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A Master of Science thesis in Engineering Systems Management by Raghad Mohd Omar Nihlawi entitled, “Investigating the Impact of the Flipped Method on Undergraduate and Graduate Students at AUS”, submitted in November 2018. Thesis advisor is Dr. Hazim El-Baz and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Cindy Gunn. Soft and hard copy available., The main driver of this research is the continuous high demand of improving the teaching and learning experience in higher education so students are meeting their learning needs, and developing the needed skills for the workforce. Flipped learning is one of the pedagogies that aims to address this improvement where the students review content before the class, while the class time is devoted to activities such as problem solving and discussions. There are few initiatives by some instructors who are applying the flipped methodology at AUS in the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of the flipped method on the students’ perceived learning experience at AUS, in addition to provding a comparison with the lecture-based method regarding both the students’ perceived learning experience and their academic performance. Furthermore, this study looks into the factors contributing mostly to the impact of the flipped method. The research purpose will be addressed by investigating the flipped classes in addition to selected lecture-based ones, adopting the Revised Community of Inquiry framework (RCOI) to assess students’ perceptions of their learning experience, and comparing the students’ academic performance to look for any significance difference as a possible result of the teaching methodology. The study showed that students’ perceptions for the flipped method were mainly related to the nature of the course and the use of pre-class videos, where students in the technical courses with pre-class videos, and in the conceptual courses in the absence of pre-class videos, had reported significantly higher satisfaction compared to students in the technical courses in the absence of pre-class videos with a p-value ≤ 0.025. Furthermore, students in the technical courses with pre-class videos had outperformed their peers in the lecture-based classes regarding ac, College of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering

A Master of Arts thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Cherine Sinno entitled, "Reflective Teaching: Impact, Supports, and Barriers from UAE-Based ESL Teachers' Perspectives," submitted December 2016. Thesis advisor is Dr. Cindy L. Gunn. Soft and hard copy available., A reflective practice requires conscious efforts by teachers to critically examine their pedagogy with the aim to enhance the quality of their teaching and instill positive transformations in their classrooms. Reflective teachers constantly engage in a cyclical process of inquiry and self-assessment, as they re-examine their underlying assumptions about teaching and work on aligning their practices with their beliefs. Practitioners delve into this rigorous examination, typically using introspective reflective teaching (RT) tools and techniques that may include surveys, interviews, journals, case-studies, peer observations, session recordings, and action research. While previous studies have investigated the impact of reflective teaching on pre-service teachers during their teacher training periods, few studies addressed the impact of reflective teaching on in-service teachers and its status in real-life classrooms. This paper probes the perspectives of seven ESL in-service teachers based in the UAE on the impact of reflective teaching. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews conducted after the teachers' participation in a six-week RT program. Regarding the status of reflection in classrooms, the candidate selection procedure revealed that while many teachers recognize the significance of RT, few of them implemented reflective tools and engaged in systematic, evidence-based reflection in their daily practices. Following the RT program, the teachers indicated that RT provided valuable insights into teaching, allowed teachers to monitor their students' progress, and deepened the teachers' understanding of classroom events. Many of the teachers, also, reported that the RT approach enabled them to re-examine their teaching beliefs and enhanced their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Furthermore, the participants identified the teacher's openness to change and improvement as a main supporting factor to teacher reflection. Conversely, the teache, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

This article describes a grammar game that is an enjoyable way for students to correct sentences. In Climbing Grammar Mountain, best suited for secondary and university students, learners compete in teams to "climb" a game board. They earn needed equipment in the form of sentences. If a student can correctly state whether a sentence is grammatical, s/he is able to proceed, with bonus points for correcting an incorrect sentence. The game board, sample sentences, and instructions for teachers and students are included along with suggestions for adaptations.

