Arabic Language Teachers’ Perceptions of Writing and its Relationship to the Efficiency of Educational Performance

Abstract

This study aims at examining the perceptions of Arabic language teachers about writing as well as the teachers’ perceptions of their educational performance. The study also explores the relationship, if any, between the teachers’ writing perceptions and their personal understanding of efficacy. To achieve the study’s objectives, the study utilizes the Writing Beliefs Inventory of White & Bruning )2005(, which consists of 19 sections that are divided into two types: transmission and transactional perspectives. Moreover, the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy )2001(, is employed, and this scale includes 24 sections equally divided to cover three fields (i.e. 8 sections per field): efficacy of student engagement, efficacy of instructional strategies, and efficacy of classroom management. The study sample consists of 81 randomly selected male and female Arabic language teachers from Bani Obeid Education Directorate. According to the statistical analyses of the research, the Arabic language teachers’ writing perspectives are low in terms of the overall scale as well as the transactional perspectives. In contrast, the transmission perspectives are found to be moderate. The results also indicate that the Arabic language teachers are below the average in terms of their overall performance efficacy in the three fields (i.e. student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management) with none exceeding the ‘good’ level of efficacy. Furthermore, the study shows a statistically-significant positive correlation between the Arabic language teachers’ writing perceptions and the teachers’ personal sense of self-efficacy. Based on these findings, the study concludes with a set of recommendations.