Academic Source: Powers, Shawn, and Mohammed El-Nawawy.
Academic Source:
Powers, Shawn, and Mohammed El-Nawawy. “Al-Jazeera English and Global News Networks: Clash of Civilizations or Cross-Cultural Dialogue?” Media, War & Conflict, vol. 2, no. 3, 2009, pp. 263-284.
Summary
Satellite television was dramatically introduced to the Arab world during the first Gulf War in 1991 and has changed the structure of the global media, as well as the role of the news media in times of conflict. During the last decade of the 20th century, several communication scholars argued that we were entering an era of globalization whereby international news media were creating, for the first time, a global public sphere. Sadly, despite the promise of new media technologies providing for cross-cultural engagement, it seems that audiences around the world are increasingly turning to broadcasters for information that they find to fit within their pre-existing world views.
Analysis
Powers is an Associate Professor of Communication at Georgia State University, and ElNaway is Knight-Crane’s endowed chair and Assistant Professor in the Knight School of Communication at the Queen’s University of Charlotte. Considering there are two authors, of different backgrounds, this source is quite objective rather than biased. The purpose of this source is to help examine what is the influence of AJE is today and helps determine if AJE is biased, or not. The audience of source is really anyone that is interested in AJE. The perspective of this source is from a communications point of view, and it is looking at the effect of AJE on the public sphere.
Reflection
This source basically gives the backdrop of AJE and why it started, as well as goes in depth as to the legitimacy of the news channel. The source is helpful asit provides a lot of great info on AJE, including its influence and if it is biased or not. It will help me shape my argument as stated, in terms of examining AJE’s from a perspective of communication professors, from different parts of the world. I will be using this source to support my argument in my research paper. It is different compared to my other sources in how the author emphasized on how the idea of how satellite television was introduced to the Arab world and how it changed the structure of global media.
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2022-08-19 15:22:55
PSYCHOANALYTICAL STUDY OF “THE COMEBACK” BY ELLA BERMAN
Abstract
This psychoanalytical study is the study of the novel “The Comeback” written by Ella
Berman in 2020. Frued (1950) proclaims that Psychoanalysis theory deals with the specific
premises of the workings of the mind. Most of the novel’s chapters deal with Grace’s character,
who is exploited and manipulated at the age of fourteen by the Hollywood director, Able Yorke.
She seems to have fame and a reputation as a superstar, but on the inside, she is broken and living a
miserable life because of the traumatic experiences of sexual abuse. She becomes addicted to
alcohol and other drugs. Freud (1896) names this situation the effect of trauma. This dissertation
provides an understanding of Trauma theory through the character of the protagonist of the novel
The Comeback, and also presents the execution of the psychoanalysis theory by exploring the
unknown and hidden perspectives of Grace’s character. This research highlights how childhood
sexual abuse impacts the development of Grace’s character, and how sexual abuse leads to her.
Abnormal behavior.
It is a very common observation that the human mind tends to retain some memories, even if they are
bad or good, any experience which leaves an impact on a person’s life stays in the memory. That
A particular experience becomes eternalized in the memory of that person. Although the event that
happened once, does not go on happening, again and again, the memory of the traumatized
victim, becomes eternal. It happens again and again and always leaves the person in the same
agonized state in which he/she was left when encountered with that very experience for the first
time. There are times when a sudden outburst, a certain event, or even the slightest idea can lead
to the disorientation of thoughts and activities, just because the person
feels that he is experiencing the same event, again, only that he is not; and it is just his memory of
the circumstances which made him feel like this.
Introduction
As a camera introduces us to invisible optics, as does psychoanalysis to the unconscious.
impulses. The theory of psychoanalysis is the most imposing theory we have in the post-war
period. It was birthed by the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud in the 1950s, who provided a
radically new approach to the analysis and treatment of ‘abnormal’, sexual, and traumas’
behavior. It deals with the dynamics of the workings of the mind and focuses on the state of
mind of the author or the state of mind of characters created by the author. The closest
The connection between literature and psychoanalysis has always been located in literary theory.
Among these literary theories of literature, psychoanalysis is one of the modern theories that are
used in English literature. Caruth (1996) explained the relationship between literature and
psychoanalysis as
“If Freud turns to literature to describe the traumatic experience, it is because literature itself is
interested in the complex relationship between knowing and not knowing, and it is at this
specific point at which knowing and not knowing to intersect that the psychoanalytic theory of
traumatic experience and the language of literature meet.” (Caruth 1996)
It is regarded as a theory of behavior organization and the dynamics of the mind. Despite that,
Psychoanalysis study is considered a fascinating lens and constructive approach in the
application of interpretative analysis of any text. This dissertation details the psychoanalytical
study of the novel “The Comeback” penned by Ella Berman in 2020.
Grace is the protagonist of the novel. The whole story revolves around her. She is a young
actress who becomes a victim of sexual abuse at the age of fourteen. Hollywood director, Able
Yorke takes her to America and introduces her to the Hollywood industry. She becomes a
Hollywood star of a wildly successful film series, but all decisions about her life are in her hands.
of a controlling and manipulative director, Able Yorke. Grace depends on him, so he
manipulates and exploits her to the maximum. Although, she seems to have fame and a
reputation as a superstar. However, this was only one side of the coin, but behind that public
facade, Grace was raped by the same person, Able Yorke, who makes her a superstar in the
industry. Because of this trauma, she becomes addicted to alcohol and drugs so that she can
escape from her miserable life.
One day, on the cusp of awards season, she completely disappears from the public eye.
She spent years quietly. She has a complicated relationship with everyone. She lost the
connection with her parents, sister, and husband, whom she holds up as a saint. Grace returns to
Los Angeles after a year, and she struggles with her future. She tries hard to repair her
relationships with her loved ones and studio executives alike. Unfortunately, she observes the
same situation-those who run Hollywood, like Yorke, are still in power, and still exploiting that.
power to take advantage of young stars.
This psychoanalytical study discusses the mechanisms to find out the hidden meaning of
a literary text of the novel “The Comeback” particularly with the character of Grace. It also
helps us understand, the execution of the trauma theory, such as how childhood sexual abuse
trauma impacts the development of Grace’s character and how leads it to her Abnormal
behavior.
Objectives.
The main objectives of this dissertation are,
1. To study the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the development of Grace’s
character
2. To study how sexual abuse causes abnormal behavior in the protagonist
Literature Review.
The psychoanalysis theory is one of the most consuming modern theories used in literary
analysis of the different genres. Despite this, whether psychoanalysis has a close connection with
literature or not, it has become one of the most interesting mechanisms for interpreting the
hidden meaning of the text. Psychoanalysis is not simply a branch of medicine, but it is also used
to understand various fields such as philosophy, culture, and religion, and is first and most used in
literature. So, significant numbers of studies can be found where researchers applied
psychoanalysis theory to different texts.
Khotimah (2004) in his thesis “psychoanalysis of Native Son (1940)” discusses Bigger’s
Character utilizing psychoanalysis theory which includes Freud’s psychoanalysis and the
Motivation theory of Human behavior by Fryer and Morgan and King. The thesis attempts to
uncover every psychological aspect of Bigger’s character through his behavior. This dissertation
has a similar approach, especially in psychoanalysis theory, although the object of the analysis is
different.
Maupassant in his short story “The Necklace” (1888) has been analyzed several times as a
psychoanalytical study by different researchers. On J Stor, several articles have been published
where different researchers prepare a psychoanalytical study of the short story The Necklace.
Bement in his article (2011) offers an interpretation of Maupassant’s development of the
plot of The Necklace, believing that he may have considered the implications of both greed and
innocence to form his story. He comments upon the surprise ending in The Necklace and its
correlation to psychological realism and relates with psychoanalysis theory. O’Faolain in his
article (2013) in which he asserts that the cleverness of The Necklace lies not in the surprise
ending but in its realistic portrayal of human relationships and society. He said the shock ending of
The Necklace is the highlight of the story, condemning Maupassant’s portrayal of relationships.
as vague and unconvincing and his plot as improbable. In finding, all these articles’ authors
implement psychoanalysis theory on “The Necklace”.
An unpaid (2016) in his article on ” Cry the Peacock” portrays the psychic tumult of a
young and sensitive married girl Maya, who is haunted by a childhood prophecy of a fatal
disaster. She is the daughter of a rich advocate in Lucknow. Being alone in the family, with her mother
being dead and her brother having gone to America to carve his independent destiny, she gets the
most of her father’s affection and attention, and in her moments of affliction, exclaims to herself:
“No one, no one else, loves me as my father does”. The excessive love Maya gets from her father
makes her have a lop-sided view of life. She feels the world is a toy made especially for her.
painted in her favorite colors and set to move according to her tunes. On the other side, according
to Ayub (2018) ” Cry the Peacock (1963) “is about Neurosis and its impact on human personality
that have engaged the attention of both psychologists and creative writers. By following the
impact of Freud and the development of various psychological theories in the nineteenth
and the twentieth centuries, he examines how Maya, the protagonist of Anita Desai’s Cry, The
Peacock is forced into a psychotic state on account of an incompatible and unsympathetic marital
relationship.
Anthony (1956) claimed that D.H. Lawrence’s novel “Sons and Lovers “gives grounds for a
psychoanalytic interpretation. The protagonist of the novel reexamines his relationship with his
mother and her psychological effect on his sexuality, which relates to one of Freud’s most
famous theories known as the Oedipus Complex (1899). According to Ramos, the work of D., H.
Lawrence provides evidence of personality development in Oedipal conflict and the pre-Oedipal
establishment of a sense of self. In the same regard, Jones (1922) in “A Psycho14
Analytic Study of Hamlet” argues (1922) that William Shakespeare’s tragic hero, Hamlet, suffers
from an Oedipus Complex one of Freud’s theories: is the idea that a male character is driven by
unconscious desires to kill his father and marry his mother.
Sarge (2019) Applied Psychoanalytic Theory to Macbeth. He suggests that the dynamic
character, that is Macbeth, all parts of Freud’s psyche surface, while choice characters such as
Lady Macbeth and King Duncan largely represent one psyche personality. Correspondingly,
Levine (2020) stated that the power of psychological suggestions motivates Macbeth to act on his
repressed desires. They are the contrasting counterparts Id and Superego, which are the most
imposing the concept of Freud on psychoanalysis theory.
Apart from the above particular research, a significant number of researches have been
conducted to identify research articles, investigating the correlation between sexual abuse and its
aftereffects. Many studies also examined multiple or single incidents of abuse and both.
childhood and adult victimization.
Research Question.
• How do childhood sexual abuse and its aftereffects impact the
development of Grace’s character?
• To what extent does the sexual abuse of the protagonist show her
abnormal behavior?
Theoretical Framework.
Numerous theories deal with mind and behavior; however, the most known theory is
psychoanalysis theory. It was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian
Neurologist Sigmund Freud provided a radically new approach to the analysis and treatment
of ‘abnormal’, sexual, and any kind of traumatic behavior. Before this, critics ignored the
behavioral errors and look for a physiological explanation of ‘abnormality,’ however, with the
introduction of Freudian theories, critics recognized that abnormal behavior was not meaningless.
but always happens because of an intense cause, and Freud named its trauma.
Detail description of the unconscious mind by Freud. He defines the
unconscious as the part of the mind that lies outside the somewhat vague and porous boundaries
of consciousness. He also relates unconsciousness to the Laws of Transformation. These
principles that govern the process of repression Psychoanalytic Theory used in English Literature:
the unconscious works as the theoretical function of making the relation between adult behavior
intelligible and childhood experience.
Freud proposed three structures of the psyche or personality. It refers to a selfish,
primitive, childish pleasure-oriented part of the personality with no ability to delay gratification.
Whereas Super Ego refers to internalized societal and parental standards of ‘good’ and ‘bad’,
‘right’ and ‘wrong’ behavior’, and Ego refers to the moderator between the Id and Super-Ego
which seeks compromises to pacify both. It is not clear what would count as evidence sufficient
to confirm or refute theoretical claims. The theory is based on an inadequate conceptualization of
the experience of women. The theory overemphasizes the role of sexuality in human
psychological development that leads to trauma.
According to Judith Herman (I992), trauma theory has provided a framework for understanding
how individuals process devastating experiences. Psychological trauma is an affliction of the
powerless. At the moment of trauma, the victim is rendered helpless by overwhelming force.
Traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people
a sense of control, connection, and meaning. Traumatic events are extraordinary, not because
they occur rarely, but rather because they overwhelm ordinary human adaptations to life.
According to the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the common denominator of
psychological trauma is a feeling of “intense fear, helplessness, loss of control, and the threat of
annihilation.”
Traumatic events shatter our basic assumptions that we will be safe, that we are good people.
and that our future relations would not do anything to harm us. Trauma reactions are
psychophysiological responses to overwhelming events that the individual cannot integrate
(Herman, 1992). Sexual abuse cannot be assimilated with our sense of self in the world. The
The dissociative process plays an important role in this regard. Braun (1990) describes it as follows:
Dissociating is to sever the association of one thing from another. In psychiatry, dissociation is a
defensive process that can intercede between affective states and thoughts to separate them from
the mainstream of consciousness, between parts of behavioral chains, or between effects,
behaviors, and thoughts. Dissociation may affect or distort the input level of perception.
Another important aspect of the traumatic response is hyperarousal. This includes startle
reactions, irritability, hypervigilance, and difficulty with modulating the intensity of the effect.
“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go on to
permanent alert, as if danger might return at any moment. Physiological arousal continues
unabated” (Herman, 1992). It is believed that this hyperarousal is physiological as well as
psychological in nature. There is evidence that trauma causes lasting biochemical and
neuroanatomical changes (Greenberg, 1998).
The Comeback belongs to the psychological genre. Psychoanalysis and trauma theory
has been used as a theoretical framework for the research. The comeback is a psychological
novel, in which the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of Grace and other characters have
greater interest than their external action or words. There are clear pieces of evidence that the
internal states of Grace’s character and the emotional reactions that lead to her abnormal behavior.
So, the novel I have chosen entirely fits the psychoanalysis theory.
Characterization.
This psychoanalysis study starts with the abstract, which summarizes the major aspects of
the entire dissertation in a prescribed sequence that included: the overall purpose of the study. The
research problem, and at the end major theory of the paper. The second heading is the heading of
the introduction, which contains five steps. the first step has introduced the topic and defined
theories. The background and introduction of the novel. After this, there is the research problem
and objectives of the dissertation. The next heading is about the literature review, which provides a
description and comprehensive summary of each source. After the literature review, chapter one
starts which deals with the research question, of how sexual abuse impacts the development of the
character of Grace, where I have provided bulk evidence from the novel’s text to support ideas.
The backup text gives the idea of the negative impact of the sexual abuse Grace experienced in
the novel. It is justified that Grace is a disturbing character who was manipulated, exploited, and
the victim of sexual abuse starting at the age of fourteen. Chapter 1 leads to chapter 2, in which I
have talked about the abnormal actions of Grace. Chapter 2 is backed up with the evidence from
the text of the novel. Chapter 2 talks about the character of Grace, who is not easy to understand.
She is trying not only to cope with all that has been taken away from her but also with what has been
done to her. Lastly, there is the conclusion which provides a summary of the whole study.
CHAPTER 1:
Sexual Abuse:
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Its Aftereffects
Childhood sexual abuse impacts the victim in adulthood. Childhood is the age of
learning and developing character where a child learns to understand the meaning of being
protected. According to Herman, (1992) having stability and a healthy childhood environment
allows you to form solid and safe relationships later in life. However, this is the ideal definition of
an experience of childhood. In reality, we have many children who experience
sexual abuse and harassment in their childhood. As the character of Grace symbolizes one of
among them who faces trauma, she has experienced sexual abuse and harassment in her childhood.
which impact the development of her character. Grace is a disturbing character who was
controlled and exploited while working in Hollywood by her director. This exploitation Impacts
the development of Grace’s Character.
The very abnormal decision she makes is when she has the fame of her career, she
disappears from the public eye. The trauma of all events impacts the development of Grace’s
character. Trauma theory has also helped to recognize the fact that women are more prone to get
affected by traumas and develop psychiatric reactions to them as compared to men. This claim
has been justified by a history of feminist concerns about oppression, gaslighting, and lack of
acceptance. Trauma theory has created a language that has been effective for the interpretation of
reactions due to abuse such as nightmares and traumatic flashbacks, which were previously not
acknowledged as having psychological implications. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is
also included in the list of psychological disorders as a result of the expansion of trauma theory.
This is now being incorporated into feminist literature, as in Grace’s character.
“On the day of the Independent Film Awards, I wake in the middle of the night sweating,
my pillow soaked. I dreamt Able was in the room with me while I slept, but I couldn’t move or
call out, because his hands were around my neck, pinning me down all over again. I reach for my
painkillers before remembering I left them at Laurel’s. After that, I sob into my pillow until I can
I hardly breathe, while the sky lightens around me. I don’t know how to be normal, how to stop.
him from being able to reach me. “(The Comeback, Berman,2020).
Because of sexual abuse and its impact on her life, she starts using alcohol and drugs. she
has complex character development as she has a complicated relationship with everyone and
everything: these are the aftereffects of sexual abuse. The feeling is primitive, raw, unlike
anything she has ever felt before. She is up again and running into the icy water as thick
raindrops continue to fall from the sky. Able Yorke’s manipulation gets worse as the only
person she had in the world was Able; At the start, he was only emotionally abusive. But with time,
Able’s motives become more sexual. She wants to get rid of this life, but she couldn’t because she
is controlled by Able psychologically as well as physically, and that controlled life provides a
sketch of how she is reacting towards people and things after that incident of sexual abuse. “I have
spent years trying to work out what I could have done differently, or maybe what my parents
could have done differently.
I should have told someone after the first time he made me touch.
him, or when he told me I was mentally unstable for the hundredth time. Maybe I shouldn’t have
waited until every part of my life was already destroyed before I tried to kill myself. Maybe I
shouldn’t have worked so hard to become, as I was told just this morning, such an unreliable
witness. But it was never really up to me, was it?” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020). She has a
miserable life in Hollywood, as Able York abuses her mentally as well as physically. At the start,
Grace praises Able and considers him a good person. But after a year, when Grace
meets Able, she is terrified and seems to have developed a complex personality disorder.
Borderline personality disorder has also been identified as a mental disorder that is the result of
chronic child abuse (Herman, 1992). That has led to reinterpretation and progress in the
development of understanding of generalized female hysterical conditions.
“Why are you so scared of everything?” Esme asks, looking at me as if I’m a stranger. Every
The emotion I am feeling is reflected in such excruciating detail on her face that I have to turn away.
“You know that I didn’t ask for you to follow me around, right? I have never invited you over,
not even once. I don’t know how to help you and I can’t tell you that everything works out in the
end, because it doesn’t, and the truth is that you will never get what you want, because, by the
time you do, you won’t want it anymore. That’s the secret of the fucking universe that nobody
wants to admit to themselves. Do you feel better for knowing it?” She takes a step back, leaving
me and Able staring at each other.
