Jordanian Students Research Articles

Factors Affecting the Improvement of Speaking Skills Among Jordanian EFL Learners

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors affecting the improvement of speaking skills among Jordanian students of English as a foreign language. This objective was reached by concentrating on educational tools, instructional strategies, and the mistakes made by students that have an impact on their skill to speak English from the perspective of students at Irbid National University and Jadara University. 316 students took part in this research project as part of the sample. In this study, a quantitative research design was used, and the participants were each given a customized version of the questionnaire that was used to collect data for the study. According to the findings, educational tools are used extensively in university settings. In addition, the findings demonstrated that the instructional strategies and the mistakes made by the students had a moderate impact on the students' skills to speak English.

The Effectiveness of a Training Program Using Differentiated Instruction to Improve the Reading Skill of Jordanian Third Graders With Learning Difficulties

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a training reading program consisting of six units and multiple activities using the differentiated instruction strategy on the reading comprehension improvement of Jordanian third graders with learning difficulties. A total of 120 Jordanian third graders with learning difficulties from 17 governmental schools in Amman participated in the study. About 90 of them were categorized under an experimental group and taught using the differentiated strategy and were then divided into three groups based on their preferred learning styles: kinesthetic, auditory, and visual, while the remaining 30 students were categorized under a control group and taught using the traditional strategy of teaching. The findings showed an important impact of the differentiated instruction strategy on the improvement of the reading comprehension skill of Jordanian students with learning difficulties. Furthermore, the findings showed the importance of the use of the preferred learning styles of students in the teaching process.differentiated instruction

Derivation of the Psychometric Properties of "Rapid Automatized Naming and Rapid Alternating Stimulus (RAN/RAS) Tests" in Arabic

This study examined the psychometric proprieties of the Arabic version of the "Rapid Automatized Naming and Rapid Alternating Stimulus (RAN/RAS) Tests" for Jordanian students. A sample of 286 students (five to seventeen years old) was recruited from four public and four private schools in Jordan. Results indicated that the RAN/RAS Tests had high reliability and validity indicators. For example, RAN/RAS Tests had strong correlations with Letter Word Identification Test from the Arabic Woodcock Johnson Battery. In addition, there were significant relationships in all tests and the development of performance with the age or grade of the examinees. Furthermore, positive relationships among all RAN/RAS Tests confirm their consistency, strength, and reliability in measuring the required tasks. In general, results suggest that RAN/RAS Tests may be applicable to evaluating naming speed abilities and for distinguishing between students with and without reading disabilities in Arabic. Keywords: Rapid Automatized Naming, Special Education, Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading, Screening Tests, Arabic Language.

The Impact of an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) on the Academic Progress and Success of EFL Jordanian Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study’s objective was to investigate the impact that using an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) had on the English language abilities of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students from Jordan who were enrolled in university-level programs. Sixty students from Jadara University in Jordan were chosen at random and assigned to one of two groups: an experimental group that got instruction based on ITS or a control group that received education in a more traditional classroom setting. Both groups were shown content for a total of 12 hours spread out over four weeks. Participants in the study who were given an education based on ITS showed significant gains in both their learning and their performance after receiving this kind of instruction. The post-test results of the experimental group in grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension were significantly better than the findings of the control group. Additionally, individuals in the experimental group reported higher levels of happiness with the training when compared to those in the control group. The findings of this study suggest that integrating an ITS into EFL instruction may prove to be an effective method for boosting the learning and performance of students studying EFL at institutions located in Jordan. This has enormous implications for the future of the development and implementations of instructional technology in EFL classrooms.

Misplacement of stress by Sophomore and Junior Jordanian Students Case Study: The University of Jordan/ Aqaba

