Rima Bahous

CALL in Lebanese elementary ESL writing classrooms

This article discusses the effectiveness of using computer assisted language learning (CALL) in motivating fourth-grade English as a second language (ESL) students to develop better writing skills. It also seeks to explore the perceptions of ESL teachers and students regarding the use of CALL in the ESL classroom. The study involved 48 fourth graders and their four teachers. Data were gathered during a three-month period using questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Findings revealed that teachers as well as students shared similar perceptions toward the use of CALL in the writing classroom and identified the same motivational factors that would encourage students to produce well-developed written work. Additional work on the productive integration of computer technology in the writing classroom and its effects on motivating students to produce work of high quality is recommended.

The self‐assessed portfolio: a case study

This paper reports on a successful attempt to use the portfolio as a sole assessment tool for an upper level language arts course at an English‐medium university in Lebanon. Over four consecutive years in the spring semester, the teacher/researcher devised a special syllabus based on the teaching/learning of text discourses and other language tasks emphasizing skills to improve the English language of the learners. Only students’ portfolios were used to evaluate students’ work. The learners, majoring in Education or English, worked on various language tasks. They presented and assessed their work according to rubrics. Learners had to self‐reflect on each task, have a one‐to‐one conference with the class teacher, and assign a letter grade to their work. Results indicated that though using only portfolios for assessment purposes was a rather difficult task, it was still more effective than traditional assessment. Working on self‐assessed portfolios actively engaged learners in the learning process.

Lebanese Teachers' Views on "Continuing Professional Development".

This study elicits Lebanese teachers’ views on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Seven hundred and thirty‐nine teachers from across Lebanon responded to semi‐structured questions about personal and school efforts to help stay up to date. They expressed their views on what constitutes effective CPD, why this is needed and how this influences their practice. Quantitative and qualitative analysis resulted in categories and themes that were further compared with the literature findings to check relevance. Findings showed that CPD in Lebanon focuses on workshops as coordinators conjecture, but there is no follow‐up for application of what is learned. Findings also indicate a need to have more structured and systematic CPD for all teachers with a focus on action research and mentoring. The latter is needed more than the current practice of fragmented workshops, and diverse standards of presenters and content of training. The researchers recommend that policy makers stipulate mandatory CPD for all teachers.

Researching cultures of learning

Lebanon is a mosaic of cultures and thus a mosaic of different ways of living intertwined with political, ethnic, religious diversity and social subcultures which affect the learning and teaching situation. Most Lebanese students are first language (L1) speakers of Arabic, but a large proportion have been educated in the country’s French-medium or English-medium secondary schools and thus have considerable bilingual or multilingual experience. Additionally, many students are from Lebanese families which have lived abroad for extended periods, giving them wider knowledge of other languages and cultures. Arguably, Lebanon is thus distinctive in the region for its multicultural, or internationalized, population. An additional subculture of vital importance, recently studied in many parts of the world, is the academic culture of learning in higher education, which has been found to influence students’ learning and subsequent achievement levels. As English increasingly becomes the language of choice for students as a medium in which to pursue higher education, many learners from different cultures of learning find it difficult to adapt to institutions that follow the North American model. This study concerns students in an American university in Lebanon. It analyses data from over 150 university students plus comments given by 20 students in focus groups. The research surveys L1 Arabic university students’ cultures of learning, specifically regarding their learning of writing conventions for academic purposes, of test-taking behaviour, and interpersonal relationships.

Code-Switching in Higher Education in a Multilingual Environment: A Lebanese Exploratory Study.

Research has shown that code-switching (CS) between languages in spoken discourse is prevalent in multilingual contexts and is used for many purposes. More recently, it has become the subject of much concern in academic contexts in negatively affecting students’ language use and learning. However, while the concern has been increasing, no rigorous studies have been done in L1 Arabic academic contexts. In this paper, the researchers explore university faculty and students’ views on CS in higher education classes in an American-style institution in Lebanon. Data were collected through unstructured interviews, non-participant observations and questionnaires. Main findings show that faculties are unaware that they code-switch contrary to what non-participant observations showed. The surveys revealed that students code-switch to learn better and that their faculty code-switch in class. Recommendations to raise awareness of this phenomenon in bi/multilingual academic contexts are made.

