Strategies Used by Jordanian EFL University Graduate Students in Translating Idioms into Arabic

This study aimed at investigating the strategies utilized by Jordanian EFL University graduate students in translating idioms into Arabic. The participants of the study were all M.A translation students at the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University who were selected purposefully. The total number of the students was 90 who participated in a translation test which contains 16 idioms of different categories.  The quantitative findings of the study revealed that EFL Jordanian university students use certain strategies in translating idioms regardless of their awareness of the use of these strategies. Keywords: EFL translation students, Translating idioms, strategie

Difficulties EFL Jordanian University Students Encounter in Translating English Idioms into Arabic

This study aimed at investigating the difficulties that Jordanian EFL University students encounter in translating English idioms into Arabic. The participants of the study were all M.A translation students at Yarmouk University and the University of Jordan who were selected purposefully. The total number of the students who participated in the translation test which contains 16 idioms of different categories was 90.  The quantitative findings of the study revealed that EFL Jordanian university students encountered difficulties in translating English idioms into Arabic. Keywords: Difficulties, EFL translation students, Translating idiom

Credit Risk, Macroeconomic and Bank Specific Factors in Jordanian Banks

High volume of risks facing banks is one of the most important reasons behind their failure. The exposure of banks to risks measured by risk index could indicate the extent of the vulnerability of banks to adverse performance. This thesis applies risk index to measure risk exposure of 23 Jordanian banks during 1995 to 2008. Findings reveal that the average risk index of banks is 17.5 units in comparison to the mean industry index of 17.9 units. The lower value for risk index for the banks in the sample in comparison to the industry mean reflects the higher risk borne by some of the banks in the sample. Further investigation provides evidence that a bank with a higher risk index level has strong capital and profit relative to the volatility of their returns. Among the banks, Arab Jordan Investment Bank has the highest index of 33.3 units, while Jordan Investment and Finance Bank has the lowest index of 6.8 units. For industry risk index, the highest value for the risk index is 35 units (in 2006), while the lowest of 11 units in 1997. The low risk index showed high risks faced by the Jordanian banks in 1997. This is due to low economic performance where GDP decline from 6.2 percent in 1995 to 2.1 percent and 3.3 percent in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Most banks achieved low net income, which affect negatively their profitability. In addition to measure risk index, this thesis investigates the relationship between risk index and banks size. Results show that there exist significant differences between the mean of risk index between large, medium and small banks. Large banks have a significant mean difference among group of banks. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship was found between risk index and banks' size, which suggest that the larger the banks, the safer they are. This thesis also measures market risk of banks during the test period using single index market model and Dimson's procedure with 2 lag and 1 lead to correct non-synchronous trading effect. The results show that the average market risk (beta) measure of Jordanian listed banks over 1995-2008 is 0.461, which indicates a very low market risk in terms of price volatility. Among the banks, Arab Bank has the highest average beta of 0.766, and Ahli Bank has the lowest market risk of 0.327. An investigation of the trend of average market risk during a study period reveal that the changes in market risk are mainly due to a fluctuation of financial market and movements of the prevailing interest rate. Finally, this thesis investigates the determining variables of credit risk among the sample banks. According to the Capital Assets Pricing theory, risks are attributable by external factors and internal factors. Hence, twelve variables comprising five macroeconomic variables (aggregate economic activity, inflation, money supply, interest rate and market risk), and seven bank specific variables (lag non performing loans, provision of loan losses, loan growth, equity capital ratio, loan concentration in risky sectors, net interest margin and size) are applied as independent variables. The dependent variable is credit risk, which is measured by non performing loans to total loans ratio. Four theories which are financial intermediation theory, agency theory, diversification theory and capital assets theory formed the theoretical framework in this study. OLS regression model was used to investigate the determinants of credit risk in the Jordanian banks. The results show that all the macroeconomic variables together explain 51.9 percent of the variation of credit risk. From the five macroeconomic variables, three were found statistically significant. They are GDP, inflation and market interest rate. Our study shows that bank specific variables were found to affect credit risk more than the external variables. All bank specific variables explain 73 percent variation of credit risk. This indicates a strong association between bank specific variables and banks credit risk exposure. Five variables which are non performing loan, loan growth, loan concentration in risky sectors and banks size were found as significant determinants of credit risk at the Jordanian banks. On a pool basis, all macroeconomic variables and bank specific variables together explain 72 percent of the banks' credit risk. For the whole model, net interest margin was found significant and negatively related to credit risk. In conclusion, this thesis assesses the risk exposure and for the first time, empirically determines the variables affecting credit risk of the Jordanian banks. As credit risk is the main risk that could lead to bank failure, the results imply that the management of the Jordanian banks should pay great attention to the significant factors, in particular their non performing loans and loan growth. The positive and significant relationship between banks' risk index and their size supports the Basel Accord standards, where the greater the bank risks, the higher should be the size of their capital base in order to ensure that the risks adequately be covered

