ELL/ELT in Bilingual Private and Public

Schools in Kuwait

A dissertation submitted to the University of Huddersfield

in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

TESOL

THE UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD

September 2018

Word Count

12627

1
 Abstract

This dissertation will discuss the current issues that students are experiencing while learning
the English language in Kuwait public schools, issues and affecting factors affecting
teachers while teaching the English language in Kuwait public schools. Also, this paper will
discuss the current educational policy for teaching the English language in Kuwait public
schools and what are the flaws of the current educational policy which affected the
production efficiency of public schools in the English language. Moreover, this paper will
explain private/ bilingual schools’ policy and why these types of schools have better
production efficiency and what are the contributing factors for their success despite the rise
of their tuition fees. The findings of this research will relate to what the previous researches
and complete the picture by providing the analysis of the collected data to understand the
factors affecting ELL/ ELT in Kuwait public schools. The final chapter will propose
recommendations on how to make production efficiency in the English language in public
schools better.

2
 Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Professor. Paul Miller for being my guide in this dissertation and being
patient with me despite his full schedule and thank you for clarifying many subjects I was
unaware of.

I would also like to thank my family and my wife for encouraging me and supporting me
through this year despite the hardships we went through together. I would also like to thank
my dear mentor Mr. Mohammed Al-Meftah for the encouragement, support and the advices
he gave me through this year and I cannot express how grateful I am to your support.

3
 Contents

Glossary

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 The Place of English in Kuwait

- Attitude Toward English Before and after Kuwait’s Liberation 1991

1.2 Public and Private/Bilingual schools

1.3 Aims of the research

Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 English Language Education Policy in Kuwait

- Preparing English Teachers

2.2 Factors Affecting ELT and Teachers

- Teacher Qualification

- Migrant teachers

- The Role of Teacher in Classroom

2.3 Factors Affecting ELL and Students

- Exposure to the English Language

- English Language Curriculum

2.4 Chapter Summary

Chapter 3 Methodology

3.1 Aims

3.2 Approach

3.3 Used Methods for Data Collection

- Online Survey

4
 - Self- completion questionnaire

- Interviews

3.4 Sampling

- Random Sampling

- Purposive Sampling

3.5 Ethics

3.6 Limitations

3.7 Chapter Summary

Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis

4.1 Overview

4.2 Teachers’ Data Analysis

- Curriculum

- Teachers Competence

- The Role of Teachers in Classroom in Terms of Teaching and Assessment

4.3 Kuwait University English Language Unit Analysis

- Students Proficiency in the English Language

- Migrant Teachers and their Competence in Teaching the English Language

- Opinions on Private/ Bilingual schools

4.4 Analysis on Students’ Data

- Students’ attitude toward learning the English language

- Attitude Toward English Teachers

- Exposure to the English Language in- outside the classroom

- Interviews: Difficulties in Learning the English Language

- Teachers and Curriculum

- Why private/ Bilingual School Learners are more proficient in English than Public school
learners

5
 4.5 Chapter Summary

Chapter 5 Conclusion & Recommendations

5.1 Findings Summary

5.2 Literature Review Summary

5.3 Methodology

5.4 Implications

- Findings of the research

5.5 Suggestions for Further Research

References

Appendices

6
 Acronyms
- ELL- English Language Learning

- ELT- English Language Teaching

- MOE- Ministry of Education

- GCC- Gulf Cooperation Council

- KOC- Kuwait Oil Company

- PAAET- Public Authority for Applied Education and Training

7
 Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 The Place of English in Kuwait

English language in Kuwait is taught as a foreign language in public schools. According to

Al-Yaseen (2000), English language was included in public schools’ curriculum since the
1900’s and the ministry of education (MOE) policy is that English to be taught from the first
grade until the 12th grade. Dashti (2015) stated that Kuwait regards English as a language as
important as the Arabic language or it could be said the status of English is on an equal
footing with Arabic. Being proficient in English is seen as a prestige in Kuwait. Akbar (2007)
stated that being proficient in the English language is a major requirement in universities, not
only to pass placement tests, but also to understand and excel in other subjects that English
serves as a medium in these subjects. Dashti (2015) confirms the statement above about
the status of English in Kuwait because almost everything in Kuwait has English. For
example, English can be seen on road signs, restaurant signs, menus, newspaper and it is
used in radio programs. Erguvan (2014) mentioned that most private sector jobs and some
government require fluency and proficiency in the English language. For example, Kuwait Oil
Company (KOC) require applicants to pass their English language test and the reason for
this requirement is the company deals with many foreign companies, engineers and even
workers in the field since it is the only mean of communication between Kuwaiti workers and
other foreign workers from different nationalities. English language has been introduced
officially in school curriculums in 1921 in Al-Ahmadiya school (Dashti, 2015). According to
Akbar (2007); Dashti (2015), being proficient in the English language could entitle you to
have scholarships from MOE, government sector, private sectors and even become a
representative of an institution in both sectors.

Swan & Smith (2001); Dashti (2015) stated that Arabic borrowed a few words from the
English language (Table 1) though some words have the same meaning while other words
have different meaning with the same pronunciation.

8
 Word in English Word in Arabic
Tire Tyre ‫تاير‬
Telephone Tilifone ‫تليفون‬
Gaze Guz = hang out ‫قز‬
Air Conditioner Condation ‫كونديشن‬
Glass Glass but has a different meaning
‫قالص‬
Cup Coop ‫كوب‬

Borrowing words from other languages and mixing it with the mother tongue is considered
prestigious and elegant in countries such as Japan for example, who borrowed words such
as control, speed, stamina and many other words (Stanlaw, 1987).

- Attitude Toward English Before and after Kuwait’s Liberation 1991

Before Kuwait’s liberation in 1991, the attitude toward the English language was mostly
negative among Kuwaitis. According to Almutawa (1986), Kuwaitis saw that learning the
English language should be optional. Almutawa (1986) conducted a survey in Kuwait
university about whether English should be taught as an elective or as a requirement. The
results showed 69% of students agreed that English should be included as an elective
course rather than a requirement, while the other 31% do not want to study the English
language because it consumes a lot of time and effort. After Kuwait’s liberation in 1991, the
attitude toward English language became positive (Malallah, 2010). Akbar (2007) conducted
a survey on several schools in Kuwait and he found out that the current generation of
English language learners have positive attitude toward the English language. Dashti (2015)
explains the reason behind this shift toward the English language and stated that after the
liberation in 1991, Kuwaitis showed affection toward the British and the American army who
helped in liberating the country which made Kuwaitis want to learn more about the language.

1.2 Public and Private/Bilingual schools

Public schools are institutes funded by the government and according to Kuwait constitution
article 40, education is free for the citizens of Kuwait from kindergarten level until the end of
high school (Kuwait Constitution, 1962). On the other hand, private/bilingual schools are
schools funded and owned by individuals, families or private companies. These type of
schools are seen as business investments (Kuwaitpocketguide.com, 2015). Private/bilingual
schools’ adapts curriculums that are similar to content and language integrated leaning

9
(CLIL) schools and it means some subjects are taught in second language which serves as
a medium (Bentley, 2015). The recent emergence of private education institutions in the last
two decades in Kuwait in terms of their graduates’ proficiency, fluency and accuracy in
English language has raised many questions regarding learning and teaching English in
public schools. Since the last 10 years, parents were rushing to register their children in
private schools rather than public schools despite the high tuition fees for these type of
schools (Dashti, 2015; Reid& Ibrahim, 2017). The recent emergence is not only happening in
Kuwait, but also in the other 5 gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries since the language
education policy, curriculum and teaching methods are almost the same within GCC
countries (Reid & Ibrahim, 2017)

Kuwaiti families argue that private/bilingual institutions are better not only in teaching
English, but it helps their children to become more confident and encourage them to pursue
their dreams. Reid & Ibrahim (2017) stated that some families raised concerns toward these
institutions are not being monitored by MOE and others believe they only care about money
and it is more like a business deal to them. Private education in Kuwait has gained a lot of
attention in the past two decades because public schools production efficiency is getting
worse and the quality of education is decreasing (Al-Jaber, 2007). Al-Duwailah (2012) stated
that the reason behind the success of these institutions is because they provide what is
necessary for students to excel in subjects and provide them with activities in and outside
the classrooms to make sure they have enough exposure to the language and practice it.
Cherchye et.al (2010), stated the differences between public and private/bilingual schools is
not in terms of tuition only, but other things as well (Table 2)

School Type Public Private/Bilingual

Ownership Government Individuals, Families or
private companies
Finance Government Individuals, Families or
private companies
Supervision and Policy MOE MOE only in staff
approval, context and
school evaluation
Tuition Free High and it differs from
one school to another

10
 Text books Authentic text books from Authentic text books from
MOE American and British
schools

The MOE’s role in supervising private/ bilingual schools is approving the staff such as
teachers, information technology specialists, security, facilities and monitoring text books to
see if the materials are not offensive or not suitable to learners (Kuwait Pocket Guide.com;
2015, cited from Reid & Ibrahim, 2017; p 269)

1.2 Aims of the research

The purpose of the research is to highlight the factors which are affecting English language
learning/ English language teaching (ELL/ ELT) in both public and private/bilingual schools in
Kuwait, and why public schools’ students have weak proficiency in the English language
despite learning the English language for 12 years. The research has three aims and they
are the following.

1- Examining affecting factors affecting ELT such as the educational policy, teaching
methods, assessment and the issue of teachers’ qualifications for teaching the
language.

2- Examining affecting factors affecting ELL such as having prior knowledge to the
language, the curriculum and the amount of exposure to the English language in and
outside the classroom.

3- Proposing recommendations for learning and teaching the English language an

easier and enjoyable process. Also, recommendations for the English language
policy will be proposed in order to make learning and teaching the English language
more flexible to both teachers and students.

The research will be divided into five chapters, including chapter one which is the
introduction and they are the following:

- Chapter 2: Literature review; which will examine the current educational policy in Kuwait
and what are the issues of the current educational policy. What other researchers said about

11
factors affecting ELT and teachers in Kuwait such as teacher’s role in the classroom, how
did the current educational policy restrain teachers from teaching the English language
properly and finally whether teachers are qualified to teach the English language or not.
Factors affecting ELL and students will be reviewed such as what difficulties learner are
experiencing while learning English, amount of exposure they are getting outside the
classroom and what are the reasons for their low proficiency in the language despite
learning the language for 12 years.

