Troubles and Hardships Students

have in Learning Arabic at Jordan's

International Schools
Abstract:

This study aims to explore the problems that exist in the challenges of
implementation of Arabic language teaching methodology in Jordan
International Schools. The researcher designed a questionnaire to
identify these problems. The most prominent problems that confronted
Arabic language teachers while applying e-curricula for the subject
included technical problems in computer devices or communication
networks, the scarcity of devices, inadequate class time allotted to the
computerized subject, shortage of support personnel in school
administration, the deficiency in teachers' perception of level as to what
their role entails in this process, and the negative attitudes some of
them have towards applying technology in education. The study
suggests some recommendations based on the findings such as review
and refine the training programs in order to better prepare and certify
Arabic language teachers in effective Arabic e-curricula application; or
offer a greater quantity of courses catering to the variable levels of
teacher expertise. The results of the study showed no differences
between males and females in estimating the problems of applying
Arabic language e-curricula in Jordanian schools.

Introduction
In this age of science and technology, there is a veritable explosion in cognitive understanding, and a
more rapid spreading of cultural information and standards. One must strive to adjust and take
advantage of what this age offers to increase learning and cognitive skills through available
education technologies, and to be informed of current practical uses and trends.

Educational technology has now become a wide field that concerns, among other things, the
designing of curriculums, tailoring of educational experiences, and regular evaluations of the learner
and teaching methodologies. In spite of that, it is, in essence, a logical entity devoted to solving
problems. Such technology is still, at best, partially integrated in a curriculum. It’s teaching
capabilities inside classrooms are still largely in the phase of observation and not implementation—
in spite of the intention being that this entity function in a manner consistent with the needs of the
educational system, with the benefits of technology and network communications, inside the
classroom and open galleries of the school.

It is of utmost importance to establish an integrated education dependent upon these technical

tools. Advantages to using the computer include being able to create unique educational
experiences based on the student's ability, thus creating programs to serve all levels and abilities,
and establishing organized curriculums built on scientific foundations. Establishing such tools would
make the student the crux of the learning process, and potentially create an interactive and
successful environment of working with students in which they are the foundation (Lowry, 2003) 1.
The use of the computer in the learning process has grown in significance with the advent and
proliferation of the internet, which made it easier to access knowledge and scientific concepts; and
this attracted educators looking for the best methods to create an interactive environment to grab
students' attention, and to encourage the exchange of opinions and experiences.

The technical capabilities of the computer and Internet provide a rich environment in which students
may collaborate in cooperative projects by facilitating the communication process between them
and their colleagues in different geographical locations, while pushing them to grow their thinking
skills and search for information. These technical tools also enable teachers to connect with an
abundant set of experiences and educational research that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.
The strength of the Internet lies in its ability to connect people across exceptional distances and from
different cultures and experiences. Thus, using this technology increases learning opportunities and
stretches them to an extent farther than conventional schools can (Al-Mousa, 2003) 2.

Martin Tsash defines electronic learning as a group of processes connected with education
performed via the internet, such as obtaining information connected with a certain subject of study.
It isn’t simply a teacher, whether human or virtual, instructing and commanding pupils across the
internet, nor is it the pure exploitation of available technical resources, but it is an evolving, highly
flexible form of education (Tsash, 2006)3. Electronic learning, in its different forms, has been able to
spread due to its ability to be employed in self-learning programs, offering unique educational
experiences specific to the learner, allowing him or her to learn alone and still keep up with the set
curriculum. It allows the learner to control the speed and timing for lessons and allow them to
transcend the barrier of time. An ideal form of this learning would also encourage the learner to
interact and cooperate, and it would make this easier by bridging geographic constraints between
the sender and receiver.

Electronic learning is compatible with numerous cognitive techniques and learning techniques and
can make use of a multitude of “voices,” images, and media. To succeed in the communication
process with students, it seeks to stabilize and carry out the activation principle with the educational
1
Alanezi, A. (2019).Problems to applying electronic school management in Kuwait. Research in Education 1(1), 1–16.

