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This research investigates impediments to the successful implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Going beyond typical discussions on teacher training and curriculum development, the study explores entrenched resistance stemming from traditional teaching methods among teachers and students. The examination system, emphasizing rote memorization and grammar, poses a significant obstacle to CLT's communicative goals. Sociocultural factors, including a conservative view of education and perceived threats to Arabic identity through English acquisition, contribute to the resistance. Conclusively, the research highlights the interconnectedness of these challenges, proposing that transforming English assessment methods could gradually reshape student perspectives and boost motivation for communicative language acquisition. The study advocates pragmatic solutions such as curriculum adjustments aligned with cultural norms, comprehensive teacher training, and adaptations to the testing system to evaluate real-life language use. These strategies aim to cultivate an environment conducive to CLT adoption in Saudi EFL classrooms, moving beyond theoretical considerations to actionable steps. The research underscores the need for ongoing exploration through future studies, assessing the long-term impact of these strategies on learner attitudes and language acquisition outcomes. It emphasizes a sustained commitment to refining language education practices in Saudi EFL contexts and beyond.

Based on a sociocultural theory and a plethora of experiential studies on the efficacy of scaffolding on foreign language learning, the goal of this research article is to examine the effectiveness of diverse types of scaffolding on university students' lexical digesting and reading perception from a sociocultural standpoint. Using the Harvard Placement Test, 40 EFL students from a total of 70 were selected and divided into two experimental groups and a single control group. The first group (G1 Exp.) was given teaching with instructor scaffolding, the second group (G2 Exp.) received instruction with peer scaffolding, and the control group (G3 Cont.) received conventional instruction without any external enhancement. Pretests for lexical digesting and reading perception were administered to the three groups. Following the treatment, post-tests for lexical digesting and reading perception were administered. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to examine the collected data. The results showed a significant difference between instructor and peer scaffolding, with the peer scaffolding group outperforming the instructor scaffolding group. Both experimental groups outperformed the control group in lexical digesting and reading perception. Regarding various kinds of scaffolding, this study provided some advice for psycholinguists, curriculum designers, and language instructors.

Hind Alshehri,1 Adnan Alharbi,1 Noof Alqethami,2 Mohammed Alnuhait,1 Abdullah Alshammari,1 Abdulmalik S Alotaibi1 1Pharmaceutical Practices Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 2Clinical Pharmacy Department, Taif Health Cluster, King Faisal Medical Complex, Taif, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdulmalik S Alotaibi, Email assalotaibi@uqu.edu.saBackground: Pharmacovigilance (PV) is an essential part of the healthcare system’s framework. In Saudi Arabia, pharmacovigilance is still a relatively new concept though it is well established in many countries.Study Aim: In this study, we aim to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pharmacovigilance and barriers to reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among the general public in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that used a self-administered online questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of PV and ADRs. The study included only the adult population in Saudi Arabia. A scoring system was generated with a scale from 0 to 100, where 80% was set as a cut-off point, as any higher score resembled adequate knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice. We used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 for performing the statistical analysis, where para-normal tests were used to associate scores with the socio-demographic characteristics of participants.Results: The study collected 1098 complete responses. The mean age (±SD) of participants was 37.9± 11.2 years. Females comprised 68.9% of the participants. The average knowledge score among participants was 37.8± 18.5, where only 4.3% of respondents had adequate knowledge. The average attitude score was 90.1± 19.2, where 83.4% had a positive attitude. The average practice score was 70.4± 18, and 34.5% of participants had good practice.Conclusion: The study found that the majority of participants had inadequate knowledge, a positive attitude, and poor practice. Individuals holding a master’s degree or higher and those working in the healthcare sector had the highest knowledge scores, whereas the group aged 31 to 50 years old, participants from the Al Jawf region, participants who are married with children, holders of a master’s degree or higher, and healthcare workers had the best attitude scores. Higher practice scores were seen among married individuals with children and those who work in the healthcare sector.Keywords: pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reactions, knowledge, attitude, practice, Saudi Arabia

In the current study, we investigated the relationships among academic stress, psychological capital (PsyCap), and well-being and the effect of the demographic variables of gender, majors, and academic years on academic stress and PsyCap. We used the structural equation model to investigate the mediating role of PsyCap between academic stress and well-being. The participants (N = 827) included students from a midsized university in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (636 females, 191 males) who comprised 450 science and 377 humanities majors from all academic years. To collect data, we utilized the Academic Stress Inventory, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Questionnaire. The structural equation model analysis results revealed that PsyCap was a full mediator between academic stress and wellbeing. Gender did not affect on PsyCap or academic stress. In addition, the academic majors affected PsyCap: Students in the humanities majors had better PsyCap than those in the science majors. Furthermore, the academic years affected academic stress; specifically, academic stress decreased as students progressed through their academic years. Therefore, science majors in their first academic year were the most in need of a PsyCap-based intervention.

The integration of machine translation (MT) and artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly enhanced the precision of MT systems producing translations that rival the quality of skilled human translators. This innovation has broadened the applicability of AI-enabled MT systems attracting users for a variety of purposes. This paper explores the following areas: the application of AI-enabled MT, specifically Google Translate (GT) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Empirical findings and recent research indicate that students are increasingly reliant on MT particularly in higher educational settings where English is not their first language. The purpose of this research is to provide insight on the practices, beliefs and goals of EFL learners who use GT in the classroom. Data was gathered from 234 university students through a questionnaire along with pre- and post-tests to compare the quality of writing drafts created with and without the aid of GT. The findings are consistent with those of previous research conducted worldwide highlighting the immense potential of AI-enabled MT in not only boosting students' learning experiences but also cultivating more independent learners. The study also indicates that students have positive attitudes towards GT and employ diverse search strategies to address various language-related challenges.

