Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted EFFECTS OF A REPEATED READING INTERVENTION ON IMPROVING ARABIC READING COMPREHENSION AND FLUENCY IN FEMALE FIFTH GRADERS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA(Duquesne University, 2024-08) Aljuwayhir, Jawaher; Huang, AnnHaving the ability to read is an essential skill for an individual. However, comprehension, the aim of reading, is a complex cognitive process that involves constructing meaning through deliberate thinking. Unfortunately, students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle with reading, which impairs their comprehension abilities. Repeated Reading (RR) interventions, focusing on fluency and automaticity, have shown promise in enhancing comprehension. Although research supports the effectiveness of RR interventions among students with LD, limited studies have explored their efficacy in improving Arabic comprehension among Saudi fifth-grade students with LD. This dissertation aims to evaluate the potential benefits of RR interventions on Arabic reading comprehension in Saudi fifth-grade students with LD. Utilizing a multiple baseline across participants design, the study involves three participants diagnosed with LD. The intervention consists of RR sessions where students repeatedly read grade-level Arabic passages to enhance their reading fluency and comprehension. The dependent variables measured include oral reading fluency (ORF) and reading comprehension, assessed through words read correct per minute (WCPM) and Maze assessments, respectively. The findings revealed significant improvements in both ORF and reading comprehension among the participants, indicating that RR is an effective intervention for enhancing the academic development of Saudi students with LD. These results provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders, contributing to evidence-based practices aimed at improving educational outcomes and opportunities for success among students with LD in Saudi Arabia11 0Item Restricted Investigating the Effectiveness of Mobile Learning for Enhancing the Academic Literacy of Saudi EFL Students: A Case Study of Students at Umm Al-Qura University.(Saudi Digital Library, 2024-11-25) Alqhtani, Abdalelah; Georgiou, Helen; Ward, Rowena; Freeman, MarkThis thesis examines the impact of mobile learning technologies, specifically the ReadTheory and the Write&Improve programs, on the academic literacy development of Saudi university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. This study situates itself within the broader context of academic literacy challenges faced by Saudi EFL students, with a particular emphasis on key aspects such as vocabulary development, reading comprehension, mastery of sentence structure, and skills in composition analysis. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as the Constructivist Learning Theory (CLT) and the Mobile Learning Framework, the study explores how mobile learning learner-centred development of academic literacy. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used to investigate Saudi EFL students’ perceptions and attitudes toward the ReadTheory and the Write&Improve programs as language learning tools. In this thesis, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is applied as a standard for evaluating the language proficiency levels of Saudi EFL students. It provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the specific impact of the ReadTheory and the Write&Improve programs on their reading and writing outcomes. Through theoretical analysis and empirical research, this study contributes to understanding the potential of mobile learning in enhancing EFL education in Saudi Arabia. The study, conducted at Umm Al Qura University (UQU), adopts a quasi-experimental design. All participants completed pre-and post-tests to evaluate students’ progress. Participants in the technology intervention groups also filled in post-intervention surveys about their perceptions of the programs’ usefulness and ease of use. The undergraduate participant cohort was divided into four groups: two for reading and two for writing. The reading groups involved 150 students, evenly split between those using the ReadTheory program and those attending online reading workshops. Both interventions spanned ten weeks. The reading workshops are held once a week to mitigate the potential positive impact of the technological intervention. Similarly, the writing groups involved 185 students, with 109 participants using the Write&Improve program and 76 attending online writing workshops. These writing workshops, conducted once a week for over ten weeks, ensured comparable exposure and practice writing opportunities, providing all participants with equal learning opportunities. This consistent structure across both reading and writing interventions was designed to create balanced conditions for evaluating the effectiveness of the mobile learning programs. Results show significant improvements in academic literacy. The ReadTheory intervention effectively enhanced the students’ reading skills (d = 0.74), outperforming the reading workshops (d = 0.18). The Write&Improve program significantly enhanced overall writing skills (d = 0.66) compared to the online writing workshops (d = 0.22). However, the online writing workshops were more effective in improving students’ sentence structure (d = 0.35) than in developing composition analysis skills (d = 0.14). Students found both programs useful and user-friendly for developing their academic literacy skills. This research contributes to advancing English education in Saudi Arabia and aligns with the country’s Vision 2030 by emphasising technology integration into educational practices. The research also has practical implications for EFL educators and researchers and concludes with suggestions for future research and application in similar settings.90 0Item Restricted USING RECIPROCAL TEACHING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES(Old Dominion University, 2023-12-13) Almohamadi, Hana; Hester, PeggyStudents who have problems comprehending textual material tend to experience failing grades, peer rejection, and even social isolation. Furthermore, students with poor reading comprehension demonstrate poor academic performance in all subjects, not due to difficulty in learning specific subject content (i.e., math, history, etc.), but rather their inability to comprehend reading passages related to that subject knowledge. Reciprocal teaching (RT) is an effective tool for teaching children with Learning Disabilities (LD) to improve their reading comprehension abilities. These multiple cognitive strategies can meet the needs of many students in terms of more deliberate, directed, and self-regulated learning through students’ interaction with reading texts. Still, gaps in the research warrant further investigation as many studies on this topic were published over 20 years ago. Additionally, most studies that looked at reciprocal teaching strategies have not investigated the impact of these strategies with English as a Second Language (ESL) students with LD. This research study investigated the effectiveness of using RT for a group of ESL students with LD and reading comprehension delays for whom English is a second language. A multiple-probe design across three different types of reading texts was used to assess the effectiveness of the RT interventions.32 0