- Chapter 3: Methodology; will present the choice of used methods to collect data such as
self-completion questionnaire, interviews, the use of online surveys and the rationale behind
each method. Moreover, limitations of the used methods will be explained and the difficulties
were faced while collecting data. The used approach for this research will be discussed and
the choice of sampling as well.

- Chapter 4: The findings of the research; which will examine the collected data from the
participants of both sectors. The collected data will shed light on the differences between
both type of schools, learners’ attitude toward learning the English language. Also, it will
reflect teachers’ issues about teaching the language, restraints on teachers imposed by
MOE current educational policy and the issue of teachers’ qualification in teaching the
language.

- Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendations; will provide a summary of the findings, short
summary of each chapter and proposing solutions and recommendations for making the
process of learning the English language easier for students and teaching the language in a
more comprehensible way for teachers for better production efficiency in the language.

The next chapter will be reviewing the literature and what other researchers found out about
factors affecting ELL/ELT in both types of school, understanding the current educational
policy and its consequences on ELL/ELT public schools.

12
 Chapter 2

Literature Review
In this chapter, the educational policy of Kuwait regarding teaching the English language will
be examined, how teaches are trained, factors affecting English language teaching and
teachers and factors affecting English language learning and students.

2.1 English Language Education Policy in Kuwait

Before examining the factors affecting both ELL/ELT, a closer look must be taken to
understand the current English language educational policy devised by MOE. According to
Dashti (2015; p29), English language was included in public schools’ curriculum for the first
time in 1921 in Al-Ahmadiya school as a foreign language. Since then, the English language
in public schools is taught for 12 years starting from the first grade until the end of high
school. English language is taught for five classes a week and each class consists of 45
minutes long (Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017; p80, cited from Kirkpatrick, 2017). Public schools
are monitored by the MOE and established a department called ELT general supervision
department, and its role is to supervise textbooks, teaching methods, assessment, learning
outcomes and everything else related to ELT (Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017; p80, 81). ELT
general supervision department has established three main educational objectives. First,
instil patriotism toward Kuwait, second, being a proud Muslim and proud about Islam, third,
becoming appreciative toward Kuwait culture and traditions (The ELT national curriculum,
2011). This means that any offensive and inappropriate materials in text books will be
removed immediately or adjusted to be suitable for teaching. The aim of ELT general
supervision department is to prepare learners from kindergarten until their graduation from
high school to develop several skills to co-op with the rest of the world such as dependency,
creativity and the ability to solve problems (The ELT national curriculum, 2011). Also, there
will be a focus on the development of the four skills of the English language which are
reading, writing, listening and speaking (The ELT national curriculum, 2011; Tryzna & Al
Sharoufi, 2017). Unfortunately, public schools’ curriculum are based on what Anglo-
American institutions which at the time were ignorant about the Arab culture and some
things are offensive and against the Arabic traditions (Karmani, 2005). On the other hand,
private/bilingual schools have different policies and depending on each school, they have
their own policies regarding teaching and learning the English language. According to Reid &
Ibrahim (2017), private/bilingual schools adapt American or British educational policies,
curriculum and text books. English language in bilingual schools is used as a medium in

13
teaching some subjects while private schools who adapt the American or the British use the
English language as a medium to teach all the subjects (Ayyob, 2007; Reid & Ibrahim,
2017).

- Preparing English Teachers

The MOE are responsible for training newly graduate teachers from universities by offering
training courses to teachers in the college of education which it has an institution called
public authority for applied education and training (PAAET). In 2002, PAAET introduced a
new program for English language teaching and the main goal was to prepare English
language teachers for teaching profession and after finishing the training course, applicants
will receive a diploma for completing the course which qualifies them to teach English
(Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017). However, training course are only provided for Kuwaiti
teachers while native speaking teachers or migrant teachers such as Egyptians, Syrians or
Jordanians cannot enrol in these courses. Instead, they are accepted immediately since they
are licensed to teach in their home countries which could be an issue because being
licensed to teach in their home countries does not qualify them to teach English (Al-Refaie,
2010). Also, there are many teachers’ pronunciation of words, knowledge of vocabulary,
grammar and teaching methods are outdated and not suitable to teach the current
generation (Al-Refaie,2010). Another issue of teachers’ preparation is when they major in
teaching English, most courses are taught in Arabic except for four mandatory courses
which are in English which might have several consequences on teachers in the future such
as not being proficient user of the English language and even affect their knowledge about
the language in general in term of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation (Tryzna & Al
Sharoufi, 2017). The current educational policy devised by MOE and teacher training
program might look great on paper, but applying it in public schools is hard because of
several factors such as poor teachers preparations,

2.2 Factors Affecting ELT and Teachers

- Teacher Preparations

In the past decade, students’ accomplishments in the English language is low despite the
fact students been learning the for twelve years. According to Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017),
there are many reasons for these low performances in the English language and one of
them is due to poor quality of ELT training program which it is considered an affecting factor
on ELT and teachers. Kuwait university students who majored in teaching English and
aspiring to teach the English language study mostly in Arabic except for four courses in
English as stated above by (Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017). Al-Refaie (2010) took a closer look

14
on the subject of English language teachers in Kuwait public schools and there were several
findings:

1- Teachers proficiency in the language is low in term of pronunciation of words,

knowledge of vocabulary and grammar (p169)

2- Teachers’ methods are not suitable, compatible or related to the current generation
(p170).

3- Teaching materials do not make sense and it does not encourage learners about
cultural diversity (p170).

4- Teachers are not acting in a professional way. One of the participant students stated
‘’ good marks were often given for obedience and diligence rather than progress in
academic skills’’ (p169).

5- Another issue is making students memorising books and words rather than
communicating in the English language which led students fail in the process of
language acquisition (p171).

All the above issues resulted in poor production efficiency in the English language which
affected students sense of comprehension in many aspects such as reading, poor
communication skills, their ability in producing new sentences and creativity in writing (Al-
Refaie, 2010).

- Migrant teachers

Another factor affecting ELT in Kuwait public schools is the heavy reliance on migrant
teachers from Arab speaking countries such as Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanian and other
nationalities. As stated in the policy section above by Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017), migrant
teachers are licensed in their countries to teach English and considered qualified and
therefore, they do not receive training courses in teaching the English language from
PAAET. However, their students’ achievements prove otherwise. As Al-Refaie (2010) stated,
in general, many teachers’ methods of teaching English is old or outdated because of the
MOE’s current English language educational policy. Private/bilingual schools consider
teachers’ qualification is a major factor for the school’s success. Reid & Ibrahim (2017)

15
conducted a study on private/bilingual schools in Kuwait in several aspects including the
qualifications of teachers, and one of the participants stated ‘’ there is a big investment in
international teachers’’ (p 276) which means that one of the main factors for successful
education are the teachers themselves and even if they contract migrant teachers, they are
being trained well in teaching because they are considered as a vessel to pass information
to students to acquire knowledge. Moreover, private/ bilingual schools usually contract
native- speaking teachers in the early stages of teaching the English language and as for the
other subjects, they resort to other nationalities who are qualified to teach other subjects
(Reid & Ibrahim, 2017).

- Teaching and Assessment

The most important issue which is considered an affecting factor affecting teachers in
teaching the language is the role of the teacher in the class and how they assess their
students. According to Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly (2009), teachers are not involved in
deciding which approach of assessment they can use to assess their students in public
schools which means that all teachers are assessing students in one type of assessment
that is imposed on them by the MOE which is written tests. Also, teachers’ voice is not heard
which means teachers cannot explain the issues they go through nor explain the issues
students might be experiencing while learning the language, and their opinions are often
disregarded by MOE (Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly, 2009). Midterm and final exams contents
are not revealed to teachers until the day of the test which make teachers and students alike
in this situation. One of the participants in Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly (2009) case study
expressed his opinion by saying there is a feeling of distrust from MOE toward teachers and
very few teachers are trusted and involved in assessment, teaching methods and
educational policy (p 550). The issue of assessment in Kuwait public schools not assessing
students’ language abilities, but rather on the score they achieve in tests. Pinter (2006)
stated the use of old and traditional methods in language assessment could become an
issue. First, class time is devoted to practicing for tests not teaching students how to
communicate in the language. Second, students who have difficulties in writing could make
traditional tests tiring. Finally, inappropriate assessment methods could demotivate learners
from learning the language. According to Rea- Dickens & Rixon (1999), traditional
assessment methods are assessed in grammar and vocab tests, single sentence questions,
gap filling and vocab matching while listening skills are not assessed nor speaking except
sometimes they teachers test their students through fixed dialogues. Teachers in
private/bilingual schools could use any type of assessment as they see fits for their students
and stated above, teachers are highly regarded in private/bilingual schools and there is
serious investment in teachers (Reid & Ibrahim, 2017).

16
2.3 Factors Affecting ELL and Students

Tutors from the English language unit in Kuwait University had many interesting things to
say about ELL and ELT in both schools’ sectors. As stated recently by the head of the
English language unit Dr. Jamal Al-Enezy (2018, Retrieved from https://acakuw.com), he
expressed his disappointment from public schools’ graduates in term of their proficiency in
the English language because they have been learning the English language for 12 years
and yet, most of them are producing incomprehensible sentences. Tryzna & Al Sharoufi
(2017) also noted public schools’ students’ low proficiency in the English language in the
past decade.