This mixed-methods study investigates the mismatch between student use of AI for academic tasks and teacher awareness in Saudi Arabian higher education. Surveys of 78 teachers and 243 students in English for Specific Purposes courses at public and private universities included Likert-scale items and an open-ended question on AI tools' benefits, challenges, and impact on learning and academic integrity. The study reveals a significant gap between teachers' perceptions of students' AI skills and the reality of AI integration, leading to discrepancies in judging student knowledge and assessment authenticity. To address these challenges, the manuscript proposes strategies, including targeted professional development for teachers, swift adoption of best practices for ethical use of generative AI in classrooms, and fostering open dialogue within institutions. This research provides insights to inform teaching practices, curriculum development, and policy-making in higher education's evolving landscape. Future research could benefit from more comprehensive sampling to enhance generalizability.

There is growing interested in the role of psychological resilience in shaping adolescent students' delinquent behaviours in secondary schools. In this article, using locus of control theory, we examine the role of psychological resilience in terms of hardiness, resourcefulness, and optimism in minimizing the occurrence of cyber delinquent behaviours of secondary school students in Saudi Arabia. We introduce optimism and resourcefulness as protective factors critical for adolescents engaging in cyber delinquent behaviour and conceptualize them as characteristics of individuals with an internal locus of control. This study examines the multiple mediation effects of optimism and resourcefulness in the relationship between hardiness and cyber delinquent behaviours. The structural equation modelling results confirm eight hypotheses and that optimism and resourcefulness mediate the relationship between hardiness and cyber delinquent behaviours. These findings demonstrate the multiple mediation effects of optimism and resourcefulness and the important role of hardiness, resourcefulness, and optimism in predicting cyber delinquent behaviour. We draw implications for theory, secondary schools, and policymakers.

This study has been conducted with eighty undergraduate EFL students at Qassim University, over a period of six weeks, with forty students each in control and experimental groups. The results from the mixed-method analysis show that the experimental group achieved higher scores in listening skills and general comprehension than the control group. There were, also, four listening difficulties experienced by students namely, lack of time to learn, lack of facilities, lack of mastery of vocabulary, and difficulty with the phonics of English. Communication problems stem not just from widely held misconceptions (such as, that listening skills need no training) but also, from the paucity of institutional training in these skills, particularly in the larger context of Saudi EFL classrooms. To facilitate a more wholesome learning experience for the EFL students, language teachers and course designers need to consider these four listening barriers and adopt feasible methods to overcome them. This can be achieved by training teachers to endorse action research by which they can analyze the problems that students encounter and apply effective teaching implications to overcome them.

This paper focuses on the most significant empirical studies on the topic of challenges facing the communicative language teaching approach in Saudi Arabia. The communicative language teaching method has been used for more than two decades in Saudi Arabia and research conducted during this period offers some insight into the main challenges of the implementation. The main goal of this paper is to synthesize findings from research studies conducted in the past and by doing so, suggest the possible avenues for tackling these challenges. Four broad categories of challenges have been adopted from Li's (1998) comprehensive framework in an attempt to structure the challenges under meaningful labels. This, in turn, enabled us to categorize the challenges according to their source which helped our understanding of how to resolve them. The findings suggest that the most frequently observed policy-related challenges are the current exam system, overcrowded classes, no AV equipment, and low quality of in-house training programs for teachers. Teacher-related challenges mostly relate to conflicting ideas about CLT, low confidence in these methods, preference for the traditional learning model, focus on developing skills that feature in the exams, and deficiencies in teachers' English. Student-related challenges are found to be their low-level proficiency, passive learning style, lack of motivation to learn the target language, and fear of their marks being negatively affected if they are paired with weaker peers during communicative activities. This paper concludes that these challenges are all interconnected, and a systematic approach is essential in trying to tackle these with the government intervention being a potential first step.

While much research has examined second language (L2) phonetic acquisition, less research has examined first language (L1) attrition in terms of the voice onset time (VOT) of voiceless stops. The current study examined L2 acquisition and L1 attrition in the VOT of word-initial voiceless stops among late English-Arabic and Arabic-English bilinguals in order to explore the role of phonetic similarity in L2 acquisition and L1 attrition of speech. The study included 60 participants: 15 monolingual Arabic speakers, 15 monolingual English speakers, 15 English-Arabic bilinguals and 15 Arabic-English bilinguals. The bilinguals had been living in their L2 environment for more than 15 years. The participants narrated two cartoons in Arabic and/or three in English. The monolingual groups' results revealed clear cross-language differences in the VOT of voiceless plosives between the two languages. Phonetic similarity affected L2 acquisition in that those L2 sounds that were close in phonetic space to L1 sounds (i.e. /t/ and /k/) were more difficult to acquire than those that were dissimilar to L1 sounds (i.e. /p/). However, L1 attrition showed an asymmetric pattern, occurring only in the English-Arabic bilinguals' productions of the English /k/. We suggest that markedness might contribute to explaining this asymmetry.

The study critically examines the features of three e-learning platforms: Blackboard (BB), Google Classroom, and Zoom. It provides an in-depth analysis of the digital learning platform's effectiveness in a pandemic like the COVID-19. It synthesizes the strengths and limitations of the selected e-learning platforms for English language teaching. The study focuses on authentic e-learning platforms' potential to encourage English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and learners to take the challenge of adapting to a transforming world that could engage them in e-learning innovation. The research was conducted in the first period of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. An electronic survey of 36 items was conducted to identify three different countries' 101 EFL teachers' perceptions about the performance of these platforms. The survey comprised three questionnaires for each e-learning platform with six parts, namely, accessibility and usability, efficiency and convenience, communication and interaction, teacher's attitude, teacher's satisfaction, and e-learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was analysed using Minitab 16 Statistical software. The internal consistency of the survey was measured through the values of Cronbach's Alpha. Other statistical measures such as mean, standard deviation, and agreeable rate (AR) were used to portray the efficacy of each application. The results of the survey indicate that Google Classroom (Ave. AR = 72.92%, Ave. Mean = 3.887) is the most effective e-learning platform, followed by BB (Ave. AR = 68.09%, Ave. Mean = 3.694), and lastly Zoom (Ave. AR = 61.85%, Ave. Mean = 3.544), according to the participants. Furthermore, the findings indicate that free E-learning platforms like Google Classroom could be more beneficial for developing countries, whereas BB Learning Management System (LMS) works best for the developed countries. The research findings should be of interest to the language learners and help teachers and policymakers design e-learning environments to make the learning process feasible in and out of an international global crisis.