Each synapse in my body is firing, screaming at me to get
away from him, but I force myself to step toward him instead, because Emilia is watching and I
I don’t want her to see how scared I am. I kiss Able stiffly on the cheek, and his golden skin is still
papery and rough up close, just like it is in my nightmares.” (The Comeback, Berman 2020).
Her poor and pathetic connection with her parents, and with her sister, she was too young when
she left home shows the weakness of her character development. On the other side, When Grace
returns to Los Angeles after a year, she struggles with her future, which again symbolizes the
negative impact of sexual abuse on her development as a character.
“I was untouchable, unstoppable, hurtling down a path to immortality so rapidly, so
immaculately, that not one person stopped to question how it all worked so well, a fortysomething
A man and a teenager being so inextricably linked. I know the power imbalance that exists every
the time you meet someone who’s seen you at your most vulnerable, whether or not it was your
choice in the first place. How do you have to hope that they don’t use it against you in some way, or
say something flippant that might burn its way into your sense of self, resurfacing every time you
look at your body in the mirror or undress in front of your partner.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
She wanders from place to place and then reaches her parents’ home in Anaheim, London.
which shows that something very complex is disturbing her life. “Maybe my mom was right
about me when she said I wasn’t happy, but what she doesn’t understand is that since the age of
fifteen, I’ve never even dared to want to be happy. I’m just trying to stay alive.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
Isolation is one of the parts of Psychological Defense Mechanisms. This mechanism of
isolation is created by the ego which deals with reality. When there is a conflict between the conscious
and unconscious mind, a person suppresses his painful feelings. But it does not end here, the mind
always finds another way to express emotions through mechanisms. Here this thing is
evident that Grace is suppressing her painful emotions, as there is a conflict between her
conscious and unconscious mind.
“Do you want to know why I left you? I left because you never wanted to see who I was.
You had this image of me as this little lost girl who you could rescue with your love, and you.
panicked when it turned out not to be as simple as that. Your love suffocated me because it was a
love for somebody else. You never took the time to get to know who I was, and the one night I
tried to tell you, you didn’t want to know. That’s why I’m fucking left.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
She is using the mechanisms of isolation to deal with her trauma. She isolates herself from
her work and people. She pulls up outside her parents’ house and makes her way to the front door as fast as she
can. She rings the bell and her dads opens the door within seconds. When he sees Grace,
standing there on her crutches, with her battered face, he takes a step back, gripping the wall to
steady himself because Grace had been staying with a friend in Ojai, and then she came home in
the morning.
“How did she seem when she got home?” He looks at my mom, but neither of them seems to
know how to answer. “I think she seemed fine,” my mom says helplessly. “But maybe I don’t
know her anymore. Do you think she’s at a friend’s house? Do I need to call the police? How am
I supposed to tell them we just, lost her?” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
The character of Grace is not easy to understand. It’s a character who is trying not only
to cope with all that has been taken away from her, but also what has been done to her. The most
The vicious demons have always been her own, and she has never learned how to protect herself.
from them. As we have discussed she was exploited to the point where she could not trust
anyone, even including her parents, her friends, her sister, and her husband. Thereupon, the
The development of Grace’s character can be figured out from her choices, and her relationship with her.
younger sister, Esme, and her rocky marriage. She failed in all and chose drugs, fake friends,
and other self-destructive behavior.
“So, you were just swimming, my mother says, frowning at my sister and me over a
breakfast of Lucky Charms with diced strawberries. “I was just swimming,” Esme says
authoritatively. “In the torrential rain.” “In the torrential rain,” Esme repeats. “Like your sister
was just driving off a mountain on Christmas Eve.” My sister and I exchanged a look. I swallow a
mouthful of milky, powdered chemicals. “Just like that,” I say, shrugging. “I don’t know how we
raised two such thrill-seekers,” my dad says, pouring more cereal into Esme’s bowl, “when I’ve
never even smoked a cigarette.” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
In short, sexual abuse and its aftereffects badly impact the development of Grace’s character.
Here we can see the traces of “parapraxis” (Barry 2002) in Grace’s character. The development
of the character is full of flaws and complexity. Sometimes, she is self-absorbed and selfish, but
at the same time, she is broken and careless. So, in Grace, the writer has created a complex and
complicated character and the author has justified the impact of childhood sexual abuse. Sexual
The abuse badly affects the protagonist, which leads her to abnormal behavior.
CHAPTER 2:
Abnormal Behavior: Childhood Sexual Abuse and Abnormal Behavior Grace has
abnormal behavior because of childhood sexual abuse. According to the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1999), early childhood sexual abuse leads to
neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the temporal behavior of the victim. Mediating sexual
arousal and erotic discrimination lead to badly impacting the cognitive aspects of sexual
desire and behavior. In this way, if there is sexual abuse or harassment, specifically sociopathy
and cognitive distortions, very few chances are failure to inhibit pedophilic behavior. Grace also
experienced above all scenarios that are why she has unstable and abnormal behavior. “Grace,”
her mother says quietly from over his shoulder. She’s standing behind him in a purple velour
tracksuit.
“You look awful.” I shuffled toward her, every single bone in my body still sore. She
hugs me for longer than usual, and I try not to pull away too early, even though all I can think
about is finding my sister. “How are you feeling?” my dad says, patting her on the shoulder. She
tries to smile reassuringly and then ends up shrugging instead. “Still kicking,” she says, and it
seems to be enough for them. she turns to my mother. “What exactly did Esme say before she
left?” “I already told you. She said she was going to stay with you for a couple of days. You
weren’t answering our calls, but there isn’t anything out of the ordinary there,” her mom says,
but her heart isn’t really in it. She seems even smaller when she’s frightened. (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).”
Why did Grace give up when she was a rising star in Hollywood and one movie away from
being an A-List Actress? This is not only a simple question but a matter of contention that
shows abnormal and complex behavior of Grace. From Hollywood fame to living hidden
life, cannot be the decision of normal persons. Add to this, the environment Grace has in her
The parents’ house also gives the reader a graphic description of her behavior. She seems stuck
whenever she talks to Able. This can easily be explained through contemporary literary trauma
theory. “A central claim of contemporary literary trauma theory asserts that trauma creates a
speechless fright that divides or destroys identity. “(Balaev, 2008) Place and location also have
found their place in the discussion of traumatic experiences and their remembrance in the
victim’s scenario. The place can be geographical or metaphorical, as in the case of the
protagonist of The Comeback as her traumatic experiences are tied to the place and environment
of Hollywood.
“The primacy of place in the representations of trauma anchors the individual
experience within a larger cultural context, and, organizes the memory and meaning. “(Balaev.
2008). The location of Hollywood plays a great role in shaping her experience in Hollywood.
received criticism many times before in this regard. Young starlets are launched haphazard
fame showing complete disregard for their mental health. What results are young girls that
become celebrities in the eyes of the world but suffer greatly in their personal life? Grace is an
epitome of this phenomenon because she faces a similar fate as that of Britney Spears or Lindsay
Lohan where was exploited and then left alone to cope with her issues. The abuser stays
glorified while the victim has to face the darkness.
“They hover around him and laugh too loudly, even when he’s not being funny, which is
most of the time. I remember how important it felt to remain in his glowing orbit, to do whatever
it took not to be cast back into the dark. He controls everyone around him, refusing to
acknowledge my presence because he doesn’t have to, even though I know that he’s spotted me
from the deliberate way he will look anywhere but at me. I am in Able’s office. I was going to
leave, but instead, my body led me here, and I don’t know what I wanted, but my heart is racing.
fast in my chest and I feel sick and scared, and it’s clear to me now that everything is the same as it was.
back then, that I am the same, and that I always will be.” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020). Grace
seems to have a glorious lifestyle in Hollywood. However, underneath that glamor, there is a
miserable life. Under the shadow of this glamor, there is darkness. she is alone with her secrets,
secrets that have rocked her sense of safety.
“You do know that everyone feels like that? That it’s hard to feel worthy of anyone’s
love because we all know how shitty and selfish and fucked up, we are on the inside, but we still
work at it” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
Nonetheless, she tried to leave it all behind and tried to forget what she had left behind.
but that road is long and leads to many bumps along the way.
Grace Turner’s decision of disappearing and leaving it all behind at the height of her
fame as a young and up-coming Hollywood star, shows the complexity of her mind. Though,
she is living a luxurious life as a public figure. She has everything a celebrity could have
but still, somewhere she has abnormal behavior.
“I take three pills as soon as I’m home, then I sit on the sofa in the living room, waiting
for the morning to come. When it finally does, the sun casts streaks of white gold across the
blue sky, I have to close the blinds because everything seems too hopeful with them open. It’s
Christmas Eve and this is a city for people who wake up every morning believing that today
could be the day their lives are transformed, not for people like me. I should have known that
everything I touch eventually gets destroyed, like a curse Able handed down to me. “(The
Comeback, Berman,2020).
Whenever it comes to her mind, that an incident happened to her, she starts behaving abnormally.
unsure, unstable, and terrified. Able abuses her from teenager to adult. After that incident,
she lost her trust in herself. She was perplexed about relationships and no one else but Able made
here like this. Here we can see that “Freudian Slip” (Barry 2002) is very clear in Grace’s
character. She is taking actions and making decisions unintentionally.
“Do you want to know why I left you? I left because you never wanted to see who I was.
You had this image of me as this little lost girl who you could rescue with your love, and you.
panicked when it turned out not to be as simple as that. Your love suffocated me because it was a
love for somebody else. You never took the time to get to know who I was, and the one night I
tried to tell you, you didn’t want to know. That’s why I’m fucking left.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
A well-known example mechanism is a Freudian slip, which Freud himself called the
‘parapraxis’, whereby repressed material in the unconscious finds an outlet through such
everyday phenomena as slips of the tongue, slips of the pen, or unintended actions. (Barry 2002).
Grace is showing ‘parapraxis’ in her behavior. This thing is evident that her
This behavior is not normal. She is fighting with her fears and insecurities, and at the same time when
as she tries to hold things and relationships, she ends up with unintended actions and abnormal
behavior.
In the public eye, Grace has a graceful life one can know about her; real-life comes out when
Esme asks her: Why are you so scared of everything?
Over time, Able Yorke’s manipulative method got worse as the only person she had in the
The world is Able, so, he leaves no stone unborn. At the start, he was only emotionally abusive and
carefully gaslights any chance so that he can get to keep a firm grip on her life. But with time,
Able’s motives become more sexual. Grace was blind and unaware of what was happening.
Dark thoughts that spin round and round lead her to strange behavior over the next few
For years, Grace relies on drugs and alcohol to numb her mind, which is a severe form of Patric disease.
behavior. Ella Berman created a slow-burn character that is full of riddled with emotion.
Grace’s personality can be reflected through Grace’s confusion, anger, and hurt.
“Clearing the fog moments at a time, I take a step and then 10 stops, paralyzed. “Where I
am going? And where have I been? Everyone asks, but I do not know. Surely there must be
some limit to how many times you’re allowed to hurt another human.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
Because of dysfunctional behavior, she failed to interact with her family and didn’t win.
favor. On the other side, somewhere, her behavior is also witty. For example, buried in piles of
self-doubt are many droll comments made by Grace. “I think about another type of revenge -the
the quieter, less explosive kind I could inflict just by living my life despite him. “(The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
she is verbally, emotionally, and sexually abused by a man who manipulated her to
depend only on him. The effects of this abuse are long-term and present-day Grace is not.
equipped to be a successful adult., it was inevitable that she would crash and burn. She is
sexually and emotionally abused by a man because he was the only person whom she could trust.
we see the saddest is that Grace has only a relationship with Able, not with her husband or
family. So, throughout the plot, Grace’s character is palpable.
“So, I think this is the part where I introduce Able and thank him for his unending commitment
to giving independent films a platform, for his tireless contribution to our industry as a whole,
and, most of all, for everything he’s done for me. This is definitely what I’m supposed to do;” I
I say, my voice shaking. I clear my throat, and the audience is so quiet I wonder if they can hear.
my heart beat through the microphone. “I have spent years trying to work out what I could
have done differently, or maybe what my parents could have done differently. I should have told
someone after the first time he made me touch him, or when he told me I was mentally unstable
for the hundredth time. Maybe I shouldn’t have waited until every part of my life was already
destroyed before I tried to kill myself.” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
There are sudden changes in Grace when someone talks about Able in front of her, which mean
which means her mind of Grace is associated with fear and aggression through Able.
Grace’s sentiments spark a long-term pattern of dislike because it’s validated by action. Negative
feelings toward Able get stronger as bad experiences take place repeatedly. Furthermore, these
thoughts trigger the intense responses in her mind that cause abnormal behavior. “Grace. I
think you know what I’m about to ask you. Do you want to tell me about Able Yorke?” I told my
hands in my lap and lean toward her, my chest constricting and exploding at the same time. My
breath comes short and fast, out, out, out like a horse in labor. I know what she wants from me,
but I can’t give it to her because the story isn’t going to be what she thinks it is. It never is.” (The
Comeback, Berman,2020).
Thereupon, abnormal behavior can be seen in almost every chapter of the novel. She is confused
about everything around her. On the other side, this seems also true that the most vicious
demons have always been her own, and she never learned how to protect herself from them. Later,
she was exploited to the point where she could trust no one, even including her parents, her
friends, her sister, and her husband.
“I watch from the side of the stage as the young actress introduces Able simply, ridiculously, as
the man who saved independent cinema. She’s never been in one of his films, and I can’t figure
out the connection between them. When her introduction ends soon after that, I realize it’s
because there isn’t one, that she’s just one more person desperate for the chance to be somebody.
else. I’m Grace Turner,” I said scathingly. “I’m Able’s surprise guest.” (The Comeback,
Berman, 2020).
The development of Grace’s behavior can be figured out from her choices. Her relationship with
her younger sister, Esme, and her rocky marriage. She failed in all and chose drugs, fake friends,
and other self-destructive behavior.
“So, actually, I am here to thank you, Able, in a way.” I turned to look at him, for just a moment.
and I can see that he would kill me right now if he could. I take a deep breath. “Thank you, for
making me aware that there is an infinite number of ways to get hurt, every day of my life, even
when you are nowhere near me.” The room is more than silent—it is frozen in time. I am
suspended above them, my words floating and falling around us all like blossoms, settling into
the darkest, loneliest crevices of Hollywood.“Because knowing what I know, and still getting up
every single day, despite it? That makes me stronger, braver, and better than you. So, Able,
you don’t get to have ruined me. Not even one tiny part of me.” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
She had nobody to share her emotions with. Even her parents were not interested in knowing.
what was wrong with her? Grace’s mother in particular takes Grace on her own at a very
young age and let her daughter be raised by strangers in the Hollywood industry. Expectedly,
Grace becomes the victim of sexual abuse and after that sexual abuse, she had no courage to
make up her relations anymore.
“For my family’s part, they don’t question my presence. Awards season came and went, and we
all pretended that my eight-year career never existed. Maybe they’re respecting my privacy, or
maybe they don’t care why I’m here. Maybe I lost that privilege when I moved away, or that first
Christmas I didn’t come home, or maybe it was all the ones after. When I’m being honest
with myself, I understand that I only came back here because I knew it would be like this or that.
much as I don’t know how to ask for anything, my family also wouldn’t know how to give it to me.
me”(The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
She thinks she shares a very important and unique equation with able, but he introduces her with
his actual face. There is a relationship between them; but it is only Grace who finds it pure and
special, Able abused her mentally and sexually. She is unable to make any equation with anyone
after that certain incident.
“I said I needed to go to the bathroom, but he just looked at me with blank eyes as he forced me
down onto the floor and put his penis in my mouth. I started to choke. Thick saliva dripped
down my chin and my eyes burned with hot, shameful tears. I was staring at a photograph of
Able, Emilia, and the twins were on the desk behind him the whole time. He didn’t even turn it
around. Afterward, I tried to justify what had happened. I’d let him believe that we had a special
relationship because it had benefited me too. I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t had a choice in
any of it, and even when the disgust eventually flooded every inch of my body, it was an
uninvited, complicated disgust after so many years of believing that his attention meant I was
special.
Every time he accused me of wanting in him or needing him, or making him act this way, a
A tiny part of me believed him. He’d always warned me that I couldn’t trust myself, and deep
Down there, I knew I never fought back as hard as I could have.”(The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
Edwards et al have summarized an overwhelming amount of scholars’ research performed over
30 years in his 2012 article and all the research results affirm the negative effects of childhood
abuse and trauma. Sexual abuse in childhood paves the way for substance abuse and mental
health problems like depression, anxiety, panic disorder, dissociative disorders, post 32.
traumatic stress disorder PTSD, and personality disorders. Grace Turner’s character is an
amalgam of all these character traits that have been developed out of trauma.
Edwards et al havedrawn upon Freyd’s 1996 betrayal trauma theory which suggests childhood sexual abuse from a close and the emotionally involved person has far more devastating effects on the victim’s personality as compared to the effects of abuse from a non-related abuser.
The mental pressure of Able on Grace is so immense that she is even afraid in dreams.
She dreams of Able in the room with her, but she couldn’t move or call out because his hands are
around her neck, pinning her down all over again. she sobbed into her pillow until she could hardly
breathe, while the sky lightens around her. She doesn’t know how to be normal, how to stop him.
from sexual abuse.
“I take three pills as soon as I’m home, then I sit on the sofa in the living room, waiting for the
morning to come. When it finally does, the sun casts streaks of white gold across the blue sky.
I have to close the blinds because everything seems too hopeful with them open. It’s Christmas
Eve and this is a city for people who wake up every morning believing that today could be the
day, their life is transformed, not for people like me. I should have known that everything I touch
eventually gets destroyed, like a curse Able handed down to me. The man who both created and
destroyed me. He stands with his back against the doors that lead onto the deck, telling a story to
his crowd of fans. He speaks quietly so that those around him have to lean in toward him to catch
each word. People are drawn to him like this.” (The Comeback, Berman, 2020).
Although, Grace decides that now is the time to let the world know what had her walking away.
stardom. She plans to do this when she presents Able Yorke with his lifetime achievement.
award. The man who made her as well as the same man who tore her down. But she could not
express herself. Ultimately, she decides to live with her secret. It becomes clear to her that
everything is the same as it was back then; she is the same, and that she always will be.
Conclusion.
In this study, the theory of Psychoanalysis has been used as a mechanism to find out the
hidden meaning of the novel “The Comeback”, particularly with the character of Grace. In the
same way, we become familiars with the execution of the Trauma theory. Grace faces trauma in
the form of childhood sexual abuse and it impacts the development of her character. So, this
Psychoanalytical Study has traced trauma’s impact on Grace’s character.
