International Trade and Finance Speech Essay

Introduction Today I would like to discuss, with you, the current state of the U.S. macro economy. I will attempt to simply address concepts and terms which focus on international trade and foreign exchange rates. Much of the discussion will focus around the surplus of imports brought into the U.S., and the impact it has on the U.S. businesses and consumers involved. I will also describe the effects of the international trade to GDP, domestic markets, and university students. It is important to understand how the government’s choices, in regards to tariffs and quotas, affect international relations and trade; so I will describe the interactive relationship in regards to tariffs and quotas, and how the government’s choices affect international relations and trade. We will also understand how foreign exchange rates are determined, and identify the reasons the U.S. does not restrict goods from China and minimize imports from other countries. Imports in the U.S. The U.S. imports many goods from various countries around the globe; and the trading of these goods plays an important role in the stability of economic growth for the U.S. The U.S. imports goods or products from other countries such as China; and if the U.S. has a surplus of imports it means there is an increase in the trade deficit, which is not good for the U.S. because trade deficits usually increase unemployment. Examples of products with an import surplus in the U.S. are China’s auto-parts. The U.S. auto-parts industry is at risk of lost jobs because of the rapid growth of auto-parts imported from China. The Chinese government unfairly subsidizes and trades auto-parts to the U.S.; which in return jeopardizes jobs related to the auto-parts industry in the U.S. Exports from the U.S. support jobs, but imports supplant production which would otherwise support U.S. employment. The U.S. auto-parts trade deficit increased from $9.5 billion in the year 2000 to $31.2 billion in the year 2010. During the year 2010, China’s exports of auto-parts exceeded their imports of U.S. products by 725 percent. The impact of this discrepancy between the two countries forces consumers and businesses, in the U.S., to evaluate which products are worth buying. Many times China’s products are manufactured just as thoroughly as their counterparts in the U.S., and they are often much cheaper to purchase. In order to save money, many U.S. companies and consumers will purchase goods from China, and also establish businesses and create jobs in that country which would otherwise benefit domestic employment (â€Å"Economic Policy Institute†, 2012). GDP I would like to next address the effects of international trade to the GDP, domestic markets, and university students. International trade has become important to the U.S. economy in recent years, and the benefits of a global market improve the U.S. standard of living. The problem for the U.S. is the contraction of the GDP because of reduced exports and higher imports. The outflow of domestic currency to foreign markets can decrease the currency of the dollar, and make imports more expensive to purchase. If the currency of the dollar decreases, domestic markets will suffer because now goods cost more to purchase. Domestic markets can also be affected by international trade. If imports are cheaper than domestic company products, then domestic markets may suffer because the imports are cheaper to purchase. Many international students and public and private institutions also benefit from the effects of international trade. The revenues generated by international students are important because they usually pay out-of-state tuition, and the education sector usually benefits from a trade surplus (â€Å"Business Day†, 2013). Tariffs and Quotas The government’s choices, in regards to tariffs and quotas, usually have a big effect on international trade and relations. Many countries rely on net exports to maximize their productions companies. When quotas and tariffs are introduced to the global market, it can affect the flow of goods and products to consumer nations; and can negatively impact the production companies. Because it is usually beneficial for international companies to maximize production, tariffs and quotas can potentially strain international relations and trade. Exchange Rates I would like to next address foreign exchange rates and what determines them. Most of us are aware that currency has a value attached to it. The difference between the two country’s currency value, and the rate for what they will be exchanged for each other; is known as the foreign exchange rate. The exchange rates are determined in the foreign exchange market, which determines the local demand for foreign currencies (â€Å"Businessdictionary.com†, 2013). Goods in the U.S. The question is often asked, if China has restrictions on U.S. imports, then why does the U.S. not restrict goods coming in from China? To answer the question simply, Chinese imports are important to the U.S. because China has the fastest growing markets in the world. If the U.S. were to stop imports from China, then accordingly China would stop imports for the U.S., and we would not have access that important market. It is vital to have relationships with the global market, because those trade relationships keep the U.S. relevant in the global economy. Many economists agree if the U.S. were to stop trading with foreign countries, then the entire global economy would collapse, which would result in the entire globe going into a depression. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to state that I hope I have addressed all of you questions about the current state of the U.S. macro economy. It is important to understand the importance of all countries involved with foreign trade, and how their imports and our exports directly affect the U.S. economy and our jobs. While we would like to be independent from a lot of foreign goods, the idea of total independence from foreign trade is virtually impossible. As we discussed earlier, the reason is because of our trade deficits and their countries ability to invest in the U.S. References Economic Policy Institute. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publication/bp336-us-china-auto-parts-industry/ Businessdictionary.com. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/foreign-exchange-rate.html Business Day. (2013). Retrieved from http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/the-impact-of-foreign-trade-on-the-economy/

Evangelism and Business Essay

A business is bounded with many obstacles just like experienced in act of making disciples. The commission of Jesus to the Christians to go make the disciples of all nations is like an entrepreneur who dares to venture into a new business. God is like a cook when it comes to making of disciples. The world is God’s kitchen where He does the preparation. This task comes with a lot of risks and challenges such as opposition, persecution and rejection. To begin with, just like in the task of making the disciples, a business venture experiences tough times; time of slow growth or even close down. The times when the church experienced persecution compares to the time when a business is experiencing heavy loses. If the loses become so big the business owner would even think of closing down. Just like the persecution that was experienced by the church in the early years of Christianity that seemed as though they were aimed at completely facing out the church. Endurance is expected during all these tough times. As the bible puts it â€Å"fix our eyes on Jesus† and â€Å"run with endurance the race that is set before us† (Hebrews 12: 1-2), it therefore requires a business owner to hold on despite the tough times. A business owner needs the motivation to help him/her move on. This can be derived from teachings of Paul to the Philippines saying, â€Å"[We] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [us]. (Phil 4:13). Times of smooth and flawless growth always come despite all odds. In business, this is the time when one experiences no hitches. Its time when one reaps good profits from his ventures and all goes well; the business expands and returns are high. This compares to the time when the church experiences no obstacles and is growing like the raging fire. These are times when evangelism does not seem challenging and men are fired up, ready to go to any corner of the world to spread the gospel to everyone (acts 21:8). Just like the way a business owner delights in the achievements growth, God too delights when one earnestly spreads His messages in evangelism. Jesus puts it to the disciples that He delights and rejoices with them in their pursuit for his word (Philippians 12:17-18). Reference Holy Bible, New International Version, (1984). International Bible Society

Ecological property the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. A Essay

Ecological property the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. A study on the flora and fauna - Essay Example Ecological property the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. A study on the flora and fauna The administration of these forests is run by the Directorate General of Forest conservation and forest protection. It is situated along the north, south and central part of the equator alongside the Bukit Barisan mountain range. These three areas have a much defined kind of flora and fauna, exhibiting a lot of diversity in their composition. Overall, these areas can be considered to be a hotbed for ecological diversity. However, the temperature can be said to be warm in general with higher temperatures, higher rainfall being experienced for nine months of the year in the wetter parts and seven months in the drier areas (Marshall et al., 2010). This has also been one of the contributing factors in the higher variety of the species. The humidity can also be highlighted, as it tends to maintain a constant value of close to 60 percent, especially above the altitudes of 1,700 metres. Overall, the temperature displays a consistency of being around 20-28 degree Celsius throughout the year (68 to 83 Fahrenheit). The Indonesian archipelago comprises 10 percent of the population of flowering plants and Sumatra is a part of the Sundaland hotspot. It has one of the largest rainforests in Southeast Asia, ranking along the likes of Borneo and Papua New Guinea (Thornton, 1997). The number of species of plants that inhabit this region is staggering. Almost 10,000 species of plants are present in these forest that range from coastal to sub-alpine conditions. It presents a rare opportunity for environmentalists; as such a diverse set of flora is very difficult to spot in any other part of the world. The constituent flora However, this flora is primarily shared in its constitution and composition with the region comprising west of Malisia spanning from the south of Thailand to the islands of New Guinea. Specifically, the northern region of Lake Toba has a very distinct Sumatran flora which is largely montane and sub-alpine kind of vegetation (Thornton, 1997). This area has 12 pe rcent of the species and around 17 percent of species which are endemic in composition. All the species are extremely rich, and the number totals close to 4,000. There are major differences between the highland and the lowland vegetation in these areas, and also among the north and south due to the presence of natural barriers. One of the distinctive features in the park is the presence of phyto-geographic regions, which vary according to the altitude. The tropical conditions are existent up to the elevation of 1,000 metres. In that, around 300 metres of the vegetation comprises of the coastal forest and other lowland varieties, 29 percent is the foothill forest from the elevation levels of 400 metres to 1, 300 metres, close to 31 percent is montane in the elevations of 1,000 to 1,500 metres; which is extremely rich in Fagaceae  and Lauraceae (Whitten, Damanik , Jazanul & Nazzaruddin , 2010)  . The lower 15 percent of those elevations are rich in mosses, rattans and palms, whils t the upper 20 percent is having acid loving plants as basal constituents. The remainder has subalpine forest and ericoid scrubs form an elevation of 2,400 metres to 3,400 metres. Around 91 of the species of flora have been

Influence of Culture on Values and Expectations in Ones Life Essay

Influence of Culture on Values and Expectations in Ones Life - Essay Example Our expectations from life generally revolve around our careers and our relationships. Career choice has been rapidly influenced by the corporate culture that inadvertently inspires each graduate of a business school. Likewise, Boston Legal, a popular TV series related to legal practice has set the expectations of law students to a different level. Â  The media may generally depict people in stereotypical ways such that consumers are encouraged to adopt expectations about the roles that those people occupy. Following the example of female attorneys, if the media depicted few females in the role of attorney, then consumers of the media might come to think of males as much more likely to be attorneys. (Sparks, 200) Â  The field of journalism as portrayed by the various news channels is now associated with thrill and adventure that drives many students to choose it as their career. Similarly, more and more young people are lured towards entertainment industry in a dream to become a superstar. Â  Fresh graduates wish to climb the ladder of success quickly in an effort to reach the executive level positions in any organization. Thus a major shift in their priorities has occurred and their goal is no more to achieve professional excellence. The expectations of people from their careers are not limited to high salaries alone but have extended beyond to meet other expectations in life; the images of business tycoons flying across the world in their private jets; or owning private mansions in Europe; etc. have become a common dream for many people.