Saudi teachers are unsure how to include critical thinking into their classrooms. This study aimed at identifying the knowledge of Saudi teachers regarding critical thinking skills and exploring their attitudes towards improving Saudi students' critical thinking skills. To identify if there are statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the response averages of the study sample members about the degree of assessment of Saudi teachers about their knowledge of self-critical thinking skills due to the variables (specialization, experience, and gender), the quantitative approach was used employing a three-part questionnaire as the study's instrument to achieve objectives. The first part gathered the demographic information of the participants focusing on three variables: "specialization," "years of experience," and "gender. The second part was designed to assess the participants' critical thinking abilities. The third part was to determine the participants' attitudes about improving students' critical thinking skills. The sample of the study consisted of (408) teachers (male and female) who were teaching at secondary school level in Hail City, Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2020-2021. The results revealed that the level of Saudi Teachers' knowledge of critical thinking skills was high and that their attitudes towards improving students' critical thinking skills were positive. Statistically, there were significant differences in favor of the "sciences specialization" versus the "humanities specialization" in the questionnaire's two objectives. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences in the "gender" and "years of experience" variables. For future research, there is still a need to further examine Saudi teachers' critical thinking skills and their attitudes towards improving Saudi students' critical thinking skills. Its relevance to e-learning and adaptable settings is also discussed. Future research could look into the many interactions between different learning methods and strategies utilized in the development of camel thinking.

Inclusive education is a learning system where learners with various disabilities learn in an environment with equitable educational opportunities alongside non-disabled peers. The theoretical framework forming the foundation of this paper is disability studies which include the social model of disability, which pushes back against the medical model of disability. Inclusive education is important because it promotes friendship among learners, develops individual strengths, and promotes equity in access to educational opportunities. The need for equity in Middle Eastern schools began in the late 1950s. Several laws have been enacted to increase the access of children with disabilities to education. Inclusive education practices are hampered by teachers' attitudes, shortage of resources, and social stigma. For any development in promoting inclusive education, individuals, families, community groups, businesses, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must create a supportive environment. Inclusive education paves the way for equity in access to education. Lastly, the practical strategies towards developing successful inclusive education supports in the Middle East include incorporating universal design for learning, redesigning teacher education programs, implementing IEPs, and using assistive technology.

Electronic educational platforms are considered as one of the most important educational trends due to the confluence of many factors, prime among them being the all-pervading online mode of education. The aim of the current study is to identify the level of difficulties that English language teachers face in electronically conducting learning activities with basic school pupils from their perspectives. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher uses a questionnaire (descriptive method) with a purposive sample of 57 teachers. The results indicate that there are some difficulties that English teachers face when implementing educational activities electronically in teaching English language skills to primary school learners, however, there are no statistically significant differences between arithmetic means of teachers' responses to the questionnaire due to differences in the academic qualification degree variable. Moreover, there are statistical significance differences between the arithmetic means of teachers' responses in difficulties that face in implementing educational activities of teaching English skills electronically due to differences in the years of experience variable for teachers who have long experience. Results of the study would present managerial and pedagogical implications on the use of learning activities in online learning mode.

Abeer Alharbi, Mohammed Aljuaid Health Administration Department, Business Administration College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abeer Alharbi, Email aalharbi15@ksu.edu.saObjective: This scoping review aims to identify and summarize existing evidence concerning the quality and capacity of PHC services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with a focus on the patients and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of PHC.Methods: This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The digital library, PubMed, and the search engine Google Scholar were searched to broaden our results for primary research involving patient and/or health professionals’ perspectives on Primary Healthcare in KSA.Results: A total of 38 publications were selected for the scoping review. Several studies examined patients’ overall satisfaction with PHC services (n=14) while others focused their investigation on specific services provided by PHC (n=3). Several studies assessed the perceptions of certain groups of patients (n=5). Several studies examined health professionals’ perceptions of the use of electronic health records (n=3), the safety culture (n=2), communicable disease management (n=1), emergency services (n=1), laboratory services (n=1), cost-effectiveness (n=1), and leadership (n=1). This review also included studies that assessed the health professionals’ job satisfaction and burnout (n=6).Conclusion: Patients were satisfied with some aspects of PHC services while recognizing that improvements in some areas were needed. These included waiting time, physician–patient communication, access to the services in rural areas, patient involvement in disease management, and oral health. Health workers were positive about certain quality aspects and services provided by PHC such as EHRs, safety culture, communicable disease management, emergency services, and laboratory services. Health workers demonstrated a low level of job satisfaction due to several reasons, including, working conditions, financial incentives, and burnout.Keywords: primary health care, patients, health professionals, perceptions, satisfaction, Saudi Arabia, PRISMA

This current research forms part of a broader investigation into the problems Saudi postgraduate students face in English academic writing. The study used the interpretive paradigm to investigate and interpret the perceptions of Saudi postgraduate students and their supervisors in relation to the difficulties they encountered regarding academic writing in English. Therefore, the study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase of the research employed a questionnaire whereas the qualitative phase employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis. In total, 275 students completed the prepared questionnaire whilst 15 students, both male and female, and 9 supervisors participated in the semi-structured interviews. The research also used ten samples of written feedback students had received from their supervisors. SPSS descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data quantitatively, and MAXQDA software was used to analyse the data qualitatively. The study identified that Saudi postgraduates encounter a range of difficulties in their academic writing, which were due to several underlying causes. Therefore, to address this issue and to contribute to knowledge in the field, the author of this study devised a theoretical model to assist Saudi postgraduate students overcome their difficulties with English academic writing. The main focus of the current study is to explain this model in detail.