Grace is manipulated by the Hollywood director Able Yorke. Because of this trauma, she
went out of control and she became addicted to drugs to escape her life. Immediately one day she
disappeared from the public eye when she was nominated for an award. She spends the year
quietly. This research work has provided an understanding of the Trauma theory from the novel
“The Comeback” protagonist as well as learning the concept of psychoanalysis and how it
relates to literature. In the second place, it explores the execution of psychoanalysis.
theory on the literary text of the Grace character by exploring the unknown and hidden
perspective of Grace Character employing the trauma theory. The interrogation of this research is
the justification of how childhood sexual abuse and its aftereffects impact the development of
Grace’s character and more particularly to what extent the sexual abuse of the protagonist
shows her abnormal behavior, So, this dissertation has provided a comprehensive understanding
of psychoanalysis as well as trauma theory under the observation of the Berman’s novel The
Come back.
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2022-09-02 09:37:54
Conclusion: SAUDI EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH INFORMAL ACTIVITIES”
Conclusion.
Informal learning refers to learning that occurs away from an organized and structured, and predefined classroom environment. Saudi EFL students’ perceptions of learning English through informal out-of-class activities are convinced and they are inspired about learning English through informal out-of-class activities. They are convinced by Out-of-Class informal activities because these are opportunities for students to learn with the freedom to find knowledge from their preferred sources. According to their perspective, formal learning channels have largely been established, such as schools, colleges, and universities; on the opposite informal channels have been ignored completely. However, in this research, we have found that students and educators have recently started to realize that informal learning can gain a great deal of information. It is a style of learning in which the students can set their goals and objectives (Conner, 2004).
Besides, moving beyond the curriculum of the traditional learning classroom expands the study environment of students, which helps them to explore new areas of interest, along with developing deep knowledge. Out-of-Class informal activities may include viewing videos, playing games, using social media, reading articles, coaching sessions, participating in forums and chat rooms, etc. According to Saudi EFL students’ perceptions, the Application of these activities cannot be denied because students are likely to develop the language learning ability that further work as a bridge between studying English and its usage, and Out-of-class learning activities make studying more convenient and engaging for both teachers and learners.
Some practical concepts may pose a challenge in comprehending but out-of-class learning activities could make it easier to actualize from the broader world perspective, where the learners have been found more engaged and motivated to learn as well as understand. Further, it has been found during research, informal learning involves students learning from field experiments as it does not require instruction or direction from teachers which make things complicated for students. Instead, there is self-instruction and direction in the learning process that allows students to play freehanded on their behalf, where the learner is more engaged and motivated to learn and understand. It is also concluded from the research students who belong to countries that are not English speaking environmental may tend to have the bad impression that they do not have access to an English language environment that is natural and authentic as they are immersed in their first language outside the classroom, where their exposure to English is limited.
In the same way, it is understood that literacy sponsors are critical in developing the learners’ linguistic capital and understanding of the English language. Sponsors influence other people’s literacy practices. According to Brandt’s perspective, sponsors who can be older relatives, teachers, supervisors, and other influential people, primarily shape the literacy practices of children and young adults. Concerning the influence of informal out-of-class activities on English language learning, there is some empirical evidence of improved academic performance, improved student English efficiency, and increased student motivation and engagement in informal out-of-class English-based activities.
Learning English has increasingly become a subject of discussion in terms of how it can be taught in a manner that is not only restricted to the classroom but evolves beyond it. According to English learners, the process of English learning should not be limited to the classroom; it may occur at any time and place. The qualities of out-of-class learning might be questioned; however, the determination of an individual to develop language skills outside the classroom is now being seen as a distinguishing factor in the quest to develop anyone’s second language.
2. Usefulness and Limitations of the theories and Methodology
2.1 Usefulness
Informal out-of-classroom activities have proved to be effective in learning the English language among EFL students in Saudi Arabia. Out-of-class learning activities are considered autonomous self-directed learning processes covering self-instruction and direction, natural, and self-directed naturalistic language learning as they do not require instructions and direction from teachers. In some cases, creating and engaging in out-of-class activities may not focus directly on learning the language while they are in that situation. They also promote a wide range of benefits for EFL students to improve their English language through out-of-class informal activities.
According to Hancock, (2018) learners who move away from home to study English or even move for work or travel are learning so quickly their English skills in comparison to learners who only learn in class, even compiling their major English degrees. Speaking a language publicly helps students move their theoretical knowledge, such as grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, from their ‘slow memory’ to your ‘quick memory (Landowners, 2002). I also found during my research survey, all the participants (16 out of 16) were involved in out-of-class activities related to speaking for various goals and purposes. Add to that; they were involved in different out-of-class activities in several areas: surrounding environment or educational environment, as mentioned in 1.1 Literacy Sponsors, speaking in public, online speaking practice, and private speaking practice (Ch-4, Table 8). So, on the behalf of literature and our finding result, we can say it’s a fact that speaking in public and private speaking practice helps to expose any gaps in your vocabulary and grammar.
Another evidence of the behalf we can justify the importance of important out-of-class activities is video gaming, which is, an informal out-of-class activity. During my qualitative research, three out of the 14 participants mentioned video gaming as the most helpful activity in their language learning process. Video gaming was the activity that combined all the language skills that the participants were involved in. Two out of these three were the two Science Stream students (Talib and Mohsin), and the third was in the 3rd year in the English major (Hamad). Talib believes that video gaming is the most useful activity in learning and developing the English language. According to him, in contrast to the traditional teaching and learning methods in school, learning through video gaming is fun and entertaining as sitting in the class for 2 or 3 hours listening to a lecturer speak is boring and slows down the learning process. Meanwhile, these games trigger all of the English language’s basic skills as he explained: such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Informal out-of-class activities are useful tools that help facilitate and improve the English language learning process among higher education students; for example, during my research, I was able to find out that the third most useful activity to learn English is watching movies. Although all the 16 participants mentioned that they watched movies, only two participants believed that watching movies was the most beneficial out-of-class activity. It is assumed that everyone used his unique way of watching movies. It might not be beneficial to all participants in terms of learning English. In short, it demands more on how one utilizes the idea.
The role of literacy sponsors is also useful and critical, as we have discussed in the discussion chapter, their impact on learners, who learn English, especially through Saudi EFL Student perspective. All over the world, the family is considered the first institute that socialized the children in their childhood. Parents play the role of literacy sponsors and enable their children to understand the very basic and essential etiquettes of life—further, the circle of socialization increases to the schools and teachers who give proper and formal educations. After parents and family then come friends and colleagues who also play the most critical role in Saudi EFL students’ perception of learning English through informal out-of-class language activities as I have mentioned in the chapter- 4 Finding, the majority of the participants (15 out of 16) mentioned significant literacy sponsors because they had played an important role in English learning journey. They provided encouragement, support, and access to those activities that enable us to learn EFL.
2.2 Limitations of the Methodologies and research
Although I have given my best to design the Methodologies thoughtfully and carefully, some unexpected limitations can arise when regulating any type of methodology (Creswell, 2007). These limitations may include threats to research trustworthiness, which could come from the researcher, the research design, setting, or participants. I discuss possible limitations in these categories in this section.
I am a Ph.D. student conducting this research for my Dissertation. The quality of a study depends heavily on one’s research skills, and might it is affected by his personal biases. I confess I may have unintentionally influenced the results due to my own beliefs or experiences. During this time, my perceptions, assumptions, expectations, and experiences may have influenced my understanding, thoughts, and interpretations. While I paid attention to every single step I took in this study, I am a novice researcher who still has much to learn about conducting academic research. Besides, I may have affected my participants’ responses when I was present during data collection. They may have said what they thought I wanted to hear. They may have drawn positive pictures of situations that were not altogether positive. However, I believed that semi-structured interviews and friendly meetings might reduce the effect of my presence. In analyzing the data, I assumed that the findings were coded and shaped by the participants’ responses and not my bias.
I acknowledge that the Research design was limited to Saudi EFL students, the setting in which it was conducted, and to the participants who voluntarily took part. Because it is an introductory study that uses qualitative research methods, so, the results of the study are not generalized to any larger population. I also confess that might during the Data analysis process I might have skipped any important details. This study followed a thematic analysis of participants’ responses and experiences. Data analysis is a long process that includes many strategies and steps. This process is usually technical and tedious; I might have rushed or skipped important details. If so, limitations might occur. However, I attempted to do no practice that might cause limitations. I followed a carefully planned process and took care of all the details.
Another limitation of the study was the lack of research awareness in Saudi Arabia. During my research, I realized that the knowledge of students, about research procedures, is usually imperfect. While I was conducting qualitative research, I discovered that students were not familiar with meetings for research purposes. Research is not considered a part of the curriculum and research culture is not common among Saudi students. Therefore, rare information is available in the literature about the Saudi EFL context, particularly from and on students.
On the other hand, I also came to know that students rarely have the opportunity to express their opinions verbally in Saudi education. Usually, teacher-centered approaches and lecturing techniques play a role in limiting the student’s ability to share their experiences in more detail. Certainly, this approach directly affects the students’ participation in qualitative research and it could be considered a limitation to my study. However, I overcame such limitations by using probes in interviews to encourage them to expand their answers and provide more details. Finally, limitations exist in any research. The responses were candid and valid and provided answers to research questions. However, the limitations of this study are discussed to improve this research and to suggest further research.
3. Recommendations
The English language has seen significant global growth in recent years. There could be seen as a growing population of English speakers among second and additional language users. In my recommendations portions, the very first thing which I will prioritize is that the learning of English need not be limited to the classroom. but the learning process should take place at any time and place without bonding to a specific classroom. Students are concerned about an approach to how English can be learned more effectively. After this research, I can say confidently that the qualities of out-of-class learning might be questioned; however, the determination of an individual to develop language skills outside the classroom is now being seen as a most convenient and distinguishing factor in the quest to develop anyone’s second language. So, English language learners should engage in watching television, cinema, listening to music, and interactions with peers as the main out-of-class activities.
During my research, a recommended perspective that I found is that we should take language, as a language not treat the English language as a unit or subject that students are compelled to pass to go to the next class. I found in my qualitative research “during students school years, one participant from each group in both preparatory year and the English major said that they treated the English language as a unit they were compelled to pass to go to the next grade”. When English was introduced to them at school, there was not enough encouragement and excitement for them to deal with this new knowledge. Further added by Aziz (from the Science Stream) Honestly, in the sixth and seventh grades, English for me was just something I needed to pass.
Finely, I would like to say, the Saudi government should pay special attention to teaching the English language and should retreat from all traditional methods of English teaching and learning. Most of the difficulties come from the teachers’ use of traditional methods that focus on face-to-face instruction inside the classrooms. These teaching methods do not fit the digital age (Alshumaimeri & Alzyadi, 2015) because they divide English into discrete skills and areas of knowledge, deal with skills in isolation, and dominate English teaching practices. Current students in Saudi Arabia require modern teaching approaches that are built on web-based materials (Mahib urRhaman & Alhaisoni, 2013). Most current Saudi learners are considered “native digital” students (Prensky, 2001) who live in the digital age and are surrounded by digital devices.
More broadly, I will recommend the Integrate out-of-class English activities with the existing learning environment, and modify out-of-class English activities into their teaching. Expose diverse perceptions through the voices of teachers and learners about their use of informal activities in English learning outside the classroom.
Identify some WbTs to use in the Blended English learning context, compare what they are doing with what they could be doing to promote language learning outside the classroom in web-based settings, and Encourage learners to facilitate their language learning by seeking opportunities to use English outside the classroom.
4. Directions for Future Research
My study elaborates on Saudi EFL students’ perceptions of learning English through informal out-of-class activities. Somewhere, its scope is limited in terms of setting and participants. Although this study explores a limited EFL context in Saudi Arabia, it paves the way for more exploratory studies. Besides, the way of learning out of the class informally requires more exploratory and descriptive investigations. I can say based on my literature review and qualitative research, in the Saudi EFL context, much further research is needed. In this section, I have provided some directions for Future Research and some recommendations for future investigations within this area. I summarize my suggestions for future studies in the following paragraphs.
As I have mentioned above, in the limitation portion, many important issues were not addressed. They might be explored in future research to achieve a fuller understanding of learning in a blended EFL context. Because this learning perspective is still newly emerging in many Saudi institutions, more studies will help to identify the characteristics of this context.
This context requires more studies that produce a more reliable understanding of current educational trends. Doing similar studies with different participants and in different educational settings across Saudi Arabia will increase the validity and reliability of this research. It will also reinforce the literature about the Saudi EFL context.
In particular, their perceptions of using specific informal out-of-class activities such as YouTube or watching movies will provide more insights into how and why participants of my study showed a strong preference for online aspects of their English courses.
Further, replicate this future study in the same location and participants can determine how this theory works after some time. Or future studies replicate in different locations or with different participants to compare and contrast the findings. On the other side, a future study could be conducted with random participants—no criteria for teachers or students—to see whether participants provided similar responses. Then, compare and contrast the findings with this study.
As I have mentioned in the research designs portion, a better research design could be used in future studies. This study may suggest some methodological changes to implement in future studies. In addition, from my literature review, I learned that studies in the Saudi context use quantitative designs and difficult language, while qualitative research and easy language are rarely used. Similarly, I have found that most of the studies have been conducted with male participants as In Saudi Arabia education follows a gender-based System. So, this future study might be replicated in any female setting. The number of female students who study English for academic purposes has increased. Therefore, future studies might investigate the needs and settings of female students in female institutions related to informal out-of-class activities.
Reference
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https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
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2022-08-20 07:46:55
LITERATURE REVIEW: SAUDI EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH INFORMAL ACTIVITIES”
1.1. Background
Language, like other academic disciplines, aims at finding solutions for the post-millennial state of current societies through the shifting of traditionally-established paradigms. Competencies in the English language have become a global necessity (Crystal, 2012). Its application in the learning process and work environment is a reflection of its importance as an international lingua franca. Several studies have highlighted how English language learning can make a positive contribution to the lives of individual learners both locally and globally (Crystal, 2012). In recent years, there has been a growing interest from many experts and researchers in the extent to which the English language can create social integration (Crystal, 2012). The research interest in the area has been motivated by a growing population of English speakers among second and additional language users, surpassing the native speakers. The existing literature review examines several issues including English learning practices for non-native speakers, English as a global language, and English in Saudi Arabia.
The literature review first outlines the global growth of the English language, then follows with an emphasis on learning English as a foreign language (EFL). This order has been chosen to specifically focus on the field and learning of English in Saudi Arabia. It considers the literature on the impact of out-of-class activities on students in terms of EFL learning. Furthermore, the review concentrates on understanding the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of learners and their use of ‘out-of-class activities in the process of learning English in their daily lives. The review of the literature will also evaluate the approaches to learning English as a foreign language within the Saudi Arabian context to understand the possible implications of adopting out-of-class activities within the English language learning environment.
1.2. English as a Global Language
English language competency has become a necessity for almost everyone around the world due to its status as the international lingua franca. Crystal (2012) notes that English has earned its status as a global language: it is now recognized as the preferred language to acquire as a foreign or second language in around 70 nations worldwide, including Nigeria, Ghana, India, Singapore, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Çelik and Aytin (2014) also note that around 400 million individuals communicate in English as their first language and that more than a combined total of one billion people use English as a foreign or second language. The spread of English as a global language has led to a situation where speakers of English as a second language outnumber speakers of English as a first language (Çelik&Aytin, 2014). This demonstrates the importance of learning English to enhance an individual’s career (Mitchell &Alfuraih, 2017). Despite the similarities among humans, such as shared values, there are significant variances in languages. The use of English as the standard language in most education programs and many career environments helps address the issue of language variances that make communication at workplaces challenging. Several theories have been developed to explain the extent to which language unites societies.
1.2.1. Cosmopolitanism
The cosmopolitan theory has been applied to the idea of human beings coexisting in a single community, sociocultural backgrounds and affiliations notwithstanding (Alhabahba, Pandian & Mahfoodh, 2016). This can be perceived from different perspectives, such as moral norms and/or relationships, and shared markets, as well as in the form of cultural expressions, among others (Crystal, 2016). Some versions of the cosmopolitan theory envision a universal community of world citizens ( Pandian & 2016). These, however, vary according to the concept of world citizenship that they imply. Thus the philosophical interest of cosmopolitanism lies in the challenge it poses to the common recognition of attachments that people have with one another, local states, and cultures that are shared parochially (among other aspects), hence its application in the use of English as a universal language ( Pandian & 2016).
There is no doubt that common languages played significant roles in the historical formation of modern states. For example, Indonesia developed a common language known as Bahasa Indonesia to address its traditional multilingual culture. The language helped overcome the hundreds of languages that the people spoke when the nation was formed (Paauw, 2009). Hindi is another example. Before the independence of India, English was the official language used for administrative and higher education purposes. In 1946, the issue of the national language was a sharply challenging subject in the procedures of the Constituent Assembly of India. This issue has been floating and unresolved for years. Eventually, a decision was made with Hindi in the Devanagari script to be the official language of the union; however, the English Language continued to be used for all the official purposes of the nation for fifteen years after the commencement of the Constitution (Benedikter, 2009).
Yet, current debates on the effects of globalization on nations hardly address the issue of language, other than it being regarded as a mere superficial aspect. This is even though the ever-soaring numbers of English speakers in the last few decades, as well as other changes in the notion of global English, can be seen to exhibit significant social implications for communication (Ives, 2009). According to Shaw (2016), most literature on globalization and cosmopolitanism neglects the implication of the English language on social integration. The findings, however, can be seen to go against the evident acceleration in transnational mobility, as well as the processes of globalization, coupled with the extensive use either of digital communication technologies that all work independently or collectively towards the generation of an unprecedented interconnection between people and places (Shaw, 2016).
The challenges of globalization, digital communication technologies, and cosmopolitanism in terms of limited influence on the global population and their languages have necessitated the need for language experts of English to look into ways in which the changes in socio-cultural matrices can be applied to literacy studies pedagogically (Crystal, 2016). Therefore, a language like other academic disciplines may shift from traditionally established paradigms as well as the associated frameworks to establish, answers for the post-millennial state, which is the current situation (Crystal, 2016).
Shaw (2016) explores cosmopolitanism in the twenty-first century by addressing the ways through which its values can be applied in the provision of academic content and the acquisition of English. He affirms the importance of acknowledging traction in gains related to global learning in various curricula, ranging from primary to tertiary levels. Furthermore, Shaw (2016) argues that cosmopolitanism provides a direct response to ways of living in a society with others from different backgrounds to achieve cultural convergence. From the author’s perspective, a common language can be developed for a variety of languages through cosmopolitanism. Shaw (2016) further argues that cosmopolitanism relates to interdependence and interrelationships between people in modern society.
