(2020). Should They Stay or Should They Go? How the 2017 U.S. Travel Ban Affects International Doctoral Students. Journal of Studies in International Education, v24 n4 p440-455 Sep
In the wake of the U.S. government's executive orders restricting travel from six Muslim-majority countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) in January 2017, we collected data from four focus groups consisting of international doctoral students aiming to provide insight on the following research question: "How do international doctoral students make sense of the U.S. political climate on their lived experiences?" This article contributes to the literature by discussing a timely issue concerning international students in the United States and points out that the 2017 travel ban has affected not only international doctoral students from those banned countries but has also alarmed students from other countries, who described the climate as stressful, confusing, and hostile. Several students changed their travel plans for conferences or family visits being worried that they might not be able to reenter the United States. Other students feared the immigration… [Direct]
(2021). Motivations of Refugee-Background Adults in Enrolling in English Language Classes in the United States. Adult Learning, v32 n3 p115-124 Aug
This study examines the motivations of refugee-background adults in participating in English language classes in the United States. Five focus group discussions were held with refugee-background adults with no or very limited English proficiency who were enrolled in an English language program in an urban area in the Northeastern region of the United States. The study participants had been resettled in the United States for between 10 months and 4 years at the time of study and were of different nationalities, including Somalia, Yemen, Myanmar, Cuba, and Sudan. While agencies and organizations funding and running these English programs have generally focused on job readiness English language skills in their curriculums, this study found that refugees had a wide range of motivations for learning English. In addition to better paying jobs, refugees were also interested in learning English to better navigate the health care system and safeguard their privacy, become self-reliant and… [Direct]
(2013). A Tragic Educational Experience: Academic Injustice in Higher Education Institutions in Yemen. Policy Futures in Education, v11 n5 p532-537
This article outlines the tragic educational experience of one Yemeni scholar who has been oppressed by the education policy that Yemeni university administrators are accustomed to implementing while employing candidates. The institutions of higher education in Yemen, with the absence of justice, have experienced major ordeals in improving the education process. In other words, the process of nepotism and the use of power have always impeded the development of the teaching–learning process in Yemen. Moreover, education policy makers are not advocating for the right decisions, particularly in terms of employing worthy candidates/graduates. The application of such negative attitudes/factors has resulted in the educational process in Yemen exponentially worsening, leading to a much worse status of the whole society since it goes against the view that education is internationally considered to be very effective in reconstructing societies and building nations. Unless Yemeni education… [Direct]
(2019). College Students' Entrepreneurial Intention: Testing an Integrated Model of SDT and TPB. SAGE Open, v9 n2 Apr
The purpose of this study is to test an integrated entrepreneurial motivation and intention model based on self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Particularly, it aims at testing the direct and indirect effects of the basic psychological needs satisfaction of SDT, that is, autonomy, competence, and relatedness on entrepreneurial intention through the TPB attitudinal factors, that is, attitude toward entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. A sample of 622 university students from two universities in Yemen has been used, and the integrated model was tested using structural equation modeling to check its validity and the hypothesized relationships. The study findings lend support to the theoretical integration of the model, where basic psychological needs satisfaction has a positive effect on attitude toward entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, and in turn, they have positive effect on… [Direct]
(2020). The Effect of Teaching Prosody through Visual Feedback Activities on Oral Reading Skills in L2. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, v20 n1 p101-117 Apr
The present study aimed to determine the effect of teaching prosody through visual feedback activities on oral reading skills of Turkish language learners. The quantitative dimension of the study utilized a single group pre-test post-test experimental design, whereas, the qualitative dimension consisted of the data obtained from the interviews. The participant group included a convenient sample of 30 non-native students who had completed a certificate program at a Turkish Language Teaching Center affiliated to a state university and enrolled in undergraduate course work during the study period. Twenty-two of these students were Georgian and the rest were from the Republic of Yemen. The participants were provided with a 12-week-long training supported by Praat 6.0.01 voice analysis program. At the end of the study, it was found that teaching prosody through visual feedback activities has improved the participants' oral reading skills in terms of intonation, focus, pause and reading… [PDF]