It is speculated that undiagnosed emotional and behavioral disorders are a contributing factor to the increasing number of incarcerated girls globally. Untreated, these disorders often lead to more severe maladaptive behaviors and contact with law enforcement. This article provides information available in Brazil, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia, and the United States about incarcerated girls. Existing education laws are examined for purposes of establishing what special education provisions exist in each country that may be used to identify girls whose maladaptive behavior might benefit from early school-based interventions for their misconduct.

Objective: The study's primary goal was to uncover the reality of organizational agility in emerging universities. It also aimed to determine the statistical variances between the mean scores of the sample used in the axes of the organizational agility questionnaire for these universities. The main variables used are gender, academic position, and years of experience. Methodology: The study utilized the descriptive method. The data collection process entailed handing out questionnaires to a sample of seven hundred and forty-seven faculty members in Jazan, Bishah, Hafar AlBatin, Shaqraa, and Najran Universities. Results: Emerging universities regularly practice organizational agility in light of the emerging coronavirus with high flexibility at moderate costs. The study's results also indicated mathematically substantial variances at the degree of viability between the male sample's average and the female sample's average in favor of the female sample in the timing and the flexibility of practices. It also indicated statistically significant variances at the degree of significance between the mean scores of the research sample, attributed to the difference in the academic position in the timing, flexibility, and cost of practices.

This descriptive study aims to explore the efficiency of English language teacher preparation programs in Saudi Arabia according to TESOL standards. The study uses a 28 item (across five domains) questionnaire to collect data from one hundred and forty-one male and female EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia. Results show that the TESOL standards are included to a fair degree in the current preparation programs for EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia. The TESOL standards range from 75.8% to 83.5%, meaning that the failure of the preparation programs for TESOL standards ranged from 16.5% to 24.2%. The results also indicate statistically significant differences between the programs for preparing EFL teachers, attributable to the universities and colleges from which they graduate. Finally, the study makes some recommendations based on its results to raise English language teachers' preparation programs in Saudi Arabia.

The present study examined teachers' perceptions of school leaders' practices towards employing the characteristics of Learning Organisations in public education schools. The research used a mixed-method research design, implying that the study conflated quantitative and qualitative data to achieve aims. Moreover, the study used simple random sampling to recruit the participants, enhancing the validity and reliability of the gathered data. Data was collected through a learning school questionnaire (LSQ) administered to two hundred and forty-seven school leaders and two hundred and twenty-one school teachers selected from the selected region's government schools. Findings showed the criticality of school leadership in enforcing and sustaining learning organisations. Also, some impediments to creating Learning Organisations were centralisation, the low level of administrative support in educational departments, and the ineffectiveness of organisational education training programs, which require financial, administrative, and training stimulation to develop schools. School actors can implement the recommendations included in this research to remodel their educational systems as Learning Organisations.

Research comparing written and audio feedback from feedback analysis and students' perspectives showed the effectiveness of audio feedback in learning writing. Yet, there is a rarity of research on the impact of written and audio feedback in students' performance in writing. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare between teacher written and audio feedback in terms of its impact on students' performance in argumentative writing and students' perception of feedback. The results of this experimental study obtained from the scores of undergraduates in argumentative essays revealed that the experimental/audio feedback group of students (n.40) outperformed the control/written feedback group (n.40) in argumentative writing, which implies that audio feedback was more effective than written feedback in enhancing students' writing. Moreover, the results of the students' responses to the survey and their comments on the open questions showed that students perceived both types of feedback equally satisfactory and accessible. However, while audio feedback was more efficient in details, clarifications and personalization, written feedback was perceived clearer and easier to understand and interpret.

The term 'struggling language learner' is one that is usually ascribed to students who are trying, without much success to master the English language in an academic setting. As a case study, this study was carried out to gain insights into the 'struggles' of the struggling English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Ten students were selected from those with the 20th least percentile in their English language courses. Observation of and discussion with these categories of learners revealed that many language learners had a point at which they began to take learning English language more seriously. In such positive or negative situations, their language learning journey improved therefrom. The findings showed that 80% of the participants believed that their English language proficiency was 'very good', while 20% of these participants believed that their English language proficiency was 'average'. Also, the findings indicated that there was a statistically significant association (i.e., p < 0.05) between English language proficiency of the learners and the following observable attributes: willingness to learn for educational purposes; willingness to learn for career development; and students' continuation without losing focus. The study proposes a fresh evaluation of the problems faced by EFL struggling learners by bringing to light a multifaceted, meaningful consideration of their learning attitudes from socio-psychological point of view, offering a comprehensive account of these learners and their learning difficulties as well as their attitudes and outlook while taking lessons as freshmen at the university.

Based on data from numerous languages, such as English, Frisian, and Danish, Merchant (2001) proposes the "preposition stranding generalization" (PSG), which states that only languages that allow preposition stranding under wh-movement also allow preposition stranding under sluicing. The availability of this generalization has been the subject of a number of studies. Two contrasting views have been identified in the literature. The first view confirms the availability of the PSG in a number of different languages. The other view claims that this generalization is untenable as there exist non-preposition stranding languages that allow preposition stranding under sluicing. Our aim in this paper is to examine the availability of the PSG in the dialect of Hijazi Arabic (HA). Based on empirical data from HA on the syntactic behavior of preposition stranding under wh-movement and under sluicing, we argue that this PSG does not hold in HA. It has been observed that HA is like Emirati Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, and Indonesian in that it disallows preposition stranding under wh-movement but allows it under sluicing. Therefore, the results of this research may contribute to the ongoing discussions on the phenomenon of sluicing in linguistic theory to help obtain a more universal analysis of this interesting ellipsis construction.

