How Intermediate Language Students in the UK Are Taught Colloquial Arabic - Essay Example

?THE MAIN PURPOSE BEHIND THE GROUP DISCUSSION: A questionnaire comprised of 9 questions was made which was used a tool for conducting group discussion among 7 young aged students. These questions gave the complete insight on what basis the students opt for the learning of colloquial Arabic, how much command they possess, do they emphasize solely on speaking, or reading and writing of Arabic holds the equal importance to them and last but not the least how would they benefit themselves from acquiring the command on colloquial Arabic; the main purpose behind the learning. FINDINGS FROM THE GROUP DISCUSSION: As the students selected for the group discussion were selected from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds therefore, the answers obtained vary from person to person. The results were derived from seven students who took part in group discussion that were asked 9 questions on their language skills, interest and area for further improvements. How Many Languages do they know: - Two students being from a complete different background( Pakistan and Somalia) know English besides their native languages. -Two out of five English students, do not know or have command on any other language other then English. -Three out of five English students hold a firm grip on other languages as well. -They have flair of learning different languages. THE PURPOSE BEHIND LEARNING OF COLLOQUIAL ARABIC: - Two students from Pakistan and Somalia made it a religious need to have the better understanding of Arabic in order to have a sound grip on religion. -Four out of five English students showed that they were interested in learning Arabic because they have flair of learning different languages which would give them a better idea of understanding the Arabic culture as well as this would help them in understanding the better political scenario of middle-east. - One out of five English Students showed that the basic purpose behind learning Arabic would help in getting a better job. It has been observed that Arabic is considered as one of the most important languages in the world as well as it has been set as an important official language in various international organizations around the world. OTHER ANALYSIS ON THE LEARNING PATTERN OF COLLOQUIAL ARABIC OF FIVE ENGLISH STUDENTS: - It has been found out that all these seven students have been studying and learning Arabic from last 2 years except for one who has been learning from 9 months. -Four out of seven students have never visited any Arab state whereas only three students have visited UAE and the Kingdom of Morocco for meeting relatives and found it imperative to know Arabic in order to know well about the Arab culture and civilization. -These results also made it clear the interests of these students very clear that how much they are interested in learning Arabic and to what extent they are willing to learn. Five out of two English students showed their interest in learning Arabic for speaking and writing purposes in order to get a job where this skill would help them to excel and progress in future. Whereas on the other hand, other two English students showed their interest in learning the Arabic for speaking purpose only which would help them in socializing with other people from the world particularly from Arab countries. Just one English student opted Arabic in order to read well the history of Middle Eastern countries. While the other two students want to learn Arabic for having better understanding of Quran and visiting other Arab countries. HOW MUCH TIME DO THEY GIVE IN IMPROVING THEIR COLLOQUIAL ARABIC AND WHAT IMPROVEMENT THEY NEED? -It has been found out from the group discussion that these seven students give a little time in improving their colloquial Arabic such as once a week or follow the standard timing as per set by the classes. - However, they still made it clear that they require more time in practicing the colloquial Arabic as it is not their native language and still they find it hard to use it on the regular basis outside their classrooms. They emphasize mainly on listening and discussion parts as this would help them to develop proficiency in speaking and understanding the Arabic language. To improve colloquial Arabic, it is important for the students to adopt different learning strategies that would help in boosting their learning speed and would definitely make a remarkable effort in enhancing the flow of their language learning capabilities. The basic step towards learning of colloquial Arabic is one should emphasize more on using specific keywords in Arabic and then using those specific keywords in sentences in their day-to-day learning. Using this approach will ultimately enable the students to try using the new Arabic vocabulary which will further help them to improve their colloquial Arabic in a fluent manner. Teachers or facilitators can also guide them in the process of improvement by visual or audio aid in Arabic which will gradually add value in improving their language skills. It is also important for the students to give at least an hour or two in this learning process other than what they learn in the class. These efforts will help in developing a sound command over learning the colloquial Arabic. SUMMARIZING THE RESULTS : It has been concluded from the above results of the group discussion conducted with seven students, each of them from a different ethnic background that these students do not have a proper understanding in knowing Arabic as a language however, learning Arabic would help to explore the unlimited opportunities they are seeking such as socializing, developing a strong network with the people from Arab states, employment opportunities which would help in their career growth, understanding their religion( incase of Muslim participants) and last but not