English abstract
The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a remote training
program based on the utilization of professional learning communities in developing 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills among Arabic language teachers and to determine its impact on the development of 21st-century
skills and linguistic intelligence skills among their tenth-grade students in
North Al Batinah Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as the teachers’ perceptions towards the program content.
The study sample consisted of 30 teachers, evenly distributed randomly
into two groups: experimental and control. To achieve the study objectives, the
researcher prepared a set of tools including observation cards for teaching Arabic language teachers 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills, a
test for developing 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills for
tenth-grade students, consisting of 4 groups: experimental and control, total of
600 students, a scale measuring Arabic language teachers’ attitudes towards
the training program content, and the study adopted a quasi-experimental approach.
The study materials included a training program based on utilizing professional learning communities and a list of 21st-century skills within 3 domains, distributed among 7 core skills: critical thinking and problem-solving,
communication and information literacy, collaboration and teamwork, leadership, innovation and creativity, digital literacy and information technology,
self-directed learning, and understanding multiple cultures. Additionally, a list
of linguistic intelligence skills within 4 domains was included: vocabulary
richness, enjoyment of language activities, literary taste, and fluency in dialogue and public speaking.
The study reached the following results:
-There were significant statistical differences between the experimental and
control groups in teaching 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence
skills in the post-application in favor of the experimental group in each.
-There were significant statistical differences within the experimental
group in teaching 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills in
both pre-and post-applications, favoring the post-application in each.
-There were significant statistical differences between the four experimental and control groups in the test of 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills in the post-application, favoring the two experimental groups in each.
-There were significant statistical differences between the two experimental groups in the test of 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills in both pre- and post-applications, favoring the post-application in each.
-There were significant statistical differences in both pre- and post-applications for the experimental group in the scale of Arabic language
teachers’ perceptions, favoring the post-application. -The remote training program had a significant impact on all variables, in addition to
forming positive perceptions towards the program content among Arabic language teachers in the experimental group .
In light of these results, the study recommended that the Ministry of
Education adopt and organize remote training in professional learning communities, focus on 21st-century skills and linguistic intelligence skills, integrate
them into Arabic language curricula, diversify the topics of reading texts to
align with the issues of the 21st-century and promote these skills locally in the
Sultanate of Oman.
