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Dual language programs at Qatar Foundation schools: examining teachers' perspective
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Dual language programs at Qatar Foundation schools: examining teachers' perspective
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Content
DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS AT QATAR FOUNDATION SCHOOLS: EXAMINING
TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES
by
Maha Rashid Al Romaihi
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2023
Copyright 2022 Maha Al Romaihi
ii
DEDICATION
To my beloved parents who had difficult lives, did not complete their education, and passed
away young:
Your first-born daughter is now
Dr. Maha
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who supported me and guided me
through this unforgettable journey of writing my doctoral thesis. I thank my dissertation chair Dr.
Cathy Krop for her continuous support and encouragement. You are a role model for an educator
that provides unconditional support for their students. Your continuous precise and prompt
feedback and cheering was what I needed all through this process.
I also extend my gratitude to Dr. Sabrina Chong and the whole global EdD program
faculty for their great planning and implementation of the program specially in the most difficult
times during the pandemic. I learned a lot for each one of you, both as a student and an educator
myself. Our conversations, discussions and classes will be a precious and unforgettable memory
that I will not forget.
To my lovely classmates who I enjoyed their company, learned from them and had an
immense amount of love and support. This was my first experience as an international student
and it was not easy for me, but with my lovely colleagues I had the best experience and friends
for life from all over the world. I also had the opportunity to speak and show my culture and
what my country has to offer through the program and to my colleagues.
Finally, and most importantly, I thank my beloved husband and my sons Abdulla and
Abdulaziz for your support and encouragement through my difficult and weak times to
accomplish this journey. My dear Abdulla and Abdulaziz this is to show you that you can do
anything you set your mind for to accomplish. Just do it my boys.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ........................................................................................................................................ ii
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. vi
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vii
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ix
Chapter One: Introduction to the Study ........................................................................................... 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................................. 2
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions .................................................................. 4
Importance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 5
Organizational Context ........................................................................................................ 6
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology ..................................................... 7
Definitions ........................................................................................................................... 9
Organization of the Dissertation ........................................................................................ 10
Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................................... 12
Historical Background of Dual Language Education in the State of Qatar ....................... 12
Language Acquisition in the Early Years .......................................................................... 22
Bilingualism and Dual Language Education: Opportunities and Challenges ................... 28
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 42
Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 48
Site or Organization Overview .......................................................................................... 49
Population and Sample ...................................................................................................... 51
Focus Group Sampling Strategy ........................................................................................ 53
Instrumentation .................................................................................................................. 54
v
Data Collection .................................................................................................................. 55
Credibility and Trustworthiness ........................................................................................ 59
Ethics ................................................................................................................................. 60
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 62
Chapter Four: Findings .................................................................................................................. 63
Overview of Participating Stakeholders ............................................................................ 64
Teachers’ Description of the Dual Language Programs in QF Schools ............................ 72
Findings ............................................................................................................................. 79
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 109
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations for Practice .................................................... 111
Discussion of Findings .................................................................................................... 111
Recommendations for Practice ........................................................................................ 117
Limitations and Delimitations ......................................................................................... 125
Recommendations for Future Research ........................................................................... 126
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 127
References ................................................................................................................................... 130
Appendix A: Recruitment Email ................................................................................................. 138
Appendix B: Information Sheet ................................................................................................... 140
Appendix C: Survey Protocol ...................................................................................................... 143
Appendix D: Focus Group Interview Protocol ............................................................................ 146
Appendix E: Social Behavioral Protocol ..................................................................................... 148
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Foundational Structures of Dual Language Education .................................................... 30
Table 2: Types of Dual Language Programs in Students’ Enrollment .......................................... 33
Table 3: Ecological Systems Used for this Study ......................................................................... 47
Table 4: Schools Included in the Study ......................................................................................... 51
Table 5: Categorizing Focus Group Data ...................................................................................... 58
Table 6: Breakdown of Participants from each School ................................................................. 71
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Pillars of Successful Dual Language Program Design .................................................. 39
Figure 2: Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems .............................................................................. 46
Figure 3: English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Participation From the Five
Schools .......................................................................................................................................... 65
Figure 4: English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Age Groups ..................... 66
Figure 5: English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Years of Teaching
Experience ..................................................................................................................................... 67
Figure 6: Number of Languages Spoken by English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking
Teachers ......................................................................................................................................... 68
Figure 7: English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Studying in a Dual
Language School ........................................................................................................................... 69
Figure 8: Grade Levels English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Taught at ... 70
Figure 9: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Parents Supporting the
Language They Teach ................................................................................................................... 90
Figure 10: Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Parents Supporting the
Language They Teach ................................................................................................................... 91
Figure 11: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’
Enjoyment of the Language They Teach ....................................................................................... 93
Figure 12: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’
Enjoyment of the Language They Teach ....................................................................................... 93
Figure 13: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’
Competency of the Language They Teach .................................................................................... 94
Figure 14: Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’
Competency of the Language They Teach .................................................................................... 95
Figure 15: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ and
Their Families Speaking the Language They Teach at Home ....................................................... 96
Figure 16: Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ and
Their Families Speaking the Language They Teach at Home ....................................................... 96
Figure 17: English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their District
Language Policy Supporting the Language They Teach ............................................................. 104
viii
Figure 18: Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their District
Language Policy Supporting the Language They Teach ............................................................. 105
ix
ABSTRACT
Dual language education programs are popular in Qatar and in Qatar Foundation schools
where the Arabic and English languages are taught. Schools offer dual language programs that
differ in percentage of instruction dedicated to each language, subject allocation for each
language, student population and mix and teachers’ experiences. Yet there is not much research
that explores why each model is stronger than the other or why a model is the best fit for Qatari
students in Qatar Foundation schools specifically. This mix methods study explored the different
models, their challenges and opportunities from the teachers’ perspective working within those
schools. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework for this
study, it included a survey where 132 teachers responded and 11 focus group interviews with 35
Arabic and English-speaking teachers. The instruments used revealed teachers’ perceptions and
views on the dual language models offered at their schools, the challenges faced, opportunities
and gains and what do they recommend to best design a model that fits the language needs for
Qatari students at Qatar Foundation schools. The study found that staffing and equity challenges
that relates to favoring a language over the other stand out as major barriers compared to other
challenges explored through the study. Teachers have also highlighted the opportunities students
at Qatar Foundation schools gain through studying within those programs such as building strong
personalities, open mindedness, and access to more learning opportunities because of their
bilingualism. A set of recommendations are presented in this study from teachers views during
the interviews and from me to support Qatar Foundation schools build more efficient dual
language programs for their students.
1
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
Dual language education is becoming popular in Qatar with the government’s interest in
preserving the native language of its students which is Arabic and introducing English as the
formal second language in the country (Al Obaidli, 2010). Dual language education programs are
programs that are offered in k-12 education providing instruction through two or more languages
to gain full proficiency in the selected languages (Cloud et al., 2000). Dual language programs
can be implemented through a variety of models and percentages of time of instruction. Models
depend on the background of students; community demands and decisions on the percentage of
instructional time dedicated to each language. Each language has its own challenges, including
the complexity of it, the historical background of it, its popularity and demand to learn it or not.
For Arabic students, Arabic can be challenging to learn as it is a diglossic language that is
spoken differently at home and in the streets from how it is learned in a Modern Standard Arabic
(MSA) form in school through reading and writing. Therefore, learning Arabic might seem like
learning a new language with the English language when students start their schooling journey in
Qatar. Many schools in Qatar offer different dual language models that vary in the time of
instruction dedicated for each language. Results from different standardized testing in Qatar do
not highlight growth or success in either Arabic or English language proficiency.
This study explored different dual language models that are offered in five QF primary
schools from the teachers’ perspective. Through the Arabic-speaking and English-speaking
homeroom teachers who teach multiple subjects either in Arabic or English, this study sought to
understand the challenges and possibilities from each dual language model. This understanding
and analysis of their perspective led to a better understanding of what model works well and
2
which does not and what is the best model that fits the language profiles and needs of students in
Qatar.
Background of the Problem
Dual language education is common in k-12 education in Qatar, and schools offer a
variety of dual language models. Yet, there are concerns of students’ low achievement levels in
language acquisition in both the Arabic and English language that are taught through those
models. Schools in Qatar teach the native language which is Arabic and a second language which
is English. The English language is emphasized and chosen as the government is interested in
raising the level of English language proficiency with its citizens as it believes in it as the
business language of the world and as a tool for students to enter prestigious universities around
the world (Romanowski et al., 2013). English also is becoming the lingua franca for many
activities in Qatar and has been a major language in the country since it gained its independence
from the British colonization in 1971 and is the communication for the oil industry that started
back then (Al-Maadheed, 2013). Therefore, English language is taught beside Arabic language in
all schools in Qatar, public and private schools. Schools have different models of dual language
education. Public schools teach English from preschool level through to grade 12 as a single
subject (Al-Maadheed, 2013). Private schools teach Arabic language as a single subject where
English language is used as the language of instruction for all the other subjects (Al-Maadheed,
2013). Qatar Foundation schools which are the focus of this study have more balanced dual
language programs where Arabic and English are each taught with higher percentages, but those
percentages differ in each school. Some schools assign 70% of instruction in English and the rest
for Arabic, some have their programs as 60% to 40% and some have an equal balance of 50/50
between the two languages.
3
Data of student achievement in language competency in schools in Qatar still show a
weakness in the acquisition of the Arabic language and the English language. Students’ results in
international tests such as PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS are not to international standards (Abou-El-
Kheir, 2017). The PISA test in 2009 revealed that more than 50% of students were described as
Level1, which is the lowest performed in the data (Al-Maadheed, 2013). The OECD (2019)
report of PISA scores of students in Qatar states the following “Students in Qatar scored lower
than the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science.” The report also added that “49%
of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in reading” (OECD average: 77%). Further, no
data or evidence currently shows which dual language models have more or less positive effects
on student achievement. Local authorities and Arabic research do not show the reality of
bilingual education in Qatar nor scores, but unpublished reports indicate low and unsatisfactory
student achievement data in spite of the huge efforts and money the government injects to reform
education in Qatar (Al-Maadheed, 2013).
The native Arabic language of Qatari students has many challenges. One challenge is that
Arabic is a diglossic language. The spoken Arabic at home is different from the MSA, which is
taught in schools, spoken and written, but not used in communities outside of school (Bidaoui,
2017). This adds a layer of difficulty for students as it makes students feel like they are learning
a new language when they arrive at school. Therefore, assuming that children in Qatar are
coming with a strong foundation in Arabic to school and only facing a challenge of learning a
second language is not true (Al-Maadheed, 2013). In some cases, students start school more
competent in the English language than their native language because of either having caregivers
who only speak English or their family who prefers speaking in English rather than Arabic at
home (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018). Thus, students in Qatar go through challenges
4
learning the two languages, and schools often lack research that supports them in making
decisions about what is the best dual language model that caters to the needs of their students’
language profiles and the parent and government demands to graduate students who are
competent in both languages.
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions
The purpose of this study is to understand the different dual language models introduced
in five of Qatar Foundation schools and the teachers’ perspective of the challenges and
opportunities of teaching and supporting students’ language acquisition within these different
models. Their perspectives are critical to best design a dual language model that suits Qatari
students in Qatar Foundation schools and responds to the cultural, governmental, and parental
demands from dual language education in those schools.
The study also shows what kind of additional support teachers in Qatar Foundation
schools need to reach the desired results for dual language proficiency among students. This
study is the first study that looks into dual language education models in Qatar Foundation
schools. As such, it benefits the whole educational sector in Qatar as it focuses on dual language
models that teach Arabic as the native language and English as the second language. The study
can also be beneficial to countries in the Arab Gulf region as students share the same cultural
backgrounds and language challenges.
5
The following research questions guide this study:
RQ1 What are the challenges and opportunities English and Arabic homeroom teachers face in
supporting language acquisition in primary dual language programs in Qatar Foundation
schools?
RQ 2 How do English and Arabic language teachers perceive the support they receive
and expectations on them in the language they teach?
RQ 3 How can dual language programs be designed to support the needs of Qatari
students learning their mother tongue language?
Importance of the Study
The importance of this study lies in the research and knowledge of the background of
dual language education in the state of Qatar and the search for the reasons behind the success
and failure of dual language programs offered in Qatar Foundation schools. Most schools in the
state of Qatar seek to graduate students who are proficient in the mother tongue, which is the
Arabic language, and the second language, which is the English language, to help students keep
pace with the globalized world and to enroll in elite international universities. Moreover,
advancing the state of Qatar globally is tied to students’ mastery of their mother tongue, which
enhances their identity, and their mastery of the English language, which is the key to global
success.
With the existence of many models of bilingual education and the presence of evidence
of students’ weakness in both Arabic and English, it is necessary to study what is the optimal
model for a dual language program to present to students in the state of Qatar to preserve their
mother tongue and gain the new language of English in a balanced and thoughtful manner that
ensures that they have success in acquiring two languages and graduating from school with
6
proficiency in the use of both languages. This study clarifies, from the teachers’ perspective,
what are the challenges and opportunities they see in each dual language model that they teach
through, and thus some successful models and practices that can be generalized, and the
challenges that need to be faced and addressed.
It should be noted that literature and research in the case of Qatar does not have enough
data to fully understand the extent and effects of dual language programs on students in Qatar.
Qatar Foundation also did not have any research done on their schools’ dual language programs
and teachers’ perspectives of it, so conducting this research will add to the data and findings
needed for the educational sector in Qatar and specifically for dual language education in the
country.
Organizational Context
Qatar Foundation is the organization that hosts the five schools studied in this
dissertation. It was established in 1995 as a nonprofit organization that is entrusted with the task
of developing the country’s educational system and to position the state of Qatar as an
educational hub in the region (Knight, 2014). The organization was established with the vision of
supporting the country’s transformation from an oil-based economy to a knowledge-based
economy (Knight, 2014). Qatar Foundation consists of 50 entities that work with education,
research and community development (Qatar Foundation, 2021). Qatar Foundation has created a
unique ecosystem in Qatar that drives and supports innovation, empowers others and creates
global opportunities (Qatar Foundation, 2021).
Part of Qatar Foundation’s ecosystem is the pre-university education sector that hosts 13
schools with a variety of educational frameworks and missions that fosters a culture of lifelong
learning (Qatar Foundation, 2021). This study took place in five of those schools which host
7
primary school divisions and are all schools that are accredited by the International
Baccalaureate Organization. The majority of students in those schools are Qatari students, and
the rest are mostly expatriate students from neighboring Arab countries. The native language of
students is the Arabic language. The faculty body in Qatar Foundation schools are international
and mostly come from western countries where English is their native language. All of the five
schools are dual language schools with different dual language models that teach Arabic and
English languages only. The schools differ in their years of existence, with one of them being
Qatar Academy Doha which is the flagship school of Qatar Foundation and has been in the
organization for 25 years and the youngest school being Tariq Bin Ziad school which was
founded in 2019.
All of the schools within Qatar Foundation look for better strategies to address issues of
dual language learning, language acquisition issues with the native language and the second
language, and how to raise achievement in both languages.
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology
This dissertation used Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the framework
guiding the study. The theory examines the relationship of the individual and the wider
community. The framework facilitates organizing findings about individuals and their
environment to understand the interrelationships within (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2013). The
ecological systems theory identifies four environmental systems in which the individual interacts
and develops, moving from the microsystem that is closest to the individual to the macrosystem
that is furthest from the individual. The microsystem represents the immediate environment that
influences the individual’s development, for example the classroom, the playground or home. It
is the experiences and relationships experienced by the individual in a particular setting. The
8
mesosystem, which is the next layer, involves the relationship between two communities such as
home and school. The exosystem, cradling the microsystem and mesosystem, involves settings
that do not involve the individual directly, but where events happen, and the result has an impact
on the individual. Lastly, the macrosystem involves the larger cultural system that includes the
community, belief system, values and ideologies (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Each of these systems
is interconnected and affects teachers’ delivery of dual language instruction and students’ Arabic
and English language acquisition.
The framework was used to study teachers’ perspectives on dual language education in
the schools they teach at to gain a holistic understanding of the opportunities and challenges
homeroom teachers experience while teaching in different dual language models within Qatar
Foundation’s schools. The study looked at teachers’ development and views from the four levels
of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework. For teachers, the microsystem includes the
policies and practices at the school they work at and their students. Their mesosystem includes
the families of their students and the school community. The exosystem includes Qatar
Foundation and the Ministry of Education’s goals, vision, priorities and practices, and the
macrosystem includes the beliefs and the cultural norms in the society in which they work.
The study utilized a mixed method approach where a survey of demographics and views
on the dual language model in each school was distributed to all homeroom teachers in the five
schools. Teachers who had been in the school for more than 3 years and those who taught more
than one subject in one language were asked to respond to the survey. Focus group interviews
were conducted with 35 teachers across the five schools with a focus on understanding how the
four levels of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework affect dual language instruction
and language acquisition among Qatari students.
9
Teachers’ perspectives, through the five different dual language models that were studied
in the five primary schools under the Qatar Foundation umbrella, revealed strengths and
weaknesses for each dual language model. Data revealed themes and trends that need to be
addressed and investigated further. Those insights formed an understanding of what is the best
model that fits the language needs of Qatari students in Qatar, what are the challenges that need
to be addressed and what are the success and best practices that need to be shared.
Definitions
Qatar Foundation (QF): Qatar Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Qatar that caters
to education, research, and community development.
Pre-University Education (PUE): Pre-University Education is an office in QF that
oversees all 13 schools in the organization. The office provides the vision for the school district
and sets policies and regulations. The office supports schools’ operations by providing them with
finance , HR , procurement , professional development and academic services.
Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE): The Ministry of Education and
Higher Education (MOEHE) is the government body responsible for supporting and regulating
education in Qatar. That includes K-12 public and private schools and high-quality institutions of
higher education in Qatar (MOEHE, 2020).
Homeroom teachers: These are teachers who teach more than one subject for the same
group of students using one language. For example, an English-speaking homeroom teacher
teaches English language, Math and science. An Arabic-speaking teacher teaches Arabic
language, Islamic studies and social studies.
10
Preschool (PS): The preschool has two stages which are PS 3 which is the first level of
education in the IB system where students enroll when they are 3 years old and continue the year
after to PS 4.
International Baccalaureate Program (IB): The International Baccalaureate program,
which is a global leader in international education. The organization aims to develop inquiring,
knowledgeable, confident and caring students through four programs. The programs are the
primary years program (PYP), middle years program, diploma program and the career related
program (CT; International Baccalaureate Organization, 2021).
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA): Modern Standard Arabic is used for writing and reading
in all Arab countries which is the (H) High variety of the language. This is distinguished from
the (L) low variety of Arabic language which is the Colloquial Arabic used for communication
and it differs in each Arab country (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019).
Organization of the Dissertation
Five chapters guide this dissertation. This chapter included an introduction to the study
that described the background of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions,
importance of the study and the organizational context. This chapter also included an overview
of the theoretical framework, the methodology used and the limitation and delimitation of the
study. Chapter Two presents a literature review that covers the political, social, and economic
factors that influence English language education in Qatar. The literature review also covers dual
language education models and characteristics of their effectiveness, language acquisition
theories and equity through dual language education. Chapter Three discusses the methodology
used for this study and provides an explanation of the organization studied and the stakeholders
involved. Chapter Three also covers the instruments used, data analysis conducted, and the
11
credibility and trustworthiness of the research. Chapter Four presents the findings of the study
related to the research questions, and recommendations for practice are discussed in Chapter
Five.
12
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provides research related to the topic of dual language education. It will start
with a background tour of the history of dual language education in Qatar, including the social,
political and economic contexts for dual language education in Qatar, the history of English
language policies in Qatar, and the status and view of Arabic language in Qatar as the mother
tongue of the nation. The literature review will then discuss language acquisition theories and the
implication of those theories on mother tongue learning and dual language education in terms of
what it is, how it is implemented and the opportunities it brings. The last and third section of the
literature review will discuss bilingualism and dual language education providing an overview of
the different dual language education models, the opportunities they provide and the
characteristics of an effective dual language program. In addition, it will highlight the role of the
teacher and their perspectives on dual language education. The chapter concludes with a
discussion of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the theoretical framework guiding this
study, through discussing its origins, philosophy and links to the focus of this dissertation on
how dual language programs can be designed to balance mother tongue language and new
language learning through understanding the perspective of teachers on three circles around them
that starts with their understanding of themselves as teachers to the support they get from their
schools and parents communities to the last circle of the support they receive from their
organization and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Historical Background of Dual Language Education in the State of Qatar
Dual language education is common in Qatar. The government and population emphasize
the education of the native language which is Arabic and English as a second language for all
Qatari students. The government and educational institutions in Qatar know the importance of
13
the English language being the business language of the world and the language of instruction of
most elite universities around the world (Eggeling, 2017). Further, many parents value dual
language instruction and English as a second language as many of them are themselves graduates
of English medium schools or universities or they view it as a social trend; people who speak
English are more educated, traveled or are higher in economic status. At the same time, Qatari
students often face challenges when they learn their native language. Children hear more than
one version of Arabic language as there is the classical Arabic, and this is the language used for
formal writing such as textbooks, newspapers and any formal communication. In addition, there
is the Qatari spoken Arabic. Thus, students often enroll in schools with strong English spoken
skills and weak native language. In Qatar, there are different models of dual language teaching,
applied in different ways, with implications for students’ language learning and achievement.
Social, Political and Economic Contexts for Dual Language Education in Qatar
The state of Qatar has gone through many social, political and economic changes and
shifts that shaped its current stand toward dual language education and the policy for teaching
the English language. Qatar is a young country and formal education in Qatar started only in the
1950s (Tok et al., 2016). Formal education in Qatar started with three boys schools that had a
limited number of students and teachers. Before that, children were educated and learned how to
read and write in the mosque through learning how to read and memorize the Quran, which is the
holy book of the religion of Islam, the formal religion of the state of Qatar and the region in it
(Tok et al., 2016). English language education was introduced as a single subject in the
government schools in the 1960s. There was not a strong emphasis on the language nor a strong
desire for it to be learned, and it was introduced to students while they were in middle school
(Tok et al., 2016). Qatar saw rapid economic growth beginning around 1996 with the new
14
leadership of His Highness the Emir father Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Her
Highness Shaikah Moza Bint Nasser. Before their rule, Qatar had a strong oil and gas industry
and associated funds but no clear vision for the country’s economic development, education and
human development (Tok et al., 2016). They established Qatar’s first vision and mission that
focused on building an educational infrastructure to create a knowledge-based economy,
believing that Qatar would only rise if its people were well educated. With this new vision, an
educational reform was launched in 2003 called Education for a New Era. As part of this reform,
English language education was introduced formally as an important language that the country
would focus on as a partner language with the teaching of the Arabic language. The government
believed that for it to financially boom and be recognized worldwide, its population needed to
speak the business language of the world fluently (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018) and
for the Qatari educational system to be diversified by creating variety of schools, with different
missions, curricula, pedagogy and resources (Alfadala, 2019). Since that time, dual language
education in Qatar has been the norm in local and private schools. The Qatari government has
introduced English language education to its community as a primary tool for ensuring a
promising future in social, educational and economic contexts, to create more tolerance to other
cultures and to prevent radicalism among its citizens (Barnawi, 2018). Qatar National Strategy
2016, for example, emphasized market and work needs in Qatar by giving the direction and drive
to teach English and use English in Qatar mainly for business and communication, with Qatar,
“aiming to prepare its citizens for a more participatory and economically competitive future”
(Barnawi, 2018, p. 92). Learners with weaker English have been labeled with low academic
achievement and lower chances of getting access to international university education and access
15
to the job market, while people who command high skills of English are considered the elite
because of the access they get (Barnawi, 2018).
While English policies and agendas have been introduced to the Qatari community for
the purpose of elevating the educational scene in Qatar, they have not always been welcomed by
the Qatari society. Qatari scholars, intellects and conservative Muslim scholars have expressed
their objections to the introduction of the English language in instructional time and diminishing
the instructional time for teaching the Arabic language and Islamic studies which will affect the
Qatari identity and its values toward language and religion (Barnawi, 2018). For example,
through the new reform policy of 2003, English was not only taught as a language, but other
subjects were taught in English too such as mathematics and sciences. This policy faced strong
criticism from the community (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018). The argument
surrounded teaching math and science concepts in a new language with children needing to
understand those concepts in their native language first. In addition, one of the debates was the
marginalization of the Arabic language because of the mandate to make English as the language
of instruction for mathematics and the sciences in all grade levels. Another issue was the lack of
clearly studied policies on the role of the national language, the addition of a foreign language,
and the critical attitudes toward language planning and policy (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019).