the least, they would learn another language beside their native language which is itself an added advantage for them. Secondly, these students have clearly stated the problems and difficulties they are facing in learning the colloquial Arabic as it is not their native language and they have emphasized more on learning the language through listening and group discussions which would help them to gain fluency as well as it will also help them to follow the right Arabic accent which is very necessary for them at this stage of their learning. Therefore, focus should be laid on organizing more group discussions where these students would gain a command on speaking Arabic more proficiently. Whereas, students should make an effort in polishing their language skills by indulging themselves in frequent conversations with other students outside their class as a routine and a part of their language exercise. THE MAIN PURPOSE BEHIND THE QUESTIONAIRE: The main purpose behind the questionnaire was to get the in-depth knowledge on what scales students should be taught colloquial Arabic, to what extent they have learnt and improved their colloquial Arabic and what other improvements are needed in order to enhance and polish their language skills. This is also gave the general view on their background and their interest in learning the colloquial Arabic and how this would benefit them in future. FINDINGS FROM THE QUESTIONAIRE: A questionnaire was developed which comprised of 19 questions each given with multiple choices and these questionnaires were distributed among 9 students out of which only 8 were received that gave the insight on how students find their learning of colloquial Arabic and what further improvements they require which would help to build their language skills. HOW MANY LANGUAGES DO THEY KNOW AND WHY LEARNING ARABIC IS IMPORTANT TO THEM: - Eight students that responded to the questionnaire, mentioned their other nationality with just six from the English background. Out of these students, five just mentioned that they know the other languages whereas 3 students lacked the know-how of any other language other then their native one. - Learning Arabic is important to them as six of them showed that they are interested in exploring the other languages as well for their interest in learning other foreign languages which would help them in understanding the other cultures and civilizations whereas just one out of these eight student showed an association with Arabic from the parent’s side and the last student made it clear that learning colloquial Arabic would help in getting the right job somewhere in Arab country. HOW LONG THEY HAVE BEEN STUDYING ARABIC AND HOW OFTEN DO THEY PRACTICE IT: - Six out of eight students showed that its been more than a year since they have been learning colloquial Arabic whereas on the other hand, for two students it has been less than a year with their learning of colloquial Arabic. - when they were asked that if they have ever visited any Arab state, only three students affirmed their visit for a short duration (a year or less) while five students have never been to any Arab state. - These students were asked to rate their interest for learning colloquial Arabic to an extent that would help them to understand how important do they think of learning colloquial Arabic means to them. This analysis was done on the basis of four main parts that cater the learning of colloquial Arabic. These are: Reading- not highly important for most of the students to know how to read Arabic. Writing- results showed that students are least interested in learning the art to write Arabic. Listening- Students showed their interest in understanding the basics of colloquial Arabic and listening would help them to follow the right Arabic accent and they would gain a grip on how well to pronounce the Arabic words. Speaking-For almost all the students, learning to speak colloquial Arabic holds a great importance and they want to master the art in speaking it perfectly. - Majority of the students showed that they do not practice it as often as they should. Some students also indicated the time they spend on learning the colloquial Arabic that falls under the ratio of 50:50 for each reading, writing, speaking and listening. HOW MUCH COMMAND DO THEY HAVE ON THEIR LEARNING AND WHAT FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS DO THEY REQUIRE: -When these eight students were asked that how much command do they have in the questionnaire, all of the eight students responded that they well understand the language but when it comes on speaking only two students had the ability to speak it well while the rest of the six lacked the skill of speaking. This is mainly due to the reasons that they do not get much into interaction with the other people who can speak Arabic; they lack confidence, need more practice to improve their speaking skills and don’t find it necessary to speak everyday. - All of the eight students, emphasized on conducting more group discussions and getting into more conversations more often with the other students in the class that would help them to enhance their speaking skills as the ratio of speaking activities for colloquial Arabic are least in number whereas only seven out of eight students do not speak Arabic outside their classrooms. This is the main drawback that these students haven’t learnt the art of colloquial Arabic more accurately. - The results clearly showed that the flair for learning Arabic as a language has been seen more in the young age students as 5 out of 8 participants fell in the age bracket for young people and only 3 students belong to the age group for middle aged people. SUMMARIZING THE RESULTS : It has been summarized from the results obtained from the questionnaires that were distributed among nine students but only eight of them responded to the questionnaire. It has been evidently