Purpose: The necessity to attend classroom lectures is a disputable topic among dental schools globally. Since there is an ongoing debate on different aspects of this problem in literature, the purpose of this study was to compare students' attitudes toward classroom attendance and investigate if stricter attendance tracking methods could lead to better classroom attendance at two dental schools utilising different modes of tracking students' attendance. Method: This was an observational, cross-sectional survey distributed among dental students enrolled at King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU) and King Saud University (KSU) in Saudi Arabia. The survey included questions on demographics, average travel time, student's attitudes toward classroom lectures and common reasons for absenteeism. Collected data were analysed and summarised as frequencies and percentages and then compared using the Chi-square test for statistical significance. Findings: The study involved 678 participants from KAU and 475 participants from KSU. In general, there was a significant difference in students' attendance between both schools in which 26.8% of KAU dental students skipped 5 or more lectures/month compared to 11.5% of students at KSU. Among the factors affecting classroom lecture attendance, commuting time was a major one reported by students (44.8% of students at KSU and 51.4% at KAU needed 30-60 min to reach their schools). The availability of lectures through online resources and the necessity to study for exams were additional factors reported by students of both schools. Implications for research and practices: Based on the current data, the school's method to track students' attendance may have a role in the pattern of classroom absenteeism.

In EFL context of higher education, reading comprehension is considered one of the most indispensable skills to learn. The aim of the present was to explores the perceptions of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) with regard to the role of Bandura's four hypothesized sources for reading self-efficacy in reading comprehension. A qualitative research methodology was implemented to realize the study's objective. In total, six EFL learners were selected from six public Saudi universities using homogeneous purposeful sampling over one academic semester. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed to collect the data, and thematic analysis was employed. The findings revealed several factors that influence the effectiveness of the different self-efficacy sources on reading comprehension, such as the role of teachers, the competitive environment, confidence, and time constraints, etc. These findings underlie useful implications for teaching and learning reading comprehension in an EFL context. The study offers several theoretical and practical implications for EFL learners, instructors, and educational policymakers to assist in enhancing self-efficacy beliefs among learners to facilitate their English reading comprehension.

The study aims to identify the degree of ego depletion and future anxiety and the relationship between both of them among the university female students. Researchers relied on the descriptive correlation method and prepared an ego depletion and future anxiety scale, and implement it on the study sample that consists of (560) female students at the Princess Alia University College after ensuring the appropriateness of their Seikometric characteristics. The study results found a statistically significant positive correlation between the ego depletion and future anxiety among the study sample, and the degree of ego depletion and future anxiety came medium. Results also showed that ego depletion acts as a good predictor of the future anxiety. In light of these results the study recommended the school administrations to provide students with the study environment that challenges their capabilities and provide them with the psychological safety to deal successfully with the future anxiety.

Despite the widespread use of social educational tools during the last decade in K12 education, the growth curve of utilizing these tools to enhance reading activities has remained lower than expected in learning environments. However, the rapid shift from face-to-face education to online education brought about by the pandemic has attracted educators who utilize these technologies to enhance reading scores among students. Drawing on data from Programme for International Student Assessment 2018, prediction models were conducted to investigate the effects of social reading activity tools on reading proficiency scores while controlling for other factors. The results indicate that reading emails, involvement in online chat (e.g., WhatsApp), reading online news, searching for information online to learn about particular topics and searching for practical information online (e.g., schedules) are significant predictors of higher reading proficiency scores. On the other hand, taking part in online group discussions or forums is a negatively significant predictor of reading proficiency scores. Moreover, reading proficiency scores differ depending on the types of schools students attended, their gender and their social, cultural and economic status when interaction was introduced in the model. These results should help educators as well as researchers to strategically utilize social reading activities according to the nature of the tasks they assign to students.

This paper aims to analysis an English language textbook used in "middle school" (high school) in Saudi Arabia in-depth, to ascertain the type of pedagogy pushed by the teacher's book. The criteria of analysis are adapted from Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). These criteria are used to analyses the textbook in terms of how communicative it is and personalised, how authentic, how meaningful; its degree of linguistic complexity; whether it is scaffolded, accuracy or fluency oriented; and how much of all each of these categories is in the textbook activities. The methodology of this paper is qualitative and presents only one aspect, textbook analysis, of a broader case study which forms part of a Ph.D. project that explores the factors behind the failure of implementation of CLT in Saudi Arabia. The results of this analysis show that in the textbook there is a careful balance between accuracy and fluency. There are some person, alised and meaningful activities, however most of the activities lack of authenticity which limits freedom for the students in using use the target language.

This paper takes on a heuristic approach (Crowley & Debra, 2004) to the study of Saudi writerly identity. In this critical review paper, the author argues that little work has been carried out to study Saudi English as a second langauge (ESL) writers' identity, for most of the empirical studies approach their writing as substandard writers. Therefore, this paper adds critical insights to the exciting literature about L2 Saudi writers and invite second language (L2) researchers to deconstruct the essentialized view towards peripheral writers. The paper also was guided by the question: how are ESL Saudi writers perceived in the Western educational system? Throughout the paper, the researcher problematizes that most studies about L2 Saudi writers are rife with references to phenomena in these student writings as negative transfers and linguistic errors. Other empirical studies were blinded from Saudi L2 discourse by the minutia of mechanism and look at students' writings as illegitimate. However, studies like Canagarajah's (2013) and Saba's (2013) can forward the conversation into a deeper understanding of these students' writing identities and how they perceive themselves as writers and knowledge constructors. The article briefly explores the current definition of identity and how it is related to second language writing, followed by an explanation of Ivanic's framework of writer identity. Then, the paper reviews previous research on how ESL Arab students negotiate and construct their written identities in Western educational settings. Finally, the author proposes directions for future empirical research and promising windows for studying the identity of Saudi ESL writers.