This resulted in the lack of adequate planning for implementing the transition between Arabic
instruction to English instruction. Another implication was the efforts by the government to
increase the perception of the impact of using English as a language of instruction on high
students’ achievement and the opportunities this language would open for them. Some saw the
policy as discriminatory against low socioeconomic groups and its failure to provide equal
access to quality education as only rich parents will be able to enroll their children in private
16
schools that offer high-quality education in the English language compared to what is offered in
public schools (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019). The government changed the mandate for English
instruction for other subjects after a couple years of operation (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz,
2018).
This emphasis on the English language has continued over time to create controversy in
the community and a weakened Arabic/native language for Qataris. As stated by Hillman and
Ocampo Eibenschutz (2018),
With growing concerns over the impact of English on local culture and identity, it has
been possible to observe changes in the official narrative, starting with the 2012 reforms
in which Qatar’s independent schools and QU switched their main language of
instruction from English to Arabic and implemented an Arabic monolingual model. (p.
240)
The authors question the meaning within the Qatari context of the symbolic positioning
of the English language as a tool for globalization and modernization as changes in the
geopolitical scene arise. The Qatari society that negotiates between cultural authenticity and
linguistic practices is evidence of identities that are reconstructed to give meaning to the national
identity under the changes happening around them (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018).
Qatar’s super diversity allows for English to be the second language while the Arabic language
with all of its varieties complicates the relationship between language and identity in the context
of Qatar (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018). The authors elaborate on the topic by saying,
Considering the recent diplomatic crisis, national sentiments are likely to appear more
and more, alluding to a sense of self that is increasingly differentiated from that of its
neighboring Arab Gulf countries and perhaps more aligned with Iran or Turkey. (p. 229)
17
They anticipate that various Englishes and more languages will begin to gain more status in
Qatar (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018).
Although the country has invested in making sure its citizens learn the English language,
it has also needed to ensure the Arabic language is presented to students in an effective form and
for it to be preserved in multiple plans and approaches.
The Status and View of the Arabic Language Learning (Mother Tongue) in Qatar:
Nationalist Desire and the Desire for Globalization
The Arabic language is viewed as a sacred language for Arabs. It is also a symbolic
language that represents culture, traditions and religion. Qataris have great respect for it. An
Amiri decree issued the law for the protection of the Arabic language in 2019 to mandate the use
of the Arabic language in all communications in formal institutions in Qatar. On the other hand,
Qataris view the English language as important to gain access to more opportunities in life and as
a socioeconomic higher status measure (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018).
Mustafawi and Shaaban (2019) discuss how the use of colloquial Arabic on social media
and other media forms has decreased the value of Arabic and its prestige in the eyes of the
younger generation. More Arabs now communicate in Arabic using English letters in different
social platforms. Moreover, the use of English terms within Arabic speech has increased sending
the message that there are no relevant words in Arabic. At the same time, the expansion of the
use of English has increased insecurities and brought emotions about colonial days where
English ruled the country. The authors discuss how English is competing with the Arabic
language now as the youth and professionals using English in their communications creates a
“lack of advancement and improvement of students’ performance, and the perceived threat to the
Qatari Arab cultural and linguistic identity” (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019, p. 210)
18
The population in Qatar, as do many other Arab countries, views the Arabic language as
a source of pride and a symbol of their own identity (Mustafawi & Shabaan, 2019). The Arabic
language is spoken by over 200 million people in the Middle East region and Muslim countries
around the world (Al-Maadheed, 2013). The community, therefore, will resist any perceived
threat coming to their language, especially from a colonial language and, moreover, if this
language does not prove its effectiveness (Mustafawi & Shabaan, 2019). While the mother
tongue is a great source of pride and identity, multilingualism is a prominent fact in Qatar that
shows clearly in the variety of languages spoken by Qatari citizens and expats living in Qatar as
well as by the other Arabian language varieties that serve as home languages for some Qatari
tribes (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019). Qatari citizens only constitute 10% of the population of
Qatar and the remaining percentage represents the multinational expatriate population working in
Qatar. Those expatriates bring their own native languages, cultures, and traditions, and “Of these
expatriates, 18% are speakers of other varieties of Arabic who share with Qataris the diglossic
situation, and around 60% come from Asia” (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019, p. 212). English is
used widely in Qatar specially after Qatar gained its independence from the British colonization
in 1973 (Al-Maadheed, 2013). English started to be used as a tool for communication after
becoming a major expatriate of the gas and oil industry (Al-Maadheed, 2013). English has been
serving for a while as the lingua franca par excellence for communication among the different
communities, especially in the banking and commerce sectors where written English is the used
tool (Mustafawi & Shaaban, 2019 and Al-Maadheed, 2013). Qataris understand that English is a
dominant language and that it is the language of business and academics (Lindsey, 2012).
Further, many Qatari children have nannies from other countries such as Sri Lanka,
Philippines and India and those children are raised in multilingual homes. The nannies provide
19
care for children in their developmental years while they are obtaining their formative languages.
The nannies speak various Englishes or their native languages (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz,
2018). Qataris interact using MSA with the classical Arabic only used in varying degrees when
listening to the news or reading the Quran or reading the subtitles of a movie (Hillman &
Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018). With all the efforts to preserve the Arabic language, the language
exhibits some challenges for learning it, especially with the younger generation.
The Implications of the Arabic Language as a Diglossic Language on Students’ Language
Learning
The Arabic language is a diglossic language that has many varieties of dialect and spoken
language because of the number of countries that speak it. There are two forms of the Arabic
language, the classical Arabic which is used formally in institutions and in textbooks and the
Vernacular Arabic which is the language used in social contexts. Students are more proficient in
their region or country’s dialect than the classical Arabic taught in schools. Reading and writing
skills seem interconnected as learning to read will eventually facilitate the writing skill
(Gherwash, 2017). Zakharia (2015) explains the Arabic diglossic situation as follows, “All
education in Arabic is bilingual or multilingual, or at least bi‐ or multi‐dialectical, with Classical
and Modern Standard Arabic used to formally teach curricular subjects and local spoken
varieties used in classroom communication and non‐formal school spaces.” (p. 618).
This presents large implications for young learners to learn the language. Learning the
classical Arabic which is taught in schools might seem like learning a new language for some
students. This presents further implications for educators that design dual language programs for
schools. Another implication is the low levels of literacy in Arabic in the Arab world and the
discrepancies of literacy reports among countries in the Arab world. Gherwash (2017) discussed
20
in her paper that low rates of literacy in the Arab countries must be the result of the diglossic
nature of the Arabic language. She writes that some researchers argue that by the time children
enroll in schools, they have mastered the spoken Arabic language variety used in their
community. Their new learning of the written form in school which is the classical Arabic equals
learning a new language. The gap gets exacerbated by the fact that it is unusual for Arab parents
to read to their children using the classical form of the Arabic language, the form that they will
learn how to read and write in when at school (Gherwash, 2017). Parents think their children will
not understand the oral and written language in classical Arabic and read to their children using
oral-folk storytelling. This explains the low demand for Arabic language books in the Arabic
region in relation to the size of the region. Gherwash (2019) concludes by saying, “Late exposure
and negative attitude toward the written form of the language seem to widen the gap between the
written and the spoken varieties, thus making the acquisition of literacy more challenging” (p.
63).
In the case of the Qatari students, their language profile contains two languages which are
Arabic as their native language and English as their second language. The reality is that students
before they enroll in school speak the Qatari Arabic language which is a variety but not the
classical Arabic language. Qatari students also often speak English at a very young age because
of many influences around them such as caregivers who speak English only, parents who
emphasize speaking in English to the child to learn the language quicker, the community which
has more English speakers than Arabic speakers and the culture of cartoons, movies, YouTube
videos and music that is influenced by the English language only.
The research shows the complex diglossic phenomenon of the Arabic language and how
cultural and linguistic factors can impact language learning. Students do not only face challenges
21
when they are learning their native language, but also when they are learning English in their
classrooms.
Issues in English Education in Qatar
Qatar’s efforts and agenda to integrate English language teaching in its curricula has not
translated well into students’ achievement data. In an OECD Program of International Students
Assessment (PISA) data report about results of English language skills of the students in Qatar,
students scored lower than other OECD countries in reading and only 49% scored at level 2
which is the baseline level of proficiency of reading which is 77% of the OECD average (OECD,
2019). The OECD report also suggested that socio-economically advantaged children in Qatar
outperformed disadvantaged students in reading which highlights issues of equity in the
educational system of dual languages. Another complication is also highlighted by Cheema
(2015) that there are higher literacy scores with students in private schools in Qatar compared to
students at public schools causing a literacy divide. She clarifies that students’ level variables
such as economic status, gender, grade, immigrant status and social status had a significant
impact on literacy.
Additional challenges to the English language teaching in Qatar can be attributed to the
lack of highly qualified teachers to teach the language in the government system. Because of
this, the language is often taught by non-native speakers. In an initiative in 2007, the Ministry of
Education and Higher Education opened up recruitment for native speakers of English to come
and teach at local schools in Qatar offering higher salaries than other non-Qatari teachers. The
initiative has failed as native speakers of English continue to be attracted to teach in the private
sector in Qatar rather than the public sector as it offers larger benefits packages (Al Obaidli,
2010). Other challenges to English instruction are the resistance from parents to accept English
22
instruction for mathematics and science and controversy related to fear that the English language
instruction might take instructional time from Islamic studies and Arabic language. These factors
contribute to students not achieving highly in English language learning in public schools in
Qatar.
While there is no easy solution or a best design to teach the two languages for Qatari
students and overcome current obstacles, language acquisition theory in the early years provides
some evidence for different approaches.
Language Acquisition in the Early Years
To understand how to build an effective dual language program for students, it is
necessary to understand theories that explain how language acquisition is acquired and the
features of learning a language. Understanding language acquisition theories and second
language acquisition theories facilitates the task of designing a language program for students at
school, choosing the best strategies to facilitate students’ learning and selecting the criteria and
tools for assessment. Moreover, understanding the implications of learning a new language while
maintaining the learning of the native language of the students facilitates the task of building a
successful and well-balanced dual language program without sacrificing a language or
underestimating the importance and value of a language to their speakers.
Language Acquisition Theories
There are many theories that relate to language acquisition and how humans acquire and
practice a certain language. Three major theories related to language acquisition include nativist
theory, sociocultural theory, and learning theory. Nativist theory suggests that human beings
have genes that allow them to learn language (Bohern Anna, 2018). This theory argues that there
is a device in the brain that is responsible for language acquisition. The theory also suggests that
23
there is a universal grammar that is part of the genetic makeup of humans. Every language has an
infinite number of nouns and verbs that can create phrases and language rules. The theory
explains how humans have far more complicated and complex patterns for communication.
Language theory can be compared to how we think with numbers; the same concepts can be
articulated in different languages (Bohren, 2018). Sociocultural theory suggests that children
acquire language because of their desire to communicate with the outside world. Thus, language
depends on the desire and need for social interaction. This theory emphasizes that our language
depends on whom we interact with and want to communicate with. The theory suggests that our
ability to speak a language efficiently and quickly depends on who we interact with and our
environment (Bohren, 2018). The learning theory suggests that children learn a language similar
to learning how to tie their shoe or to count, the skills are gained through repetition and
reinforcement (Kymissis & Poulson, 1990).
Related, Aljoundi (2014) presents more language theories that explain how language is
acquired. They include the innatist theory, cognitivist theory and the motherese theory. The
innate theory suggests that children’s brains contain special language mechanisms to learn
language so language is an innate capacity. It also suggests that children are born with innate
knowledge that guides them into learning a language. The author states that Chomsky argues that
learning language is not something that the child does; it is a natural thing like physically
growing because of the environment and the nurturing a child has. The motherese theory which
is called the input theory also, claims that children learn to speak by listening only to the adults
around them and from the environment and that speech is never addressed to language learning
(Aljoundi,2014). Finally, Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory claims that language is only one aspect
24
of a child’s intellectual ability. The theory focuses on exploring the links between language skills
and the stages of cognitive development.
To understand more about how a school can design a dual language program, it is
important to understand how a student acquires a new language in addition to their mother
tongue language.
Second Language Acquisition Theories
There are other language theories that specifically explain second language acquisition
with learners. When learning a second language, the theories suggest the first goal would be to
understand and develop meaning. There are many types of meaning such as grammatical,
semantic, lexical, and pragmatic (Bohern Anna, 2018)). One second language acquisition theory
is the social interactionist theory which suggests that second language acquisition happens from
the early interactions between children and their caregivers. This theory emphasizes the
importance of social interaction and the interactions of parents with their children.
In addition, multiple studies discuss Krashen’s language acquisition theory. This theory
suggests that learning a second language does not entail learning a precise use of its grammatical
rules nor require multiple drills (Schut, 2019). Krashen’s theory suggests that a second language
is learned through meaningful interaction and communication in the targeted language without
concerning the students about the form of their utterances but more on the messages they are
conveying (Schut, 2019). He argues that the best learning can happen in a low anxiety context
where learners focus on the meaning of the communication rather than correcting production
errors (Schut, 2019). Ariza and Hancock (2003) further discuss that a second language is
acquired unconsciously in the same manner as learning the first language. They relate this notion
to the innatist theory. They explain that teachers can teach the language as a comprehensible
25
input through the use of multiple strategies such as linguistic simplifications and the use of
realia, images, visuals, and other strategies. While Krashen emphasizes one-way communication
as needed; others argue that conversational and interactionist approaches support second
language acquisitions (Ariza & Hancock, 2003). These notions support the interactionist theory.
The theory suggests that learners given the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities to
negotiate meaning and express and clarify intention to understand meaning is the way to arrive at
mutual understanding and acquire language. When meaning is negotiated, input
comprehensibility is increased (Ariza & Hancock, 2003). Other interactionists theories apply
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of human mental processing to define the role of interaction in
second language acquisition. Vygotsky suggests that learners learn a second language when they
interact with high level speakers of the targeted language and that scaffolding structures are used
more to refine the language learning (Ariza & Hancock, 2003).
Educational institutions around the world compete in offering different dual language
models as well as parents compete in enrolling their children into those institutions. Often, not as
much thought is given to the implications of learning a new language on the development of the
mother tongue language, or the implications of the mother tongue language on the new learned
foreign language.
Implications for Mother Tongue Language Acquisition
The topic of how to acquire both a strong mother tongue language and another language
is complicated and there are a variety of thoughts and studies on it. For example, some believe
that learning a new language in an early stage may negatively affect the acquisition of the mother
tongue language (Yadav, 2014) and some believe that having a solid mother tongue language
will benefit the acquisition of a second language (Cummins, 2001). The level of the mother
26
tongue development with children is a strong indicator of their second language development as
children who come to school with a strong foundation of their mother tongue maintain and
develop stronger skills in the second language they learn (Cummins, 2001).
Studies consistently point to the importance of the acquisition of a strong mother tongue
language. Human beings are first monolingual creatures before they become bilingual or acquire
more languages. So, the child conceptualizes the world with their mother tongue (Akintunde et
al., 2021). Research suggests that there are benefits for students’ language acquisition if language
of instruction is in their native language (Yadav, 2014). Further, research shows that students’
ability to learn an additional language does not suffer when their primary language of instruction
in their primary year is their mother tongue (Yadav, 2014). Students who abruptly transition too
soon into learning a new language other than their mother tongue might cause their mother
tongue language to be weakened or even lost (Yadav, 2014). Their self-confidence as learners
and their interest in what they are learning may decline, leading to lack of motivation, school
failure and early school drop-out (Yadav, 2014). Instruction received in the mother tongue can
more easily be assimilated and become permanent than that received in a foreign language
(Akintunde et al., 2021). The mother tongue is a base to learn more languages and facilitates
understanding, conceptualization and continuity in thinking (Akintunde et al., 2021).
In a study about The Impact of Mother Tongue Instruction on the Development of
Biliteracy: Evidence from Somali–Swedish Bilinguals, Ganuza & Hedman (2019) found that
mother tongue contributed positively in reading comprehension. Moreover, they found evidence
that mother tongue has a positive impact on students’ minority language proficiency and
evidence of cross-linguistic influence, particularly for measures of reading. The development of
27
the mother tongue proficiency allows language minority learners to have a starting point to learn
the English language rather than being viewed from a deficit standview (Acosta et al., 2019).
Before teaching a new language, teachers should understand students’ level of
proficiency and cognitive ability of their mother tongue language (Madriñan, 2014). It is
important for students to understand the meaning of the symbol language to understand how to
read and write (Madriñan, 2014). Their understanding of the mechanisms of acquiring their
mother tongue language will facilitate their second language acquisition. As a result, “It is in the
classroom that the second language background is built, using the first language as a bridge
between previous and new knowledge” (Madriñan, 2014, p. 57).
Further, research suggests that even if teachers do not allow students to speak their
mother tongue in class, learners of second language will always make connections with their
native language to learn the new language (Madriñan, 2014). Although this happens often, in
some cases learning a new language cannot happen until learners have sufficiently acquired their
first language before exposure to the new language (Madriñan, 2014). Not only do students who
begin school in kindergarten with higher levels of their first language acquire the new language
more easily, but, students who had better reading skills in their native language performed better
in the second language than those who had weaker skills in their native language (Madriñan,
2014).
In the results of her study, Madriñan (2014) found that the development of the first
language in the first-year immersion program will benefit the second language acquisition
process. She argues that even if the two languages are visually different, students learn the two
languages using the same processing system. Previous knowledge is always important for
learning a new language. She also adds that students with stronger first language skills transfer
28
much more successfully and easily to second language learning as they transfer concepts and
experiences to the second language which was found in her study when interviewing the
teachers. These findings stress the importance of the mother tongue language status when
building a dual language program.
Bilingualism and Dual Language Education: Opportunities and Challenges
How many people do you know around you that are bilingual? More than half of the
population of the world is bilingual or able to use more than one language (Mahootian, 2020).
Many countries house multiple languages such as India, Iran, and Zimbabwe. In her book
Bilingualism, Mahootian describes bilingualism as “a social and linguistic phenomenon” that has
an “impact on individuals and on society” (p. 2), including raising children’s cognitive abilities.
There are multiple factors that can contribute to attaining bilingualism, such as the age and
manner of the acquisition, the literacy skills acquired, function and domains of use, degree of
fluency and proficiency, and the self-assessment of how comfortable one is with using a certain
language (Mahootian, 2020). Moreover, there are multiple types of bilingual speakers. They vary
by age when they acquired the language, by method of acquiring, and by function through their
ability to use the language (Mahootian, 2020).
Shin (2017) discusses how educational institutions around the world contribute to the
increasing rate of bilingual education based on the high demand of parents. Parents have become
eager to give the opportunity of acquiring a second language to their children, in particular the
English language. With globalization, parents believe that acquiring the English language as a
second language in addition to their native language will increase their children’s chances of
success in life. Bilingual education has manifested in educational institutions because of our
globalized world. Teachers have the biggest role in implementing a successful dual language
29
program as their perspectives, attitudes, experiences and training shape the program
implemented. Soltero (2016) describes her journey as a teacher embracing the values of the dual
language program implemented in her school after initially resisting it. She embraced the
program as she started seeing the positive outcomes of it, such as the decision-making process
the leadership provided, the well thought out planning process, the academic progress of the
students, the happiness of the parents and the friendships made between students from two
language groups. While there are many positive opportunities linked to dual language education,
there are also some challenges related to issues of equity. Some programs, for example, are
available only for the elite in countries around the world. Other issues are how schools address
native languages and the availability of instruction in students’ native languages.
Overview of Different Dual Language Program Models
Models of dual language education differ in their design and organizational structure.
Their differences range from the use of time, content and approach. All models share three
common goals: biliterate, academic and cross- cultural competencies that are offered for students
(Soltero, 2016). These three goals guide schools’ decision-making processes to build the
structure of their dual language programs. Program models include differences in the scope of
the implementation, either whole school or stand alone; in the students’ population served as is it
one-way, serving only English language learners or two ways serving two different groups of
students (native speakers of English and non-native speakers); language allocation meaning is it
total immersion or partial immersion; language or initial literacy instruction and classroom
organization that determines how teachers are assigned (Soltero, 2016). Table 1 clarifies these
differences.
30
Table 1
Foundational Structures of Dual Language Education
Domain Definition Comments
School implementation scope Schoolwide: all classes in the
school implement the
program.
Strand: only one class per
grade level implements the
program for example.
Schoolwide programs tend to
have better results as the
whole school shares the same
vision, mission, and goals.
Language allocation Total immersion: it includes
two models; the 90-10 and
80-20. Usually 90% or 80%
of the time is allocated to the
language other than English
and the rest is for the English
language teaching.
Partial immersion: known as
the 50-50 or balanced model,
provides instruction in both
languages in equal amounts of
time. Content areas are
commonly taught in both
languages by alternating
between each language either
by time or teacher.
In total immersion; English
language instruction increases
gradually after grade 2. All
academic content is taught in
the second language until
more English instruction is
added in later years.
In particle immersion if team
teaching is used; students
learn the same content in two
languages on different days
and times. If taught by a
bilingual teacher; they
alternate by day or time. In
some cases the languages are
distributed by teacher or
content.
Student language population Two-way: students are from
two language groups; English
language learners that speak
the same L1 and native
English speakers.
One way: Dominant-language
students with no speakers of
the target language (example,
French immersion programs
for English speakers in
Canada). All students are not
proficient in the language of
schooling.
Heritage language students
enroll in two-way programs
and in some cases considered
native speakers of English
while learning their heritage
language.
English language learners are
the most common in one-way
programs where they learn
English as a second language
while developing their native
language.
31
Domain Definition Comments
Classroom configurations Team-teaching (side by side):
Languages are separated by
teacher.
One teacher instructs in
English and the other in a
language other than English.
In a two-way model, each
classroom has mixed
language groups.
Teachers coordinate their
teaching and exchange
student groups throughout
the week.
Self-contained (Roller-
Coaster):
Language is separated by
time or content.
One bilingual teacher
instructs in both languages.
Time separation includes
half-day or alternate
day/week models.
Some schools apply a
combination of both
approaches.
In team teaching, two
teachers instruct in two
separate classrooms or
together with one
classroom.
Both can be bilingual, or
one bilingual and the other
monolingual in English.
School decisions in this
regard depend on their
teacher resources and
qualifications.
Language of emergent
literacy
Sequential literacy
instruction: students learn to
read and write in their L1.
After acquiring the skills,
they move to L2 transferring
their skills to the second
language and learn specific
literacy elements.
Simultaneous literacy
instruction: Students learn to
read and write in both
languages at the same time.
Note. Dual Language Education: Program Design and Implementation, by S. W. Soltero, 2016,
Heinemann.
32
Two major variants of dual language education exist. They are the 90:10 model and the
50:50 model. They are parallel to the total immersion and partial immersion for language
majority students (Lindholm-Leary, 2002). The major factor in distinguishing between the two
models is the instruction time designated for any language. For example, in the 90:10 mode, 90%
of the instruction time is spent on the target language where the 10% remaining is for English
instruction. English instruction time is used to develop oral language proficiency. In the 50:50
model, time is equally devoted for instruction in both targeted languages (Lindholm-Leary,
2002).
School administrators generally take the responsibility of choosing the best instructional
model for their students. The decision should be based on students’ background, community
needs, community expectation of the language proficiency needed, and trained staff (Lindholm-
Leary, 2002). In their work, Howard and Christian (2002) described the 50/50 model as a model
that has instruction divided equally between the majority language and the minority language in
all grade levels. Division of time between the two languages is designed by schools in different
ways. It can be either daily where the mornings are dedicated to one language and the rest of the
day to the other language or on a weekly basis. Many schools that use this model take the half
week approach as they believe that it will be too stressful for children to manage a new language
that they cannot speak fluently for one full week (Howard & Christian, 2002). In addition, there
are concerns that students might forget or miss the other language learning. The authors
described the 90/10 model as generally 90% of instruction in the first year or 2 is in the target
language, and 10% is in English.
Some research has shown that students who are in the 90/10 model showed more
proficiency in language and bilingualism than those on the 50/50 model (Acosta et al., 2019).
33
The authors add that students who are enrolled in the 90/10 model showed more or equal results
in English language proficiency with students in the 50/50 model (Acosta et al., 2019). In a study
that examined English literacy results in two schools in California, one with the 50/50 model and
the other with 90/10 model, findings indicated that it is difficult to implement the 90/10 model in
schools with high percentage of English language learners without proper resources, qualified
bilingual teachers and necessary curriculum materials that are available for target language to
provide literacy instruction (Acosta et al., 2019).
In addition to differences in instructional time, there are also different dual language
program types in terms of students’ enrollment, as shown in Table 2
Table 2
Types of Dual Language Programs in Students’ Enrollment
Name of program Student enrollment
Two-way dual language programs Half of the students are English native
speakers, and the other half are from the
partner language. approximately equal
numbers of students come from each of the
two language backgrounds
One-way developmental programs Students are mainly partner language
speakers. most students come from the same
home language background
One- way world language immersion
programs
Students are mainly partner language learners
Note. From Online learning resources by Center for Applied Linguistics, 2021.
