Yemeni School Research Articles

Efficiency of phonics-based instruction in developing reading, spelling, and pronunciation fluency among Yemeni EFL primary learners

In Yemen, there is a scarcity of research and a lack of application for phonics-based instruction. Hence, the present study aimed to explore EFL teachers' perspectives on the efficiency of phonics instruction in developing reading, spelling and pronunciation fluency among Yemeni EFL learners at primary schools. The study sample comprised 33 EFL teachers from six schools in Dhamar City, Yemen. The participants were asked to give their views and share their experiences on the efficacy of phonics-based instruction in developing the above-mentioned language skills. The participants were selected based on the convenient sampling technique and asked to respond to a questionnaire consisting of 15 statements. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS program version 22.0 to display descriptive statistics quantitatively. The results revealed that teaching phonics is so crucial for the development and improvement of learners' reading fluency, spelling mastery, and pronunciation proficiency. In addition, phonics teaching contributes to reducing and/or eliminating the learners' errors in spelling, reading, and pronunciation. The findings highlighted the importance of integrating phonics teaching into the curricula of English in the early stages at Yemeni schools.

The position of music and singing in the Shafi‘i madhhab

The article is devoted to the study of the issues of the permissibility of music and singing in Islam within the framework of the theological and legal school of the Shafi‘i madhhab. Analyzing excerpts from the books of such Shafi‘i scholars as Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali, ‘Izz al-Din ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, Kamal al-Din al-Damiri, Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Isnawi, al-Suyuti, Ahmad al-Saqqaf, etc., the work reveals two positions of the Shafi‘i madhhab regarding the permissibility of music and singing in Islam. The dominant position of the Shafi‘i madhhab is the opinion prohibiting all types of musical instruments, except percussion instruments, of which only the darbuk drum, common in the Middle East countries, and brass cymbals are prohibited. The second opinion allows the use of all types of wind instruments, with the exception of mizmar, known in Dagestan as zurna. There are many supporters of this point of view, among them such authoritative scholars as al-Ghazali, al-Rafi‘i, Ibn Ruf‘a, al-Bulqini. In addition, this position was held by the late scholars-theologians of the Yemeni school of Shafi‘i law, known as one of the strongest schools of the Shafi‘i Madhhab in the later centuries.Based on the analysis of the positions of Shafi‘i scholars, the author comes to the conclusion that such statements as “music is completely prohibited in Islam” are not true, since there are permitted types of instruments. Moreover, there are scientists who allow all kinds of tools, and where there is controversy among theologians, there should also be tolerance for someone else's position.

Malocclusion And Premature Teeth Loss: Its Prevalence And Association Among Yemeni School Children In Sana’a

Malocclusion And Premature Teeth Loss: Its Prevalence And Association Among Yemeni School Children In Sana’a

Role of the contemporary Yemeni school in teaching and disseminating the Holy Quran and its modes of recitation in the Kingdom of Malaysia

يهدف هذا البحث إلى التعريف بدور المدرسة اليمنية المعاصرة في تعليم ونشر القرآن الكريم والقراءات فيمملكة ماليزيا، ويبرز الدور الرائد لمؤسسة إتقان للتعليم، وإسهاماتها في نشر القرآن الكريم والقراءات القرآنيةباعتبارها امتدادًا للمدرسة اليمنية في حمل وأداء رسالة التعليم القرآني خارج اليمن، حيث قام على وضع لبناتهاالأولى كفاءات يمنية من الأكاديميين والمشايخ والتربويين والخبراء والمعلمين.ويسلك هذا البحث المنهج الوصفي الاستقرائي في توصيف الدور اليمني سواءً عن طريق الأفراد أو عن طريقالمؤسسات، وكذلك بيان رؤية المؤسسة ورسالتها وأهدافها، والتعريف ببرامجها وأنشطتها ومنتجاتها التعليمية، ثمالمنهج التحليلي لتفسير دوافع تلك الأدوار وتحليل مفردات ومميزات تلك البرامج ومناقشة محتوياتها ومدى اتساقهامع أنماط التعليم القرآني الأكاديمي المعاصر. ومن أبرز النتائج التي توصل إليها البحث: أن الدور اليمني لنشر وتعليم القرآن والقراءات بدأ منذ وصولالإسلام إلى أرخبيل الملايو، وامتد واتسع حتى عصرنا الحاضر. وأن دور مؤسسة إتقان للتعليم لم يقتصر على تعليم القرآن الكريم والقراءات لأبناء ماليزيا بل تعدى إلى تعليم الوافدين والمقيمين والزائرين، كما أن خيرة المؤسسة في هذا المجال جعلتها تمد أيدي التعاون للدول المجاورة مثل أندونيسيا وسنغافورة. ومن نتائج البحث أيضًا أنللمؤسسة أبعادًا تعليمية وطموحات تأهيلية تتواكب وروح التعليم المعاصر في بناء المنصات التعليمية الإلكترونية وتصميم المناهج المصاحبة لتعليم القرآن الكريم والقراءات القرآنية.