cleared from the results that these students posses an aptitude for learning colloquial Arabic. This has also been noticed that majority of the students are in their young age which clearly shows their ability and interest in learning other foreign languages. It also became very obvious from the results taken from the questionnaire that these students focus more on listening and speaking modules as compare to reading and writing. These results has their own pros and cons because concentrating more on listening and speaking will enable them to gain confidence and fluency however, they should emphasize equally on reading and writing. It has also been observed that majority of the students participated lack the skills of speaking in colloquial Arabic and they have put more stressed on conducting frequent group discussions and increasing the period of interaction with other students in colloquial Arabic during and after the classroom session. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE METHODOLOGIES APPLIED AND THEIR FINDINGS: Both the methodologies have their own limitations in collecting data and finding the desired results. From group discussion, on can obtain the direct data from the people/students as well as one can ask as many questions as required whereas on the other hand, acquiring results from other sources such as distributing questionnaires, mark a restriction in getting the in-depth knowledge and explanation for any issue or a question. Questionnaires do not give a clear picture of the situation in finding accurate results whereas on the other hand, group discussions can be used as a helpful tool in delivering the right results but not many people feel comfortable in person-to-person conversation due to many reasons or personal limitations. However, results obtained from both the methods clearly stated that students have showed their interest in learning other languages with different background and they also possess command over other languages. On the other hand, students indicated their lack in speaking the language accurately and appropriately with least interest in other language skills. This area needs to be improved by conducting more group discussions and adopting communicative approach. CONCLUSION: Britain holds a strong history and record of teaching and learning of Arabic as a foreign language in colleges and universities at all levels. It is becoming rapidly popular language among the students and other masses due to its importance in 21st century (Shaikh & Rehman: 2010). According to Dickins and Watson (1999), the need for learning colloquial Arabic is increasing in Britain and Ireland because of many reasons: - People who are interested in learning new languages. - People who have interest in developing a sound understanding of their religion, Islam. - People who have worked in Gulf countries or have plans of finding employment opportunity in Gulf region or in any other Arab state. - Students who have Arab background and posses a little knowledge and understanding of the language. - Other Students from different nationalities and backgrounds who have interest in learning modern languages. The above findings and results obtained from two different methodologies such as through conducting a group discussion and gathering the opinions of the students by distributing questionnaires and acquiring the preferred answers through them. Both research techniques have their own limitations in delivering the accurate results that could help the students and the teachers to improve the teaching and learning process of the colloquial Arabic in a better manner. Observations made from both the methods indicates that students learning colloquial Arabic focus more on listening and speaking techniques to improve their learning skills for colloquial Arabic. Secondly, this will also help them to get familiar with the exact Arabic pronunciation and accent which hold great importance in the learning process. For this purpose, teachers are required to organize frequent group discussions whereas, students should also concentrate more on speaking Arabic with each other during the sessions and they should also practice their language skills more often even outside the classroom with other students. This will help them in developing the art of communication and interaction among the students as well as this technique will also help the students to increase their confidence. This approach will help them to gain their fluency in speaking colloquial Arabic. However, as indicated by many students that they lack in speaking colloquial Arabic mainly due to the reason that they do not find people familiar with the language with whom they can communicate well or they do not hold enough command over the language as Arabic is not their native language. This problem can be resolved by conducting different learning and speaking activities that revolve around increased communication among the students in colloquial Arabic. This communicative approach will help them to boost their language skills more accurately. It has also been observed from the data collected that students do not concentrate on all the four basic language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) whereas they give more importance to listening and speaking as compare to reading and writing. To overcome this issue, teachers or facilitators should emphasis on the importance of all the basic four language skills in order to develop the interest among the students for reading and writing. LIST OF REFERENCES: 1- Hafiz Shaikh, Shafiq-ur-Rehman (2010) “Development of Arabic Language Teaching in UK and Pakistani Universities.” Final Report: HEC Post Doc Fellowship Phase II. 2- Dickins J. Watson, Janet C.E(1999). “Arabic Teaching in Britain and Ireland” Arabic language; Textbooks for foreign speakers; English, (p. [591]-592). Cambridge University Press  (New York). Read More