Global learning has influenced educational institutions to adjust their mission statements to capture their extensive commitments to global awareness, with the focus being on the English language. The focus on the English language is due to its vast usage and potential to have the international community establish a common language (Shaw, 2016). Globalized learning also considers the conceptual framework guiding global learning activities, with close regard to its motives and ambitions (Crystal, 2016). It does this in recognition of the sociocultural dynamism of modern communities and the need to have a common language that unites people from different cultural backgrounds.
The global learning of English can be perceived from various rationales, all directed to serve numerous possible ends (Shaw, 2016). For instance, the rationale for neo-mercantilism lays its emphasis on the global learning and teaching of English on vocational and market-friendly perspectives that, nevertheless, are narrowly set (Shaw, 2016). The internationalist rationale envisages global learning and the teaching of the English language as being aimed at the cultivation of cross-cultural awareness as well as competencies (Shaw, 2016). All the rationales are essential for an approach that would see a realization of a larger ethical dimension in the new century where the English language is continuously being embraced as a lingua franca in most countries across the globe (Crystal, 2016). The extensive dimension can be attributed to the idea of English’s status as the most powerful language, and with measures to incorporate it into education curricula coupled with efforts by governments that back its establishment through policies that support its learning and development (Crystal, 2016).
Despite the widespread use of English as a lingua franca and an ever-growing number of EFL speakers, there are still challenges in communication among people from different countries. For instance, Saudi Arabians may still find it difficult to communicate in fluent English despite the language being recognized as the standard tool for communication in learning and work as well as in other social environments (Khan, 2011). The increasing number of foreign workers and the influence of globalization made it necessary for Saudi Arabia to embrace English as the common language for uniformity in communication (Khan, 2011). The difficulty is based on the fact that English is not indigenous to the country and as such not part of the culture (Khan, 2011). Crystal (2016) has highlighted that people utilize English as a foreign language, but that they can face difficulties communicating with others competently. Dutta (2015) noted another concern, stating that people generally communicate through their national language within a particular country, however, in a global context people need to be familiar with English, as it is not only the main medium of exchange globally but increasingly a medium of instruction (EMI). Therefore, English is a form of linguistic capital in the current global context.
1.2.2. Linguistic Capital
Linguistic capital is described as a form of cultural capital that involves the accumulation of an individual’s linguistic skills. Capital predetermined an individual’s position in society. Flynn (2013) examined linguistic capital from the perspective of the linguistic field for teachers who are not accustomed to linguistic differences. According to the study, a complex mix of experiences appeared to rely on assumed pedagogical norms and professionally assimilated external pressures. They argue that linguistic capital is a factor in assumed pedagogical norms that describe the way of life for a specific goal (Tosky King & M. Scott, 2014). External pressures such as immigration and emerging trends in the field of teaching English also present a significant influence on language teaching. Hannum and Cherng (2014) argue that linguistic capital as a component of a country’s dominant language helps in creating culturally competent countries and effective interrelationships. According to the authors, linguistic capital plays a significant role in the process of social stratification and movements.
Moreover, linguistic skills are considered an important aspect of linguistic capital (Tosky King & M. Scott, 2014). The skills are critical in the development of the linguistic capital of a population. A student’s linguistic capital captures their skills in writing, speaking, and listening to various languages. Concerning the English language in Saudi Arabia, the linguistic capital captures the skills that learners in the country possess concerning the dominant language. In Saudi Arabia, the dominant language, which is Arabic, makes up a significant portion of the individual learners’ language acquisition process (Fang, 2011). The teaching of the English language contributes to the development of linguistic skills that support the learning process and acquisition of knowledge within and outside the classroom. The use of English as a medium of instruction in institutions of learning helps in building linguistic capital.
According to Sah and Li (2018), the English Medium of Instruction (EMI) within the framework of Nepali instruction did not seem to aid either content learning or English acquisition. The content teachers heavily relied on code-mixing and translation and used this approach ineffectively, as they were not trained enough to conduct their job well. Code-mixing is the process of mixing two or more languages in a speech or scholarly work. The content teachers did not have enough time and expertise to teach the English language in content classes, which further disadvantaged the students in three ways: (1) their opportunities for interaction—which were significant for developing their critical thinking skills—were “silenced”; (2) they could not make full use of learning materials, like textbooks, to enhance the content knowledge; and (3) they could not express what they knew in their examinations, which were set in English, leading them to either fail or underperform. Therefore, the introduction of EMI was merely a strategy to sell the tag of EMI education in the linguistic market (Bourdieu, 1977) dominated by English as a lingua franca. This example reveals how language skills do not necessarily equate to linguistic capital, as English language competency is more than just a set of skills such as grammar and vocabulary.
Moreover, teachers in bilingual and language learning settings may need to be conscious of the difference between linguistic capital and knowledge capital. For instance, sometimes students possess enough knowledge concerning the topic of discussion in a classroom but because of their lack of language ability, they cannot argue (Aliakbari&Khosravian, 2014). Therefore, there is a need for English teachers to take the issue of linguistic capital and knowledge capital more seriously and understand the difference for better teaching of EFL students.
Linguistic capital is a form of cultural capital that involves the accumulation of skills related to a language. It is important in determining an individual’s position in society. The linguistic capital of learners is affected by several factors. These factors influence the extent to which learners can acquire new language skills and communicate more effectively in a learning environment. As a first language, native English speakers build the specific language’s capital from the moment they start speaking or listening to words. For example, when EFL individuals develop their writing and speaking skills in the language, they develop capital. However, in a country like Saudi Arabia, where English is a foreign language, the development of linguistic capital may be complex. Therefore, the dominant or native language is the main factor that influences the development of linguistic capital in most societies ( Pandian & 2016).
Arguably, the first language that one acquires may affect the learning process for other languages, and subsequently, the linguistic capital acquisition process. For instance, since Arabic is considered the native language for Saudi Arabians, learning English as a foreign language may be considered the adoption of a different culture from the native one. (Alhabahba, Pandian &Mahfoodh, 2016). Teaching English to Saudi Arabian students affects the linguistic capital of the student population. The learners acquire the relevant skills that build their linguistic skills, positioning them for global opportunities related to work and other opportunities such as further studies.
The socio-cultural background of an individual also affects the development of the linguistic capital of an individual or group of learners. The socio-cultural environment defines the characteristics and behaviors of a population (Tosky King & Scott, 2014). It also influences social orientation. In an environment where English is not considered a primary language, the social and cultural factors have a greater impact on the learning outcomes compared to other regions (Alhabahba, Pandian & Mahfoodh, 2016). For instance, Saudi Arabian students may find it difficult to build an expansive linguistic capital in English due to the influence of the social and cultural environment. Cultural practices define the behaviors of individuals, thereby affecting their learning experiences. For example, since Saudi Arabians are culturally defined by Arabic as their native language, learning a foreign language may be challenging ( Pandian & 2016).
The dynamism of the learning environment presents varied characteristics that affect individual learning behaviors (Tosky King & Scott, 2014). Most teachers recognize that diversity in the classrooms makes it difficult in teaching the English language. The cultural diversities create varying expectations and learning capabilities of learners in a classroom. While EFL may exhibit interest in learning, EFL often exhibits a poor attitude. This is due to the perception of English as a foreign culture. The diversity makes teaching difficult due to the variances in attitudes and interest in learning the language.
Moreover, linguistic capital is determined by the resources that a country provides to support the development and learning of a language among its students. These resources include teachers, learning materials and facilities, and financial support. The distribution of these resources may also affect the development of linguistic skills among learners (Alhabahba, Pandian & Mahfoodh, 2016). Teachers play an important role as a resource in the learning of a language. Particularly, in teaching English in countries where it is not the dominant language like Saudi Arabia, the teachers play a critical role in the development of linguistic capital through interactions between teachers and learners influencing the acquisition of linguistic capital over time. For instance, where there are regular interactions, students tend to learn English quickly (Alhabahba, Pandian & Mahfoodh, 2016). Saudi Arabian classrooms are generally teacher-centered and interactions are less regular. Additionally, relationships and interactions with other students in the learning environment influence the accumulation of linguistic capital. In environments where there are expansive interactions among the learners, there is a fast-learning process, thereby affecting the acquisition of linguistic capital.
Although English has been adopted as a lingua franca in nearly all countries, it is considered foreign in several countries. The ability to fluently speak a foreign language influences the acquisition of linguistic capital. However, the learning process is more complex for students who consider a language foreign ( Pandian & 2016). The ability to speak good English may provide expansive linguistic capital in Saudi Arabia. It provides an edge in securing a job. Other scholars such as Bourdieu, (1977) have linked linguistic capital to human and cultural capital, symbolic capital, and economic capital. A good education is a factor of human and cultural capital and involves the employment of good teachers with the capacity to properly teach the language and help learners achieve better outcomes and acquire skills in speaking, listening, and writing (Tosky King & M. Scott, 2014). Gaining prestige through learning English is considered to be symbolic capital, which is critical in the development of linguistic capital in most countries that consider the language as foreign (Tosky King & M. Scott, 2014). Economic capital comprises the ability to secure a good job in multinational companies for well-paying salaries. The economic condition of the population also influences the development of linguistic capital in society. Saudi Arabia has positioned itself and declared itself wanting to create an ideal environment to support education. Through the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to creating capital to support learning (“Full text of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030”, 2016). It is anticipated that students will have an ideal environment to learn English and become more competitive for job positions at the international level; thus, furthering Saudi Arabia’s standing globally.
The importance of learning EFL is increasing globally, which provides opportunities for individuals in developing their living standards (Enever et al. 2009). Enever et al. (2009) further provide an example of continental Europe, where parents are so anxious for their wards to develop a competitive advantage that they encourage mandatory learning of EFL from a young age, and even pay for extra classes outside the regular curriculum. The global growth of international schools can also attest to this, including in the Middle East (Reid and Ibrahim, 2017).
1.3. Learning English as a Foreign Language
Learning and teaching English can be different in terms of the context and students’ composition and cultural backgrounds. Different approaches are used in different contexts according to the literature. To begin with, it is vital to explore the difference between English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL). ESL is teaching or learning English in an English-speaking country where the learning process occurs among different learners from varied backgrounds. In comparison, EFL is the teaching or learning of English in a non-English speaking country where the first language takes precedence and where English is not commonly used (Wright, 2010). This section discusses the motivation, literary sponsors, and pedagogy as relevant items in learning a foreign language. It is important to understand the motivation behind learning a foreign language in countries that consider English as a second language. As previously highlighted, globalization and technological improvements are making it necessary that ESL to learn English as a foreign language.
1.3.1. Motivation
In terms of motivation, EFL learners usually have a low intrinsic motivation level. According to Brown (2001), students may often study the English language as a compulsory part of the curriculum; it may not seem like a part of their daily lives. EFL students often do not have enough chances to practice English in their daily lives, and even though they might have the same reasons to learn English, their lack of motivation can endure because its application in their daily life is minimal (Krieger, 2012). In comparison, ESL students are more likely to have higher intrinsic motivation. By being in the target language of the community, they have a wide range of opportunities to use English throughout their daily lives (Krieger, 2012). Other motivating factors that impact the efficiency of EFL delivery are the influence of a student’s native language and attitudes towards the English language (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014).
Partnerships between teachers and/or instructors with the government’s efforts to promote the learning of English as a foreign language should be synchronized to allow an easy flow of directives to facilitate what works, and the readjustment of what doesn’t work in teaching, and the learning of students (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). Students often become unmotivated by teaching procedures, which as of late have become an increasing concern, notably among EFL students (Al-Khairy, 2013). The students’ lack of interest in the learning process may imply that they may not understand how important it is to gain English as a skill. Al-Khairy (2013) suggests a solution to this concern stating that motivating learners can visibly increase the outcome of any teaching approach. If this is true, then understanding how English is acquired is critical.
In an ESL context, Krieger (2012) notes, students are eager to learn English for personal reasons; to communicate with a variety of people from other countries, for instance, or to get a better job for professional reasons. Additionally, EFL classes often include large numbers of students and a limited amount of time, which makes learning English more of a challenge (Al-Asmari & Khan, 2014). Differences among EFL learners then emerge through other factors, such as literacy sponsors.
1.3.1.1. Literacy sponsor
Literacy sponsorship has attracted a different understanding from various scholars. Deborah Brandt defines it as “any agent local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, recruit, regulate, and suppress literacy to gain an advantage of it in some way.” It covers the structures and systems that are in place to support or prevent the advancement of literacy among a population. Literary sponsorship is also critical in the development of reading and understanding of a language (Brandt, 2001). Learning the English language involves the structures and support systems that help learners develop linguistic capital in the English language.
1.3.2. Pedagogy
The method and practice of teaching the English language is also an important aspect of learning the language, particularly for ESL learners. Brown (2001) states that “it is useful to consider the pedagogical implications for a continuum of contexts ranging from high visibility, ready access to the target language outside the language classroom to no access beyond the classroom door” (p. 116). In each situation, various approaches are utilized to address the students’ needs due to the different language contexts in which learning English is being undertaken (Brown, 2001). Access to the target language outside the common classroom and its application outside the context of the classroom is also important. The method of teaching English, particularly for EFL learners, has a significant impact on learning outcomes. The variances in the context within which the language is taught affect the acquisition of skills that contribute to the accumulation of linguistic capital. For instance, in countries where the English language is foreign, most students are unlikely to show interest compared to a situation where the language is taught in an environment where it is considered a first language. The differences relate to its necessity in different areas, such as workplaces and social gatherings. Therefore, it is important to understand the teaching and learning context.
1.3.2.1. Whole Language Approach
In line with the guiding principles of the whole language approach proponents of this approach opine that its characteristics are intertwined with each other in terms of functionality (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014). The argument is that students should be provided with the opportunity to utilize all aspects of language such as listening, writing, talking, and reading simultaneously in the realization of meaning, functionality, and cooperation in their activities (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014). This is because such activities revolve around topics borne from students’ prior knowledge and interests. In the application of the whole-language approach in learning English as a foreign language, contextualized language obtained from student engagement in projects, portfolios, and observation is employed in the determination of realistic perspectives of student language, rather than the use of standardized tests as proposed by the skill-based approach (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014). Under the skill-based approach to learning the English language, the emphasis is placed on the acquisition of listening, speaking, and writing skills. The approach proposes a standardized approach where learners are guided based on predetermined guidelines or curricula. Thus, the skills-based approach arguably does not produce linguistic capital, whereas the whole language approach may better approximate this outcome.
1.3.2.2. Skills-based approach
The skills-based approach to learning English is mostly preferred since it considers the prior knowledge of students, which facilitates their understanding, subsidizes behavioral problems, boosts the self-esteem of students by way of indulging bilingual students in curricula that are centered on them, and advances the acquisition of skills (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014; Richards, 2014). The approach, however, is not easy to implement, besides being constrained by overestimations of foreign language students of English abilities to choose and monitor what they learn; and the expectation of EFL students to simultaneously learn all aspects of English from the very beginning, given that it is a new language; as well as the lack of guidelines in the various curricula used to teach English as a foreign language (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014). Following the consideration of the operability of both approaches, concerning their merits and demerits, a comprehensive approach must be used that combines both skills and meaning while moving towards the complete integration of skills in language (Al-Asmari and Khan, 2014)
The skill-based approach draws its theoretical roots from behavioral psychology and structural linguistics (Al-Asmari& Khan, 2014). It is founded on principles such as the whole being equal to the sum of its parts and the existence of differences between the spoken and written forms of language; the development of literacy being preceded by the acquisition of oral language; learning being centered on teachers and oriented on facts; and the elimination of student errors (Al-Asmari& Khan, 2014). It has also been opined that the skill-based approach is relatively easy to implement owing to its provision of a systematic strategy whose non-complex structure is easy to adhere to, as well as the use of guide materials for use across all levels.
According to Richards (2014), a skilled-based approach to teaching English can be both controlled and semi-controlled. Being controlled implies that the learning or teaching process takes a predetermined approach with specified guidelines and standards of teaching (Richards, 2014). That is, learners are expected to follow specific procedures in their learning. It takes a more formal approach to learning. The whole language approach, on the other hand, is not controlled. The teachers cover a wide range of practices, some of which may not be documented or standardized (Richards, 2014). The teachers’ role in the process is to apply practices that help the learners acquire the most skills and learn the language more effectively. In both controlled and non-controlled systems of skilled-based and whole-language approaches, students must acquire the skills that cover different aspects of learning. This introduces the need for a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning the language.
1.3.2.3. Comprehensive Approach
The comprehensive approach entails a shift in the teaching of EFL from being closely controlled to semi-controlled. It provides a broader view of the learning process where students’ learning process captures both in-classroom and outside classroom activities. It also involves activities that are centered on the students in all the lessons, both at primary and secondary levels (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). These activities can also be seen to shift from the assessment of micro-skills to full comprehension and production of complete texts in its application in teaching, correction of errors, and assessments in every lesson. Therefore, teachers impart secondary skills such as fluency with the essential language skills at the primary level, l such as spell, ling, pronunciation, grammar, and sentence structures (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). It creates the need for the adoption of a strategy for implementing a comprehensive approach to learning English among ESL students.
1.3.2.4. Strategy
A comprehensive strategy is critical in helping learners acquire skills and build their social capital. The approach’s emphasis on activities that are student-directed, tolerance of errors, and assessments (group, self, and peer) enable teachers to integrate essential language skills and subsidiary skills in language at the secondary level, with all language skills being integrated at the university level (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). It enables EFL students at the university level to be in a better position to bridge the output of higher education with any prevailing market needs, thereby improving their motivation to learn the language. This is because of the expansiveness of the language they have acquired for the work environment. The teaching process also focuses on imparting the relevant skills that help students cope with market needs.
Vocabulary is an important aspect of delivery, irrespective of the approach that an instructor chooses to use. Vocabulary should also be developed gradually subject to the complexity and the necessity of self-expression. This is because vocabulary is an integral part of learning the main language skills. Vocabulary builds on and improves EFL learners’ understanding of a language (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). Learning vocabulary is important in enhancing one’s proficiency in understanding both written and oral communication (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). Therefore, teachers should ensure they incorporate vocabulary as an aspect of their delivery strategy in all approaches. There is also a need for consideration of the learners’ attitudes and perceptions in teaching strategies.
Al-Yaseen (2014) has affirmed that although the learning processes help to enhance the knowledge of students through different activities such as discussion, projects, and presentations, the outcome largely depends on the student’s attitude towards the procedure. The attitudes will influence the approach that teachers take in teaching ESL students the language. One of the negatives that can influence the learning process is the embarrassment felt by students in expressing their difficulties. EFL students often feel embarrassed to express their views, which reduces transparency within the communication process with the teacher (Smadani&Ibnian, 2015; Garrett, 2008). Improving student attitudes, knowledge of the language, and possessing proper skills for communicating with students is important for teachers and instructors.