2
Almousa, A. (2003). Electronic Education: Its concept, characteristics, benefits and problems.
http://www.ksu.edu.sa/seminars/future- school/ Abstracts/ AlmosaAbstract.htm

3
Tsash, M. (2006). Electronic Learning is a new challenge for educationists: How to stabilize them in front of “of Informatics
disorder.” Retrieved from http://www.bab.com/articles/full_article.cfm?id=6689.
curricula. Curricula, here, does not only connote that different disciplines specify the area and scope
of their subjects or give the information to be studied at each subject. A curriculum by this
specification will only care for the cognitive aspect, more than anything else, and any activity that
does not specifically concern the subject of study will be outside the curriculum, and so is considered
of little significance. This is quite a narrow and limited view of what a school curriculum should and
can do and seems to suggest that a school treat learners as one-dimensional objects to which they
feed predetermined information, rather than holistic beings with mental, physical, social, and
emotional needs (Ibrahim,1962)4. These are the needs that have come to be central to the design of
the curricula used by electronic learning, or e-curricula, that are made to resemble the spirit of
school curricula but with a developed contemporaneous outlook that can adjust to the needs of
contemporary society.

Electronic Curricula are Divided into Three Types:

1. Prepared curricula: curricula comprised of the most disseminated subjects in the general
curricula.

2. Customized prepared curricula: general curricula that are somewhat customized, with some
amendments made to fit the needs of the parties using them.

3. Customized curricula: curricula that are being designed, from the ground up, for the sake of
certain parties, taking into account their environment, culture, and circumstances (Anderson, 2001)5.

With the adoption of these developed modern technological tools, a teacher’s role should also
progress and develop, or else these innovations will not have the desired impact in education.
Schools cannot adopt them without first preparing the basic human structure, and that includes
satisfactory training for teachers.

It may be believed that the cost of electronic learning is confined to the tangibles, such as the cost of
computers, required software, Internet service, and of delivering the scientific subject electronically.
However, the overall costs include the initial development of the educational programs by
specialized work teams and sufficient teacher training in dealing with these technical tools and
interacting with the educational environment electronically. Intermixed learning requires the
support of supervisors and assistants and should nurture an interactive environment between
teachers and assistants from one side and learners from the other (Tsash, 2006; Alrammal, 2006) 6.

4
Ibrahim, A. L. (1962). Curriculums: Basics, organizations and evaluation of their impact. Egypt, Library, Cairo: Republic of
Arab Egypt.

5
Anderson, C. (2001). E-learning in practice: Proprietary knowledge and instructional design. e-learning fundamentals. (1), 20-32.
6

Tsash, M. (2006). Electronic Learning is a new challenge for educationists: How to stabilize them in front of “of Informatics
disorder.” Retrieved from http://www.bab.com/articles/full_article.cfm?id=6689. Alrammal, S.(2006). Basics of
Electronic Curriculum and the Machinery of implementation at Jordanian Schools. (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation). University of Jordan. Amman. Jordan.
The efficacy of teachers in intermixed learning is established by the quality of their communication
skills, their capacity for self-learning, their ability to critically think, their skills in understanding and
using modern advances and technical tools at work, their ability to present an academic subject in an
effective manner, the effectiveness of their class management, their maintenance of an optimal class
environment, and their ability to use continuous evaluation and feedback during teaching. The
typical role of the teacher will change from that of a lecturer to one who is a source, trainer, model,
and decision-maker (Hussein, 2002)7.

The process of preparing teachers for this changing role is not a simple matter and will not be
achieved by simply organizing a set of training courses that mostly concentrate on technical and
technological concerns. It has to involve laying out an integrated plan which addresses all the
domains and responsibilities of teachers and that helps in altering unhealthy preconceptions and
attitudes about technology. Teachers must be able to appreciate the significance of technology in
aiding in the learning process in order to enter into a beneficial partnership with it.

Some educational scholars believe in prioritizing in training the desired educational and scientific
standards, as well as the relevant cultural considerations, and selecting to train teachers who wish to
develop themselves and those competencies (Hasan, 2002)8. Scholars also emphasize the technical
considerations, such as training in specialized technical skills for working with computer programs,
training in the intricacies of computers and network communications, having the use of a
comprehensive support and moderation structure to increase efficiency, investing in modern
educational advances to develop teaching strategies, designing and publishing educational pages on
the internet, developing class plans that merge Internet sourcing in the curriculum, and the
management of an effective learning operation that is interactive with the environment and
technology (Omar, 2003; Al-Mousa, 2003)9.