The Association between Malocclusion and Dental Caries among Yemeni School Children in Sana’a City

Background: Even though few studies have documented malocclusion in different age groups in Yemen, the literature on the prevalence of malocclusion in mixed dentition is scarce or non-existent. Dental caries is another common condition that affects overall health. However, its link to malocclusion in mixed dentition is unknown in Yemen.

Examining the factors affecting the use of ICT in teaching in Yemeni schools

Owing to the speedy advances in technology, keeping up with such developments and introducing the latest technology in all areas of life are important. In education, many governments have invested in information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance education. However, Yemen remains behind because of many challenges in introducing ICT in education. Thus, this study aims to examine the factors affecting the use of ICT in teaching from the perspective of Yemeni teaching. This study also proposes a model that considers crucial factors that may affect technology use in education. The researchers use the questionnaire to collect primary data and analyse the collected data by using SmartPLS software. A total of 120 teachers from two public and two private schools from Yemen participated in this study. Findings show that easy access to the ICT infrastructure, availability of support from technical support team, time availability, and training for technology use are important factors that impacted on teachers' technology use in Yemen. This study adds to the existing literature by identifying factors accurately on the basis of the tested model. The model proposed in this study may assist the government in determining the factors influencing ICT usage and in exerting efforts into reducing or overcoming the challenges in technology use in teaching amongst school and university teachers. Studies on the most important factors for the successful ICT usage in education sector in the Yemeni context are few. Nonetheless, this study identifies the important factors for the successful application of ICT in education in the Yemen.

Problems of Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language in South Yemen: A Case Study of Lahj Governorate

The task of teaching and learning English as a foreign language is not an easy task as there are many factors that may contribute positively or negatively to its success. In the context of this study, most school-leavers have very poor English, especially when looking at their oral skills. This indicates that there are some problems that EFL learning and teaching encounter, and then such problems are reflected in students’ proficiency level. This study, therefore, explored the problems encountering EFL teaching and learning in Lahj primary and secondary schools to identify such problems and suggest some solutions that may help in improving English language teaching and learning in the concerned schools. Data were collected from 32 EFL senior teachers and supervisors of Lahj governorate. Findings showed that large classes, lack of teaching aids, teachers’ low proficiency in English, teachers’ limited experience with communicative language teaching, late beginning of learning English, lack of focus on oral communicative English, use of mother tongue in classroom, students’ low motivation and interference between English and Arabic are considered as major problems encountering English language teaching and learning in the concerned South Yemeni schools and contribute negatively to students’ proficiency level. The study has provided some recommendations that may help in improving EFL teaching and learning in the concerned schools and in Yemeni schools generally.

METHODS FOR TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL AT THAMAR SCHOOLS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON LEARNERS� ORAL COMPETENCY

In the Republic of Yemen, English is taught as a foreign language (FL) in schools and universities. It is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of Yemeni schools and universities and it is the only foreign language that is taught in all Yemeni Public Schools. However, teachers and educators complain about students� lack of oral competency. Hence, this paper attempts to evaluate the current teaching methods, approaches, techniques and activities used for teaching English speaking skill at Thamar Secondary Public Schools. Besides, it also investigates the utilization of instructional aides as well as technological resources and facilities available at schools in Thamar city. Three different data collection techniques were used, namely observation, questionnaire, and interview. The results revealed that English teachers in Thamar still follow the traditional teaching methods. Above all, speaking skill is almost neglected. The lack of proper teaching methods and activities coupled with the absence of instructional aides stand behind students� deficiency in English speaking. Thus, it is recommended that several training sessions for in-service teachers to be held in order to familiarize them with the methods, techniques, and activities used for teaching English speaking skill.

Oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices among Yemeni school students

Aim: Oral health is fundamental to general health and well-being. However, the sources of oral health information among Yemenis are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices among secondary school students in Dawan Valley, Yemen. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 392 secondary school students. Students were interviewed using structured questionnaires in Arabic. The structured questionnaires included inquiries on oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices. Chi-square test was used to assess significant differences in oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices with respect to gender. Results: The study population comprised 392 participants of 15–22 years' age group. Approximately 87% of students reported brushing their teeth daily. Girls showed better oral hygiene practices compared with boys in terms of daily brushing habit, brushing intervals, and toothbrush replacement (P = 0.001, 0.001, and 0.002, respectively). Statistically significant difference (in favor of females) was observed related to knowledge on the impact of dental diseases on the general health, toothbrushing preventing dental decay, sugar consumption possibly leading to dental decay, bleeding during brushing possibly indicating gum diseases, and effects of smoking and khat chewing on oral health (P = 0.009, 0.020, 0.001, 0.001, 0.002, and 0.023, respectively). Conclusion: The majority of students possess an adequate level of knowledge and practices on oral health, with female students showing predominance. However, regular visits to the dentist remain low among the study participants.

An Attempt to Model Factors Affecting the School’s Dropout Phenomenon in Yemen

Due to many reasons, the dropout problem at the Yemeni schools is escalating tremendously. This study provides an in-depth analysis on school dropouts through analyzing all available and relative raw data that have been obtained in three Yemeni national official surveys: Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2005-2006, Child Labor Survey (CLS) 2010 and HBS 2014. In each survey, a number of dropouts' reasons was investigated and seven of them were found to be common in these three surveys. With attendance status (attended, not attended) as a dependent variable, the binary logistic regression was used to find out statistical significant reasons for school dropouts in Yemen for the two age groups 6-14 and 15-17 years. From each survey, some significant independent variables (reasons) were detected. These significant reasons were divided into six related dimensions namely; poverty, schools’ situation, education willingness, orphanhood, sex of the children and residence area. Careful consideration to these dimensions has led to suggest a number of relative recommendations and also a prototype that addresses the dropout problem and its deep roots in Yemen.

فاعلية استراتيجية التخيل الموجه في تنمية مهارات التفكير البصري في العلوم لدى طلبة الصف الثامن الأساسي في المدارس اليمنية

فاعلية استراتيجية التخيل الموجه في تنمية مهارات التفكير البصري في العلوم لدى طلبة الصف الثامن الأساسي في المدارس اليمنية

Knowledge and Attitude about Reproductive Health and Family Planning among Young Adults in Yemen

Background. The Yemeni government is focusing more attention on the needs of youth to ensure a healthy transition to adulthood. This is critical because adolescent population (ages 15–24) of 3.35 million will double in just 20 years. Young adults often lack basic knowledge about reproductive health and family planning. Objectives. To determine reproductive health and family planning knowledge and attitude among young adults aged 15 to 25+ years. Method. Sample study was taken from Marie Stopes International in Yemen which was conducted from March to July 2013 on the reproductive health age 15–49 years. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed. Results. Majority had heard about reproductive health and family planning and encouraged its methods. Television, relatives, and radio were major sources of information. Adults with higher education tend to have more awareness about health services. Knowledge about health services and family planning methods among older adults was significant, and adults in Belqees Club were more likely to have high empowerment scores for family planning methods. Conclusion. The level of knowledge about health services for reproductive health and family planning and its methods was low to moderate. The introduction of contraceptives remains a challenge in Yemen because the educational reproductive health is weak in Yemeni schools or health institutes or universities. Information about reproductive health and family planning should be provided to adolescents through medical schools curricula.

Evaluation of Gingival Health Status among 6- and 12-years-old Children in Dhamar City, Yemen: A Cross-sectional Study

Epidemiological data on gingivitis in children are important for understanding the natural course of the disease, identifying its risk factors, and predicting its time trends. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of gingivitis among 6- and 12-year-old school children in Dhamar city, Yemen. A total of 663 children (310 children of 6 years old and 353 children of 12 years old) were examined from 10 public primary schools. Gingival health status was assessed using the plaque index (PI), calculus index (CI), and gingival index (GI) on the six Ramfjord teeth. The latter index was used to categorize gingivitis severity at the subject level. Data were analyzed using independent f-test, chi-squared test, and Spearman's correlation. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Both age groups had high mean of PI and GI with nonsignificant difference. The 12-year-old children had calculus deposits much higher than the 6-year-old group with significant difference. There was a significant correlation between age and gender of the whole sample with CI [(odds ratio, OR = 1.65, p = 0.003) and (OR = 0.74, p = 0.05) respectively]. Most of the participants presented with gingival inflammation, which was less in 12-year-old females. Poor oral hygiene and mild gingivitis were highly prevalent among Yemeni school children. The early assessment and intervention of gingivitis and periodontitis will minimize the chance of tooth loss. It has been reported that marginal gingivitis begins early in childhood, increases in prevalence and severity at puberty, and then subsides slightly to the remainder of the second decade of life.