(www.cal.org/freeresources)
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From all of these varieties of dual language programs design, educators need to reflect on
who their students are, their identities, cultures, language profiles and community demands to
design the best program that serves the needs of their students. The following sections will cover
the characteristics of a strongly designed dual language program.
Opportunities of Dual Language Education
Howard et al. (2018) describes dual language education as any program that provides
literacy and content instruction in two languages to all students to promote bilingual proficiency,
academic achievement, and cultural competence. Research shows that students who enroll in
dual language education programs outperform those who do not and achieve more academic
success (Lindholm-Leary, 2002).
The opportunity for students to become bilingual is increased by using the dual language
education approach. Dual language education can also allow students to acquire and learn about
another culture without losing their identity or their culture including language. As a result, dual
language education can be seen as responsive to the needs of students, schools, and the
community (Alanís & Rodríguez, 2008).
Soltero (2016) argues the benefits of dual language programs through various studies that
show its effects on students. For example, one study found that English language learners who
studied in dual language programs outperformed comparable monolingual students in academic
performance after 4 to 7 years in the program. Another study showed that students who studied
in dual language programs for at least 5 to 6 years reached the fiftieth percentile on the reading
standards in English by fifth or sixth grade and maintained this level of performance into their
upper grades, scoring significantly higher in reading than those who were not part of the dual
35
language programs (Soltero, 2016). Researchers have shown the positive effects of dual language
programs on students’ academic performance.
In the context of Qatar, dual language programs in addition to supporting students’
academic achievement can support marginalized students by offering opportunities and access to
better learning and teaching opportunities. Also, more access to work and social advancement
opportunities (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018).
Effective Dual Language Education
Effective dual language programs in the world share common principles that contribute to
their success. To have a strong dual language program, a number of principles must be
considered such as program structure, curriculum, instruction, assessment and accountability,
staff quality and professional development, family and community support and provided
resources (Howard et al., 2018).
Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard, et al., 2018) states seven
principles and strands that educators can use as a tool to design and plan dual language programs
and as self-reflection tools on current programs. The first strand is program structure that
includes multiple characteristics for it to be successful. One of them is the program’s vision and
goals that focus on bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement and sociocultural
competence. Another characteristic under this strand is equity and positive school culture.
Research on effective schools around the world have shown that students learn best when they
feel that they are in a safe environment; a school with a positive culture with a caring community
that facilitates learning (Howard et al, 2018). To facilitate learning, equity must be implemented.
Other characteristics of a successful program structure are effective leadership and ongoing
continuous program planning where the school has a district-wide plan of implementation for all
36
its stakeholders and plans vertically and horizontally across grades. The last characteristic under
this strand is the schools’ considerations for developing or refining a dual language program. In
this process, the institution must consider the following: program duration, language allocation,
literacy instruction and students’ demographics (Howard et al., 2018).
The second strand that educators can use as a tool to design and plan dual language
programs is curriculum and its alignment with standards, assessment and the vision of
bilingualism and biliteracy. The curriculum must include thematic or cross-disciplinary
approaches to support language and literacy development across the curriculum. The curriculum
must also infuse technology, make sure of alignment and articulation across levels and promote
multiculturalism, equity and linguistic diversity. Strand number three evolves around instruction
and how effective instruction can be linked to higher student achievement. The understanding of
how second language acquisition happens and what are the best practices is vital to the success
of the dual language program. Some of the practices used to promote higher levels of second
language development are: language of instruction and the separations of languages and
language input and literacy development (Howard et al., 2018). The remaining strands involve
assessment and accountability, staff quality and professional development, family and
community and the availability of support and resources (Howard et al., 2018).
Debate continues on the most effective dual language instruction. De Jong (2002) for
example, describes the dichotomy happening between dual language education and English
language education approaches and how this is causing a debate on the most effective programs
for language minority students. In her study, she emphasizes the importance of linking language
theory to program design and implementation. She also stresses the importance of linking the
practices to academic outcomes. She adds some success characteristics of the bilingual or dual
37
language programs that include longevity and stability of the program, well trained teachers, and
support staff, clear academic, linguistics and sociocultural objectives and clear curriculum
guidelines (De Jong, 2002). For those programs to be effective, Lindholm-Leary (2002) suggests
the need to make sure that they are established based on the literature of effective dual language
programs. Understanding those principles in addition to language acquisition theories will be a
strong factor in the success of a dual language program design.
Further, Lindholm-Leary (2002) states that, “The dual language education (DLE) model
should be constructed on four theoretical and conceptual building blocks so that it can meet the
language and academic needs of both language majority and language minority students” (p. 39).
The four conceptual building blocks include: effective schools, social context of language
education, language development, and relation between language and thought. Effective schools
are defined as schools which provide a safe environment for their students and place equity as a
major value in their institution. Effective schools are schools with an instruction focus and a
commitment to achievement. These schools obtain this status through their visionary and
dedicated leadership and instructional staff. Another building block is the social context of
language education which implies the attitudes of the participants in the process and policies that
can either positively or negatively shape the educational experience. Students can have different
access to knowledge based on their social status, minority status or migrant status. Those
classifications can lead to educational inequality. All language learners need to be provided with
equal access to a positive school context that provides opportunities for developing bilingualism,
biliteracy and academic competence (Lindholm-Leary, 2002). The third building block that can
affect the effectiveness of a dual language program is language development which implies the
importance of the knowledge about recent research on language development and language
38
acquisition theories to understand how to best build DLE models. The fourth building block is an
understanding of what is the relationship between language and thought. Lindholm-Leary
suggests that learning a language for a long time will result in the child’s high attainment of the
two languages. Also, the author adds that high levels of language proficiency will require the
development of both communicative and academic language skills in both languages. Another
factor that the author adds is that for students to exhibit language proficiency and exhibit
knowledge, they require both the development of communicative and academic language skills
in both languages.
Similarly, Soltero (2016) discussed that the highest outcomes for academic, linguistic,
and sociocultural aspects in bilingual learners depend on the strength of the foundation of the
program. She suggests three pillars that are based on research, theory and sound educational
practices (see Figure 1). The pillars are teachers and school leaders who are committed and
knowledgeable, curriculum, instruction and assessment that is culturally and linguistically
responsive and an engaged community.
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Figure 1
Pillars of Successful Dual Language Program Design
Rodriguez and Alanis (2008) specifically studied the success criteria for dual language
programs in one inner city urban diverse campus where the purpose of their study was to explore
the factors that may contribute to the success and sustainability of a dual language program in an
inner city, urban diverse campus. Their findings indicated that, “Pedagogical equity, qualified
bilingual teachers, active parent–home collaboration, and knowledgeable leadership contributed
to the program’s success” (Rodriguez & Alanis, 2008, p. 305). They also indicated that the
learner’s access to high-quality instructional interactions and high-status knowledge provides a
strong foundation for a dual language program. Moreover, they state that programs that value
students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds, promote higher degrees of students’ engagement.
Academically Successful, Bilingual, Bileterate,
Cross-Cultural Students
Teachers
and
school
leaders
Instruction
curriculum
and
assessment
Families
and
communit
y
Effective Program Design
Based on Research, Theory and Sound Practices
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A common theme across research on effective dual language education is the need to
focus on equity. At the same time, a major concern that has arisen in recent years around dual
language education involves issues of equity.
Equity in Dual Language Education
A number of equity issues can be found in dual language education, such as favoring one
language over another through promoting a language over the other and not ensuring equal status
of languages, ignoring a child’s native language for the pursuit of learning English as the world
and business language, and issues of access. Some argue that dual language education programs
are used for equity purposes to ensure that all students are included in marginalized communities
(Pratt & Ernst-Slavit, 2019). Others argue that those programs are designed for the elite (Lin,
1997; Shin, 2018).
Equity in dual language education can be obtained through the quality of instructional
interactions in dual language and valuing students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Alanís &
Rodríguez, 2008). Alanís and Rodríguez state, “Changes in policies, programs, and practices that
positively address the changing demographics by bringing disparate groups together are not only
necessary but inevitable” (p. 317). The most remarkable reforms in educational opportunities
offered for English language learners happen when committed administrators, parents and
teachers understand the process of bilingualism, nature of schooling for language minority
students and work collaboratively (Alanís & Rodríguez, 2008). Further, research suggests that
teachers and staff need to be committed to equity as it is the heart of dual language programs.
This includes understanding the diversity of their students, being culturally proficient,
celebrating their students’ cultural values inside the classroom, using multi-ethnic curricula
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materials, celebrating all language varieties, offering social justice minded instruction, and
believing that all children can learn (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2021).
An important issue around dual language programs and equity value is who is the main
beneficiary of such programs. In the United States, programs can seem like a privilege to certain
ethnicities (Porter, 2018). With increased attention toward high achievement in schools, issues of
cultural awareness, parental inclusivity and community engagement can be ignored (Porter,
2018). If schools overlook the importance of cultural diversity, a “whitewashing effect” can turn
the language into a commodity for an empowered group (Porter, 2018). Language cultural
diversity is often not exposed at home because of the lack of knowledge of those other cultures
among parents. This can result in the production of bilingual speakers with no cultural
competencies for both groups (Porter, 2018).
Ramírez and Faltis (2021) state that the research suggests that not all students benefit
from the two-way dual language program that is popular in the United States and elsewhere
because of issues of inequalities found across the educational contexts. Although the model was
designed for minority students, it has often been shaped by different ideologies that have
changed it. To achieve equity in dual language education programs requires centering equity and
putting a focus on it in the design and implementation. In their recent guide for dual language
education, Howard et al. (2018) have added equity in establishing a positive school culture as
one of the main principles to build a dual language education program in any school.
Teachers play a critical role in dual language learning equity. Research indicates that the high
quality of teachers teaching in dual language programs impacts the success and strength of the
program presented (Howard et al., 2018). Teachers who are culturally competent with high-
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quality professional development are needed to ensure that dual language learners are receiving
an equitable and high-quality education.
Specifically, Ramírez et al. (2019) conducted a study that focused on teachers’
characteristics that had an impact on the development of young children’s bilingual abilities with
regard to language, literacy, and mathematics. Findings indicated that the amount of teacher
training had a positive impact on children’s outcomes in English and Spanish. In addition,
teachers’ years of experience in working in dual language classrooms had a positive effect on
children’s learning (Ramírez et al., 2019). The final characteristic found in the study was
teachers who are culturally competent with positive cultural beliefs regarding best practices and
who have a great respect for the languages taught results in students’ positive attitudes toward
learning the languages (Ramírez et al., 2019). Thus, equity appears to be an important and
integral part in dual language education and an aspect that educators should consider while
designing a dual language program that is effective and balanced.
Theoretical Framework
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory serves as the theoretical framework for this
study. Bronfenbrenner offers a perspective of human development and developmental influences
that can be used in guiding human development research. The theory focuses on the developing
person, their environment and the relationship and interactions between them. Bronfenbrenner
suggests that the development of a child is influenced by multiple layers surrounding them, a
system of layers, some in closer proximity to the child and some in further proximity to the child
(Bronfenbrenner, 1979). He examines human problems through believing that human problems
should be viewed in context, and the context could be viewed at different levels of organizational
complexities (Salazar & Beaton, 2000).
43
Bronfenbrenner suggests that settings can be interpreted into different layers and can be
analyzed through their different structures, so environments are not distinguished by linear
variables but analyzed by system terms (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). He resembles those layers to
Russian dolls, starting with the immediate setting which is the innermost containing the
developing person, such as home or school. The second layer moves into the relationship
between previous entities, such as the relationship between home and school. The third layer
includes the events occurring in a setting which might not be directly connected to the person to
be studied, such as the employment conditions of parents. Lastly, Bronfenbrenner argues that the
blueprint of any society or culture that makes it distinct and different from another needs to be
considered, observed, and studied to understand the connections, trends and developmental
influences. This research framework allows the detection of influences and the emergence of
new results that might be different from the original hypothesis (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). This
framework allows for findings that are rigorous and are important to science and public policy as
it studies the phenomenon in such rigor, depth and with validity checks (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).
In Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems model, these layers can be seen as four
environmental levels which are: the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the
macrosystem. Each environmental level impacts the development of each person in a different
way. In the opinion of Bronfenbrenner, the microsystem, Level 1, involves the immediate
environment with which the child/adolescent closely interacts with such as the classroom, the
neighborhood, or the playground. Bronfenbrenner defined it as a pattern of activities, roles, and
interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with particular
physical and material characteristics.
44
The mesosystem, Level 2, was defined by Bronfenbrenner (1979) as “the interrelations
among two or more settings in which the developing person actively participates (such as, for a
child, the relations among home, school, and neighborhood peer group: For an adult, among
family, work, and social life)” (p. 25). The mesosystem indicates relationships and connections
between contexts such as the connection between family experiences and school experiences,
between school experiences and neighborhood experiences. For example, students who are going
through bullying incidents in their schools will be withdrawn during family events, so the school
affects the student at home.
The exosystem, Level 3, indicates settings that do not involve the developing person as
an active participant, but in which events occur that affect or are affected by, meaning what
happens in the setting that affects the developing person (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The exosystem
links between a social setting in which the person does not have an active role and the person’s
immediate context. For example, a newborn baby who did not sleep all night might affect the
productivity of their mother at work which connects to the unproductivity of the business the
mother works at.
Lastly, the macrosystem, Level 4, according to Bronfenbrenner (1979), indicates,
consistencies in the form and content of lower-order systems (micro-, meso-, and exo-)
that exists, or could exist, at the level of the subculture or the culture as a whole, along
with any belief systems or ideology underlying such inconsistencies. (p. 26)
The macrosystem involves the larger cultural context like the community surrounding the person
and that evolves over time like policies, laws, one’s own cultural norms, cultural and societal
beliefs that in an indirect way affects the person’s beliefs and understandings.
45
The four levels comprised through the Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems
model can be used in the three research domains in the research world: qualitative, quantitative
and mixed methods and can be applicable to social, behavioral and health fields (Onwuegbuzie
et al., 2013). In Micro-research studies, one or more persons or groups can be studied within
their immediate environment, and in Meso-research studies, the person’s environment and
another system can be investigated too (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2013). In exo-research a person can
be studied within other influences that they are not directly linked to and in Macro-research
studies the person to be studied is investigated through the larger cultural world surrounding
them (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2013). Figure 2 shows the four layers of ecological systems and their
link to research focus in terms of participants.
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Figure 2
Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems
(Onwuegbuzie et al., 2013)
In this study, the four layers will be used to study teachers’ perspectives on dual language
instruction supporting language acquisition in the dual language models in which they teach,
supports they receive and expectations in the language they teach, and how different factors
around them have an impact on meeting the needs of Qatari students learning their mother
tongue language. The layers are presented in Table 3.
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Table 3
Ecological Systems Used for this Study
Microsystem Teacher’s own beliefs and training
Mesosystem School, students, and parents
Exosystem Policies of MOE and QF
Macrosystem Country and society culture
Through the Bronfenbrenner (1979) framework, this study investigated teachers’ own
beliefs and training embedded through the microsystem level. An understanding of their own
beliefs was gained through a survey and a focus group protocol that covered the microsystem of
the school. In the mesosystem, the study looked at the challenges and opportunities teachers
faced within their schools and with students and parents.
In the context of this study, the exosystem was the layer of the policies and guidelines
that guide teachers on language and dual language education from the Ministry of Education and
Higher Education (MOHE) and QF. The study looked at the impact of the existence or non-
existence of these policies on the views and understanding of teachers on dual language
education. The macrosystem level investigated the country and the school’s social context and
larger cultural effects on teachers. This level covered the umbrella of cultural beliefs and norms
in the school and the country that affected the teachers’ understanding and application of the dual
language program in which they taught.
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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of the study was to understand how best to deliver a dual language model in
QF’s schools that both allows fluency in English language and supports the needs of Qatari
students learning their mother tongue language of Arabic. The study was administered from the
teachers’ perspectives through Bronfenbrenner’s (1981) ecological systems framework. Primary
school education in QF schools introduces different models of dual language programs for
learners to prepare them for Arabic language and English language acquisition. Students often
face challenges in learning their native language, Arabic, as they study it in a classical form in
school compared to a different dialect at home. Schools offer different models, either 50/50 of
instruction time for both languages or 70% or 60% to English and the remaining for Arabic
instruction. This study addressed questions of what is the best model that fits the needs of Qatari
students at QF schools knowing the challenges they face with the Arabic language, and how can
school administrations design dual language programs that strengthen the mother tongue
language, and not weaken it, while learning another new language?
This study investigated through the perspective of English-speaking and Arabic-speaking
homeroom teachers the challenges and opportunities of the dual language model they teach
within their schools. Through this study and understanding teachers’ perspectives of different
dual language models, a set of recommendations are offered for designing a model that best
meets the needs of Qatari students and supports their language acquisition in both languages,
Arabic and English. As such, the three guiding research questions for the study are:
RQ1: What are the challenges and opportunities English and Arabic homeroom teachers
face in supporting language acquisition in dual language programs in QF schools?
49
RQ2: How do English and Arabic language teachers perceive the support they receive
and expectations of them in the language they teach?
RQ3: How can dual language programs be designed to support the needs of Qatari
students learning their mother tongue language?
This mixed methods research sought to understand, describe, and decode the meaning
that people construct of their world and the experience they have in it (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016),
and in this study’s case, it was the teachers’ perspectives that were of interest through the stories
the teachers told in the interviews conducted with them. The study used an applied research
approach that has a mission to improve the quality of a practice or discipline (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). As the study seeks to facilitate change, the type of applied research that was most suitable
for this study was a mix of action research and appreciative inquiry. Through the action research
approach, I addressed the specific problems in the dual language models presented in the schools
under the study, and through the appreciative inquiry, I aimed toward telling the stories of what
was positive and effective in the models of language used in those schools (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016).
Site or Organization Overview
The schools of study fall under the QF umbrella. Qatar Foundation is a nonprofit
organization that was founded in 1996 by His Highness the Emir Father Shaikh Hamad Bin
Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Her Highness Shaikah Moza Bint Nasser. The organization creates
an ecosystem that fosters education, research, and community development through 50 local and
international entities to support initiatives that build people, address current and future
challenges, and create global opportunities (QF, 2021). For more than 2 decades, QF has been
50
the driving force in the region to unlock human potential through innovation, entrepreneurship
and creating the culture of lifelong learning and changing mindsets (QF, 2021).
Qatar Foundation began its mission with the flagship school, Qatar Academy Doha, in
1996 to create a unique school that brings an international curriculum and fosters Qatari culture
and values within this international setting. The PUE division at QF led the effort to grow a
unique set of schools within the state of Qatar that can offer a variety of educational models and
types to cater to the different needs and aspirations in the state of Qatar. From one school that
started in 1996, QF now hosts 13 schools with more than 7000 enrolled students from 60
nationalities, 1300 faculty members and 5600 alumni (QF, 2021).
Qatar Foundation schools consist of five Academies that present an internationally
rigorous program through the IB programs and integrate the local heritage and culture. Other
schools in the foundation include specialized schools, including a school for students in the
autism spectrum, a school with a progressive education model, a school for leadership, a school
for students with learning disabilities, a school for leadership and military preparation, a school
that focuses on integrating the Qatari heritage, a STEM school, a college bridge program and a
music academy. The PUE division and schools have their vision as “Leading learning” (QF,
2021).
This study was conducted in five of the QF schools. These schools were chosen because
they have a primary school section, have a dual language program, the majority of the students in
each school are Qatari students, they teach the IB PYP program, and are schools with Arabic and
English-speaking homeroom teachers who teach in a dual language program context. Table 4
lists the chosen schools’ names, number of students, number of faculty, and establishment date
of each school.
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Table 4
Schools Included in the Study
School Establishment
date
Number of
students
Number of
faculty
Type of dual
language model
Qatar Academy
Doha
1996 1834 240 70/30
English to
Arabic
Qatar Academy
Al Khor
2008 1194 134 60/40
English to
Arabic
Qatar Academy
Al Wakra
2011 1102 137 60/40
English to
Arabic
Qatar Academy
Msheireb
2014 398 62 70/30
English to
Arabic
Tariq Bin Ziad
School
2019 448 62 50/50
Note. From QF annual report, 2020.
Population and Sample
The stakeholder group for this study were QF schools’ teachers, targeting primary
schools’ homeroom teachers. The study sought an equal number of English-speaking homeroom
teachers and Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers to gain insights from both language teachers.
The five schools included in the study all differed in their sizes and dual language models. The
survey was administered to 132 teachers who met the sampling criteria with 35 teachers who
volunteered to participate in the focus group interviews. The goal was to understand the strengths
and limitations of the current various dual language models offered in QF schools from the
52
teachers’ perspectives to best design a model to support both English and Arabic language
proficiency.
Survey Sampling Strategy
The sampling strategy for the survey was to use purposeful sampling (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016) where after the consent of school directors, I sent a survey to all of their homeroom
teachers (English-speaking and Arabic-speaking). The five schools differed in size, so some
schools had more teachers than others. I intended for teachers to identify the school they worked
in as this would indicate which dual language model they were working within and their
perceptions of its effectiveness. The survey was administered at the beginning of the data
collection process and was key to recruit the focus group participants.
Survey Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
Teachers who worked in their current school for at least 3 years. The rationale for this
criterion was that teachers need to understand the dual language model they work in to better
understand the questions and provide more thoughtful answers from experience. In addition, due
to changes imposed to instruction by COVID-19, it was important to include teachers who have
the perspective of also teaching prior to the pandemic.
Criterion 2
The teacher needed to be a homeroom teacher who was teaching the language through
multiple subjects and not a specialist only. The rationale for this criterion was the need for
teachers who were experiencing language teaching in a dual language model and to compare the
same responsibilities of teachers between two different groups (English-speaking teachers and
Arabic-speaking teachers).
53
After consulting with the five school directors and receiving their consent to approach
their teachers, I sent the recruitment email with the survey link to those schools’ directors to
forward to their homeroom teachers. The recruitment email included the purpose of the study,
how I would use the collected data, and why I was interested in them participating. The criteria
for participation were also included in the email. The survey was sent to approximately 260
teachers from all the five schools in May 2022 and 132 teachers completed the survey.
Focus Group Sampling Strategy
The focus group sampling was purposeful. In the survey recruitment email, I indicated
that I am looking to interview homeroom teachers from the five schools through focus groups to
engage in more in-depth discussions about the dual language models they teach within. Those
interested in participating were presented a consent form that included information that their
participation was voluntary, and their names would be kept confidential, and a small monetary
incentive for participants in the form of a bookstore coupon was offered. The target number of
teachers to participate in the focus groups was 20, with four participants from each school and
one-half Arabic-speaking teachers and one-half English-speaking teachers. The volunteers were
more than expected, as 35 volunteers responded to take part in the study and were included in the
focus groups. The focus groups came after the survey, and I visited each of the five schools to
have face to face focus group interviews with those who volunteered.
Focus Group Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
Teachers who worked in their current school for at least 3 years. The rationale for this
criterion was that teachers needed to understand the dual language model they worked in to
better understand the questions and provide more thoughtful answers from experience.
54
Criterion 2
Homeroom teachers only as the study focused on the dual language program and the
focus was on homeroom teachers teaching more than one subject using a single language.
Instrumentation
The research data collection tools were a survey and focus group interviews. To collect
teachers’ demographics data and views on certain statements about dual language programs, a
survey was sent to all homeroom teachers in the five selected schools through a recruitment
email. The survey was sent through google form link. The recruitment email indicated that the
survey was anonymous. The survey was live for 2 weeks, with a reminder sent after the first
week. The survey protocol is available in Appendix C.
Through the recruitment email, teachers were asked to volunteer for a 1-hour focus group
session with a provided incentive of 300QR bookshop voucher. I anticipated getting many
volunteers as these are big schools and the culture is one of participating in surveys and
interviews. Often, teachers go through similar challenges and opportunities in each school
context and choosing to do a focus group rather than individual interviews allowed a greater
number of teachers to be reached. In addition, a focus group allowed participants to exchange
and build on each other’s ideas. The composition of a focus group depends on the topic to be
discussed and purposeful sampling is recommended to include people who know most about the
topic (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). In this study case, the recruitment email indicated the request
for homeroom teachers and the criterion for selection. The choice for focus group interviews is
suitable for topics that are not sensitive to the interviewee and ones that they can speak about in
front of each other (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The topic of this research was not anticipated to
be a point of sensitivity for the participants.