The Music of Michael Jackson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Music of Michael Jackson - Essay Example There could be no answer as icons never are something or other solid. Great artists can create something significant and new, sometimes it can be a break out. Michael Jackson was quite a modern phenomenon, working inventively for and with a view of a modern mass audience, but within a general history of music I can compare him to Amadeus Mozart, a great classical composer of Baroque times. The reason is that Mozart was making a personal combustion to everything in music working in many different genres of coeval times. Similarly, Michael Jackson was working mixing genres of coeval music, and similarly to Mozart Michael Jackson never knew a life without music. Both artists were performing since a very early age, both were encouraged by fathers. The only great difference was that Mozart composed a classical elite music (it was a different social structure in Mozart times) while Michael Jackson was working in a popular music for a mass audience. There were other popular singers and band s in later 20th century, some of them being quite ahead of time from Michael Jackson (like Elvis Presley, or Frank Sinatra, maybe Freddy Mercury, and all the members of The Beatles), but no one made such a widespread, a cross-genre and cross-cultural contribution as Michael Jackson. The point is that Michael Jackson was a mass media phenomenon, a great showman, despite being a musician. Friends and producers say Michael Jackson was always reaching out to audience, and often appreciated a public image before music.

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Education - Essay Example therefore carry out effective changes that will ensure that the education system in the country is commensurate to the improving lifestyle in the country† (Jeff 02). This way, the two reports raise myriad factors that shape the nature of education and the trends in the rising demand. Additionally, they analyze some of the education acts formulated by past regimes in the country with the effects of such policies. The increase in the population of the country coupled with the improving economy has consequently resulted in an improving lifestyle for the citizenry thereby instigating a change in the demand for educational services in the country. Such trend implies that schools, colleges and universities in the country must carry out extensive changes in their structures in order to accommodate the increasing demand for the services in the country. On the need for general education introduces an important concept in the sector as it seeks to investigate the essence of general education in the country. The economic and technological state of the society currently requires a particular degree of enlighten for the populace to survive. This refers to a type of education that every individual in the country requires in order to survive in the American society. As a basic education, the article analyses features of the demand thereby information the formation and management of such education. Just as the name suggests, general education targets the population indiscriminate of their backgrounds. Such are basic education possibly up to the high school level. At such levels, the learners obtain adequate interpersonal and communication skills that can enable them make a living in the society. However, just as the name suggests the demand is likely to be high for such education in the country owing to the rising population. The government must therefore consider intricate features of the education in order to ensure that the quality of the education is not only attainable

Structural analysing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Structural analysing - Essay Example Today, an SEM has become an indispensible instrument for any R&D or production set up dealing with advanced materials science. In the subsequent sections interaction of electrons with matter, basic principles of electron microscopy, architecture and working of scanning electron microscope, different attachments to an SEM and applications of SEM in materials science will be discussed in brief with special emphasis on specifications of a modern SEM. Interaction of Electrons with Matter Electrons as a probe are extremely versatile as they generate a wide range of signals which can be detected and processed to get useful and meaningful insight about surface topography, microstructure, microchemistry and micro-texture of the material being probed. Different kinds of signal generated as a result of interaction of electron probe are shown in Fig. 1 [1]. Fig. 1: Schematic Drawing Showing Electron – Matter Interaction When thickness of the specimen is less than ~ 100 nm only then the i ncident electron beam is able be pass through it and generate different kind of transmitted signals. However, the transmitted signals are relevant for Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and not for Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM); therefore, we will not discuss about transmitted signals here. Among the reflected signals secondary electrons (SE) and Back Scattered Electrons (BSE) are relevant for SEM for imaging and characteristic X-rays are useful for chemical analysis in SEM. Besides, BSE is also useful in micro-texture analysis using Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) attachment. Therefore, we will limit our focus to these signals only. Secondary Electrons (SE) These are low energy electrons (less than 50 eV) generated after the incident beam hits the substrate. Back Scattered Electrons (BSE) These are high energy electrons (more than 50 eV up to beam energy) generated after the incident beam hits the substrate. Characteristic X-Rays When electron beam strikes the s pecimen, it knocks out the inner shell electrons and the vacancy thus created is immediately filled by an electron from higher shells. This electronic transition leads to generation of X-rays which are characteristics of the element. Thus these X-rays can be used for micro-chemical analysis using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and / or Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS). Basic Architecture of SEM Basic architecture of an SEM is presented in Fig. 2 [2]. It is a column always under vacuum consisting of different subcomponents. It consists of an electron gun or electron source. This can be different types, which will be discussed afterwards. This is followed by condenser lenses to focus the beam. There are apertures in the path to allow only and an aperture to allow only the useful (central) portion of the beam to the subsequent stages. The focused beam is double scanned and made to pass through an aperture to fall onto the specimen. The beam is scanned over the specimen in a raster and the generated signals – secondary or back scattered electrons are collected, amplified and again scanned in a raster onto a CRT screen in synchronized manner. Thus image is formed pixel by pixel. The magnification is ratio of

Definition of Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definition of Racism - Essay Example The influence of environmental factors such as the family, school, and religion which all played a part in molding the characteristics and traits of a person are downplayed; the characteristics of a person have already been determined by his/her race. Connotative Meaning The definition of racism above connotes that a specific race will have a specific set of qualities and characteristics which make it different from other races. That difference can be interpreted as superiority or inferiority depending on the person who looks at it. Some races, then, are simply superior to other races; they possess the genes that establish the superiority of their race even before they were born. Racism in this sense is a work of nature rather than a construction of culture and society. The belief that certain races are better than other races is another connotation of racism. It is a belief system that people hold about different races that influences how they see their own race and its relation to other races. This definition shows that races fall on a hierarchy; it could be a hierarchy of class, intelligence, or political power that guides people’s beliefs about their own and other people’s races. ... Racism can also lead people to discriminate against other races. This refers to the behavioral manifestation of racism. While other people keep racist ideas in their minds, others would act out those ideas and display racist behaviors. When people hold a belief of superiority or inferiority of other races, this could result to a discriminating or a hostile behavior towards people belonging to other races. Since a person believes that his/her race is better than others, he/she would tend to treat people belonging to a specific race unfairly and unjustly. The next connotation of racism that I’ll be tackling is about the distorted belief system that people hold against other races. First, there is no verifiable evidence which supports the idea that race predetermines the traits and characteristics of the people possessing it. There are just too many factors that influence people’s traits and characteristics. Attributing those traits and characteristics to race alone seems illogical. Second, there isn’t a single race that excels or performs best in a specific area such as business, sports, or politics, for instance. Successful people in those areas mentioned may come from different races (e.g. African-American Kobe Bryant and Argentinean Manu Ginobili for basketball). Racial differences are always present but these differences, however, are cultural in nature. A person’s accomplishment and achievement are only partially influenced by the culture he/she belongs to. Family, religion, education will have bigger influence than race in how a person grows and matures. It doesn’t follow, then, that differences in race will create superiority in a particular race. This notion of difference and otherness is another connotation of

Questioning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questioning - Assignment Example In any case, the ultimate aim of a question is to collect information from another person or to test the knowledge of another person. In academic world, questions have more importance than anything else. In fact according to the modern educational philosophies, the teacher should ask questions to the students and the students should give answers to that. When the student fails to answer the question, the teacher should guide him to find out the answer. Curiosity is necessary for the students to learn a topic well. In order to develop curiosity, the teacher should ask interesting questions to the students. These questions should be asked in particular patter; easy to difficult. Initial questions should be easy so that the student may answer it easily. However the last questions should be difficult so that the students fail to answer it. In other words, the teacher should create a scenario in which the students were guides from a known situation to an unknown situation. Only in such an unknown situation, the students develop interest or curiosity in the topic and will attend the class properly. Questions are asked i n classes in order to: To develop interest and motivate students to become actively involved in lessons; To evaluate students’ preparation and check on homework or seatwork completion; To develop critical thinking skills and inquiring attitudes; To review and summarize previous lessons; To nurture insights by exposing new relationships; To assess achievement of instructional goals and objectives; To stimulate students to pursue knowledge on their own (Cotton, n. d. p.1). The teacher normally asks two types of questions to the students; high and low level questions. Low level questions are intended to test the knowledge level of the students whereas the high level questions may test the understanding level of the students. For example, who is the president of America is a low order question which tests only the

