English abstract
Practices The current study investigates Omani teachers' real implementation of interactive shared reading. To address this topic, their knowledge about, beliefs in and practices of interactive shared reading are investigated, along with the challenges they face while implementing it. The study group consisted of 110 female Omani teachers teaching grades 1 and 2 in Al Dhahira Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman during the 2014/2015 academic year. The study aimed to investigate the following specific questions:
1. To what extent are Omani EFL teachers aware of the concepts of interactive shared reading?
2. What are the Omani EFL teachers' beliefs about the effectiveness of interactive shared reading?
3. How do Omani EFL teachers perceive their own practice of interactive shared reading strategies?
4. To what extent are Omani EFL teachers' actual practices of interactive shared reading aligned with their perceived practices?
5. To what extent are Omani EFL teachers' actual practices of interactive shared reading aligned with research-based best practices?
6. What are the most frequent challenges that Omani EFL teachers face when implementing interactive shared reading?
The research method was mixed, with quantitative data collected using a questionnaire and qualitative data collected through a classroom observation checklist and semi-structured individual interviews. The validity of instruments was examined by a panel of experts while the reliability was examined using internal consistency of Cronbach Alpha.
The quantitative data gained from the questionnaire was analyzed statistically using SPSS, generating descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. In addition, one sample t-test was used to answer the first and the third questions while a paired-sample t-test was used to answer the fourth question. Data gained from the classroom observation checklist and the semi-structured interviews was analyzed qualitatively to answer the fifth question. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the last question. The findings of the study revealed that
Omani EFL teachers have adequate knowledge of the concepts underlying interactive shared reading, even though their understanding of its strategies is inaccurate. Omani EFL teachers believe moderately in the effectiveness of interactive shared reading, especially for developing vocabulary and increasing understanding of word meaning. Omani EFL teachers have a good estimation about their use of interactive shared reading strategies. The paired sample t- test analysis showed that the Omani teachers' estimation of their use of interactive shared reading is higher than the researcher's evaluation of their observed strategies. Omani teachers' practices of interactive shared reading are partially in line with research-based best practices. The difference between the practices can be explained by the lack of randomization in the observation sample and the researcher's lack of training in the use of the classroom observation checklist. The qualitative results showed that the quality and the frequency of Omani teachers' practices are lower than the quality of research-based best practices. The most frequent challenge facing Omani teachers when implementing interactive shared reading is a time constraint; teachers complain that they do not have enough time to prepare for or to implement interactive shared reading lessons. In conclusion, the failure of interactive shared reading to exert its full potential in the Omani context may be explained by low-quality implementation. Omani EFL teachers do not have a precise understanding of the best strategies for this practice, which means that they do not use it often, and their lessons are low in quality. Their lack of training in interactive shared reading may be the reason behind the low-quality of their teaching of this activity.
In the light of these findings, a set of recommendations was drawn up, and suggestions were given for future research directions.
