Principal Investigator: Nesrine Basheer, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Asian Studies
Project description
This project investigates the influence of different teaching methods on the oral proficiency and attitudes of L2 Arabic learners. With Arabic being a diglossic language, learners need to acquire both colloquial Arabic (CA) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to effectively communicate in various contexts, ranging from casual conversations with friends in CA to reading news articles in MSA. Many Arabic programs have adopted ‘the integrated approach,’ where both varieties are taught. But the optimal method of integration remains uncertain. This quasi-experimental study aims to address this question by comparing the impact of two integration methods on learners’ oral proficiency and attitudes towards learning Arabic.
Research questions
- RQ1: What is the impact of the teaching method in introducing colloquial Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic on the oral proficiency of beginner L2 Arabic learners?
- RQ2: Are there variations in learners’ attitudes based on difference in teaching method?
- RQ3: Does an interaction exist between the teaching method, learners’ attitudes, and learning outcomes (oral proficiency)?