The Effect of an Instructional Reading Program Based on the Successful Readers’ Strategies on Jordanian EFL Eleventh Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension

The study investigated the effect of a reading instructional program based on the strategies of successful readers on Jordanian secondary stage students’ reading comprehension in English. The participants of the study were 50 first secondary stage male students who were chosen purposefully from the northwestern badia directorate of education. Based on the results of the pretest, two groups were used: An experimental group which consisted of 26 less successful readers who were taught through the instructional program which was designed by the researchers, and a control group of 24 students who were taught the textbook material. The training lasted for two months during the first semester of the academic year 2013-2014.The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference at 14鈭?/m:t>">  = 0.05 between the two mean scores of the experimental and control groups in the post reading test in favor of the experimental group due to the teaching strategy. In light of the findings, the researchers presented some recommendations to English as a foreign language  (EFL)  teachers and the  Jordanian Ministry of Education. Key words: English as a foreign language, Reading comprehension, Reading strategies, Successful reader

Strategies Used by Jordanian EFL University Graduate Students in Translating Idioms into Arabic

This study aimed at investigating the strategies utilized by Jordanian EFL University graduate students in translating idioms into Arabic. The participants of the study were all M.A translation students at the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University who were selected purposefully. The total number of the students was 90 who participated in a translation test which contains 16 idioms of different categories.  The quantitative findings of the study revealed that EFL Jordanian university students use certain strategies in translating idioms regardless of their awareness of the use of these strategies. Keywords: EFL translation students, Translating idioms, strategie

A Critical Look at the Importance of Teaching National Identity in Algerian EFL Classrooms: Perceptions of Public Middle and Secondary School Teachers نظرة فاحصة على أهمية تدريس الهوية الوطنية في صفوف اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية في الجزائر: تصورات معلمي المدارس المتوسطة والثانوية الحكومية

Abstract: Over the past decades, studies investigating the concept of national identity within educational settings have grown increasingly prevalent and in demand. Ergo, the following study has set out to examine the perceptions of EFL teachers regarding the importance of incorporating national identity within newly developed English textbooks used in public middle and secondary schools in Algeria. The researchers elicited the views of 112 Algerian teachers during the second semester of the academic year 2017-2018 regarding the efficiency of home-grown textbooks in teaching national and local matters as well as their role in helping Algerian students foster their intercultural competence. Overall, the study argued that Algerian EFL teachers believe that textbooks have a disproportionate and unequal balance between national and international identities, and that it does not adequately teach and impart a sufficient understanding of the Algerian national identity.Respondents also believed that defining the Algerian national identity was quite a perplex and confusing matter that often instigates students’ disinterest to learn the language. Findings also indicated that although nearly two thirds of the respondents stated that national identity was not an important facet of the EFL education, they further contended that it should begin to be taught as early as middle school and be reinforced and later developed through secondary education, particularly through writing exercises and classes. ملخص: بدأت الدراسات المتعلقة بمفهوم الهوية الوطنية في الأوساط التعليمية تكتسب شهرة هائلة خلال العقود الماضية. ولذلك, هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى فهم تصورات معلمي اللغة الإنجليزية الجزائريين حول أهمية عرض موضوع الهوية الوطنية والثقافة المحلية ضمن هذه الكتب المطورة حديثًا والمستخدمة في المدارس المتوسطة والثانوية. قام الباحثون من خلال هذا البحث باستطلاع أراء 112 مدرسًا جزائريًا خلال الفصل الثاني من العام الدراسي 2017-2018 حول هذه الكتب المحلية فيما يتعلق بأهمية تدريس الجوانب المحلية والوطنية للطلاب الجزائريين ومساعدتهم على تعزيز كفاءة التبادل الثقافي. بشكل عام, بينت الدراسة بأن مدرسي اللغة الإنجليزية الجزائريون يعتقدون أن الكتب الدراسية ليست متوازنة ومتكافئة من حيث المضمون المحلي والدولي, كما وأنها لا تقوم بتدريس ونقل فهم كاف للهوية الوطنية الجزائرية. كما أفاد المجيبون أن تعريف الهوية الوطنية الجزائرية هو مسألة معقدة بحد ذاتها وغالبا ما تكون مربكة للطلاب مما يؤدي إلى عدم اهتمامهم بتعلم اللغة. كما أظهرت النتائج أنه على الرغم من أن ما يقرب ثلثي المجيبين ذكروا أن الهوية الوطنية ليست مسألة مهمة في تعليم اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية, فقد أكدوا أيضًا أنه ينبغي البدء في تدريسها في وقت مبكر من المرحلة المتوسطة وتعزيزها من خلال التعليم الثانوي, وخاصة في حصص وتمارين مهارة الكتابة