Effect of Social Media on Nigerian Undergraduate Essay Example for Free

Effect of Social Media on Nigerian Undergraduate Essay Rapid growth of popular online communication mediums has introduced new ways for the students to communicate. The vast array of social communication changes introduced by the relatively young prologue of social network site mandate the essences of this study. This study accessed the influenced social media (facebook in particular) on Nigeria youth in the higher institution. Specifically it attempts to collect facts on the positive and negative influence of facebook on Nigeria youth. Background of the Study  New type of communication influence by rapidly changing internet-based-technologies have spurred research on mass communications theory(Ruggerio,2000). during the period of 1988 to 1998 the internet grow nearly 100 percent every year as of January of 1998,it was estimated that 102 million people were using the internet globally(Bastian,1998). in 2007, the pew internet American life project forecasted that between 165 and 210 million users were surfing the internet in the united states alone (fallows,2007). Between November of 2006 and December of2009,the pew Internet American life project found that teenagers and young adults were consistently to highest users of the internet. social network sites, in particular, have provide a prominent medium for relationship formation (valkenburg, Peter sebouten,2006). As the internet quickly grow many key online technologies began to take shape. In 2008, social networking site were among the fastest rising most visited websites. CBC News reported that the popular social networking website Facebook jumped from the 60th most visited website to the 7th most visited website in 2008. One social network site in particular has become one of the most visited internet websites in the world. Initially started in February of 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, the social network site Facebook. com has become largely popular. Its mission has been to â€Å"give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected† (Facebook. com, 2009). Millions of users are empowered to communicate with friends, share information such as photographs and videos, and learn more about the individuals they meet on Facebook everyday (Facebook. com,2009) At the time of data collection for this study Facebook. om had over 900 million active users, approximately half of Facebook’s active users log into Facebook on a given day. In addition, users have historically spent 500 billion minute per month on Facebook (Facebook. com, 2010). As of spring of 2010, Facebook had become the most popular social network site in the world. As online social networking grows in popularity the number of users placing personal information online does as well. Studies as shown that undergraduates put high levels of personal information online/ including inappropriate and appropriate information,which can be easily accessed by anyone.  This study focused on the influences of social networking on undergraduate that are using Facebook. This literature review discusses the previous research and findings on the influence of Social Media (Facebook) on undergraduate, youth and children. According to data gathered from several sources by Online Education . net. Social media may have positive impact on students’ sense of themselves in the community. social media-using students were twice as likely as other students feel well-liked by their peers and to participate in extracirricular activities. And more of Facebook-using students (as compared to students who didn’t use Facebook) said they felt connected to their school and the world. However, negative effects abound student who use Faceebok and hit the books simultaneously found their multitasking led to a lower grades than those of their more focused peers. Not only do grade suffer, but students might actually end up feeling depress. As Facebook’s dominance continues to grow, we are starting to realize the impact it is having in society, particularly on youth. DR. Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, researches on how technology impacts youth. Rosen presented his study at the 119th American Psychological Association Convention in Washington DC. His findings are based on survey responses from computer-based surveys distributed to 1,000 urban adolescents and his own 15-minute observation of 300 teenagers that were studying. Rosen said in a presentation title† Poke Me: How Social Network can both Help and Harm Our Kids. He said his research found both negative and positive influences linked to social networking. Rosen’s top three potential negative effects of Facebook; 1. Teenager who use Facebook more often show narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more sign of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviours, mania, and aggressive tendencies. 2. Daily over use media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens, an teenagers by making them more susceptible to future health problems’ 3.  Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school, and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades. Rosen’s top three potential positive effects of Facebook; 1. Young adult who spend more time on Facebook are better at showing â€Å"virtual empathy† to their friends 2. Online social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialized behind the safely of various screens, ranging from two-inch smart phone to 17-inch laptop.   3.  Social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage young students. Jasmine, P. (2011) rightly said; today youth is addicted to social networking site like orkut, Facenook, e. t. c. But nowadays especially Facebook is most popular amongst youth. Due to this over indulgence, their studies suffer a lot. Even it not only hinder their studies but also their physical, social, mental and ethic growth. Children have become couch potato. Parents are under stress to see their children spending more and more time on this social network sites. ot only children became a prey of these but every age group fascinated of this sites. this sites are meant for connecting people, to make them socialize, communicate with each other, share videos, photos, their past memories etc. but people especially youth used whole day wasting their time on this sites. they are addicted to this sites. Mose Jator(2011)also has this to say; social networking is good to some extent that people share views and ideas as well as keep in touch with friends and love ones. ooking at it on the other hand, you will discover that people today tend to use this avenue for their selfish interests which in most cases offend public decency. Some use fake identity. Looking at it on the other hand, you will discover that people today tend to use this avenue for their selfish interests which in most cases offend public decency. Some use fake identities with the sole aim of cheating hence the prevalence of cybercrime. Many youth today found themselves in one secret society and either consciously or unconsciously through social networking. Walther (1995) postulates that computer-mediated communication(e. g. social network)offers additional opportunity for students with limited amounts of time for socialization to develop their personal relationship than their face-to-face peers(as cited in Mazar, Murphy Simonds,2007). Methodology The intent of this study is to examine the influence of facebook on undergraduates. it seek to determine the positive and negative impact of facebook have on undergraduates attitude, grade and social life. An interview with 15 respondent from the major higher institutions in kwara state. Interview guide was used in collecting in-depth or rich data from the respondent. the purpose of this section is to describe the methodology used in this qualitative study. Findings Social media has become an integral part of our lives and no group feels it impact more than students. Facebook started on college campuses and it continue to thrive there the most. there’s no doubt that social media has had a huge impact on the lives of students, but what’s less clear is whether this impact has been good or bad. As a result of the interview guide administered to undergraduate of higher institution of Kwara state. Akinkunmi Jayeola, a business study student of Kwara state polytechnic posited that facebook are good platform for sharing what’s in your mind, a good medium of communication, easiest and cheapest means of communication. it’s a good way to stay connected with your friends in this fast going trend. You get a good knowledge about present going things. He later go further by pointing out the negative side of it by stressing that, if you give it so importance it will make you as slave. Another opinion from Afolayan Kabir another student from same institution also elaborate what Akinkunmi has said by stressing that facebook is good to use if we use it to some limit. it help us in improving our communication, use for creating awareness and negative aspect of it is that students waste too much time on this site. Baderu Ayotunde also have something to say; he rightly stress that it is good for student to use facebook if it is used in a right way because it a means for individual to explore the world without physically taking risks. nother student expositing on Baderu’s point of view that facebook is a good things for youth of Nigeria to think beyond friendship to close or old friends and new friends around the globe, one can share thought to each other and exchange the knowledge. he further enriches his point by sitting instant like; Today if breaking news happens before the news channels flashes, facebook flashes up the detail which were uploaded or shared by t he nearby person using facebook. he took his stand that to him that facebook is the way to develop the people of Nigeria and aware them. Najeeb Blogun student of university of Ilorin held a contrary opinion by stating that facebook have a negative impact on youth by spoiling their life and killing their most valuable time in chatting rather than spending time more on their studies. He go further by also positing that youth are cheatting one another by their false name on facebook, like a boy coming into facebook and introducing himself as a girl to divert attention towards himself and exploiting the people’s mind, it may also increase terrorism. In exploring the underlying structures of influence of facebook on Nigeria youth, the fact deduce is that facebook site has became the means of communication where individual were connected with friends and relatives with this sites as they don’t have enough time to spend with their friends in their busy schedule they can stay connected with them by sharing their feelings, thoughts, pictures etc. It’s the easiest and cheapest means of communication as now that internet is easily accessible to everybody. As anything that exceeds its limit becomes addiction therefore this can affect anyone that got addicted to facebook. The information uploaded can be misused by the people so it increases the question of privacy. so adaptation of things in limited ways is important.

Analysing The Film Saving Private Ryan Film Studies Essay

Analysing The Film Saving Private Ryan Film Studies Essay Saving Private Ryan is an award-winning film directed by Stephen Spielberg. He is particularly remembered for directing films such as Jaws, Jurassic park and Indiana Jones. The phenomenal directors first film he created himself was a war film, which shows he was fascinated from a young age. The film stars famous actors such as Tom Hanks and Matt Damon; it hit the public by storm in the summer of 1998 and is significantly remembered for its epic and horrific 27 minute opening sequence. This scene is very emotional as we witness countless soldiers being slaughtered. The film was awarded five academy awards, including one for best sound and one for best screenplay to name a few. Stephen also won best director for directing the film. Saving Private Ryan had tremendously satisfying reviews that resulted in comments including Spielberg spares the viewer nothing of the horrors of battle and an important film that deconstructs war machines into separate, frightened men as it so likely was. S pielberg wanted to show us what war was really like, he wanted to put chaos on the screen , which is different to many other war films, for example, Inglourious Basterds, which focuses on a fictional storyline that does not include non-fictional happenings and does not show the horrors of the war itself. Spielberg wanted his audience to feel like those green recruits. As a result, the vast majority of the shot were at eye level and he made a great deal of use of handheld cameras throughout the film. The resulting images are shaking and chaotic resulting in an audience feeling like they were there, many audiences even said that while watching the battle scenes they felt queasy. The de-saturated colour emphasised the blood in the second scene which was to depict the fact that a devastating amount of men died in the battle, and it was a particularly scarring experience for them all. The first scene of the film starts off with a low-angle close-up shot of a de-saturated coloured American flag flapping in the wind to show respect for those that fought in the war, age and the victory of the outcome. There is non-diagetic sound playing in the background of military drums, so we know right from the beginning this is an active war film. Subsequent to this we see the future Ryan (although we do not know this yet) walking hastily to a grave in a war cemetery, he is cut off from his family, showing he is cut off from the world, because this was his own personal experience, he is limping which shows he was injured in some way or it is just because he is so old, the camera recognises this through a range of medium shots and long shots of Ryan and his family as he walks in front of them. When Ryan gets to a certain grave, we know there is significance as he breaks down and cries, this shows hes remembering what happened to these men and is emotional about it, the war must h ave had an impact on him because of the chaos and horrors that occurred during it. The camera then makes an extreme close up into his eyes which then links to his thoughts which is the sound of shooting and fighting, this then fades in as we smoothly progress into the first war scene. As we think the elderly man is thinking this, we believe throughout the film that he is truly Captain Miller, when he is actually not. Overall, this introductory scene gets the audience ready for the shock they will experience later. This is effective from the camera angles and Spielberg chose the quiet and tranquil sounds in the scene to contrast the loud sounds of the scenes to come. Merged from the scene with the elderly man, in the next scene we see a landing craft with many frightened soldiers waiting to be told to go and fight. We feel like we are there with them on the craft as Spielberg used the camera effect of panning to go around all the soldiers. We see soldiers being sick, soldiers kissing lucky charms and soldiers shivering. The panning then stops and a close up is made at a man drinking from his water bottle. His hands are shaking to show fear of what is about to happen. The man looks up to reveal he is a captain, we later hear he is Captain John Miller, this depicts the fact that everybody was scared, it didnt matter how high up you were. The use of panning was effective because the viewer feels like they are really there and experiencing what is going on, this helps the viewer to feel empathy for the soldiers in the landing craft. The tension rises as the men continue to look pale and frightened until the landing crafts barrier opens. As soon as th e landing craft opens, we are moved to behind the craft, as though we are watching over the men. The chaos starts immediately, this show an obvious contrast to waiting for battle bits of flesh are flying everywhere and the fear erupts at once, screaming occurs. Spielberg also shows chaos through handheld cameras during this scene, we feel as though we are there and the fighting takes over all other emotions, the hand held cameras also show that this film is from the soldiers prospective. There is also a long shot of the men running to their target point from the Germans prospective. It shows us just how much of a slaughter this battle was as the Germans have a clear view of the whole beach, they are bound to kill many. We see hundreds of soldiers already injured and one stands out from the rest as he is screaming for his mum. This distinguishes just how young some of these soldiers were, some were even as young as 15, which is the same age as me, I feel empathy for the boys who died in this scene as if I was there I would feel really sick and terrified, I know this as when I watched the scene I truthfully felt like I was there. Many soldiers try and get away from the chaos by going underwater, underwater it is slow, muffled and quite, which is a contrast to outside which is fast and extremely loud. We then see bullets coming into the water and killed soldiers there and then. This portrays the fact that there is no way of getting away from the chaos of the war, there is always a big chance you will be killed. Miller having entered the water leaves, there are many reverse angle shots to show what he is seeing on the beach. There is a jerky close up of Miller in slow motion when he goes into a state of shock because of a shell going off right next to him. Because of this he takes his helmet off and hears muffled sounds, he goes into a dream. As soon as Miller puts his helmet back on, reality hits him and the shocks and horrors resume. In the next scene we find many low angled shots of injured men being treated, the true horrors of war a proclaimed by the fact that the Germans are still shooting at the dying men, and the medics trying to save them, the audience sees that the war was not all victory and triumph, but instead ended millions of peoples lives from brutal attacks, like the one in this film. The attacks are so brutal because of the fact that the soldiers on the beach were so vulnerable, there are many low angled shots of the beach to emphasise this. We see Captain Miller on a sandbank with many other soldiers as he finds out he is the last surviving captain of the mission and so he is in charge. As he is being told this a man is shot in the helmet but luckily the helmet saves this, he removes the helmet in amazement and is then shot again and dies. The audience feel for this man as it was so unlucky how he died; it showed how unlucky soldiers were in this battle as so many were slaughtered cold heartedly. This shocks the audience as they get to understand how devastating the war was. In this scene we see Miller with P. Daniel Jackson, Jackson is a Sniper and when the Germans were winning, Miller sent him on a death trail to try and get to a sniper to kill the Germans shooting at where they were. He runs it and I know from many of my classmates as well that we all felt triumph for him. He had risked his life for his fellow soldiers which was an honourable thing to do. When he begins to aim with his sniper, he zones out of everything and the sound becomes muffled, this is because he is concentrating on getting the enemy and has learnt over his training how to do this. The muffled tone makes the scene more realistic and helps the audience to understand his concentration. In the last few scenes of the fighting sequences we see many happenings; one was when there was a reverse angle close up shot of Miller and two soldiers who had killed two surrendering Germans. At first Miller finds what they are doing wrong, but you can see understanding in his facial expressions as the horrors of the fight they had just witnessed and made their hate for the Germans greater. When I watched this I understood what they felt when they saw opposing soldiers, they were the ones who killed their friends and were out to kill them. After the fighting has stopped and everything is calm, the soldiers have mixed reactions. The Sniper began to pray to God, one man broke down a cried, while other soldiers joked with each other, and this showed they were all different but got through the horrors of battle together. The second in command puts soil into a pot and labels it France, we then see from his bag hes been to Africa and many other places, this indicates he is very experienc ed and thats why hes been more calm than most of the others. After this we see millers shaking hand shaking while he took a gulp of his water as he did at the start of the fight scene, this indicates the end of the battle. We then see a long shot of the beach; this shows the red sea and all the dead bodies. This had the most impact on me because there was a lot of blood and a lot of bodies, more than I had imagined, the de saturated colour emphasised the blood as it did throughout the battle scene. To conclude I found the opening scene equipped me well for the rest of the film as Spielberg had flung me right into the deep end, I knew after this scene that there were more scenes like this and knew the blood and gore that would come from it. I found the whole of the sequence very realistic and shocking, the gore was amazing because it looked so real and the men dying gave me a great insight into what war was like for all the soldiers that fought in great battles. Spielberg certainly did succeed in putting chaos on the screen as I definitely found the whole of the war scene chaotic and horrific, the realism contributed to the chaos created on the screen. Spielberg definitely put me off every wanting to go to war as well! Overall I think the film was a great success, it wasnt all heroic like some of the war films are, Spielberg showed war as it was, and for that he deserves the respect he got for a spectacular film.He ha