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Interview questions were written based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1981) ecological systems
theory. I used three layers of the ecological system (ecosystem, microsystem and macrosystem)
to create the interview protocol for this study. The research questions should formulate what the
researcher wants to understand, but the interview questions are what the researcher asks to gain
that understanding (Maxwell, 2013). The focus group questions (Appendix D) kept the main
purpose of the interview in mind to guarantee that questions were focused on the research goal
(Lochmiller & Lester, 2017). The semi-structured interview protocol allowed flexibility to ask
clarifying questions, provided a conversational manner which was less intimidating to the
interviewees, and allowed for unexpected understandings to emerge (Lochmiller & Lester,
2017). The questions were in an open-ended manner that allowed participants to share openly,
with no bias and avoided leading questions that moved participants to a certain answer or idea
(Lochmiller & Lester, 2017).
Multiple methods were used in this research to support the intention of triangulation. The
systematic treatment of triangulation involves using different methods to check on the strength
and fill the gaps of the limitations of each tool as well as gaining different aspects of information
about the topic studied (Maxwell, 2013). For this research, triangulation methods of survey,
focus group interviews and researcher field notes were used.
Data Collection
An application to conduct the research, including an information sheet outlining the
study, was submitted to the University of Southern California’s institutional review board in
February 2022. USC’s IRB approval was presented to the QF’s PUE’s Research department to
gain their approval to conduct the study within the QF schools. An approval was obtained from
QF’s research department to conduct the study.
56
Meetings with the five schools’ directors were conducted to gain their approval to
conduct the research in their schools and with their teachers. The information sheet was shared,
and agreement was made to select the date to send the recruitment email that had the survey link
and the request for the focus group interview. The email was sent to school directors who
forwarded the email to all their teachers with encouragement to participate in the study.
The recruitment email (Appendix A) contained an introduction of me as the researcher,
background information of the purpose of the research, and who are eligible participants. The
email indicated that the survey was voluntary and anonymous. The email then provided a link to
a google form that had demographic questions and 12 statements to rate their views based on a
four-point Likert scale. The ending paragraph indicated that I was looking for 20 teachers to be
interviewed from all five schools through a focus group session for each school. The email
indicated that I was looking for both Arabic and English-speaking homeroom teachers.
Volunteer teachers from each school were gathered for a 1-hour interview in a focus group. The
same recruitment email mentioned that participating teachers in the focus group interview would
be given a 300QR bookstore voucher as an incentive to participate. If a teacher was interested,
they needed to email me with their interest. I then communicated a date and a time after
negotiating the request with the school’s director.
Surveys
A survey was the first tool used in this study. The recruitment email indicated the
anonymity of the survey as well the survey would not request a name or an email to be recorded.
The survey took less than 10 minutes to complete.
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Focus Group Interviews
After teachers expressed their interest to participate in a focus group via email, I sent an
information sheet of the study to each participating teacher with a consent form that indicated the
participants’ rights of confidentiality, their right to not answer any questions if they did not wish
to, their right to withdraw from the study at any time, and a description of how the data would be
secured. The participants were asked for permission to use a recording tool during the focus
group interview. School leaders were contacted to arrange for the logistics of the time and
location to meet with their volunteer teachers. I scheduled a day of interviews for each school,
covering the five schools in approximately one working week. For each school, a focus group of
2-5 English-speaking teachers and a focus group of 2–5 Arabic-speaking teachers were held,
except for one school that had 10 English-speaking teachers volunteering, so they were split into
two groups.
As I worked at one of the schools as the school director, I asked a colleague who
graduated from the same university and program to conduct the interviews from this school.
They also sent the survey through the school’s principal to avoid conflict of interest.
Field notes were taken throughout the focus group interviews and the interviews, and
with participant approval, they were recorded through the iPhone Voice memo program.
Transcripts of the interviews were written on a private google drive and saved only there.
Transcripts were not be shared with anyone else, nor were they published in the study or
attached.
Data Analysis
The data analysis process consisted of transcripts of focus groups interviews, field notes
and survey data. The survey data were analyzed prior to conducting the focus group interviews to
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support in understanding the participants, the context of the school and in conducting the
interview protocol. The second step was to analyze the focus group data after transcribing
through reading all the transcripts and listening to the recordings. Through this process, I wrote
notes to develop categories, themes and make connections (Maxwell, 2013). The memo writing
process was implemented throughout the data analysis process to capture the analytical thinking
about the data and to stimulate analytical insights (Maxwell, 2013). Similarities and differences
were used to define categories, group and compare data, and focus on the relationships
(Maxwell, 2013).
Table 5 shows some of the data analysis techniques in the categorizing analysis that were
used for this study:
Table 5
Categorizing Focus Group Data
Name of technique Description Examples from this study
Organizational categories Broad areas or issues to
investigate or useful for
ordering data and can be
done prior to the interview.
It serves as bins for sorting
the data.
Language acquisition
Language policy
Substantive categories Descriptive categories that
describe participants,
concepts, and beliefs
Parent involvement
Students and parents’ values
School culture
Note. From Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (3rd ed.) by J. A. Maxwell,
2013. SAGE. Copyright 2013 by SAGE.
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I created a matrix that had each research question with different categorizing analysis
themes and themes emerging from the study as a tool for displaying and developing the gathered
data. I classified the answers and quotes under each category. This categorizing technique has
some limitations including the risk of losing the contextual relationships in categorization
structure. Maxwell (2013) describes a solution to this problem by using connecting strategies that
look for relationships that connect events and statements within a context as a whole rather than
only looking for similarities to be categorized independently.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
The study participants were English language teachers and Arabic language teachers
teaching in five of the QF primary schools. Consent was sought from the five school directors to
conduct the study within their schools and through their teachers. A personal meeting was
conducted with each director to go through the study purpose, approach and how the findings
would be shared with them. The schools’ directors were asked to send the recruitment email to
their teachers with the preliminary survey that collected some demographic data and their views
on dual language programs through 12 statements about the program’s aspects. Through the
recruitment email, the following aspects were articulated:
● The anonymity of the survey and that the results would be confidential. The survey
would not ask for names or email addresses.
● The respondents would be asked if they were interested in engaging in an hour-long focus
group interview about the subject of dual language education applied in their schools. If
they were interested, they would email me their interest. I indicated that the interviews
would be confidential, and their names would not be published or revealed at any time.
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Prior to the interview, I provided a written consent (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017) that
indicated that this was a confidential interview, names of participants would not be revealed, and
that I would record the interview upon their permission.
As one of the schools in this study was the school that I lead, I sought the help of a
Global EdD alumni who was based in Qatar to conduct the interviews and the survey. I provided
the assigned person the email addresses of the teachers, and they sent the recruitment email with
a survey link that they only had access to and a link to register teachers who were interested in
focus group interviews. I assigned a school person to help me in the logistics of their visit to the
school and was not available in the school on the day they conducted the interviews to make sure
that the participants were not exposed to me in any way. I did not access any recordings and only
asked for the anonymous transcriptions from the alumna helping me.
After the interviews were conducted and transcribed, I shared the transcript and the
emerging themes that they had assigned with the study participants for feedback and to ensure
the information they provided was properly recorded. A process of triangulation was conducted
through survey data, focus group data, and study notes to reduce the risk of biases and chance
association due to a specific method (Maxwell, 2013).
Ethics
I have worked in the organization of study for 11 years. I worked at the flagship school of
the organization for 8 years and at the time of the research was leading one of its newest schools
for the third year. The study included both schools as well as three other schools.
As one of the few bilingual and local school directors, I am known for my passion and
strong views on the importance of dual language education and the importance of preserving the
Arabic language through those programs. I anticipated that teachers who know me may have felt
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intimidated to speak openly about their schools. They might have feared that I would take their
honest views to their school leadership teams who built those programs. Another concern was
the interview of my own teachers. To address these concerns, I only interviewed new teachers in
my previous school who did not know me, and a colleague interviewed my current school’s
teachers.
Another ethical consideration was the dissemination of findings (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). I anticipated that the findings might indicate a poor implementation of some dual
language models in QF schools. I worried about the impact of the published findings on the
directors of those schools and the district office of QF Schools, but after discussions during the
meetings with the school directors and QF PUE research department about the study and its
benefits for the schools, they welcomed all findings that they will be receiving to improve the
implementation of those programs in schools.
As any researcher, there are some assumptions and biases that I had to work on to make
sure that they did not affect my study. One of the assumptions was that the dual language model
in my school was the most successful among other schools. Another assumption was that Arabic
language teachers are not supported because of the lack of available Arabic language resources
in the market. Moreover, I might have a bias toward the importance of the Arabic language as it
is my native language. I worked to recognize and mitigate those judgements that might hinder
the study by focusing on the views and the perspectives of research participants. Also, study
participants were a mix of native speakers, as am I, and non-native speakers, so not all the
participants shared the same background as me. I needed to be aware of my own biases that
might have favored the views of the native speakers.
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Conclusion
This chapter examined the methodology of the research conducted. It outlined an
overview of the organization studied and the framework for the study. Additionally, it explained
the sampling procedures, data collection tools and data analysis procedures. The chapter also
clarified the trustworthiness of the research and ethical considerations, including the role of the
researcher. Chapter Four presents the study’s findings based on the methodology discussed in
this chapter.
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CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to understand the different dual language models
introduced in five of QF schools and the teachers’ perspective of the challenges and
opportunities of teaching and supporting students’ language acquisition within these different
models. Teachers’ perspectives will be used to best design a dual language model that suits
Qatari students in QF schools and responds to the cultural, governmental, and parental demands
from dual language education in those schools.
This chapter presents the findings from analysis of the data collected from more than 132
homeroom teachers in QF schools. The data were collected from a survey that had demographics
questions and 12 statements for the teachers to rate and from 11 focus group interviews with
Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers and English-speaking homeroom teachers in those schools.
This chapter includes a description of the study participants, a discussion of the dual language
programs in QF schools, and a presentation of findings to the study’s research questions.
The research questions that guided this study are:
RQ 1 What are the challenges English and Arabic homeroom teachers face in supporting
language acquisition in primary dual language programs in QF schools?
RQ 2 How do English and Arabic language teachers perceive the support they receive
and expectations on them by their schools in the language they teach?
RQ 3 How can dual language programs be designed to support the needs of Qatari
students learning their mother tongue language?
Emerging themes were found through the analysis of the data. Five themes will be
explored and discussed through this chapter. The first theme that relates to RQ 1 is Arabic-
speaking teachers face equity concerns in QF’s school and a subtheme about the language value
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and are we teaching both languages equally. The second theme is the mother tongue (Arabic)
implications as a challenge within the dual language programs. The third and final theme for RQ
1 is the lack of parent support toward dual language acquisition and a subtheme about the lack of
students’ motivation. Two other themes emerged from RQ 2 which addressed the more support
needed to understand the MOHE and QF language policies and a second theme that reveals
concerns of the changing culture of the society that affects support received for dual language
instruction. RQ 3 findings will be revealed and discussed through Chapter Five.
The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of primary school
homeroom teachers working in QF’s schools about the dual language education programs they
work within to better understand how those dual language programs were designed, how they are
addressing the needs of Arabic-speaking Qatari students and what are the challenges they are
facing to work on resolving them. The study has revealed a set of recommendations from the
perspective of teachers on how to design a strong dual language program that fits the needs of
Qatari students studying within them
Overview of Participating Stakeholders
Survey Participants
The survey was sent through a recruitment email to five QF schools’ homeroom teachers
to respond to and stayed open for 2 weeks. In total, the recruitment email was sent to 640 faculty
members of the five schools, including 80 Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers and 130 English-
speaking homeroom teachers. The survey received 132 responses from teachers through two
survey links. One survey was written in Arabic for the Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers
which received 66 responses and one in English for the English-speaking homeroom teachers
also received 66 responses.
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Description of the Participants From the Demographic Questions in the Survey
This section describes the demographics of the teachers’ survey participants including
what school they work at and what grade they teach. Also, what are their age range, number of
years of experience in teaching, how many and what language they speak and whether they
attended a dual language school while they were students or not.
Sample (n = 132)
Figure 3
English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Participation From the Five Schools
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As shown in Figure 3, there were equal responses from English-speaking teachers and
Arabic-speaking teachers, 66 responses for each survey for a total of 132 responses. Most of the
English-speaking responses came from Qatar Academy Doha as it is the largest school in the
district with the most teachers. Surprisingly, most of the Arabic teachers’ responses came for
Tariq Bin Ziad school which is the newest and smallest school in the district. In total, the highest
number of participants for English and Arabic teachers together also came from Tariq Bin Ziad
school with 34 participants in all, and the lowest numbers of participants came from Qatar
Academy Al Khor and Qatar Academy Msheireb with 25 participants from each school.
As shown in Figure 4, most of the teachers participating, about 52%, were from the 32-42
age group while younger teachers, aged 22- 32, had a smaller percentage of participation with a
6.8% participation rate.
Figure 4
English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Age Groups
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Further, most of the participants, about 55%, had a range of 10 - 20 years of experience.
The lowest percentage was for teachers who had more than 30 years of experience with a
percentage of 4.8 % (See Figure 5).
Figure 5
English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Years of Teaching Experience
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As shown in Figure 6, the responses to the questions about how many languages the
teachers spoke and what languages provided interesting results. About 44% of English-speaking
teachers spoke two languages while about 74% of Arabic-speaking teachers spoke two
languages. About 27% of English-speaking teachers are monolinguals compared to only about
9% of Arabic-speaking teachers. Although it appears that Arabic teachers spoke more languages
than English-speaking teachers, when asked about what languages you speak, English-speaking
teachers covered a variety of languages including: Arabic, French, Spanish, Afrikaans, Italian,
Urdu, American Sign language, Armenian, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Irish, Thai, Bengali,
Swahili, Romanian, Dutch, Chanaian language , Kankani , Malaysian, Pashto , Russian, Turkish,
Tongan, Teres Maoui, Marati, Potwari (Kashmiri spoken language) , Cantonese and Chinese.
Arabic-speaking teachers only spoke English and French.
Figure 6
Number of Languages Spoken by English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers
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Further, the majority of participants, about 67%, did not study in dual language schools
while they were students with about 33% stating they studied in a dual language school while
they were school students (see Figure 7).
Figure 7
English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Studying in a Dual Language School
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Finally, as shown in Figure 8, most of the responses were received from teachers teaching
the Preschool 3 & 4 stages in QF schools, about 34%, with the other participants teaching all
grades from Kg to grade five and a small percentage teaching more than one grade level.
Figure 8
Grade Levels English-Speaking Teachers and Arabic-Speaking Teachers Taught at
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Focus Groups Interview Participants
The recruitment email asked the teachers to volunteer for focus group interviews with a
simple gift card incentive. If teachers were interested in participating, they would provide their
contact information through another link at the end of the email. Thirty-five teachers from the
five schools volunteered to take part in focus group interviews. All teachers were females except
for one Arabic-speaking teacher. Eleven focus group interviews were conducted, six for English-
speaking teachers and five for Arabic-speaking teachers. English-speaking teachers in Qatar
Academy Doha were split into two groups as the number was large. Table 6 provides the
breakdown of participants from each school.
Table 6
Breakdown of Participants from each School
English-speaking teachers Arabic-speaking teachers
Qatar Academy Doha 10 4
Qatar Academy Wakra 2 1
Qatar Academy Al Khor 4 3
Qatar Academy Msheireb 2 2
Tariq Bin Ziad 4 3
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Teachers’ Description of the Dual Language Programs in QF Schools
Before presenting the findings and themes for each of the research questions, this section
summarizes QF schoolteachers’ perspectives and descriptions of dual language programs that
were collected during the focus group interviews. This data is important because it shows
teachers’ level of understanding of the model, how effectively schools are communicating about
what the program is and how the model is working. The presentation of the teachers’
understanding and descriptions of the dual language models they work within shows the
understanding and gaps in the teachers’ perspectives which can help schools address any gaps
and make sure the vision and expectations of the dual language program is clear for all.
Teachers in all schools had different perceptions of what a dual language program is.
Most teachers in four schools emphasized that because they are teaching more subjects using the
English language than the Arabic language, it is not a dual language program in their
perspective. In Tariq Bin Ziad school, the teachers think that because they are doing a 50/50
model of balanced instructional time using the two languages Arabic and English, they are the
only school providing a dual language program in QF schools.
Qatar Academy Doha
Teachers commended the dual language program offered at QAD for students in the early
center. QAD offers an immersive program for students aged 12 months to 3 years where two
teachers are assigned for each classroom, one Arabic-speaking teacher and one English-speaking
teacher. One teacher described it as natural saying,
They came to me, and they’d start speaking English and they immediately flipped to the
Arabic teacher. Their brains would automatically switch to Arabic. It was a fluid process.
It was seamless as well, actually, because they just got it.
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The teacher continued describing the program by adding that when the child is more
confident and stronger in the Arabic language, they would guide them through it and help them
with the English language and vice versa. Teachers also described the Early Years Center model
in QAD serving students under 3 years old as incredibly successful and students grasp the two
languages easily in this context. One teacher described it as, “The children will adjust because
when they’re little, this is when their ears and their cognitive development is open to hearing
language and picking it up fast. Because it’s in context.”
QAD introduced a new model for KG classes during the 2021/2022 academic year, when
this study took place. The model is a class run by an Arabic homeroom teacher, a first in QAD
history. Homeroom teachers had previously always been English-speaking teachers. Homeroom
teachers spend more time with the students as they have the morning 30-minute circle time and
30 minutes for closure at the end of the day, are responsible for one class only, and teach
English, math, and the units of inquiry. This new model was introduced for the sake of trialing
approaches that can support the Arabic language, too. One teacher described that there are
imbalances in the program and each offers more or less of a language to students, stating, “The
Kindergarten A class is not as strong in Arabic as the Kindergarten F class and the Kindergarten
F is not as strong in English as the Kindergarten A.” When asked about how students were
selected for each class, the teacher replied that there was no selection, they just came as a group
from their previous grade level, so there were no rational why certain students were placed with
the class that is led by an Arabic-speaking teacher and certain students were placed with the class
led by an English-speaking teacher. No consideration of the strength of each language was
considered when placing the students.
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The primary years model in QAD is different from what is introduced in the early years.
One teacher described it as hardly a dual language model as it is supplemental as most of the
content is in the English language. The teacher added that the model is subtractive as there is
hardly any co-planning for literacy or inquiry units. Teachers described the different models in
different stages at QAD as experimental as they have changed a lot over the past 10 years based
on staffing, resources and model. A teacher described it as, “I think also you see the EEC is
labeled dual language. Our KG pilot program is labeled dual language. Our preschool is labeled
dual language. The one to five is not labeled.”
One teacher described their perception of the most successful model in QAD stating, “I
think the most success probably we’ve had is with the younger years where we’ve got that setup
where you’ve got those teachers there to do that.” Other teachers added that this model is the one
with the best results, and they feel it is due to the fewer number of students in the class and the
fact that there are two full time teachers with one teacher assistant that supports those students all
day. They realized that this is an expensive model, but felt it is the model that facilitates
personalized learning for the students. They wondered how teachers can personalize learning if
they are teaching 50 students through two classes.
Qatar Academy Al Khor
Teachers at Qatar Academy Al Khor (QAK) describe their model as a 50/50 model in the
preschool stages, meaning, students receive 50% of instructional time in the English language
and the other 50% of instructional time is received in the Arabic language. In general, teachers
expressed that they do not believe that it is well-balanced as teachers teach different subjects and
they do not plan content that can be taught simultaneously using the two languages. One teacher
stated that, “We actually used to align with Arabic and English, the scope and sequence, but
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because English teaches more subjects, it didn’t work.” The teacher further expressed that this
was a past practice that they are not doing anymore, and it is affecting the program being a
balanced dual language program. One English-speaking teacher explained the model of the
primary years from her perspective and how the model designs the allocation of instruction by
stating,
So, in English, we’re teaching English, math, social studies, science, ICT, art, music, and
PE is English only. And in Arabic, they’re teaching Arabic reading, Arabic writing,
Islamic studies, and history. So there’s no language proficiency or overlap in math, in
science, in much of the social studies that we cover. It’s not duplicated in Arabic.
Another English-speaking teacher extended the conversation about planning and the
allocation of subject among the two languages of instruction in the school stating,
From a dual language person doesn’t necessarily need to be duplicated, but at least they
have to have a strong foundation language where they also can understand the math in
Arabic, but not necessarily be taught the math in Arabic, but because they’re exposed to
the Arabic language through many subjects, they will have strong foundation to work all
kinds of knowledges in their language. So this is how it’s happening in primary school.
Teachers at QAK agree that the majority of learning happens in English as more subjects
are taught through the English language such as the arts and physical education. Teachers also
stated that collaborative planning is not as expected between English and Arabic-speaking
teachers, as whenever they teach a unit or topic they should have to be aligned and complete
each other using the two languages. One teacher stated, “if you’re looking at a unit and we are
doing about the weather, for example, we start off with the line of inquiries, whereas you might
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have the English department doing something and Arabic department doing something
completely different.”
Qatar Academy Al Wakra
Teachers at Qatar Academy Al Wakra (QAW) described the dual language program at
their school as immersive in both languages, English and Arabic. “We have been a dual language
school since the day QAW opened,” one teacher commented. In preschool, students spend half
of their day with the English-speaking homeroom teacher and the other half with the Arabic-
speaking homeroom teacher. “Most of our faculty in the Early Years Department are also
bilingual, which means they are always supportive of the child and their needs and their language
needs during the day,” one teacher stated. The teacher continued by explaining that the students
in preschool stages learn through exposure and interest and that they learn the same concepts
using the two languages in an immersive model allowing the students to make connections. The
teacher stressed that it is not translating among the two languages but more of immersing them in
the same concept in both languages. She elaborated on the benefits of having bilingual teachers
(Arabic and English speakers) by stating, “You will understand more about the child and their
barriers to learning and you will recognize that it is a language issue rather than a learning issue.”
In the primary years, the teachers explained that the program is almost balanced as
students get the English language and math in English where the Arabic-speaking teacher
teaches the Arabic language, Islamic studies and Qatar history and culture using the Arabic
language. For the specialized subjects such as arts, music and PE, they are in English only.
One teacher described the model in her own words and understanding as, “For our school, Qatar
Academy, Al Wakra, currently, in early childhood, Preschool 3, 4 and Kindergarten, the time is
divided exactly between the teacher who teaches Arabic, and the teacher who teaches English,
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meaning 50%.” Another teacher stated that most of the faculty in the Early Years Department are
bilingual, which means they are always supportive of the child and their needs and their language
needs during the day. In the early childhood model, students are immersed in the language as
described by teachers. Teachers described the model in the upper grades as balanced too.
Students study almost a balanced number of subjects in each language and English is taught a bit
more through the arts and PE programs.
A unique feature at QAW is that students can use the language they prefer on Tuesdays.
As the school runs the day to teach the units of inquiry in the IB program, students are allowed to
choose the language of their preference to learn the concepts led by both the English-speaking
teachers and the Arabic-speaking teachers.
Qatar Academy Msheireb
In Qatar Academy Msheireb (QAM), the early years have the 50/50 model where
instructional time is split between the English homeroom teacher and the Arabic homeroom
teachers teaching at different blocks. In addition, for the upper grades, English-speaking
homeroom teachers are provided with Arabic-speaking specialists. One English-speaking teacher
described it as,
So, for the first half of the day, they have English with their homeroom teacher and then,
the second half of the day, they go to Arabic class. So, they get two languages in a day,
but for KG and up, it’s Arabic as a specialist.
An Arabic teacher described it by saying,
Our dual language program in Msheireb at its inception consisted of allocating the same
balance for the English language teacher and the Arabic language teacher for the student,
at the level of time, at the level of resources, and at the level of the curricula that are
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given to them. This was the situation at the beginning of the establishment of the
Msheireb branch, but now it has changed. The matter was, 4 years ago, the Arabic
language teacher was a homeroom teacher in the past, but now they no longer have it.
Now the Arabic language teacher has one class per day in which the student is given
Arabic.
Teachers continued their description by adding that Arabic classes had been 90 minutes
compared to the current model where classes are 45 minutes long in a day. Teachers described
the preschool model differently, as more balanced as there is an Arabic homeroom teacher in
addition to the English-speaking homeroom teacher.
At its establishment in 2014, QAM ran a different dual language model than the current
one. Teachers who were hired since the opening of the school witnessed that. One teacher said,
Before we even became an IB school, there was different thinking. At one point, we even
had, one day was just Arabic and the next day was English. So, we had all these different
shifts, but at this point, like I said, what we’re doing is Arabic as a specialist class and
then they’re able to hear Arabic and speak in Arabic in those other specialist classes, art
and Islamic.
Arabic teachers described the current model as a challenge for them teaching Arabic because of
the shortage of time and that they are doing their best to fill in the gaps.