Knowledge of the language and proper communication skills are critical to students’ success and improvement in students’ attitudes. English and Marr (2015) assert that communication between teachers and learners is, without a doubt fundamental in teaching. The interaction enhances knowledge acquisition through experiences and fast-hand learning in discussions and presentations. It assists learners to develop an interest in learning the language based on experiences from teachers. Therefore, to be able to communicate effectively, “Teachers must know how to structure their language output for maximum clarity and have strategies for understanding what students are saying – since understanding student conversation is key to the analysis of what students know, how they understand, and what teaching moves would be useful” (p. 5). It introduces the concept of a learner-centered approach where teaching focuses on the specific needs and circumstances of the learner.1.3.2.5.Learner-centered Approach and Barriers.
Unlike other scholars who delved into the learning approaches, English and Marr (2015), have depicted the learner-centered approach as the most effective in EFL teaching primarily because the students can freely interact with the teachers. This simultaneously influences them to strengthen their learning experience beyond the classroom environment. According to Khan (2011), learning barriers such as psychological, cultural, motivational, social, attitudinal, and parental can be determined as common factors, which also slow down the learning process. Garrett (2008) notes that another barrier is that English teachers in some nations are not native speakers and that their competence is seldom above average as they are not fully proficient in the English language. The effectiveness of a student-centered approach requires cooperation between teachers and learners. It creates a new approach that teachers can embrace, which is cooperative learning.
1.3.2.6.Cooperative Learning Approach
Based on these aspects, Al-Yaseen (2014) has depicted cooperative learning methods as another essential method in EFL learning. The cooperative learning approach promotes the acquisition of the English language among ESL students by helping them become more confident in producing and using the language when working in small learning or study groups. It allows students to acquire new learning methods through observations from their peers and teachers. Additionally, the approach requires the grouping of learners of all abilities and levels of study. English language teachers should emphasize the contribution of all group members in equal measure for an optimal outcome. Cooperative learning also focuses on group studies and learning to share ideas and experiences in the learning process. Through cooperation in learning and teachers’ support, students develop skills such as communication, writing, and critical thinking that help in developing linguistic capital.
Khan (2011) has stated that adopting new learning approaches such as cooperative learning, student-centered, and comprehensive approach to English has become an effective activity in the world, specifically for the people who utilize English as a foreign language. Concentrating on EFL learners, and implementing appropriate learning approaches is the most effective way of creating motivation for the EFL students to learn. The approach that a teacher takes has a significant influence on their motivation toward learning the language. For instance, a student-centered approach allows the participation of students, thereby creating the motivation to know more. Alrashidi and Phan, (2015) highlighted cooperative learning methods as the most preferred approach because they include communicating with others to enhance one’s abilities. In a study conducted in a Turkish university with 66 EFL students, Mitchell and Alfuraih (2017) found that a cooperative learning strategy positively affected learners’ attitudes toward English learning over traditional instruction approaches. In China, Ning (2013) examined the influence of cooperative learning strategies on EFL college students in comparison to traditional learning methods. The results of the study demonstrate that “The CL [cooperative learning] approach was more effective than traditional instruction in improving students’ overall social skills” (p. 564). Social skills are important in cooperative learning and interaction of students in different ways (Al-Yaseen, 2014). Through social interactions, peer and group influence increases motivation levels. It also supports sharing ideas and experiences that are critical components of social skills.
Variances in the use of the English language for communication and application in teaching create complexities in the approaches. The skills-based approach has been criticized, however, due to huge discrepancies in both the way language is taught and how it is used in communication; and also because of the difficulties associated with teaching language as a collection of isolated skills, because the brain cannot store fragments of information for long periods (Anderson, 1984). In addition, the students are given a passive role that can lead to independent learning skills being left underdeveloped (Al-Asmari& Khan, 2014). Besides, when presented in the form of isolated skills, language learning is very time-consuming, thereby causing both the teachers and students to divert time away from the engagement in activities that can also facilitate the acquisition of language (Mitchell and Alfuraih, 2017), for instance, out-of-class activities. Despite these shortcomings, the skill-based approach is the most widely used international method (Huang, 2013). This can be attributed to the fact that its programs have been sanctioned by higher educational authorities and also by the curricula of various countries (Huang, 2013). In addition, in part, this is a result of some teachers’ resistance to the adoption of new approaches (Huang, 2013)
1.3.2.7.Strategies for Developing Oral Communication Skills
Some studies have established that parents have devised strategies for developing oral communication skills. These skills are critical in learning a first language as the children grow into adulthood and recognize their cultures (Bardhan&Orbe, 2014). The same strategies are often used in the teaching and learning of foreign languages. According to Bardhan and Orbe (2014), imitation is the first step toward language acquisition among children; upon the attachment of meaning to these words, children start using them more frequently and repeat them when practicing. This echoes the importance of actually using the acquired language through frequent skills acquired to facilitate their meaningful use in speech (Al-Asmari& Khan, 2014). This highlights the second stage of the acquisition of language, which is repetition. This builds recognition of the language used subject to frequency (Bardhan&Orbe, 2014).
The establishment of formulaic speech is the next step in learning a new language. This is achieved when learners apply short phrases attached to their day-to-day life situations through activities such as salutations (among other expressions) hence the emphasis on the repeated use of speech in the acquired language. The final stage in the acquisition of a new language is its incorporation (Bardhan&Orbe, 2014). This holds the premise of the acquired language being used repeatedly and repetitively through guidance in the sequence of the elements that have already been established. This consequently leads to the recognition of the principles guiding the use of the language (Bardhan&Orbe, 2014).
Learning is a process that involves the interaction between different activities. The concept of gaming is a critical strategy for the learning process. Notably, in learning or teaching the English language, gaming plays a major role. Teachers or instructors use different approaches to introduce gaming into the learning process. It captures the out-of-class activities that help the learners to develop their language literacy more efficiently and at a fast pace. The out-of-class activities help in creating an environment where the learners can interact and share ideas. Additionally, it facilitates the learning process as slow learners get an opportunity to learn from fast learners. It promotes the accumulation of linguistic capital.
Language is thereby regarded as a collection of separate skills, each of which is further divided into smaller sections of skills (Al-Asmari& Khan, 2014). The skills are taught and/or acquired through sequences that are predetermined by way of direct elucidation, modeling, and repetition. Teachers and/or instructors in building skills should also employ methods such as the constant use of discrete-point tests of the sub-skills before the learners can advance to the next level (Huang, 2013). The discrete-point testing approach has been advanced by its proponents owing to the ease with which it makes the learning process a result of teaching language as isolated skills (Huang, 2013). This has been purported to save students from having to deal with the complexities that a language, especially foreign ones, entails. It has also been said to reduce the error rate in students’ overall proficiency. The approaches create the need to explore in-classroom strategies that teachers can use in teaching the English language to ESL students.
Several practices are adopted in teaching language. Teachers use story-telling sessions, debates, and writing competitions to help learners acquire linguistic skills and develop their linguistic capital. Through the debate sessions, the students get an opportunity to interact and develop argumentative skills that are relevant to developing English skills among ESL students in Saudi Arabia. Other activities such as story-telling sessions are also important for the learning process. It assists the students in learning through participation, observation, and interaction. They get the opportunity to acquire fast-hand experiences that boost the learning process. The development of reading and speaking skills is supported by the experiences through the activities. Therefore, teachers should implement gaming strategies that will make learners participate and learn more effectively for the development of linguistic capital. In learning of the English language in Saudi Arabia, the gaming strategies are expected to yield positive outcomes. The strategy may be limited considering the varying learning capabilities of students, creating a need for out-of-classroom strategies. Out-of-class activities are an important aspect of the English language learning process, particularly among English Second Language students in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Second language development that occurs while playing and interacting with a digital game must not only be useful in the game itself. Rather, the learner-centric nature of game-based learning can facilitate the transfer of linguistic constructions to other contexts.
Scholz and Schulze (2017) suggested that the language observed in the gaming environment is indeed transferable to non-gaming contexts. Regardless of the trajectories of gameplay in which each learner participates, second language development will occur.
Learning and teaching approaches, and motivational factors are critical components of learning the English language, particularly for EFL. Since this study intends to explore how engaging in out-of-class activities influences Saudi EFL students to learn and/or improve the English language, it is important to shed light on English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia, because context is critical to shaping not only motivation to learn but also opportunity. The next section reviews the use of English in Saudi Arabia in the context of classroom teaching and learning.
1.4. English in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has evolved rapidly since 1925, incorporating socioeconomic and political changes of enormous scope and scale. The preliminary objective of introducing EFL into Saudi Arabian schools and institutes is to facilitate these changes and to help the youth of the nation learn English to further develop their knowledge and abilities (Al Nooh & Mc-Pherson, 2013). Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ states that the government is focused on the development of the education system so that the younger generation will enjoy higher quality and multi-faceted education. The government intends to invest in the development of early childhood education, refine curricula, and train teachers and educational leaders to better fulfill the needs and goals of establishing a leading nation. The Saudi Vision 2030 seeks to build a bridge between higher education outputs and market needs. Also, it aims to have at least five Saudi universities placed within the top 200 international educational institutions by 2030 (“Vision 2030”, 2016). This is indeed a worthy goal and one that needs to be fulfilled, but as of yet, there are several hurdles to overcome. Samadani and Ibnian (2015) state that there are numerous issues faced by the education system in Saudi Arabia, primarily due to the lack of proper learning approaches or methods in the teaching of English.
Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013) have stated that in Saudi Arabia, English is currently considered a major subject to be undertaken by younger generations. The need is based on advancements in technology and globalization that allow people to work anywhere. With the advancement of technology, opportunities have been enhanced, for which younger generations have mostly concentrated on learning English so that they can communicate. For example, the advent of social media has created a platform where people from different cultural backgrounds and countries can socialize. It makes a common language such as English an important part of earning. Liton (2012) has highlighted the current situation of Saudi Arabia as shown by the Saudi Ministry of Education. The educational system (Table 1) has mainly concentrated on the progress of EFL teaching/learning processes, especially in the primary, intermediate, and high school years. However, the process indicated comparatively less progress in higher education areas (Liton, 2012).
Educational Levels and Grades in Saudi Arabia
According to Asmari (2013), learning a foreign language differs from learning one’s mother tongue, because applying new EFL teaching methods to inspire the students is more important. The differences depend on the approach, strategies, and cultural backgrounds. While one’s first language can be learned automatically through imitation, foreign languages require teaching where specific strategies and approaches are adopted. In the Saudi Arabian context, Samadani and Ibnian (2015) have affirmed that the education system mainly concentrates on developing knowledge of the English language among learners so that they can utilize the language to enhance their careers in the future. Other studies have indicated that the students can enhance their abilities by utilizing language to communicate with others even within society, rather than using their native language (Samadani&Ibnian, 2015; Asmari, 2013). However, students often get inadequate chances to utilize the English language in the external environment, which is another challenge for students in increasing their interest in learning English. Liton (2012) has suggested an effective solution to improving the motivation levels of EFL students in learning English. Some of the strategies proposed include the use of technology, an example being audio-visual aids that should be promoted in EFL classrooms in Saudi Arabia as they can motivate learners by increasing their participation rates, concentration levels, and enthusiasm for learning the language (Liton, 2012).
Alsobaei and Alanzi (2014) have highlighted certain limitations faced by the education system in Saudi Arabia, which in turn can develop into barriers that affect the development of the learning process. These limitations include less focus on EFL compared to primary language and teacher-centric learning processes that reduce interaction and discourage students to become conversant in English from an early age. The cultural backgrounds orient children to their first languages from an early stage. As such, teaching English in these environments may be challenging. These factors have become of increasing concern for the Saudi Arabian education system. Lillon (2012) has countered this statement by stating that the government is continuously focused on reducing these factors within the education system which implies that, although the government has taken the initiative to develop the overall EFL teaching-learning process, the students and teachers must also concentrate on such factors as well. Teachers and students are directly involved in the process through the provision of direction and the acquisition of skills. It makes a focus on the factors important in achieving better outcomes. This focus will help the nation create a higher level of achievement for Saudi Arabian EFL students in the international context.
1.4.2. Barriers to EFL in Saudi Arabia
Even though the country’s administration recently viewed the English language as an essential component of its education curriculum, the challenges remain. The remaining challenges are because the country’s main language is Arabic, and as an Islamic country, the use of the Quran makes Arabic of central importance to the nation’s social, religious, and cultural life. This importance sees the English language not being given significant attention at the commencement of formal education, and it may well be seen as a threat to the culture of Saudi Arabia. These factors indicate the need to adopt new or innovative teaching approaches, which will motivate students to learn English (Al Nooh & Mc-Pherson, 2013).
Based on the above factors, it seems fair to note that the student’s lack of commitment might not solely be their fault alone. Teachers do not encourage the students to utilize the language outside of academic activities; this, in turn, limits the language proficiency of the students and influences their learning. Al-Seg-hayer (2014) has reported that students in Saudi Arabia struggle to learn the English language mainly due to a lack of interest because of their cultural or social backgrounds, where English does not play a major role. This concern is evidenced in most institutes, where teachers report students’ low motivational levels in learning EFL (Al-Seghayer, 2014).
Another underlying issue highlighted by Al-Nasser (2015) is a lack of prior preparation for students, which culminates in low proficiency levels. Due to the lack of motivation, students hardly ever prepare for class, and this proves detrimental to their other endeavors. Thus, Al-Nasser (2015) suggests, that teachers must help learners by enhancing and stating the importance of EFL learning, which can help develop their interest, as well as assist them in gravitating towards the teaching-learning process.
1.4.3. Limitations to Learning English and Opportunities in Saudi Arabia
Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013) stated that the education system in Saudi Arabia still has certain limitations, which need to be overcome to reach the desired outcomes. The limitations relate to cultural factors, national identity, attitudes, and beliefs of students towards the language. Most Saudi students would prefer Arabic as the language of national identity (Samadani Al & Ibnian, 2015). This is because they consider it as part of their culture and abandoning the language would imply abandoning their cultural identity. Additionally, the attitudes and beliefs of students towards the English language also influence its teaching and learning. For most students, it is viewed as a Western language and its learning would imply embracing the Western culture while abandoning the native Arabic culture. Several studies have concentrated on the economic context, which has affirmed that developing EFL within society will enhance the opportunities for business involvement and other commerce – such as tourism – in the respective nations (Al Nooh & Mc-Pherson, 2013; Rahman & Alhaisoni, 2013) but have not fully considered the barriers and limitations related to identity. Al Nooh& Mc-Pherson (2013), have emphasized that the students need to understand the importance of learning to gain interest in the language. This creates a pedagogical approach to the language.
1.4.4. Pedagogy in Saudi Arabia
According to AlNooh& Mc-Pherson (2013), the education system must concentrate on interactive sessions through which the teachers will communicate with the students and provide them with the necessary information. They argue that of those approaches implemented in Saudi Arabian institutes, those cooperative sessions, interactive sessions, and practical activities are the most effective examples of the teaching-learning process. Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013) have highlighted that another important dynamic is applying these approaches appropriately within the education process to attain an acceptable outcome. The studies also address the contribution of government programs and policies to teaching and learning. According to a report presented by Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013), the Saudi Ministry of Education seeks to ensure improvements in learners’ oral, reading, writing, and oral skills. The ministry continually assists students in their endeavors to acquire the necessary linguistic know-how to be able to effectively function in the target language. Allamnakhrah (2013) has argued that these objectives address the challenges evident within the Saudi Arabian academic context due to rote learning. Although rote learning might seem an effective tool, it can negatively affect the effectiveness of learning and the evaluation abilities of the students (Allamnakhrah, 2013).
Moreover, the education system – in regards to EFL learning – typically depends on textbooks and teaching materials in the form of modules, which also have a significant impact on English language learning in Saudi Arabia. It takes a skill-based approach to language learning and teaching. The reliance on textbooks and other teaching materials helps in the acquisition of skills by the learners. The teachers’ frustrations are compounded by the student’s inability to acquire basic know-how. The students do not concentrate on English learning from the primary school level, whereas the teaching materials do not provide transparent objectives to the learners, thereby limiting their capability of learning the English language. The lack of the student’s concentration and interest in learning English and the lack of providing clear objectives in teaching materials have significantly affected the development of the Saudi Arabian education system (Allamnakhrah, 2013). In this regard, Rahman and Alhaisoni, (2013) have further blamed syllabus designers for an absence of knowledge regarding the inclusion of appropriate concepts in a sequence that students can easily use to develop their knowledge, and that the teachers can teach well by being able to follow an established EFL teaching-learning process.
Therefore, limiting the use of the English language in classroom activities has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of any EFL learning process, which can create significant challenges for the nation in the long run (Chen, 2014). Since most students cannot comprehend the language properly and have generally developed negative attitudes, teachers include Arabic, the first language of Saudi Arabia, in the class activities as well (Alhomaidan, 2015), allowing code-switching. In a quantitative study carried out comprising 60 full-time tertiary students using experimental and control groups, the results were rather disappointing. The respondents in the 19 to 22-year age bracket had spent the previous six years before college in different learning institutions. However, as all were Arabic speakers, the only time they used English was during formal class time. As a result, their understanding of the language was limited to the classroom environment, and they could hardly communicate outside of that setting (Alhomaidan, 2015).
Exposure to the English language is another reason why competence continues to prove difficult to achieve for a majority of Saudi Arabian students. Therefore, there is a need to consider alternatives such as out-of-class learning. Contextually, Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013) assert that students can easily develop their knowledge through exposure. Focusing on the external environment, English learning can be developed through several mediums, such as through social media, or by watching TV shows, to name but a few (Mitchell &Alfuraih, 2017). However, if the students’ perceptions remain negative, the teachers’ efforts might not have a significant impact regardless of their persistence. Rahman and Alhaisoni (2013) reported that despite having televisions, newspapers, and books with English content, many students seldom utilized them. Therefore, the challenges faced by English learning are somewhat complex (Rahman &Alhaisoni, 2013).
To summarize, it is argued that EFL in Saudi Arabia has not been fully embraced; however, the issues that are continuously affecting the education system need to be overcome to increase the effectiveness of the process. Several studies have been conducted on evaluating the learning process; however, there is a lack of alternative methods or processes for which further research can assist. Out-of-class activities have been identified to be critical in the English language learning process.
Out-Of-Class Activities for Language Learning
There are several advantages to utilizing out-of-class activities because they are likely to develop the language learning ability of students. According to Guo (2011), learning outside of the classroom develops a bridge between studying English and its application. In addition, moving beyond the curriculum of traditional English classroom learning can expand the study environment of students and help them explore new areas of interest, along with develop knowledge in English (Benson, 2013).
According to Hyland (2004), teaching English has increasingly become a subject of discussion in terms of how it can be taught in a manner that is not only restricted to the classroom but that evolves beyond it. Barnawi and Al-Hawsawi (2017) state that different factors determine the capacities of learners to expand their efforts and encourage them to learn a language more effectively. These include the use of technologies such as Web 2.0, television, and radio, as well as motivating the students to read newspapers and novels (Obeid, 2017; Lai & GU, 2011; Pickard, 1996).
