Abdulrahman Al Asmari’s research while affiliated with Taif University and other places

The present study attempted to explore the role of authentic materials (henceforth AM) in the interaction of the Saudi EFL university classrooms with an emphasis placed on gender-based analysis of EFL university teachers' classroom practices. Moreover, it introduces the concepts of what define AM, and presents various perceptions of researchers, teachers on their usefulness. To examine this phenomenon, Saudi EFL teachers' perceptions about the use of authentic materials were investigated to improve English language skills at Saudi EFL university classrooms. After employing a structured questionnaire, the results indicated that Saudi EFL university teachers authenticated the significance of AM for improving language skills of Saudi EFL university students. Also, the results reflected that Saudi EFL teachers showed their preferences for the use of balanced AM and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) textbooks. The findings elicited the meaningful implications for the use of AM especially for the Saudi EFL university students.

The present study attempted to explore the role of authentic materials (henceforth AM) in the interaction of the Saudi EFL university classrooms with an emphasis placed on gender-based analysis of EFL university teachers' classroom practices. Moreover, it introduces the concepts of what define AM, and presents various perceptions of researchers, teachers on their usefulness. To examine this phenomenon, Saudi EFL teachers’ perceptions about the use of authentic materials were investigated to improve English language skills at Saudi EFL university classrooms. After employing a structured questionnaire, the results indicated that Saudi EFL university teachers authenticated the significance of AM for improving language skills of Saudi EFL university students. Also, the results reflected that Saudi EFL teachers showed their preferences for the use of balanced AM and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) textbooks. The findings elicited the meaningful implications for the use of AM especially for the Saudi EFL university students. © 2016, Australian International Academic Centre PTY LTD. All rights reserved.

The tenet of this study was to investigate the challenges hindering a proper implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in EFL university context. There have been opposing views on feasibility of implementing CLT in EFL context. Some researchers (Incecay & Incecay 2009; Bax 2003) have preferred the significance of learners' needs and adoption of traditional methods of language teaching. However, there is much research on adopting CLT in EFL context (Coskun 2011; Richards 2006; Sauvignon 2002; Murphy 2000; Littlewood 1981; Hymes 1971). In Saudi Arabia, one of the objectives of teaching English is to enable the students to achieve communicative competence but teachers face a lot of difficulties in exploiting the content using CLT approach. A questionnaire (Ozsevik, 2010) was adapted to gather the data from 100 teachers (male and female) at Taif University English Language Centre regarding the challenges they are facing in creating a CLT environment. The results revealed that the teachers were confronted with various challenges relating to teachers, students, education system, and CLT. The important findings included lack of CLT training, problems in accessing CLT resources, low-proficiency of students, lack of motivation among students, examination system and instruments to assess communicative competence of the students.

This study is a comprehensive investigation of Saudi university EFL classroom interactants' [faculty & students] awareness towards various dynamics of code switching (hereinafter CS). The participants comprised of 100 faculty members and 100 students drawn from Taif University English Language Center [henceforth TUELC]. A 22 item questionnaire was adapted on a Likert-scale to elicit their perceptions related to various functions of CS in a Saudi EFL classroom context. The results revealed that both groups [faculty & students] indicated almost the same results as far the attitudes towards the reasons that prompt CS in the EFL classroom are concerned but they showed comparatively wider differences towards perceptions of the awareness of CS in Saudi EFL universities classrooms (section 1) and perceptions of the subjective norms of CS in Saudi EFL universities classrooms (section 2) of the questionnaire. The findings of the study reveal that Saudi EFL classroom interactants bear quite positive attitudes towards CS. It is also found that the participants of this study have a strong urge to learn the English language and for the specified purposes of the role of CS is authenticated by the respondents. During the analysis, the results of the study indicated that both respondents [i.e. faculty & students] agreed to use CS, but utility of different functions vary in their perceptions. Moreover, in the light of the data analysis, trends were determined among groups to measure the significance of each function of CS. In short, this work tried to understand the significance of mother tongue [hereinafter MT] and target language [henceforth TL] in the EFL context of Saudi universities.