Stress is considered one of the most essential speech tools used by English speakers to communicate meaning. Some English speakers, especially non-native speakers of English encounter difficulties in assigning stress accurately. Therefore, this study purports to explore the effect of native language (L1) stress properties on the second language, i.e., EFL, which is the study of English by persons who reside in regions where it is not the primary language of communication. To gather the data of the study a descriptive qualitative method is used. The study's population is the second and third-year English department students for the academic year 2022_2023.The sample of the study included 30 male and female students. The researchers designed an oral test to collect the data of the study through asking the student to pronounce words to observe where the students place stress on the words. The findings showed that there were statistically significant disparities among the students in placing stress on words, due to their gender, and their level of university study experience. One of the most important findings that the students transfer the stress rules from their mother tongue language. This study also showed that it is possible to predict Arabic word stress placement from the word's syllabic structure. Additionally, the findings showed Jordanian students have difficulty placing word stress on the right syllable. The misplacement in assigning stress to the correct place in words is attributed to the influence of the mother tongue and students' lack of awareness of the importance of stress in the English language. This study is distinguished study because it developed a model in the importance of assigning stress in English words. The findings of this study suggest that further studies in the reasons of misplacement of stress could be conducted to clarify the main reasons for misplacement of stress among non-native speakers of English.

Bayes model for assessing the reading difficulty of English text for English education in Jordan

<span lang="EN-US">Predicting the reading difficulty level of English texts is a critical process for second language education and assessment. Reading difficulty level is concerned with the problem of matching a reader’s proficiency and the appropriate text. The reading difficulty level or readability assessment is the process for predicting the reading grade level required from an input text or document, which corresponds to the reader and to the materials. Students in Jordan at their academic levels find obstacles in finding relevant readable data for any subject at their levels. This paper is intended to introduce a model that foretells the reading difficulty level of a given text in terms of a student's ability to read and understand English as a non-native English speaker in Jordanian schools. In this paper, Jordanian students were classified into four categories according to their knowledge of English. The prediction of the reading difficulty level is achieved by using a modern statistical model that is situated on the Bayes model. The model compares the given text with some standard predefined text that strongly reflects the ability to read and understand English text. The accuracy of the proposed model was tested using the hold-out method. The overall prediction accuracy was 75.9%.</span>

Strategies for Reducing Oral Communication Apprehension in English: A Qualitative Study of Jordanian Undergraduates

Speaking is a basic element in acquiring any language. The ability to communicate orally in the English language is the most significant skill, but many second language learners face particular constraints in mastering it. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn about and comprehend Jordanian students' coping mechanisms and strategies for overcoming and reducing their own English language Oral Communication Apprehension (OCA), both inside and outside the classroom, as well as their suggested strategies. A sample of undergraduate students was selected from various programmes at the Hashemite University (HU) in Jordan where English is the medium of instruction. A qualitative research method was used to elicit the students' viewpoints and coping mechanisms with regard to their fear of speaking in English, either with their instructors in class or outside the classroom. The results of this study revealed that undergraduates at HU employed five key coping strategies to manage and reduce oral communication anxiety when speaking in English in or outside of the classroom. These strategies are interpersonal interaction, building self-confidence, practice and preparation, external motivation, and faking it. The results revealed that students confronted with unavoidable communication scenarios adopt self-calming techniques to mitigate the effects of OCA.

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE USE OF COHERENCE AMONG JORDANIAN EFL STUDENTS IN WRITING ACADEMIC ESSAYS

Background and Purpose: Writing a coherent written composition is a challenging task for many English foreign learners, especially among English as Foreign Language (EFL) Jordanian students, as many of those learners cannot achieve writing well coherent essays at the university level due to various reasons such as lack of lexical competence and lack of motivation. Due to the fact that very limited studies have focussed on investigating this phenomenon in-depth, especially in the Jordanian context, the present study aims to explore issues and challenges faced by Jordanian students in using coherence in academic essays under the perspectives of writing course instructors.
 
 Methodology: This study used a qualitative approach to gather data. The sample comprises eight male instructors from two Jordanian universities. They were selected using a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants to gain their insights into the issues and significant challenges faced by the students and the potential strategies to overcome the challenges. 20 academic essays produced by 4th year undergraduate students from the two universities were observed for the purpose.
 
 Findings: The instructors found that the EFL Jordanian students were unable to achieve coherent writing in the essays mainly due to their limited vocabulary knowledge. They attributed this lack to learners’ inadequate attempts to enhance their writing and limited reading experience. Generally, they agreed that insufficient awareness of the importance of incorporating effective educational practices to enhance their students’ writing as the major contributing factor to their students’ failure to observe coherence in writing. The findings encompassed some potential strategies to cope with the current obstacles, such as training the EFL instructors and employing modern techniques and practices in teaching.
 