Cortina-Pérez and Solano-Tenorio (2013) argue that language learning through out-of-class activities has not received enough research attention, especially within EFL contexts. Benson (2013) considers out-of-class learning as an autonomous interaction with available resources to self-direct an individual’s learning. It involves learning using tools outside the class environment such as fieldwork. Out-of-class learning covers self-instruction, direction, and natural learning. Under self-instruction, language learners develop plans to enhance their learning outcomes. Guo (2011) commented that self-instruction requires language learners to search for resources that would assist and guide them to learn English more effectively. For instance, the use of grammar books can improve the quality of language learning (Hyland, 2004) but perhaps not its application. Natural learning involves students learning from the field experiments and provisions of nature. It does not require instruction or direction from teachers. Instead, there is self-instruction and direction in the learning process.
Another form of out-of-class activity is Naturalistic Language Learning. This kind of learning is based on communication among learners of English (Hyland, 2004). It differs from natural learning in the sense that the former requires experimental exercises. Guo (2011) highlighted that interacting among classmates is an effective technique to improve English. The third category is Self-Directed Naturalistic Language Learning, which requires learners to identify and/or seek out a situation that can develop their language (Briggs, 2015). Hyland (2004) commented on the effectiveness of Self-Directed Naturalistic Language learning stating that students create learning, situations, but, “may not focus directly on learning the language while they are in that situation” (p. 183).
The use of English newspapers for gaining information on daily activities instead of learning activities is highlighted as an example (Hyland, 2004)
In attempting to examine the types of activities that were integrated by teachers of English, Hyland (2004) sought to find out which activities were the most successful along with the beliefs that these teachers had regarding the use of strategies targeting English learning out of the classroom. He used a quantitative study to survey a sample of 238 students who were studying education with a focus on the English language. The study found that only 16.7% of those who had participated were of the view that English played a significant role in their daily lives outside the classroom. What this means is that the large majority of students learning English did not feel the need to learn the language or have the requisite chance to use their language skills outside the school environment Hyland, 2004), which might be the case in the Saudi learners. The study found that most of the activities the participants engaged in did not involve direct interaction with others.
Writing emails, reading academic books, and surfing the internet were the most common activities among the participants where they directly interacted with the English language. Academic books with global audiences are developed in English, making it necessary for the EFL learner in Saudi Arabia to understand the language for a proper understanding of the content of the books. Additionally, most information on the internet is available in the English language, although there are provisions for translations into other languages such as Arabic. Mohammadi and Moini (2015) found similar results for students in Iran who also engaged in daily activities such as surfing the internet. In addition to this, they did find that every use of English text, such as that on different products like food packages and clothing tags, could be beneficial for learning at least one English word.
Several authors have noted activities that open up possibilities for learning English. These include Alr Rasheed, Raiker, and Carmichael (2017) and Lai and Gu (2015). They found that the use of technology in out-of-class activities helped in opening up numerous possibilities for learning. For instance, it provided a chance for both native speakers and learners to access a wide range of materials. They also emphasized that at the University of Hong Kong, technology is used for out-of-class activities, as it provides access to requisite materials for language learning (Alresheed, Raiker & Carmichael, 2017; Lai and Gu, 2015). They include library databases and social platforms that encourage access to information that supports learning. The student portal is an example of technology that assists learners to access the required materials in their learning course. They are critical in offering easy access to materials to the learners, thereby boosting the learning outcomes. According to Alr Rasheed, Raiker, and Carmichael (2017), the use of technology in learning can be considered an effort to improve classroom language learning. However, it has been argued that this practice is not widespread in the classroom learning environment.
Ferdous (2013) stated that it is the responsibility of expert linguists to explore the available resources of learning environments to improve instructional strategies for developing language acquisition. Thus, she suggests the use of multimedia mediums such as television, film, and journalism for widening the curriculum activities to outside activities and improving English education (Çelik and Aytin 2014) also pointed to the fact that teachers of English can integrate technology as a means of creating content that is more useful to the students, enabling them to participate and distribute the knowledge that they already have.
In examining, the extent to which the use of language has helped English learners to regulate themselves, Lai and GU (2011) found that being in an English language class encourages them to make use of English on social networks, to learn how to express their feelings and to learn more about English language culture. This, in turn, assists English learners in widening their social networks and therefore, moving from simply learning a language for its use in a formal context. The extensive use of English in social aspects and its significance makes it an area that requires greater attention. In particular, the use of technology helps to increase the level of motivation and determine the efficiency of the students in learning English. It improves the levels of participation and concentration that make it easier to learn the language. Tawalbeh (2014) argued on a similar basis that using tools such as Web 2.0 enables the learners to be actively involved in creating networks and participating, as opposed to merely engaging in the consumption of the information they have been provided with. As a result, the networks facilitate the learning of the language among the students.
Knobel and Lan-shear (2014) note that the use of technology ensures that students are exposed to sharing with those others who have similar interests and enjoy learning languages. This subsequently ensures that learners of English are constantly able to practice their skills and expand their learning far beyond the traditional classroom context. In this regard, Knobel and Lan shear (2014) and Tawalbeh (2014) suggest that integrating technology would also enable the weakest language learner to gain confidence, especially because after the early grades, many schools do not emphasize ensuring that students gain practical skills. Even though Al-Asmari and Khan (2014) examine technology in terms of television and radio, they highlight that expanding the presence of these types of technologies can facilitate English learners to gain opportunities to practice their skills. Al-Asmari and Khan (2014) point to how, for instance, many students learning the English language are not provided with the chance to visit either the cinema or the theater, which is a further representation of the lack of chances that many English language students have to learn English from the performances of plays or the watching of films. In summary, it is a missed opportunity for educators to institute strategies that advance the learning of the English language among EFL students in Saudi Arabia. This leads students to believe that English does not play a major role in their lives, producing a lower level of motivation among English learners to learn the language.
The learning of English need not be limited to the classroom, but may also take place at any time and place. Recently, it has been witnessed that an increasing emphasis is being placed on the importance of life-long education as an approach to facilitating how English is learned (Lai and GU, 2011). The qualities of out-of-class learning might vary from one individual to the next; however, the determination of an individual to develop language skills outside the classroom is now being seen as a distinguishing factor in the quest to develop anyone’s second language (Nunan, 1991). Learners of English are said to take part in specific local contexts, coupled with specific practices that provide opportunities for learning English (Sharma, 2015).
The English language learners are also said to engage in watching television, cinema, listening to music, and interactions with peers as the main out-of-class activities. Studies on German students studying English established that the choice of out-of-class students’ activities revolved around receptive skills, as well as being influenced by the intrinsic nature of the activity and its perception as being interesting to them (Pickard, 1996). Other studies have also observed that ESL students spent a smaller amount of time on out-of-class learning activities, compared to those EFL students who spent more time (88% of language learning time) on out-of-class activities (Knobel and Lankshear, 2014). It has also been opined that for a more effective impact to be made from out-of-class learning activities, as a result of more time and effort being spent on them, students ought to establish the most effective ways in which this time can be spent (Knobel and Lankshear, 2014). Most studies, however, fail to show the impact that the attitudes of English language students, as well as those of their communities, have on the creativity and utilization of out-of-class learning opportunities.
According to Knobel and Lankshear (2014), out-of-class learning can be looked at from a position of ‘learner strategies’ and ‘learner activities’ subject to the role that English plays in the lives of its learners outside the classroom. According to Briggs (2015), some learners stated that English did not play a very vital role outside the classroom. A few suggested it as being important and used it in their day-to-day contexts, while some said that they only used it occasionally. This implies a prevalent lack of motivation to use the language beyond their studies or the school environment (Briggs, 2015), despite a high number also reporting that their proficiency in the language was either weak or fair, and felt the need for more practice.
Moreover, most out-of-class activities do not involve face-to-face interaction. Most reported entertainment, browsing the internet, and reading academic content as the most popular activities (Knobel&Lankshear, 2014). Most students do not read outside the areas of study as much as it is plausible to expect, with most acknowledging occasional communication in English with their colleagues (Knobel and Lankshear, 2014). This was attributed to the minimal opportunities to communicate in English outside school (work or study) environments. Most English-speaking was done in places where sanctions made it a requirement by an external body; for instance, the administration of the various institutions (Knobel and Lankshear, 2014). Besides, communication in English is mostly avoided owing to the negative connotations implied by its use, as well as the undesirable response that its usage might provoke in other people. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, there is wide use of the Arabic language as the primary language for the majority of the population. Since English is considered foreign and few people have an exhaustive understanding of it, there is a possibility of the Saudi Arabians avoiding its use. This helps in avoiding the negative connotations that may be implied by its uses, such as Westernization. The use may also trigger undesirable responses from people, provoking feelings.
Regarding out-of-class activities, those associated with reading are deemed to be the most productive. The reading of newspapers and magazines, novels, and academic papers, among others, should be encouraged more to support learning among EFL students in out-of-class activities (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). To do this, contextual factors that facilitate the use of the language require facilitation, which may not be so entirely easy to accomplish in most cases (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). For instance, the choices of learners to avoid face-to-face interactions could be influenced by other socio-political factors, making such situations complex to address (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014).
Teaching includes ways that will help elevate perceptions of speaking in English, as well as reduce the fear that speakers might be pigeon-holed by a society prone to judging English teachers (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). The need for English learners to freely speak the language publicly requires emphasis in its teaching as an approach that will improve not only proficiency but also other relationships owing to the improved ability of self-expression (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). Teachers utilize the fact presented by the acknowledgment of a large number of learners that their out-of-class activities involve much entertainment such as television and novels (Elyas&Badawood, 2016).
This helps in designing visual and audio programs, as well as more written entertainment, and encourages their usage as rich sources of motivation, besides being educative material (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). The public domain is also useful to teachers in furthering the reach of English language teaching, given that it is less threatening both to the group and to individual identities, besides being easier to control by the students (Elyas&Badawood, 2016). As a result of this, the potential of the private domain in adding value to out-of-class learning requires critical focus.
Out-of-class learning activities make studying more relevant and engaging for both teachers and learners (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). This can be achieved by grasping those opportunities that make learning concepts real, as well as relevant, by contextualizing them by reality (Elyas&Badawood, 2016). Some concepts that may pose a challenge in terms of comprehending them in the classroom could be made easier to understand from the perspective of the broader world, where the learner is more engaged and motivated to learn as well as understand. Students in countries that are not English speaking may tend to have the impression that they do not have access to an English environment that is authentic. Most learners tend to get immersed in their first language environment outside the classroom, where their exposure to English is limited (Elyas&Badawood, 2016).
Therefore, designing out-of-class learning activities has to portray to the learners that they are in an English-speaking environment, which can be fostered by their commitment to focus on the language and its usage in their daily lives (Hyland, 2004). Interactions with English speakers are also necessary since they facilitate the learners’ process of acquisition. This can be attributed to the proficient or native speakers adjusting the vocabulary used in conversations to facilitate the learner’s understanding of the message (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014). These types of conversations are purported to help in language acquisition and rarely occur within the classroom. They also present an opportunity for learners to negotiate meaning through an authentic context. The chances of this happening are greatly increased when learners speak in English outside the classroom more frequently (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014).
Out-of-class activities such as speaking in English also impart the learners with elements such as sociolinguistic competence that addresses issues such as courtesy and appropriate language adjustments to different contexts (Spörer&Schünemann, 2014); strategic competence, addressing individual strategies to facilitate communication; linguistic competence, that gives knowledge of the structural properties of English as a language; and discourse competence that imparts the ability to formulate great texts and merging them smoothly with relevant phrases (Elyas&Badawood, 2016).
Conclusion.
The English language has realized significant global growth in recent years. There has been a growing population of English speakers among second and additional language users. The emphasis on English learning as a foreign language (EFL) among non-native speakers has been spurred by the issues of globalization that make the language a lingua franca for many countries. It has been widely adopted as the commonly taught language in most education systems and is used in many employment environments. Some scholars argue that the use of English as a global language has led to a situation where speakers as a second language outnumber first language speakers. The coexistence of humans in societies and cultural dynamism make English the most popular medium of communication.
The literature review focused on the contribution of different scholars towards addressing the learning of and spread of, the English language. It highlights the concepts of cosmopolitanism, linguistic capital, and approaches to teaching and learning the language in environments where it is considered a foreign language. Some of the formal approaches reviewed include cooperative learning, whole language, comprehensive, learner-centered, and skills-based approaches. The approaches present unique benefits and challenges when learning English as a foreign language.
English as a foreign language has gained significance in Saudi Arabia due to the improvement of the educational system and the market needs, as well as the desire for Saudi Arabia to replace oil as its main economic driver (Vision 2030). Despite the efforts and strategies that have been proposed for formally teaching English in Saudi Arabia, there are still varied challenges that limit effectiveness. The existing studies failed to address the role of culture in learning the language in Saudi Arabia. Culture has a significant influence on the willingness of a population to learn a foreign language in formal settings. While the efforts may be critical in motivating learners, culture may influence learning desires and affects the outcomes. In teaching the English language to EFL students in Saudi Arabia, the cultural influences of the Arabic language make it difficult for students and teachers to embrace English. They consider it a foreign culture, creating the need for teachers and students to adopt effective strategies for better outcomes. Whether it is a skill-based approach or other approaches such as comprehensive and student-centered, these classroom-based approaches do not emphasize equipping learners with skills that build up their linguistic capital. This supports the need for additional research on informal out-of-class learning as one of the approaches or tools that might be useful to help facilitate and improve the English language learning process among higher education students.
Understanding linguistic capital might offer strategies that can be explored in informal learning of the English language. In the present world of globalization and rapidly changing technology, English has become an important language for communication, not only in the school context but also in workplaces and communication in general. It is part of the cosmopolitan condition. While previous studies have shown that formal learning of the English language is not effective among Saudi students. Informal out-of-classroom activities have proved to be effective in learning the English language among EFL students in Saudi Arabia.
Literacy sponsors are critical in developing learners’ linguistic capital and understanding of the English language. Sponsors influence other people’s literacy practices. Brandt (DATE) believes that sponsors, who can be older, relatives, teachers, supervisors, and other influential people, primarily shape the literacy practices of children and young adults.
Concerning the influence of informal out-of-class activities on English language learning, there is some empirical evidence of improved academic performance, improved student English efficiency, and increased student motivation and engagement in informal out-of-class English-based activities. The previous studies considered out-of-class learning as an autonomous self-directed learning process covering self-instruction and direction, natural, and self-directed naturalistic language learning as they do not require instructions and direction from teachers. In some cases, creating and engaging in out-of-class activities may not focus directly on learning the language while they are in that situation (Hyland, 2004). They also promote a wide range of benefits for EFL students to improve their English language through out-of-class informal activities.
However, understanding informal learning in the Saudi context is still underdeveloped. The review of literature, therefore, leads to a significant gap in existing knowledge about the influence of informal out-of-class activities on the English language learning process among EFL Saudi students in higher education, from the student’s perspective.
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2022-09-04 15:38:14
Evolution of the Source Cited in a Persuasive Essay
Summary of the source
The article, I have chosen for my essay, investigates the impact of oil price shocks on the stock returns of oil companies. It explores the top five oil-importing economies from 2007–2019. A bunch of empirical evidence has been found from the returns of the oil sector stock index. These pieces of evidence specify that there is a significant relationship between the oil sector’s stock returns and oil prices. Furthermore, the results of this article justify a strong and positive relationship between the oil sector stock index and the stock market index. It also figures out that the GDP of the country leads to a positive impact on returns of oil stocks, even though, there is no significant impact of interest rates on the returns of oil stocks in any country.
Source
Kushwah, S., & Siddiqui, A. ‘ Relationship Between Oil Price Movements and Stock Returns of Oil Firms in Oil Importing Economies’ Global Business Review, sage journal 2020.P. 8
Evaluation of the source
Many factors make a source reliable. we should check several things to verify that the source we are choosing is credible and reliable. so, we cannot consider every piece of information found on Google authentic, and we cannot use it as a backup of our argument. I found this source relevant to my essay because it carried the factors of oil price variation. My essay looks at the reason for and solution global rise in oil prices. So, I have found this piece of information very relevant and I have used it often in my essay. After a complete accessing process, I considered this source very reliable because this article is published in a very authentic journal as well, as well both authors are professors. They have also published many more articles in this field. However, still, there is the possibility of being biased as the authors have taken literature reviews from different resources.
On the other side, the latest source is considered more reliable and accurate than any old source. The article was written in 2020, which is only 1 year ago, so, this is another positive factor that makes this source more reliable and effective. The article appears very accurate because SAGE publishes only peer-reviewed and original research articles. They have a proven track record in their originality and validity. In the SAGE journal, the research is only completed by a highly qualified and well-experienced researcher. Some of the ideas I chose were based on research that was cited, and there were also diagrams and illustrations to help me understand them better. These all factors prove the high quality and accuracy of the source.
Impact of this source on the research
I have used this source when writing about the second reason why we should reduce oil consumption, which is the global rise of insane oil prices.
This source provides me with many new facts and figures which help me to see my topic in a new way. Before I was not aware of the mechanism of the oil prices, especially how it affects the economy of different countries. This article claimed that the global rise in insane oil prices affected millions around the world. It is determined that the price of oil depends on two main factors which are supply and demand. I came to know through this article that when the oil supply is stable and adequate to meet up world demand, there would not be an issue. I learned from the results of the source that there is a need to be calculated the consumption of oil, as the global rise of insane oil prices affected millions around the world. On the other hand, I have backed up many general points with this source. In short, it played a crucial role in writing a well-argumented piece of paper.
post
2022-08-30 16:46:17
The style adopted in this document is close to the Harvard bibliography style.
Abstract
The style adopted in this document is close to the Harvard bibliography style. The differences are essentially in the in-text citation/referencing. The bibliography-Harvard style requires “et al.” to be used when there are more than three authors. The style used in this document adheres to the APA requirement, which requires “et al.” to be used when there are more than four authors. Both styles use “et al.” in subsequent citations after the first occurrence. In general, the aim is to provide accurate and consistent citations.
Introduction
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to help the researcher capture the essence of publishing.
works in an area of research interest. In addition, the document forms a basis for knowledge and eventual
critical review of the published literature on the research topic of interest. In the process of writing the
literature review, a natural output is pertinent to the research area. In essence, the researcher can
identify research questions and demonstrate familiarity with current solutions, along with the respective
strengths and weaknesses. It is logical to start the research by collecting and reading publications in the
general area of the topic being researched and producing an annotated bibliography as the initial output of
the research Endeavor. The following is a guideline on what the researcher should be looking for when
reading a given publication.
The annotations are predicated on finding answers to the following questions within the papers.
What problem is being solved? Definition of the problem.
What have others done about the problem(s)?
What solution is being proposed by the authors?
What result was obtained?
