The Relationship Between Formal Education In Arabic And Students\u27attitudes Towards Langauges And English And Mathematic Proficiency

The purpose of this study is to examine the following the relationships between: 1) formal education (adequate and limited) in the Arabic language and English language proficiency and academic achievement in mathematics of Arabic-speaking students and 2) their attitudes towards L1 (Arabic) and L2 (English) and English language proficiency and academic achievement in mathematics. Eighty-six Arabic speaking third graders through eighth graders in the Midwestern state were selected on non-random sampling to participate in this study. Four main measures were used to collected data: (1) Parent Demographic Survey, (2) students\u27 attitudes survey, (3) Math component of the Michigan Educational Assessment program (MEAP), and (4) scores on the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA). Descriptive analyses were used to summarize, classify and simplify the data collected from the two surveys. Inferential analyses, on the other hand, were used to investigate four research hypotheses of this study. Two statistical tests were used: 1) 2x2 factorial univariate analysis of variance (UNI-ANOVA) and 2) Lambda, and Goodman & Kruskal\u27s Tau. No significant relationships were found in all four hypotheses. Discussion about possible explanations as to why all research hypotheses were not supported is provided. Additionally, potential future research is also examined

Dental Students and Faculty Perceptions of Teaching Methods : Traditional Classes, Online Virtual Classes, and Recorded Lectures

Background: Rapid advancement in technology has provided alternatives to traditional classroom teaching. Such instructional methods have gained increasing importance during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical classroom attendance was not possible. The study evaluated faculty’s and students’ perceptions concerning the online virtual classes and recorded lectures as compared to traditional classes delivered at the College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Materials and Methods: Surveys were developed and distributed to 34 faculty members and 186 students. Perceptions about virtual classes, recorded lectures, physical attendance, the effectiveness of different teaching methods, and overall experience were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were presented using frequencies and percentages. The Chi-square test compared the students’ and the faculty members’ responses. The level of significance was set at α =0.05. Results: Thirty-one faculty members and 149 dental students participated, and the overall response rates were 91.2% and 80.1%, respectively. While there was a general agreement on the usefulness of making recorded lectures available, a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) was found between students’ and faculty members’ views on making classroom-lecture attendance optional (67.1% of students and 12.9% of the faculty agreed/strongly agreed). Statistically significant differences (p<0.001) were found between the students and faculty members concerning the effectiveness of recorded lectures and attending online virtual classes as an alternative to classroom attendance. Conclusion: Overall, students were more accepting of technology than faculty members as a substitute for traditional classroom teaching. For a more efficient and satisfactory learning experience, both teaching methods should be considered in a blended-learning module.Dentistry, Faculty ofNon UBCReviewedFacult