(2015). The Effect of the CAREY Program on the Students' Reading Attitude Towards Reading English Materials. English Language Teaching, v8 n12 p98-111
Reading is one of language learning skills which has a great significance for the role it plays in the second language acquisition (SLA) process. The aim of this paper was to examine the extent to which the CAREY (Computer-Assisted Reading Yemen) program affects the Yemeni EFL students' reading attitude towards reading English materials. To achieve this objective, the data was collected from pre-and post-questionnaires of reading attitude. Additionally, the data was collected based on an interview and an observation. 20 students selected purposively from level one of an English proficiency course, Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Ibb University, Yemen in this study. All participants answered the pre- and post- reading questionnaires, and five of them were further interviewed. The study used both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data including descriptive statistics of the responses from the questionnaires and thematic analysis of responses from the interviews. The… [PDF]
(2019). The Effect of Yemeni EFL Learners' Low Listening Proficiency on Their Performance in the TOEFL IBT Integrated Test of Writing. Online Submission, Language in India v19 n3 p267-278 Mar
This study attempts to investigate the relationship between students' weakness in listening skill and its effect on their performance in the TOEFL IBT integrated task of writing. It also investigates the balance among the students' four language skills. The participants of the study are senior students of Rada'a Education College of Albaydaa University, Yemen. Thirty learners are systematically chosen. They are given an integrated task of writing taken from TOEFL IBT and an independent writing task. The analysis of the data revealed that the scores obtained in the writing task based on listening were very low, if compared with the scores obtained in the independent writing task. It showed that the lower performance of the students in the integrated task is not also attributed to students' reading or grammatical and lexical weakness, rather, it is due to the students' listening problems since most of the words given in the listening passage are familiar to the students. The findings… [PDF]
(2020). Middle Eastern Food: Six Lenses. Geography Teacher, v17 n3 p94-103
This article is an attempt to create new ways for students to appreciate the complexities and diversity of the Middle East's foodways and thus of their people and societies. It takes a broad view of the region that is historically inclusive, stretching from Morocco and al-Andalus (Spain) in the west to Iran in the east and from modern-day Turkey in the north to Yemen in the south. Food–its components, production, preparation, and consumption–can be a way to explore the geography, history, and even the politics of the Middle East. A set of six themes or suggested directions for teachers to explore with students are presented. Some of the explorations and dishes described will work better with younger or older students, although all can be adapted. This is a unit that explores food, and it includes references to specific dishes and recipes for students to make. Given the diverse range of what is and is not allowed in different schools and districts, a single approach will not work in… [Direct]
(2014). Short- and Long-Term Validity of High School GPA for Admission to Colleges outside the United States. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, v16 n2 p277-291 Aug
High school GPA is the only admission criterion that is currently used by many colleges in Yemen to select their potential students. Its predictive validity was investigated to ensure the accuracy of the admission decisions in these colleges. The relationship between students' persistence in the 4 years of college and high school GPA was studied as well. The sample in the study consisted of 1603 cohort students from two public universities in Yemen. The data analysis included simple, multiple, and logistic regression analyses. Results showed that high school GPA was a significant predictor of academic performance as measured by first-year college GPA and 4-year cumulative GPA. However, it explained a very small portion of the total variance in these academic variables. It was also found that it has no relationship with students' persistence. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the use of high school GPA for admission decisions is strongly recommended…. [Direct]
(2020). Tertiary Learners' Motivational Intensity and Desire to Learn the French Language: Evidence from a Non-Francophone Country. IAFOR Journal of Education, v8 n1 p101-114
Motivational intensity is fundamental for any language learner in order to succeed. This research addressed motivational intensity in the context of French language learners in a non-francophone country, Yemen. It also investigated the level of desire to learn French among university students. The present research answered the following questions: Do undergraduate learners of the French language have a high or a low level of motivational intensity in their learning of French? How much do undergraduate learners of the French language desire to learn French? Among the undergraduate learners of the French language, is there any gender difference in the level of motivational intensity and their desire to learn French? A stratified random sample of 69 students was sampled out of a population of 145 enrolled students from different levels in the Department of French Language and Literature at Sana'a University. The survey was comprised of 11 questions that were selected and modified from… [PDF]