- Exposure to the English Language

As stated above, Kuwaiti learners study English for 12 years, from kindergarten until the end
of high school (Dashti, 2015). However, Kuwaiti learners’ proficiency in the English language
and achievements are low in the past decade as stated by Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017). One
of the issues that faces learners’ in public schools is motivation. According to Al-Refaie
(2010), teachers do not encourage students to practice the English language in and outside
the classroom. Also, teachers’ methods are outdated and they resort using grammar
translation method to teach the language instead of using communicative approach which in
the end might demotivate learners from learning the language. Another issue ELL’s face is
there is not enough exposure to the English language in school because in public schools,
English is taught as a foreign language and the rest of the subjects are taught in Arabic
because the third article of Kuwait’s constitution states that Arabic is the official language in
the country and used in government sectors which include public schools (Kuwait
Constitution, 1962). According to Sayer & Ban (2014) who conducted a study on English
language learners in Mexico who have faced the same issue of not having enough exposure
to the language, commented one of the reasons for learners for not practicing the language
is because outside the class there is not enough exposure to the language in other classes.
Al-Zedjali (2009) stated that public school learners in Arab countries do not have the chance
to practice anything they have learned in the classroom because students are either not
motivated or lost interest in learning English. On the other hand, private/bilingual schools’
students are exposed to the English language more often because English serves as a
medium to teach most of the subjects except the Subject of Arabic and Islam which allow
students to be exposed to the English language more often and provide learners with
activities to get more exposure to the language (Reid & Ibrahim, 2017)

17
- English Language Curriculum

English language curriculum for Kuwait public school have a few issues which affected
learners’ production efficiency in the English language. One the issue of the curriculum in
Arab public schools is English language learners are taught only basic words, memorising
formal sentences and vocabs (Eltayef & Hussein, 2017). For example, in Kuwait public
schools they teach learners basic sentences such as how to introduce yourself, replying
back or how to ask politely (Al-Refaie, 2010; P169). According to Al-Hosny (2014), GCC
countries English language curriculum does not provide opportunities to practice the English
language in classroom because of the class limited time and given tasks in classrooms are
not suitable nor helpful for learning the language properly. Rababah (2005) stated that
English language text books might not be suitable or appropriate to teach the language
because some contents are not realistic not mimicking real life situations. Moreover, the four
skills of the English language which are speaking, listening, reading and writing are not
tested in GCC public schools (Al-Hosny, 2014). Private/ bilingual schools adapt American or
British curriculums which led to learners to acquire the language successfully. According to
Reid & Ibrahim (2017), private/ bilingual schools assess learners in the four skills of the
English language and provide students with activities to practice the language in and outside
the classroom in order to have more exposure and to keep them motivated. Moreover, Reid
& Ibrahim (2017; p274) stated that one of the participants in the study said that he is glad he
enrolled his daughter in a private school because when she graduated from high school and
studied abroad, she stated that what she is learning in the university is no different from what
she has learned in school and prepared her well for the university. this means that private/
bilingual schools use the same concept for education that universities’ use which will make it
easier for her for coping with her studies Reid & Ibrahim (2017; p274).

2.4 Chapter Summary

In this chapter, Kuwait educational policy has been examined and explained in detail and
what does the MOE provides for newly graduate students in order to prepare them for
teaching profession. MOE provide new teachers a course in PAAET on teaching the English
language and it has been noted that this course is only for Kuwaiti teachers while native-
speaking teachers and migrant teachers do not take this course since they are already
licensed to teach in their home country. However, the educational policy resulted some
issues which affected ELT and teachers and ELL and students alike which led to low
production efficiency in the English language. On the other hand, private/bilingual schools
have their own educational policy and they usually adapt policies from American or British
schools which led to a better production efficiency in the English language. Factors affecting

18
teachers and ELT such as teachers’ qualification, migrant teachers and the role of teachers
in classroom has been discussed from both public and private/bilingual schools. Moreover,
factors affecting students and ELL such as exposure to the English language and the
curriculum has been discussed in both sectors and concluded that public schools’ students
suffer from production efficiency of the English language while private/bilingual schools have
superior production efficiency in the English language.

The next chapter is methodology which will present the choice methods that has been
chosen to collect data, limitations of the methods, the used approach to collect data,
sampling, ethics and what are the difficulties were experienced while collecting data.

19
 Chapter 3

Methodology

3.1 Aims

As stated before, the research has three main aims. The research aims to identify issues
related to teachers and factors affecting ELT, identifying issues related to students and ELL
and after identifying the above, a set of solutions and recommendations will be proposed to
make ELL/ELT easier for both students and teachers alike in public schools, which makes
this the third aim of the research. Data was collected from both students and teachers from
both types of schools. It is important to look at things from teachers’ perspectives to
understand what are the constraints that hold them from teaching the English language
properly. Moreover, it is also important to look at things from students’ perspective as well
and learn what difficulties they are experiencing while learning the English language and
what are their attitudes toward the language whether it is positive or negative and try to
understand why.

3.2 Approach

The used approach for data collection is the mixed methods. According to Denscombe
(2014), the use of multiple methods to collect data would help the researcher to look at the
issue from a spectrum of perspectives, and combining both quantitative and qualitative
would result in better understanding of the issue. Denscombe (2014) and McKim (2017)
stated that the use of mixed methods approach has three benefits:

1- The accuracy of findings. When a researcher uses different methods to collect data, the
researcher can compare between the results of each used methods and decide whether the
findings were similar to other findings in order to conclude that the collected data are
accurate or not.

2- Completing the picture. McKim (2017) stated the use of mixed methods might help the
researcher to have a better and deeper understanding of the research by looking at the
things from several different perspectives.

3- Developing analysis. This means that when a researcher attains results from one method,
the results can be used to develop analysis when using another method to collect data.

20
3.3 Used Methods for Data Collection

- Online Survey

Online surveys can be used as a way to collect quantitative data. According to Wright
(2005), online surveys will allow researchers to collect data faster and it will allow the
researcher to collect data faster and enable the researcher to reach various groups from
different backgrounds. Denscombe (2014; p 7) explained there are different types of survey
such as postal surveys, face to face, telephone, internet, twitter and Instagram. Moreover,
Denscombe (2014) pointed out the characteristics of surveys:

1 surveys can be used in empirical research. This means researchers conduct surveys
for gathering specific information from specific type of participants, age, work site and
other types as well.
2 Surveys are made for specific time. When a researcher conducts a survey, it is
conducted for a specific event or issue that is currently happening at the time. For
example, this research is due to recent statements about students’ low proficiency in
the English language.
3 Wide coverage. Surveys can help researchers to collect data from people with
different backgrounds which could help in learning the opinions of the people about
certain matters.
According to Sue & Ritter (2012); Wright (2005); Yun & Trumbo (2002), online surveys are a
set of questions posted on a website and there are several ways to participate such as
sending the link of the survey via e-mail, posting the link on social media applications or pay
companies to make online ads and distribute it. Lliva, Boron & Haely (2002); Denscombe
(2014) stated surveys are helpful for researchers because it can save time, money and allow
researchers to reach people easily. However, surveys have disadvantages as well and
according to Friker & Scholav (2002), surveys have three disadvantages.

1- Lack of details. Internet surveys are not detailed which means it does not require
detailed answers from participants.
2- Low response rate. One of the issues a researcher might face is participants might
ignore the researcher request because either participants do not have time to
complete it or they are uninterested which might affect the researcher while collecting
data.
3- The need of targeting specific group of people. It is true that surveys can reach
anyone thanks to the internet but there are certain countries that are hard to reach
due to strict laws on the internet and social media laws which will make it harder for
participants to participate in countries such as Iran or China.

21
Online surveys for small scale research should not be long and the questions should be
relevant to the current issue people are experiencing (see Appendix 2). The link for the
online survey was posted online on twitter and the link was sent via e-mail as well which
were also distributed by participants to other participants. The expected number of
participants of the survey was 40 participants but managed to reach 59 participants and
since the research is conducted in the summer, the low number are to be expected since
most participants are on a vacation or travelling with their families which made it harder to
reach.

- Questionnaire

Questionnaire is a type of methods that is used to collect data by devising a set of questions
and ask participants to answer the questions within a certain amount of time (Warwick &
Chaplin, 2017; p166; cited from Wilson,2017). There are several types of questionnaires and
the type that is used to collect data for this research is self-completion questionnaire (see
Appendix 3 & 4). According to Denscombe (2014), self- completion questionnaire gives
participants the freedom to answer the questions without the researcher interference to
make sure the participants can express their opinions freely without feeling there is a
pressure from someone. According to Warwick & Chaplin (2017), a successful questionnaire
depends on several factors:

1- Rates of response. For example, if a researcher sent the questionnaire to 10

participants and eight responded only, then the questionnaire is successful in terms
of rate of response.
2- Completion. This means the questionnaire should be complete without leaving any
question unanswered.
3- Validity of response. This means how honest the answers are and how accurate the
answers are in light of the current issue.
A researcher must provide participants information about the questionnaire (see appendix 1)
which inform them about the purpose of the research, confidentiality, freedom of
participation, date of completion and the sponsor of the research. Self-completion
questionnaire has several advantages according to Densconmbe (2014), questionnaires are
easy to arrange which means it does not require money to make them, it could help the
researcher to get accurate data and finally, it can be distributed online to participants which
make it easier for the researcher to reach the participants and get their feedback easily. On
the other hand, Densconmbe (2014; p200) pointed out three disadvantages of self-
completion questionnaire:

22
 1- Participants might not be completely honest. This means some participants might not
provide the researcher with a complete answer or provide the researcher with a false
or made up answer which it might affect the findings of the research itself.
2- Being biased. Depending on the questions, a researcher might be biased toward
their research by posing questions that suits them rather than being neutral toward
the subject.
3- Response rate. Depending on the questions, participants might not complete the
questionnaire because it might be a sensitive topic or it might affect the position of
participants in their workplace.
Self- completion questionnaire was distributed to teachers from both types of schools and to
Kuwait university English language unit tutors. A set of 15 questions for teachers and a set
of 10 questions for Kuwait university English language unit tutors (see Appendix 3 & 4). The
main issue that is encountered is that many teachers were on a vacation and did not have
time to complete the questionnaire. Also, some teachers could not participate because some
are fearing they might lose their job without the consent or knowledge from the school’s
management and some wanted to come through as an official request to the school’s
management which again was not possible because most schools are closed in the summer.

- Interview

Interviews are a type of methods used in data collection and interviews have similar features
with questionnaire except they are direct which means they are face to face and answers of
the questions are immediate (Denscombe, 2014). Before conducting an interview, the
researcher must explain what the interview is about and even if there is an agreement, a
researcher must hand the participant a consent letter stating what the research is about and
the participants agreement and signature (see Appendix 1 & 2) (Warwick & Chaplin, 2017).
The structure of the interview is semi-structured interview. According to Denscombe (2014),
semi- structured interviews is not strict and only desiring straight answers, the interviewer
could be flexible and the answers of the questions are open-ended which gives the
interviewee the chance to express his/her opinions. For this research, three students were
interviewed, two from public school and one from private school. A set of 12 questions were
asked to the participants (see appendix 5).

