Assessing and Addressing Metalinguistic Awareness Knowledge Gaps Among Educators in Saudi Arabia
Date
2023-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Glasgow
Abstract
Reading comprehension has been widely researched across various alphabetic languages and has been found to be dependent on various metalinguistic skills. As depicted by the Reading Systems Framework, metalinguistic awareness contributes to reading comprehension through three skills: phonological awareness, morphological awareness and orthographic knowledge. Furthermore, past research has shown that metalinguistics teachers' knowledge is significantly related to their students' reading. Despite the growing evidence supporting the relationship between explicit metalinguistic awareness, teacher knowledge, and reading comprehension, few studies have examined these relations in Arabic, a Semitic language with unique orthographical and morphological characteristics. This lack of knowledge and the absence of validated tools to assess metalinguistic knowledge among educators in Saudi Arabia limits our ability to inform teachers' professional training programs and curriculum reforms.
Therefore, this study aimed to:
1. Identify existing evidence of metalinguistic skills’ contribution to Arabic reading comprehension and identify any specific gaps in knowledge and their implications for teaching practice.
2. Design and validate a comprehensive questionnaire to assess the current metalinguistic knowledge of Arabic-speaking educators across Saudi Arabia.
3. Determine the effectiveness and feasibility of a designed training program focused on Arabic metalinguistic awareness.
This dissertation was undertaken in three phases. The first phase comprised a systematic scoping review which consolidated the current body of knowledge relating to metalinguistic skills and their relation to reading comprehension in Arabic. Sixteen studies were identified, and it was found that morphological awareness was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension. While phonological awareness was found to be associated with reading comprehension in early grades.
In the second phase, a novel tool to assess Arabic metalinguistic awareness among Arab educators was developed and validated using Rasch model analyses, and it was found that the assessment task was slightly difficult for the average Saudi Arabian educator. This tool allowed us to assess and identify potential areas of weakness and strength of teachers’ metalinguistic knowledge, permitting the design of better-targeted interventions and professional development offerings. The initial survey was applied to 221 Saudi Arabian educators and then validated using a Rasch model to examine the relative difficulty of the metalinguistic knowledge assessment items. The survey was validated through the analysis of the Wright Map to aid in the reduction of questions to produce a shorter high-quality assessment; accordingly, knowledge questions were downsized from 47 to 28. Findings revealed that the assessment task was slightly difficult for the average Saudi Arabian educator.
In the third phase, a professional training program was developed based on the findings from the previous phase, which identified areas of specific weaknesses and strengths among the educators. The training program was piloted by 25 teachers to interpret the program, content, and implementation effectiveness. The resulting online professional training program was found to result in significant increases in teachers' knowledge.
A summary of conclusions, findings, and limitations from all previous phases was offered in the concluding chapter. In addition, it deliberated critical discussion with future recommendations made.
Description
Keywords
metalinguistic, Arabic, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, teacher knowledge, valid assessment, orthographical knowledge
Citation
Bin Sawad, N. (2023). Assessing and addressing metalinguistic awareness knowledge gaps among educators in Saudi Arabia. https://doi.org/10.5525/GLA.THESIS.83765