Orthodontic treatment need of Yemeni children assessed with dental aesthetic index.

Objective:The aim of this study was to estimate the orthodontic treatment need in a sample of 12-year-old Yemeni school children using the dental aesthetic index (DAI).Materials and Methods:The sample comprised 3003, 12-year-old children attending school in six of the governorates of Yemen. For each subject, the standard demographic information such as gender and age was collected, after which an intraoral examination for occlusal status using the DAI was performed.Results:The mean (SD) of DAI score was 24.86 (8.44) points (95% CI, 24.07-25.65). Overall, 36.6% of the sample found to have a dental appearance that requires orthodontic treatment, ranging from ‘selective’ to ‘mandatory’. Of whom, 19.0% presented with severe and handicapping malocclusion, requiring ‘definite’ and “mandatory’ treatment according to the DAI (DAI ≥ 31). Although there was no gender difference in the mean DAI score (P > 0.05), the sex distribution of the DAI treatment categories was significantly different (Chi-square = 13.258, df = 3, P = 0.004). The results of the individual DAI components showed that about 8% of the sample had more than one missing permanent teeth. Anterior maxillary and mandibular irregularity occurred in more than 33% of the sample. More than 30% of the children examined showed signs of crowding. Spacing in the incisal segments occurred in almost 25% of the sample. Almost 30% of the sample had an antero-posterior molar relation discrepancy.Conclusion:According to the findings of this study, almost one in five of the evaluated Yemeni school children had a DAI score above or equal to 31 points, suggesting highly desirable or mandatory orthodontic treatment need.

Perception of occlusion and reasons for not seeking orthodontic treatment among Yemeni children

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate perception of the children to their own occlusion and reason for not seeking orthodontic treatment in a sample of 12-year-old Yemeni school children. Materials and Methods: The study sample was comprised of 3003 children, attending schools in six governorates (cities and environs) in Yemen. For each subject, the standard demographic information such as gender and residency was collected, after which a questionnaire was used to determine the perception of occlusion and to assess the history of orthodontic treatment. Results: Of the whole, only 2.2% of the sample had some type of orthodontic treatment or consultation. Nearly 63.4% answered that they have aligned teeth, 29.7% have malaligned teeth, whereas 6.9% of them did not know whether they have aligned or malaligned teeth. Of the children who stated that they have malaligned teeth, 31.6% reported that they had crowded teeth, 15.5% had spaced teeth, 28.5% had protruded teeth and 24.3% had rotated and displaced teeth. Regarding the answers of the effect of malaligned teeth, 60.9% thought that it affects their appearance, 6.5% chewing, and 7.6% speech. The most common reasons for not seeking orthodontic treatment were ignorance about treatment, the thought that treatment is not important or not possible (61.1%) and having fear of pain or tooth extraction (23%). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, almost 2% of the evaluated Yemeni school children had some type of orthodontic treatment or consultation, suggesting low perception level of the Yemeni children to their own occlusion.

Science Literacy Level among 12th Grade Gifted and Normal Science Students at Yemeni High Schools

Science Literacy Level among 12th Grade Gifted and Normal Science Students at Yemeni High SchoolsThe aim of this study was to identify the level of science literacy among 12th grade gifted and normal students in Yemeni Schools. This aim was achieved through answering the following questions of the study.1. What was the level of Science Literacy Level among 12th Grade Gifted and Normal Science Students at Yemeni High Schools?2. Are there significant differences (at p < .05) between means of science literacy levels of gifted students and normal students?To answer the questions of the study, a test composed of 50 multiple choice questions was developed. Questions of the test were distributed in three dimensions, which are biology sciences, physical and environmental sciences, and nature of science and technology. The final draft of the test has sufficient validity and creditability. Its level of creditability was about % 86.The sample of the study composed of all gifted students in 12th grade of Almeethaq School (22 male students), all gifted students at Taiz (15 female students), and 35 of first female students at a normal school in Taiz . The normal students were chosen randomly from Sana’a Schools (30 male students and 30 female students). All gifted and normal students answered questions of the instrument in the 2nd semester of the academic year of 2012/ 2013.The program of SPSS was used to analyze data in the study. Several statistical tools, such as means, SD, t-test, and ANOVA were used to come out with results of the study. The educationally accepted level for science literacy for this study was determined to be at least 50%. The results of the study were as follows:1. Levels of science literacy among 12th grade gifted students in Sana’a and Taiz Schools was above the level that is educationally.2. accepted for the instrument as all, and for its dimensions, except the level of male gifted students, which was a little bit bellow the accepted level (49%).3. Levels of science literacy among 12th grade normal students were below the accepted level for the instrument as all, and for its dimensions.4. There were significant differences (at p < .05) between means of gifted students and normal students in favor of gifted students.5. There were significant differences (at p < .05) among means of first female students and gifted male students and normal students in favor of first female students. But differences were not statically significant between first female students and gifted female students.6. There were significant differences (at p < .05) between means of gifted female students and normal students in favor of gifted female students.7. There were significant differences (at p < .05) between means of gifted male students and normal students in favor of gifted male students.8. There were no significant differences (at p < .05) between means of normal male students and normal female students.Based on the results of the study, the researchers came up with some recommendations, such as reconsidering content and activities in curricula of science, to be enriched with effective activities to help students acquiring knowledge and skills related to science effectively. The study also comes up with some suggestions that help raising awareness of students in public and private schools about problems in local, regional, and global environment.Key words: Science Literacy, Gifted Students, Normal Students.

