Teaching and learning of English as a foreign language is not only challenging, but using English as medium of instruction is also crucial. When it comes to the places where English in not a lingua franca (a link language), the challenges simply double and both the teachers and learners face many problems due to the fact that the target subject (biology) is difficult and the medium of teaching (English) is also not easy. Teaching of English as a subject as well as a medium of instruction (teaching) in the Gulf region in general and Saudi Arabia in particular catches attention of many researchers and scholars especially when the issue is particularly related to poor achievement. Teaching of English at preparatory level (foundation year) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah serves two purposes: first, it lays and strengthens the foundation of general English that they carried forward from schooling. Second, the learners are made proficient in English during the foundation year so that they can pursue their specialties later. Despite the fact that English in Saudi Arabia is generally taught at school levels also, the achievement is far below the expectations from the viewpoint of English teachers at Biological/medical/health related subjects. Moreover, 'Englishes' at these departments are known as specific, and teaching/learning is somewhat different from the context of general English. Therefore, the present article is intended to explore the teachers' perception and factors contributing to the difficulties in learning general as well as specific English. In addition, it focuses on sort of remedial teaching required to prepare the students at biology department.

Teaching and learning of English as a foreign language is not only challenging, but using English as medium of instruction is also crucial. When it comes to the places where English in not a lingua franca (a link language), the challenges simply double and both the teachers and learners face many problems due to the fact that the target subject (biology) is difficult and the medium of teaching (English) is also not easy. Teaching of English as a subject as well as a medium of instruction (teaching) in the Gulf region in general and Saudi Arabia in particular catches attention of many researchers and scholars especially when the issue is particularly related to poor achievement. Teaching of English at preparatory level (foundation year) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah serves two purposes: first, it lays and strengthens the foundation of general English that they carried forward from schooling. Second, the learners are made proficient in English during the foundation year s...

The article is devoted to the questions connected with teaching English to students of nonlinguistic specialties. For example, teaching professionally focused reading and writing scientific articles and organization of listening on professional topics. In these cases, as it is mentioned teacher must choose teaching materials carefully and very often use discursive analysis. The methods used in the article are questionnaire and observation. The main purpose of the article is to correlate results of the questionnaire which was connected with expectations of foreign language course and which was done by the first-year students of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology and some features of teaching "English for specific purposes" which can help to satisfy expectations. Materials of the article can be useful for university foreign language teachers during elaboration of "English for specific purposes" course.

The study generally aimed to determine the instructional mechanisms utilized by Biology teachers in the five (5) public secondary schools in Naval, Division of Biliran and identify its relationship to students ’ academic performance. It utilized the descriptive survey method. The survey included seven (7) Biology teachers and 904 Biology students. Teacher-respondents were generally considered young. Most of them were females. Majority of them were taking units leading to M.A. degree. Most of them were least experienced in the job. The in-service trainings they have attended were limited only to school and division levels. The instructional materials they utilized in teaching Biology subject were fairly adequate. With respect to instructional mechanisms, lecture and recitation method was most often used while computer-aided instruction was rarely used. Of the evaluation measures, multiple choice was the only measure used always while diagrams or pictures and role play were rarely use...

This study examined pedagogical practices adopted by teachers when teaching learners taking English as First Additional Language in Life Sciences classrooms. The inquiry adopted a generic qualitative design located within the interpretivist paradigm and involved purposively selected Life Sciences teachers and grade 10 learners from South African township schools as participants. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The empirical investigation is underpinned by the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) as the underlying theoretical framework. The study uncovered a myriad of instructional challenges facing Life Sciences teachers and learners associated with the use of English as a medium of instruction while it is taken as a First Additional Language by the learners. In particular, the terminology used in Life Sciences as a key knowledge domain posed fundamental instructional challenges in relation to meaningful develop...

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to provide the students and the lecturers with an appropriate instructional material that is in-line with the syllabus and fit the students’ needs. The research was conducted using the procedures of research and development (R&D) that consist of need assessment, planning, material development, evaluation and revision, field testing, and the last is final product revision. The data were collected through interview, questionnaire, observation, field notes, and expert validation. The result of the research is that the product of the research is developed into ten units. Each unit was developed to contain three main sections, namely, reading section, grammar section, and speaking section. The instructional material also contains various exercises both written and spoken so that the students could be actively involved in the teaching and learning activities. The media included in the instructional material was selected to help the students in learni...