A Master of Arts thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Arwa Abdelhamid entitled, "English Language Testing on iPads: Advantages and Disadvantages," submitted December 2015. Thesis advisor is Dr. Cindy L. Gunn. Soft and hard copy available., Recently, tablet computers, such as iPads, have been incorporated into many school curricula, and studies have been conducted to explore the effectiveness of iPads as educational tools. This study goes one step further and investigates how iPads are being used for testing. In particular, the study investigates whether the advantages of testing on iPads outweigh the disadvantages. A small-scale study was carried out at an institution of higher education in the Middle East where students and teachers in the language program use iPads regularly for all classroom tasks and assessments. Questionnaires were distributed to students and teachers and interviews were conducted with teachers to help identify their perspectives. To evaluate how students' experiences of testing on iPads compare with testing on paper and desktop computers, two different language tests were administered using different modes of delivery, and students' feedback was obtained through notes taken during guided in-class discussions. Results from the combined data indicate that both students and teachers are in favor of computer-based assessment (CBA) in general, but there are reservations about the iPad's effectiveness as an assessment tool. The main concerns among students are technical difficulties and typing. Teachers are also concerned about technical problems but are even more apprehensive about the time involved in setting up iPads for assessments, as well as the issue of test security. Students also seem to have different attitudes towards the various modes of testing, with some favoring tests on iPads, and others preferring tests on paper. There is agreement among teachers that for testing, laptops and desktops remain superior to iPads., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Walid Mahmoud Jawabreh Entitled, "Investigating Reading Strategies in Government High Schools English Classes in Ras Al Khaimah," June 2009. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Reading is a skill that involves more than decoding letters or recognizing words. It, in fact, integrates a variety of strategies, skills, and processes, and thus it is not as simple to describe as one might think. These strategies, skills, and processes operate together in a reading class to achieve the pre-planned objectives. Prior knowledge, for example, contributes a lot to text comprehension, and the application of the appropriate strategy in a reading class makes a difference. Students' attitudes towards L2, in general, and reading, in particular, affect students' reading progression, and so does the transfer of strategies from L1 to L2. It has been my experience that such variables have not been considered by many teachers and students in the government schools in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Educational Zone. This study investigates teachers', supervisors', and students' attitudes toward teaching reading in English classes as it tries to answer the following questions: 1- What are the challenges associated with teaching reading which teachers in RAK experience? 2- What techniques for teaching reading do students identify teachers in RAK using? 3- What are the challenges that students face in English reading classes? 4- How can teachers address these challenges? To answer these research questions, I used surveys and interviews to collect data. I interviewed our Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (CEPA) instructor and our five English supervisors in Ras Al Khaimah. They provided me with useful input on how they believed reading tasks should be approached and how reading challenges can be addressed in our context. The other subjects of my study included 30 male and 30 female English teachers from ten schools in RAK Educational Zone, and 40 high school students from Al Jawdah School for Secondary Education. I conducted structured interviews with10 male students and administered a survey for the other 30 students to explore their attitudes on this issue. After tha, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Samah Ahmad Sabbagh Entitled, "Investigating Oral Presentation Skills and Non-Verbal Communication Techniques in UAE Classrooms," June 2009. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis, English language instruction encourages students to express their ideas and thoughts through oral reports and presentations. Skilful teachers can, therefore, inspire their students to communicate effectively when they demonstrate their roles as successful communicators. Among the various ESL communicative speaking activities, oral reporting activities promote oral fluency on the one hand, and public speaking skills on the other. These oral presentations function as excellent generators of students' natural language, and can simultaneously prove to be a user-friendly technique of teaching nonverbal communication to learners. In addition, a teacher's feedback on the language, style and content of these presentations will play a significant role in enhancing students' presentation and speaking skills. In middle and high schools in the UAE, a variety of factors work to underplay the role of non-verbal communication in students' oral performances. This may become a serious problem because the students who graduate from these schools will then be unprepared for the social, professional, and academic demands for these skills. This study was, therefore, an attempt to investigate the teaching of oral presentation skills and non-verbal communication in schools in the UAE. It sought to answer the following questions: (1) How do ESL teachers in the UAE teach oral presentations and non verbal communication? (2) To what extent is the implementation of focused oral presentations and non-verbal communication teaching techniques possible in the UAE English learning classroom? To answer these questions, data was collected through workshops, interviews, and questionnaires. 25 teachers from private and public schools participated in this study. The findings indicate that most teachers are willing to include oral presentations in their ESL teaching. Furthermore, the obtained results confirmed the usefulness of non-verbal communication in the ESL classroom. Nevertheless, teachers' respon, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Shahla Yassaei Entitled, "Reflective Practice: Theoretical Construct or Ongoing Benefit," January 2011. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Reflective teaching is an approach toward teaching which requires teachers to think and gather data about their classroom actions, reflect on them, act on them, observe the results, and finally improve their teaching which will in turn assist them in developing themselves professionally. Teachers can become reflective practitioners through involving themselves in a variety of different activities such as keeping teaching journals and teaching portfolios, writing lesson reports, conducting classroom observations, forming reflective inquiry groups, undertaking research, and a number of other reflective activities that raise teachers' awareness of their own practice . Reflection helps teachers to become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. That is one reason why in teacher education programs teachers are encouraged to reflect on their practice. However, whether or not reflection becomes a part of their practice once they leave these programs is a thought-provoking question that this study sought to answer. This study was as an attempt to investigate former AUS MATESOL program participants' perceptions of "Reflective Practice," and aimed to find out how these current teachers perceive "Reflective Practice," whether or not they consider themselves "Reflective Practitioners," what form of reflection these teachers use in their practice, and what factors determine their engagement with "Reflection" and "Reflective Teaching." In order to gather data to answer my research questions I used semi-structured interviews with four teachers, three females and one male, who graduated from the AUS MATESOL program, and are now teaching at two different universities in the United Arab Emirates. The findings of my study indicate that these former students have generally developed an understanding of reflection and reflective practice to some extent, are aware of its values, and use different forms of reflection in order to reflect on their practice. As the findings of my study s, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences by Shayma Abdul Rahim Naqi Entitled, "Teaching Pragmatics to Young Learners," January 2008. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., This study is an attempt to investigate to what extent pragmatic competence can be taught to young learners in L2 classrooms. It also focuses on looking at the students' attitudes towards the activities presented to them during the direct teaching phase of pragmatics. In this study I will focus on teaching pragmatic knowledge because only little work has been done on the explicit teaching of pragmatic knowledge. Unfortunately, teaching in L2 classes in the UAE focuses more on teaching vocabulary and grammatical competence than on teaching pragmatic or socio-cultural competence. Thus, I want to bring this issue into focus and I want to show teachers, researchers, and educators how it is relatively easy to teach pragmatic competence as well as grammatical competence. If L2 speakers make grammatical mistakes, usually their message can be understood and they will still be able to communicate with others in the target language. However, if they make pragmatic mistakes, the situation is usually problematic and they will not be understandable. Therefore, they will face problems in communicating with different people in the target language community. To achieve my research goal I went through four stages. First of all, I assessed the students in the pre-instruction phase on eight different situations (See appendix B) to see what available pragmatic knowledge they have. Then, a five-week teaching program of pragmatics was offered to those 48 students to help them acquire and learn more about pragmatics to develop their skills. In the post- instruction phase I reassessed the same students based on the same eight situations I gave them before the teaching program in order to have some comparative data. In the post-post instruction phase I reassessed the students after the students had a two weeks break to see if they still remember what they learnt in the teaching course. A descriptive observational journal was also used throughout the semester as an extra supportive qualitati, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences by Fatmah Ahmed Hammoudi Entitled, "UAE High School Students' Perceptions of Teachers' Feedback on their Writing," January 2007. Available are both Soft and Hard Copies of the Thesis., For most teachers, marking students' papers and responding to their writing is a daunting and tedious task. It is also a practice that could carry potential dangers and requires careful consideration. However, feedback from teachers is one of the crucial aspects of the classroom writing process and one of the teachers' most important roles in writing instruction. It is, therefore, important to develop an awareness of the nature and the function of feedback so that both teachers and students play their roles effectively in the writing classroom. This study sheds light on the nature of UAE high school teachers' feedback to students' compositions and students' perceptions and expectations regarding this feedback. It also investigates the correlation between the nature of the teachers' feedback and students' motivation, attitudes, and perception of writing skill. The main purpose of the study was to investigate high school students' perceptions of teachers' feedback on their writing. It seeks answers for the following questions: What kind of feedback do students think they get? Do they think they get enough and supportive feedback? Do they believe in the usefulness of teachers' feedback on writing? What do they do with the feedback they get? And what preferences might they have? To achieve the purpose of this study, both quantitative and qualitative data were extracted from multiple sources including surveys, interviews, and samples of students' papers. Results indicated that the majority of UAE high school students recognize the value of teachers' feedback in improving their learning and encouraging them to write; however, their comments implied that the feedback they received is not as effective as it could be. Based on the results of this study, the nature of teachers' feedback did not seem to be as informative as it could be. Besides, the majority of students felt short-changed, as they believed that teachers do not provide enough supportive feedback on their writin, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Emine Genc Entitled, "Mag School Teachers' Attitudes toward Practitioner Research in English Language Classrooms in Sharjah," May 2010. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Teachers' attitudes towards classroom research show differences from teacher to teacher. Some teachers believe that involvement in classroom research can benefit students, teachers, administrators, and the school. Other teachers are reluctant to become involved in research because they feel that it disrupts their teaching schedules and adds considerably to an already heavy workload. In this study, the terms classroom research, teacher research, and practitioner research are used interchangeably and refer to research conducted by teachers in a classroom setting. Much research stresses the importance of classroom research in the language learning/teaching practice. Although there has been a lot of research to show benefits of conducting classroom research, there has been little study done on teachers' attitudes toward practitioner research in language classrooms, particularly in the UAE. Since classroom research plays an important role in improving the quality of education, the purpose of this study was to investigate MAG (Madares Al Ghad/ Schools of the Future) school teachers' attitudes toward practitioner research. The study answers the following two questions: What benefits, if any, do MAG school teachers see in conducting practitioner research? What reasons do MAG school teachers have for not conducting practitioner research? The data for this study was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Subjects for this study included 25 teachers, two TDSs (Teacher Development Specialists), and two ILCs (Instructional Leadership Coordinators). The findings show that the majority of MAG school teachers have positive attitudes toward the benefits of conducting practitioner research although not all of them conduct research. They consider classroom research a powerful tool to improve their teaching practice, overcome their classroom problems, enrich their professional knowledge, and to identify what methods and techniques work for their students. However, the finding, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Badr Abdullah Al Jabri Entitled, "Vocabulary Teaching Techniques in an Omani Government School," September 2008. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Vocabulary teaching has been the subject of much discussion among the community of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in government schools in Oman. It is considered to be one of the causes of the general weakness of students' levels of proficiency in English. This encouraged me to find out the answers to two basic questions: What are the vocabulary teaching techniques which a selected sample of ESL teachers in AbdulRahman bin Auff for Basic Education School, an Omani government school, use in their classrooms? Do the techniques that they use in their classrooms reflect the various methods of teaching vocabulary discussed in the recent literature on vocabulary instruction? In order to answer these questions, I conducted a qualitative case study in which I collected data through interviews, observations, and follow-up interviews. The participants in the qualitative case study were six EFL teachers who have different experiences and teach different grade levels. I based the analysis of the collected data on the constant comparison method of analysis in order to establish semantic themes or categories. The study shed light on the role that methods of vocabulary instruction play in explaining the general weakness of EFL learners' English language competence in AbdulRahman bin Auff School., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences by Ghadah Hassan Batawi Entitled, "Exploring the Use of CLT in Saudi Arabia," January 2007. Available are both Soft and Hard Copies of the Thesis., Many studies have been conducted to investigate the success of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) adoption in EFL countries. Some of these studies advocate the implementation of CLT teaching, whereas many studies in other EFL countries reflect the success of traditional teaching methods and report certain difficulties in trying CLT. However, there is no specific study that addresses CLT implementation in the Saudi context. Because teachers' understanding of an innovation plays a primary role in its success, this study aimed to investigate teachers' understandings and views regarding the use of CLT innovation in the Saudi context. This was accomplished by addressing the following questions: What are teachers' actual practices in language classrooms regarding certain aspects of CLT: the importance of grammar, error correction, teacher's role, student's role, group work, and testing? And will teachers face challenges in adopting CLT? If so, what are the major difficulties that teachers in Saudi Arabia believe they will encounter in implementing CLT? To answer these questions, 100 female teachers participated to this study by filling out surveys. The findings of the surveys answered my initial question pertaining to teachers' actual practices in language classes. 12 of those teachers also contributed to the second phase of the study in which they constituted three focus group discussions. The discussions were mainly about teachers' understanding of CLT and what obstacles they might encounter in an attempt to implement it. The findings indicated that teachers employ a range of practices that reflected using a combination of methods while teaching. In other words, Saudi teachers exhibit features of both traditional and communicative approaches in their classrooms, leaning more towards the traditional methods of teaching. In addition, the findings of the study indicated some major obstacles that could hamper teachers in trying CLT. The difficulties are grouped into thre, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages by Hussam Al Sayed Al Zeini Entitled, "Investigating Classroom Management in Public High Schools in the UAE," August 2008. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Classroom management and discipline may be one of the most difficult challenges for teachers, especially novice ones. Learning may be affected negatively if there is no effective management of the classroom. Every learning environment is different from the other, so classroom management problems and strategies are different. In the UAE, some EFL teachers face many problems and difficulties in public high schools. One of the most significant problems is disruptive students and how to control them. Teachers who do not have the required skills to manage their classes, even though they may be the most inspiring and knowledgeable teachers, face great difficulties controlling these classes. This study was an attempt to investigate the existence of classroom management problems in public high schools in the UAE and to find out the effective techniques and required skills needed for teachers to manage their classes successfully. My research sought to answer the following questions: (1) What problems, if any, concerning classroom management do EFL teachers in public high schools in the UAE face? (2) What effective classroom management strategies do these teachers employ? (3) How do students in public high schools in the UAE respond to teachers they like or dislike? (4) What is the role of building rapport between teachers and students in classroom management? To answer these questions, I used a mixed method approach composed of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. 210 male and female public high school EEL teachers participated in this study. 20 of them were chosen purposefully to participate in informal interviews and a focus group composed of 5 teachers was held. In addition, 100 male and female public high school students took part in the study. 20 of them were chosen purposefully to be interviewed informally. The findings indicate that there is a serious problem regarding classroom management in public high schools in the UAE. Moreover, the study su, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Mouna El Kahla entitled, "Examining Students' Attitudes and Use of Technology Tools to Write," January 2011. Available are both hard and soft copies of the thesis., The normalization of technology in many aspects of our lives suggests a need to examine the impact of using technology on language learning and use. There is an underlying assumption that children born in this technological age are "digital natives," (Prensky, 2001) who are naturally proficient at using technology and need no further training. Even though recent studies have shown the benefits of technology in facilitating learning, Prensky's assumption, that this generation are "born naturals" at using technology, should not be left unexamined. Although there is a growing literature that covers the students' experiences and attitudes toward technology tools used in writing or online publishing, many aspects of the learning experience are still unknown such as what technologies learners prefer and why. In addition, there are few studies that compare the attitudes of graduate and undergraduate students towards these writing tools. This study examined the differences between graduate and undergraduate students in their attitudes towards using technology to enhance their writing skills. 10 MATESOL students and 36 undergraduate students currently enrolled at the American University of Sharjah participated in this study. This study addressed areas related to technology use, perceived advantages and disadvantages from students of both levels towards technology tools used to write, and the discrepancies between the two levels in their attitudes. Furthermore, the findings of the study suggest that among the participants there is a high usage rate of technology tools to write. Students from both levels exhibited good implementation of technology tools to write, research, and augment their lexicon. However, there are some results that show students, from both levels, experience frustration related to the limitations of technology or lack of training., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences by Maryam Salari Entitled, "Integrating Oral Communicative Skills into the English Curriculum in Dubai Schools," January 2007. Available are both Soft and Hard Copies of the Thesis., Formal English language instruction in many parts of the world has shown limited success in developing efficient speaking skills even after years of studying. In Dubai schools, where English is the medium of instruction, many students have serious problems in making themselves understood in English. This causes lots of difficulties later on when these students are required to use English language in doing their assignments as well as communicating with other students and professors in academic settings. Another area of concern for these students is finding suitable jobs, as efficient spoken English is vastly demanded by employers even in those jobs which do not require much professionalism. For a variety of reasons, English language teachers focus only on reading, grammar, and vocabulary, and speaking skill is still not a curriculum requirement in many private schools in Dubai. Therefore, oftentimes teachers choose not to spend time teaching a skill which is neither a curriculum requirement, nor assessed, particularly since teachers have a heavy teaching load, extra curricular activities to arrange, and many other responsibilities. In order to find out more about the actual reasons behind such a situation, 30 English language teachers and 105 students in six different schools in Dubai were asked to answer a questionnaire and participate in interviews. Later, with the help of insights from the related literature in this field, for a period of eight weeks, a specially focused program was introduced in a private school in Dubai, which introduced teaching speaking skills into the pre-determined objectives of the curriculum. This program used the existing school's syllabus accompanied by some extra materials and activities. Prior to the beginning of this program, a diagnostic speaking test was carried out to determine the participating students' primary speaking abilities. Another speaking test was administered at the end of the program. These two tests provided the tool, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Randa Fayez Bou-Mehdi Entitled, "Investigating High School Students' Attitudes Towards Plagiarism in the Writing Classroom," August 2010. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., Plagiarism is a controversial issue nowadays, with some researchers arguing that students plagiarize because they are dishonest, and others believing that students plagiarize because they lack the specific research and citation skills required in the writing classroom. Others believe that students who are taught that plagiarism is unethical would not plagiarize if they were equipped with the necessary skills to accomplish the assignment. Following a clear pedagogy on what plagiarism means and how to avoid it would reduce the number of plagiarism cases in schools. This research sought to answer the following three research questions by involving 115 male and female students who study at a private school in Dubai: (1) Do students know what plagiarism is? (2) What research skills do these students say their teachers teach them? (3) Under what circumstances, if any, might students plagiarize? These students were in grade 10 and they were of different nationalities, both Arab and non-Arab. I distributed questionnaires which included open-ended and closeended questions, from which I collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The findings indicated that the female students were more aware of plagiarism than the male students were. Students' responses have shown that most of the students learned about plagiarism from sources other than their school environment. In addition, most students said that they were taught how to summarize and paraphrase but not how to quote. However, many students reported facing difficulty in paraphrasing. This may suggest that students are plagiarizing when they find it difficult to paraphrase because they do not know how to quote. The majority of the students said that they see themselves in situations where they or their classmates might plagiarize, for reasons like lack of research skills, time constraints, or not having enough information about the topic., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Sendeyya Senan Al-Naqbi Entitled, "Investigating the Types and Effect of Oral Corrective Feedback Given to Students in Fujairah," September 2009. Available are both Hard and Soft Copies of the Thesis., There has been a shift in the attitudes towards the errors that language learners make. Previously they were indicators of sin or failure, however presently researchers recommend that "errors [should be] viewed as an integral part of the language learning" (Salikin, 2001, p. 29). When it comes to correcting the learner's errors, million of ways might emerge according to what the philosophy of the teacher is, what his or her attitude towards correction is, what method of teaching is being used, and a host of other variables which play a significant role in the correction process. Some teachers don't pay attention to students' attitudes toward teaching practices, however, "it is beneficial for teachers to discover their students' perceptions toward instructional practices" (Katamaya, 2007, p. 389). Those teachers experience some difficulties when treating their students' oral errors. Matching the expectations of teachers and students is important for successful language learning (Katamaya, 2007, Katamaya 2006, Lasagabster and Sierra 2005, Schulz 2001). "Although much has been published on error taxonomies, detection, analysis, and evaluation, there is a dearth of research studies comparing teachers' and students' perceptions" note Lasagabster and Sierra (2005, p. 112). This study endeavors to fill this void. It explores teachers' choices of oral corrective feedback for high, average, and low achieving students and it investigates students' attitudes with their different levels toward oral corrective feedback patterns. It tries to answer the following questions: (1) What kind of oral corrective feedback do the teachers think can lead to learning? Why? (2) What kind of oral corrective feedback do the participating teachers in Masafi School in Fujairah use? (3) What difference is there, if any, in the kinds of feedback given by the teachers to high, average, and low achieving students? (4) What kind of oral corrective feedback do students prefer? Why? To triangulate my f, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English

A Master of Arts Thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Amal Khalil Thabit Entitled, "UAE High School Students' Attitudes Towards Using Authentic Materials," August 2006. Thesis Advisor is Dr. Cindy Gunn. Available are both Soft and Hard Copies of the Thesis., This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of using authentic materials on some of my high school students, especially those who have poor attitudes towards learning the English language. In fact, lack of motivation, and the unwillingness to learn English among them has always been one of my major interests and concerns in the same time. Many of the students attribute their poor attitudes to their textbooks which they describe as being boring and insufficient. Hence, this study attempts to identify the weaknesses in the prescribed textbooks from my students' points of view and to determine the students' attitudes towards incorporating authentic materials in their ESL classes. To achieve these goals, I asked my students first to respond to a survey of some closed and open-ended questions that aimed at identifying their evaluation of their textbooks. Next, I asked them to rate their interest in the suggested authentic materials. Then, I asked them to complete a weekly review sheet in which they rated their interest and learning level in each of the offered activities. After that, the students completed an overall evaluation sheet of all the introduced materials. Finally, I asked them to respond to a survey that aimed at identifying their attitudes towards using authentic materials in English classroom. In order to investigate the impact of activities using authentic materials on my students' language skills more closely and to enhance my understanding of some of the issues they had raised earlier in their responses to the surveys, I interviewed 15 students. The findings revealed that the students had enjoyed the authentic materials presented and had learned from them. The findings also showed that they had positive attitudes towards using them., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English