Tariq Bin Ziad School
Teachers at Tariq Bin Ziad School (TBZ) describe the dual language model in their
school by saying that there are two versions of it. The preschool model has two teachers inside
the classroom, one Arabic-speaking teacher and the other is an English-speaking teacher. These
teachers teach together at the same time, building on each other and teaching all the skills
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together using the two languages. Teachers elaborated more about the model taught in the
primary years, with one teacher stating,
The second model is that the two teachers are not together in the same class with the
students, so the students are divided, some with the Arabic language teacher and others
with the English language teacher. They take turns after the break, the English language
teacher goes to the other classroom and the Arabic language teacher, they use the same
strategies. Thus, we try to always have the same terminology, in both languages. For
example, a child can talk about states of matter in Arabic and English, he can talk about
social emotion in Arabic and English, this is complementary, but not in the same place.
Teachers stressed that the approach is not translating but rather working collaboratively through
two languages to teach concepts to students. Teachers mentioned that specialist subjects such as
PE, arts, music and library classes are not only taught in English, but half of them use English as
the language of instruction and the other half use Arabic as the language of instruction which
makes it a balanced program of 50/50.
Findings
This section presents study findings based on analysis of the survey and focus group
interview data. Findings also present some themes and subthemes related to each of the three
research questions guiding this study. The findings in this chapter will respond to RQ 1 and 2
while Chapter Five will address RQ 3 that covers discussions about how to best design a dual
language program that fits the needs of Qatari students’ language profiles. The set of
recommendations suggested by teachers addresses this question.
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Findings for RQ 1: What Are the Challenges English and Arabic Homeroom Teachers
Face in Supporting Language Acquisition in Primary Dual Language Programs in QF
Schools?
Through the focus group interviews, teachers mentioned multiple challenges they go
through while teaching a dual language program in the five of QF’s schools. Some of these
challenges pertain to students, school administrations, parents and culture. Themes emerged from
discussions such as equity among teachers, language value and mother tongue implications.
One of the biggest challenges in QF schools and the one that all teachers agreed about is
staffing issues. One teacher said,
With the staffing dynamics that we have, we’re not getting the end result that we had
before and then we want, or the school wants, that’s how I feel. I’m just running around
in circles, not knowing what to do, just finishing what I have to do.
Teachers expressed that every year budget cuts that impact headcounts in schools hit each
school resulting in fewer teachers and impacting teachers’ schedules heavily, resulting in
teachers teaching more hours than they had before. Another challenge that relates to the staffing
issue is the scheduling challenge. Teachers expressed their frustrations over the unbalanced
schedule for the Arabic language specifically and how it does not offer enough time for them to
teach the language appropriately so students can acquire it fully. One teacher explained that the
current models, and how they feed into the schedules, are not beneficial, “I think the way we
have things set up, like with our schedule currently in terms of Arabic has its own time, English
has its own time, that doesn’t lend to the dual language learning I think.” Another teacher
expressed how the pandemic affected scheduling which in return has affected the quality of
teaching and learning in the dual language education programs:
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With the whole COVID happening, as well, it was just a lot of like reduced ... Things had
to be reduced. Our daytime with students right now is only until 12:30. So there’s been a
lot of cuts around scheduling, too.
One interesting challenge and demand that was raised in multiple interviews is the need
for more Qatari role models in administrative and teaching positions. Qatar Foundations schools
have an extremely small number of nationals working within them. Most of those nationals are
Arabic language and Islamic studies teachers with a couple of nationals working in
administrative positions. Nationals mostly work in MOEHE schools as they offer the same
compensations with less working hours, and they work in segregated schools which makes them
more comfortable as Qatar is a conservative country and segregation is the norm. Teachers see
the need from students for role models to look up to and to raise their motivation, for teachers
and administrators who understand their needs and culture and for faculty who look like them.
Teachers also expressed the need for them to be working with nationals and to have a national
administrator who can guide them into understanding students, parents and the culture. One
teacher commented,
We need a Qatari member of staff who’s at admin level. And I think we really need to
realize how important that is because you need to have your board of governance, your
admin staff, that top level, there has to be a reflection of your local community. And
otherwise, you’ve got other people telling you what’s best for your culture or what’s the
best way to do it.
The lack of Qatari administrators in those schools made schools heavily dependent on
expat administrators. Usually, those administrators will stay a maximum of 5 years and leave for
another international school around the world. When teachers were asked about language
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policies in their schools, they mentioned that the system of discussing those policies or priorities
often changed because of the change of administrations. One teacher expressed the notion by
saying,
We all had to do it. You had the materials. You had to. I mean, you were here then. We
had to do that then. And then as different people come in, different things take priority.
They might not know or whatever. And that’s what I mean about the expectation of what
a language teacher does in our school isn’t explicit. It’s in our policies, but it’s not
explicit. It’s not like this is what it looks like in our school. This is the training. Because
we all come from different countries in the world, you know?
Teachers also describe that they are dealing with different languages of English and
Arabic. They mention that there are American, New Zealand, and African English that students
go through based on who is their teacher this year. They also add that Arabic has different
variations from the one spoken at home and question if these programs are dual language or
multilingual. One teacher commented,
Just at our school, we have teachers coming from all over the world. So maybe looking at
unifying the language that we’re trying to ... What English language? Are we doing
American English, British English, Australian English? Lots of different vocabulary.
Arabic teachers also expressed the same concern regarding the use of Arabic language by
teachers coming from different countries in the Arab world. They mentioned that students hear
Arabic with different dialects depending on the teachers. One teacher said,
Perhaps the teacher will come in his dialect as well and speak in his own dialect. It is
difficult to find teachers who speak simple standard Arabic, speaking, but we find that the
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dialect of many teachers is clear and overwhelming over their speaking in Arabic, this is
also another challenge.
A number of themes were revealed from the survey and during the discussions that took
place in the focus group interviews, including themes that were not anticipated nor were they
part of the planned questions that were designed for the study. Three of the main themes related
to Research Question 1 are presented below.
Theme 1: Arabic-Speaking Teachers Face Equity Concerns in QF Schools
In QF’s primary schools, the homeroom teacher is always an English-speaking teacher.
This policy started when QAD was founded in 1996 and has continued as new schools copied the
model. As described in the literature in Chapter Two, Qatar views English as a prestigious
language and most parents seek to educate their children in English through private schools to
gain more knowledge and skills that can give them more opportunities for the future. Private and
international schools in Qatar run English-speaking schools as it is the demand and the norm. QF
schools have adopted the model of the private schools of running English-speaking schools but
with a strong focus on the Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Qatari culture. As a result,
homeroom teachers, who hold the most instructional time, are English-speaking teachers, where
the Arabic-speaking teachers are specialists for teaching the Arabic language, Islamic studies and
Qatar history for less instructional time. The English-speaking homeroom teacher has more
instructional time to teach English, math and the units of the inquiry in the IB program. One
teacher describes it as, “The general culture of the school, the English teachers are the teachers,
and the Arabic teacher is a complement.” The teacher continued to say, “I don’t feel that there is
a parity of value placed on both of us as teachers.”
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For years parents have complained about the weak Arabic language program in the QF
schools as they see that their children are more competent in the English language than the
Arabic language. Many complaints and demands have been raised by parents. In recent years,
QF schools have started to react, study the situation and look for solutions. One of the newly
launched schools, TBZ school, saw the issue and decided to build an equal model that makes a
class run by two homeroom teachers equally, so that half of the time students are instructed using
the English language and half of the time students are instructed in Arabic. One English teacher
described the balance of work in classes between the two language teachers by saying,
We are in one class in the walls are covered in English and Arabic. The students have
agency to choose to do, not all of the work, but some of the work that we do, especially
for the unit of inquiry in the PYP, if they choose to do it in Arabic, they can, or they can
do it in English. We put both languages on tasks. And so, they see the work, they see
their work in both languages. And I think that’s important as well. And just not ... I don’t
know if this is dual language, but this is a school with a focus on heritage, but also with
learning to be open minded about the rest of the world. And I mean, I am vastly different
from my Arabic teacher and the children can see that we, like you said, the modeling
doesn’t matter.
QAD have piloted the use of an Arabic-speaking homeroom teacher this year in one KG
class in their school for the sole reason of improving the Arabic language with students. One
teacher described the situation with the Arabic teachers:
I found that an improvement in the teachers as well because the Arabic teacher was not a
homeroom teacher before, so she’s more connected with parents. There are more
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responsibilities for her that she didn’t have before. In terms of professional growth, there
are opportunities for Arabic teachers to improve when they become homeroom teachers.
Arabic teachers also suggested having too many responsibilities compared to the English-
speaking teachers. One English-speaking teacher describes her Arabic-speaking teacher
colleague’s situation as, “She doesn’t have time to plan two different things for the two
classrooms.” Arabic-speaking teachers are assigned to more than one class and having less
instructional time than English makes it challenging to improve the language with students and
adhere to parent and school demands. Arabic language teachers are requested to align the IB
curriculum standards and framework to the MOEHE national subjects’ standards. One English-
speaking teacher expressed the struggle of her colleague:
She’s a little bit pressured if we’re sharing Arabic teachers and she’s got to cover this,
this, this, and this. By the time she’s come to whichever class she’s gone into for that
point of the morning, she’s rushed. She’s like, ‘I’ve got to get this and this and this and
I’ve got to cover everything.’ I feel like there’s a little bit of time pressure for her.
Arabic-speaking teachers felt pressured through the heavier workload, and they felt this
led their teaching to not follow children’s interest but rather finish what they have to finish. One
English-speaking teacher described it as “She’s already got her set of what she’s doing and I’m
following more the children’s interest. It does deviate a little bit from the plan. No plans are ever
perfect.”
Another equity factor came through the scheduling discussions where all teachers
expressed that Arabic teachers do not get enough Arabic instructional time for the language they
teach with their students. One English-speaking teacher expressed the situation of her colleagues
by saying,
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The other class that has me as the homeroom teacher gets more English because they
have those 30 minutes every day for the registration time, and it’s dismissal. The way the
schedule was done, they do get more English lessons with me because the unit of inquiry
is done in English. For the other class, the unit of inquiry is done in Arabic.
Arabic-speaking teachers expressed in many schools that they do not have enough time to
cover the content. One Arabic-speaking teacher expressed her frustration by saying,
And our image in front of the parents, they put us under psychological pressure, we have
competence, but it does not appear in our work because of the distraction, and we are
under pressure in front of the parents, ‘What do you do with the student all year round?’
You do not look at my tasks or schedule throughout the year. At the beginning of the
year, I had five classes, and three shifts, so I only have 40 minutes left in one day. Will I
correct at this time, or will I rest? What can I do? This is pressure.
Language Value: Are We Treating Both Languages Equally? Teachers expressed that
because of certain models of teaching in school and some school cultures, English is much more
valued than Arabic. One teacher said, “I think, yes, English is valued. I think that’s probably
more than it should be.” Teachers mentioned that the English language is veiled by status now,
but they could do better and show more value by the way they teach it, practice it and improve
the practice of it to support students’ needs.
On the other hand, parents feel that they want to enroll their children in QF’s schools
because they value both languages. One teacher described how parents felt about enrolling their
child in the school:
You know, when I sit in on admissions interviews with parents, one of the things they
always say for 80% of the parents I speak to, they say the reason why they want their
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children to come to QAD is because the strong Arabic and the strong English. So even
though we might not feel it here, that’s the perception that a lot of the parents have.
A major finding that schools shared is that most specialists hired in four of the schools
under this study are only English-speaking teachers. Specialists are music, drama, physical
education and visual arts teachers. In TBZ school, teachers mentioned that specialists are both
Arabic-speaking, English-speaking and some are bilingual of the two mentioned languages. One
teacher at TBZ said, “We don’t have Arabic specialists who are not Arabic language teachers in
terms of music teachers, PE teachers, the conceptual understandings of non-language subjects. I
think they need to be mother tongue in that.”
One teacher mentioned that learning support specialists that come from the district, for
example, psychologists, speech therapists or OT therapists and learning support teachers, in
schools are only English-speaking. She stated, “Some students have special needs such as
learning difficulties. I have a student with a mild autism spectrum. There we have a support
department, but it is in English, for Arabic there is no.” The teacher added that the support also
from the school-based learning support teacher is in the English language only:
I send an email, he has difficulty. … They only focus on the English language, even if I
send an email, for example, the student has a problem, he does not read Arabic, it is not
their specialty, they support him in English only, they take him out of the English
language classes, not Arabic.
Teachers at the different schools had different views about the home culture of what is
the dominant language spoken at home. At QAW, teachers believe that the dominant language
spoken and used at home and in the lives of their students is the Arabic language. One teacher
elaborated,
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Most of the language at home is Arabic, whereas the other students who are more
immersed in social activities outside of the home culture than the students who are going
... They’re only receiving English in school and then they go home and it’s all Arabic. So
maybe it’s Arabic television, Arabic news, Arabic magazines, newspapers, what have
you, maybe they don’t have access.
On the contrary, teachers at QAD believe that the dominant culture at home favors the
English language and there is not enough exposure to the Arabic native language. Teachers in all
schools commented on the lack of a reading culture in the Qatari society. One teacher said, “I
feel that reading is not a priority in many households. And I feel that as a school, definitely, we
work hard to promote that and encourage that.” Teachers also believed that the language of
communication in Qatar is the English language. One teacher stated, “If the children were to go
to a mall, for example, or even go to the nurse or go to the doctor anywhere they would go,
although those spaces speak primarily in English at their commercial places.”
Theme 2: Mother Tongue (Arabic) Implications as a Challenge Within the Dual Language
Programs
One of the most mentioned challenges by Arabic-speaking teachers and some English-
speaking teachers is the implications of Arabic as a native language and the complexities the
language has on students. One teacher described the Arabic language challenge as a diglossic
language by saying,
The student comes with an accent, and this is different from the English language
because in the English language the student hears it in the same way and with the same
sounds and phrases, while the Arabic language is considered a little far from the student,
and for the student it is a different language, even if it is Qatari, Arabic, it is classified as
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a speaking language with Unfortunately, because he talks at home with the nanny or with
his family, if they are studying abroad.
This teacher explained a phenomenon in the Arab world where spoken Arabic at home is
different from Arabic taught at schools, which the MSA forms. Another teacher added,
The language and dialect barrier is greater, even for students who are distinguished in
skills, we find that we are a little behind in the skill of speaking simple standard Arabic.
On the other hand, I have a set of standards or goals related to speaking, in the simple,
spacious Arabic language, and this problem increases as the student grows from the
second grade and above, so there is a big challenge in this matter here. If he speaks, he
cannot continue to speak, if he wants to explain he can pause for a while, the words are
more formal, he cannot express his feelings or thoughts comfortably, and when he
speaks, he is uncomfortable, also this is an important point frankly.
Another teacher expressed this dilemma when asked about the dual language model at their
school adding that the Arabic language is not taught through the lenses of other subjects such as
mathematics and science which makes it even more challenging for the students to learn the
subject content in their own language. The teacher stated, “The Arabic language for them is a
new language, completely different, as a terminology, so that we learn from children so that we
can keep up with them and introduce classical Arabic to them or change and correct them.” The
teacher added that even when using scientific words, the students do not understand them as they
learn those words in English.
Theme 3: Lack of Parent Support Toward Dual Language Acquisition
Teachers at QF schools view the support they get from parents differently and not as high
compared to their statements about school support and students’ engagement. Only 16.7% of the
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English-speaking teachers and 13.6% of Arabic-speaking teachers strongly agree that parents of
their students are supportive of the language they teach through home support. Further, as shown
in Figures 9 and 10, when asked if their students’ parents read books at home in the language
they teach, only 24.2% of English-speaking teachers rated as agree and strongly agree compared
to a larger percentage of the Arabic-speaking teachers who reported 55.4% strongly agree and
agree.
Figure 9
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Parents Supporting the
Language They Teach
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Figure 10
Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Parents Supporting the Language
They Teach
Teachers at QAK expressed that the lack of parental involvement is a challenge in their
school and a challenge that threatens the dual language program in their school. Teachers
suggested that a lack of parent involvement, support and engagement is hindering the program.
One teacher stated when asked about parents’ support for the dual language program,
If parents participated more, we would see a huge change in grades in children just
coming to school and in children just arriving at school with a positive attitude if there
was more parental involvement and engagement, and parents just taking responsibility in
educating their child.
Another teacher added, “I’ve never seen met any of the parents, and I find that really like,
‘Wow.’”
On the contrary, QAD teachers expressed that they get good support from parents and
that parents are involved. They suggested that whenever parents are asked to come for events,
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they show up, and whenever they are asked to support by providing resources for a unit, they do.
One teacher said,
I find whatever unit of inquiry we’re doing or whatever math concepts we’re doing, you
can ask for anything and they will make it happen. They will bring it to you. They’re so
generous. They give of their time. They give of their resources.
Lack of Student Motivation. Teachers at QAK suggested that students lack the intrinsic
motivation and positive attitudes to come to school and engage in the program, and they believe
that this encumbers their teaching and learning. “They have no motivation to do anything. How
to overcome that. We do our best. We’ve got PBIS. We have got our tickets. We’ve got things in
place, but there’s a bigger thing happening.” One teacher expressed her view with frustration.
The teachers agreed that this attitude is very evident starting from preschool classes when some
students are not even motivated to play. Teachers also see a very noticeable trend of parents
hiring tutors to teach their children after school which also adds more to the issue of lack of
motivation with their students. One teacher said, “A, students rely too much on their bilingual
tutor, and therefore they lose that motivation when they’re at school because someone else is
going to teach them at home.”
Teachers across QF schools provided different responses and had multiple reactions on
questions about students’ engagements and acquisition of the languages they teach. As shown in
Figures 11 and 12, the majority of English-speaking teachers, 53%, responded strongly agree and
47% of Arabic-speaking teachers responded strongly agree when asked, “My students enjoy
learning the language I teach.”
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Figure 11
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ Enjoyment of the
Language They Teach
Figure 12
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ Enjoyment of the
Language They Teach
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On the other hand, teachers did not have very strong positive responses when asked to
rate a statement about how competent their students are in the language they teach, as only 16.7
% of English-speaking teachers and 27.3 % of Arabic-speaking teachers strongly agreed that
their students are competent in the language they teach as shown in Figures 13 and 14.
Figure 13
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ Competency of
the Language They Teach
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Figure 14
Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ Competency of
the Language They Teach
The statements’ responses showed a big difference between English-speaking teachers
and Arabic-speaking teachers if their students and their families spoke the language they teach at
their homes. Only 19.7% of the English-speaking teachers strongly agreed or agreed that their
students and families speak the language they teach at home compared with 65.1% of Arabic-
speaking teachers as shown in Figures 15 and 16.
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Figure 15
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ and Their
Families Speaking the Language They Teach at Home
Figure 16
Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their Students’ and Their
Families Speaking the Language They Teach at Home
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Summary of Findings for Research Question 1
The study revealed a number of challenges that relate to dual language education
programs in QF’s schools from the perspective of the teachers. One of the major challenges is
staffing issues that relate scheduling and finding more local hires as role models for students.
Another major theme that was revealed is the equity concerns Arabic-speaking teachers go
through and how they feel about the value of the language they teach to their schools and
parents. Arabic language implications came up as a challenge through this research question
where teachers discussed how the language significance and nature is considered a challenge
nowadays. Lastly, teachers brought up their perspective about challenges they face because of
lack of parents support and students’ motivation.
Findings for Research Question 2: How Do English and Arabic Language Teachers
Perceive the Support They Receive and Expectations on Them by Their Schools in the
Language They Teach?
This question explored how teachers understand their school’s vision and expectations
from their dual language teachers. The question also covers how they view their roles and
responsibilities within those programs and what kinds of support they receive from their schools.
When teachers were asked about their roles and responsibilities and school expectations from
them as teachers in a dual language program, most of them took a long pause and rolled their
eyes looking for an answer. It was not a straightforward answer. They felt that the expectations
and roles were not articulated and communicated well. Some felt that there was no vision for the
programs in their schools.
Teachers in QAD mentioned the use of essential agreements in the beginning of the year
among the English homeroom teachers and the Arabic specialist to agree on how they will lead
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the classes and work all through the year in addition to managing the day-to-day students’
activities. Most teachers talked about the expectations in the level of planning with other teachers
and no acknowledgment of how the school communicated the expectation from them. They
described their schools’ engagement for the expectation through the messages of the importance
of working as a team. One teacher said, “I think conversations that we’ve had with admin would
be around, you work together with your Arabic teacher. You are a team.” Others mentioned the
use of curriculum meetings in the school as a tool to understand expectations of what they need
to do in each language of instruction. One teacher at QAD mentioned the teacher continuum that
the school uses as a tool to measure teachers’ growth. Another teacher mentioned the language
policy as a form of communicating the dual language program expectations, but she added that it
was never enacted or discussed in a meeting before. One teacher answered the question about the
expectations with this statement “I don’t think the expectations are explicit.”
English-speaking teachers at QAW stressed the importance of collaborative planning
with their Arabic-speaking teachers to make sure that they work together on biliteracy for the
students as a school goal. Teachers stressed the importance of collaborative planning as one
teacher said,
Whatever it is we’re teaching in the Arabic classroom is also being taught in the English
classroom in regard to skills. So, if we’re doing a narrative unit, then also Arabic teachers
are doing narrative. So, they’re getting the same skill, but in the two languages.
Teachers stressed that they do not translate but build on each other. One Arabic teacher
expressed her view when asked about her awareness of her roles and responsibilities in the dual
language classroom by saying, “Speaking in simplified MSA so students can understand me.”
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Arabic-speaking teachers at QAM were very clear about the clarity of their roles and
responsibilities within the dual language program in their school and articulated their school’s
expectations clearly. One teacher said,
The responsibilities are very clear. The first responsibility is that the student acquires the
foundation of the four Arabic language skills, the level of listening, speaking, reading,
and writing, in addition to the added skill from the PYP program, the IB, which is
observing and presenting. The role of the Arabic language teacher is to support the
student so that he can certainly achieve these five criteria, including alignment between
the Ministry’s standards and the PYP framework, IB, specific to the primary stage.
Teachers added about the school’s expectations of them saying that the school has
provided support for the program through providing professional development opportunities
through experts in dual language education who provided equal sessions to English-speaking
teachers and Arabic-speaking teachers. Teachers mentioned that the school provided training on
a writing program that was presented once in English and once in Arabic to cater to both
language teachers in addition to IB PYP training and Arabic standards training. English-speaking
teachers at QAM expressed their views on the importance of collaborative planning between
them and the Arabic teachers and that it is an expectation from them in the dual language model,
but the recent COVID-19 pandemic has stood in the way of accomplishing this expectation. One
teacher expressed, “And pre-COVID, we would have meetings with all teachers. Now, it’s like
Arabic are having their meeting and English is having their meeting. We’re on MS Teams. It’s so
broken up right now.”
Arabic and English teachers at TBZ explained their roles, responsibilities, and their
school’s expectations differently. English-speaking teachers focused on the importance of
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collaborative planning. One teacher said, “Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration.” They also
stressed the importance of communication between teachers, having high expectations from
students and the skill of reflection for teachers. One teacher added, “I think all of us would agree
that our responsibility and our goal is to ensure that every child, every student can be the best
that they can be.” Teachers added that one of the most important expectations from the school is
that they do not translate from each other but teach in a transparent way and complete each other.
Arabic-speaking teachers had a different perspective on what their roles and responsibilities are
and what are the school’s expectations of them. They stressed that they have responsibilities
toward building students’ vocabulary so students can improve their comprehension and
expression skills to be able to graduate with biliteracy not only in Arabic but also equally in
English. Arabic-speaking teachers highlighted their school’s expectations of them in their role in
preserving the local values, culture and heritage of their students.
Teachers at QF schools believe that they receive strong general professional development
opportunities and training from the organization, but they need more technical training on dual
language program strategies to be able to deliver better results for the program. “The resources
are amazing, yeah,” one QAD teacher commented when asked about school support. All teachers
described that the resources they receive from their schools to teach are outstanding. They
described that whatever they ask for as a resource is provided. One teacher said, “I’ve never had
an order refused. I’ve got whatever I’ve ever asked for. I’ve got the resources.” In the survey,
teachers largely responded with strongly agree and agree to the statement, My school provides
enough resources such as books and educational tools for the language I teach (40.1% strongly
agreed and 37.8% agreed). Teachers also praised their schools for their educational program
offerings and professional development opportunities. One teacher commented,
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I think our resources are excellent with what we have, what they invest. I’m in the
primary part of the school. They’ve adopted programs. They’ve invested money in the
programs, international literacy programs, that staff have been trained in. By investing in
it, that’s a good resource.
Another teacher added, “I’d say many schools I’ve been to, we’ve probably got the best
resources in terms of reading books and access to stuff.”