Jefferson and Hamilton Essay -- essays research papers

The post-revolutionary war period of the Unites States saw the establishment of the first party system and an enlarging gap in viewpoints between the wealthy and the common man. The contradictory views of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were primarily responsible for the rise of political parties from 1783-1800. Alexander Hamilton exerted the most influence in the new Federalist Party. He believed that only an enlightened ruling class could produce a stable and effective federal government. The government therefore needed the support of wealthy men. Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans defended more the rights of the common man and an agrarian society with little power from the federal government. His basic principle was "in general I believe the decisions of the people in a body will be more honest and more disinterested than those of wealthy men." The Republican Party attracted more of the common people while the Federalist Party drew support from the aristocracy. Although neither side was willing to admit to it, these institutions were known as the "first party system." Both parties stance on who should have more power in the government contributed to the largely divers views of the common man and the wealthy man. When the French Revolution grew to its most radical peak the Federalists reacted with horror as citizens overthrew the aristocracy. In launching the New Ship of State Hamilton said, "The cause of France is compared with that of America during its late Revolution. I own I do not like the comparison...well informed men must equally unite in the doubt whether this [free and good government] be likely to take place." Thomas Jefferson's response was "I still hope the Revolution will issue happily...The livery of the whole earth was depending on the issue of the contest, and was ever such a prize won with so little innocent blood?" Many Republicans even imitated French Jacobins in dress and in speaking. The difference between the Federalist and Republican social philosophies is most easily seen among their different reactions to the French Revolution. Federalists called for a national debt to be funded and hoped to create a large national bank credited by wealthy men. He defended it in a plan presented to Congress by claiming "where the authority of the government is general it can create corp... ...Sedition Acts exercise a power nowhere delegated to the Federal government...this commonwealth does declare that the said Alien and Sedition Acts are violations of the said Constitution." The resolutions nullified the laws and contributed to the rise of Republicanism and the fall of Federalism. The differing opinions on how the government in the post-Revolutionary war period should be run ultimately created the first rise in political parties. The Federalist belief in a government run by wealthy men and opposing Republican support for and agrarian society split the nations people in support of a government most beneficial to them. Differing reactions to the French Revolution showed the distinct difference in Federalist and Republican belief of who the government should be run under. The National Bank and the excise tax on liquor revealed differing views on how strictly the Constitution should be interpreted and the Alien and Sedition Acts reveal an attempt of one party to dissolve another. The contrasting views of Hamilton's Federalism and Jefferson's Republicanism were the ultimate contributors to splitting the nation on views and establishing the first political parties.

The Road Not Taken Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† has touched the hearts of people all over America and has rightfully earned its place in the American literary canon. Written in 1916 by one of the greatest poets in American history; Robert Frost uses an unique metrical form that brings nature to life and a gives the reader a firm understanding of the rural lifestyle. Inspired by his friend Edward Thomas, Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† pits a man against two paths for which a difficult choice must be made. After that man makes his choice he tells the reader â€Å"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference† (Frost). The man does not reveal whether he made the right choice; all he tells the reader is that his choice made a significant impact on his life. For decades, various literary critics have analyzed this piece of writing trying to uncover its true meaning. Many scholars hav e found this piece to be a truly inspirational work while others have pictured it nothing more than an ironic tale of right and wrong. Alexander Meiklejohn is one scholar who used Robert Frost’s poem to teach others about making the right choices. Katherine Kearns, on the other hand, feels that the poem does not live up to its popularity. The viewpoints and criticisms regarding this unique piece of literature stretch far and wide, proving that Robert Frost’s poem has intrigued readers for decades. A large volume of criticisms have emerged that offer new perspectives for readers to explore as they continue to read â€Å"The Road Not Taken† for decades to come. Alexander Meiklejohn found Frost’s poem to be a truly inspirational work. Meiklejohn was a philosopher and well-educated teacher. His views on life refl... ...terpretations of the story will vary. Robert Faggen takes this criticism a step further and relates the poem to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and how species evolved by making difficult choices through their existence. Karen Kearns represents those critics who do not feel strongly about Robert Frost’s poem. Though many critics can agree Robert Frost’s poem illustrates various levels of irony; Kearns finds it ironic that â€Å"The Road not Taken†, a mediocre poem at best, is being regarded as one of the most popular poems in the American literary canon. The criticisms for this poem will never end as long as people continue to make difficult choices in their lives. After reading the â€Å"The Road not Taken,† one can form their own criticisms about what path is right for them; whether it means taking the road bent in the undergrowth or embarking on the road not taken.

Human Rights In Kuwait :: Human Rights Essays

Human Rights: Yet another commodity for the new society or a necessity? As one stands on the doorsteps of a new millennium, one can only imagine the future ahead. With the globalization movement making its way around the world, issues such as human rights are coming up, and are becoming international issues of concern rather than local ones. International organizations monitor governments and note the extent to which those governments adhere to and respect human rights. In the age of globalization, free trade between the nations of the world exists along with a sizeable transfer of knowledge and technology. And for one nation to succeed in that new environment it must have positive relations with others. For this good relation to evolve and develop, a nation must first address its inner issues of which human rights is a part of, for the human factor is prime in the globalization age that is based mainly on human-brain based industries. The Director of the Kuwait Information Office in Washington, in a lecture at Georgetown University, said, "The democratic process taking place in Kuwait is compatible with the Western definition of democracy, and it is clear when tracing country’s modern history that there is in fact a true democratic process presently sweeping the country." In 1948, the United Nations adopted the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" which included the minimum requirements that nations around the world must aim for to achieve and maintain man’s fundamental freedoms and rights. This included principles of equality without regard to race, color, sex, language, religion etc. in addition to the right to life, liberty and security. The Declaration was the platform on which all people should act. Any breach of its articles would put the breaching Nation under great pressure and criticism from its peers, who usually aim to correct the situation. Al-Ghabra added, "It has become increasingly difficult to maintain authortarian government in the modern era." By 1997, more that 116 nations had a president chosen by elections, up from only 39 nations in 1974. In the middle eastern nation of Kuwait, human rights have come a long way towards achieving a formidable status for the 38 years old nation has taken measures that surpass those taken by older nations. Kuwait’s constitution that dates back to the year 1962 ensured human rights in many of its articles. Kuwaiti Parliament member AbdulMohsen Jamal said that the constitution is a, " great achievement that has gained Kuwait the respect of the international community.