High schoolers’ views on academic integrity

The issue of academic integrity in cheating on exams and plagiarising in writing is not a new one. All schools need to address this problem and some more than others. In the L2 context, the issues become more complex as non‐native students need to adhere to the ‘culture of learning’ of a Western model of academic integrity if they are to be accepted and succeed in higher education Western communities. Unfortunately, no research has been carried out in the Lebanese contexts as to the scope of the problem and how these issues are being dealt with at the pre‐university level. This exploratory study surveys 3986 high school students attending Grades 10–12 on their views of the extent of student cheating and plagiarism. It also examines any significant differences among the student grade levels. Recommendations are made for activities to raise students’ awareness of academic integrity according to Western practices and for future needed research.

Perceptions on the effectiveness of active learning strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine students’ and instructors’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of implementing active learning strategies in higher education courses conducted at a tertiary institution in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach – Pre-service education students completed a questionnaire, professors were interviewed, and class sessions were observed. Findings – Main findings indicate that the majority of the learners as well as the instructors favoured active learning and are strong proponents of putting into effect this approach in all their courses. These findings indicate the positive perceptions towards active learning strategies and the possible impact that these perceptions have on students’ performance and learning. Research limitations/implications – Three major limitations have influenced the efficiency of this study. The number of participants is rather small. Only 37 education students were involved in this study. Furthermore, an additional limitation is that...

School-based professional development in one Lebanese school: how much is too much?

This case study examines the attitudes of the secondary and middle school teachers at one school in Lebanon regarding the effect of the school’s professional development (PD) programs on the quality of their teaching practices and motivation. It also examines teachers’ attitudes regarding PD as well as their recommendations to improve the quality of the PD program provided by their school. Questionnaires, focus group interviews and observations were conducted to collect and triangulate data results. Results show that teachers regard PD in their school as beneficial in general but able to be enhanced further. Although the attitude of novice teachers towards PD is more favorable than that of veteran teachers, findings show that the overall teachers’ attitude towards PD is a negative one. Modifications and suggestions to improve the quality of the PD activities are proposed by the teachers. The school offers a prosperous PD program, but its fruitfulness will remain limited unless an organizational structure is created.

Principals’ views on teachers’ professional development

This article is an account of a study that aimed to elicit the perceptions of school principals and middle managers in Lebanon on teachers’ professional development (PD) and to promote an understanding of PD that extends beyond workshops. The study was qualitative and exploratory and used online interviewing to collect data. Questions were emailed to 30 school principals in Beirut and North Lebanon. The overall intention was to extract understanding of how this professional qualification and administrative responsibility is understood and how the administration attends to it. Data were reduced through a coding strategy and emergent themes such as limited awareness of the benefits of embedded PD strategies, PD features of relevance, practicality and follow-up were identified. Other themes were the focus on the concept of workshop training as PD, the administrators’ lack of awareness of cognitive learning strategies and the importance of teacher PD to school renewal. Obstacles to PD were identified and included lack of time and funding for the workshops and teachers’ attitude toward growth and renewal. The study revealed that reflection is required to alter engrained conceptual structures. Critically, the study highlighted the issue that the school system in Lebanon is not designed to promote teachers’ continual learning initiatives.

Gender Bias in Lebanese Language Classes

Abstract Gender bias, though often implicit and unnoticed, exists in many forms and in different situations. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether gender bias exists in Lebanese language classrooms. Semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and nonparticipant observational techniques were used for data collection. Results reveal discrepancies and similarities between participants’ responses to questionnaires, interviewees’ standpoints, and researchers’ observation reports. Results show that, though gender bias exists in Lebanese language classrooms, it is hidden and inconspicuous.