English teachers strongly agreed with the statement regarding being provided enough
resources and books more often than the Arabic-speaking teachers. This could be because there
is a challenge in the Arabic markets to find high-quality Arabic resources that can attract and
engage young learners. One English teacher spoke about her Arabic teacher colleagues’ struggle
stating,
They’ve taken some of our English resources and adapted it for Arabic. We’ve got games
for centers and things because we are trying to do as much engaging activities for the
children. They’ve taken it and remodeled it to be Arabic.
Teachers also praised the amount of professional development and learning courses they
get for free from their schools. For example, PUE in QF runs an educational institution that
caters to teachers’ and leaders’ professional development needs in QF, Qatar and the surrounding
regions. They provide high-quality IB learning sessions and sessions on other topics that are
related to education. One teacher said, “I think we have lots of PD. We have a lot of professional
development that really helps.” The Educational Development Institute also provides
introductory sessions for teachers in the beginning of the academic year on safeguarding, culture
and child protection. The Institute also runs multiple teaching and learning forums through the
academic year. One teacher commented, “I think we’re really lucky to work for QF because their
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professional development is absolutely fantastic. The fact that we have access to IB workshops
and all the other kind of things that come along.”
Half of the teachers, English and Arabic teachers, strongly agree that their schools
allocate adequate time for the language they teach. For English-speaking teachers it was 51%
strongly agree and with Arabic teachers it was 50% agree. Although the focus group interview
data revealed another reality where Arabic-speaking teachers complained that their school does
not provide enough time for the Arabic language and that the language is treated as a specialist
subject but not widespread through homeroom teaching and through multiple subjects.
When teachers were asked about their perceptions of their school supports in terms of
celebrating the language they teach through multiple events and activities and if their schools
celebrate the culture of the language they teach, the majority of both Arabic-speaking and
English-speaking teachers agreed or strongly agreed. Arabic-speaking teachers had a higher
response of strongly agree and agree with 87.4% compared to the English-speaking teachers with
70.45%.
Teachers at QF schools believe that their schools provide professional development
opportunities for them to learn more about the language acquisition of the language they teach as
68.95% of the teachers responded strongly agree and agree.
A number of themes to Research Question 2 were revealed from the survey and during
the discussions that took place during the focus group interviews. Two of the main themes
related to Research Question 2 are presented below.
Theme 1: More Support Needed to Understand MOE and QF Language Policies
When teachers were asked about their school’s language policy and its connection to the
MOEHE language policy and what this entails for them, most were oblivious about it and did not
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know much about it. Some teachers mentioned that their schools discuss it at the beginning of
the new academic year only while others mentioned that their schools did not discuss it for years
nor attempted to update it. “Well, I don’t know the policy, but I certainly know that we always
aim to do the best possible practice. We keep up to date with developments and curriculum
practice, curricular developments,” one teacher responded to the question about language
policies. Another teacher said, “We’re coming at it at the moment, but I really don’t know
anything about it, yet.” Some teachers had some knowledge of their school’s language policy, as
one teacher described it in her own perspective saying,
It definitely, it discusses the importance of valuing and leveraging mother tongue. It talks
about ensuring clarity of language that when you are teaching English that you are
speaking proper English. When you’re teaching Arabic that you’re speaking proper
Arabic. That it does support that differentiation or that delineation that is part of dual
language. However, it doesn’t disallow translanguaging. And it’s focused on meaning
making. It’s focused on students understanding and making meaning and building content
knowledge, social skills, all of it through language.
Some teachers mentioned that they have been discussing their school’s language policies
now in committees created by the PUE Office at QF to put action plans for dual language
programs at QF schools. All teachers were not aware of a MOEHE language policy and the
impact of it in their own school’s language policies. “I have no idea what the MOEHE language
policy really is,” one teacher stated.
Arabic-speaking teachers had more positive responses than the English-speaking teachers
to the following statement about the language policy, “My district language policy supports the
language I teach through providing supportive practices for enough teaching hours for the
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language I teach, resources and professional development.” As shown in Figures 17 and 18,
77.3% Arabic-speaking teachers responded strongly agree and agree compared to 59.1% of
English-speaking teachers.
Figure 17
English-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their District Language Policy
Supporting the Language They Teach
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Figure 18
Arabic-Speaking Teachers’ Responses on the Statement About Their District Language Policy
Supporting the Language They Teach
Although teachers responded highly to the question about their organization’s language
policy support for the language they teach; most teachers during the focus group interviews
expressed a lack of understanding about their schools, QF and MOEHE language policy. Most
teachers stated that their school’s language policy is rarely discussed, and they have little to do
with it and that they do not know about the MOEHE language policy.
Theme 2: Changing Culture of the Society Affects Support Received for Dual Language
Instruction
Teachers spoke about different cultural and country factors in Qatar that are affecting
education in their schools and the dual language programs implemented. Most of the factors
mentioned have a negative impact on the educational process while some are positively
supportive.
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Teachers expressed that family life has changed in Qatar. They shared that parents are
often away from the household for traveling reasons. One teacher said, “I think Qatar’s evolved
in a sense that family life has changed. I’ve noticed parents are away doing their studies and both
parents.” School teachers indicated that they have much younger parents now than before and
this has added some dynamics. Some believed that those younger parents are much more away
because they are still engaged with finishing their degrees and some believed that those younger
parents are much more aware of their children’s education as they are the generations that
graduated from those IB, international and dual language schools in QF. One teacher said,
“They’re better English speakers. I don’t know if you have noticed, because some of them are
already graduating from English-speaking schools.”
Another cultural issue that is affecting education in the view of teachers is late night
sleeping. All QF schools mentioned that students come tardy to school being tired and exhausted
for most of the day because of the social life and family style that makes them sleep late. One
teacher said, “The night life, because you have students coming in really tired. Sometimes they
end up falling asleep. Some of them haven’t even had breakfast because you can tell them.”
A positive cultural norm that the teachers discussed is the culture of traveling in the
Qatari society. Families do travel a lot to many countries around the world which has reflected
on students’ being well rounded, global citizenship and open mindedness. It has given them
exposure to different countries around the world and showed them diversity. One teacher stated,
Students visit all these different countries, which is what I thought less of in the UK. Not
many people would go away for the summer vacation and whatnot, but you see a lot
happening here. Children know about Russia, Turkey, and Vietnam.
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One of the most mentioned cultural factors that has a negative impact on dual language
instruction by teachers is the use of tutors at home. Students rely so much on their tutors that
they feel that they are the authoritative figure of their learning and not the classroom teachers.
One teacher expressed what students would say in class to respond about their tutors saying,
“Miss, I didn’t do it because my teacher comes on Wednesdays. I’ll do all the homework on
Wednesday,” or “My teacher said don’t do the homework yet, because tomorrow we’re going to
do this.” Another teacher added, “I feel tutors have more respect at home than the actual teachers
in school. Secondly, I agree. I believe tutors are detrimental to student learning.”
One teacher elaborated more on the issue of using tutors in the students’ culture and the
negative impact it has on students’ learning because of the lack of parents’ understanding:
For example, the student is good in Arabic, and weak in English, you find that the mother
at home does not know English, so you find her in a big problem that she does not know
how to solve, and she can use teachers, because she does not understand, and they may
defraud her, I have many parents They spend a lot of money, and it does not affect their
children. The choice of the mother and father for the teacher is not known to them, so
they find in the means of communication a teacher for all subjects, and they do not know
how to help the English language teacher, for example, so the child is stopped and cannot
progress, despite being very smart, and smart. And he can, but he feels that he has a very
big problem with the English language, one of my students tells me that he knows Arabic
and can work in it, but he can’t in English.
The last cultural factor that teachers suggest is negatively affecting students’ education is
the nannies’ culture in QF’s schools, and how parents and students are over- dependent on them.
One teacher addressed the nannies’ culture by saying,
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There are some students, the challenging students, where a lot of times their nannies are
teaching them the language. Their nannies are reading to them or answering their
questions in one-word answers and all. So, it really depends, I think, on the support
they’re getting at home. The more involved the parent is with us, the more, I think, better
chance that child has.
Teachers elaborated more on the negative effects of nannies on students, stating that
students acquire the Arabic and English languages from those nannies who are not Arabic native
speakers nor English native speakers, so the language is not pure and always broken. One teacher
explained this idea stating, “They come in and they’re speaking in this broken English or where
they put the accent on the word. Not only accent, but also the sounds. Some letters and some
languages have different sounds.” Teachers also expressed that students depend on nannies for
homework, preparing for school and doing most of the things on their behalf. One teacher stated,
There’s somebody there to do. We need to move away from there’s somebody there to do
things for me, and they need to take ownership of their own learning, and we can only do
that when we take away all of these pockets of support and they know that they’re on
their own, they’ve got a pass, so they’ve got to focus and they’ve got to do well.
Teachers agreed that the nannies’ culture is making their students over-independent on
others and takes a lot from their learning opportunities. They also linked this nanny culture to the
interruptions that can happen to language acquisition as they do not receive accurate Arabic or
English languages from the nannies.
Summary of Findings for Research Question Two
The second research question of this study has revealed findings about how teachers
perceive the support they receive from their schools, parents, and communities. Teachers
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struggled to answer questions about their roles and responsibilities within their schools’ dual
language programs but praised their schools for providing support through their professional
development programs and educational resources needed in classrooms. Two themes emerged,
one that relates to the lack of understanding of language policies of schools, districts and the
Ministry and the other one relates to emerging cultural negative trends that negatively impact
students’ learning such as the over independence of nannies and tutors at home.
Conclusion
The findings of this study have covered a number of aspects that relate to dual language
education. They covered challenges that schools go through in building those programs,
students’ needs, and parents’ demands while making sure they are fair to their teacher, how the
two languages are introduced, and sustaining their budget as dual language programs can be
expensive to maintain. The study covered challenges that a variety of school stakeholders
experience. These include challenges students face throughout the programs such as the
implications of the Arabic language on them or the culture that they live in that support’s English
language rather than their native language. Other findings revealed parents’ challenges and
implication on dual language programs such as the cultural factors at home like the reading
culture, nanny and tutor culture, sleeping patterns and overall support from parents for each
language taught at school. The study focused specifically on teachers’ perspectives and how they
see and deal with their challenges. Teachers’ challenges focused mostly on staffing issues and in
some cases a lack of support from the parents. An equity theme emerged during the study that
relates to the treatment and support provided for the Arabic-speaking teachers and a subtheme on
the favoring of the English language over the Arabic language.
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The study has also revealed how well resources QF’s schools are in terms of providing
learning and educational resources for the students and teachers. Schools at QF provide strong
professional development programs for their teachers as most teachers mentioned that they
received high-quality and extensive learning at their schools. Teachers have also revealed how
dual language programs as QF has given students opportunities to grow and access to elite
universities because of their bilingual education. Teachers agreed their programs have built
students’ personalities and given them strong confidence.
A set of recommendations that were suggested by teachers throughout the study will be
discussed next in Chapter Five. Their recommendations and responses address research question
3 around how dual language programs can be designed to support the needs of Qatari students
learning their mother tongue language.
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CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The purpose of this study was to understand some of the dual language programs offered
in QF’s schools by exploring teachers’ perceptions on the opportunities and challenges each
program in each school has presented. From this analysis and study, both obstacles that students,
parents, and teachers face in those programs and opportunities that can be seized and used for
better benefits were found. Recommendations for improvement were also suggested and
communicated from teachers from their own perspective. This chapter discusses some of the key
findings and provides a set of recommendations that can be used by schools or districts to modify
their dual language programs to best fit the needs of the students studying within those programs
and the needs of teachers to provide better teaching and learning services within those programs.
Discussion of Findings
The study revealed a number of findings related to discussions presented in the literature
review of this study and as answers to the three research questions that guided this study. A
central research question of this study sought to understand the challenges English and Arabic
homeroom teachers in dual language programs in five QF schools face in supporting language
acquisition. Literature suggests the characteristics of a successful dual language program, based
on the seven strands of the guiding principles of dual language education by Howard et al.
(2018). These strands reveal the strengths and challenges of any dual language education
program. One of the main fundamentals for building a strong dual language program structure is
the clarity of vision and goals focused on bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement and
sociocultural competence (Howard et al., 2018). The data from this study suggested that schools
did not have a clear vision of their dual language programs as they were not instructed or guided
by their district body nor received any training related to that vision. School teachers had
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different understandings of dual language education and bilingualism. This led to the lack of a
solid understanding that could build a strong community to best support dual language
instruction for students. One of the teachers expressed the urgent necessity for QF’s PUE office
to act upon this point by providing a vision for its schools so they could systematically build
those programs with a strong and clear foundation rather than individual understandings led by
different administrations. Further, during the focus group interviews, an understanding of why
those models were selected for those schools did not come up as teachers did not know why,
either because it was never discussed, or they were a legacy of the school that they were not
familiar with. All schools were similar in their students’ population demographics and the culture
they exist within in terms of the country, society, and parent population, but they operate
different models with no explanation why. Research suggests the necessity of this understanding
and a clear vision and guidelines from higher district entities or management. Research indicates
that to build a successful school program of dual language education, it has to be grounded in
sound theory and an enriched instructional model (Howard et al., 2018). This did not come
across during the interviews.
Another challenge homeroom teachers raised related to equity issues linked to teachers
and language favoring and status. Howard et al. (2018) describes that equity should exist among
all groups who should be treated fairly and with justice including students, families, and
teachers. Arabic-speaking teachers in four of the schools studied shared a concern of equity
issues toward the language they taught in terms of the hours of instruction provided for the
language and their standing within the dual language program. They expressed being treated as a
specialist teacher teaching fewer hours and managing classes and grades in contrast to the
English-speaking homeroom teachers who teach one class with more instructional hours for the
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language they teach and have less workload. In these schools, with such models, the message
was that the English language is more important and favored. Teachers also highlighted that
visual arts, music, and physical education were only taught in English in those schools. In one
school, TBZ, teachers did not mention this challenge as Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers
have equal instructional time, individual timetables and responsibilities. This school is the only
50/50 model in the district of QF schools. Other issues that fall under equity concerns for Arabic-
speaking teachers were the challenges to finding Arabic resources, the support of some schools
for English culture events over other cultural events, and, at times, the lack of parents support at
home for the Arabic language compared to the English language.
Effective leadership was another challenge mentioned in the study. Educational research
strongly supports the important role of leadership in developing and maintaining a successful
school in any part of the world (Aguirre-Baeza, 2001). Educational leaders must fight for
bilingualism as a right for children to be biliterate of two languages with cultural competence
and more opportunities in the world (Aguirre-Baeza, 2001). Howard et al. (2018) also discussed
some of the roles of a leader in a dual language school; those roles include being a spokesperson
for the vision and the program, in charge of planning, developing, implementing and evaluating
the model, having a clear understanding of the theory underlying the model, and, most
importantly, working to develop a high degree of faculty cohesion and collaboration. Teachers in
the five studied schools brought forward the importance of those traits in any educational leader
of a dual language school. Some of the schools were led by non-dual language speakers, who do
not speak the native language of students and the language presented in the school. Moreover,
those administrators did not come from the culture of the host country of the schools. Teachers
presented this as an obstacle and a challenge, arguing that how could those leaders be a role
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model for the program and how could they coach teachers on dual language education and
cultural understanding of a country that they are not from and do not speak the language of.
Teachers wanted to aspire more to their leadership entities and asked for more role models.
Teachers specifically brought up the importance of hiring more Qatari leaders and teachers to be
role models of dual language speakers and the culture for students and teachers.
Staff quality and professional development also came up as challenges and pointed to
recommendations for the future. The importance of hiring bilingual teachers was highlighted by
some schools. Teacher participants indicated that QAW has many bilingual teachers. They
indicated that being an English-speaking teacher who also speaks Arabic can facilitate the
learning of dual language students through being empathetic and understanding the mindset of a
dual language learner and providing more dual language learning strategies. Research indicates
that bilingual teachers are more culturally responsive to students, adapting their instructional
practices to more culturally specific particularities and praising children for being bilingual
(Goriot et al., 2016). Bilingual teachers fill in the gap between home and school culture and
show value for the two languages they teach.
Most of the English-speaking teachers in QF schools did not speak the Arabic language
as the survey of the languages spoken for this research indicated, while all Arabic-speaking
teachers spoke the English language. The fact that the Arabic-speaking teachers speak the
English language facilitated collaborative planning among them and their colleagues, the
English-speaking teachers, while the fact that most of the English-speaking teachers for the
students do not speak the Arabic language nor understand its dynamics might stand as an
obstacle. Having teachers who understand the dynamics of Arabic, and the frustrations of
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students when they only can express themselves in their native language, is a great positive
aspect that schools can gain within their dual language programs.
Cultural challenges were also significant as mentioned by teachers and had an impact on
dual language education. Teachers stressed that if those challenges were resolved by families,
students would receive a better education. Howard et al. (2018) discussed that “significant
feature of effective programs is the incorporation of family and community engagement and
collaboration with the school” (p.106). Teachers mentioned that parents are collaborative, but
sometimes favor one language over the other through attending activities in a specific language
and reading to children in a specific language more than the other. Other cultural challenges they
witnessed were the “nanny culture” and “tutoring culture” which are main features of Qatari
society. Qatari households depend on many servants and nannies at home. Those nannies
supervise the education of the children and spend a significant amount of time with them,
affecting their English and Arabic language acquisition as they are non-natives of those
languages or qualified professionals. As tutors are hired by many Qatari families, teachers in QF
schools expressed the negative impact of tutors as students depend on them for their homework,
affecting their independence and self-learning, and those tutors use different teaching and
educational methods than what is used in schools. Other cultural factors include the lack of sleep
of students as they stay up late and the high frequency of parents traveling which affects the
dynamics at home and, in return, affects students’ achievement.
The study also provided input about the opportunities dual language education programs
in QF offer its students. All teachers agreed that those programs have enriched students’
characters by higher levels of confidence, international mindedness and being more
knowledgeable. Moreover, those programs provided more opportunities for students to enroll in
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elite universities around the world, giving them more opportunities and access to high-quality
education.
Through the study a set of best practices were revealed in some schools that can be
shared with other schools not only in QF but also the region to design a strong dual language
program for students studying the Arabic and English languages like Qatari students in the five
QF schools. One of the best practices is the use of bilingual teachers teaching the English
language while they are themselves Arabic speakers. This trait makes it easier for students to
express themselves knowing that even if they struggle the teacher ultimately will understand
them. Teachers throughout the study expressed that if they are bilingual; more empathy is shown
toward the students studying another language while monolingual teachers expressed their
frustrations and wishes that if they knew Arabic, their and their students’ experiences would be
much better. Throughout all the dual language models discussed and teaching models, one dual
language and teaching model was commended for being a particularly effective design for a truly
well-balanced dual language program. Teachers’ pushed for the teaching model where two
teachers, one Arabic-speaking and one English-speaking, are teaching at the same time in a
transdisciplinary approach of moving between the subjects and the two languages in an authentic
approach. This teaching model is presented in the early years section at Qatar Academy Doha
and the preschool section at TBZ school. Another factor that was praised is providing a balanced
dual language program where time of instruction in each language is divided equally among the
two subjects to provide equity among the two languages and to fulfill the ultimate goals of full
biliteracy on both languages for students. This model was also found at Tariq bin Zaid school.
The study was administered using the Bronfenbenner’s human ecology as a framework
guiding the study. The framework had four layers with the teachers at the center in the
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microsystem level examining their own beliefs and training followed by the mesosystem as the
next layer where we examined how teachers perceive the support they receive from their schools,
students and parents. The third layer is the exosystem where the study explored the teacher’s
views on language policies of MOEHE and those of QF. The final layer was the macrosystem
where views on the country and society’s culture were captured from teachers. The framework
was used in designing the survey and focus group protocols making sure that we study teacher’s
perception in this order inside out, starting with their own beliefs and ending it with their
perception of how the community and culture is affecting their views and experience working
with students in different dual language programs as the five selected schools in QF. The next
section will discuss a set of recommendations for practice related to the study findings and
identified needs.
Recommendations for Practice
This section offers recommendations for the design of dual language programs to support
the needs of Qatari students, with a particular focus on learning their mother tongue language.
The recommendations are based on the findings through the lens of three categories: program
structure, staffing and cultural factors or issues. The third research question of the study asked
for recommendations from the perspective of teachers on how to best design a dual language
program that supports the needs of Qatari students which will be discussed and presented in this
section of the paper.
Teachers from all schools listed many opportunities and advantages their students gain
through being in a school with a dual language program. “They’re able to learn two languages.
Some of them are trilingual” one teacher stated. Students are biliterate and use translanguaging
easily when they are in these programs. Teachers stated that students are more proactive, take
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action, are global-minded and accepting of other cultures, problem solvers, acquire strong
debating skills, are strong communicators, and have larger cognitive ability and confidence when
they know another language. Teachers acknowledged that in those immersive dual language
environments, students also get immersed in the religious culture of their country, “They’re
learning about the Quran, the way that they pray, and they hold themselves, because sometimes
they don’t see that at home, but they’re so immersed in the classroom with their Arabic
teachers,” one teacher expressed. Teachers also added that those programs provided students
with doubled opportunities because they graduate with a level of expertise and proficiency in two
languages, and it becomes an asset to them. One teacher stated,
It opens doors. And we don’t know where the world is going, and language is one that is
going to be an asset, as well as your expertise within technology, because we are,
obviously, moving toward being more technological and advanced.
Other teachers mentioned the skill of code switching and translanguaging that their
students acquire while learning the two languages and how helpful it becomes for them in life.
Teachers provided more aspects of the advantages of studying in a dual language program
expressing that their students are always ready to respond using two languages, they are more
socially balanced and have a natural language growth. One teacher said,
Cultural diversity, frankly. A student who is fluent in Arabic and English has great
confidence in himself, and has diversity in information and sources of information, and
has love, values and concepts that he has lived and understood, for example, how do I
communicate with the world? How do I communicate with others, self-confidence is
number one. The one who excels in Arabic and English always has the ability to lead the
educational process, whether in the classroom, projects or at the school level.
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The following sections provide four recommendations for practice to build on the assets of dual
language instruction highlighted by the teachers as well as address current challenges they face.
Recommendation 1: Address Students’ Need for More Bilingual Teachers
One of the important themes that arose during the interviews and was recommended by
the teachers was the importance of having more bilingual teachers who can teach English but are
also aware of the students’ native language which is Arabic. This would make teachers more
empathetic with their second language learners, help make connections between the two
languages, understand more about the child and their barriers, and understand ways of how to
make it easier for the learners to learn their second language. Some teachers use a strategy to
encourage students to express themselves in two languages by asking them to express something
in Arabic and then the teacher reiterates it and reinforces it in English; it is one of the English as
a second language (EAL) strategies (Liu et al., 2017). One teacher at QAW described it as,
“Most of our faculty in the Early Years Department are also bilingual, which means they are
always supportive of the child and their needs and their language needs during the day.” Another
teacher expressed her experience as a bilingual teacher and how she used this strategy to support
the students’ learning,
When I first started off at the Academy, at that time we actually had more students who
didn’t speak English, or any English, and could not even comprehend the littlest of terms.
So as a bilingual teacher, going into the pre-three level, I was told that if you speak, don’t
speak to them in Arabic even if you know the language, because then they’re going to
think that it’s going to be like a crutch to them, that they can depend on speaking Arabic
to you and they will meet their needs. Obviously, I made my own research as well. And I
grew as an educator. I realized that, actually what I’m doing is I’m hindering this child’s
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ability to communicate and express themselves. And we have to remove the stigma of, or
the notion of, we are translating for them at all times, but we’re not. We’re listening and
then we are relaying back the information to them in the preferred language. So I’m the
English teacher. So, they’ve spoken to me in Arabic. I will acknowledge what they’ve
said and say, ‘So you mean…,’ in English, modeling what I expect from them.
Teachers confirmed the importance of making students comfortable and confident when using
both languages, and by having a bilingual teacher, learning a new language becomes much easier
and comfortable for students to acquire. Some teachers expressed that they wished to be
bilingual so they could be able to provide more support for the students. One teacher said,
I wish I understood what they’re saying. I really wish I understood at times because they
could be hitting so many learning goals…But when you don’t understand the mother
tongue, for example, or whatever language they’re speaking, it’s sometimes hard to
assess.
Schools in the region suffer from a short supply of qualified bilingual teachers who can
teach all subjects in elementary stages using the two languages. Qualified teachers who are
qualified to teach using Arabic language only or English language only are available, but dual
language schools strive for teachers that represent their vision and ethos of bilingualism and
cultural competency. There is an urgent need for teachers that can be role models for students,
empathetic for second language learners and can be financially efficient for schools as they will
be hiring one teacher per class instead of two. Some recommendations to attract and retain more
bilingual teachers include:
1. Building the school’s own bilingual teachers’ program through identifying candidates
and providing in house training programs. As there are no available bilingual teaching
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certification programs in the region, schools or districts can design in house training
programs for possible candidates who are strong bilinguals to be able to be train
homeroom teachers using the two languages to teach all subject areas. Teachers
would be able to receive training on dual language education and strategies for
immersive teaching in both languages.