 Contributions: Teaching and learning of coherent writing is very necessary at all higher learning institutions. The findings of the study have implications on all the stakeholders as a means of enriching the instructional practices widely.
 
 Keywords: EFL Jordanian students, EFL writing, writing challenges, writing strategies, coherent writing, coherence.
 
 Cite as: Alsariera, A. H., & Yunus, K. (2023). Issues and challenges in the use of coherence among Jordanian EFL students in writing academic essays. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(2), 139-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss2pp139-154

Syrian Refugees and the Migration Dynamics of Jordanians: Moving In or Moving Out?

This paper examines the impact of massive refugee inflows on the internal mobility of the host’s country population. We rely on panel data from before and after the Syrian war and exploit the geographical distribution of Syrians across Jordanian subdistricts. Using Difference-in-Differences, we find that the Syrian inflows increased Jordanian residential mobility. In particular, native outflows of the camp hosting areas increased by 27%. The increased residential mobility out of the camp areas seems to be triggered by an increase in rents and a crowding out of Jordanian students by Syrians in schools. Our results also show that the Syrian presence increased Jordanians’ job location mobility into the camp areas. These findings are robust to controlling for refugees’ locational sorting using instrumental variables, while auxiliary placebo regressions confirm that pre-existing trends in outcomes are not driving the results. We also provide a thorough discussion on the impact of refugees versus broader impacts of the Syrian war.

The Intensity Use of mHealth Apps and its Relation to Nutrition Knowledge, Healthy Eating Self-Efficacy, and Positive Body Image

Abstract—In terms of mobile apps, mHealth technology might enhance public health. However, despite the development of hundreds of health-related mobile applications, few studies have studied their relationship to psychological constructs. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the intensity of mHealth app use and nutrition knowledge, healthy-eating self-efficacy, and positive body image among Jordanian students and to measure their levels. In the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023, a structured, self-administered web-based questionnaire containing valid and reliable measures (i.e., positive body image scale, healthy eating self-efficacy, general nutrition knowledge questionnaire, and the adopted intensity use of mHealth apps scale) was administered to 414 undergraduates. The findings reported that their usage of mHealth-related mobile applications was low, as they had inadequate nutrition knowledge, low healthy-eating self-efficacy, and a moderate positive body image. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant and positive correlation between the degree of usage of health-related mobile applications and nutrition knowledge, healthy eating self-efficacy, and positive body image (p<0.01). These findings underscore the need to promote healthy eating self-efficacy and positive body image among students and to improve their nutrition knowledge. In addition, these results advise decision-makers to encourage students to include mHealth applications in their daily routines to benefit their health.

The Roots of Terrorism Phenomenon from the Jordanian Students’ Perspective

This study investigates the causes behind the growth of terrorism phenomenon from the Jordanian students’ perspective in the light of gender, and college. A questionnaire consisting of four sections distributed on 40 items was used to collect data from 583 students at Al-Balqa Applied University. The study used the descriptive analytical approach to analyze the data. The results revealed high rates in growth of terrorism in all domains where the political reasons were ranked the highest. The respondents’ views varied according to gender and college, whereas differences were in favor of male students and humanities colleges, respectively.

Predictable Factors that Help Students Engage in Online EFL Classroom and their Relationship to Self-Management

Online teaching has become a decisive factor to keep growing in higher education settings. The present analytical correlational study examined the predictable factors that would help EFL Jordanian students engage in online learning in English courses after COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve the objective of the study, a validated and a reliable survey was administered to investigate the students’ perceptions toward various factors that would affect their success and engagement in online EFL classroom. Additionally, the relationship among some factors was investigated. Fifty-nine EFL students in an English Language Skills course in a technical university college in Jordan were randomly selected to respond to a questionnaire which was adapted from Bernard [7]. Data of the study were analyzed using the descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and Person Correlation Coefficient. Findings of the study confirmed that relationship among some factors has uncovered the importance of having basic skills in building other skills. A positive relationship was also found between the factors that help students engage in online learning and self- management. Findings of the study would be helpful for teachers, instructors, and course designers when designing and delivering online courses as well as policy makers

