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Purpose: This study aims to discuss the impact of the physical environment on the quality of distance education from the viewpoint of a number of teaching staff in Jordanian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 308 lecturers were selected using a snowball sampling method from different social media websites. The researcher used a descriptive analysis method by conducting social surveys. Findings: The results reveal that there is a negative impact of the physical environment on the quality of distance education from the perspective of the teaching staff in Jordanian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results also show that there are statistically significant differences between males and females in terms of the quality of distance education in favor of males. In addition, there are no statistically significant differences in the quality of distance education based on the place from which the lecture is given and the faculty type. Practical implications: The study recommends improving teaching staff's performance in the teaching process, boosting their comfort level and reducing stress and anxiety which may be caused by the surrounding physical environment during distance education. Originality/value: The topic of the study is of great significance to quality assurance in education, i.e. online learning and teaching.

This study aims to investigate the attitudes of non-Arabic students towards reading short stories in Arabic at universities in Malaysia, with a focus on three variables: the students' university, gender, and mother tongue. A mixed-methods approach was employed, using a questionnaire and semi-structured focus group discussion with 58 participants. The study found that the students had positive attitudes toward reading short stories. There were no statistically significant differences between the participants' attitudes based on type of university, gender, and mother tongue. With respect to the types of short stories students prefer, comic stories were read most frequently by students. Finally, students also found it very encouraging and supporting to use short stories to enhance their Arabic language skills. The study concludes with some recommendations for further research.

This study investigates the use of interactive metadiscourse markers in first language (L1) and second language (L2) English editorials. It also identifies how L1 and L2 editorials differ in the use of these markers. To this end, the study utilizes Hyland’s (2019) model of interactive metadiscourse to analyse – based on a descriptive approach – 80 editorials collected from two highly reputed newspapers: The Guardian and The Jordan Times, distributed evenly. The data were analysed both quantitatively, using SPSS tests to identify significant differences (if any) between the two sets of editorials, and qualitatively to enrich our understanding of the functions of interactive metadiscourse markers in editorials. The analysis revealed that there is no significant difference in the use of interactive metadiscourse markers between the two corpora. However, there is a slight variation in the use of individual interactive markers such as frame markers and evidentials. The findings are discussed in the light of theories of metadiscourse and previous literature. The study provides implications for L2 learning and teaching in terms of how interaction in written discourse is achieved in the L2.

This study aims to explore the target concepts of metonymical and metaphorical uses of 'head' in Jordanian Arabic (JA) compared to those used in Tunisian Arabic (TA). Extended conceptual metaphor theory (ECMT) as envisaged by Kövecses (2020, Review of Cognitive Linguistics , 18 , 112–-130) is adopted as the theoretical framework. Data analysis reveals that through metonymic metaphors, the head in JA is used to profile character traits, mental faculty, cultural values and emotions. The head in JA is also capitalized upon to provide explanations of several daily life experiences. The primacy of head in JA was clear in the informants' comprehension of the means by which embodiment provides the grounding for cognition, perception and language, which supports Gibbs' (2014, The Bloomsbury companion to cognitive linguistics , pp. 167–184) 'embodied metaphorical imagination'. Similarities in the cultural model of head between the two dialects were found, yet differences were also detected. In contrast to TA, the head is more productive in JA in profiling character traits and emotions. These differences were attributed to the existence of a cultural filter that has the ability to function between two cultures that belong to one matrix Arab culture and differences in experiential focus between the two examined speech communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabic phonotactics significantly differ from English phonotactics in that they usually follow a framework that forbids the presence of consonant clusters in syllabic onsets. This study examines the relationship between Arabic-speaking EFL learners' spelling accuracy and pronunciation, concentrating on the difficulties caused by consonant clusters in initial and final positions. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving audio recordings to assess pronunciation accuracy and a spelling test to evaluate spelling performance. According to the results, words with initial consonant clusters (clusters at the beginning of a syllable, or onset) are harder to pronounce and spell than words with final consonant clusters (clusters that follow the vowel). Initial consonant clusters are considered to demand a quick transition in consonants at the start of a syllable, requiring more exact articulation. On the other hand, final clusters allow for a more progressive and straightforward articulation by involving a consonant transition following the initial vowel sound. Additionally, epenthesis may be used as a method to break up consonant clusters in L1 phonological interference, which is consistent with Arabic phonotactic patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses "Al-?i?laal" phenomenon which takes place in Modern Standard Arabic (henceforth, MSA) derivational processes. Based on the description of Arab traditionalists such as Al-Raagihi (1984: 155) and AlGalaayiini (1991), "Al-?i?laal" is defined as "a change that occurs with vowel letters where they can be deleted or substituted by another letter in certain cases". For example, the letter "w" in "da?aw" "prayed to God" is substituted by the letter "a" in "da?aa" (Al-Raagihi 1984). Clearly, the previous example analysed by Arab traditionalists demonstrates that the changes that take place are heavily reliant on the orthography of MSA, rather than the phonological system. For instance, /y/ and /w/ are regarded as vowels, rather than glides or semi vowels. Therefore, this study analyses examples of words in which "Al-?i?laal" takes place based on autosegmental or non-linear phonology; an approach in which phonological representations consist of several levels or tiers (Goldsmith 1979). The analysis of the words reveals that there is actually no substitution of sounds and the change that occurs in these words is phonologically motivated. Finally, the study recommends the reconsideration of the concept of "Al-?i?laal" in Arabic morphological literature to account for the phonological changes that occur in these words.