2. Monetary incentives, in the form of salary enhancements, bonuses, or stipends to
attract and retain bilingual teachers. Teachers all over the world are leaving the
profession and incentives are important to keep them. This recommendation is
intended to attract more teachers to be full bilingual homeroom teachers as those
teachers have the option to be homeroom teachers using one language which is less
demanding than teaching using two languages.
3. Attracting more Qatari educators to the education field. A Qatarization plan for
attracting Qatari talents within QF needs to be implemented.
4. Growth plans for existing Qatari educators in the system to hold leadership positions
is highly recommended. The study revealed the importance of hiring more Qatari
educators who are bilingual to be role models for students and to provide cultural
support for expat teachers in the schools. This recommendation can be implemented
through agreements with local universities and education colleges to attract fresh
graduates to QF schools through an agreement and an incentive and growth plans for
those Qatari educators to join the foundation and not to opt out to the MOEHE
schools.
In sum, having qualified bilingual teachers can help students comprehend academic content,
improve attendance and graduation rates (Arroyo-Romano, 2016). The most important message
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that school administrators need to understand and implement is that bilingual teachers help
schools in providing educational equity for multilingual learners (Hernández & Martell, 2022)
Recommendation 2: Support Greater Language Equity
Equity themes emerged from the study where Arabic-speaking teachers voiced their
concerns about scheduling, subject time allocation, number of students to teach, parent and
community support and resources availability compared to the English language and English-
speaking teachers. In addition, some teachers voiced concerns of favoring the English language
over the Arabic language, the native language of the students, by the school administrators
through the program design and by parents through more focus and drive to learn more English
to get better access to university education and other cultural factors. Schools can address those
revealed concerns through looking thoroughly at the program designs and asking clearly which
language and which language teachers have more subject time allocation, more students and
classes to teach and resources provided. Schools should understand that the government’s vision
is to preserve and sustain the native language of the country and an Amiri Decree (Law N. 7 of
2019) has been issued to mandate that the Arabic language is the formal language of
communication in all Qatar’s ministries, institutions and authorities. The Arabic language should
be used in their meetings and discussions, documents, contracts, correspondents, visuals and text
publications (Qatar Tribune, 2019). Moreover, the government has put a strong emphasis on
English language learning in all of its public and private schools, and this is evident in the
country through all of its communication and visuals where the second language used in Qatar is
English (Hillman & Ocampo Eibenschutz, 2018).
Below are a set of recommendations that can modify practices and enhance them to avoid
and eliminate language equity concerns.
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1. Provide clear vision and program structure of the dual language program in each
school. The PUE office in Qatar Foundation that leads QF schools needs to design a
unified vision for dual language education in the district. They also need to create a
list of requirements available within their programs so schools have some guidance
and vision instead of following personal designs by school administrators. These
guidelines would address the equitable treatment of the two languages as they are
both important for the country and the students’ and parents’ population. The
guidelines could specify that when designing their programs, schools would need to
allocate equitable time to learn both languages, allocate subjects for both languages
equally, provide an equal number of teaching hours, load and number of students for
both English and Arabic-speaking teachers. “In dual language programs, the need for
a clear commitment to a vision and goals focused on bilingualism, biliteracy, and
sociocultural competence has been demonstrated in studies and advocated by dual
language education teachers and administrators” (Howard et al., 2017 p.10).
2. Another recommendation for schools to address language equity is to provide more
resources for the Arabic-speaking teachers through collaborating with publishing
companies and educational resources companies. Teachers can be asked to help in
designing the resources and for those companies to produce additional resources to
address the issue of lack of Arabic instructional materials. Event calendars in the
schools can also be revised to make sure that planned events in the school calendar
are equal among the Arabic culture and the English-speaking culture. Talent shows,
plays, choir and tournaments should be presented in and allowed for both languages
and not restricted to one language use. In all, QF should provide stronger guidelines
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and a clearer vision of what they look to aspire to in their schools so school
administrators can translate this vision into reality.
Recommendation 3: Promote Awareness of MOEHE and QF Language Policies
Teachers need more awareness of their schools’ expectations, their roles and
responsibilities within the dual language programs, and a deep understanding of their school’s
language policy, their district policy and the MOEHE policy. Throughout the study, strong
evidence of a lack of understanding and knowledge of the dual language policies and their roles
and responsibilities was clear.
A set of recommendations can address this theme:
1. Each school should design their dual language manual that captures the program’s
vision, expectations, roles and responsibilities of the teachers, students and parents.
This manual would be discussed regularly in school induction week, school meetings
and professional learning days to ensure all stakeholders’ awareness.
2. School and district language policy should be revisited and revised annually, and
semester meetings need to be assigned for review and discussion, so it is present in
teachers’ minds. Teachers should be allowed to provide input on the policy and make
modifications on it as necessary.
3. MOEHE language policy should be provided to all teachers and discussed at the
beginning of each year at the start of school orientation.
Recommendation 4: Build Stronger Connections with Parents Around Support of Dual
Language
Parents’ engagement and involvement in supporting their children’s education is a vital
success factor (Howard et al., 2017 p.106) . The study showed from the teachers’ perspective
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that in some schools, some language teachers felt that parents and home culture needs to be more
supportive of the language they teach through the use of the language at home, including the
literature purchased and read at home. Also, some cultural factors can be worked on to avoid any
language acquisition interruptions or difficulties such as the dependence on nannies which
affects the language acquisition of English and Arabic as students do not receive accurate
versions of those two languages through the nannies. One major recommendation that can
address parental issues or concerns is to raise parents’ awareness of what they should do to
support their children’s language development, provide tips and techniques, and provide
individual counseling for those families who need extra support. Studies have shown that there is
a relationship between parental involvement and motivational constructs such as student
motivation, self-regulation, mastery goal orientation and motivation to read (Gonzalez-Dehass &
Holbein, 2005).
Limitations and Delimitations
Limitations are influences that the researcher cannot control and delimitations are the
boundaries set by the researcher that need to be addressed (Creswell, 2014). A limitation of the
study was the openness of teachers to voice their concerns related to their dual language
programs. This is of particular concern as I might be the direct manager of some of the teachers.
This limitation was addressed through the recruitment of a USC local alumni who has no direct
relation to the participants to conduct the interviews. Another obstacle that might have limited
the participants being open and honest was their fear that their opinion might sound like they
were objecting to their school’s or manager’s vision of the programs offered in their schools.
Participants through the focus group interviews were informed that their responses would be
confidential, and their anonymity would be protected. Another potential limitation to the research
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is my positionality and how I feel about my native language and how it stands within dual
language models in schools. I needed to work to ensure that my emotions and subjectivity toward
my native language did not impact the study or harm it in any way.
A delimitation included the choice of schools to be included, the decision to include five
schools, and the inclusion of the current school that I lead. In choosing to include my school in
the research, it was my responsibility as the researcher to remove how I feel my school stands
compared to other schools and to not jeopardize the data in any way. As this is difficult to fully
do, this may have delimited the study. Articulating and understanding these implications gave
me more responsibility toward sustaining my ethical behavior conducting the research and
respecting the public trust in research. This was supported by following all guidelines established
by USC’s institutional research board as well as the continual process of review with my
dissertation chair and committee.
Recommendations for Future Research
This research revealed themes that can be further explored and investigated. Those
themes have not been covered in any previous research in the region that relates to dual language
education. One theme is equity issues that can occur among a group of teachers within one
school teaching two different languages and equity issues that relate to favoring a language over
the other either by community, parents, students or school administrators. Another theme that
emerged and can be further explored are cultural issues that relate to parents. These issues were
highlighted by teachers as challenges to students’ achievement in dual language programs or any
educational system. These include the heavy reliance on nannies at homes, tutors hired after
school, late night sleeping of students and the traveling culture of parents leaving their children
for long periods of time with other caregivers. Research on the impact of the nannies culture on
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students’ well-being and happiness and on the impact of tutors on students’ achievement can be
further explored.
Dual language education can also be further explored through the lenses of students and
parents. This research looked through the lenses of English and Arabic homeroom teachers and
looking at dual language from multiple perspectives would provide additional depth to the
findings and insights. For example, the parents’ perspective on dual language programs in their
children’s school and how they perceive their school’s performance and efforts would be
important to capture.
More research is also needed on students’ achievement within dual language programs.
Data of each grade level achievement and growth could provide strong evidence of a program’s
design success or failure. Data on students graduating from the programs and enrolling in higher
education could be a powerful tool to provide evidence related to the success of the programs.
Case studies are also immensely needed in this region as almost none exist. Case studies
that document each school’s dual language program in QF and other schools would provide a
great reference and documentation of efforts in this region to present dual language education
programs in the Arabic and English languages. Through those case studies, strong and weak
characteristics of dual language programs could be explored and evidenced with lessons for
Qatar and more broadly.
Conclusion
This study documented efforts in QF’s schools to implement dual language education
programs in the Arabic and English language contexts. The study revealed strengths and
weaknesses in each program presented and areas where schools and the district of QF’s schools
can improve and further develop their operations within their dual language programs presented.
128
The study answered three research questions through a survey and focus group interviews with
both English and Arabic homeroom teachers in dual language programs. The study revealed
themes that were not anticipated and suggested areas for further research. Extended research and
investigation on this research topic are highly needed for this region and context.
The study revealed through the teachers’ perspective many challenges they encounter
within their dual language programs. Most of those challenges occurred because of the lack of
depth of understanding of what dual language education entails, what are their roles and
responsibilities with those programs, and what are the tools and strategies they can use as
teachers inside the classroom to guarantee a quality teaching and learning environment for their
students. Opportunities were also highlighted by teachers, as they saw great benefits of dual
language programs on students’ character development and academic achievement, an end result
being enrolling in elite universities around the world because of their bilingualism and open
mindedness.
The study also revealed that the support teachers at QF’s schools receive is immense. The
amount of professional development opportunities offered is high, but they are not directed
specifically to dual language education. Resources are available for teachers and supports from
school administration and parents are appreciated by teachers. Arabic-speaking homeroom
teachers highlighted a lack of resources, not because of their schools not supporting these
resources, but because of the unavailability of good quality resources in the market. A question
remains why high-quality Arabic resources are not produced enough in a large market such as
the Arab region.
The study ended with a set of recommendations by the teachers and me, responding to the
last research question on how dual language programs can be best designed to fit the needs of
129
Qatari students learning their mother tongue language. This set of recommendations included
providing a clear vision and a set of standards on the design and goals of dual language
programs. Another important recommendation is the employment of more Qatari teachers and
administrators who can be role models for students and a great support of the cultural
understanding of the country and local families to their expat colleagues. This research adds to
the limited research and knowledge in the region of dual language education that exists in our
schools of the Arabic and English languages. It draws on the implications and challenges of the
Arabic language at this time, and the region’s drive to learn the English language while
preserving the native Arabic language and culture. The research can be a guide for new schools
who are interested in dual language education as it showcases schools that implemented different
dual language education models in the region and revealed each program’s strengths and
weaknesses. This research revealed how dual language education can be implemented in
different ways and how some modifications, if implemented, can provide a strong model for
Arabic language native students to be taught and thrive in a dual language program of English
and Arabic.
130
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APPENDIX A: RECRUITMENT EMAIL
Dear all,
I’m Maha Al Romaihi, a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California. I
study in the Rossier school of Education specifically in the Global Education Executive program.
I’m working on a dissertation about dual language education programs in QF schools. I will
study the dual language models and its effectiveness in five QF’s schools from the perspective of
the teachers. Through this study I look forward to identifying what are the best dual language
models for Qatari students in QF schools and how we can support teachers to support those
programs for the students.
You are sent this email because you are a teacher at one of QF schools. I would like to
get your feedback and views of the program through a survey and a focus group interview if you
are interested, if you have been in the school for more than 2 years and if you are an Arabic-
speaking homeroom teacher or an English-speaking homeroom teacher.
The survey is anonymous. It will not capture your name or your email. The survey will
take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey in the links below:
For English-speaking teachers: https://forms.gle/tmkNUZeDi9QTYXB18
For Arabic-speaking teachers: https://forms.gle/fSy98rCwckbxTCu17
I’m also looking to interview Arabic-speaking and English-speaking teachers in depth on
the same topic through a focus group interview session. If you are interested, please register your
name in this link: https://forms.gle/4bZvHuxLYEdDhiPe8
For those who participate in the focus group interview, I’m offering 300 QR gift cards for each
participant after completing the interview. Once you register your interest, I will arrange with
your school’s administrators to set up the interview time and location and will inform you.
Please find the attached information sheet of the study for more information about the study.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Maha Al Romaihi
139
Email: malromai@use.edu
Mobile Phone #: 55822884
أﻋ ﺰ ا ﺋ ﻲ ،
أﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﮭ ﺎ ا ﻟ ﺮ ﻣ ﯿ ﺤ ﻲ ، ط ﺎ ﻟﺒ ﺔ د ﻛ ﺘ ﻮ ر ا ه ﻓ ﻲ ﺟ ﺎ ﻣ ﻌ ﺔ ﺟ ﻨ ﻮ ب ﻛ ﺎ ﻟﯿ ﻔ ﻮ ر ﻧ ﯿ ﺎ . أ د ر س ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ Rossier ﻟﻠ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ و ﺟ ﮫ اﻟ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﯾ ﺪ ﻓ ﻲ ﺑ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ
Global Education Executive . أ ﻧ ﺎ أ ﻋ ﻤ ﻞ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ أ ط ﺮ و ﺣ ﺔ ﺣ ﻮ ل ﺑ ﺮ ا ﻣ ﺞ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ا ر س ﻣ ﺆ ﺳ ﺴ ﺔ ﻗ ﻄ ﺮ . ﺳ ﺄ د ر س
ﻧﻤ ﺎ ذ ج ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺰ د و ﺟ ﺔ و ﻓ ﻌ ﺎ ﻟ ﯿ ﺘﮭ ﺎ ﻓ ﻲ ﺧ ﻤ ﺲ ﻣﺪ ا ر س ﺗ ﺎ ﺑ ﻌ ﺔ ﻟ ﻤ ﺆ ﺳ ﺴ ﺔ ﻗ ﻄ ﺮ ﻣ ﻦ و ﺟ ﮭ ﺔ ﻧ ﻈ ﺮ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ . ﻣ ﻦ ﺧ ﻼ ل ھ ﺬ ه ا ﻟ ﺪ ر ا ﺳ ﺔ ، أ ﺗ ﻄ ﻠ ﻊ
إﻟ ﻰ ﺗ ﺤ ﺪ ﯾ ﺪ أ ﻓ ﻀ ﻞ ﻧ ﻤ ﺎ ذ ج اﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟ ﻤ ﺰ د و ﺟ ﺔ ﻟﻠ ﻄ ﻼ ب اﻟ ﻘ ﻄ ﺮ ﯾ ﯿ ﻦ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ا ر س ﻣ ﺆ ﺳ ﺴ ﺔ ﻗ ﻄ ﺮ و ﻛ ﯿ ﻒ ﯾ ﻤ ﻜ ﻨ ﻨ ﺎ د ﻋ ﻢ اﻟ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ ﻟ ﺪ ﻋ ﻢ ھ ﺬ ه
اﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ا ﻣ ﺞ ﻟﻠ ﻄ ﻼ ب .
ﻟﻘ ﺪ ﺗ ﻢ إ ر ﺳ ﺎ ل ھ ﺬ ا ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﯾ ﺪ ا ﻹ ﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺮ و ﻧ ﻲ إ ﻟ ﯿ ﻚ ﻷ ﻧ ﻚ ﻣ ﺪ ر س ﻓ ﻲ إ ﺣ ﺪ ى ﻣ ﺪ ا ر س ﻣ ﺆ ﺳ ﺴ ﺔ ﻗ ﻄﺮ . أ ر ﻏ ﺐ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺤ ﺼ ﻮ ل ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ﻣ ﻼ ﺣ ﻈ ﺎ ﺗ ﻚ
و آ ر ا ﺋ ﻚ ﺣ ﻮ ل ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﻣ ﻦ ﺧ ﻼ ل ا ﺳ ﺘ ﻄ ﻼ ع ر أ ي و ﻣ ﻘ ﺎ ﺑ ﻠ ﺔ ﺟ ﻤ ﺎ ﻋ ﯿ ﺔ ﻣ ﺮ ﻛ ﺰ ة إ ذ ا ﻛ ﻨ ﺖ ﻣ ﮭ ﺘ ﻤ
ً ﺎ ، إ ذ ا ﻛ ﻨ ﺖ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ ﻷ ﻛ ﺜ ﺮ ﻣ ﻦ ﻋ ﺎ ﻣ ﯿ ﻦ
و إ ذ ا ﻛ ﻨ ﺖ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ً ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﺼ ﻒ ﻣ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ث ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﯿ ﺔ ا و ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻻ ﻧ ﺠ ﻠ ﯿ ﺰ ﯾ ﺔ .
اﻻ ﺳ ﺘ ﻄ ﻼ ع ﻣ ﺠ ﮭ ﻮ ل . ﻟ ﻦ ﯾ ﺴ ﺠ ﻞ إ ﺳ ﻤ ﻚ أ و ﺑ ﺮ ﯾ ﺪ ك ا ﻹﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺮ و ﻧ ﻲ . ﺳ ﯿ ﺴ ﺘ ﻐ ﺮ ق اﻻ ﺳ ﺘ ﺒ ﯿ ﺎ ن أ ﻗ ﻞ ﻣ ﻦ 10 دﻗ ﺎ ﺋ ﻖ ﻹ ﻛ ﻤ ﺎ ﻟ ﮫ . ﯾ ﺮ ﺟ ﻰ إ ﻛ ﻤ ﺎ ل
اﻻ ﺳ ﺘ ﺒ ﯿ ﺎ ن ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺮ و ا ﺑ ﻂ أ د ﻧ ﺎ ه :
ﻟﻠ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ اﻟ ﻨ ﺎ ط ﻘ ﯿ ﻦ ﺑ ﺎ ﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻹ ﻧ ﺠ ﻠ ﯿ ﺰ ﯾ ﺔ : e/tmkNUZeDi9QTYXB18 https://forms.gl
ﻟﻠ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ اﻟ ﻨ ﺎ ط ﻘ ﯿ ﻦ ﺑ ﺎ ﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﯿ ﺔ : https://forms.gle/fSy98rCwckbxTCu17
أ ﺗ ﻄ ﻠ ﻊ أ ﯾ ﻀ ً ﺎ إ ﻟ ﻰ إ ﺟ ﺮ ا ء ﻣ ﻘ ﺎ ﺑ ﻠ ﺔ ﻣ ﺘ ﻌ ﻤ ﻘ ﺔ ﻣ ﻊ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ ا ﻟ ﻨ ﺎ ط ﻘ ﯿ ﻦ ﺑﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﯿ ﺔ و ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﺛ ﯿ ﻦ ﺑﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻹ ﻧ ﺠ ﻠ ﯿ ﺰ ﯾ ﺔ ﺣ ﻮ ل ﻧ ﻔ ﺲ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻮ ﺿ ﻮ ع ﻣ ﻦ
ﺧ ﻼ ل ﺟ ﻠ ﺴ ﺔ ﻣ ﻘ ﺎ ﺑ ﻠ ﺔ ﺟ ﻤ ﺎ ﻋ ﯿ ﺔ ﻣ ﺮ ﻛ ﺰ ة . إ ذ ا ﻛ ﻨ ﺖ ﻣ ﮭ ﺘ ﻤ
ً ﺎ ، ﻓ ﯿ ﺮ ﺟ ﻰ ﺗ ﺴ ﺠ ﯿ ﻞ ا ﺳ ﻤ ﻚ ﻓ ﻲ ھ ﺬ ا ا ﻟ ﺮ ا ﺑ ﻂ :
tps://forms.gle/4bZvHuxLYEdDhiPe8 ht
ﺑﺎ ﻟ ﻨ ﺴ ﺒ ﺔ ﻷ و ﻟ ﺌ ﻚ ا ﻟ ﺬ ﯾ ﻦ ﯾ ﺸ ﺎ ر ﻛ ﻮ ن ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﻘ ﺎﺑ ﻠ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺠ ﻤ ﻮ ﻋ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺮ ﻛ ﺰ ة ، ﺳ ﺄ ﻗ ﺪ م ﻛ ﻮ ﺑ ﻮ ﻧﺎ ت ﺑ ﻘ ﯿ ﻤ ﺔ 300 ﷼ ﻗ ﻄ ﺮ ي ﻟﻜ ﻞ ﻣ ﺸ ﺎ ر ك ﺑ ﻌ ﺪ ا ﻻ ﻧﺘ ﮭ ﺎ ء
ﻣﻦ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺎ ﺑ ﻠ ﺔ . ﺑ ﻤ ﺠ ﺮ د ﺗ ﺴ ﺠ ﯿ ﻞ ا ھ ﺘ ﻤ ﺎ ﻣ ﻚ ، ﺳ ﺄ ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﺘ ﺮ ﺗ ﯿ ﺐ ﻣ ﻊ ﻣ ﺴ ﺆ و ﻟ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻚ ﻹ ﻋ ﺪ ا د و ﻗ ﺖ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺎ ﺑ ﻠ ﺔ ﻣ ﻮ ﻗ ﻌ ﮭ ﺎ و ﺳ ﺄ ﺑ ﻠ ﻐ ﻜ ﻢ ﺑ ﺬ ﻟ ﻚ.
ﯾﺮ ﺟ ﻰ ا ﻻ ط ﻼ ع ﻋﻠ ﻰ و ر ﻗ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻮ ﻣ ﺎ ت ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺮ ﻓ ﻘ ﺔ ﻟ ﻠ ﺪ ر ا ﺳ ﺔ ﻟ ﻤ ﺰﯾ ﺪ ﻣ ﻦ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻮ ﻣ ﺎ ت ﺣ ﻮ ل ا ﻟ ﺪ ر ا ﺳ ﺔ .
ﺷﻜ ﺮ ا ﺟ ﺰ ﯾ ﻼ ﻟ ﻮ ﻗ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ و ﺗ ﻌ ﺎ و ﻧ ﻜ ﻢ ،
ﻣﮭ ﺎ ا ﻟ ﺮ ﻣ ﯿ ﺤ ﻲ
اﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﯾ ﺪ ا ﻻ ﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺮ و ﻧ ﻲ : malromai@use.edu
رﻗ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﮭ ﺎ ﺗ ﻒ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺤ ﻤ ﻮ ل : 55822884
140
APPENDIX B: INFORMATION SHEET
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
Version Date: [03/08/2022] Page 1 of 3
USC IRB Information Sheet Template Version Date: 07/27/2019
INFORMATION SHEET FOR EXEMPT RESEARCH
STUDY TITLE: Dual Language Education
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Maha Al Romaihi
FACULTY ADVISOR: Dr. Cathy Krop
You are invited to participate in a research study. Your participation is voluntary. This document
explains information about this study. You should ask questions about anything that is unclear to
you.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to understand the different dual language models utilized in five of
QF schools. The study also aims to assess teachers’ perspective of the challenges and
opportunities faced by teachers and supporting students’ language acquisition within these
different models. The study identifies what if any of the additional support teachers in QF
schools need to facilitate dual language proficiency amongst students.
You are invited to participate in this study because you meet the three criteria for participation:
1) you are a teacher at one of the five schools in QF; 2) you are an Arabic or English homeroom
teacher in a primary school; and 3) you have been in this school at least for 2 years.
PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT
141
If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to join the principal investigator and a
couple of other teachers in your school for a 1-hour focus group interview that will take place at
your school campus during working hours. The principal investigator will arrange a meeting time
and a place in your school in collaboration with your school’s administrator.
The primary investigator will ask around 10 questions for the group to answer and reflect on.
The 1-hour session will be audio recorded.
PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
You will receive a 300 QR gift card provided by the principal investigator for the time spent at
the focus group interview. You do not have to answer all of the questions in order to receive the
gift card. The card will be given to you at the end of the focus group interview session.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The members of the research team (Primary investigator and the faculty advisor), and the
University of Southern California Institutional Review Board (IRB) may access the data. The
IRB reviews and monitors research studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
Version Date: [03/08/2022] Page 2 of 3
USC IRB Information Sheet Template Version Date: 07/27/2019
The focus group interviews will be recorded using I phone voice memo. The recording will be
transcribed and shared with participants in the focus group meeting. Participants have the right to
review/ edit the transcripts. After participants approval of the transcripts, audio recordings will
be deleted. Personal identities will not be revealed or written in any of the documents or
142
mentioned in the audio recordings while recording as the study is anonymous. The transcripts
will be kept indefinitely with the primary investigator.
