English Language Education Rahma Al-Mahrooqi  Christopher Denman E ditors English Education in Oman Current Scenarios and Future Trajectories English Language Education Volume 15 Series Editors Chris Davison, The University of New South Wales, Australia Xuesong Gao, The University of New South Wales, Australia Editorial Advisory Board Stephen Andrews, University of Hong Kong, China Anne Burns, University of New South Wales, Australia Yuko Goto Butler, University of Pennsylvania, USA Suresh Canagarajah, Pennsylvania State University, USA Jim Cummins, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada Christine C. M. Goh, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore Margaret Hawkins, University of Wisconsin, USA Ouyang Huhua, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China Andy Kirkpatrick, Griffith University, Australia Michael K. Legutke, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany Constant Leung, King’s College London, University of London, UK Bonny Norton, University of British Columbia, Canada Elana Shohamy, Tel Aviv University, Israel Qiufang Wen, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China Lawrence Jun Zhang, University of Auckland, New Zealand More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11558 Rahma Al-Mahrooqi • Christopher Denman Editors English Education in Oman Current Scenarios and Future Trajectories Editors Rahma Al-Mahrooqi Christopher Denman Sultan Qaboos University Sultan Qaboos University Muscat, Oman Muscat, Oman ISSN 2213-6967 ISSN 2213-6975 (electronic) English Language Education ISBN 978-981-13-0264-0 ISBN 978-981-13-0265-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0265-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018944133 © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Foreword Motivated by a dearth of academic work explicitly focused on English language education in Oman, Rahma Al-Mahrooqi and Christopher Denman have put together a comprehensive 18-chapter volume on English Education in Oman. According to the editors, the body of available work on English language education in Oman is relatively small, especially when compared to a number of other Muslim majority nations where numerous issues related to the topic have received a great deal of investigative attention. Of course, in recent years there have been a growing number of researchers writ- ing about English language education practices in the sultanate. Their work, how- ever, tends to be scattered across international journals or included in edited collections of work about education and social issues in the Middle East and North Africa. In response, the editors’ primary motivation with this volume is to provide readers with a single focused resource about the contemporary theoretical, empiri- cal, and practical work being done in and about English education in Oman. The volume introduction is particularly valuable as it paints a picture of the state of affairs of formal education in general, and English language education more spe- cifically, in the Sultanate of Oman. This brief insider perspective of how far the country has come since the first formal government school was opened in the twen- tieth century sets the volume in context thematically. In building upon the historical developments outlined in the introduction, chap- ter authors have centered their contributions around teacher-centered, student- centered, and teaching-centered issues. By taking a variety of perspectives about English education in the country, contributors not only offer studies about practical issues and concerns that educators, students, administrators, and policymakers are addressing to improve its delivery, but also examine the possibilities of introducing new paradigms and frameworks to Oman that have been applied across a diverse range of educational contexts. Over the course of the development of this volume, all 18 of the collected papers underwent a rigorous peer review and selection process. The papers presented here highlight some of the areas of empirical overlap and divergence in relation to the provision of English education with other Arab and/or Muslim-majority nations, in v vi Foreword addition to other nations from around the world. It is hoped that, as a result of these explorations, this volume will be of use to English language educators and applied linguists in Oman and the Gulf region, in addition to being of interest to a wide range of readers from around the world. Contributing to the knowledge base of a profession is an important way of giving back. The chapter authors have done an admirable job of sharing their expertise and the results of their research endeavors and theoretical considerations. As a result, this volume is a showcase of some of the excellent work being done in and about English education in the Sultanate of Oman, and gives readers greater insight into its current status and future trajectories. Graciously submitted by TESOL President (2011–2012) Dr. Christine Coombe Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Rahma Al-Mahrooqi and Christopher Denman Part I Teacher-Centered Issues Professionalism by Whose Model? Professionalism and Professionalization of TESOL Teachers Through Autonomy or Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Steven James Kurowski Developing Texts that Match Readers’ Abilities in the Sciences: Seeking an Appropriate Instructional Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Richard L. Noone Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Alternative Assessment in the English Language Foundation Program of an Omani University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Christopher Denman and Rahma Al-Mahrooqi Teachers Doing Research with Their Own Students: A Blessing or a Curse? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Issa Al-Hinai Incorporating Intercultural Research into ELL/ELT in Oman . . . . . . . . . 85 Gayane R. Hovhannisyan Part II S tudent-Centered Issues Student Evaluation of Their English Language Teachers in Omani Basic Education Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Faisal Al-Maamari and Rahma Al-Mahrooqi Learning for Real – Voices from the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Alina Rebecca Chirciu and Tulika Mishra vii viii Contents An Exploration of the English-Language Reading Habits of Omani University Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Rahma Al-Mahrooqi and Christopher Denman Remediation in College: Some Preliminary Considerations for Establishing Support Schemes for Omani At-Risk Students . . . . . . . . 161 Sergio Saleem Scatolini, A. S. M. Shamim Miah, and Milton A. George English Language Proficiency and Communicative Competence in Oman: Implications for Employability and Sustainable Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Rahma Al-Mahrooqi and Christopher Denman Understanding Higher Education Attrition in English-Medium Programs in the Arab Gulf States: Identifying Push, Pull and Fallout Factors at an Omani University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Yogesh Sinha, Thomas Roche, and Manisha Sinha Readiness for Autonomy Among EFL Students in Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Gladson Chikwa, Tareq Al-Damen, and Priya Mathew Part III Teaching-Centered Issues Integrating Content-Based Instruction in a Foundation Program for Omani Nursing Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 K. Thomas Baby Tasks: Effective Ways of Accommodating Learners’ Identities in Higher Education Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Muhammed Ali Chalikandy Comics in the Omani EFL Classroom: Boosting Student Vocabulary, Reading, and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Robert Hoffman Teaching Sound-Spelling Coordination as a Part of Productive Skills: A Case of Arabic-Speaking Undergraduate Students . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Seetha Jayaraman Corpus Linguistics and the Classroom: Avenues for Innovation . . . . . . . . 313 Iain McGee About the Editors Tareq Al-Damen is the Head of the Centre for Foundation Studies at Middle East College, Oman, where he has been involved in the design, development, delivery, and evaluation of English language courses. He has more than 14 years of teaching experience at the tertiary level. He holds a Ph.D. in TESOL from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. His research interests include communication strategies, extensive reading, translation, learner autonomy, and flipped learning. Email: [email protected] Issa Al-Hinai is currently a PhD student in the University of Exeter, UK. He received a MA in TESOL Studies from Leeds University in 2009 and an MSc in Educational Research from the University of Exeter in 2014. He has taught English in the Omani technical colleges since 2009. He is interested in ESP and researching and teaching English in higher education. Email: [email protected] Faisal Al-Maamari is an Assistant Lecturer at Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. He received a BA in TEFL from Sultan Qaboos University in 1999, an MA in English Language Teaching from the University of Warwick, UK, in 2001, and a PhD at the University of Bristol, UK, in 2011. His main research interests include teacher cognition and teacher education, program quality, and research methods. Faisal has published a number of articles in ELT in the areas of writing assessment, student evaluation of teaching, and teacher research as professional development. Email: [email protected] Rahma Al-Mahrooqi is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, where she has worked for more than 20 years. In addition to her current position overseeing research and postgraduate studies at Oman’s only public university, she has also coordinated tertiary-level English courses and programs, been the Director of one of the largest English lan- guage centers in the region, and published widely on English language teaching and learning in Oman including such topics as reading, literature, and English commu- nication skills. She has also acted as the Principal Investigator in a number of funded ix