This study reviews three university ranking methodologies: Quacquarelli Sysmonds University Rankings, The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities. It also aims to suggest two new methodologies, one for World University Ranking and one for Arab University Ranking, and to propose data collecting tools for the new indicators if any. An online survey which elicited quantitative data and two focus-group discussions which produced qualitative data were used. The results of the survey show that the importance of some indicators as ranked by the respondents was similar to those found in the three international ranking systems, while others were not. The focus-groups suggested new weights for the indicators, since ranking systems overlook the differences between the institutions, resulting in unfair assessment of universities in the Arab region. Thus, new sub-indicators were proposed for both ranking systems.

This study examined the incidental acquisition of English prepositions by Arabic-speaking English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Employing reading comprehension exercises as a treatment, we adopted the experimental design of a pre- and post-test to determine the effectiveness of the treatment on the participants' incidental acquisition of English prepositions. For the purpose of the study, we divided the participants into a treatment group, who engaged in reading comprehension exercises for one academic term, and a control group, who did not. We used a multiple-choice test and a fill-in-the-blank test to measure the participants' receptive and productive knowledge of English prepositions, respectively. We also conducted an introspective session with the treatment group following the administration of the post-tests to determine the areas of difficulty. The results of the study mainly indicated that reading accompanied by exercises resulted in better incidental gains in the acquisition of English prepositions, especially on the multiple-choice test. The study concludes with recommendations for further research.

This study investigates the effect of blended learning on the development of clause combining as an aspect of the acquisition of written discourse by Jordanians who are learning English as a foreign language. Sixty participants majoring in English language at the University of Jordan took part in this study. The participants were divided into treatment and control groups, and the experimental design of a pretest and posttest was employed to test the effectiveness of blended learning on the ability of these participants to combine clauses in English using parataxis or subordination through a writing task. The results reveal that the treatment group outperformed their control group counterpart on the posttest in terms of verb morphology, distinguishing between nucleus and subordinate clauses, use of parataxis, use of subordinate clauses for temporal reference and to structure information, among others. The results also show that the use of technological devices improved students' attitudes to learning clause combining and made the learning process easier and more enjoyable. We suggest that blended learning develops the techniques of clause combining by learners of English as a foreign language, which in turn enhances their discourse knowledge in the target language and positively affects their ability to package information.

This study aims to examine the comprehension of L2 metonymies by Arabic-speaking EFL learners and to investigate the extent to which the participants’ L1 conceptual and linguistic knowledge of metonymies can affect the processing of L2 metonymies. A comprehension task was administered to elicit data, and the results showed that the participants encountered various degrees of difficulty comprehending different types of metonymies. Though metonymy has been regarded as a universal cognitive device, numerous factors can collaborate to hinder its comprehension process. The researchers argued that the non-conventionality of conceptual metonymies, the non-compositional nature of metonymy processing, the lack of direct exposure to metonymy as a cognitive referential device in L2, and the differences between L1 and L2 possibly contributed to the participants’ faulty answers on the administered test. The study concluded with a set of pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research studies.