The Effect of an Online Extensive Reading Instructional Program on Jordanian Eleventh Grade Students' Proficiency in English

This study aimed at investigating the effect of an Online Extensive Reading (hereafter, OER) instructional program on Jordanian secondary stage students' proficiency in English. It also aimed at detecting the students' opinions towards the OER program in terms of its effect on their proficiency in English. A sample of two intact Eleventh grade sections from King Abdullah the Second School for Excellence was selected; one section was assigned as an experimental group, the other as a control group. The quantitative findings of the test revealed that the mean scores of the experimental group's English proficiency were significantly higher than the mean scores of the control group, particularly in writing, speaking, vocabulary, reading comprehension and listening due to the teaching methodology. The findings of the test did not reveal any significant difference in the students' grammar proficiency ascribed to the intervention variable. Further, the results of the questionnaire revealed that the respondents were appreciative and pleased with the efficacy of the OER program. This result was also supported by the qualitative findings of the interview. Keywords: Online Extensive Reading (OER), English proficiency, Jordanian secondary stage student

Jordanian Teachers' Attitudes toward Foreign Language Teaching and their Relationship to these Teachers' Classroom Practices

This study aimed at exploring Jordanian public school teachers’ attitudes toward teaching English as a foreign language and the factors that may influence these attitudes. It also aimed at investigating the relationship between their attitudes toward the English language and their classroom practices. The participants of the study were twenty female teachers of the English language. They were purposefully chosen from the schools in Ajloun Directorate of Education in the second semester of the academic year 2012/2013. To answer the questions of the study, the researcher designed a questionnaire, and adopted an observation checklist. Proper statistical analyses were used to analyze the results. The results of the study showed that the EFL teachers' attitudes toward teaching English as a foreign language were moderate. The results also showed that teachers' actual pedagogical competences were moderate with a mean of 2.736. The correlation coefficient between the teachers' attitudes and their actual pedagogical competences was negative and low. Key Words: Attitudes, pedagogical competence, classroom practices

THE EFFECT OF THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION ON UNIVERSITY PARTICIPANTS` ACQUISITION OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the language of instruction on the participants’ acquisition of the scientific terms with respect to their knowledge, usage, proficiency, adoption and evaluation in two Arab universities. The faculty members and the students of the faculties of Engineering and Medical sciences in the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), where the medium of instruction is English , and the University of Damascus (UD), where Arabic is the medium of instruction, were the participants in the study. They were 991 students of different scientific fields at JUST, and 729 students at the UD. The students ranged from third-year level to graduate studies level. Also, 132 faculty members in different scientific fields at JUST, and 109 faculty members at the UD participated in the study. The results of the study show that there were statistically significant differences between the means of the criteria of knowledge, usage, proficiency, adoption and evaluation of the Arabicized terms due to the effect of the language of instruction (i.e., English language) in favor of JUST, and there were statistically significant differences between the means of the criteria of knowledge, usage, proficiency, adoption and evaluation of the Arabic equivalent terms due to the effect of the language of instruction (i.e., Arabic) in favor of the UD. The results of the study, also show that the percentage of the participants’ responses to the items that ask about their use of the Arabicized scientific terms in JUST is 93.3%, which is higher than that in UD which was 27.8%. Also, the percentage of the participants’ responses to the items that ask about their use of the Arabic equivalents in UD is 72.2%, which is higher than that in JUST which was 6.7%. The result is ultimately due to the effect of the medium of instruction at each university. In light of the findings of the study, it was recommended that research in different scientific fields other than medical and engineering fields be conducted to explore the role of the medium of instruction in the acquisition of the scientific terms