“We Aren’t Only Here to Teach”: Caring Practices of Teachers in the Context of Inclusive Refugee Education in Jordan

This article examines the complex process of teachers’ care for students in contexts of inclusive refugee education in Jordan, where Syrian refugees and Jordanian students study together. I illustrate that while teachers’ caring practices represent efforts to support refugee students, they are limited by teachers’ inability to see the social, structural, and systemic power dynamics that restrict Syrian refugees, reifying unequal relations of power between refugees and nationals. National teachers are embedded in the social fabric of the societies in which they live and not impervious to the discriminatory attitudes towards refugees, thereby limiting the extent of their care. This article illuminates the complexity of inclusive refugee education and concludes with implications for teacher education and professional development.

Self-presentation strategies in Jordanian students’ Instagram profile: does gender make a difference?

This study aims to investigate gender differences in the use of self-presentation strategies in the Instagram profile bios of young Jordanian university students. This study is guided by sociological and sociolinguistics theories. The data for this study were collected from the Instagram profile bios of five hundred young Jordanian university students (250 males & 250 females). The data were then analyzed using content analysis methods to explore gender differences in the students’ Instagram profile bios. The results indicate that the students used the strategies of ingratiation, competence, exemplification, intimidation, and supplication. The results also show that there are gender differences in the use of these strategies among the male and female students. The results reveal that face-to-face self-presentational strategies were transferred to the Instagram profile bio. The most commonly adopted self-presentation strategy in this study was that of ingratiation, followed by competence, exemplification, intimidation, and finally supplication. Furthermore, this study concludes that the males and females tend to differ in the use of self-presentation strategies. Specifically, the males used more competence, exemplification, and intimidation self-presentation strategies than the females did. The females, on the other hand, used more ingratiation and supplication self-presentation strategies than the males did. The findings corroborate previous findings on gender differences in self-presentation in face-to-face and in SNS communication.

Career Regret and Health-Related Quality of Life among Medical Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Jordan.

Medical students have a lower quality of life (QoL) when compared to the general population. This lower QoL is associated with multiple factors such as burnout and depressive symptoms. QoL can be reflected in the degree of career satisfaction and career regret. We aim to study the prevalence of career regret in Jordanian medical students and its association with QoL and other related factors. This national cross-sectional study consisted of an anonymous online survey distributed to medical students enrolled in all six Jordanian medical schools over a period of 6 weeks. A validated tool was used to assess QoL and students were asked a series of questions related to their career satisfaction and career regret. A total of 544 medical students completed the survey. The mean age was 21.5 ± 1.63 years (range 17-29), with 45.6% being males. The overall mean physical health score was 45.9 ± 5.17, and the overall mean mental health score (mental component summary (MCS)) was 42.04 ± 5.52. 76.3% of students have regretted studying medicine, citing stress as the main reason. There was a significant relation between the year of study and the percentage of career regret. Additionally, mean MCS was significantly lower in students who were frequently or always thinking about dropping out of medical school. The high percentage of career regret and the low mental QoL in Jordanian students are alarming findings, highlighting an underlying source of psychological distress in Jordanians. This calls for further investigations into the psychological health of medical students, as well as interventions to prevent the development of consequences that can impact both students and their future patients.

Perceptions of University Students Toward Blended Learning During COVID-19

This study investigates Jordanian students' perceptions of Blended Learning during COVID-19 era. An online survey was distributed to 300 students via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and emails to students experiencing both pre- and post-era COVID-19. The study revealed that Jordanian students showed a high level of agreement toward blended learning as a medium to cope with abrupt crises, such as COVID-19. The study also showed that blended learning help enhance academic performance, class flexibility, and time, improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills, motivates students, and increases engagement. On the other hand, the study indicated that the limitations of blended learning are the incompatibility with all subjects, lack of interaction between students and their teachers, inability to receive feedback, the inefficiency of technological means, the lack of training, and negative attitude of society toward blended learning. The findings may help with organizational and governmental decision-making and developing educational materials during social restraint. The design and implementation of face-to-face and online components for more applied, science-based courses may benefit more from these findings.