This study examines the semantic variation in fruit and vegetable classifier usage in Amman, Jordan, employing a cognitive sociolinguistic approach. The semantic variation revolves around using idiomatic classifiers, such as raːs basˤal ("head of onion"), in contrast to neutral classifiers, i.e., ħabbet basˤal ("a piece of onion") or numerals, such as basˤalteːn ("two onions"). This study focuses on classifiers used with fruits and vegetables, which are particularly relevant due to their physical shapes often prompting metaphorical classifiers and their tendency to take Arabic collective forms that are grammatically singular but semantically plural, complicating the issue of counting and potentially leading to the innovation of novel classifiers. The sample comprised 50 individuals from Amman, stratified based on their gender, age, and education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal a statistically significant inclination among older, male, and less formally educated speakers towards favoring idiomatic classifiers over the neutral options. This preference suggests that the choice between idiomatic and neutral classifiers may be influenced by social factors. We categorized the metaphors underlying the idiomatic classifiers as entrenched, conventionalized, and transparent, based on Müller (2009). The context of conventional metaphors demonstrates that the source domains of these metaphors could be active for a speaker at a specific moment but may not be active for another speaker at another moment, proposing that metaphoricity is not only a property of a linguistic item but also the cognitive achievement of a certain speaker. The preference for idiomatic classifiers, we argue, may be associated with notions of lower refinement, traditionalism, or reduced prestige. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the use of impoliteness strategies within emails sent by undergraduate and postgraduate students to their professors, aiming to discern the variance in their implementation based on (Culpeper and Hardaker's. 2017. Impoliteness. In: Culpeper, Jonathan, Haugh, Michael and Daniel Kadar (eds.), The Palgrave handbook of linguistic (im) politeness, 199–225. Basingstoke: Palgrave) model. Data, comprising emails from University of Jordan students and semi-structured interviews, underwent analysis to identify impoliteness strategies and themes. Findings indicate a higher prevalence of impolite strategies among undergraduates, totaling 58 instances compared to 38 among postgraduates. Particularly, undergraduates exhibit a greater tendency toward positive impoliteness. Thematic analysis of interviews unveils three contributing factors: work experience, participation in writing skills courses, and familiarity with formality levels. Notably, undergraduates' lack of work experience contrasts with postgraduates', often impacting their email etiquette. Moreover, postgraduates' extensive enrollment in writing courses during MA studies fosters a more formal approach in communication with professors. The study underscores implications for future research, emphasizing the need to explore these dynamics further. By comprehending the influences on students' email behavior, institutions can devise tailored interventions to promote effective and respectful communication within academic setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, we analyse how students perceive and comment on potential instances of intercultural clashes in the writing component of the International English Language Testing System. Following student accounts, we argue that intercultural bias is indeed perceived, preventing test takers from fully positioning themselves regarding cultural practices in general, and religious beliefs more particularly, as well as from expressing their sociocultural identities. Analysing a corpus of interviews in Amman (Jordan) with Jordanian students who took the test, we uncover how student perceptions of elements that reflect the culture of the test creator negatively influenced their performance, or at least their perception of what constitutes a good performance, which they implicitly identify with like-mindedness and alignment with the test creator's cultural expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the use of interactional metadiscourse by first language (L1) and second language (L2) English editorialists. The study uses Hyland's (2019) model of metadiscourse to analyse 80 editorials published between 2020 and 2021 in The Guardian and The Jordan Times newspapers (40 from each newspaper). A mixed-method approach - adopting quantitative and qualitative measures - was used to analyse the data. The frequency of interactional metadiscourse resources was statistically examined to find similarities and differences (if any) between the two corpora. The analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in the use of interactional metadiscourse resources in the editorials of the two newspapers. For instance, L2 editorialists used fewer hedges in their editorials and more boosters than L1 editorialists. In addition, engagement markers were used the most by L1 editorialists. The study provides some implications for editorialists who write in English and recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effectiveness of using an overhead projector to display guessing games and that of printed dictionaries in teaching collocations to Arabic-speaking English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The study focused particularly on the acquisition of English grammatical collocations or, more precisely, colligations. A pre-test and delayed post-test approach was employed for assessing students' knowledge of collocations before and after the experiment. Forty EFL tenth grade students studying at a school in Amman, Jordan, took part in this study. The learners were divided equally into two groups: Group A (the treatment group) and Group B (the control group). The treatment group was taught collocations using a prediction activity involving an overhead projector that displayed guessing games illustrating the collocations; the control group was taught the collocations using the traditional technique of printed dictionaries. The findings revealed that teaching through an overhead projector and guessing games results in a better learning of collocations than using dictionaries, as demonstrated by the results of the paired sample t-test. The findings also showed that the type of grammatical collocation that students found most challenging was the noun + preposition type owing to poor vocabulary knowledge and negative transfer from L1. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed a model for the internationalization of education in schools in the Arab world by adopting a mixed-methods approach. Previous studies on the same topic were reviewed and analyzed to obtain theoretical and experimental background, including the definition, significance, and mechanism of application. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and schools in public schools in Jordan, which provides qualitative data that supports the content analysis. This study also adopts Intergroup Contact Theory as its theoretical and conceptual framework. The results revealed that the internationalization of education should be systematic in a way that fulfills students' common interests by enhancing their academic abilities and skills. Furthermore, the study suggested that internationalizing education aims to benefit from scientific and technological progress, which in turn can cause major changes in the teaching methods and practices adopted by educational institutions. Based on these findings, a model was proposed to apply the internationalization process in the Arab world, particularly to schools' curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]