Prevalence of aggressive periodontitis among Yemeni students from schools in the city of Thamar

Introduction and objective: Aggressive periodontitis (AgP) is a type of periodontitis that causes rapid destruction of alveolar bone, especially in young ages. In Yemen, there is no previous study about aggressive periodontitis, so the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and related risk factors for aggressive periodontitis among school students in the city of Thamar. Material and methods: In this study, a two-stage sampling method was used. At first stage, a random sample of eight public schools was selected from the schools of the city of Thamar by simple random sampling. In the second stage, a sample of 807 students (458 female and 349 male) was drawn from the chosen schools by simple random sampling. People aged from 10 to 22, with mean age of 17. The classification considered in the current paper was based on the American Academy of Periodontology classification of 1999. A questionnaire was applied and included questions that would give information about the risk factors that might be considered causal factors for aggressive periodontitis. Results: The number of affected students with AgP was 29 among 807 students, that is, 3.6% of the sample. The percentages of localized aggressive periodontitis (LAgP) and generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP) were, respectively, 2.6% (21 students) and 1.0% (8 students). The following teeth were found to be affected: first molars, second molars, incisors, first premolars and second premolars. In GAgP, 20 first molars, 22 incisors, 6 first premolars, 3 second molars and 2 second premolars showed clinical attachment loss. But in LAgP, 18 first molars, 19 incisors, 6 first premolars, 3 second molars and 2 second premolars showed clinical attachment loss. With regards to the risk factors – socioeconomic level, age, poor oral hygiene status, plaque index and gingival bleeding –, the statistical results indicated that each of these factors showed highly significant relationships with AgP. Conclusion: The prevalence of AgP among Yemeni schools students was relatively high: 3.6%. This might be related to the low socioeconomic level and poor oral hygiene status of most of the Yemeni students.

HIV Knowledge and Stigmatization among Adolescents in Yemeni Schools

The number of assessments on HIV knowledge and stigmatization among adolescents in Yemen is still very limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to have a better understanding on the level of knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention. Also, this study explored the level of stigma and discrimination among students toward people living with HIV (PLWH). The study sample consisted of 2,274 male and female students (mean age 16.6 years) randomly selected from 27 high schools in Aden, Yemen. The results revealed low levels of knowledge on major prevention measures, such as condoms, where only 49.4% knew that condoms could protect from HIV infection; and high levels of misconceptions on the modes of transmission. In addition, the study revealed a high level of stigma and discrimination toward people living with HIV. The results would serve as a baseline for implementing a school-based educational program on HIV/AIDS.

THE INCLUSION OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS IN YEMENI SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS TEXTBOOKS

The aim of this study is to compare and contrast the science process skills (SPS) included in the 10th-12th grade physics textbooks content utilized in Yemeni schools. The study revealed weaknesses and strengths in the textbooks’ content. For instance, a number of science process skills (SPS), such as measuring, predicting and hypothesizing, have been neglected in the 11th grade textbook. For all three textbooks content, the maximum percentage of basic science process skills (BSPS) was devoted to observation. However, the maximum percentage of integrated science process skills (ISPS) was different for each grade: experimenting had the highest percentage for 10th grade, interpreting data for 11th grade, and operational definitions for 12th grade. In conclusion, there are similarities in the percentage of SPS between the physics textbooks' content for the 10th and 11th grades, and both differ from the 12th grade.