Browsing by Author "Belghoul, Hassina"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Examining academic oral communication difficulties and speaking proficiency
    (University of Oum-El-Bouaghi, 2024) Gaouas, Hadil; Ounis, Ghada; Belghoul, Hassina
    Developing effective oral communication skills in English as a foreign language (EFL) is prioritised by many learners as it allows them to express themselves and succeed academically. However, students often encounter various difficulties that hinder their speaking proficiency. This quantitative study aims to investigate the most prevalent oral communication difficulties faced by Algerian EFL students and their perceived impact on speaking proficiency. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate students' perceptions of the effectiveness of different strategies and techniques for improving oral communication skills. The study used a structured online questionnaire administered to a random sample of 60 second-year students from the LMD program at L'arbi ben M'hidi University. The research questions focused on quantifying the most common oral communication difficulties reported by students, their relative frequencies or rankings, and the perceived effectiveness of various strategies and techniques for enhancing speaking proficiency. The results showed that most second year students actually face linguistic and psychological difficulties while speaking English. The majority of them suffer from lack of grammar and vocabulary, poor pronunciation, in addition to anxiety, shyness and lack of self-confidence without forgetting the interference of the mother tongue. We found that these difficulties have a huge impact on students’ speaking proficiency. Solutions to overcome These difficulties were suggested. The findings of the study are valuable for Future research and highlight the importance of Technology and classroom strategies in Developing speaking skills.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring the perceptions and classroom practices of middle school EFL teachers enrolling in master's degree program as a self-nitiated professional development strategy
    (University of Oum El Bouaghi, 2024) Bendia, Cheima; Belghoul, Hassina
    Engaging in Self-Initiated Professional Development (SIPD) has been recognized as a valuable approach for teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills. In the Algerian context, enrollment in Master’s Degree Program (MADP) is one potential SIPD strategy for middle school EFL teachers. However, the perceptions of these teachers regarding this pathway and the alignment between their perceptions and observed classroom practices remain underexplored. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate Algerian middle school EFL teachers' perceptions of enrolling in a MADP as a SIPD strategy, and to examine the alignment between their perceptions and their observed classroom practices. The research employed a questionnaire and an analytic rubric for classroom observation to capture the teachers' classroom practices. The data collected from the teachers’ questionnaires were analyzed statistically, while classroom observations were qualitatively assessed using the rubric. The findings of this study support the notion that Algerian middle school EFL teachers recognize the value of pursuing a MADP as a SIPD strategy. They perceive the program as a means to enhance their teaching skills and knowledge, which is substantiated by the questionnaire results. Additionally, the alignment between the teachers' perceptions and their observed classroom practices indicates a high level of self-awareness and professionalism among the participants. The implications of this research will be valuable for policymakers, school administrators, and teacher educators in developing and promoting SIPD opportunities that address the specific needs of Algerian middle school EFL teachers.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Investigating teachers' attitudes towards the use of post-reading word-focused activities to develope students' vocabulary retention
    (University of Oum El Bouaghi, 2024) Nezzar, Nihad; Belghoul, Hassina
    Vocabulary is a basic component of language acquisition. Without having adequate vocabulary knowledge, learners find difficulties to communicate effectively in a second language (Bouchâala & Ghaouar, 2022). This study aims to investigate attitudes of EFL secondary school teachers in Ain El Beida towards the role of post-reading word-focused activities in enhancing student’s vocabulary retention. This study also seeks to identify common difficulties that teachers encounter in teaching vocabulary. In order to collect data a questionnaire was administered to 16 English teachers in different secondary schools in Ain El Beida. The findings of this study revealed that teachers face difficulties in the process of teaching vocabulary, among which lack of English word knowledge is the main challenge that affects learner’s proficiency in the four language skills. Results also revealed that secondary school teachers have a positive attitude towards the use of post-reading word-focused activities. Considering the findings, this study suggests that post-reading word-focused activities can be a solution to student’s vocabulary shortage. In addition to that, research recommends that these activities should be given more attention in EFL classrooms.