How does the solution/result compare/contrast with previous results?
What dataset was used in the experiments?
What conclusions and insights were offered?
What further work is proposed?
What is the relevance of the work to your current research?
Example usages of in-text citations
In this section, we provide examples of how in-text citations are used in several cases. In reading
In these examples, it is important to note the following:
The format of the first appearance of a citation is different from subsequent appearances.
Format of citation in “textual” mode is different from “parenthetical” mode.
Format of citation when there are single, two, three, four, five, and more authors are also different.
in the modes mentioned above. Bibliographic entries are also important to note, especially
when there are more than five authors.
Single author
Clarke (2011) said “ we can address fundamental philosophical questions about the nature of reality and
the mind. So, simply, science fiction can be described as the only genuine consciousness-expanding
the drug” (Clarke,2011) Notice the first citation is “textual” while the second is “parenthetical”.
Two authors
Wu, J., Yu, Y., Huang, C. and Yu, K. (2015), Deep multiple instances learning for image clas- section and Kauto-annotation, in ‘Proceedings, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
l (CVPR)’, pp. 3460–3469.
Three authors
Moreno, I. S., Garraghan, P., Townend, P., and Xu, J. (2014), ‘Analysis, modeling and simulate- the notion of
workload patterns in a large-scale utility cloud’, this research paper has three authors which are
listed above. The research paper Wu, J., Yu, Y., Huang, C. and Yu, K. (2015), Deep multiple
instance learning for image class- section and auto-annotation, in ‘Proceedings, IEEE Conference on
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR)’ also has three authors.
Four authors
Dunbar, R. I. M., Arnab oldi, V., Conti, M. and Passarella, A. (2015) ‘The structure of online social networks
mirrors those in the offline world?’, This next citation of the paper (Awad et al., 2018) illustrates how
The subsequent citations should be set out when we have four authors.
Five and more authors
Zhang, X., Pham, D.-S., Venkatesh, S., Liu, W. and Phung, D. (2015), ‘Mixed-norm sparse representation
for multi-view face recognition. This research paper has five authors listed above and these could be
4
more. The research paper Zhang, X., Pham, D.-S., Venkatesh, S., Liu, W. and Phung, D. (2015),
‘Mixed-norm sparse representation for multi-view face recognition also has five authors.
References
Dunbar, R. I. M., Arnab oldi, V., Conti, M. and Passarella, A. (2015), ‘The structure of online social
networks mirror those in the offline world’, Social Networks 43, 39–47.
We use data on frequencies of bi-directional posts to define edges (or relationships) in two-Face
book datasets and a Twitter dataset and use these to create ego-centric social networks. We explore the
internal structure of these networks to determine whether they have the same kind of layered structure as
has been found in offline face-to-face networks (which have a distinctively scaled structure with
successively inclusive layers at 5, 15, 50, and 150 alters). The two Facebook datasets are best described by
a four-layer structure and the Twitter dataset by a five-layer structure. The absolute sizes of these layers
and the mean frequencies of contact with alter within each layer match very closely to the observed values.
from offline networks. In addition, all three datasets reveal the existence of an innermost network layer at
∼1.5 liters. Our analyses thus confirm the existence of the layered structure of ego-centric social networks.
with a very much larger sample (in total, >185,000 egos) than those previously used to describe them, as
well as identifying the existence of an additional network layer whose existence was only hypothesized in
offline social networks. In addition, our analyses indicate that online communities have very similar
structural characteristics to offline face-to-face networks.
Moreno, I. S., Garraghan, P., Townend, P. and Xu, J. (2014), ‘Analysis, j modeling and simulation of workload patterns in a large-scale utility k cloud’, IEEE Transactions on Cloud
Computing 2(2), 208–221.
Understanding the characteristics and patterns of workloads within a cloud computing environment
is critical in order to improve resource management and operational conditions while the Quality of Service
(QoS) guarantees are maintained. Simulation models based on realistic parameters are also urgently needed.
for investigating the impact of these workload characteristics on new system designs and operation policies.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of analyses to support the development of workload models that capture the
inherent diversity of users and tasks, largely due to the limited availability of Cloud trace logs as well as
the complexity of analyzing such systems. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the
workload characteristics derived from a production Cloud data center that features over 900 users
submitting approximately 25 million tasks over a time period of a month. Our analysis focuses on exposing
and quantifying the diversity of behavioral patterns for users and tasks, as well as identifying model
parameters and their values for the simulation of the workload created by such components. Our derived
model is implemented by extending the capabilities of the CloudSim framework and is further validated.
through empirical comparison and statistical hypothesis tests. We illustrate several examples of this work’s
practical applicability in the domain of resource management and energy efficiency.
Several works have investigated workload modeling using production usage data. Many such
research works use low-level application usage parameters, such as page accesses [11,18,22] or resource-level metrics [2,4]. However, in a highly complicated software system such as Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) software, using low-level concepts such as page access is too course-grained, as, for instance,
some pages might incur complex operations such as salary and pension calculations. Moreno et
al [18] study Google’s cloud trace logs to identify patterns in user requests. The authors defined cloud
workload in terms of “users” and “tasks”, where the user is a combination of submission rate, CPU, and memory
requested while the task is a combination of session length, average CPU, and memory utilization. We define
a high-level abstraction for clustering, which makes it applicable to other enterprise applications.s. While in
[15,18] the authors do consider a somewhat higher level of abstraction; they are still tied to the application
itself, rather than to the underlying business model. In our previous work [14], we surveyed a number of
workload generation methods and performance testing methods available and we describe the workload
and performance testing used at the case company in more detail
Wu, J., Yu, Y., Huang, C., and Yu, K. (2015). Deep multiple instances learning for image class- section and
auto-annotation, in ‘Proceedings, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
l (CVPR)’, pp. 3460–3469.
6
The recent development in learning deep representations has demonstrated its wide applications in
traditional vision tasks like classification and detection. However, there has been little investigation on how
we could build up a deep learning framework in a weakly supervised setting. In this paper, we attempt to
model deep learning in a weakly supervised learning (multiple instance learning) framework. In our setting,
each image follows a dual multi-instance assumption, where its object proposals and possible text
annotations can be regarded as two instance sets. We thus design effective systems to exploit the MIL.
property with deep learning strategies from the two ends; we also try to jointly learn the relationship
between object and annotation proposals. We conduct extensive experiments and prove that our weakly
Supervised deep learning framework not only achieves convincing performance in vision tasks, including
classification and image annotation but also extracts reasonable region-keyword pairs with little
supervision, on both widely used benchmarks like PASCAL VOC and MIT Indoor Scene 67; and also a
dataset for image-and patch-level annotations.
The problem of securely and efficiently searching cloud-stored encrypted documents from a mobile
device is addressed in this paper. Often, mobile device users outsource the storage of their data (photos,
email, documents, etc.) to a cloud service. A means of ensuring privacy and confidentiality is to encrypt
the data. This is especially so when the cloud service is semi-trusted. The problem addressed in this paper
is significant because of the need to search the cloud storage for required data without revealing what is
being searched or the keywords used for the search. Searchable encryption, which allows exact keywords
match and Boolean search, has previously been used for this task. The lack of inexact (fuzzy) match and
The ranking of burned search results limits the efficiency and usability of this scheme. The authors propose a
scheme that supports both fuzzy search and ranking. A fuzzy search based on wildcards has been previously
proposed, but it requires knowledge of the location of errors. Special-purpose error-tolerant encryption
scheme. also exists for iris data. Furthermore, the authors have previously devised a fuzzy search scheme
based on locality-sensitive hashing. Other proposed methods have memory burdens that are not suitable for
mobile devices. Ranking and fuzzy search have not previously been combined automatically in the setting.
considered in this paper. The proposed scheme uses an amplified locality-sensitive hashing method.
Specifically, the keyword encoding is performed by a piece-wise linear chaotic map and a relevance score.
7
along with a posting, lists are computed. These are protected by an order-preserving encryption scheme. The
posting list enables the ranking of returned files. The authors performed extensive tests to select an appropriate
locality-sensitive hashing method and the effect of its parameters on search time were presented. Retrieval
performance was evaluated using precision and recall metrics on the Enron and RFC datasets. The results
are indicative of the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Security analysis in the semi-trusted framework
was also conducted. The proposed encrypted search scheme does not support conjunctive or disjunctive
multi-keyword search.
Zhang, X., Pham, D.-S., Venkatesh, S., Liu, W. and Phung, D. (2015), ‘Mixed-norm sparse K
representation for multi-view face recognition, Pattern Recognition 48(9), 2935–2946
Cloud computing environments can be characterized by the behavior of users, task execution length, and
resource utilization patterns. Understanding the dynamics of these characteristics is useful in optimizing
the performance of the cloud data center and providing an agreed quality of service to users. Trace logs
capture the dynamics of the data center with respect to user behavior, task execution, and resource
utilization. By analyzing the trace logs, important parameters required for modeling and simulating the
environment, and optimizing its operation can be derived. This paper presents an in-depth
parameterization of the cloud computing environment model based on the trace logs of a large-scale
production data center. It further presents a validated simulation of the model that incorporates parameters
of users and tasks. Previous works have neither used large-scale trace logs nor considered task and user
parameterization simultaneously.
Most of the previous works only provided coarse-grained analysis of the trace logs. The authors used
the Google trace logs (version 2) which contain over 25 million tasks submitted by 930 users during a
period of one month. In their analysis, three parameters were defined for user behavior: submission.
rate, α; CPU requested, β; memory required, φ. The tasks were analogously parameterized by: length, χ;
average CPU usage, γ; memory usage, π.
These parameters were used to derive clusters for users. and tasks; thus identifying the diversity of users
and tasks. Each of the clusters was fitted to a known probability distribution whose parameters were derived.
8
from the relevant trace logs. The model thus created formed the basis of validated simulations, using
CloudSIM, of the cloud environment.
Evaluation of the simulation model was performed using empirical graphical comparisons and
statistical hypothesis testing. Some of the future work indicated by the authors includes: studying the
relationship between users and jobs submitted; energy consumption and reliability; and collaborating with the
developers of Cloud SIM to incorporate the proposed model. A possible drawback of the methodology
adopted in the analysis is the use of known probability distributions. Perhaps a Gaussian mixture model
could have provided a more accurate model of the diverse user and task profiles. Face recognition with
multiple views is a challenging research problem. Most of the existing works have focused on extracting
shared information among multiple views to improve recognition. However, when the pose variation is too
large or missing, ‘shared information may not be properly extracted, leading to poor recognition results.
In this paper, we propose a novel method for face recognition with multiple view images to overcome the
large pose variation and missing pose issue.
By introducing a novel mixed norm, the proposed method automatically selects candidates from
the gallery to best represent a group of highly correlated face images in a query set to improve the classification.
accuracy. This mixed norm combines the advantages of both sparse representation-based classification
(SRC) and joint sparse representation-based classification (JSRC). The ℓ1-norm from SRC and
ℓ2,1-norm from JSRC are introduced to achieve this goal. Due to this property, the proposed method
decreases the influence when a face image is unseen and has large pose variations in the recognition process.
And when some face images with a certain degree of unseen pose variation appear, this mixed norm will
find an optimal representation for these query images based on the shared information induced from
multiple views. Moreover, we also address an open problem in robust sparse representation and
classification, which uses ℓ1-norm on the loss function to achieve a robust solution. To solve this
formulation, we derive a simple, yet provably convergent algorithm based on the powerful alternative
directions method of multipliers (ADMM) framework. We provide extensive comparisons which
demonstrate that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms on CMU-PIE, Yale B, and
Multi-PIE databases for multi-view face recognition.
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2022-08-28 16:07:50
Data Sources
Introduction
According to Villanova University, data sources are a component of Business
Intelligence refers to a variety of stored data (raw data from which meaningful information can be
derived). (Body Section, para.6) Secondly, data sources can also refer to a location whereby
various forms of data relevant to business intelligence are stored (Introduction section, para 1 ).
From these definitions, it is evident that data sources are essential in providing the necessary
sources of raw data from which essential decisions that will promote a business can be made.
(Edwards, 2019).
Business Intelligence, which relies on various types of datsources,es are key since they serve as the
building blocks for the configuration of Business Intelligence. The existing sources of data for
Business Intelligence includes web services, databases, RSS feeds, and flat files. Databases are
considered to be the traditional source of data for Business Intelligence. Some of the well-known brands that offer databases for use in Business Intelligence include Oracle, DB2, SQL, Amazon SimpleDB, and many others.
Secondly, flat files are a source of data
for BI, which involves the utilization of Microsoft Excel (“Business Intelligence (BI). Using
Data for Better Business Results”, 2020). Thirdly, RSS feeds involve web feeds that allow
users and applications to access updates from websites that have meaningful data to guide
Business Intelligence. Finally, various web services can be used to extract data that can in turn
be used to guide the direction of Business Intelligence.
Data sources are essential in offering raw data that guides the decisions that are made.
within a company. From the meaningful information acquired from data sources, an entity can determine whether a certain strategy is benefitting the organization or not. Making data-driven decisions helps the company stay ahead of its competitors and, more importantly,
remain relevant to the existing market.
I have been exposed to various forms of data sources, specifically web services. I know
of a plugin called Alexa, which helps you to collect information about different existing business
websites. For instance, to optimize a company’s website, you can optimize by looking at
the keywords consumers use to search for competitors. Such data-driven strategies are a
sure way of getting ahead of competitors. Additionally, I have heard about how google
analytics can be used to acquire useful information that can guide the decisions of a business.
Without a doubt, Business Intelligence depends on how much data is available and there are a
variety of data sources that a business can use.
References
Business Intelligence (BI): Using Data for Better Business Results. Villanovau.com. (2020).
Retrieved from https://www.villanovau.com/resources/bi/overview-of-business-intelligence-bicomponents/.
Data Source Types | Logi Analytics BI Encyclopedia. Logi Analytics. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.logianalytics.com/resources/bi-encyclopedia/data-source-types/.
Edwards, J. (2019). Understanding Data Sources. Docs.oracle.com. Retrieved from
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E17984_01/doc.898/e14695/undrstnd_datasources.htm.
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2022-08-24 15:54:08
CASE STUDY: How the crisis related to domestic violence Would be managed.
Background
Since approximately 13 years ago, Syra and Sam have been together and have had 4 kids.
together. Multi-lingual Sam was born abroad; he didn’t finish high school; he speaks many
languages, including English. He’s also managed small companies on occasion. In addition to
being born in Australia, Syra has a degree from a university and operates her own company.
Both were pursuing their formal training when they encountered the home nation of Sam.
wife, Syra.
Sam was granted a spousal visa and they were married within a year. It is Syra with
her new partner, who is now caring for the children at a house they own. Sam’s contact with the
The younger kid is regulated by Family Court rules. The three older kids have decreased contact.
He was kind and quiet, yet deeply devoted to his spiritual ideas when Syra first met.
him.
Over the years, he insisted that his children adhere to a rigid daily worship ritual. At first,
Syra was captivated by Sam’s faith and commitment to the cause. He started visiting places of
worship after they arrived in Australia. The asceticism and volunteerism led him to become
extremely active in his new religious group. When she wasn’t caring for her small children, Syra
had three additional children over six years and worked full-time.
Termination was not an option for Sam because he thought it would weaken his manhood. Paradoxically, it was
the women from the religious community that encouraged Syra to seek contraceptives.
There was a lot of friction between Syra and Sam over several topics. Sam exerted a great degree of control over Syra and the children’s everyday lives. The children are required to do minutes of prayer services in the afternoons and evenings, which makes them tired for school and then behind with their schoolwork.
In many cases, Sam would prescribe how prayers must be conducted, only to alter the regulations without explanation. Irfan would beat the youngsters in the face or swing the children around on one arm if they did not follow the instructions properly. Syra claims that although she was exposed to some physical abuse, it was the children who suffered the most.
Sam had demanded that Syra attend worship with him while she was significantly
pregnant with their second child. Syra was weary and asked if she should leave. Angry with her,
Sam shoved her onto the railroad tracks. A frightened Syra traveled miles to a family member’s
home, and spent the night there, where she remained for the night. Then, when Syra returned
home after the birth of their youngest child, a friend offered to watch the other children so that
Syra and Sam could have a vacation from taking care of the younger ones. Sam refused, and
Syra questioned him about his reasons for refusing to participate. Several times he smacked her
across the face while she was holding the infant, and he warned her not to challenge his authority.
in front of the children in particular.
Literature review:
In this case study, the issue of intimate partner violence and domestic violence has been
discussed in detail. This case study is related to Syra and her communication with Sam. Sam is
a registered partner who has his terms and conditions. Their relationship became more difficult,
and she eventually shut off entirely. After Sam barred Syra’s relatives from the house because
they didn’t comply with the norms of his religion. Syra grew more isolated. Syra, who was a
bridesmaid, was not allowed to attend a significant family wedding because Sam would not let
the children go. It was difficult for Syra to make acquaintances outside of the religious group.
and she did not think she should.
Despite having separate bank accounts, Syra and Sam pooled their money. Although
Sam made little or no money. Syra was the main breadwinner for her family. As a result, Syra
was constantly chastised for even small expenditures. These excursions were costly and took
several months to save up for, but Sam persisted in taking them. With small children, and
particularly while pregnant, Syra found these visits to be upsetting since housing conditions
were low and public places were usually dangerous. Syra and the children were on one of these.
excursions when they saw an event that was especially upsetting to them. He thought that his younger relative had violated a holy rite, and punished him by burning an impression deep into his palm to remind him of the transgression. Family members watched in horror. A similar penalty has been threatened every time Sam believes his children to be disobedient. It took Syra as well as the children a while to come to grips with the fact that they would be murdered. Her sister had told her that when she would come one day, they would all have been dead, and she would be left alone.
Syra had attempted to quit the partnership twice before the ultimate breakup. As part of
the local family violence support service, shelter accommodation was arranged. Thereafter Syra
consults an attorney to obtain an order of protection, as well as a
psychologist to attempt to identify and comprehend her experiences over the previous
several years. From the refuge and these experts, Syra got crucial assistance. Sam came with his
lawyer and supporters from the religious community on the first day of the hearing. It was his
denial of any domestic violence that led him to agree to a two-year protection order, without
admitting anything. She felt secure in the courtroom and was shielded from Sam or his lawyer’s
direct approach. Her main concern was how Sam would respond to her taking the children away.
from him.
Her lawyer arranged for Syra to mediate over the phone, in an attempt to find a solution.
for the children, with Sam’s help. Sam disputed all of the facts behind the breakup of the
relationship, thus this procedure was a failure. Syra filed a complaint with the Family Court in
the end. A psychologist was contacted to determine the children’s desires. As they were in their
early to mid-teens, the three elder children made it plain that they did not like seeing their dad.