Writing across the curriculum (WAC) has been viewed as a movement that links several academic fields across various academic departments in different institutions. WAC has emerged as a powerful pedagogical tool for improving students' learning outcomes and critical thinking. While the practice of WAC as an independent learning unit is not formally implemented in all Saudi universities, teaching writing across the disciplines is pervasive. The principal objective of this research project is to inform writing specialists and policymakers in Saudi higher education about the status of WAC on Saudi campuses. Through five faculty narratives and group interviews, this research collects and analyzes faculty experiences, challenges, perceptions, and institutional expectations concerning writing practices across the disciplines at predominantly undergraduate, teaching-oriented Saudi universities. Findings indicate that faculty members utilize WAC to encourage critical thinking and improve students' overall linguistic competence. While instructors face challenges, participants reported the need to develop a community of practice to enhance WAC culture in Saudi Arabia. The study recommends that educators form cross-institutional teams to collectively design culturally sensitive, locally rooted, and responsive writing practices.

As one of the most popular Online Student Response Systems (OSRSs), "Socrative" is defined as a web-based platform that can be accessed using any browser that is connected to the Internet (Mork, 2014). In an attempt to guide EFL teachers on their journey towards transforming their traditional paper-based formative assessment into using electronic tools, this study seeks to present the expectations and attitudes of Saudi female learners towards the use of mobile-based formative assessment. The study aims to investigate the attitudes of EFL learners towards the use of mobile-based tests in English classes using "Socrative" as a model for assessment. For this purpose, 35 female students completed all three stages of the experiment; initial survey, "Socrative" quiz, post-experiment survey. The participants are enrolled in one of the courses of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) offered by the Preparatory Year Program at a Saudi state university. The findings of the study indicate that almost half of the participants preferred paper-based over mobile-based tests in the pre-experiment survey; after the experiment, however, the students changed their preferences in favor of mobile-based tests. The study also highlighted different advantages, reported by the participants, of using "Socrative" as a tool for formative assessment in EFL classrooms. The study recommends that teachers implement the use of (OSRSs) in their classrooms as they have many pedagogical benefits for language learners.

Research has shown that a strong teacher professional identity is an integral part of teaching as well as learning processes. Unlike the traditional view of who teachers are, nowadays conceptualization considers teachers not only as reservoirs of knowledge but individuals that inspire other individuals in unique ways. Teacher professional identity exhibits teachers' beliefs, emotions, and teaching philosophies. Among other aspects, teacher emotions are a strong indicator of teacher professional identity; therefore, unless teachers are better equipped with cognitive strategies to regulate their emotions and are more emotionally intelligent, achieving their teaching and non-teaching goals will remain a forlorn dream. The current paper encapsulated various aspects of teacher emotions and emotion regulation models and has sought to answer the following overarching research question: "How do emotions influence teacher professional identity and how do Saudi EFL teachers regulate their emotions?" Hence, the factors that lead to Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' emotional arousal and disturbances have been critically summarized. Finally, the applications of emotion regulation models in the Saudi EFL context have been highlighted. The theoretical conceptualizations presented in this paper have implications for EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and professional development specialists.

The present study aims to identify the motivations of those who move to the teaching profession from pre-existing careers in other areas, and to explore the transferrable skills and experiences they bring with them to the classroom. Participants were selected from among students in a teacher-training program, all of whom had previous careers--in the military, as counselors, as security staff, and in other areas--and all of whom were in the final stages of their in-classroom practical teaching experience. The study used a semi-structured focus group method to elicit self-reports of these student-teachers' experiences of classroom management, student interactions, and actual approach to pedagogy, as well as their motives for seeking a change of career. The study revealed that the most important factors motivating the switch were a combination of economic ones, such as career stability and salary, and personal, social factors such as the desire to transmit one's values to the next generation. The results also pointed strongly toward the utility, relevance, and usefulness of prior experience in other careers, and participants noted their own preparedness to manage chaotic social situations or draw on real-world experiences to explain complex or morally difficult ideas. The study supports recommendations that teacher training programmes focus on practical aspects of second-career teacher preparation, and support them in adjusting to their new roles and new identities.

This study looked into Saudi female English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perception of their motivational practices in the actual classroom in public and private schools. Forty (n=40) EFL teachers filled out a questionnaire consisting of forty-four motivational strategies that were based on a five-point Likert scale ranging from "very important" to "not important." Descriptive statistics have been used to determine the most and the least important teaching strategies viewed by EFL teachers in private and public schools. To determine if there was any difference between private and public schools' teachers on how they viewed each strategy in terms of importance, inferential statistics, t-test has been implemented. The study revealed that participants in both educational contexts indicate that "teachers' proper behavior" is the most significant motivational strategy while "having an encouraging environment" in the EFL classroom was ranked the least important strategy. The findings show that there existed a striking similarity between the two sets of teachers in regard to their perceptions of the importance of motivational strategies. The study suggests that English-as-a-Second-Language book planners should keep textbook materials in harmony with motivational strategies practiced by EFL teachers.

The selection of a previous framework or model as a basis for measuring the degree of teachers' knowledge in teaching has been carried out by some studies in different places to improve teacher preparation programs and, thus, to improve educational outcomes. This descriptive study aimed at exploring the degree of EFL teaching knowledge for Saudi teachers in Madinah city, according to the TPACK framework. Hundred and ninety-one male and female EFL schoolteachers participated in the study. A questionnaire was hired to collect the data. The findings of the study showed that the degree of teaching knowledge for Saudi EFL teachers in Madinah city, in general, was high, according to the TPACK framework. The results also indicated a significant difference among EFL teachers in the degree of teaching knowledge attributable to their gender in favor of female teachers, and to their stage in favor of secondary stage. Finally, the study presented many recommendations based on its results to elevate EFL teachers' knowledge in teaching.