Effects of YouTube Culture on Academic Performance among Students in Jordan: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

The global technological transformation has greatly changed and improved almost every part of our life. Notably, today, social media influences us even for the basic necessities of life, such as education. By keeping the importance of social media in education, this research also focuses on the effects of YouTube culture in improving students' academic performance in Jordan. The researchers used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)as the study relies on a self-proposed conceptual model. Results revealed that social network usage significantly affects Perceived Usefulness, which further leads to accepting YouTube educational channels. Besides, these YouTube educational channels significantly affect the academic performance of Jordanian students. Finally, demographic variables are found to have a significant indirect effect on the student's academic performance, indicating that YouTube channels as benefiting Jordanian students. Thus, it is concluded that YouTube significantly affects academic performance among Jordanian students. Additionally, the effect of demographical factors is also strong on YouTube usage and academic performance. Here it is concluded that the negativity or positivity of these impacts can be determined by the purpose of usage and the extent to which it is used. Further, the researchers have highlighted and discussed the study's limitations.

The effect of exposure to tobacco smoking-related media messages on youths' smoking behavior in Jordan: A longitudinal, school-based study

Only a few studies investigated the link between tobacco smoking-related media and youth smoking in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). This study aimed to assess the influence of both promotional and control messages on cigarette smoking behavior among young Jordanian students. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were analyzed using data from the Irbid Longitudinal Smoking Study that followed a random sample of 2174 students (2008-2011). We examined the associations of media messaging with smoking behavior, as well as intention-to-quit smoking, and intention-to-start smoking, among young adolescents. At baseline, 12.2% and 43.7% of students were exposed to only pro-smoking or only anti-smoking messages, while 41.8% were equally exposed to both. Exposure to anti-smoking messages was associated with lower odds of ever smoking at baseline among girls (AOR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.8). Boys who were exposed to anti-smoking messages were more likely to report an intention to quit, with borderline significance (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 0.9, 4.1). The cumulative exposure to anti-smoking messages over time was associated with lower odds of intention to smoke among girls (AOR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.9) but with higher odds among boys (AOR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.0, 3.1). In both sexes, media messaging was not associated with progression of the smoking habit. In conclusion, this comprehensive analysis of both pro- and anti-smoking messages advances our understanding of their role in influencing youths' smoking behaviors, and could guide the development of evidence-based interventions to address adolescent tobacco smoking in Jordan and the EMR.

Assessing Learning Preferences of Tertiary Education Students in Jordan Post COVID-19 Pandemic and the Associated Perceived Stress

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with extensive lockdown strategies which included universities, forcing educational administrations to implement online learning and acknowledging the countless consequences it would have on the educational process. Those prompt changes highlighted the importance of online learning effects on educational outcomes. Aim: To assess students’ learning preferences and the stress associated with online and face-to-face learning. Methods: This is a multi-center cross-sectional study, employing a web-based Google Forms, which was conducted among four universities in Jordan. The survey assessed students’ demographic characteristics, educational methods received, assessment of factors that may have influenced students’ stress, and assessment of ‘stress’ using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: Among 1241 participating students, most of the students preferred face-to-face learning (43.3%), although the majority believed that online learning is less stressful (42.2%). The majority believed that face-to-face learning is efficient (42.7%), and that online learning is moderately efficient (38.4%), while many (35.3%) reported that the future of learning will be blended 50/50 between online and face-to-face learning. The mean score of PSS was 20.88, with 62.9% reported to have experienced moderate perceived stress, and 22.4% experienced high perceived stress. Conclusions: Although Jordanian university students prefer face-to-face learning over online learning, they believe that online learning can be less stressful. In addition to that, Jordanian students experienced a high mean of the PSS score, with more than 20% of students reporting high perceived stress.

Saudi and Jordanian University Student Complaining Strategies

This study examined male Saudi and Jordanian student complaint strategies when complaining about their academic advisors, instructors, classroom environments, and exams to a friend, a person in charge, or the complainee (complaint addressee). To achieve the study goals, a discourse completion test (DCT) with 10 scenarios was developed and distributed to 100 (50 Jordanian and 50 Saudis) male university students. It was found that the students used a wide range of strategies that were both threatening and less threatening strategies, and had control in some situations, but were offensive in others. The Saudi students used a greater number of speech acts to complain than the Jordanian students. Further research suggestions are also given.