Hayam Mohammed

Department: English
Discipline: Education
Research Centre/Unit: General Education College

Project Summary

My research area is critical language awareness and its implications on education. The conducted study is an attempt to explore and rethink teachers’ conception of critical language awareness feasibility and dimensions within the contextual social encounters with learners in the classroom, and interrelated matters of practice and application.  The purpose of this study stems from the need to understand the status of criticality teaching in language classes through the eyes of those who are first hand involved in the teaching process. Since understanding is preceding to improvement, it is important to understand the case of CLA teaching in language classes and the contributing factors to its lack or presence from a perspective other than that of students or outside researchers, as most studies are.  That exploration aims eventually at improving the teaching conditions in regard to the new trends of education that control the performance of language teachers. The study is interpretive in nature and depends on qualitative methodology that seeks explorative value and rich life experiences. Semi-structured interviews of colleagues best fit the intended purpose and the needed data. The data is thematically analyzed using depiction of codes and repeated patterns. The findings are hoped to be a contribution to knowledge and the teaching profession.

Supervisory Team

Dr. Salah Troudi

Dr. Dongbo Zhang

Wider Research Interests

Language awareness is in critical relevance to inseparable fields of life and knowledge and cannot be viewed solely without reference to various aspects of education, language learning, pedagogical strategies, culture, social backgrounds, political dimensions of global hegemony, and issues of identity and being. Other factors such as globalization, marketization, language imperialism and power relations are issues that deeply affect the educational processes and institutions. Issues of accountability and professionalism are at stake due to growing corporate industrailization of education that is becoming a profit-making commodity. Predisposition of autonomy passion and professionalism, which have always been pillars of good teaching, are questioned. Academis are facing challenges to maintain the core of their profession in a rapidly changing world. My main concern in research area is exploring, in hope for improving, the global drive towards marketization and authoritarian management that impede academics' job satisfaction and the joy of being a "giver".