Globalization and technical evolution eased the communication with different peoples from all around the world yet, language is still a barrier that should be overcame by continuous and effective learning. Technology is a powerful tool for learners who want to either start learning a new language or develop and strengthen their foreign languages. Saudi Arabia is an Arab country, and their native tongue language is Arabic yet, its economic is mainly dependent on dealing with foreigner speaking -mainly- English, this study was carried to assist the effectiveness of interactive technology and video games on developing English as a foreign language among Saudi students in Qassim region. The study concluded a number of results, the most important of which was the presence of a statistically significant effect at the level of the function ([alpha]=0.05) of the Effectiveness of Using Interactive Technology and Video Games on Developing English as a Foreign Language among Saudi Students in Qassim Region. The study also came out with a number of recommendations, the most important of which were: the necessity of paying attention to studying the effectiveness of using interactive technology and video games on developing English as a foreign language among Saudi students.

Research on native Arabic speakers' perception of non-native English phonemic contrasts has manifested various conclusions. Some studies have revealed that native Arabic speakers experience difficulty in the perception of non-native English phonemic contrasts, where others have concluded that they largely do not experience such difficulty. Due to this discrepancy, the current study aimed to examine the overall perceptual accuracy of only the English labial categories /p, b, f, and v/ in onset positions performed by native Arabic speakers. The study also examined the potential effects of the phonetic contexts and the familiarity of the stimuli being tested on the participants' perceptual performance. Twenty-four Saudi male participants completed consonantal phoneme identification and discrimination tasks. The findings revealed that the participants experienced difficulty in the perception of the categories /p/ and /v/, confusing them with their counterparts /b/ and /f/. The findings also revealed that neither phonetic context nor familiarity had any effect on the participants' perceptual accuracy of all of the categories in question, except in the context in which the category /v/ was followed by back vowels. In this specific context, the participants' performance tended to be lower, which could be attributed to the influence of lip rounding, which results in coarticulation with the fricative noise associated with this category (/v/). Lastly, the results obtained in this study provide additional crucial insights into auditory phonetics and present additional explanation on how the human auditory system recognizes speech sounds.

Disability constitutes a significant health problem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Research assessing the health needs of people with disabilities in KSA is scarce. This study aimed to assess what physical and hearing disable persons need from healthcare services and to investigate difficulties in accessing these services in the Jazan area. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among hearing and physical disable persons between July, 2018, and May, 2019 in Jazan region, KSA using a modified Arabic-translated version of the validated Southampton Needs Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ). Two hundred and eighty-nine hearing and physical disable persons completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 63%. Around half of the participants encountered difficulty in accessing appropriate healthcare services. More than half had difficulty obtaining mental healthcare, dental care, preventive periodic screening care, or medical care at home. Although 37.6% of the participants had previously received regular chronic disease care for diabetes, hypertension, or asthma, 52% reported difficulty obtaining medicine for such diseases, and 46.5% reported difficulty getting seasonal vaccinations such as the influenza vaccine. Finding specialized doctors or dentists using specialized means of communication was a struggle for over 50% of the participants. There is a need to optimize society for people with physical disabilities and improve access to healthcare facilities.

Different pedagogies employed in English language teaching (ELT) show varying degrees of use of first language (L1) and second language (L2). The choice is between teaching L2 through L2, teaching L2 through L1, or teaching using a mix of the two. Communicative language teaching (CLT) is a second language teaching approach that aims to create opportunities for the productive use of L2 in the classroom. CLT has been officially implemented in the Saudi Arabian context since 2004, where the use of L2 in the classroom is now encouraged. However, it is important to consider how well teachers' beliefs align with the specified use of L2 or L1 in the classroom. Importantly, this alignment is not generally taken into account, and so there is potential for resistance to this official pedagogy among teachers. This paper aims to explore the impact of Saudi teachers' reported beliefs on the use of L2 in CLT in observed practice. The methodology this paper employs is a systematic review of the related studies from 2014 to 2019 that examine teachers' beliefs and their alignment with their actual practice in the Saudi Arabian education setting. The results of this review of the studies show that SA teachers believe Arabic is still useful in the typical Saudi Arabian classroom where CLT has been officially adopted.

Teaching has become a challenge mission among generations as direct instructions are not effective anymore and; therefore, students need to be convinced for sharing and fulfilling their responsibilities. In this study, students are perceived to act as role models in managing the laboratory classes of general biology. Four groups were classified as co-lecturers, co-technicians, safety group, and green team. This experiment was evaluated by both students and staff team. The results showed that the most effective group was the co-lecturer as it showed high level of cooperation, work with love, truth, motivate others, and team management. The advantages of this experiment were more likeable as compared to the disadvantages; although, participants suggest that more information is needed to improve the group work.

Assessing learners' oral skills are considered as a crucial process in most EFL teaching and learning programs. However, it can be challenging for teachers to make a valid, reliable, and fair assessment. This study aimed to investigate Saudi college students' and teachers' point of views toward the effectiveness of oral assessment techniques used to assess learners speaking-skills in the EFL classroom. Two different questionnaires were administered to 12 EFL teachers and forty-two students' who are majoring in English at the Languages and Translation College at King Saud University. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from respondents, treated statistically, analyzed and revealed in the following sections. The findings of the study revealed that EFL teachers are using a variety of communicative oral assessment techniques and are utilizing effective assessment procedures in assessing their students' speaking skills. For students, the results revealed that students are generally satisfied with the assessment techniques and procedures that, teachers use in assessing their language performance. Recommendations and suggestions are offered for all concerned parties.