Difficulties in Learning English Grammar

International Journal of Instruction e-ISSN: 1308-1470 ? www. e-iji. net July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 p-ISSN: 1694-609X DIFFICULTIES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING GRAMMAR IN AN EFL CONTEXT1 Abdu Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi PhD. , College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman [email  protected] com Ramani Perur Nagaratnam PhD. , Ministry of Manpower, Oman The role of grammar instruction in an ESL/EFL context has been for decades a major issue for students and teachers alike.Researchers have debated whether grammar should be taught in the classroom and students, for their part, have generally looked upon grammar instruction as a necessary evil at best, and an avoidable burden at worst. The paper reports a study undertaken to investigate the difficulties teachers face in teaching grammar to EFL students as well as those faced by students in learning it, in the teachers' perception.The study aimed to find out whether there are significant differences in teachers' perceptions of difficulties in relation to their gender, qualification, teaching experience, and the level they teach in school, thus providing insights into their own and their students' difficulties. Mean scores and t-test were used to interpret the data. The main findings are reported with implications. Key Words: English language teaching, instruction, EFL grammar instruction, teaching, difficulties in grammar instructionINTRODUCTION The English teacher is often portrayed as an â€Å"unattractive grammar monger whose only pleasure in life is to point out the faults of others† (Baron, 1982, p. 226). For the most part, within the classroom, any mention of grammar causes the student moments of discomfort and sometimes even terror. Many teachers have tried to make grammar teaching a non-threatening, imaginative and useful activity within the English curriculum. A summary of this paper was presented at the 54th World Assembly of the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) on ‘Maintaini ng Strategic Agility: Managing change and assuring quality in education for teaching’, 14-17 December 2009, Muscat, Oman. 70 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ Previous studies on students' and teachers' attitudes and perceptions of grammar instruction in the context of language teaching and learning suggest a disparity between students and teachers.While students favour formal and explicit grammar instruction and error correction, teachers favour communicative activities with less conscious focus on grammar (e. g. , Brindley 1984; Kumaravadivelu 1991; Leki 1995; Schultz 1996, 2001; Spratt 1999). Rationale for the present study The foregoing review of literature shows that practicing teachers are faced with a range of options for grammar instruction in their classrooms. There are, however, many types of difficulties faced by students and teachers with regard to grammar instruction in an ESL/EFL context.Identifying such difficulties and being consciously awar e of them would help teachers find ways of overcoming them and provide effective grammar instruction. There has, however, been little investigation of the difficulties faced by EFL teachers and Aran learners in the Gulf region with regard to grammar instruction. The teachers employ theoretically recommended methods without necessarily taking into account their own and their learners’ potential difficulties.They may not be conscious of difficulties which are serious and may thus hinder students’ learning of English grammar, and do not choose the method of instruction that would pose fewer difficulties and problems to their learners. It is in this context that the present study was undertaken to capture valuable insights into how EFL school teachers in Oman perceive students’ as well as their own difficulties with grammar instruction. The study reported here aims to address this need by presenting the difficulties of a cross section of school EFL teachers in Oman as well as their perceptions of their students' difficulties in this regard.It also aims to add to the knowledge base in this area. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Attitudes towards grammar instruction In teaching grammar, three areas have to be considered: grammar as rules, grammar as form, and grammar as resource. For many L2 learners, learning grammar often means learning the rules of grammar and having an intellectual knowledge of grammar. Teachers often believe that this will provide the generative basis on which learners can build their knowledge and will be able to use the language eventually. For them, prescribed rules give a kind of security.International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 71 A better approach is perhaps to see grammar as one of many resources that we have in language which helps us to communicate. We should see how grammar relates to what we want to say or write, and how we expect others to interpret what our language use and i ts focus. According to Widdowson (1990: 86), † . . . grammar is not a constraining imposition but a liberating force: it frees us from a dependency on context and a purely lexical categorization of reality. Given that many learners – and teachers – tend to view grammar as a set of restrictions on what is allowed and disallowed in language use – ‘a linguistic straitjacket’ in Larsen-Freeman’s words (2002: 103) – the conception of grammar as something that liberates rather than represses is one that is worth investigating. According to Morelli (2003), students perceived themselves as having a better attitude towards grammar instruction in context, while performing slightly better after having experienced the traditional grammar instruction.Elkilic and Akca (2008) reported generally positive attitudes of students studying English grammar at a private primary EFL classroom towards studying grammar. In particular, however, a little ov er 50% of their subjects claimed to enjoy grammar very much and only about 10% reported finding some difficulty in learning and remembering grammar. Student expectations Student expectations of traditional, explicit grammar teaching have been confirmed by many teachers (cf. Borg, 1999a, b).Burgess and Etherington (2002:440-441) also conclude that teachers believe that explicit teaching of grammar is favoured by their students because of expectations and feelings of insecurity. Since the 1970s, attention has shifted from ways of teaching grammar to ways of getting learners to communicate, but grammar has been seen to be a powerful undermining and demotivating force among L2 learners. In terms of motivation and learner success with languages, grammar has been seen to be a problem and to stand in the way of helping learners to communicate fluently.The hard fact that most teachers face is that learners often find it difficult to make flexible use of the rules of grammar taught in the cl assroom. They may know the rules perfectly, but are incapable of applying them in their own use of the language. Teachers' recognition of this process (i. e. , of transferring declarative knowledge about grammar into procedural knowledge) as a problem for many of their students has been reported by Burgess and Etherington (2002:442). Haudeck International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 72 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ as reported that many learners have difficulty in internalising grammar rules, although these have been taught intensively (1996, cited in European Commission, 2006). The use of grammatical terminology Metalinguistic discussion (i. e. , the use of grammatical terminology to talk about language) is seen by Stern (1992:327) as one of the characteristics of explicit grammar teaching. According to Burgess and Etherington (2002: 444), teachers believe that their students see grammatical terminology as useful and that its use does no t present a particular difficulty for students.Descriptive grammars acknowledge the fact that language is dynamic and its use is constantly changing, although not in major ways. The problem for ESL/EFL learners, however, is that there is a time-lag between the awareness of such changes and their acceptance as the proper use of the language. As Morelli (2003:33-34) has observed, â€Å"Grammar can be taught traditionally or contextually, but student perception should be considered by teachers in the decision-making process. Students need to feel confident that educators have met their needs . . . nd educators should be willing to consider the attitudes and perceptions of students when making decisions about how to teach grammar. † METHOD Purpose The study reported here aims to investigate the difficulties of a cross section of school EFL teachers in Oman as well as their perceptions of their students' difficulties with regard to grammar instruction. Research questions The study aimed to answer the following questions: 1. What are EFL teachers’ perceptions of the difficulties of students and teachers with regard to grammar instruction in an EFL context? 2.Are there any differences in teachers' perceptions between the difficulties faced by teachers and those faced by students? 3. Do these perceptions of difficulties vary according to the teachers’: †¢ Gender, †¢ Level taught, †¢ Qualifications, and †¢ Experience? International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 73 4. Are there any significant differences in teachers' perceptions due to the type of difficulty? Limitation of the study The present study is limited to: †¢ EFL teachers teaching English in Omani Basic Education schools, and †¢ The use of questionnaire as the research instrument.Nevertheless, the responses are valuable in themselves, indicating the general difficulties that students and teachers face with regard to grammar instruction in an EFL context. Research design The study was mainly quantitative in design, using a questionnaire and the subjects responded to each statement on a five-point Likert-type attitude scale (from 5 for ‘strongly agree' to 1 for ‘strongly disagree'). The respondents also provided background information on gender, qualification, teaching experience and the level they teach, for creating their profile in terms of variables. The data was analyzed (t-test and ANOVA) using the SPSS.The research instrument The questionnaire used in the present study, which comprises 20 statements, was the one employed by Burgess and Etherington in their study (2002: 451452) (See ANNEXURE – I for the questionnaire used in the present study). Subjects Only one broad geographical context was chosen for the study, namely Oman, in order to be context-specific and be able to make a close connection between teachers, their assumptions and their practical experience. It is b elieved that the subjects fairly represented the context of EFL teaching at different levels in Omani schools.Besides, the sample size was 90, more than the minimum number required for making useful statistical analyses according to Cohen and Manion (1994:77). The profile of the subjects in terms of the four variables is given below in Table 1: International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 74 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ Table 1. Profile of Respondents to the Study Instrument Variable Gender Level they teach Categories within the variable Male Female Grades 1-4 Grades 5-10 Grades 11-12 Master’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree Diploma ? years > 5 ? 10 years > 10 years No. of respondents in each category 39 51 17 31 42 8 76 6 27 41 22 Total (N) 90 90 Qualification 90 Experience 90 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION With regard to the first research question whether there are difficulties faced by students and teachers with grammar instruction, Tabl e 2 (ANNEXURE – II) shows an overall mean of 3. 51 on a five-point scale, the means for individual statements ranging from 2. 97 to 4. 