There were not any issues encountered while conducting the interview, however, there were
some difficulties in reaching students. For example, the researcher had to travel to other
areas in order to meet the participants and since most students are underage, it was
impossible to ask them to come alone. Some parents did not agree with the interviews for
their own reasons. Another issue is that teachers were to be interviewed but as stated in the

23
questionnaire section above, some teachers wanted to be through an official request while
others preferred to be anonymous and preferred questionnaires.

3.4 Sampling

- Random Sampling

For the online survey, random sampling technique was used to collect data from random
students from different backgrounds to make sure there is no interference from the
researcher. According to Gravetter & Forzano (2011), choosing samples randomly will make
the collected data will not be leaning to be biased toward the researcher. Denscombe (2014)
explained that the word random does not mean the research could be targeted toward any
population, it is targeted toward a certain population but the participants are chosen
randomly without the researcher knowing the participants. Moreover, Denscombe (2014)
stated the conditions for getting random sample and they are the following:

1- Sample must be taken from a known population which means the researcher must
know what type of population he/she is dealing with and know the number of the
population, social status of the population and which part of the population that needs
to be targeted.
2- A sampling frame which means that the researcher needs some sort of identification
in order to identify participants such as nick names, place of work or and address.
3- A process of random sampling which means an application or program that helps
generating specific types of data which could help the researcher which population
they should target.
The online survey was targeting specific type of samples and the participants of the online
survey were students from both schools’ sectors and their age range from 12 – 17 years’ old.

- Purposive Sampling

For the interview, self-completion questionnaire, purposive sampling technique was used to
choose specific participants. According to Gravetter & Forzano (2011), a researcher can get
more accurate data if the participants were chosen base on being familiar with the topic that
the researcher is researching and based on relevance of the issues that is being researched.
Moreover, the use of purposive sampling technique is usually used on a small number of
participants to make sure the researcher can get rich qualitative data (Denscombe, 2014).
For example, the target of self-completion questionnaire were teachers who are teaching the
English language because the issue that is being examined in this research is why ELT in
private/bilingual school is better than public schools and in order to get accurate teachers,
we need to ask teachers from both sectors.

24
3.5 Ethics

Researchers are expected to follow the ethical guidelines when they are collecting data.
According to Ramanathan (2005), the researcher needs to get the approval of the ethics
committee (see Appendix 3) in order to start collecting data and the researcher must make
sure that he/she ask relevant or non- sensitive questions to the participants, and the
researcher make sure that their methods does not jeopardize the position, health or social
status of participants. Moreover, Horner & Minifie (2011) pointed out there are a few
methods that need approval from the ethics committee such as questionnaire, observation,
interviews and even surveys. As stated above in the self-completion questionnaire section,
some teachers stated in order to participate in the questionnaire, an official request must go
through the school’s administration and get their approval in order to participate or
otherwise, it might put them in risk of losing their jobs. There are four key principles of
research ethics and the code name of the four principles is the Nuremberg Code which was
established in 1947 and later on the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) established the principles
worldwide (cited from Denscombe, 2014; p309). The four key principles of research ethics
are:

- Protecting the privacy of participants and their interests. Before participating in the
research, the researcher has explained that pseudonyms were used in order to ensure their
identities are protected.

- Participants are participating voluntarily without any pressure from the researcher. The
researcher asked participants if they could participate in the activity and did not tell them it is
a matter of upmost important for them to participate.

- the researcher must be completely honest and does not deceive the participants in order to
get information. Participants were informed about the purpose of the research (see Appendix
8)

- Abide by the laws of the country which the research is being conducted. The researcher
asked the permission of parents of participants if they were under the age of 18 and they
were present during the interview.

3.6 Limitations

While collecting data, there were some limitations in reaching participants as explained in
the methodology section above. Some participants could not or refused to participate due to
three issues:

25
 1- The need of school administration approval to participate and since the research is in
the summer, it was impossible to contact schools’ administrations to ask for their
permission because schools are closed.
2- Students are on a vacation which made it harder for the researcher to reach them
since some of them are spending their vacations outside the country.

3- Some teachers were afraid to participate and stated even if they got the approval to
participate because if they expressed their opinions freely, they might lose their jobs
and this issue was encountered with migrant teachers only.

However, these issues did not affect the research since most public schools’ teachers’
opinions are the same about the issues they are experiencing in public schools while
teachers from private school have the same opinion about the policy of the schools they are
teaching in.

3.7 Chapter Summary

To sum up this chapter, the approach that is used for collecting data was the mixed
approach which is collecting both qualitative and quantitative data in order get accurate data,
develop analysis and completing the picture. Moreover, the used methods for collecting
qualitative data was self-completion questionnaire and interviews while the method that is
used for collecting quantitative data was online surveys. In addition, advantages of each
method was explained and each methods limitations were discussed as well. Another thing
that is discussed in this chapter is the choice of sampling which was random sampling for
online survey and purposive sampling for interviews and self-completion questionnaire. Also,
ethics has been discussed and pointed out the principles of ethics which a researcher must
follow so that the researcher does not jeopardize the participants in any way and allow
withdrawal at any given moment and ensure the privacy of the participants. The next chapter
is the findings and analysis of collected data which will analyse the collected data, compare
it with the literature review and find wither the data contradict with the previous studies and
data.

26
 Chapter 4

Findings and Analysis

4.1 Overview

As stated before, the research aims to examine the issues and factors affecting ELL/ELT in
Kuwait’s public schools. We must take a closer look and understand what are the causes of
these difficulties. Data was collected by using online survey and the participants of the
survey were 59 students, 32 were from private/ bilingual schools while the participants from
public schools were 27 students. As for the interviews, three students were interviewed, two
from public schools and one from private/ bilingual school. Self-completion questionnaires
were sent to eight teachers, three are from private/ bilingual schools and five teachers from
public schools. In addition, self- completion questionnaires were sent to Kuwait University
English language unit tutors. In this chapter, the first and the second aim of the research will
be discussed in the findings and compare it to what previous studies have said about the
issues. Moreover, this chapter will shed light on students’ attitude toward the learning the
English language and discuss what difficulties they are experiencing while learning the
language. In addition, there will be an examination on teaching issues from teachers’
perspective as well. Also, this chapter will include the opinions of the English language unit
in Kuwait University lecturers.

4. 2 Teachers’ Data Analysis

- Curriculum

An in-depth look was taken on factors affecting ELT and what difficulties that teachers are
experiencing while teaching the English language in public schools. Most participated
teachers from public schools agreed that when comparing the curriculum of both schools,
private/ bilingual school’s curriculum is superior. Teacher (Participant 1) who worked in
private/ bilingual school before moving to public school stated ‘’ I think the English language
curriculum is better since most subjects are in English which allows students to use English
more often’’. Teacher (Participant 2) have the same opinion as well and stated ‘’ Private
schools’ curriculum has a better curriculum and the results are a true testament for that
because parents are involved and the reason for parents’ involvement is because they want
to make sure is they will receive the desired results they have paid for and cooperate for
their children’s benefits and there is not much interference from MOE’’. Teacher (Participant
3) criticised the English language curriculum in public schools and stated ‘’ The curriculum is
very basic, filled with outdated vocabulary, grammar and there is no focus on oral and writing

27
skills’’. This statement confirms what Al-Refaie (2010) has mentioned in her case study
about teachers using old or outdated methods for teaching English and how basic the
curriculum is in public schools.

Referring to Reid & Ibrahim (2017) about what stated about the curriculum, most private
schools use either American or British curriculum and English is the medium language that is
used to teach and communicate. As stated by teachers (Participants 1 & 2) above, this will
help students to use the English language more often which it would help students become
more proficient in the English language.

- Teachers Competence

According to Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017), PAAET provide newly graduate teachers a course
on teaching the English language and the course includes how to pass information to
students, methods for teaching the English language and assessment. However, some
teachers (Participants 3, 4 &5) explained that they did not enrol in the training course that is
offered by PAAET and teacher (Participant 4) explained that teachers who are majored in
English literature and linguistics do not receive training course on teaching the English
language for unknown reasons. This might lead to several consequences on students in the
future such as low proficiency in the English language and might demotivate the learners
from learning the English language if the teacher was not able to teach the English language
appropriately (Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017).

There is also the matter of whether English teachers are appropriately qualified to teach the
language or not. According to teacher (Participants 4) ‘’ I believe that many of the teachers
are not that qualified to teach English, some teachers are not that good in English and they
have a basic understanding of the language’’. Teacher (Participant 6) stated ‘’ I do not think
teachers are qualified because as a teacher, I faced some issues in the first two years and
they should have given us more training courses’’ while teacher (Participant 2) stated ‘’new
teachers who were majored in English literature and linguistics lack the skills at first and
thus, more training course should be given to them’’. This confirms what Tryzna & Al
Sharoufi (2017) stated about the reason for students’ low performance in the English
language because of the poor quality of ELT training program. Also, the issue with PAAET
training courses is they are taught in Arabic while it should be taught in English and they only
offer one course which is not enough to prepare them to teach English as a foreign or
second language (Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017). Reid & Ibrahim (2017) stated the reason for
private/ bilingual school success is because of their investment in teachers and making sure
they are appropriately qualified to teach English which means they enrol their teachers in
several training courses to be able to teach English properly.