Despite contemporary research calls for promoting learners' feedback dialogue, how feedback dialogue occurs and contributes to learners' uptake has been little addressed. This study on 28 pairs of EFL undergraduates attempts to explore the process of feedback dialogue, its potential and the main factors affecting it. The data collected from learners' screencast records of feedback dialogue archived in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, first and final essay drafts in Google Docs, notes on students' screencast dialogue and follow-up interviews were analyzed. Findings illustrate that learners engaged in multidirectional (writer-writer, writer-non-writer and writer-teacher) and bimodal (oral/voice and written) dialogue and negotiations. The observed and perceived potential of feedback dialogue is realized through learners' understanding of feedback, revising and enhancing their writing and learning how to give feedback as well as reducing instructor's time in giving feedback. Yet, learners' engagement in dialogue varied among the pairs from high to moderate/partial and low. Factors behind this variation are learner-related, teacher feedback formulation-related, learner-pairing and grouping-related as well as technical issue-related.

The purpose of this study is to explore the existing effect of gloss conditions on reading comprehension and vocabulary understanding of learners in the context of English as a foreign language. The study composed of 72 male students aged between 19 and 21 years selected from Qassim University in Saudi Arabia. The participants were divided into four groups, namely; L1 Arabic gloss, L2 English gloss, a combination of L1 and L2, and the last group with no gloss. Results and findings of the study revealed a significant difference regarding the comprehension of the texts among the experimental groups when correlated with the control group. Additionally, there was no significant change noted regarding performance among the experimental groups. Another finding indicated that the learners had a preference of L1 and L2 gloss over L1 gloss and L2 gloss types, with 93.03% of them preferring to read glossed texts. Overall, these findings suggest that the gloss and no conditions were significantly distinct. This research results will be beneficial for future studies that are interested in developing reading comprehension of EFL learners.

The study aimed to identify the degree of social media contribution to reinforcing digital citizenship meaning from the viewpoint of female students at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. The study was an attempt to answer the following two questions in order to achieve the objectives of the study: To which extent does SnapChat site reinforce digital citizenship meaning as the female students of Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh understand? What degree of contribution does Twitter site strengthen digital citizenship meaning as the female students of the same University understand? The researcher used the survey descriptive method to answer these questions. The tool of this study was a questionnaire, and the society of the study was the female students of Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh understand and the study was applied on 100 female students. Using the proper statistical tools to analyze the collected data, the study revealed that the SnapChat site as well as the Twitter site contribute to reinforce digital citizenship meaning as the female students of Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh understand. Both sites have added technology skills to the students such as publishing quickly, expression, freedom to express an opinion, and communicate quickly with all over the world. The SnapChat and Twitter have no digital security feature in terms of positioning, ease of penetration and save the private clips. The study concluded with a set of recommendations and suggestions.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study aimed to investigate the impact of Entrepreneurship Education Programs (EEPs) on entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Following the quantitative approach of enquiry, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed among two groups of students: participants studying entrepreneurship courses as part of their degrees (EEPs Group) and participants not taking any entrepreneurship course (Control Group). Data collection took place in the beginning of the semester (Pre-test/t1) and at the end of the semester (Post-test/t2). The results showed that the intention to become self-employed was positively and significantly associated to attitudes towards self-employment, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. University students' attitudes towards self-employment, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control not only had significant and positive associations with students' intentions to become self-employed but also predicted it significantly. Therefore, while providing useful insights on the situation of entrepreneurship education, these findings help university and government planners to address unemployment of young people by creating greater entrepreneurial awareness, and jobs through entrepreneurship activities.

Abdullah A Alharbi,1 Khalid I Alqumaizi,2 Ibrahim Bin Hussain,3– 5 Abdullah Alsabaani,6 Amr Arkoubi,7 Abdulaziz Alkaabba,8 Arwa AlHazmi,5 Nasser S Alharbi,9 Hussam M Suhail,10 Abdullah K Alqumaizi11 1Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan City, Saudi Arabia; 2Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Southern Business Unit, Health Holding Company Project, Healthcare Transformation, Vision Realization Office, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Family Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 10Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan City, Saudi Arabia; 11College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdullah A Alharbi, Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, 12501 Dar Al-Nassr St., Abu Arish, Jazan, 45911, Saudi Arabia, Email aaalharbi@jazanu.edu.saBackground: This is the first descriptive and comparative study conducted of COVID-19 inpatients from multi-centers in the four administrative southern regions and proposed Southern Business Unit (Jazan, Najran, Bisha, and Aseer) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).Methods: Participants were 809 randomly selected patients admitted to the eight sampled hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021. We assessed and compared socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes of the four regions.Results: Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants are a mean age of 60 ± 17.7 years, 70% Saudi male, the prevalence of diabetes (DM2) 58%, hypertension (HTN) 48%, obesity 43%, cardiac diseases 15%, and immunity or cancer diseases almost 1%. The prevalence of complications during admission were bacterial pneumonia 65%, acquired respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) 32%, sepsis 20%, multi-organ failure 18%, acute kidney diseases 15%, and arrhythmia 4%. Clinical outcomes were: admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) 52%, mortality rate 25%, referred to other facilities 9%, and mean length of stay (LOS) was 11± 9.5 days. We observed statistically significant variation in many variables among the four regions. Najran and Aseer had a higher prevalence of risk factors for severity including age and comorbidities accompanied by higher rates of complications, ICU admissions, LOS, and mortality. Bisha and Jazan had lower prevalence of risk factors and LOS with lower rates of complications, ICU admissions, and mortality.Conclusion: This study reveals that the geographic region in which the patient was cared for was related to the severity and outcome of COVID-19 infection. Policy makers should search for solutions to regional differences in underlying health conditions such as DM2, HTN, and obesity to plan for improvements in preventive care as well as resource distribution to ensure quality for all Saudi citizens. This study will serve as guidance to begin to form strategies for these improvements as envisioned in the future New Model of Care.Keywords: COVID-19, inpatient characteristics, demographic and clinical characteristics, clinical course, outcomes, and complications, Southern Business Unit, Saudi Arabia