10, thus indicating teachers' general agreement with most of the statements in the survey questionnaire (See Fig. below). This suggests that, in the perceptions of teachers, there are difficulties faced by teachers as well as students with regard to grammar instruction in an EFL context. Fig. 1. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 75 With regard to the second research question about the differences between students and teachers in the difficulties faced, Table 3 shows that there is a statistically significant difference at the level of p ; 0. 01 in the perceptions of teachers and students, with students experiencing difficulties to a greater extent than teachers, which is understandable. The overall mean for students' difficulties as perceived by the teachers was 3. 58, while the overall mean for teachers' difficulties was 3. 23 (Table 3 below). Table 3. Teachers’ Perceptions of Teachers’ and Students’ Difficulties with EFL Grammar (N = 90) Statement Teachers’ Difficulties Students’ Difficulties as perceived by the Teachers Mean 3. 331 3. 5779 SD . 58484 . 42214 t Sig. (2-tailed) 5. 225 . 000 The third research question is about the differences in perception of difficulties in terms of the four teacher variables: gender, level taught, qualification, and teaching experience. With regard to gender, a comparison of the overall mean response for male (3. 508) and female teachers (3. 510) (See Fig. 2 below) shows that they are quite nearly the same and that there is no statistically significant difference at the level of 0. 5 in their perceptions about the difficulties (Sig. : . 978) (Table 4 in ANNEXURE – II)). This suggests that gender does not play a significant role i n the teachers' perceptions when it comes to articulating their own difficulties as well as those of their students with English grammar instruction. Fig. 2. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to Gender With regard to the level taught, Table 5 (ANNEXURE – II) shows that teachers teaching at different levels have similar perceptions about their wn and their International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 76 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ students' difficulties with English grammar instruction, with a slightly higher mean for teachers of Grades 1-4 (3. 58) than the means for teachers of the other two levels, which are nearly the same (3. 49 and 3. 5) (See Fig. 3 below). Table 5 also shows that there is no statistically significant difference at the level of 0. 05 in terms of this variable (Sig. : . 686). Fig. 3.Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to Level Taught With r egard to teachers’ qualifications, Table 6 (ANNEXURE – II) shows a slightly higher overall mean for teachers with a diploma qualification (3. 78) than the overall means for teachers with higher qualifications, viz. bachelor's (3. 46) or master's degree (3. 49) (See Fig. 4 below). The results also show that there is no statistically significant difference at the level of 0. 05 in terms of this variable (Sig. : . 211 – Table 6). Fig. 4.Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to Qualifications With regard to teachers' experience, it does not seem to be a significant variable with regard to their perceptions of their own and their students' difficulties with English grammar instruction, as Table 7 (ANNEXURE – II) shows (See Fig. 5 below). The results also show that there is no statistically significant difference at the level of 0. 05 in terms of this variable (Sig. : . 869 – Table 7). International Journal of Instructio n, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 7 Fig. 5. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to Experience The foregoing discussion is based on the overall mean score obtained for the difficulties in general and for each of the four teacher variables considered in the present study. With regard to the fourth research question, a detailed analysis of the results provides interesting and valuable insights into teachers’ perceptions of different types of difficulties for students and teachers themselves and their concerns about classroom application of grammar teaching principles.The results are discussed with respect to difficulties categorized in terms of the themes listed in Table 8 below: Table 8. Statements in the Questionnaire Categorised according to Themes Theme Explicit grammar teaching The transfer of declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge The use of grammatical terminology Error correction Problem-solving activities The use of authentic texts for grammar instruction The use of spoken and written communicative activities Statement(s) 3, 4, 5, 13 1, 17, 18 14, 19 15, 16 2, 20 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 17, 18Explicit grammar teaching The dichotomies of unconscious/conscious learning and inductive/deductive teaching methods are both sometimes equated with the dichotomy between implicit and explicit instruction. Attitudes to inductive and deductive methods were investigated through statements concerning explicit presentation of grammar by teachers, students finding form-function matches for themselves, and the constraints in using either of the two methods. International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 78 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦Statement 3 (My students expect teachers to present grammar explicitly) and Statement 13 (A lack of explicit grammar teaching leaves my students feeling insecure) produced a mean score of 3. 61 and 3. 38 respectively (Table 2 ANNEXU RE – II), supporting the view that students, in teachers’ perception, prefer explicit grammar teaching. This is not surprising, as students are known to expect traditional, explicit grammar instruction (e. g. , Borg, 1999a, b). The responses in the present study indicate that this expectation of students still remains, especially at the school level.Responses to Statement 5 (My students prefer to find matches between meaning and structure for themselves), however, produced a mean score of 3. 59 (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II), which is very close to the mean score for students’ expectation about explicit teaching of grammar. This perception of students’ preference for an inductive method of learning grammar on the part of the same responding teachers is surprising. With regard to the same statement, the difference in mean between males and females seems to be higher than for the other statements (Table 4 – ANNEXURE – II).A follow-up interview with teachers might have provided more specific information and thrown light on their understanding of explicit and implicit methods of teaching grammar. With regard to Statement 4 (My students prefer to learn grammar from onesentence examples), which links to explicit grammar teaching, responding teachers produced the lowest mean score (2. 97) of all statements in the questionnaire (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II). In terms of experience, however, there seems to be some significant difference at the level of 0. 5 in favour of teachers with more than 10 years of experience (Table 7 – ANNEXURE – II). Declarative vs procedural knowledge Statement 1 (My students find it difficult to transfer their grammatical knowledge into communicative language use), designed to identify teachers’ beliefs about the possible transfer of declarative knowledge (i. e. , knowledge about grammar) into procedural knowledge (i. e. , ability to use that knowledge in actua l communication), produced a mean score of 3. 81 (Table 2 ANNEXURE – II).This indicates that responding teachers recognise this process of transfer of one kind of knowledge into another as a problem for a large number of their students. This gap between students’ grammatical knowledge and communicative ability is not surprising to teachers, who often find that most of their students can recall grammatical rules accurately and perform very well on discrete-point grammar International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 79 exercises, but fail to achieve such grammatical accuracy in actual communication.This fact is corroborated by the responses to Statements 17 and 18 (My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical knowledge within a totally communicative writing/speaking activity), which produced a mean score of 4. 10 and 3. 73 respectively (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II). In terms of teacher qua lifications, teachers with a diploma agree strongly (mean of 4. 33) that their students find it difficult to transfer their grammatical knowledge into communicative language use. The mean for this statement for teachers with higher qualifications is lower (Table 6 – ANNEXURE – II).The use of grammatical terminology The use of grammatical terminology in the EFL classroom is seen as a necessary part of the explicit method of teaching grammar. When students and teachers talk about grammar (i. e. , in meta-linguistic discussion), which is one of the characteristics of explicit language teaching (Stern 1992: 327), they need to use grammatical terms. Two statements (14 & 19) sought to explore teachers’ perceptions of how their students feel about the use of grammatical terminology.Statement 14 (My students find grammatical terminology useful) and Statement 19 (My students find it difficult to use grammatical terminology) produced a mean score of 3. 82 and 4. 07 respec tively (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II). This indicates that, in the responding teachers’ perception, their students see grammatical terminology as useful, but find difficulty in using the terms to be of a greater magnitude. Interestingly, the usefulness of grammatical terminology seems to be linked to the students’ preference for explicit grammar instruction. The difference in mean between teachers of Grades 1-4 and 11-12 on the one hand (mean of ? ) and those of Grades 5-10 (mean of 3. 4), however, seems to be higher with regard to their perceptions of the usefulness of grammatical terminology to their students. That is, teachers of the lowest and highest levels think that their students find grammatical terminology more useful than those of the middle grades. There is a significant difference at the level of 0. 05 in terms of the level taught with regard to the usefulness of grammatical terminology (statement 14) (Table 5 – ANNEXURE – II). In te rms of teacher qualifications, teachers with a diploma agree very strongly (mean of 4. 0) that their students find it difficult to use grammatical terminology and the majority of teachers surveyed, who have a bachelor's International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 80 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ degree, also seem to show a high level of agreement with regard to the same statement (mean of 4. 04). The mean for this statement for teachers with higher qualifications is lower (Table 6 – ANNEXURE – II). Error Correction Teachers generally tend to believe that errors of form committed by EFL learners should be corrected even when communicative goals are intended.This need for correction of form even within a communicative context, either spoken or written, may arise from a concern for grammatical accuracy in students’ communicative output or for avoiding fossilization of errors in their interlanguage. Statements 15 and 16 aim to capture teachers’ perceptions in this regard. Statement 15 (Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a written communicative context) and Statement 16 (Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a spoken communicative context) produced a mean score of 3. 26 and 3. 7 respectively (Table 2 ANNEXURE – II). It may be inferred from the results that the responding teachers experience more difficulty in correcting their learners’ spoken communication than written. Problem-solving techniques Problem-solving techniques in relation to grammar teaching are inductive techniques that require learners to find form-function matches by themselves. (e. g. , Hall and Shepheard, 1991). Responses of teachers surveyed in the present study produced a mean score of 3. 