Program Description:
The program is designed to offer a master's degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). It is a course-based program that requires the completion of 42 credit hours. These 42 credit hours comprise 31 credit hours for theoretical and 11 for practical courses. These 42 credit hours are distributed across four semesters of 16 qualifying courses (12 required and 4 electives). For the stipulated two-year tenure for program completion, courses are offered with 11/12 credit hours per semester for the first three semesters and 8 credit hours in the fourth and final.
Program Goals:
The program goals are to:
- Equip the students with tools towards language learning and teaching in order to become competent English language teachers.
- Provide strong background to the students in the theory of issues related to language teaching, such as approaches to language teaching.
- Prepare the students to critically evaluate the appropriate teaching materials, in terms of relevance, time coverage, level suitability, vocabulary grading, culture sensitivities, etc.
- Provide the students with the up-to-date findings in language learning principles, particularly, effective methods, learning strategies, individual differences and difficulties in language learning, and motivation.
- Teach central topics related to language learning and teaching, such as testing, assessment, classroom research, class management, individual differences, learning strategies, and case studies.
- Train the students on how to write research proposals and assignment papers, and how to plan and carry out small-scale empirical studies, including dissertation structure and reference documentation.
- In brief, train the students on how to plan and implement an effective program of a language course.
Student Admission Requirements:
Applicants must meet the criteria, satisfying the official requirements as set forth by the Deanship of Graduate Studies, Jazan University:
- BA in English (Linguistics, Literature, Applied Linguistics, Languages, Translation), or BA in Education (major of English Studies), from a Saudi University or a recognized international university.
- The overall grade is preferred to be good C+ (3.5 out of 5) or above which can be modified upon the University policy for admission.
- A score of no less than 5.5 in IELTS or any equivalence.
- Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test (PGAT) score of no less than 65.
- It is preferred but not required that applicants should have at least one year of a teaching experience certificate.
- Any other requirements set by the Deanship of Graduate Studies, Jazan University.
Program Study Plan
Summary of Courses
Course Title: Topics in TESOL Skills
Course Code: TSL 600
Course Description:
This course provides an overview of the field of second language teaching and learning with an emphasis on TESOL. The major theories, approaches, and issues are introduced in their historical context. The course will serve as a theoretical foundation for other courses in the TESOL-MA. program including topics on EFL/ESL course design and assessment. Students will have an opportunity to incorporate what they learn in their teaching practices.
Course Title: Topics in Language Learning and Acquisition
Course Code: TSL 601
Course Description:
TSL 601 introduces students to the basic concepts and theories of language learning and acquisition including the stages that first and second language learners go through. Students will be familiarized with the related personal and social factors thought to contribute to the acquisition of a second language such as motivation and socioeconomic factors including age, gender, culture, and social identity. Additionally, it will touch upon the psychological and linguistic perspectives in learning the first language and acquiring a second language, particularly English as a second language in the Saudi context.
Course Title: Approaches to English Language Teaching
Course Code: TSL 602
Course Description:
This course aims to acquaint students with the theories, approaches, methods, and specific techniques concerning the teaching of English as a second language. During the course, the students would explore the relationship between second language acquisition theory and research on the one hand, and actual classroom language learning and instruction on the other hand. The course is divided into two major parts. The first part of the course focuses on a historical review, analysis and evaluation of major 20thand 21stcentury approaches and methods in language teaching. An understanding of the major and minor trends in language teaching will facilitate one’s own personal choice of language teaching pedagogy.
The second part of the course focuses on the macro and micro-strategies of language teaching with a specific emphasis on the micro-strategies / techniques meant to enhance the creation of a personalized, and contextually relevant praxis of English language teaching.
Course Title: English Pedagogical Grammar
Course Code: TSL 603
Course Description:
The course will ensure refinement of the practical use of English, particularly of grammar and its teaching strategies.
Course Title: Pragmatics and English Language Teaching
Course Code: TSL 604
Course Description:
The course will investigate topics in pragmatics and address the communicative function that lies in utterances. It will address how language functions are used where forms and functions can convey different meanings.
Course Title: Language Testing and Assessment
Course Code: TSL 605
Course Description:
This course will offer an opportunity to review and analyze the core concepts and notions in language testing and assessment. It will enrich students with a working knowledge of fundamental principles and procedures for test construction and evaluation. This course will also help students align and compare a test score to a standardized test and invite discussion of alternative forms of assessments.
Course Title: Instructional Technologies in TESOL
Course Code: TSL 606
Course Description:
This course examines educational technology’s uses and issues, focusing on computer-related technologies and their application to educational tasks. Discussions (online and face-to-face), readings, virtual field experiences through online videos, software evaluations, and class projects will be utilized in order to help students develop a working knowledge of instructional technologies.