28
- The Role of Teachers in Classroom in Terms of Teaching and Assessment

Most teachers who participated in the questionnaire agree that teaching methods and
textbooks are not suitable for teaching the English language in public schools. Teacher
(Participant 2) stated that the MOE imposed teaching methods that he feels outdated and
there should be using teaching methods that are suitable for the current generation. Teacher
(Participant 7) stated that in private/ bilingual schools, teachers are free to use their own
teaching methods to teach English that is suitable for their classes. Moreover, teachers are
able to assess their students in any way they see as appropriate. However, public schools’
teachers are not allowed use their own assessment methods. Instead, the MOE imposed
one type of assessment to be followed by teachers which are written tests. Teacher
(Participant 3) stated ‘’new or different teaching and assessment methods are not welcomed
by the MOE’’ and teacher (Participant 4) stated that the only assessment is used is the one
that is imposed on teachers by the MOE and also stated ‘’ Teachers should be allowed to try
different assessment methods of teaching and assessment if they feel the existed methods
are not efficient’’. The statements above confirm what Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly (2009)
stated about the role of teachers in assessment in terms of their involvement in participation
in proposing teaching and assessment methods and the feeling of mistrust from the MOE
toward teachers ‘’This element of secrecy caused many teachers to feel distrusted and
disrespected’’ (p550). This means teachers are not allowed to use any type of assessment
to assess students other than the one that is imposed by MOE which is written tests, and by
not allowing teachers to assess students by using different methods, teachers will not be
able to identify what are the issues that students are facing while learning English.

However, there is a contradiction in the findings. The statement of Troudi, Coombe & Al-
Hamly (2009) about teachers’ voice is not heard by the schools’ administration or the MOE
and they cannot express their opinions about issues they are dealing with in teaching and
issues with the students have some truth in it but it is not applied on all teachers.
Participants stated otherwise and teachers (Participant 1 & 2) for example stated that they
are able to express their opinions about the current issues they are experiencing with
students and teaching the English language and their opinions were taken into
consideration. Again, there is some truth in Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly (2009) statement
about teachers’ voice but it did not apply on the teachers in this research.

29
4.3 Kuwait University English Language Unit Analysis

- Students Proficiency in the English Language

Tutor (1) commented on recent graduates from public high schools’ levels in the English
language and stated ‘’ the majority are weak in academic English, especially in vocabulary,
reading and writing’’. Tutor (2) also had a similar statement about recent public schools
graduates and stated ‘’ some students’ proficiency in the language is low and they find it
difficult to construct a sentence’’. Tutor (3) simply stated ‘’ it is utterly poor’’. These
statements confirm what Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017) stated about public schools’ students’
low performance in the English language I the past decade and their achievements are not
impressive despite learning English for 12 years. The English language unit tutors also had
statements regarding private/ bilingual schools’ students’ proficiency in the English
language. Tutor (1) stated that the students are proficient in the English language because
English is taught as a second language and serves as a medium to teach other subjects.
Tutors (2 &3) also had the same statement regarding private/ bilingual students’ proficiency
in the English language. Reid & Ibrahim (2017; p274) confirmed this and many participants
in their study believe that private/ bilingual schools are better in learning the English
language and prepare them for universities.

- Migrant Teachers and their Competence in Teaching the English Language

As for the matter of migrant teachers teaching the English language in public schools, tutor
(3) stated that the MOE used to contract qualified teachers in the past which resulted in good
production efficiency in the English language. However, the MOE recently began to contract
teachers who are not appropriately qualified to teach the English language and their levels
when they graduated from the university is below average and the recent statistics are a
proof for their performance and this statement is similar to what Tryzna & Al Sharoufi (2017;
p75) statement that MOE relies heavily on Arab migrant teachers who are licenced to teach
in their home countries, but not qualified to teach English in Kuwait. Tutor (3) stated that
some teachers’ proficiency in the English language and grammar is very low and mentioned
one teacher who thinks the contraction of will not is willn’t. when Al-Refaie (2010) examined
some of the issues of ELT in Kuwait, she stated that one of the issues is teachers’
proficiency in the language is low in term of pronunciation of words, knowledge of vocabulary
and grammar. On the other hand, tutor (1 & 2) believe the issue is not about migrant
teachers mostly, the issues are from the teachers themselves sometimes and they must be
competent enough to teach the language. Moreover, some teachers are appropriately
qualified to teach the English language but the MOE limit their roles in the classroom, which

30
might affect the language production efficiency of students. This means if the MOE changed
the current educational policy for English language and allowing teachers to use their own
methods for teaching, assessing and provide courses to newly appointed teachers whether
local or migrants on teaching English will result in a better production proficiency in English.
Referring back to Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly (2009), teachers are not able to use any other
teaching methods to teach their students appropriately not they are able to assess their
students in their own ways which will result in weak production efficiency in English.

- Opinions on Private/ Bilingual schools

Tutors (1,2 & 3) stated the reasons for parents are enrolling their children to private/ bilingual
schools is because the quality of English language learning is better which helps them to
become proficient in the English language. Tutor (1) stated ‘’ The quality of English language
teaching is better in schools where qualified native speakers are teaching English subjects’’
while Tutor (2) stated ‘’ In private schools English is taught as a second language and in
public schools it is taught as a foreign language and of course there is a huge difference
between them’’. Tutor (3) stated that the reason for parents enrolling their children in private/
bilingual schools lately because they have qualified teachers, up to date text books and
suitable teaching methods that are suited for the current generation. Reid & Ibrahim (2017)
stated that parents are looking to invest in their children and acquire the best type of
education so they can co-op with the modern world and that is why they enrol their children
in these types of schools despite the rising cost of tuition.

4.4 Analysis on Students’ Data

A survey was conducted on how students find learning English as a second language in
schools. The participants of the survey were 59 participants from both types of schools, 15
questions were included, and the results are in (Table 3)

Question Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
I find 8.5 28.8 5 45.8 11.9
learning
English is
hard
Text books 1.7 30.5 16.9 40.7 10.2
are suitable
for learning

31
the English
language
Teacher - 23.7 13.6 39 23.7
methods are
suitable for
learning
English
School 3.4 16.9 8.5 37.3 33.9
provide us
with activities
to
communicate
in English
Learning 81.4 16.9 - - 1.7
English is
important to
continue my
studies
I will study 39.7 22.4 27.6 10.3 -
English
abroad
I am being 39 39 3.5 15.3 3.2
tested in the
four skills
I know how 8.5 25.4 20.3 32.2 13.6
to write an
essay
English tests 6.8 37.3 15.3 35.6 5.1
are hard
I want to 35.6 39 15.3 6.8 3.3
transfer from
public school
to private

32
 school to
learn English
I want to 5.1 20.3 13.6 30.5 5.1
transfer from
private
school to
public school
to learn
English
Learning - - - 18.6 81.4
English is a
waste of time
I use English 37.3 35.6 5 10.2 11.9
outside the
classroom
Teachers 10.2 22 20.3 30.5 16.9
encourage
us to use the
language
inside the
classroom
Teachers 6.8 33.9 20.3 18.6 20.3
encourage
us to use the
language
outside the
classroom

- Students’ attitude toward learning the English language

Before Kuwait’s liberation in 1991, learners did not show positive disposition toward learning
the English language and suggested English should be counted as an elective course
(Almutawa, 1986). However, everything changed after the liberation in 1991and students
began to show positive disposition toward the English language (Malallah, 2010). In Table

33
(3) above, students showed positive disposition toward learning the English language in
Question 5 & 6. Thus, concluding that students are willing to learn the English language
despite the difficulties they are experiencing while learning the language.

- Attitude Toward English Teachers

The majority of students found out teachers’ methods are incomprehensible in teaching the
English language (Table 3, question 3). Al-Refaie (2010) explained that some teachers’
methods are old and outdated and students are given marks based on their obedience
rather than testing them in the language which might demotivate them from learning the
language. Also, the majority of students in public schools do not know how to write essays
(Question 8) and this proves the recent statement of Dr. Jamal Al-Enezy about students
producing incomprehensible sentences. Moreover, the issue of teachers is not trained
properly resulted in weak production efficiency and demotivate learners from learning the
English language (Al-Refaie, 2010; Tryzna & Al Sharoufi, 2017).

- Exposure to the English Language in- outside the classroom

Dashti (2015) stated that Kuwaitis like using English even if they are not proficient at it
because it is considered a prestigious language. In question (13), the majority of participants
use English outside the classroom. However, teachers are not encouraging students to
communicate in English inside the classroom (question 14), but they do encourage them to
use English outside the classroom which it sounds strange or contradictory because it
seems that teachers do not want their students to communicate in English in the classroom
or they are afraid that some students are proficient in the language which might embarrass
them in front of the class.

- Interviews: Difficulties in Learning the English Language

Three students were interviewed, two from public schools and one from private school. A set
of twelve questions were asked in terms of different aspect about learning the English
language. Students 1& 2 who studied the English language in public schools stated they
have experienced difficulties while learning English. Student (1) stated ‘’ we are not
communicating in English inside the classroom and it made it harder to acquire the
language’’. Student (1) also stated ‘’ we do not practice writing and therefore, I was able to
produce simple sentences’’. Student (2) stated that she went through some difficulties and
have issues with spelling and speaking and stated they do not communicate in English
inside the classroom. Both students 1 & 2 stated they were not tested in the four skills of the
English language and teachers’ methods were comprehensible in teaching English. On the
other hand, student (3) stated he did not face any difficulties while learning the language and

34
the process of learning the language went smooth and he was also being tested in the four
skills of the English language. This statement confirms what Reid & Ibrahim (2017; p274,
276) have stated about the reason for why parents in the past decade have been enrolling
their children in private/ bilingual schools, because of how easily their children can learn the
English language because teachers are appropriately qualified to teach English. Students 1
& 2 statements confirm what Al-Refaie (2010) stated about public schools not testing their
students in the four skills of the English language and the only method to assess students is
through written tests and also, good marks are often given on how obedient the students
are. Reid & Ibrahim (2017) stated in their study that most parents who enrolled their children
in private/ bilingual schools were satisfied with the results and learned the English language
easily because English is a medium in teaching other subjects which made their children
being exposed the language constantly. Therefore, this led private/ bilingual schools to have
better production efficiency in the English language (Reid & Ibrahim, 2017).

- Teachers and Curriculum

Students 1 & 2 stated that the curriculum is neither good nor bad because they learned
some useful things. However, both students 1& 2 stated the books are not suited for this
generation because there are many irrelevant and outdated vocabs and materials. This also
confirms what Al- Refaie (2010, p170) stated about text books and vocabulary being
outdated in public schools. As for teachers, both students 1& 2 stated there are some
teachers who are not appropriately qualified to teach English and their proficiency in the
English language is low, and their pronunciation is not good either. Referring back to Tryzna
& Al Sharoufi (2017) statement that teachers’ proficiency in the English language is low and
they have issues with pronunciation. Student 3 stated otherwise and said that that the
curriculum is really good and even though the text books are a little bit advance for his level,
he was able to learn and practice the language with the help of native- speaking teachers.
Also, the school provided him with activities to practice the English language in- outside the
classroom. Reid & Ibrahim (2017; p274- 275) stated that one of the factors of success for
these types of schools which are private/ bilingual schools, is their investment in teachers to
provide better quality of education.