58 for Statement 2 (My students are motivated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar), showing a link to responses to Statement 5 bout studentsâ⠂¬â„¢ preference for finding matches between meaning and structure for themselves. Surprisingly, however, the same responding teachers produced a mean score of 3. 60 for Statement 20 (My students are frustrated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar) (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II). A possible interpretation could be that teachers, while recognising the motivational potential of problem-solving techniques, also observe their students’ frustrating experience with such techniques, possibly because they are too ‘challenging’ for the learners to cope with.Another interpretation could be that teachers’ responses to Statement 2 are based on their theoretical assumption about what these techniques could do to the learners, while those to Statement 20 could be based on teachers’ assessment of the ground reality. International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 81 With regard to the statement about students being motivated by problemsolving techniques for learning grammar (Statement 2), there is also a significant difference at the level of 0. 5 between males and females in their perceptions (Table 4 – ANNEXURE – II). The use of authentic texts for grammar instruction Authentic texts are texts that are not produced artificially for the purpose of language teaching, but are used for genuine purposes in the real world, like newspaper articles and recipes. By implication, these texts are contextualised and communicatively complete in themselves. They focus is on conveying real meaning rather than on form.Decontextualised examples of language, on the other hand, are one-sentence examples usually found in EFL textbooks and grammar practice books. They illustrate grammatical forms and structures in context-free sentences and are generally associated with the explicit method of teaching grammar. The use of texts illustrating authentic communication for presenting gramma r is generally seen as posing problems to teachers and students alike. Students’ problems with their use arise from difficulties of variety of structures Statement 7), culture (Statement 8), vocabulary (Statement 9), and implicit form-function matches (Statement 10), besides an overall difficulty in handling grammar presented within authentic texts (Statement 6). Teachers’ difficulties with authentic texts include those arising from the amount of time needed for using them (Statement 11) and producing suitable tasks from such texts (Statement 12). According to the responding teachers’ perceptions, students experience greater difficulties from vocabulary (Mean=3. 52), variety of structures (Mean=3. 49) and finding form-function matches (Mean=3. 3) than from handling from presented within authentic texts (Mean=3. 33) and culture (Mean=3. 26). Statements 11 and 12 relating to teachers’ difficulties in using authentic texts produced a mean score of 3. 03 and 3. 09 respectively (Table 2 – ANNEXURE – II), which indicates a lower perception of teachers of their own difficulties than those of students. The use of spoken and written communicative activities Statements 17 and 18 refer to the possible difficulties students might have in improving the accuracy of their grammatical language within totally communicative activities.Responding teachers produced a mean score of 4. 10 and 3. 73 for the two statements respectively. In fact, the highest mean score of International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 82 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ all scores for the survey questionnaire (4. 10) was obtained for Statement 17 (My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical knowledge within a totally communicative writing activity) (Table 2 ANNEXURE – II).The results indicate that, in teachers' perceptions, totally communicative activities, whether written or spoken, po se great difficulties to students for learning grammar and improving grammatical accuracy, writing activities proving more challenging than spoken ones. It might be inferred that the teachers surveyed might have a serious concern about the lack of sufficient focus on form in purely communicative activities or tasks for developing students' grammatical knowledge. Practising language as communication in real-life tasks might not give sufficient opportunities for students to improve their grammatical knowledge.In terms of teacher qualifications, teachers with a diploma agree very strongly (mean of 4. 67) that their students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical language within a totally communicative writing activity and the majority of teachers surveyed, who have a bachelor's degree, also seem to show a high level of agreement with regard to the same statement (mean of 4. 01). The mean for this statement for teachers with higher qualifications is lower (Table 6 – ANNEXURE – II).CONCLUSION Generally speaking, in teachers’ perceptions, both teachers and students invariably face serious difficulties with regard to EFL grammar instruction, students facing them to a greater extent than teachers. It is obvious that EFL teachers consider these difficulties quite serious, which suggests that serious attention needs to be paid to them. There may be generally recommended ways of teaching EFL grammar (for example, the implicit method), but it would not be proper to adopt them universally without looking at the possible difficulties that might go with those methods suggested.While a less favoured method might pose fewer problems and hence be more effective, a more favoured method might be less effective owing to greater difficulties or problems in implementing it. The difficulties may also be influenced by the context in which a particular method is used. It is, therefore, necessary to make a detailed study of such difficulties faced by teachers and students in specific contexts, take appropriate steps to overcome them, and adapt the method to suit the actual teaching and learning International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 83 environment. This is not to suggest ‘diluting’ a sound approach or method, but only to plan mediating or supplementary tasks to help learners tide over the difficulties. IMPLICATIONS The findings of the present study point to the following implications: 1. EFL Curriculum and material developers should show an understanding of learners’ and teachers’ difficulties, and provide sufficient guidance and help in the curriculum document and the teachers’ book showing how the potential difficulties could be addressed in planning their classroom activities.Teachers may be given examples of mediating tasks, which would mitigate the difficulties. 2. As Morelli (2003: 33-34) has pointed out, students need to be taught grammar through various methodologies and approaches to cater to their individual styles of learning, and educators should consider students’ attitudes and perceptions when making decisions about how to teach grammar. 3. EFL teachers would do well to understand and address their learners’ concerns in planning their lessons and classroom activities, and use supplementary materials, if necessary, to help learners cope with the difficulties. 4.Both in-service and pre-service training programmes should be planned in such a way that student-teachers and practising teachers articulate the potential and actual difficulties and discuss ways of overcoming or at least coping with them. The database relating to teaching English as a foreign language, including the difficulties of learners and teachers with regard to grammar instruction, should be enriched by more detailed research and analysis, which would enable generalizations across the gulf countries. International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 84 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦REFERENCES Baron, D. (1982). Grammar and good taste: Reforming the American language. New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press. Borg, S. (1999a). The use of grammatical terminology in the second language classroom: a qualitative study of teachers’ practices and cognitions. Applied Linguistics, 20 (1): 95-126. (cited in Burgess and Etherington, 2002) Borg, S. (1999b). Teachers’ theories in grammar teaching. ELT Journal, 53 (3): 157-167. (cited in Burgess and Etherington, 2002). Brindley, G. (1984). Needs Analysis and Objective Setting in the Adult Migrant Education Program. NSW Adult Migrant Education Service, Sydney.Burgess, J. and Etherington, S. (2002). Focus on grammatical form: explicit or implicit? System, 30: 433-458. Cohen, L. and Manion, L. C. (1994). Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge. Elkilic, G. and Akca, C. (2008). Attitudes of the Students Studying at K afkas University Private Primary EFL Classroom towards Storytelling and Motivation. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 4(1): 1-22. European Commission (2006). The Main Pedagogical Principles Underlying the Teaching of Languages to Very Young Learners. Final Report of the EAC 89/04, Lot 1 Study: Edelenbos, P. , Johnstone, R. and Kubanek, A. Hall, N. nd Shepheard, J. (1991). The Anti-Grammar Grammar Book. London: Longman. Kumaravadivelu, B. (1991). Language learning tasks: teacher intention and learner interpretation. ELT Journal, 45 (2): 98-107. Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). The Grammar of Choice. In E. Hinkel and S. Fotos (Eds. ). New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Leki, I. (1995). Good writing: I know it when I see it. In In D. Belcher and G. Braine (eds. ) Academic Writing in a Second Language. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing. International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. , No. 2 Al-Mekh lafi & Nagaratnam 85 Morelli, J. A. (2003). Ninth Graders’ Attitudes toward Different Approaches to Grammar Instruction. Unpublished Dissertation. The Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York. Schultz, R. (1996). Focus on form in the foreign language classroom: students’ and teachers’ views on error correction and the role of grammar. Foreign Language Annals, 29(3): 343-364. Schultz, R. (2001). Cultural differences in student and teacher perceptions concerning the role of grammar instruction and corrective feedback. USAColombia. The Modern Language Journal, 85(ii): 244-258. Spratt, M. 1999). How good are we at knowing what learners like? System, 27:141-155. Stern, H. H. (1992). Issues and Options in English Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Grammar and nonsense and learning. In H. G. Widdowson, Aspects of language teaching, pp. 79-98. Oxford: Oxford University Press. International Journal of Instructio n, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 86 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ ANNEXURE – I RESEARCH INSTRUMENT – QUESTIONNAIRE STUDENT AND TEACHER DIFFICULTIES WITH GRAMMAR These are questions about how students and teachers deal with grammar in the classroom.Please indicate how far you agree or disagree with these statements. If you agree strongly, mark a 5 on the scale; if you strongly disagree, mark a 1 on the scale. No. Statement SA 1 My students find it difficult to transfer their grammatical knowledge into communicative language use. 2 My students are motivated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar. 3 My students expect teachers to present grammar points explicitly. 4 My students prefer to learn grammar from one-sentence examples. 5 My students prefer to find matches between meaning and structure for themselves. My students find it difficult to handle grammar presented within authentic texts. 7 My students find authentic texts difficult becaus e of the wide variety of structures which appear. 