Course Title: Language and Society
Course Code: TSL 607
Course Description:
The aim of this course is to give students an in-depth understanding of the role and function of the English language in the world and the ways in which oral and written discourses are interpreted in different contexts. It is intended to summarize the wide variety and range of social factors that influenced the use of English over time in various societies. It will enable the students to understand the importance of English in the current worldwide socioeconomic scenario. The course will encourage the learners to enhance their analytical skills and critical thinking on the issue of using English for social development.
Course Title: Discourse Analysis
Course Code: TSL 608
Course Description:
Discourse analysis is the study of the naturally-occurring language across extended texts, both spoken and written, that we encounter frequently in our everyday lives. The course begins by exploring the various ways in which one can analyze and interpret spoken and written texts within their distinctive social contexts, acting alongside other semiotic modes of meaning-making. It also examines and critiques the various methods which are used to describe discourse of various kinds and investigate the ways in which language resources are put to use to achieve specific goals, in specific contexts, for specific audiences.
Course Title: Professional Development of English Language Teachers
Course Code: TSL 609
Course Description:
The Professional Development course is a dynamic field-based learning experience that provides students participating in the TESOL Program with the opportunity to learn more about their professional areas of interest through the structured and creative application of theory to practice. This course will equip students with the knowledge and skills to build a professional network. Topics will include professional development, its relation to teacher education, pedagogy resources, professional skills and responsibilities, 21st-century networking tools, and ongoing professional growth to support classroom learning and achievement.
Besides, the course focuses on developing key interpersonal strategies and skills to manage self and function effectively and cooperatively as an academician and professional in a range of academic environments. It also creates an understanding of an EFL teacher mindset and emphasizes techniques for identifying and evaluating academic opportunities and presentation of self to the schools/colleges/universities. The accompanying research project encourages students to pursue individualized lines of inquiry while gaining practical knowledge of their professional areas to provide context to their learning. This combination of research and professional development gives the Professional Development course its unique flavor.
Course Title: Language Curriculum Design
Course Code: TSL 610
Course Description:
The aim of introducing 'Language Curriculum Design' is to enable the prospective language teachers to investigate curricular models and their features, focusing on how curricular design promotes learning a target language. They will be able to show their expertise in needs analysis, syllabus design, material production, and course evaluation. The course emphasizes the importance of alignment; that is, the connection between course outcomes, classroom instruction, and assessment of learning. It enables the participants to develop materials according to their own work environment and the needs of learners.
Course Title: English for Specific Purpose
Course Code: TSL 611
Course Description:
The course is designed to meet the specified needs of the students. It offers the opportunity to explore special language skills needed in the particular field of business and job, such as Human Resource Management, Finance, Business, Engineering, Tourism, Medical, and Marketing, etc. It will enable the students to understand the importance of specific English communication skills in the current worldwide socioeconomic situations.
Course Title: Research Methodology in TESOL
Course Code: TSL 694
Course Description:
This course focuses on developing an awareness of and understanding of research methods appropriate to the field of second language teaching and learning. The module is designed to support the thesis. Specifically, it will enable students to formulate a research question or questions relevant to their MA (TESOL), justify a methodological approach, and select appropriate data gathering and analysis methods for their study within an ethical research framework.
Course Title: Practicum in TESOL
Course Code: TSL 695
Course Description:
This course involves two components: in the first part of the course, the students will have theoretical inputs on teaching practice, and in the second part of the course, the students will undergo real-life teaching. During the teaching practicum, the students apply their expertise in curriculum design, instructional strategies, classroom management, and assessment to an educational setting. Mixing field observation experiences and full-time teaching, the students utilize standards-based educational theories and practices daily in real-life teaching and learning environments. This part of the course will be a mix of classroom observation and eight teaching practices.
During the course, a practicum student must develop a professional teaching portfolio. Components that make up the portfolio provide evidence of the practicum student’s ability to (1) develop lesson plans that address diverse student needs, (2) utilize formal and informal assessments to measure and monitor student performance, (3) integrate literacy into content-area instruction, (4) utilize effective classroom management and student engagement strategies, and (5) exhibit professional and ethical practice as a language teacher.
Course Title: Seminars in TESOL
Course Code: TSL 696
Course Description:
The course is intended to provide learners with the practical foundations of TESOL as a profession. They will use the dynamics of the communicative language teaching approach in their teaching. They are expected to demonstrate their understanding of differences in teaching English to varied learners coming from different socio-cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, the students will relate their teaching practice with the current research in this field of knowledge.
Course Title: Research Project
Course Code: TSL 698
Course Description:
This course requires a graduation project to be submitted as a part of the graduation requirements. TSL-698 is planned to help students to implement in practice what they had learned in TSL 694 (Research Methodology). Students will be assigned a graduation project supervisor early in their degree program for assistance in the preparation of the paper. They need to make a research proposal that will be approved by the supervisor.
The basic question the student will attempt to address in the paper is: How has my academic training prepared me to be a practicing TESOL professional? This should be discussed and documented (with citations and a reference list) in a well-written paper that has the basic components of a journal article.