Mona Azam

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the perceptions of multi-level Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) online learners of reading and creating digital comics in their online classroom. Data were collected from 23 multi-level online AFL students who participated in a 6 weeks fully online comic-based course where they read a comic each week with the teacher and create a digital comic using a web-based comic creation tool related to the topic they have read in class. Participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire and participate in group interviews at the end of the experiment. Results show that the majority of the students from different levels found reading comics to be enjoyable, motivating and useful to the development of their reading skills and vocabulary acquisition. However, students' perceptions toward the impact of reading comics on students' cultural awareness were more positive in the advanced class in comparison with the low-level classes. Moreover, findings revealed that creating comics was enjoyable to the majority of students and that it provided them with a sense of achievement and allowed them to be more creative with their language. Despite being viewed by the majority of the students as a time-consuming task, they stated that it was useful to their language proficiency. Thus, these results highlight the importance of integrating reading and creating comics in the AFL classrooms and opens the door for integrating more authenticity, innovation and technology in the AFL classrooms.

Department

Applied Linguistics Department

Degree Name

MA in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

Graduation Date

2-1-2019

Submission Date

January 2019

First Advisor

Abo El Seoud, Dalal

Committee Member 1

Abo El Seoud, Dalal

Committee Member 2

El Essawi, Raghda

Extent

132 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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