Ahmed Fahad | University of Thi-Qar, Iraq (original) (raw)
Papers by Ahmed Fahad
Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “... more Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “Input Hypothesis” was among the very first attempts to create a coherent theoretical account of second language learning. Krashen argued that learners can acquire language through the process of comprehending it. While elements of his model have been extensively critiqued, this idea has endured and offers teachers a clear mandate to provide learners with abundant opportunities to making meaning of the target language. Utilizing a case study of an English language learner, Krashen’s model is challenged and enriched by considering the role that motivation and identity play in learning. Teachers tapping into an important source of learner motivation, role models drawn from the local community or broader society, can inspire and energize students’ studies and help them visualize a life in which a second language plays a vital role. Building upon Krashen’s idea of the importance of language t...
Journal of Foreign Languange Teaching and Learning, 2017
This study aims to examine the effect of task-based learning implementation to enhance students' ... more This study aims to examine the effect of task-based learning implementation to enhance students' communicative skills. A one-group pretest-post-test experimental design was conducted with 37 rst-year students as the participants. Video-making was selected as the assigned task. The outcomes were two short videos on the assigned topics. The results reveal that before the treatment, the students' communication skill was moderate (mean= 13.11), while after one-semester-length implementation, their skill increased and was categorized as high (15.45). Furthermore, there was a signicant difference on students' communicative skill before and after the treatment (t-value > t-table = 5.585 > 2.021). It implies that the task-based learning through video-making task signicantly enhanced students' communicative skills. Finally, some implications for language learning regarding the results of the study were also presented.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016
Arab World English Journal, 2015
AWEJ, 2021
Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “... more Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “Input Hypothesis” was among the very first attempts to create a coherent theoretical account of second language learning. Krashen argued that learners can acquire language through the process of comprehending it. While elements of his model have been extensively critiqued, this idea has endured and offers teachers a clear mandate to provide learners with abundant opportunities to making meaning of the target language. Utilizing a case study of an English language learner, Krashen’s model is challenged and enriched by
considering the role that motivation and identity play in learning. Teachers tapping into an important source of learner motivation, role models drawn from the local community or broader society, can inspire and energize students’ studies and help them visualize a life in which a second language plays a vital role. Building upon Krashen’s idea of the importance of language teachers and programs creating robust reading
programs for a sustained engagement with second language print resources, the authors propose to expand his vision and include all manner of multimedia and technologies. However, such a program can only succeed if teachers mediate their learners’ social identities and motivations for sustained second language learning.
This study explored how socio-cultural factors including di ering L1 literacies may a ect ELLs' r... more This study explored how socio-cultural factors including di ering L1 literacies may a ect ELLs' reading achievement levels. The two participants selected for this study were two immigrant children, grades 4 and 6, who arrived in the U.S with di erent levels of their L1 literacy, Arabic, and immediately enrolled in school in the U.S were English is the target language. The study helped provide an explanation on the connection possible between ELLs' early L1 learning and their L2 reading outcomes. A miscue analysis, RMI, was conducted and revealed that there is signi cant e ect of the Arabic L1 literacy on the reading achievements regarding syntactic and semantic awareness. Many studies were conducted on the e ect of L1 on L2 literacy. However, few studies attempted to explain the unique socio-cultural factors of the Arabic L1 learning. These results provided additional information regarding the e ect of advanced L1 on Arabic ELLs and how they can help in identifying the risk that Arab ELLs might face in their L2 literacy.
The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between n... more The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between native speakers (NSs) and non-native English speakers (NNSs) in an international study consultancy Facebook group. This communication has proven unique and is important to study for two specific reasons. First, the popularity of social networking sites and their use by second language learners both amongst themselves and with NSs makes it important to investigate. Second, the analysis of these types of conversations is essential to understand how power and identity work in online interaction between NSs and NNSs. The study addressed the questions of what type of discourse are these highly contextualized groups of English speakers using to communicate online and how does the online environment shape NNSs' power relation and identity shifting when interacting with NSs on Facebook. The study findings revealed that there are pedagogical implications in the interactional collaboration between NSs and NNSs in online interaction on Facebook. In the context of second language learning (L2), scaffolding was not only offered by collaborating with peers and interacting with more knowledgeable others, but also by the friendly environment of the social networking sites and the meaning negotiation strategies.
