English abstract
Abstract EFL teachers' perceptions and use of web-based activities
in teaching English
The present study aims at exploring EFL teachers' perception of web-based activities. It also sought to investigate the extent to which this use is influenced by factors such as gender, nationality, level taught, and teaching experience and the obstacles that might prevent them from using these activities.
The main instrument designed for the purpose of the present study was a questionnaire. The instrument consisted of two main dimensions perception and use of web based activities. The population of this study consisted of all English language teachers in Omani public general and basic education schools in six educational regions of the Sultanate: Muscat, Al Dakhiliya, Al Sharqiya, Al Batinah, Al Dhahirah, and Dhofar. in the academic year (2005/2006). There were (5041) English language teachers in the whole Sultanate. A stratified random sample was drawn for this study. The sample comprised of (590) teachers representing a percentage of (12%) percent of the whole population. Gender wise, the sample includes (250) male and (303) female teachers.
The teaching experience of the sample ranged from one year to more than 10 years. The qualifications of the sample were Diploma, Bachelor and Master of Education. The main findings of the study were: 1. Oman EFL teachers' perceptions are high to using Web-based activities in EFL teaching. 2. The study examined the influence of teachers' background characteristics on their
perceptions: i) There were no statistically significant differences between males and females in their perceptions toward Web-based activities. ii) There were no statistically significant differences between Omani and Non-Omani teachers in their perceptions toward Web-based activities. iii) There were no statistically significant differences in EFL teachers' perceptions of using Web-based activities in EFL teaching attributed to qualification. iv) There were statistically significant differences attributed to teaching experience in favor of teachers with (1) to (4) years of experience. 3. All Web-based activities are being used by EFL teachers in Oman but the level of usage and the popularity of these Web-based activities differ. a) The most popular Web-based activities were those related to lesson planning, grammar and writing skills.
b) Vocabulary and reading are Web-based activities that are average in terms of popularity and use. c) Speaking, listening and pronunciation are the least adopted Web-based activities by EFL teachers' in Oman. 4. The study examined the influence of teachers' background characteristics on use of web based activities: i) There were statistically significant differences between males and females in their usage of Web-based activities in favor of male teachers.
ΓΌ) There were statistically significant differences between Omani and non-Omani EFL teachers in favor of non-Omani EFL teachers. iii) There were statistically significant differences between BA and MA degree qualifications in the reading, listening, vocabulary and lesson planning Web-based activities in favor of MA graduate EFL teachers.
iv) There were no statistically significant differences between teachers attributed to their teaching experience. 5. In relation the difficulties of using the Internet in EFL teaching in Oman, the majority of the EFL teachers (63%) said that lack of time is the leading difficulty. In the light of the findings of this study, some recommendations to improve the system and suggestions for further research were provided.