(2019). Enhancing EFL Learners' Willingness to Communicate with Visualization and Goal-Setting Activities. TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v53 n1 p133-157 Mar
Willingness to communicate (WTC) research has focused mostly on identifying factors that influence second language (L2) WTC in ESL contexts. This study differs by examining the effects of a 6-week treatment aimed at enhancing WTC in a group of 206 Yemeni rural high school EFL learners. Classes were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 102) or an experimental group (n = 104). The researcher designed one weekly 45-minute visualization lesson for the treatment group to help learners imagine themselves communicating in English; the control group did communicative activities. Results of an analysis of covariance indicate that the treatment group's WTC had increased significantly at the end of the intervention. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the program. The study provides insights into the role of visualization to enhance students' WTC and suggests activities that teachers can use to enhance students' WTC. It shows that… [Direct]
(2017). Effect of Foreign Language Anxiety on Gender and Academic Achievement among Yemeni University EFL Students. English Language Teaching, v10 n2 p73-85
This study aimed to investigate the gender differences in terms of anxiety among Yemeni university EFL learners. It also aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of anxiety and the academic achievement of the students. The participants of this study were 155 students chosen from the population through stratified random sampling. The participants are selected from English Department, Faculty of Arts, Ibb University, Yemen. The data was collected by using a questionnaire adopted from Yassin (2015), and the data was analysed by using 22nd version of the SPSS. The data of the first question was analysed by using T-test and the result of the analysis showed that the females experienced higher level of anxiety than male students, but the difference between both groups is not significant. The second question was analysed by using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and the result showed that there is not significant correlation between the level of anxiety and the academic… [PDF]
(2019). A Sociolinguistic Study of the Realization of Refusals among Yemeni EFL Learners. Online Submission, International Journal of English Linguistics v9 n6 p172-185
The present paper attempts to study the realization of refusal responses to invitations and requests among Yemen EFL learners in equal, higher and lower social status. It also aims to find out the pragmatic failure resulted from negative pragmatic transfer. In order to do so, refusals of 40 Yemeni EFL (20 high and 20 low proficient) learners were compared with refusals of 20 native speakers of English (ENS) and 20 native speakers of Arabic (ANS). Data were collected using a Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT) consisting of six refusals to invitations and requests in higher, equal and lower social status. This study finds out that Yemenis and Americans used different refusal strategies when refusing persons of equal and lower social status. ANS also used the adjunct of invoking the name of God which is religiously rooted and culturally specific to assert their excuses. Interestingly, Yemeni EFL learners showed a tendency toward the L1 pragmatic norms in the use of invoking the… [PDF]
(2017). Case Study of Distance Learning at University of Najran. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the need for distance-learning programs in the universities has been gaining importance. Najran, the area in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which this study addressed, has been the target of serious attacks against both the government and the civilian population in a recent conflict with Yemen. Because all areas of Najran have been targeted, including educational institutions, the ability for students to attend the university in recent years has been severely curtailed. While conflict prompted the study, there were, and are, other reasons for promoting distance learning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The evidence gathered in this study exhibited the value of distance learning overall. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could benefit greatly from distance learning programs in Najran and elsewhere due to limited space for classes, the need to shift away from the dependence on an oil economy, and the need to address both cultural and geographical factors such as… [Direct]
(2016). Academic Reading Difficulties Encountered by International Graduate Students in a Malaysian University. Issues in Educational Research, v26 n3 p369-386
This study examines how international graduate students in a Malaysian public university perceive and overcome academic reading difficulties. The target population included all graduate students from Yemen, an Arab country, studying at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Data were collected using questionnaires, focus group interviews, and journal writing. While quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The results show that most of the academic reading difficulties faced by international graduate students were five: taking brief and relevant notes, using their own words in note taking, working out meaning of difficult words, identifying supporting ideas/examples, and managing their time for completion of reading academic materials. To overcome academic reading difficulties, international graduate students used strategies such as enrolling in some intensive English language courses, attending workshops organised in the University,… [PDF]