The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between n... more The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between native speakers (NSs) and non-native English speakers (NNSs) in an international study consultancy Facebook group. This communication has proven unique and is important to study for two specific reasons. First, the popularity of social networking sites and their use by second language learners both amongst themselves and with NSs makes it important to investigate. Second, the analysis of these types of conversations is essential to understand how power and identity work in online interaction between NSs and NNSs. The study addressed the questions of what type of discourse are these highly contextualized groups of English speakers using to communicate online and how does the online environment shape NNSs' power relation and identity shifting when interacting with NSs on Facebook. The study findings revealed that there are pedagogical implications in the interactional collaboration between NSs and NNSs in online interaction on Facebook. In the context of second language learning (L2), scaffolding was not only offered by collaborating with peers and interacting with more knowledgeable others, but also by the friendly environment of the social networking sites and the meaning negotiation strategies.
Content Based Instruction (CBI) has recently been the focus of much research in the area of secon... more Content Based Instruction (CBI) has recently been the focus of much research in the area of second language learning and bilingual education. However, there seems to be a lack of research that focuses on simplifying the potential benefits of the different CBI models in the college ESL setting. This article provides an account of the major models of content-based language instruction (CBI). The purpose of this article is to shed light on how CBI approaches can best be applied in the college ESL setting.
This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive ... more This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive English Program (IEP) and the regular academic degree programs at U.S. Universities. Using a case study approach, the study focused on five Iraqi graduate students studying at the University
of Cincinnati to address those challenges and seek solutions that help both current and future students adjust to an American college campus culture. Two questions guided the research: 1) How do Iraqi graduate students perceive their
challenges in a new setting with English as the medium of instruction for the first time, and 2) what social, psychological, and linguistic factors are behind those challenges. Study results revealed the linguistic, social and psychological challenges as experienced by the participants. This study is significant as it describes the types of challenges encountered by the students and offers recommendations to improve the practices of the intensive English programs and better meet students' need
The paper is a linguistic study for president Obama"s "historical" speech in Cairo (2009) to main... more The paper is a linguistic study for president Obama"s "historical" speech in Cairo (2009) to mainly find out how language is used as part of the president"s attempt to draw a new position and identity for America in the global community in general and in the Islamic community in particular , as one of the strategies that goes in conformity with the well-known slogan of "change" in his presidential election campaign. It can be noticed that Obama administration came to power with a different discourse to the whole global community to supposedly start a new era of "peace" and "consent" expressed through مجلة قار ذي آداب العدد 6 المجلد 2 حزيران / 0210 different use of language ,away of the discourse of "coercion" during the eight years of the former administration.
Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “... more Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “Input Hypothesis” was among the very first attempts to create a coherent theoretical account of second language learning. Krashen argued that learners can acquire language through the process of comprehending it. While elements of his model have been extensively critiqued, this idea has endured and offers teachers a clear mandate to provide learners with abundant opportunities to making meaning of the target language. Utilizing a case study of an English language learner, Krashen’s model is challenged and enriched by considering the role that motivation and identity play in learning. Teachers tapping into an important source of learner motivation, role models drawn from the local community or broader society, can inspire and energize students’ studies and help them visualize a life in which a second language plays a vital role. Building upon Krashen’s idea of the importance of language t...
Journal of Foreign Languange Teaching and Learning, 2017
This study aims to examine the effect of task-based learning implementation to enhance students' ... more This study aims to examine the effect of task-based learning implementation to enhance students' communicative skills. A one-group pretest-post-test experimental design was conducted with 37 rst-year students as the participants. Video-making was selected as the assigned task. The outcomes were two short videos on the assigned topics. The results reveal that before the treatment, the students' communication skill was moderate (mean= 13.11), while after one-semester-length implementation, their skill increased and was categorized as high (15.45). Furthermore, there was a signicant difference on students' communicative skill before and after the treatment (t-value > t-table = 5.585 > 2.021). It implies that the task-based learning through video-making task signicantly enhanced students' communicative skills. Finally, some implications for language learning regarding the results of the study were also presented.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016
Arab World English Journal, 2015
AWEJ, 2021
Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “... more Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “Input Hypothesis” was among the very first attempts to create a coherent theoretical account of second language learning. Krashen argued that learners can acquire language through the process of comprehending it. While elements of his model have been extensively critiqued, this idea has endured and offers teachers a clear mandate to provide learners with abundant opportunities to making meaning of the target language. Utilizing a case study of an English language learner, Krashen’s model is challenged and enriched by
considering the role that motivation and identity play in learning. Teachers tapping into an important source of learner motivation, role models drawn from the local community or broader society, can inspire and energize students’ studies and help them visualize a life in which a second language plays a vital role. Building upon Krashen’s idea of the importance of language teachers and programs creating robust reading
programs for a sustained engagement with second language print resources, the authors propose to expand his vision and include all manner of multimedia and technologies. However, such a program can only succeed if teachers mediate their learners’ social identities and motivations for sustained second language learning.
