English Classroom Environment as Perceived by English Language Teachers in Nablus

Abstract

This study sought to identify the English classroom environment as perceived by English Language Teachers in Nablus, and to find out the effect of gender, experience, school stage, and academic qualification on the classroom environment. Further, this study aimed at identifying the most important problems facing the English language teacher. To this end, the study endeavored to answer the following questions: 1. What is the reality of the English classroom environment as viewed by the English language teachers? 2. What are the most important daily classroom problems facing the English Language teachers? 3. Are there a statistical differences in sex, experience, school stage, and academic qualifications on the classroom English environment? The population of the study was the English language teachers of both sexes in all school stages in Nablus. The number of teachers was 166 distributed among 61 schools. Schools chosen were those carrying even numbers. The total number of schools was 30 which included 66 teachers of both sexes. Of these, 46 were females and 20 were males. The researcher developed a 46-item questionnaire to collect the data. Validity and reliability were tested; appropriate statistical analyses were conducted. It was found out that the study variables had no impact on the English classroom environment. It was also found out that most of the problems facing the English language teachers in schools had to do with classroom crowdedness, students' seating, sticking to the textbook and short supply of educational aids. In the light of these findings, the researcher recommended that training courses and workshops be held for teachers on new patterns of classroom behavior. He also recommended changing the way of students' seating in classrooms. He also suggested conducting an empirical study to identify the impact of the English classroom environment on the students' achievement.