in students’ lives.

Key Words: Conscious Reading, Focus Groups, High School Stage, Higher Reading Skills, Teaching Methods, Thinking and Reading.

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References

Lindholm. T. 2006. Reading with purpose. Journal of College Reading and Learning. 36(2): 70-80.