This study explored how socio-cultural factors including di ering L1 literacies may a ect ELLs' r... more This study explored how socio-cultural factors including di ering L1 literacies may a ect ELLs' reading achievement levels. The two participants selected for this study were two immigrant children, grades 4 and 6, who arrived in the U.S with di erent levels of their L1 literacy, Arabic, and immediately enrolled in school in the U.S were English is the target language. The study helped provide an explanation on the connection possible between ELLs' early L1 learning and their L2 reading outcomes. A miscue analysis, RMI, was conducted and revealed that there is signi cant e ect of the Arabic L1 literacy on the reading achievements regarding syntactic and semantic awareness. Many studies were conducted on the e ect of L1 on L2 literacy. However, few studies attempted to explain the unique socio-cultural factors of the Arabic L1 learning. These results provided additional information regarding the e ect of advanced L1 on Arabic ELLs and how they can help in identifying the risk that Arab ELLs might face in their L2 literacy.
The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between n... more The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between native speakers (NSs) and non-native English speakers (NNSs) in an international study consultancy Facebook group. This communication has proven unique and is important to study for two specific reasons. First, the popularity of social networking sites and their use by second language learners both amongst themselves and with NSs makes it important to investigate. Second, the analysis of these types of conversations is essential to understand how power and identity work in online interaction between NSs and NNSs. The study addressed the questions of what type of discourse are these highly contextualized groups of English speakers using to communicate online and how does the online environment shape NNSs' power relation and identity shifting when interacting with NSs on Facebook. The study findings revealed that there are pedagogical implications in the interactional collaboration between NSs and NNSs in online interaction on Facebook. In the context of second language learning (L2), scaffolding was not only offered by collaborating with peers and interacting with more knowledgeable others, but also by the friendly environment of the social networking sites and the meaning negotiation strategies.
The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between n... more The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between native speakers (NSs) and non-native English speakers (NNSs) in an international study consultancy Facebook group. This communication has proven unique and is important to study for two specific reasons. First, the popularity of social networking sites and their use by second language learners both amongst themselves and with NSs makes it important to investigate. Second, the analysis of these types of conversations is essential to understand how power and identity work in online interaction between NSs and NNSs. The study addressed the questions of what type of discourse are these highly contextualized groups of English speakers using to communicate online and how does the online environment shape NNSs' power relation and identity shifting when interacting with NSs on Facebook. The study findings revealed that there are pedagogical implications in the interactional collaboration between NSs and NNSs in online interaction on Facebook. In the context of second language learning (L2), scaffolding was not only offered by collaborating with peers and interacting with more knowledgeable others, but also by the friendly environment of the social networking sites and the meaning negotiation strategies.
Content Based Instruction (CBI) has recently been the focus of much research in the area of secon... more Content Based Instruction (CBI) has recently been the focus of much research in the area of second language learning and bilingual education. However, there seems to be a lack of research that focuses on simplifying the potential benefits of the different CBI models in the college ESL setting. This article provides an account of the major models of content-based language instruction (CBI). The purpose of this article is to shed light on how CBI approaches can best be applied in the college ESL setting.
This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive ... more This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive English Program (IEP) and the regular academic degree programs at U.S. Universities. Using a case study approach, the study focused on five Iraqi graduate students studying at the University
of Cincinnati to address those challenges and seek solutions that help both current and future students adjust to an American college campus culture. Two questions guided the research: 1) How do Iraqi graduate students perceive their
challenges in a new setting with English as the medium of instruction for the first time, and 2) what social, psychological, and linguistic factors are behind those challenges. Study results revealed the linguistic, social and psychological challenges as experienced by the participants. This study is significant as it describes the types of challenges encountered by the students and offers recommendations to improve the practices of the intensive English programs and better meet students' need
The paper is a linguistic study for president Obama"s "historical" speech in Cairo (2009) to main... more The paper is a linguistic study for president Obama"s "historical" speech in Cairo (2009) to mainly find out how language is used as part of the president"s attempt to draw a new position and identity for America in the global community in general and in the Islamic community in particular , as one of the strategies that goes in conformity with the well-known slogan of "change" in his presidential election campaign. It can be noticed that Obama administration came to power with a different discourse to the whole global community to supposedly start a new era of "peace" and "consent" expressed through مجلة قار ذي آداب العدد 6 المجلد 2 حزيران / 0210 different use of language ,away of the discourse of "coercion" during the eight years of the former administration.