English Education in Oman : Current Scenarios and Future Trajectories

This book explores an area that has been somewhat overlooked in the literature to date – the current status and future trends of English education in Oman. It offers a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the subject and explores areas of English education in Oman that have, until now, been little investigated. It explores these issues from a variety of perspectives: the professionalization of English teachers in the country; the implementation of novel teaching methodologies, curricula, and assessment approaches, into what are, in many ways, still very traditional education settings; the integration of learner identity into English language instruction; country- and culture-specific concerns with conducting research with Omani participants; the strategic demands of building stronger links between education and workforce needs; and developing learner autonomy and motivation.

Rahma Al-Mahrooqi is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, where she has worked for more than 20 years. In addition to her current position overseeing research and postgraduate studies at Oman’s only public university, she has also coordinated tertiary-level English courses and programs, been the director of one of the largest English language centres in the region, and published widely on English language teaching and learning in Oman, including such topics as reading, literature, and English communication skills. She has also acted as the principal investigator in a number of funded research projects, including investigations related to Omani students’ English-language communication skills and public school graduates’ weaknesses in English. In addition, she reviews for a number of international journals, including TESOL Quarterly, System, and the International Students’ Journal.

Christopher Denman is a researcherat the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. He was previously affiliated with the university’s Humanities Research Centre and was also an instructor at its Language Centre, after teaching English at the secondary and tertiary levels in Australia, South Korea, and Japan. He has published in international journals and edited books, in addition to being a co-editor of two volumes dealing with employment and education and English education in the Arab world. He has been involved in several funded research projects concerning various aspects of education in Oman, and was the principal investigator on a project that explored issues related to English-medium instruction at the tertiary level in the sultanate.