Rahma Al-Mahrooqi – författare

This edited volume examines a number of topics related to the roles of individual and contextual factors in English as second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) settings by presenting chapters across the three sections of theoretical and pedagogical approaches, teacher and learner research, and research into the roles of technology. The book has a focus on practical actions and recommendations related to individual and contextual factors in ESL/EFL, with a specific concern with issues of cognition, metacognition, emotion, and identity, and offers perspectives from a diverse range of international education settings. For teachers of ESL/EFL, the effective recognition and integration of individual and contextual factors into the classroom may represent a significant challenge. This is often the case in those settings where native English speaking teachers work in foreign language contexts where they may have limited understanding of local cultures and languages, or where language instructors have class groups that are culturally and linguistically diverse. In these, and similar, contexts, the types and extent of individual and contextual factors impacting on language learning may challenge both learner and instructor expectations of what an effective and supportive classroom is. While such a situation offers numerous opportunities for learners and teachers to expand their knowledge of themselves and each other, it also presents the possibility for ineffective teaching and learning to occur. It is within this framework that the book presents the latest theoretical, pedagogical, and research perspectives from around the world, thereby providing a resource for all stakeholders with an interest in the roles individual and contextual factors play in the English learning process.

This book represents a forum where contributors have presented their research and innovative ideas and practices on the important topic of assessment and opened a fresh debate on it. It offers an excellent reference guide for EFL teachers, practitioners, researchers and testing and assessment specialists. Each chapter examines central issues inassessment and their connection with teaching and learning in EFL contexts.

This book explores an area that has been somewhat overlooked in the literature to date – the current status and future trends of English education in Oman. It offers a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the subject and explores areas of English education in Oman that have, until now, been little investigated. It explores these issues from a variety of perspectives: the professionalization of English teachers in the country; the implementation of novel teaching methodologies, curricula, and assessment approaches, into what are, in many ways, still very traditional education settings; the integration of learner identity into English language instruction; country- and culture-specific concerns with conducting research with Omani participants; the strategic demands of building stronger links between education and workforce needs; and developing learner autonomy and motivation.