Professor
dispels myths around teaching English
Using several methods simultaneously can be counterproductive for students
learning it as a foreign language, research shows
- By Iman Sherif, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 February 5, 2012
Dr Jase Mousa Inaty, assistant professor of Educational Psychology at Zayed
University (ZU), has been studying the challenges of teaching English as a
second languge to native Arabic speakers. She recently wrote a book ‘The
Impact of Spoken English on Learning English as a Foreign Language’.
Globalisation and the need to interact with various cultures means people
have to learn how to communicate in different languages these days.
However, becoming proficient in a second language is a challenge that
requires commitment and a lot of practice and not everyone learns at the same
speed and through the same process.
Dr Jase Mousa Inaty, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Zayed
University (ZU), has been studying this problem here in the UAE. Her recent
study was focused on native speakers of Arabic, mainly ZU students, who were in
the process of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
Her research has led to the publishing of a book titled The Impact of
Spoken English on Learning English as a Foreign Language.
Dr Inaty found that learning was not the same for everyone in the study.
Some were better learners than others and some learned one skill better than
another. The level of proficiency was dependent on the person's ability to
comprehend, retain and use information.
"Teaching methods vary but, in general, we learn using one or a
combination of these major skills: listening, speaking, writing and
reading."
However, using more than one mode can be detrimental to learning, says Dr
Inaty. According to her research, the human brain is limited in its capacity to
process information, and learners, whether Emirati or otherwise, have the same
human cognitive architecture with a limited working memory and an unlimited
long-term memory.
"The human cognitive architecture indicates a working memory that is
limited in both capacity and duration. When EFL materials are presented in ways
that exceed working memory capacity, the learning may be hindered. These
hindrances may come from a split-attention effect or even more so a redundancy
effect, which was the case in my research."
An area of her studies focused on students' learning ability when teaching
listening skills using a traditional method of presenting written material
simultaneously with auditory material.
"The thinking is that our students would benefit more since they are
both listening and reading the materials at the same time. My research has
shown that at least under some circumstances, students will learn best when
only one mode of learning [eg reading only] is presented," she said.
Her research shows that teachers should recognise pupils' abilities and
cautions them not to overload their students with material.
"The condition is that when a vast amount of material or information
is being presented simultaneously, it should not contain identical information.
Otherwise, the learner is wasting his/her working memory space on two things
that contain identical information — which in turn may not enhance
comprehension," she said.
‘Cognitive underload'
"Her studies of Emirati students show that the majority of learners
are not using most of that working memory space that is available to them. She
calls it "cognitive underload".
A possible cause is that students are not being provided with material rich
enough to maintain their interest in learning.
"We need to provide stimulating and rich learning experiences for our
human cognitive architecture to reach its potential and flourish. Teachers can
do this by selecting and designing materials that are motivating, interesting
and relevant to students," she concluded.
