Gamifiied Grammar in Arabic Classroom, Students’ and Teachers’ Perspectives from Two learning Settings in Sharjah and Dubai

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates is considered to be one of the leading Arabic countries that has been developing in many areas and one of them is education. The UAE 2020 Vision and National Agenda both shed light on the importance of developing first-rate education system. That requires a change in the current system and present teaching methods. A main goal of the UAE government is to make students reach a high level of proficiency in Arabic and English that is to be equipped with language skills that are required to function in the global market place. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the perspectives of teachers and students about integrating games in teaching Arabic grammar language and the challenges face adopting this method. This study conducts a critical literature review on theories related to the use of games and playing in grammar teaching. In addition, this study investigates, using survey methods, the perspectives of teachers and students in private learning settings in two emirates: Dubai and Sharjah. The study will identify the current practices used by the teachers and will investigate the factors that prevent them from using games in their teaching. A case study is conducted in both settings. Relevant interviews are conducted. The study concluded that teachers might refuse using the approach for different reasons, but they have positive opinions regarding the effectiveness of gamification in teaching Arabic grammar. On the contrary, students have strong inclination towards gamification and they see that methodology helps in increasing their motivation and goals achieved