- Why private/ Bilingual School Learners are more proficient in English than
Public school learners

Students 3 stated the reason for private school students are proficient in the English
language is because they let the teacher decides what method is best for their students to
learn the English language and teachers decide how they assess their students without
interference. Students 1 & 2 had similar statements regarding this topic and stated the

35
reason for having better proficiency in the language is because private/ bilingual schools put
a tremendous effort to deliver what you have paid for. This statement confirms what Reid &
Ibrahim (2017; p276) stated about teachers in private/ bilingual schools’ that one of the
factors that help these type of schools’ success is their investment in teachers and train
them in order to be appropriately qualified to teach English. Another thing is the teachers are
highly regarded and they have responsibilities toward their students and they make sure
their students learn the language properly and the most important thing is they help students
to build confidence in themselves and push themselves to learn more not only learning
English, but also other subjects as well. As stated by Reid& Ibrahim (2017), teachers are
highly regarded, trusted and there is serious investment in them while public school teachers
are not highly regarded and they are not allowed to do anything other than following the
policy that is imposed on them by the MOE (Troudi, Coombe & Al-Hamly, 2009; p550).

4.5 Chapter Summary

To sum up this chapter, factors affecting teachers and ELT were examined and found out
what are the causes for the difficulties that teachers are experiencing which led many of
them to not teach the English language properly. Also, the English language unit of Kuwait
university had some statements regarding the issue of ELT and concluded that the issues of
ELT led students to have low proficiency in the English language in public schools. Private/
bilingual schools’ teachers did not experience issues in teaching the English language
because these type of schools invest in their teachers and highly regards them. Factors
affecting students were also examined through a survey and the results showed that the
issues do not come from students, but from teachers as the results show that students are
willing to learn the English language and they have a positive disposition toward learning
English.

The next chapter is the conclusion and implications which will include a summary of
literature review, methodology and the findings of the study. Also, implications of the study
will be discussed in relation to the literature review and suggestions for further research in
the future.

36
 Chapter 5

Implications & Conclusion

5.1 Findings Summary

The aims of the research are to examine the factors affecting students and ELL, factors
affecting teachers and ELT in Kuwait public schools and what are the reasons for the
superiority of private/ bilingual schools’ production efficiency in the English language and
English language teaching.

Participants have explained many issues regarding why some teachers are unable to teach
the English language to students properly. First, the limitations that are imposed by the MOE
educational policy on teachers which limits and restrain teachers which affects teachers’ role
in many ways such as not being able to use their own teaching methods and instead, they
are forced to use old traditional methods such as grammar translation methods and
memorising vocabulary. Another issue is teachers are unable to use their own methods for
assessment and they use only one method that is imposed on teachers which is written
tests. Moreover, there is the issue of teacher training, teachers are trained in PAAET on how
to teach the English language but the problem is they are taught about certain methods and
there is no on diversity of using other teaching methods. In addition, the issue of migrant
teachers where some of them are licensed and considered qualified in their home countries
while in Kuwait they have many issues such as pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
Furthermore, this led many teachers to not being able to teach the English language
properly and it might affect students’ production efficiency. Also, there is the matter of the
curriculum. Most teachers in public schools stated the curriculum is basic, outdated, focus on
memorising vocabulary and it does not test students in the four skills of the English
language. On the other hand, teachers in private/ bilingual schools are considered qualified
because the owners of these schools invest in their teachers training, hiring native- speaking
teachers and the MOE does not interfere within private/ bilingual schools’ educational policy.
Kuwait university English language unit tutors also had statements regarding ELL/ ELT in
Kuwait schools. The fact that students are learning the English language for twelve years
and their proficiency in the language is low means there are factors affecting students in
learning the English language such as the current educational policy and teachers
themselves. Kuwait university tutors stated one of the reasons for students not learning the
English language properly is because teachers are not appropriately qualified to teach the
English language and their methods of teaching are outdated. Students have shown positive

37
disposition toward learning the English language but they feel demotivated because
teachers are not encouraging them enough to learn the language. Many students
complained that teachers’ methods are incomprehensible, textbooks have irrelevant
information about the English language and teachers require obedience for getting good
grades rather than wanting them to be proficient in the language. Private/ bilingual schools
on the other hand encourage students to learn the English language and provide students
with activities in- outside the classroom to communicate in the language. All these factors
have led private/ bilingual students to be proficient in the English language.

5.2 Literature Review Summary

In this chapter, light was shed on previous studies on the matter of low performance in the
English language and weak production efficiency of ELL and explained the main issues
coming from the MOE English language educational policy which affected teachers and
limited their roles in the classroom. Also, factors affecting teachers and ELT were discussed
such as imposing certain teaching methods on teachers to teach English, using one type of
assessment and poor teachers training in teaching English. Factors affecting ELT will affect
ELL and result in consequences on students. For example, to get good grades, obedience is
required instead of being proficient in the English language which will result in demotivating
students from learning the English language. In addition, schools do not provide students
with activities to get students to be exposed to the English language more often. This
chapter also included a comparison between public schools and private/ bilingual schools’
systems, and according to recent research and statistic, private/ bilingual schools’ excel in
every aspect such as the educational policy, teachers and their students’ production
efficiency in the English language. One of the reasons for the success of these schools is
their investment in teachers and they regard them highly because qualified teachers will
result in better production efficiency not only in the English language, but in other subjects as
well.

5.3 Methodology

In this chapter, methods for data collection were justified and the used approach was mixed
methods approach which combines both qualitative and quantitative data. The used
methods for collecting data were online survey, self- completion questionnaire and
interviews. In additions, advantages and limitations of each method were discussed in
details. Moreover, sampling techniques for choosing participants was purposive sampling
and random sampling and discussion of choosing these techniques were discussed in this
chapter. In addition, ethics were discussed and explained what were the issues that have

38
been faced while asking participants to participate in data collection and how the researcher
was able to guarantee the confidentiality of the participants.

5.4 Implications

- Findings of The Research

The main purpose for the dissertation was examining factors affecting both ELL/ ELT in
Kuwait public schools and understanding the reasons for why private/ bilingual schools’ have
better production efficiency in the English language. In addition, this dissertation also aimed
to understand whether the issues of learning and teaching English is coming from students
and teachers or there is another factor that is causing the issues.

First, English language educational policy has been examined and it was revealed to be
contradictory because on paper, it stated that there will be a focus on the development of the
four skills of the English language which are reading, writing, listening and speaking.
However, the contradictory part comes in the assessment method where public schools only
use one type of assessment which is written tests. in addition, English language is taught in
public schools as a foreign language which means it is only used in English classes only and
is not a medium to teach other subjects while in private/ bilingual schools are taught as a
second language which means English is used in other subjects. Another contradictory thing
is that private/ bilingual schools are the ones who are applying parts of the educational policy
such as helping learners to develop the four skills in the language and developing skills such
as dependency and critical thinking to help students to co-op with the new world.

Secondly, the issue of teacher preparations and their competence have been examined.
Local teachers were not trained properly to teach English and this led teachers to face
issues in their first two years such as not knowing how to handle large classes and preparing
lesson plans, and some teachers who are majored in literature and linguistics were not
enrolled in PAAET training courses. Moreover, the issue of migrant teachers has been
examined as well and one of the issues is that many teachers have stated that they have
issues with words pronunciation, grammar and their teaching methods are either unsuitable
or outdated. However, there were also migrant teachers who are good in teaching English
but the restraints that have been imposed by the MOE policy have led both migrant and local
teachers not to teach English properly have led to weak production efficiency in English.
Participants have stated that they are limited in teaching and assessing their students and
they felt they have no role at all other than following MOE educational policy. In the end,
there are many competent teachers who are able to teach English properly but they are
restrained by the educational policy and there are incompetent teachers because they either

39
they are poorly trained or they have no training at all and been licenced to teach in their
home countries only. On the other hand, private/ bilingual schools hire native- speaking
teachers or even local and migrant teachers and they invest in them by providing them with
training courses to make them competent in teaching English.

Thirdly, the issues that students are experiencing while learning English were examined.
Students have showed a positive disposition toward learning English, but most issues are
not coming from themselves, it was coming mostly from the curriculum, teachers and text
books. Students stated the curriculum is outdated because it does not help them in
improving the four skills of the language. Textbooks are old and contained irrelevant
information and it did not focus on real life situations. Moreover, many students have
complained that teachers are not teaching them English properly and do not encourage
them to communicate in English inside the classrooms and teachers want students to
memorize rather than practicing the language.

What was concluded from the findings of this study in relation with the literature review was
the main reason for weak and poor production efficiency in English is because of the MOE
English language educational policy which restrained and affected both students and
teachers. Teachers were unable to teach English properly because they are limited to teach
and assess their students in certain methods imposed by the MOE, thus affected students to
not learning the language properly. Training courses that were offered by MOE did not help
in preparing teachers to be competent enough to teach English. Moreover, migrant teachers’
qualifications are not being checked and they are being hired immediately because they are
licenced in their home country and this led to several problems because students have
complained about their pronunciation for words and their outdated and unsuitable methods
for teaching English. Students have shown to have a positive disposition toward learning
English but they are demotivated because of the way teachers are teaching them English,
text books are not that helpful and they are not provided with activities to help them to
practice and getting exposed to the language. As stated above, the main factor that affected
both students and teachers in learning and teaching English in public schools was the MOE
educational policy which led to poor production efficiency in English.

