Oasis Research Summaries Available
QFI fosters best practices in the language education field by supporting empirical research around the world. One of QFI’s current projects is in partnership with Georgetown University’s Initiative for Multilingual Studies. Saurav Goswami and Dr. Lourdes Ortega at Georgetown University summarized peer-reviewed studies related to Arabic language teaching and learning to make these findings accessible to all. Below are the latest papers they reviewed.
Translanguaging in support of MSA learning: The case of an Arabic community/heritage school
Many Arabic language classrooms teach only Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and prohibit the use of other Arabic dialects or English. This study summary addresses the benefits of translanguaging practices in the classroom as a means of improving MSA learning.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Translanguaging in support of MSA learning: The case of an Arabic community/heritage school. OASIS Summary of Abourehab, Y. & Azaz, M. (2020) in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Download here.
Using a spoken variety alongside MSA fosters pragmatic development in L2 Arabic study abroad.
This study examines the pragmatic speaking abilities of university-level students studying abroad in Jordan before and after learning a dialect in addition to Modern Standard Arabic.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Using a spoken variety alongside MSA fosters pragmatic development in L2 Arabic study abroad . OASIS Summary of Al Masaeed, K. (2022) in Applied Linguistics. Download here.
Integrating Arabic dialects in classroom instruction fosters L2 sociolinguistic competence
This study evaluates the use of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Levantine Arabic (LA) among non-native Arabic language learners after at least three years of university-level Arabic language courses. Students were able to self-regulate MSA or LA word choices during formal presentations and informal skits, demonstrating sociolinguistic agency as a result of the integrated MSA/LA learning approach.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Integrating Arabic dialects in classroom instruction fosters L2 sociolinguistic competence. OASIS Summary of Nassif, L. & Al Masaeed, K. (2020) in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Download here.
Language contact during a semester of study abroad drives Arabic oral competence
This study measures oral performance in students from the United States studying abroad for the first time in Egypt. Students’ fluency improved the more time they spent socializing in Arabic and the more Egyptian Arabic they learned over the course of the semester.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Language contact during a semester of study abroad drives Arabic oral competence. OASIS Summary of Trentman, E. (2017) in System. Download here.
What can an exceptionally good nonnative speaker of Arabic tell us about the critical period?
The critical period (CP) hypothesis claims that during a certain age window, learners can acquire native proficiency in a second language. In this study, a participant whose first introduction to Arabic was at age 21 is evaluated for native proficiency after living in Egypt for 26 years. Her near-native proficiency does not disprove the CP but is rather an exception to the theory.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). What can an exceptionally good nonnative speaker of Arabic tell us about the critical period?. OASIS Summary of Ioup, G. et al. (1994) in Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Download here.
This case study follows an Arabic instructor over two years as he navigates teaching and learning Arabic as a non-native speaker. The study discusses methods Mark used to learn Arabic and how his identity as a non-native Arabic learner impacted his learning experience.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Advanced oral proficiency in L2 Arabic: Successes and challenges of a nonnative-speaking Arabic teacher. OASIS Summary of Samimy, K. (2008) in Foreign Language Annals. Download here.
Using an Arabic language corpus to promote learner self-correction
In this study, university-age second language learners self-corrected writing errors with data driven learning tasks (DDL) in an Arabic corpus. Overall, DDL improved students’ confidence and ability to self-correct.
Goswami, S. & Ortega, L. (2022). Using an Arabic language corpus to promote learner self-correction. OASIS Summary of Zaki, M. (2021) in International Journal of Applied Linguistics. Download here.
This study examines language acquisition for beginner learners in which both the first language (L1) and the second, target language (L2) are used in classes vs. L2-only classes. Results indicate that a combination of L1 and L2 language use in beginner-level classes augment language learning.
Goswami, S., Ortega, L. & Brown, A. (2022). Teaching with use of the L1 can be more effective than L2-only teaching in beginning-level French and Arabic instruction. OASIS Summary of Brown, A. (2021) in Language Teaching Research. Download here.
This study evaluates interactions between native Arabic speakers of different dialects. Speakers of “less prestigious” dialects make more language accommodations or lapse into English more frequently than speakers of more “prestigious” dialects.
Goswami, S., Ortega, L. & Chakrani, B. (2022). Attitudes towards different Arabic dialects and their speakers matter in interdialectal communication in the U.S. OASIS Summary of Chakrani, B. (2015) in Language and Communication. Download here.
Students’ views on Arabic dialect learning after two months of intensive study abroad.
After a two-month study abroad program in an Arabic-speaking country, university-age students report heightened awareness of, interest in and appreciation for the local Arabic dialect of that region. This study supports the incorporation of dialect learning in language classrooms.
Goswami, S., Ortega, L. & Shiri, S. (2022). Students’ views on Arabic dialect learning after two months of intensive study abroad. OASIS Summary of Shiri, S. (2013) in Foreign Language Annals. Download here.
