Teaching and Learning Post-secondary Content Through Non-native Language in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

In the half decade since nationalization in 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has matured into a tolerant and open Arab Islamic society that values economic growth and social stability. National priorities, as established in the UAE Vision 2021 document, promote education of national youth and lifelong learning for all citizens as keys to development in the transition from an oil-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. Recognizing that English is the international language of business, the federal government established English as the medium of instruction in all of federally funded tertiary education institutions. Most of the government subsidized and private tertiary institutions have followed suit. Most instructors originate from English speaking areas such as North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or are academically proficient in English. Although professional, experienced, and highly qualified in their areas of specialization, few if any, of the content teachers in program areas have had training teaching students who were studying in a non-native language. This study explores the perspectives of students and teachers regarding factors for motivation and engagement in core program courses in a federal tertiary institution. Specifically, the study compared the perceptions of students and teachers regarding factors for motivation and engagement, as well as challenges, to determine whether the perceptions were similar or different and to determine factors for student disengagement or low motivation. In this quantitative study, students and teachers were asked to rank factors for student disengagement and low motivation found in the academic literature using a 4 point Likert scale. The final question was an open ended question to give participants an opportunity to add information or explain their ratings. In the analysis, student and teacher ratings were examined separately then compared to each other. Findings indicated that both student and teachers perceived that the most effective teaching practices were experiential, practical, and interactive lessons; however, both groups responded that those lessons were not necessarily the delivery norm. Factors rated as highly disengaging by teachers were “highly theoretical content” and “using mobile devices” while students overwhelming rated “teachers / lessons that are boring” as the most disengaging factor. Faculty new to the institution (3 years or less) indicated that language proficiency was not a factor in disengagement while faculty who were in the institution for 10 years of more indicated that language proficiency was a major factor for their students’ disengagement. Evidence surfaced suggesting that teachers did not necessarily distinguish between student disengagement resulting from a “lack of interest” from disengagement resulting from a “lack of understanding or comprehension.” It is recommended that instructors of core program courses, complete a recognized certificate in TESL or at a minimum, receive training in recognizing and addressing student disengagement resulting from “lack of understanding or comprehension” and apply techniques to enrich lessons by addressing lack of comprehension or understanding.