5.5 Suggestions for Further Research

Further studies on the issue of production efficiency in Kuwait public schools could be
extended by collecting more qualitative data such as interviews and observation is needed to
determine other factors that are contributing for weak production efficiency in the English
language such as family motivating their children, the issue of migrant teachers who are
giving private lessons for students in their houses in exchange for a certain amount of fees

40
and leaking English final exams online to students. The findings of this research will be
shared in order to shed light on the issue of ELL and ELT in Kuwait public schools and
hopefully there will be responses that will change the current educational policy in Kuwait
because the current generation show positive disposition toward the English language and
today, students can be exposed to the English language more often and students only need
teachers to teach them the English language properly and encourage them in order to
become proficient at it.

41
 Reference
AlYaseen, W. (2000). Developing listening- speaking skills interactively in primary language
classroom possibilities and hindrances: A case study in Kuwaiti primary schools.
Unpublished Doctoral Thesis. University of East Anglia. UK.

Dashti, A. (2015). The role and status of the English language in Kuwait. English Today, 31
(3), 28-33.

Erguvan, D. (2014). Instructors perceptions towards the use of an online instructional tool in
an Academic English setting in Kuwait. TOJET The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology, 13 (1), 115-130.

Akbar, R. (2007). Students and teachers’ attitude towards Kuwaiti/English switching.

Unpublished PhD thesis. Cardiff. Cardiff University.

Swan, M. & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and Other
Problems (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Stanlaw, J. (1987). Japanese and English: Borrowing and contact. World Englishes, 6, 93-
109.

Malallah, S. (2000). English in an Arabic environment: Current attitudes to English among

Kuwait university students. International Journal of Bilingual Education and
Bilingualism, 3(1), 19-43.

Al-Mutawa, N. (1986) English as a University requirement at Kuwait University: Opinions of

students – teachers in the Faculty of Education. Journal of Education (Kuwait), 11 (3), 9–35.

Kuwait Pocket Guide.com. (2015). Educational facilities. Retrieved from

http://kuwaitembassy. ca/pages/Living-In-Kuwait.html

Al-Duwaila, A. (2012). A comparative study between Kuwait’s government and private sector
primary schools in methods of teaching and pupils’ achievement in mathematics. Retrieved
from http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/ 7503/1/FulltextThesis.pdf

Aljaber, Z. (2007). Activation of A Community Partnership between the Public and Private
Sectors in Kuwait. Kuwait: Kuwait University Academic Publication Council.

Bentley, K. (2015). The TKT Course CLIL Module. Cambridge: Cambridge University.

42
Reid, C. & Ibrahim, K. (2017). Imagining the Cosmopolitan Global Citizen? Parents’ Choice
of International Schools in Kuwait. In S. Choo, D. Swach, A. Villanueva, & R. Vinz
(Eds.) Educating for the 21st Century (pp. 265-279). Singapore: Springer.

Cherchye, L., Witte, K., Ooghe, E., & Nicaise, I. (2010). Efficiency and equity in private and
public education: A nonparametric comparison. European Journal of Operational
Research, 202 (2), 563-573.

Ayoob, H. Comparison between governmental & private schools in the academic

achievement for students in high school, third grade – Natural sciences. Future of Arabic
Education Journal, Arabic Centre for Education and Development, 10 (5), 230-257.

Tryzna, M. & Al Sharoufi, H. (2016). English Language Education Policy in Kuwait. In R.

Kirkpatrick (Ed.) English Language Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa (pp.
76-92). Kuwait: Springer.

Karmani, S. (2005). Petro-linguistics: The emerging nexus between oil, English, and Islam.
Journal of Language, Identity and Education, 4(2), 87–102.

Constitution of the State of Kuwait. (1962). Retrieved from

http://www.pm.gov.kw/en/state_Of_ Kuwait/kuwaitConstitution.jsp

Al- Refaie, R. (2010). Future teachers, future perspectives: The story of English in Kuwait.
Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, the University of Exeter, UK.

Troudi, S., Coombe, C., & Al-Hamly, M. (2009). EFL teachers' view of English language
assessment in higher education in United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. TESOL
Quarterly, 43 (3), 564-257.

Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching young language learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rea-Dickins, PM., & Rixon, S. (1999). Assessment of Young Learners' English - Reasons
and Means. In S. Rixon (Ed.), Young Learners of English: some research perspectives (pp.
89 - 101). Longman, in association with the British Council.

Al-Zedjali, K. (2009). Students’ beliefs about learning to speak English. Researching English
Language and Teacher Development in Oman, 14, 122–131.

Elttayef, A. & Hussein, N. (2017). Arab Learners’ Problems in Learning English Language: A
Teacher Perspective. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 40, 1-6.

Rabab’ah,G. (2005). Communication problems facing Arab learners of English. Journal of

Language and Learning, 3(1).

43
Al Hosni, S. (2014). Speaking Difficulties Encountered by Young EFL Learners. International
Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL), 2 (6), 22-30.

Denscombe, M. (2014). The Good Research Guide for Small-Scale Social Research
Projects (5th ed.). England: Open University P.

McKim, C. (2017). The value of mixed methods redearch. Journal of Mixed Methods
Research, 11 (2), 202-222.

Wright, B. (2005). Researching internet-based populations: advantages and disadvantages

of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web
survey services. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10 (3) doi:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2005.tb00259

Yun, G. W., & Trumbo, C. W. (2000). Comparative response to a survey executed by post,
email, and web form. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 6 (1).

Sue, V. M., & Ritter, L. A. (2012). Conducting online surveys (2nd ed.). London; Los
Angeles.

Llieva, J., Baron, S., & Healey, N. M. (2002). Online surveys in marketing research: Pros and
cons. International Journal of Market Research, 44 (3), 361–367.

Fricker, R. & Schonlau, M. (2002). Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research

Surveys: Evidence from the Literature. Field Methods, 14 (4), 347-367.

Warwick, P. & Chaplain, R. (2017). Research with younger children: issues and approaches.
In E. Wilson (Ed.) School-Based Research: A Guide for Education Students (3rd ed.) (pp.
154-172). Los Angeles: Sage.

Gravetter, F. & Forzano, L. (2011). Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (4th ed.).
Belmont, USA: Cengage Learning.

Ramanathan, V. (2005). Situating the Researcher in Research Texts: Dilemmas, Questions,

Ethics, New Directions. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 4 (4), 291-293.

Horner, J. & Minifie, F. (2011). Research Ethics III: Publication Practices and Authorship,
Conflicts of Interest, and Research Misconduct. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing
Research, 54 , 346-293.

Al-Khashab, Y. (2018, June 12). The head of English language unit in school of art: students
are unable to read. Acade. Retrieved from https://acakuw.com/-‫جامعة‬-‫في‬-‫طالب‬-‫يأتينا‬-‫العنزي‬-‫جمال‬-‫د‬
./‫ال‬

44
 Appendices

Appendix 1

University of Huddersfield
School of Education and Professional Development

Participant Consent Form (E4)

Title of Research Study: ELL/ELT in Bilingual Private and Public Schools in Kuwait

Name of Researcher: Sulaiman Morad

Participant Identifier Number:

I confirm that I have read and understood the participant Information sheet related to
thisY research, and have had the opportunity to ask questions.

I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any

Y without giving any reason.
time

I understand
Y that all my responses will be anonymised.

I give permission for members of the research team to have access to my

Y
anonymised responses.

I agree
Y to take part in the above study

Name of Participant: …………………………………………………

Signature of Participant: ………………………………………

Date: …………………………

Name of Researcher: Sulaiman Morad

Signature of Researcher: Sulaiman

45
 Appendix 2

University of Huddersfield
School of Education and Professional Development

Participant Consent Form (E4)

Title of Research Study: ELL/ELT in Bilingual Private and Public Schools in Kuwait

Name of Researcher: Sulaiman Morad

Participant Identifier Number: 1

I confirm that I have read and understood the participant Information sheet related to this research,
andVhave had the opportunity to ask questions.

I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without
V any reason.
giving

V
I understand that all my responses will be anonymised.

I give permission for members of the research team to have access to my anonymised responses.
V
I agree
V to take part in the above study

Name of Participant:

Signature of Participant: Farah

Date: 4th August 2018

Name of Researcher: Sulaiman Morad

Signature of Researcher: Sulaiman

46
 Appendix 3
Teachers Questionnaire
List of acronyms:
M.O.E: ministry of education
ELL: English language learning
ELT: English language teaching

1- In which sector are you teaching English?

I am teaching English in the government sector currently and previously in
the private sector
2- How long have you been teaching English?
I have been teaching English for 7 years.
3- When you applied for the job, did you receive training courses on teaching
the English language? If you did, please mention.

I received a training course when I was in college.

4- What are your thoughts on the English language curriculum (both public and
private schools)?

I think that the English language curriculum in private schools is better

since all the other subjects are taught in English, and most of the teachers
are native speakers of the language.
As for the curriculum in public schools, I think that it should be improved.

5- Do you think the textbooks are suitable for students to learn the language?
Explain.

47
No, I don’t. I believe that textbooks are not enough to learn a foreign
language. As teachers try to cover the syllabus, there’s no time for learners
to practise the language.

6- The MOE imposed one type of assessment and do not allow teachers to use
other methods of assessment. What is your take on the decision of MOE
regarding assessment?

Students are not the same, it is not fair to assess them using one method.

7- What are your views on students’ proficiency in the English language?

(Private or public schools)

Nowadays, students can master the language easily with the technology. It
all depends on the students if they are willing to improve their English
language. I believe in autonomous learning.

8- What is your role as a teacher in the classroom? Does your opinion or voice
matter when discussing potential problems facing students in learning the
language? (Private or public schools)

Yes, it does. To some students who are willing to improve their language.
11- What are your thoughts on English teachers? Are they appropriately
qualified to teach the language?
Most of the English language teachers whom I know are appropriately
qualified to teach the language.

12- How do you feel about teaching English in your current sector (Private or
Public)? Are you satisfied or are you going to transfer?
Honestly, I am not satisfied. Teaching is a difficult job especially for
English teachers.

13-Do your students show positive disposition about learning the English
language?
Yes, they do. I try to make my class interesting for them with all the games
and technology that I use.

14- What are the current issues facing teachers and students in teaching and
learning the language?
One of the main issues in Kuwait is that some students depend on private
tutors and don’t pay attention at school.

48
15- What are your suggestions to improve ELL and ELT?

Encouraging learners to learn autonomously.

Teachers should become facilitators and encourage learners to depend on
themselves.

