This thesis reports on research conducted between 2004 and 2007 into the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in tertiary education institutions in Oman. The research was an exploration of English language teaching pedagogy with a particular focus on bilingual (English and Arabic) versus monolingual (English only) teaching and the role of first language (Arabic) usage in the classroom. The research was prompted on the one hand, by the need of the Omani government to train skilled teachers of English to support educational development and modernisation. On the other hand, I was aware of anecdotal evidence (including my own observations) that many students seemed to prefer learning with bilingual rather than monolingual teachers. I wanted to find out whether this was the case in Omani secondary institutions overall, and if so, why? What are the benefits and drawbacks of L1 usage in the classroom? What are the benefits and drawbacks of L2 only as a teaching medium? What are the language pedagogies that bilingual (Arabic and English speaking) teachers and monolingual (English only speaking) teachers typically practice? The study was carried out in six different higher education colleges in or near Muscat, the capital of Oman. Ten classroom observations were carried out (including bilingual and monolingual teachers) and eleven teachers were interviewed. Fifteen students from the same colleges as those teachers were interviewed. In addition, there is a self-reflective component built into the thesis. Throughout the course of the study I reflected on my own teaching in the light of the findings and my reading of the literature. As a bilingual teacher myself, how, to what extent, and for what purposes do I draw on English and Arabic in my teaching? How could I improve my own pedagogical practice?

This thesis reports on research conducted between 2004 and 2007 into the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in tertiary education institutions in Oman. The research was an exploration of English language teaching pedagogy with a particular focus on bilingual (English and Arabic) versus ...