The Vebral Behavior Patterns Prevalent Among English

The Vebral Behavior Patterns Prevalent Among English

Zajel / An-Najah National University

Mohammad Yusuf Nimer Abdu This study aimed at analyzing the verbal behavior patterns prevalent among English teachers in the governmental secondary classrooms in Nablus District in the scholastic year 1998/1999 from the students' perspectives. The study attempted to answer the following question. What is the rank-order of the verbal behavior patterns prevalent among English teachers in the governmental secondary classrooms in Nablus District in the scholastic year 1998/1999 from the students' perspectives? The population of this study consisted of all the students who were in the first and the second secondary classes in the scientific and the literary streams in the governmental secondary schools in Nablus District in the scholastic year 1998\1999. The sample of this study consisted of 1373 students (29% of the population). It was drawn from the study population (4689) students. The data was collected through a developed questionnaire based on Flander's formula (91% suitable for analysis; 1249 students). The validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a jury of judges and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's coefficient Alfa and by Pearson's formula (test retest). The correlation coefficient was 87%. The results were analyzed by using student T-test and one way analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The present study showed that the verbal behavior patterns prevalent among English teachers in the Governmental secondary classrooms in Nablus District in the scholastic year 1998\1999 from the students' perspectives can be rank ordered as follows (most frequent to least frequent): a) Silence or confusion (communication breakdown), b) Indirect Influence, c) Direct Influence, d) Student Talk-Response, and e) Student Talk Initiation. Finally, the researcher put forward some suggestions for improving teaching English in our schools of which the most important is modifying the General Secondary certificate Exam of English Language, so that the four English Language skills will be accounted for and evaluated. The researcher also suggested some further studies of which the most important is the effect of the verbal behavior patterns prevalent among English teachers in all the districts at all students' attitudes and achievement. Mohammad Yusuf Nimer Abdu Supervisor Dr. Suzan Arafat 1999