49
 Appendix 4

Kuwait University Questionnaire

1- What is your take on students’ language efficiency who recently graduated from high school and
enrolled in the university?

2- Recently, the head of the English language department Dr. Jamal Al- Enezy in Kuwait university
stated that public schools graduates proficiency in the language is very weak despite they have been
learning the language for 12 years. Do you agree with his statement or not? Why?

3- Do you think the current educational policy the MOE applies is the reason for students’ weak
production efficiency in the English language in public schools?

4- Do you think teachers are appropriately qualified to teach English in public schools?

5-Do you think the current educational policy by the MOE limits the teacher’s role in the classroom
in terms of assessing their students’ language skills?

6- Do you think migrant teachers e.g: Egyptians, Syrians and other Arab nationalities improve or
worsen the provision of English language learning and if so, how?

50
7- In the last two decades, more Kuwaiti families are enrolling their children in bilingual/ private
schools to learn English? Why?

8- Recent statistics says private/ bilingual schools English production efficiency is better than public
schools. Do you think that is true or not? Explain

9- Do you think the authentic textbooks are suitable for students to learn the English language?

10- What are the recommendations and suggestions you can propose to improve ELL/ELT in public
schools?

51
 Appendix 5

Kuwait University Questionnaire

1- What is your take on students’ language efficiency who recently graduated from high school and
enrolled in the university?

The majority are weak in academic English, especially vocabulary, reading and writing.

2- Recently, the head of the English language department Dr. Jamal Al- Enezy in Kuwait university
stated that public schools graduates proficiency in the language is very weak despite they have been
learning the language for 12 years. Do you agree with his statement or not? Why?

Yes, I agree because only a small minority of students from public schools in Kuwait are confident
and competent in reading and writing at university. These few students often used English outside of
school consistently to improve their level.

3- Do you think the current educational policy the MOE applies is the reason for students’ weak
production efficiency in the English language in public schools?

Yes

4- Do you think teachers are appropriately qualified to teach English in public schools?

No and this is the key problem in Kuwait. Firstly, school teachers do not receive adequate teacher
training. Secondly, many English teachers are not proficient in English.

5-Do you think the current educational policy by the MOE limits the teacher’s role in the classroom
in terms of assessing their students’ language skills?

I don’t know.

6- Do you think migrant teachers e.g: Egyptians, Syrians and other Arab nationalities improve or
worsen the provision of English language learning and if so, how?

Apart from beginners, language learners benefit most from native or native-like speakers of the
target language. The nationality or migration status of the teacher is irrelevant, as long as they are
competent with behaviour management.

7- In the last two decades, more Kuwaiti families are enrolling their children in bilingual/ private
schools to learn English? Why?

52
Many bilingual/private schools hire native or native-like speakers of English for English curriculum
subjects. The quality of English language teaching is better in schools where qualified native
speakers are teaching English subjects.

8- Recent statistics says private/ bilingual schools English production efficiency is better than public
schools. Do you think that is true or not? Explain

Yes. Only a minority of public school graduates obtain average or above average English skills in
Kuwait.

9- Do you think the authentic textbooks are suitable for students to learn the English language?

I am not familiar with the English textbooks used in Kuwait’s public schools. However, I observed
that the American texts were too hard for the majority of students in the private schools I worked in
because these students are ESL and need differentiated resources, which are not always provided.

10- What are the recommendations and suggestions you can propose to improve ELL/ELT in public
schools?

Employ more native or native-like speakers of English.

Require specific/separate teaching qualifications for teachers of all school subjects, including English,
in all year groups and all schools.

Focus more on building vocabulary and improving the teaching of reading and writing by scaffolding
activities to suit ESL students. Use the same strategies to teach reading and writing in Arabic to
reduce the cognitive burden on students.

53
 Appendix 6

Interview Questions
1- How long have you been studying English?

2- Have you experienced any difficulties while learning the English language?

3- What are your opinions about the curriculum?

4- Do you think the issues in learning the language is coming from the teachers’ methods or
the issue comes from the student is him/herself?

5- While learning the English language, were you tested in the four skills?

6- Since you are going to apply for the university, do think you will pass the placement test
or not and what are the reasons for whether you are passing or failing?

7- Why do you think students from private/bilingual schools are more proficient in the English
than public schools?

8- Do you think the reasons for private/bilingual schools’ proficiency in English is because of
the curriculum or teachers’ methods?

9- Would you advise parents to enrol their children in private/bilingual schools?

10- Do you think the reasons for private/bilingual schools’ students’ proficiency in the English
language is because they provide students with appropriate activities that allows more
exposure to the English language?

54
11- Do you think that they should schools should give more classes for learning English
even though you have five classes a week?

12- Are there any suggestions that you could propose to help improve learning and teaching
the English language?

55
 Appendix 7
Q: How long have you been studying English?

A: I have been learning the English language for 12 years.

Q: Have you experienced any difficulties while learning the English language?

A: there are a few issues I have experienced while learning the English language. For
example, we do not communicate in English inside the classroom which made it harder for
me to acquire the language. Another issue is writing, we did not practice writing a lot and
therefore, I was producing simple sentences and were not able to write complex sentences
despite the fact that during a certain age, students should be able to write and produce
complex sentences. Moreover, teachers do not teach us to understand the language,
instead, they only want us to memorise vocabs which is pointless and does not help at all.
Q: What are your opinions about the curriculum?
A: I will not say it is good nor it is bad because I learned some useful things, but sometimes I
was learning things that seemed outdated or not suitable for this generation. The current
curriculum is somehow related to United Arab Emirates, meaning there are information that
are not related to Kuwait’s culture. It is mostly about the past and it is pointless as I stated
before because they should focus on teaching us things that are related to the current
generation and prepare us for the future, and how to communicate with others.
Q: Do you think the issues in learning the language is coming from the teachers’ methods or
the issue comes from the student is him/herself?

A: the issues are coming mostly from the teachers. Some teachers are not qualified to teach the
English language. I remember one time they brought a new teacher and she does not know how to
teach and she has issues with word pronunciations and some teachers have experience but it feels
that their role has been limited.

Q: While learning the English language, were you tested in the four skills?

A: no, the only test we had was written tests which consists of reading a paragraph and answer the
questions related to the paragraph, fill in the gap and grammar.

Q: Since you are going to apply for the university, do think you will pass the placement test or
not and what are the reasons for whether you are passing or failing?
A: I will do my best Inshallah (if God wills it) and if I do not pass is because we were not
taught English properly in the last 12 years and right now I am taking extra classes in the
English language.
Q: Why do you think students from private/bilingual schools are more proficient in the
English than public schools?

A: because they are being taught the English language properly since the first grade and these
schools hire British or American teachers to teach the English language. In addition, most subjects
are taught in English which helps them in using the language more often. Also, these schools provide
activities related to the English language and they help boosting their students’ confidence.

56
Q: Do you think the reasons for private/bilingual schools’ proficiency in English is because of
the curriculum or teachers’ methods?

A: I think it is both because these schools usually adapt British or American curriculum for
teaching English and other subjects as well. Teachers in these schools are appreciated
because they are entrusted by the school administration and therefor, they have great
responsibilities toward their students to make sure they have learned and understood
everything they were taught in their classes.

Q: Would you advise parents to enrol their children in private/bilingual schools?

A: yes, and my parents have enrolled my younger brother and the results were fantastic and
his proficiency in the English language is way better than mine and currently, he is beginning
to plan studying abroad after graduating from high school.

Q: Do you think the reasons for private/bilingual schools’ students’ proficiency in the English
language is because they provide students with appropriate activities that allows more
exposure to the English language?

A: yes, teachers encourage students in communicating the language in and outside the
classroom and as I stated before, teachers have responsibilities toward their students and
they make sure they understand what they have learned in their classes.

Q: Do you think that they should schools should give more classes for learning English even
though you have five classes a week?

A: yes, and they should also bring qualified teachers to teach the English language properly
and teach English as a second language, meaning some subjects should be taught in
English.

Q: Are there any suggestions that you could propose to help improve learning and teaching
the English language?

A: teachers must encourage students in learning the English language by using creative
ways. Teachers must be qualified to teach the English language properly or otherwise,
students will be demotivated from learning the English language. Also, text books should
include relevant information for learners, not irrelevant things or outdated because it will not
be of use to develop learners’ English proficiency in the language.

57
 Appendix 8
University of Huddersfield
School of Education and Professional Development

Participant Information Sheet (E3)

Research Project Title: ELL/ELT in Private/Bilingual Schools and Public Schools in

Kuwait

You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide it is important
for you to understand why this research is being done and what it will involve. Please take
time to read the following information and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask if there is
anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. May I take this opportunity to
thank you for taking time to read this.

What is the purpose of the project?

The research project is intended to provide the research focus for a Dissertation on the MA
in Professional Development. It will attempt to discover what are the issues that public
school students are facing while learning the English language and why students from
private/bilingual schools are more proficient in the English language than public schools
students.

Why have I been chosen? To be completed

Do I have to take part?

Participation on this study is entirely voluntary, so please do not feel obliged to take part.
Refusal will involve no penalty whatsoever and you may withdraw from the study at any stage
without giving an explanation to the researcher.

What do I have to do?

You will be invited to take part in a survey that consists of 15 questions. This should take no
more than ten minutes of your time.

58
Are there any disadvantages to taking part?
There should be no foreseeable disadvantages to your participation. If you are unhappy or
have further questions at any stage in the process, please address your concerns initially to
the researcher if this is appropriate. Alternatively, please contact the research supervisor
Professor / Paul Miller from the School of Education & Professional Development,
University of Huddersfield.

Will all my details be kept confidential?

All information which is collected will be strictly confidential and anonymised before the data
is presented in the Dissertation, in compliance with the Data Protection Act and ethical
research guidelines and principles.

What will happen to the results of the research study?

The results of this research will be written up in a Dissertation and presented for assessment
in DATE. If you would like a copy please contact the researcher.

Who has reviewed and approved the study, and who can be contacted for
further information?

The research supervisor is Professor / Paul Miller. They can be contacted at the University
of Huddersfield.

Name & Contact Details of Researcher:

Sulaiman Morad
E-mail: Polaris555@outlook.com
Phone Number: +96598989560

59