Language knowledge and self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates: An exploratory study

Authors

  • Sana Tibi Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
  • Patricia Stall California State University San Marcos
  • Malatesha Joshi Texas A & M University College Station, Texas
  • Yujeong Park University of Tennessee

Keywords:

Self efficacy, English academic writing, Arabic native speakers, pre-service education students

Abstract

The study explored English language learning of native Arabic-speaking pre-service teachers and examined their self-efficacy on academic English proficiency. Writing samples from ten Arabic speaking female teacher education students in a university in the United Arab Emirates were analyzed using a rubric along with in-depth interviews. Overall, results revealed limited reading and writing practice in either language outside of school. Key findings from the interviews indicated that all of the participants had taken English classes since early in their elementary school years; however both Arabic and English learning consisted of skills-based language instruction with little or no practical and purposeful applications. Further, the respondents reported limited reading and writing practice in either language outside of school and cultural practices, inadequate instruction, and limited views of relevance for improving their English. All these reasons generally led to low levels of self-efficacy with regards to second language learning.

Author Biography

Sana Tibi, Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

Dr. Sana Tibi has been researching cognitive processes involved in reading since 1997. From 2002 to 2010, Dr. Tibi was an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses in multidisciplinary fields, mentored students, and led a variety of initiatives, such as the M.Ed. in Special Education and Students’ clinical practicum. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Tibi worked at several universities in the Arab world (An-Najah National University, and Al-Quds University in Jerusalem) and at the University of Florida in the United States. Dr. Tibi has also worked since 2008 as a consultant for the Research Triangle Institute (RTI)-USAID and The World Bank on early grade reading assessment projects and literacy programs in Egypt, Mali, Iraq, and Palestine. In her role as a literacy expert for the World Bank, Dr. Tibi has developed multiple early grade reading assessment tools and given workshops to teachers and practitioners in the areas of reading instruction and reading assessment. Dr. Tibi served as an expert member on the Education for All: Fast Track Initiative panel in Washington, D.C. in 2011, and she currently serves as an Academic Advisor for Dyslexia International in partnership with UNESCO. Dr. Tibi has multiple publications in Arabic and English peer-reviewed journals. She has co-authored two books on reading and reading disabilities in Arabic. She presents scholarly work at prestigious conferences such as those held by the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). To expand upon her scope of research, Dr. Tibi is currently pursuing a second PhD in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada with Professor John Kirby.

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Published

01/30/2016

How to Cite

Tibi, S., Stall, P., Joshi, M., & Park, Y. (2016). Language knowledge and self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates: An exploratory study. Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 74–96. Retrieved from http://mail.arjals.com/ajal/article/view/45

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2016): Language and Literacy in the Arab World: Teaching English as an Additional Language

Section

New Articles

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