8 My students find authentic texts difficult because they are too culture bound. 9 My students find authentic texts difficult because of the vocabulary used. 10 My students cannot find form-function matches in authentic texts without explicit direction from teachers. 11 Teachers find the use of authentic material too time-consuming. 12 Teachers find it difficult to produce tasks of a suitable level from authentic texts. 3 A lack of explicit grammar teaching leaves my students feeling insecure. 14 My students find grammatical terminology useful. 15 Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a written communicative context. 16 Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a spoken communicative context. 17 My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical language within a totally communicative writing activity. 18 My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical language within a totally communicative speaking activity. 9 My students find it difficult to use grammatical terminology. 20 My students are frustrated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar. A N D SD International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 87 ANNEXURE – II Table 2. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar (N = 90) Statement 1. My students find it difficult to transfer their grammatical knowledge into communicative language use. 2. My students are motivated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar. 3. My students expect teachers to present grammar points explicitly. 4.My students prefer to learn grammar from one-sentence examples. 5. My students prefer to find matches between meaning and structure for themselves. 6. My students find it difficult to handle grammar presented within authentic texts. 7. My students find authentic texts difficult because of t he wide variety of structures which appear. 8. My students find authentic texts difficult because they are too culture bound. 9. My students find authentic texts difficult because of the vocabulary used. 10. My students cannot find form-function matches in authentic texts without explicit direction from teachers. 11.Teachers find the use of authentic material too time-consuming. 12. Teachers find it difficult to produce tasks of a suitable level from authentic texts. 13. A lack of explicit grammar teaching leaves my students feeling insecure. 14. My students find grammatical terminology useful. 15. Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a written communicative context. 16. Teachers find it difficult to correct student errors of grammar within a spoken communicative context. 17. My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical language within a totally communicative writing activity. 8. My students find it difficult to improve the accuracy of their grammatical language within a totally communicative speaking activity. 19. My students find it difficult to use grammatical terminology. 20. My students are frustrated by problem-solving techniques for learning grammar. Overall Mean 3. 8111 3. 5778 3. 6111 2. 9667 3. 5889 3. 3333 3. 4889 3. 2556 3. 5222 3. 4333 3. 0333 3. 0889 3. 3778 3. 8222 3. 2556 3. 5730 4. 1000 3. 7333 4. 0667 3. 6000 3. 5090 SD . 93490 . 97125 1. 04607 1. 49494 . 94684 1. 03858 1. 01941 1. 03382 1. 07293 1. 02825 1. 05415 1. 16739 . 97816 1. 5937 1. 25027 . 83785 . 90006 . 99210 . 87152 1. 08927 7. 71887 Table 4. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to their Gender (Males: N=39; Females: N=51) Statement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Mean 3. 8718 3. 7647 3. 2308 3. 8431 3. 7436 3. 5098 3. 1282 2. 8431 3. 7949 3. 4314 3. 2821 3. 3725 3. 5128 3. 4706 3. 2051 3. 2941 3. 5128 3. 5294 3. 3846 3. 4706 3. 0769 3. 0000 3. 1282 3. 0588 SD . 86388 . 99173 1. 6281 . 80926 . 96567 1. 10223 1. 47219 1. 51489 . 95089 . 92206 1. 02466 1. 05756 . 79046 1. 17223 1. 10452 . 98578 . 99662 1. 13759 1. 09100 . 98697 1. 10940 1. 01980 1. 19603 1. 15606 F 1. 357 4. 942 1. 447 . 032 . 068 . 095 9. 319 . 295 1. 240 . 600 . 062 . 107 t . 536 3. 105 1. 051 . 895 1. 828 . 408 . 194 . 403 . 072 . 391 . 341 . 278 Sig. (2-tailed) . 593 . 003 . 296 . 373 . 071 . 684 . 847 . 688 . 943 . 697 . 734 . 782 International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 88 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ Statement 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 OverallGender Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Mean 3. 3333 3. 4118 3. 9231 3. 7451 3. 3590 3. 1765 3. 5385 3. 6000 4. 0769 4. 1176 3. 7179 3. 7451 3. 8974 4. 1961 3. 4359 3. 7255 3. 5077 3. 5100 SD . 98230 . 98339 1. 28523 1. 24649 1. 34726 1. 17823 . 82226 . 85714 . 98367 . 84017 .88700 1. 07412 . 94018 . 80049 1. 16517 1. 02134 6. 67887 8. 50930 F . 018 . 105 1. 363 . 174 . 023 1. 454 . 201 2. 494 1. 604 t . 375 . 662 . 684 . 342 . 212 . 128 1. 626 1. 254 . 028 Sig. (2-tailed) . 708 . 510 . 496 . 733 . 833 . 898 . 108 . 213 . 978 Table 5.Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to the Level taught Statement 1 Level 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 N 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 Mean 3. 8824 3. 5484 3. 9762 3. 8111 3. 5882 3. 2903 3. 7857 3. 5778 3. 7059 3. 5161 3. 6429 3. 6111 2. 7647 3. 4516 2. 6905 2. 9667 3. 7059 3. 6774 3. 4762 3. 5889 3. 1765 3. 3871 3. 3571 3. 3333 3. 6471 3. 4839 3. 4286 3. 889 3 . 6471 3. 2903 3. 0714 3. 2556 3. 7059 3. 5484 3. 4286 3. 5222 3. 7647 SD 1. 05370 1. 09053 . 71527 . 93490 1. 00367 . 97275 . 92488 . 97125 1. 04670 . 99569 1. 10036 1. 04607 1. 52190 1. 43385 1. 47314 1. 49494 . 77174 . 79108 1. 10956 . 94684 1. 01460 1. 02233 1. 07797 1. 03858 1. 16946 1. 06053 . 94075 1. 01941 . 99632 . 93785 1. 09082 1. 03382 1. 26317 1. 09053 . 99125 1. 07293 1. 20049 F 1. 970 Sig. .146 2 2. 394 .097 3 .213 .809 4 2. 593 .081 5 .557 .575 6 .242 .785 7 .274 .761 8 1. 943 .149 9 .413 1. 116 .663 . 332 10 International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 9 Statement 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Overall Level 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total 1-4 5-10 11-12 Total N 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 41 89 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 17 31 42 90 Mean 3. 3871 3. 3333 3. 4333 2. 8824 3. 0968 3. 0476 3. 0333 3. 1176 3. 1290 3. 0476 3. 0889 3. 5294 3. 0645 3. 5476 3. 3778 4. 0000 3. 3871 4. 0714 3. 8222 3. 0588 3. 5161 3. 429 3. 2556 3. 6471 3. 7419 3. 4146 3. 5730 4. 2941 4. 0323 4. 0714 4. 1000 3. 6471 3. 6774 3. 8095 3. 7333 4. 3529 3. 9355 4. 0476 4. 0667 3. 5294 3. 5806 3. 6429 3. 6000 3. 5824 3. 4871 3. 4951 3. 5090 SD . 91933 1. 02806 1. 02825 1. 05370 1. 10619 1. 03482 1. 05415 1. 21873 1. 14723 1. 18841 1. 16739 1. 17886 . 99785 . 83235 . 97816 1. 22474 1. 22956 1. 23748 1. 25937 1. 39062 1. 17958 1. 24100 1. 25027 . 93148 . 68155 . 89375 . 83785 . 77174 . 87498 . 97262 . 90006 1. 27187 . 90874 . 94322 . 99210 . 70189 . 81386 . 96151 . 87152 1. 12459 1. 14816 1. 05510 1. 08927 7. 94466 8. 51652 7. 09156 7. 71887 F Sig. .230 .795 049 .953 2. 509 .087 2. 968 .057 1. 056 .352 1. 443 .242 .499 .609 .233 .792 1. 287 .281 .072 .931 .378 .686 Table 6. Teach ers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to their Qualifications Statement 1 Qualification MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total N 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 Mean 3. 5000 3. 8026 4. 3333 3. 8111 3. 6250 3. 5395 4. 0000 3. 5778 SD 1. 30931 . 89472 . 81650 . 93490 . 91613 . 99921 . 63246 . 97125 F 1. 394 Sig. .253 2 .630 .535 International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 90 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ Statement 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Qualification MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma N 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 75 6 89 8 76 6 Mean 3. 5000 3. 5921 4. 00 00 3. 6111 3. 3750 2. 9605 2. 5000 2. 9667 3. 7500 3. 5526 3. 8333 3. 5889 2. 6250 3. 4079 3. 3333 3. 3333 3. 2500 3. 4605 4. 1667 3. 4889 3. 5000 3. 2237 3. 333 3. 2556 3. 1250 3. 5000 4. 3333 3. 5222 3. 3750 3. 4079 3. 8333 3. 4333 2. 7500 3. 0526 3. 1667 3. 0333 3. 5000 3. 0132 3. 5000 3. 0889 3. 2500 3. 4079 3. 1667 3. 3778 3. 1250 3. 8947 3. 8333 3. 8222 3. 3750 3. 2237 3. 5000 3. 2556 3. 5000 3. 5200 4. 3333 3. 5730 4. 5000 4. 0132 4. 6667 SD 1. 06904 1. 03509 1. 26491 1. 04607 1. 40789 1. 50058 1. 64317 1. 49494 1. 38873 . 91498 . 75277 . 94684 1. 30247 . 96854 1. 36626 1. 03858 1. 16496 1. 01247 . 75277 1. 01941 1. 06904 1. 02760 1. 21106 1. 03382 1. 24642 1. 05198 . 81650 1. 07293 1. 18773 1. 03509 . 75277 1. 02825 1. 58114 1. 00525 . 98319 1. 05415 1. 30931 1. 13717 1. 37840 1. 6739 1. 58114 . 86684 1. 47196 . 97816 1. 80772 1. 16137 1. 60208 1. 25937 1. 68502 1. 18433 1. 64317 1. 25027 1. 19523 . 77738 . 81650 . 83785 . 75593 . 91642 . 51640 F . 467 Sig. .629 .586 .559 .3 66 .694 2. 108 .128 1. 596 .209 .272 .762 2. 348 .102 .484 .618 .345 .710 1. 029 .362 .240 .787 1. 363 .261 .173 .842 2. 757 2. 407 .069 . 096 International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam 91 Statement 18 19 20 Overall Qualification Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total MA BA Diploma Total N 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 8 76 6 90 Mean 4. 1000 3. 6250 3. 7632 3. 5000 3. 333 4. 0000 4. 0395 4. 5000 4. 0667 3. 8750 3. 5658 3. 6667 3. 6000 3. 4563 3. 4933 3. 7750 3. 5090 SD . 90006 1. 40789 . 92186 1. 37840 . 99210 . 75593 . 90097 . 54772 . 87152 1. 35620 1. 08733 . 81650 1. 08927 10. 98619 7. 29186 7. 44983 7. 71887 F Sig. .244 .784 .798 .453 .299 .742 1. 582 .211 Table 7. Teachers’ Perceptions of Difficulties with EFL Grammar according to their Experience Statement 1 Exp. (yrs) ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 0 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 N 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 Mean 3. 5556 3. 9250 3. 9130 3. 8111 3. 4444 3. 5500 3. 7826 3. 5778 3. 4444 3. 8000 3. 4783 3. 6111 3. 2222 3. 1500 2. 3478 2. 9667 3. 7407 3. 5000 3. 5652 3. 5889 3. 2963 3. 4000 3. 2609 3. 3333 3. 4074 3. 5250 3. 5217 3. 4889 3. 1481 3. 2000 3. 4783 3. 2556 3. 8519 3. 3000 3. 5217 3. 5222 3. 3333 3. 4500 SD 1. 12090 . 91672 . 66831 . 93490 . 84732 . 95943 1. 12640 . 97125 . 97402 1. 01779 1. 16266 1. 04607 1. 52753 1. 45972 1. 40158 1. 49494 . 81300 1. 13228 . 2777 . 94684 1. 17063 . 98189 1. 00983 1. 03858 1. 24836 . 93336 . 89796 1. 01941 . 81824 1. 11401 1. 12288 1. 03382 1. 06351 1. 11401 . 94722 1. 07293 1. 03775 1. 06096 F 1. 457 Sig. .239 2 .778 .462 3 1. 185 .311 4 2. 772 .068 5 .525 .593 6 .153 .859 7 .121 .886 8 .733 .484 9 2. 189 . 214 .118 . 808 10 Interna tional Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2 92 Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Grammar†¦ Statement 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Overall Exp. (yrs) ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total ? 5 ; 5 ? 10 ; 10 Total N 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 89 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 27 41 22 90 Mean 3. 5217 3. 4333 2. 8889 3. 0750 3. 1304 3. 0333 3. 3333 3. 0750 2. 8261 3. 0889 3. 3704 3. 2750 3. 5652 3. 3778 3. 4815 3. 8500 4. 1739 3. 8222 3. 1481 3. 2500 3. 3913 3. 2556 3. 6667 3. 5000 3. 5909 3. 5730 4. 0741 4. 1000 4. 1304 4. 1000 3. 6667 3. 8250 3. 6522 3. 7333 4. 0370 4. 0500 4. 1304 4. 0667 3. 4074 3. 000 3. 6522 3. 6000 3. 4759 3. 5250 3. 5201 3. 5090 SD . 99405 1. 02825 1. 25064 . 99711 . 9 1970 1. 05415 1. 14354 1. 11832 1. 26678 1. 16739 . 92604 1. 01242 . 99206 . 97816 1. 36918 1. 23101 1. 11405 1. 25937 1. 43322 1. 14914 1. 23359 1. 25027 . 87706 . 87706 . 73414 . 83785 1. 03500 . 74421 1. 01374 .90006 1. 03775 . 84391 1. 19121 . 99210 . 70610 . 90441 1. 01374 . 87152 1. 18514 1. 06699 1. 02730 1. 08927 9. 44364 7. 20399 6. 48558 7. 71887 F Sig. .377 .687 1. 182 .311 .639 .530 1. 935 .151 .232 .794 .321 .727 .024 .976 .304 .739 .083 .921 .612 .545 .140 .869 International Journal of Instruction, July 2011 ? Vol. 4, No. 2