They were certain that they did not even want him. The court granted Syra the right to live in the
The United States and Sam contact with the younger kid only once every two weeks and then
overnight contact. To keep Sam informed about the children, Syra was obliged to email
him regularly. A single phone call had to be avoided. When it comes to Sam’s conduct, Syra
thinks that a psychologist might uncover significant dangers.
Separation and Family Court orders took three years. Ivonne and her children were
housed in different places after they left the shelter, and sought out numerous agencies for
financial, legal, and emotional assistance. A modification in handover arrangements was required
for the youngest kid, who, by that point, was sleeping with Sam at night. A cousin of Sam’s once
told Syra that Sam and the youngest kid had been sobbing for hours together. Despite her
knowledge, Syra felt extremely worried when the agreed-upon handover time passed. The children
were very worried about what Sam would do when he returned them to their new home, resulting
in one of them requiring substantial therapy assistance. Syra sees how deeply Sam’s abuse has
impacted the three older children.
To get the original contact orders restored, Syra is seeking help from her lawyer.
She thinks that allowing overnight contact may be harmful to the youngest kid. This. means he
has no touch with the kid. She thinks they get along well, and Sam considers the kid to be his
favorite.
Unresolved property issues persist. Although the couple has property and money in Sam’s
native nation, Syra does not have enough money for legal action that would allow them to settle.
their assets. As a result, she is no longer eligible for legal aid funds and is unable to privately
finance any future proceedings. After many years of abuse, Syra is in a new relationship that she
finds fulfilling. She has learned to be wary, though, and to be vigilant for any indications of
abuse she may have been exposed to for years. They are developing a company together, while
also caring for Syra’s four children, who are under their care. She thinks she and the children
have made it during the worst of their suffering. But she thinks there will always be a chance that
Sam may lose his temper.
Crisis management:
In this area, we will discuss how the crisis related to domestic violence would be
managed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy on the mechanics of and health issues for abusive
relationships should be included in treatment interventions with victims of child violence. As a
the general rule, information is given on: the cycle of violence (e.g., the honeymoon period; building
tension and eruption of violence), and the increase in the amount and duration of violent acts
over time.
Abusive dating relationships include the use of power and control (e.g., isolation,
jealousy and as well as possessiveness)
A stressful incident may lead to psychological and emotional problems. In the therapy of
DV clients, identifying, confronting, and changing skewed cognitions and beliefs may be helpful.
Women who have been abused typically acquire three types of erroneous ideas, according to
Douglas and Strom (1988, referenced by Webb, 1992).
Before being engaged in an abusive relationship, the client may have had certain views.
(i.e., women are inferior to men)
As a result of the abuse, certain beliefs are formed (i.e., he wouldn’t hit me if I were a
better partner)
I’m a syrup – I can’t make it on my own. Many victims of domestic abuse may benefit from
training in skills and coping mechanisms. Some clients may have established methods of
interacting with others that limit conflict, which may not be in the client’s best interests.
Communication, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities are among the talents that may
be acquired.
Dependent upon findings of the assessment as well as the course of treatment, additional
therapies may be added to address particular symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
When it comes to alleviating guilt and shame, emotions, exercising social skills, and
building trust in others, group therapy may be beneficial. There are many different types of
groups that may be provided, from support groups to trauma-focused therapy.
Most therapies intended for domestic abuse victims are ineffective. (Kantor & Jasinski,
1998). Domestic abuse victims have been the subjects of very few outcome studies. To establish
if the treatments given are suitable and successful in improving safety and reducing post-traumatic symptoms, additional case studies, experimental designs, and long-term studies are
needed.
While domestic abuse reporting laws and regulations continue to grow in popularity,
clinicians and researchers who treat domestic violence victims and their children should be ready
to handle numerous ethical issues. Professional evaluation of child abuse in this group has
a unique difficulty because of the obligation to report it. However, physicians and investigators
should be aware of the local regulations regulating their obligation to report (Azar, 1992).
Depending on the jurisdiction, scientists may be excused from reporting.
Locale-specific definitions of childhood abuse may also differ. For example, exposing
children to marital violence is considered emotional abuse in certain jurisdictions. A
A failure to protect a finding may also be pursued in other jurisdictions. As important as it
is to provide a safe environment for young children. Clinicians should also be aware of it.
the problems that the violent offender, older victim, as well as worker may have to
deal with (breaking confidentiality, impediments to building rapport). Practitioners
Those who discover allegations of abuse must be prepared to react professionally and ethically, according to the report.
Reference:
Piquero, A. R., Jennings, W. G., Jemison, E., Kaukinen, C., & Knaul, F. M.
(2021). Domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic-Evidence from a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of criminal justice, 74(C).
Harvey, P. (2021). Domestic violence in the Peruvian Andes 1. In Sex and
violence (pp. 66-89). Routledge.
Muldoon, K. A., Denize, K. M., M. Talarico, R., Fell, D. B., Sobiesiak, A., He imerl,
M., & Sampsel, K. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks
and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence
survivors. BMC medicine, 19(1), 1-9.
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2022-08-19 05:14:53
Communicating and Leading Change in Organizations – Case B
CASE STUDY PROJECT
REPORT
Summary of the Situation:
Introduction.
The introduction should gain attention, have a clear thesis, and preview the main points.
A summary of the situation (This section should not contain analysis)
- Briefly familiarize your audience with the relevant people, issues, and facts in the case.
- Concerns and Issues:
- Corporate-Wide Issues:
⦁ Poor Visioning Across the Entire Organization
Third Bank wants to shift its organizational culture to a “participative organization” and transition to a company where teams are self-driven and every voice is heard. This is the company’s new vision Communicating and implementing the vision effectively is integral to successfully transforming the organization (Testa 2001).
Third Bank did not effectively communicate this new vision to all their branches and employees. This is evident from the behavior displayed by managers at various Third Bank firms. Many managers believe strongly in the classical management style, which prioritizes hierarchy, separation of power, and bureaucracy. These managers do not have buy-in to the new vision of a participative organization; rather, they are disinterested in the vision. A probable reason for their apathy and rejection may be that they have an entrenched mental model that prevents them from picturing the change.
Entrenched mental models are fixed thought structures that influence how people make decisions and opinions. Another reason might be that the vision was not communicated well. Visions are effective when the organization adapts them to its audience and highlights the values that the change will bring. The managers may have felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable with such a transformational change. They may not have identified any meaningful values because of the vision, therefore preventing them from buying into the change.
Branch Specific Issues:
⦁ Poor Organizational Communication Skills
The Third Bank branch in Carson, Texas, is known to have one of the lowest quality rates. The CEO, Damon Hauss, stressed that the organization is facing a lack of participation. Mr. Hauss questioned in his speech if various divisions and managers were aware of the work of other departments, and no one could respond. Interaction across functional units is poor and in need of improvement. In the management retreat speech, executives stated their goal was to strive for increased communication across all the divisions and to encourage ideas from every corner of the organization.
With the previous management’s lack of communication and the continued mergers, the employees feel that there is no change. The employees have no motivation to further work on completing the company’s goals. Many teams are labeled as troubled groups due to distrust in the corporation. The previous managers were not interested in the nurturing of teams, leading to low performance and morale.
The teams are no longer trying to interact and share ideas due to the previous management’s stifling environment. Even when employees were introduced to a new management team, they seemed in low spirits because the previous management team had lost faith. Poor communication seems to be a problem occurring across multiple levels in the organization as Mr. Hauss himself has addressed the problem publicly.
⦁ Previous Leadership Style is Authoritative
Third Bank, formerly known as the “big, lumbering bureaucratic giant,” wants to shift towards being a participative company. Unfortunately, not every division made a smooth shift; some are still facing distrust due to the authoritarian leadership that was previously in place. Authoritative leadership is when the leader heavily exerts influence and complete control over the followers. Within this scope, communication is discouraged, and followers suffer a loss of individuality, loss of interest, and stunted personal growth due to the abuse of power and hierarchy evident.
Third Bank employees have mentioned that they feel they lack a role in the organization, lose willpower, and fail to have their voices heard. They distrust the new shift to a more participative organization, considering it a “phase” that will not last. These problems occur due to managers who fail to collaborate and encourage their teams during the shift and instead pay “lip service” to executives, fostering distrust and lack of motivation.
Potential Solutions
- Solutions Targeting Overall Corporation:
- Communicating New Vision Effectively to Employees:
This solution applies to both the overall corporation and is branch-specific. The employees in this organization are disillusioned with the new vision of a ‘participative organization.’ Upper management needs to receive buy-in from employees at all levels by highlighting the values of their new vision; a shift to a participative organization (Appelbaum et al., 2009). When communicating the vision to managers across the branches, executives should adapt the vision to the managers by framing it in such a way that it feels easy to accept and implement. If the change is too drastic, employees feel overwhelmed and lose interest.
Executives should also model the vision by valuing input from any employee, practicing active listening, and opening channels of communication across divisions. Frequent meetings with managers to set performance expectations and ensure that they are focused on the goal of a participative organization will garner commitment. When communicating to employees, management should stress that the vision will ensure every voice is heard, and the company will prioritize employee development and career opportunities.
⦁ Implement a Constructive Climate Strategy in their Business Plan:
A constructive climate is an atmosphere that promotes group members’ satisfaction and achieving their personal best. It entails four factors: Providing Structure, Clarifying Norms, Building Cohesiveness, and Promoting Standards of Excellence. Providing structure establishing goals and roles for employees; giving the company stability. Third Bank employees have mentioned that they lack a part and are demotivated at work. Instituting these factors will increase employee purpose and grant motivation.
Clarifying Norms places understanding and expectations on how to behave and should be established to help employees enhance their understanding of their team’s dynamic. Building Cohesiveness creates a sense shared by all the members that they belong; thus, it holds the group together. This is an essential step as it will increase participation and interaction of the group, enhance productivity, and allow for high member satisfaction.
This is due to the constructive environment created that allows Third Bank employees to express their viewpoints, give and receive feedback, accept opinions different from their own, and feel comfortable doing meaningful work. Lastly, managers must Promote Standards of Excellence, which will define performance expectations and require results to establish expectations, review employee work results, and reward them appropriately. This targets the issue of Mangers failing to be involved in their employees’ work and the lack of morale employees face to be successful. (Northouse, 2021).
⦁ Follow up and give Feedback to Employees:
One of the most important things that can help employees feel seen or heard in an organization is to not only listen to their concerns but also give constructive feedback. One can effectively listen by repeating what someone has said through paraphrasing. Paraphrasing has the role of making one feel they are being listened to and understood. The managers of Third Bank can create a positive environment by being the first to try this out. Also, the ongoing issue of communication is a prominent issue for the lack thereof in Third Bank and many other organizations. Managers need to follow up on the issues that are at hand to see if the problem has been resolved and get information regarding the matter.
Branch Specific Solutions:
Team Building Activities: Team building activities have been seen to be highly effective in the workplace when it comes to promoting positive communication and building trust among co-workers. Managers should show interest in the lower division’s activities and initiate team meetings to address concerns faced by employees. Listening to the concerns of members who feel left out and showing them empathy is remarkably effective when trying to make one feel heard and valued (De Vries, Bakker-Pieper, Oostenveld 2010). Team building activities like conducting team trips and meetings would help members bond and feel included.
⦁ Focus on Human-Oriented Leadership:
The Chicago teams were said to have breathing room and a culture of respect among individuals on the team. Due to the friendly environment, the teams were willing and able to challenge themselves to succeed. Employee morale and trust in management are two crucial aspects leaders should focus on when communicating with teams. ‘Charismatic leadership is strongly related to human-oriented leadership and human-oriented and charismatic leadership are much more saturated with relational content than task-oriented leadership’ (de Vries, R. E.; Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W., 2010). Human-oriented leadership focuses on interpersonal relationships within teams to improve group performance, job satisfaction, leader effectiveness, and motivation.
The previous managers were not good at task-oriented leadership, so to boost employee morale in the current state, human and relational-oriented leadership is the best choice. There have been many studies done that investigate the relationship between leadership styles and organizational outcomes; a meta-analysis on leader’s consideration (e.g., human-oriented leadership) and initiating structure (e.g., task-oriented leadership) revealed positive effects on outcomes (de Vries et al, 2010).
‘Charismatic executive leadership communication, featured by executive leaders’ envisioning, energizing, and enabling change communication behaviors, largely contributed to employee’s positive reactions to change, both in terms of openness to change and in behavioral change’ (Men, Yue & Liu, 2020). There is a high chance that this solution will work as it is the result of studies done by many experts listed in the article.
An example of human-oriented leadership is knowledge sharing. When leaders share knowledge and ask for input from teams, it empowers followers and creates an environment where followers are not afraid to share ideas, which is the opposite of what is happening at The Third Bank right now.
⦁ Manager Intervention:
Discuss with managers to make changes and aid their transition by providing coaching, guidance discussions, and books to allow them to become a supportive leader who guides and advises and takes input and feedback, and encourages the employees to depend upon him in a mutually beneficial and effective way. Implement leadership communication skills such as modeling the vision energizing the employees by creating value and, enabling and empowering followers to be involved, granting trust and responsibility (Men et al., 2020). Third Bank should consider this solution since the feedback given will not be implemented until the manager acts upon it and takes steps to adjust the issues.
Recommendations and Action Plan
Problem Prioritization:
⦁ Failed Visioning Implementation
⦁ Poor Communication
⦁ Previous Authoritative Leadership Style
The primary problem that needs to be targeted is vision. The company’s vision is looking to shift toward a participative organization but has failed to implement this shift in all divisions equally. This problem is the root cause of all the other critical issues listed. The next issue that requires attention is the poor communication skills present, which is why the company faces issues, both inter-divisions and within divisions. Lastly, an authoritative leadership style is a problem only within certain divisions.
Solution Prioritization
The overall company-specific solutions should be addressed first, then branch-specific issues, since fixing the overarching problem will work as a catalyst to improve the particular divisional matters.
⦁ Communicate New Vision
⦁ Implementing a Constructive Environment
⦁ Team Building Activities
⦁ Focus on Human-Oriented Leadership
⦁ Manager Intervention
Action Plan Steps
- Executive Directors should create a new action plan proposal.
- The proposal should outline the new vision, and the steps managers should implement to create a constructive environment. These include ________________________
- Inform managers at each branch of the new action plan. The plan must convey the vision explicitly: Being a participative organization that values employee interaction and feedback.
Conduct Team Building Activities:
Can be achieved by hosting a team workshop to build camaraderie and trust.
When: A day where everyone is in the office, with no upcoming essential deadlines. It can also be done when welcoming new members, when we need to get the creativity flowing before starting a new project, and when celebrating successes.
Each division must participate.
Depending on the particular activity chosen, the division may be divided into groups and teams. Every employee’s participation is crucial to building group encouragement.
Who Implements:
The head of the HR (Human Resources) department would be responsible for organizing and overseeing the event, delegating tasks, and ensuring that things are all set for the actual team building day.
Anticipated Cost:
Depends on the activity being conducted.
The HR division should collaborate with the Finance team to allocate a budget for the decided activity for the month. Cost-friendly options can be used when budget limitations are in place.
Consistency is key.
Third Bank should host team-building activities through a monthly activity that is fun and engaging within the office, such as solving a puzzle, hosting a scavenger hunt, building a spaghetti and marshmallow tower, or hosting a brainstorming and feedback session. Additionally, they could also host quarterly team-building events outside of the office to engage the group and keep them excited about retreats such as camping, volunteering, taking a cooking class, or doing an escape room challenge.
Evidence of Successful Outcome: Similarly, TongWei Group Co was successful in team-building implementation. The corporation wanted to “enhance teamwork… cohesion, promote communication and collaboration…, and create a team atmosphere of… responsibility and warmth.” The company did so by hosting fun games such as ice-breaking camps. The activity made the company realize that “the power of the team is indestructible” and how only through working together can the team become stronger and thus could better contribute to the Tongwei dream (Tongwei, 2022).
Manager Intervention:
Who Implements:
The director in charge of each division must intervene and discuss with managers to assist in their shift to support and encourage their teams.
How:
The director should refer to the previously discussed action plans and ensure the divisional managers implement those actions. Additional aid can be given through coaching, guidance discussions, and books. Managers who continue to face struggles can attain one-on-one coaching to help them make needed changes. For instance, UC Davis offers a course on “Coaching Skills for Managers Specialization” that will help one gain active listening, communication, management, and coaching skills. This particular online course takes four months to complete and provides instructor guidance.
Anticipated Costs:
The price for this course was not explicitly disclosed but mentioned offering financial aid assistance if needed. Many other courses offer free classes or sessions. Additionally, if Third Bank decides to purchase a subscription, they may be able to receive corporate discounts for the courses.
Moreover, guidance discussions are a means for the director to discuss and advise divisional managers by providing feedback and suggestions to assist managers. This should be of no cost and would occur when directors sense a need to intervene or when managers reach out for help.
Evidence of Successful Outcome = UC Davis Course Reviews:
“While I was only auditing this class, it has easily been the MOST useful Coursera class that I have taken thus far. The examples were realistic and relatable and helped me see where I can improve by increasing my self-awareness and giving me tools to think through current and future situations. This is a great and informative class, particularly if you are a fledgling manager like myself or finding yourself stuck and/or feeling disconnected from your staff!” – Kiera R. K. (Coursera).
Potential Drawbacks
⦁ Time Restriction:
Depending on the complex schedules of employees, they might not all be working on the same day and time. Everyone may not be present to participate in the activities hosted, which might allow some members to feel excluded.
⦁ Cost Consideration:
Time is money, and although team building does serve a great purpose in helping an organization succeed to its full potential, there is still the payroll consideration for the time spent.
⦁ Inconsistent Engagement:
Lack of consistent participation in the organization is certainly something to take into consideration. Not everyone may see the true benefits of team-building activities and may disrupt or ignore the rules or guidelines of the activity. This can affect the experience of other co-workers and negatively impact the team through the lack of cooperation.
References
Appelbaum, S. H., Carrière, D., Chaker, M. A., Benmoussa, K., Elghawanmeh, B., & Shash, S. (2009, July 10). Rx for Excessive Turnover: Lessons in Communicating a Vision. Industrial and Commercial Training.
de Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010, September 4). Leadership = Communication? The Relations of Leaders’ Communication Styles with Leadership Styles, Knowledge Sharing and Leadership Outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology.
Men, L. R., Yue, C. “A., & Liu, Y. (2020, October 21). Vision, Passion, and Care: The Impact of Charismatic Executive Leadership Communication on Employee Trust and Support for Organizational Change. UF College of Journalism and Communications.
North ouse, P. G. (2021). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice | Online https://edge.sagepub.com/northouseintro5e
Testa. (2001). Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Effort in the Service Environment. The Journal of Psychology, 135(2), 226–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980109603693
Tongwei New Energy Design Company launched themed team-building activities. (2022). In China Business News. Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
UC Davis University of California. (2022). Coaching Skills for Managers. Coursera.
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