Due to the nature of focus groups, your confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. However, in order
to maintain the confidentiality of the group, you are asked not to discuss the content of the group
with anyone not in the group, or to discuss who participated in the focus group.
INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this study, please contact:
Primary Investigator: Maha Al Romaihi
Email: malromai@usc.edu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Cathy Krop
Email: krop@usc.edu
IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the
University of Southern California Institutional Review Board at (323) 442-0114 or email
irb@usc.edu.
143
APPENDIX C: SURVEY PROTOCOL
Q# Bronfenbrenner
Assumed Influence
Survey Item (includes
question/prompt AND response
options)
Scale of
measurement
(nominal, ordinal,
interval or ratio)
1 Microsystem Tick what best describes you.
ﺿﻊ ﻋ ﻼ ﻣ ﺔ ﻋ ﻨ ﺪ اﻟ ﻮ ﺻ ﻒ ا ﻷ ﻗ ﺮ ب ﻟ ﻚ
How old are you?
22-32
32-42
42-52
52-62
ﻛﻢ ﻋ ﻤ ﺮ ك ؟
Ratio
2 Microsystem How long is your teaching experience?
1 – 10 Years
10- 20 Years
20 – 30 Years
More than 30
ﻛﻢ ھ ﻲ ﺳ ﻨ ﻮ ا ت ﺧ ﺒ ﺮ ﺗ ﻚ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺪ ر ﯾ ﺲ ؟
Ratio
3 Microsystem How many languages do you speak?
1 language
2 languages
3 languages
4 or more languages
ﻛﻢ ﻟ ﻐ ﺔ ﺗ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ث ؟
Nominal
4 Microsystem Did you study in a dual language
model while in school?
Yes
No
Nominal
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ھﻞ ﺗ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﺖ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ا ر س ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﯿ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻋ ﻨ ﺪ ﻣ ﺎ ﻛ ﻨ ﺖ ﻓ ﻲ
اﻟ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ ؟
5 Microsystem What grade level do you teach?
Preschool
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
ﻓﻲ ا ي ﻣ ﺴ ﺘ ﻮ ى د ر ا ﺳ ﻲ ﺗ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ؟
Nominal
6 Mesosystem
Please rate the following statements
using the scale below from your opinion.
(Strongly agree-agree -Disagree-
Strongly Disagree)
اﻟ ﺮ ﺟ ﺎ ء ﺗ ﻘ ﯿ ﯿ ﻢ اﻟ ﺠ ﻤ ﻞ اﻟ ﺘ ﺎ ﻟ ﯿ ﺔ ﻣ ﻦ ﺧ ﻼ ل ر ا ﯾ ﻚ ﻣ ﻦ ﻣ ﻮ ا ﻓ ﻖ
ﺑﺸ ﺪ ة ا ﻟ ﻰ ﻏ ﯿ ﺮ ﻣ ﻮ ا ﻓ ﻖ ﺑﺸ ﺪ ة :
1.My school provides enough resources
such as books and educational tools for
the language I teach.
ﺗﻮ ﻓ ﺮ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻲ ﻣ ﺼ ﺎ د ر ﺗ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ﻛ ﺎ ﻓ ﯿ ﺔ ﻛ ﺎ ﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺐ و ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺼ ﺎ د ر
اﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻤ ﯿ ﺔ ﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا د ر ﺳ ﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
7 Mesosystem
2. My school allocates adequate time for
the language I teach.
ﺗﻮ ﻓ ﺮ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻮ ﻗﺖ ا ﻟ ﻜ ﺎ ﻓ ﻲ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ
ﺑﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
8 Mesosystem 3.My school celebrates the language I
teach through multiple events and
activities.
ﺗﺤﺘ ﻔ ﻞ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻲ ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻋ ﻠ ﻢ ﺑ ﮭ ﺎ ﻣ ﻦ ﺧ ﻼ ل
اﻻ ﺣ ﺘ ﻔ ﺎ ﻻ ت و اﻷ ﻧ ﺸ ﻄ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺨ ﺘ ﻠ ﻔ ﺔ .
Ordinal Scale
9 Mesosystem 4.My school supports the culture of the
language I teach.
ﺗﺪ ﻋ ﻢ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻲ ﺛ ﻘ ﺎ ﻓ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا د ر ﺳ ﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
10 Mesosystem 5.My school provides professional
development opportunities to learn more
Ordinal Scale
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about the language acquisition of the
language I teach.
ﺗﻮ ﻓ ﺮ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻲ ﻓ ﺮ ص ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻄ ﻮﯾ ﺮ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﮭ ﻨ ﻲ ﻟ ﻠ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ أ ﻛ ﺜ ﺮ ﻋ ﻦ
طﺮق ا ﻛ ﺘ ﺴ ﺎ ب ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻤ ﮭ ﺎ .
11 Mesosystem 6.My students enjoy learning the
language I teach.
ﯾﺴﺘ ﻤ ﺘ ﻊ ط ﻼ ﺑ ﻲ ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻤ ﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
12 Mesosystem 7.My students are competent in the
language I teach.
طﻼ ﺑ ﻲ ﻣ ﺘ ﻤ ﻜ ﻨ ﯿ ﻦ ﻣ ﻦ اﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠﯿ ﻤ ﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
13 Mesosystem 8.Parents of my students are supportive
of the language I teach through home
support.
أوﻟ ﯿ ﺎ ء أ ﻣ ﻮ ر ط ﻼ ﺑ ﻲ د ا ﻋ ﻤ ﯿ ﻦ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻤ ﮭ ﺎ ﻣ ﻦ
ﺧﻼ ل اﻟ ﺪ ﻋ ﻢ ﻓ ﻲ اﻟ ﻤ ﻨ ﺰ ل .
Ordinal Scale
14 Macrosystem 9.My students and their families speak
the language I teach at their homes.
طﻼ ﺑ ﻲ و ﻋ ﺎ ﺋ ﻼ ﺗ ﮭ ﻢ ﯾ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﺛ ﻮ ن اﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠﯿ ﻤ ﮭ ﺎ
ﻓﻲ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻨ ﺰ ل .
Ordinal Scale
15 Macrosystem 10.My students’ parents read books at
home in the language I teach.
أوﻟ ﯿ ﺎ ء أ ﻣ ﻮ ر ط ﻼ ﺑ ﻲ ﯾ ﻘ ﺮ أو ن ا ﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺐ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻨ ﺰ ل ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ
اﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﺳ ﺘ ﺨ ﺪ ﻣ ﮭ ﺎ ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ اﻟ ﻄ ﻼ ب .
Ordinal Scale
16 Macrosystem 11.My students watch movies in the
language I teach.
ﯾﺸ ﺎ ھ ﺪ ط ﻼ ﺑ ﻲ ا ﻷ ﻓ ﻼ م ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ ﺑ ﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
17 Exosystem 12.My district language policy supports
the language I teach.
ﺳﯿ ﺎ ﺳ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﻨ ﻈ ﻤ ﺘﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ﻋ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘﻲ ا ﻗ ﻮ م ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ
ﺑﮭ ﺎ .
Ordinal Scale
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APPENDIX D: FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
Research Questions:
RQ1: What are the challenges and opportunities English and Arabic homeroom teachers face in
supporting language acquisition in preschool dual language programs in QF schools?
RQ 2: How do English and Arabic language teachers perceive the support they receive and
expectations of them in the language they teach?
RQ 3: How can dual language programs be designed to support the needs of Qatari students
learning their mother tongue language?
Q
#
Bronfenbrenner
Assumed Influence
Interview Question
1 Microsystem How would you describe the dual language program at your
school?
ھﻞ ﻣ ﻦ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻤ ﻜ ﻦ ا ن ﺗ ﺼ ﻒ ﻟ ﻨ ﺎ ﻋ ﻦ ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺪ م ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ ؟
2 Microsystem What are your responsibilities and goals as a teacher within this
dual language program?
ﻣﺎ ھ ﻲ أ ھ ﺪ ا ﻓ ﻚ و ﻣ ﺴ ﺆ و ﻟ ﯿ ﺎ ﺗ ﻚ ﻛ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ﻓ ﻲ ﺑ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺪ م ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ ؟
3 Microsystem Do you understand the school’s expectations from you as a
teacher in a dual language program? Explain.
ھﻞ ﺗ ﻌ ﻲ و ﺗ ﻌ ﺮ ف ﺗ ﻮ ﻗ ﻌ ﺎ ت ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻚ ﻣ ﻨ ﻚ ﻛ ﻤ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ اﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ؟ ا ﺷ ﺮ ح
4 Microsystem What are the challenges you face in implementing the dual
language program in your school?
ﻣﺎ ھ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﯾ ﺎ ت ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﻮ ا ﺟ ﮭ ﮭﺎ ﻓ ﻲ ﺗ ﻄ ﺒ ﯿ ﻖ ﺑ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻚ ؟
5 Mesosystem Does the school value the language you teach? Explain why.
ھﻞ ﺗ ﻘ ﺪ ر ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻚ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﮭ ﺎ ؟ ﻟ ﻤ ﺎ ذ ا ؟
6 Mesosystem How does your school provide support for the language you
teach? Are there ways they could support you better?
ﻛﯿ ﻒ ﺗ ﻮ ﻓ ﺮ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺪ ﻋ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﺬ ي ﺗ ﺤ ﺘ ﺎ ﺟ ﮫ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﮭ ﺎ ؟ ﻛﯿ ﻒ ﺗ ﺴ ﺘ ﻄ ﯿ ﻊ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ
دﻋ ﻤ ﻚ ﺑ ﺸ ﻜ ﻞ أ ﻓ ﻀ ﻞ ؟
7 Mesosystem What are the challenges Qatari students face in learning the
language you teach? How can we overcome these challenges in
your opinion?
147
ﻣﺎ ھ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﯾ ﺎ ت ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﯾ ﻮ ا ﺟ ﮭ ﮭﺎ ا ﻟ ﻄ ﻼ ب ا ﻟ ﻘ ﻄ ﺮ ﯾ ﻮ ن ﻓ ﻲ ﺗ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﮭﺎ ؟ ﻓ ﻲ
رأ ﯾ ﻚ ﻛ ﯿ ﻒ ﯾ ﻤ ﻜ ﻨ ﻨ ﺎ ﺗ ﺠ ﺎ و ز ھ ﺬ ه ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ﯾ ﺎ ت ؟
8 Mesosystem In what ways can parents support the language you teach?
ﺑﺎ ي ط ﺮ ق ﯾ ﻤ ﻜ ﻦ ﻟ ﻸ ھ ﺎ ﻟ ﻲ د ﻋ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﮭ ﺎ ؟
9 Exosystem To what extent does the dual language program in your school
support the needs of Qatari students learning their mother
tongue language? Are there ways it could do this better?
ﻷي ﻣ ﺪ ى ﯾ ﺨ ﺪ م اﻟﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ اﻟﺜ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ اﻟﻠ ﻐ ﺔ اﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺪ م ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ ، ا ﺣ ﺘ ﯿ ﺎ ﺟ ﺎ ت اﻟ ﻄﻼ ب
اﻟ ﻘ ﻄ ﺮ ﯾ ﯿ ﻦ ﻓ ﻲ ﺗ ﻌ ﻠ ﻢ ﻟ ﻐ ﺘ ﮭ ﻢ اﻷ م ؟ ھ ﻞ ھ ﻨ ﺎ ك ط ﺮ ق أ ﺧ ﺮ ى ﻟ ﺘ ﻘ ﺪ ﯾ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺑ ﺸ ﻜ ﻞ ا ﻓ ﻀ ﻞ ؟
10 Exosystem Can you speak briefly about your school’s language policy and
its connection to the MOEHE language policy?
ھﻞ ﻣ ﻦ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻤ ﻜ ﻦ أ ن ﺗ ﺘ ﺤ ﺪ ث ﺑ ﺸ ﻜ ﻞ ﻣ ﺨ ﺘ ﺼ ﺮ ﻋ ﻦ ﺳ ﯿ ﺎ ﺳ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ و ﻣ ﺪ ى
ﺻﻠ ﺘ ﮭ ﺎ ﺑ ﺴ ﯿ ﺎ ﺳ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ و ز ا ر ة ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺮ ﺑ ﯿ ﺔ و ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ و ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ ا ﻟ ﻌ ﺎ ﻟ ﻲ ؟
11 Macrosystem What are some of the cultural factors in Qatar that impacts dual
language education?
ﻣﺎ ھ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺠ ﻮ ا ﻧ ﺐ ا ﻻ ﺟ ﺘ ﻤﺎ ﻋ ﯿ ﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻗ ﻄ ﺮ و ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺆ ﺛ ﺮ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﯿ ﻢ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ؟
12 Macrosystem What are some of the advantages you see for students studying
within this dual language program?
ﻣﺎ ھ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﺠ ﻮ ا ﻧ ﺐ ا ﻻ ﯾ ﺠ ﺎ ﺑ ﯿ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﻲ ﺗ ﺮ ا ھ ﺎ ﻓ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻄ ﻼ ب ا ﻟ ﺬ ﯾ ﻦ ﯾ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﻮ ن ﻣ ﻦ ﺧ ﻼ ل ا ﻟ ﺒ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ
ﺛﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ا ﻟ ﻤ ﻘ ﺪ م ﻓ ﻲ ﻣﺪ ر ﺳ ﺘ ﻜ ﻢ ؟
13 Macrosystem How can schools best design a dual language program that fits
the needs of Qatari students?
ﻛﯿ ﻒ ﯾﻤ ﻜ ﻦ ﻟ ﻠ ﻤ ﺪ ر ﺳ ﺔ ﺗ ﺼ ﻤﯿ ﻢ ﺑ ﺮ ﻧ ﺎ ﻣ ﺞ ﺛ ﻨ ﺎ ﺋ ﻲ ا ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﯾ ﺨ ﺪ م ا ﺣ ﺘ ﯿ ﺎ ﺟ ﺎ ت ا ﻟ ﻄ ﺎ ﻟ ﺐ ا ﻟ ﻘ ﻄ ﺮ ي ؟
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APPENDIX E: SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL PROTOCOL
Study Title: Dual Language Programs at QF’s Schools: A Teachers’ Perspective
PI Name: Maha Al Romaihi
Study Procedures
1. Background/Rationale
Dual language education is becoming popular in Qatar with the government’s interest in
preserving the native language of its students which is Arabic and introducing English as the
formal second language in the country (Al Obaidli, 2010). Dual language education programs are
programs that are offered in k-12 education providing instruction through two or more languages
to gain full proficiency in the selected languages (Cloud et al., 2000). Dual language programs
can be implemented through a variety of models and percentages of time of instruction. Models
depend on the background of students, community demands and decisions on the percentage of
instructional time dedicated to each language. Each language has its own challenges, including
the complexity of it, the historical background of it, its popularity and demand to learn it or not.
For Arabic students, Arabic can be challenging to learn as it is a diglossic language that is
spoken differently at home and in the streets from how it is learned in a MSA form in school
through reading and writing. Therefore, learning Arabic might seem like learning a new
language with the English language when students start their schooling journey in Qatar. Many
schools in Qatar offer different dual language models that vary in the time of instruction
dedicated for each language. Results from different standardized testing in Qatar do not highlight
growth or success in either Arabic or English language proficiency.
This study will explore different dual language models that are offered in five QF’s
primary schools from the teachers’ perspective. Through the Arabic-speaking and English-
149
speaking homeroom teachers who teach multiple subjects either in Arabic or English we will
understand the challenges and possibilities from each dual language model. This understanding
and analysis of their perspective will lead to a better understanding of what model works well
and which does not and what is the best model that fits the language profiles and needs of
students in Qatar.
The importance of this study lies in the research and knowledge of the background of
dual language education in the state of Qatar and the search for the reasons behind the success
and failure of dual language programs offered in QF schools. Most schools in the state of Qatar
seek to graduate students who are proficient in the mother tongue, which is the Arabic language,
and the second language, which is the English language, to help students keep pace with the
globalized world and to enroll in elite international universities. Moreover, advancing the state of
Qatar globally is tied to students’ mastery of their mother tongue, which enhances their identity,
and their mastery of the English language, which is the key to global success.
With the existence of many models of bilingual education and the presence of evidence
of students’ weakness in both Arabic and English, it is necessary to study what is the optimal
model for a dual language program to present to students in the state of Qatar to preserve their
mother tongue and gain the new language of English in a balanced and thoughtful manner that
ensures that they have success in acquiring two languages and graduating from school with
proficiency in the use of both languages. This study will clarify, from the teachers’ perspective,
what are the challenges and opportunities they see in each dual language model that they teach
through, and thus clarify some successful models and practices that can be generalized, and the
challenges that need to be faced and addressed.
150
It should be noted that literature and research in the case of Qatar does not have enough
data to fully understand the extent and effects of dual language programs on students in Qatar.
QF also did not have any research done on their schools dual language programs and teachers’
perspective of it, so conducting this research will add to the data and findings needed for the
educational sector in Qatar and specifically for dual language education in the country.
2. Purpose/Objectives/Aims/Research Questions
The purpose of this study is to understand the different dual language models introduced
in five of QF schools and the teachers’ perspective of the challenges and opportunities of
teaching and supporting students’ language acquisition within these different models. Their
perspectives are critical to best design a dual language model that suits Qatari students in QF
schools and responds to the cultural, governmental and parental demands from dual language
education in those schools.
The study will also show what kind of additional support teachers in QF schools need in
order to reach the desired results for dual language proficiency among students. This study is the
first study that looks into dual language education models in QF schools. As such, it will benefit
the whole educational sector in Qatar as it focuses on dual language models that teach Arabic as
the native language and English as the second language. The study can also be beneficial to
countries in the Arab Gulf region as students share the same cultural backgrounds and language
challenges.
The following research questions guide this study:
RQ1 What are the challenges English and Arabic homeroom teachers face in supporting
language acquisition in primary dual language programs in QF schools?
151
RQ 2 How do English and Arabic language teachers perceive the support they receive
from their schools and expectations on them in the language they teach?
RQ 3 How can dual language programs be designed to support the needs of Qatari
students learning their mother tongue language?
3. Participants (sample)
The stakeholder group for this study are QF schools’ teachers, targeting primary schools’
homeroom teachers. The study will seek an equal number of English-speaking homeroom
teachers and Arabic-speaking homeroom teachers to gain insights from both language teachers.
The five schools included in the study all differ in their sizes and dual language models. The
survey will be administered to approximately 100 teachers who meet the sampling criteria with
20 teachers (four from each school) targeted for focus group interviews. The goal is to
understand the strengths and limitations of the current various dual language models offered in
QF schools from the teachers’ perspective to best design a model to support both English and
Arabic language proficiency.
Criteria for selecting the participants for the survey and focus group interviews:
Criterion 1
Teachers who worked in their current school for at least 3 years. The rationale for this
criterion is that teachers need to understand the dual language model they work in to better
understand the questions and provide more thoughtful answers from experience.
Criterion 2
Homeroom teachers only as the study will focus on the dual language program and the
focus will be on homeroom teachers teaching more than one subject using a single language.
4. Recruitment/Screening Process (sampling strategy)
152
● Recruitment will take place in five QF schools.
These are the school locations and addressed
School Address
Qatar Academy Doha Education City, Qatar Foundation
Qatar Academy Al Khor Al Khor City
Qatar Academy Al Wakra Al Wakra City
Qatar Academy Msheireb Msheireb downtown
Tariq Bin Ziad School Al Sadd Area
● The investigator will approach school directors to speak about the study and the purpose
of it to be conducted in their schools. The investigator will send a recruitment email to
each school director to be forwarded to all teachers in their school. The recruitment email
will contain a brief about the study, the survey link for teachers to respond to. The email
will indicate the criteria of teachers who need to respond to the email. The recruitment
email will end with a request for interested teachers to join a 1-hour focus group to speak
more about the study. For people who are interested they can click on a link to register
their details. The email will mention an incentive of 300 QR Bookshop Voucher for those
who participate.
● After collecting the names of the volunteers, the investigators will check numbers from
each school and group them. They will be emailed with the information sheet and a
proposed date/time for the interviews to be conducted.
● The investigator will contact them and arrange for two hours focus group interview for
each school. One hour will be with English-speaking teachers and 1 hour will be with
Arabic-speaking teachers. The investigator will dedicate a day for each school.
● One of the schools is the investigator’s school that she leads. For this case, the
investigator will seek the help of a local global EdD alumni a local graduate of USC
Rossier School of Education’s Global Executive EdD program who has completed CITI
training to send the recruitment email and conduct the survey and focus group interview.
The volunteer will contact one of the school’s administrators to seek help in forwarding
the email. The volunteer will have all the links and access with no access to the primary
investigator. The volunteer will only hand the transcripts to the investigator.
5. Methods
● Mixed methods study (Survey and Focus group interview )
● Meeting with school directors will be conducted.
● Recruitment email with survey link, participation criteria and volunteer request
for focus group interviews will be sent to school directors to forward to all
teachers.
153
● After volunteer’s data is collected; they will be contacted to set up the interview
dates in person. Information sheets will be sent by email.
● Interviews will take place and confidentiality sheets will be handed.
● Interviews will be recorded using the iPhone Voice memo app.
● At the end of the interviews incentives will be handed to volunteers.
● All data will be anonymous.
● All transcripts and survey results will be saved electronically in the university
google drive of the investigator.
a. Instrumentation
i. Questionnaires/Survey Measures (names and citations)
ii.
iii. A survey will be conducted prior to the focus groups interviews to solicit
demographics and general views of teachers on dual language education. The
survey has 17 questions that range from demographics questions to scale like
questions of teachers’ views on different statements about their school’s dual
language program.
A. Whether measures are reliable/valid, are psychometric tests, or developed by
the investigator.
iv. Both instruments, survey and focus group interview protocol are developed by
the investigator.
v.
A. The protocol should indicate whether open-ended questions are utilized.
Focus Group Interviews will be conducted with groups of 2 to 3 homeroom
teachers in each school. Each school will have two groups; one group will
be the English-speaking teachers where the interview will be conducted in
English and the other group will be the Arabic-speaking teachers where the
interview will be conducted in Arabic.
The protocol has thirteen open-ended questions that are inspired from
Bronfenbrenner Assumed Influences of the microsystem, Mesosystem,
exosystem and Macrosystem.
b. Data Analysis
The data analysis process will consist of transcripts of focus groups interviews, field
notes and survey data. The survey data will be analyzed prior to conducting the focus group
interview to support in understanding the participants, the context of the school and in
conducting the interview protocol. The second step will be to analyze the focus group data after
transcribing through reading all the transcripts and listening to the recordings. Through this
process, the researcher will write notes to develop categories, themes and make connections
154
(Maxwell, 2013). Similarities and differences will be used to define categories, group and
compare data, and focus on the relationships (Maxwell, 2013).
The researcher will create a matrix that has each research question with different
categorizing analysis themes and themes emerging from the study as a tool for displaying and
developing the gathered data. The researcher will classify the answers and quotes under each
category. This categorizing technique has some limitations including the risk of losing the
contextual relationships in categorization structure.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Dual language education programs are popular in Qatar and in Qatar Foundation schools where the Arabic and English languages are taught. Schools offer dual language programs that differ in percentage of instruction dedicated to each language, subject allocation for each language, student population and mix and teachers’ experiences. Yet there is not much research that explores why each model is stronger than the other or why a model is the best fit for Qatari students in Qatar Foundation schools specifically. This mix methods study explored the different models, their challenges and opportunities from the teachers’ perspective working within those schools. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework for this study, it included a survey where 132 teachers responded and 11 focus group interviews with 35 Arabic and English-speaking teachers. The instruments used revealed teachers’ perceptions and views on the dual language models offered at their schools, the challenges faced, opportunities and gains and what do they recommend to best design a model that fits the language needs for Qatari students at Qatar Foundation schools. The study found that staffing and equity challenges that relates to favoring a language over the other stand out as major barriers compared to other challenges explored through the study. Teachers have also highlighted the opportunities students at Qatar Foundation schools gain through studying within those programs such as building strong personalities, open mindedness, and access to more learning opportunities because of their bilingualism. A set of recommendations are presented in this study from teachers views during the interviews and from me to support Qatar Foundation schools build more efficient dual language programs for their students.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Al Romaihi, Maha Rashid
(author)
Core Title
Dual language programs at Qatar Foundation schools: examining teachers' perspective
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Global Executive
Degree Conferral Date
2023-05
Publication Date
03/27/2023
Defense Date
01/09/2023
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Arabic language,bilingual,bilingualism,dual language,homeroom teachers,OAI-PMH Harvest,Qatar Education.
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Krop, Cathy (
committee chair
)
Creator Email
malromai@usc.edu,malromaihi@qf.org.qa
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC112850240
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Format
theses (aat)
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Al Romaihi, Maha Rashid
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
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Tags
Arabic language
bilingual
dual language
homeroom teachers
Qatar Education.