The learner will also have added responsibility and must also be prepared for his or her new role in
this system, but this does not decrease the importance of preparing teachers because they will be
implementing it and thus need experience in dealing with modern technologies in addition to
providing psychological support to learners. Still, students will have to possess the ability to organize
and plan their time alone without external pressure, to exhibit ethical etiquette in using the Internet,
to efficiently search the Internet for learning objectives without distraction. Their wellbeing must be
accommodated, and this concerns the height of the seat and size of computer screen for
comfortable usage. They would have to be trained on customizing their eyes for long periods in front

7
Hasan, A. M. (2002). Roles of the teacher between reality and the hoped in the school of the future “an educational vision.
Department of psychology, available: http:11 www.bab.com/articles article.cfm?id = 6689

8
Hasan, A. M. (2002). Roles of the teacher between reality and the hoped in the school of the future “an educational vision.
Department of psychology, available: http:11 www.bab.com/articles article.cfm?id = 6689

9
Omar, M. (2003). Impact of using the computer in developing the educational process,
Research Center. Retrieved from http:www. Kuwait25.com/ab 7th/view. Php?tales_id= 585
Almousa, A. (2003). Electronic Education: Its concept, characteristics, benefits and problems. http://www.ksu.edu.sa/seminars/future-
school/ Abstracts/ AlmosaAbstract.htm
of the screen, with proper breaks, and be given exercises to train their fingers on typing. Students
should be trained to build up their immunity against damage that may be caused by electronic
learning, and to assist them in recognizing appropriate limits when making use of the digital world
(Tsash,2006)10.

Literature Review
Electronic learning, and how it is approached by educators, has been studied and written about
extensively. In such a study, Jerifer (2003)11 classified into specific categories the problems to
electronic learning; and they are:

1. Students: The study found that students’ lack of incentive towards learning, and their
dependence to a great extent on conventional methods like the dictation technique, made them
overly dependent on the teacher. Electronic education methods challenged that dependence and
placed a greater responsibility on them for their own learning, which resulted in poor initial attitudes
towards these methods and hindered their success. Students needed more time to adjust to their
new roles and gain more trust in themselves and their abilities to learn via these new methods.

2. Supervisors and trainers: The study showed that the unavailability, in sufficient numbers, of
trainers possessing necessary skills for training and certifying the teachers is a significant reason for
delaying the spread of electronic learning.

3. Electronic curricula: The study showed that deficiencies in the ability to prepare ecurricula,
and the unavailability of satisfactory support to those preparing them, constitutes a great obstacle
towards the spread of electronic learning.

Palumbo (2004) found some key points with regards to e-curricula, and posited that if they were
ignored it may lead to greater difficulties in understanding the educational subject and achieving the
objectives of electronic learning: Presenting subject material in various forms based on the different
abilities of students greatly contributed to those students’ better understanding of the educational
subject, using motive pictures and the story technique in paraphrasing a subject had a great impact
in attracting students to the subject, as it made it easier to understand what is presented by
stimulating and exciting their senses, and paying close attention to technical considerations when

10
Tsash, M. (2006). Electronic Learning is a new challenge for educationists: How to stabilize them in front of “of Informatics
disorder.” Retrieved from http://www.bab.com/articles/full_article.cfm?id=6689. Alrammal, S.(2006). Basics of
Electronic Curriculum and the Machinery of implementation at Jordanian Schools. (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation). University of Jordan. Amman. Jordan.

11
Jenifer, Dillon. (2003). Identifying the Problems in eLearning. Retrieved from: http://www.jeniferdillon.com/pdf/Identifying%20the
%20Problems.pdf
transferring educational material via the Internet, such as having optimal network connections to
ensure quick and satisfactory transmission, had a good impact on students.

In the Seidi, Dastnaee, & Hedayati (2014) study “Developing Electronic Materials for Language
Curriculum Development: Issues, Problems, and Implications,” the authors explain developments
that have given acceleration to technological language teaching in a digital context. We can see the
widespread use of such teaching in many educational contexts including schools, institutes, and
online language learning. The development of e-learning materials is usually considered as being
complex, time-consuming, and expensive which leads to producing materials that are difficult to
adapt and maintain. It has always been a challenge to identify proper e-learning materials that can
be reused at a reasonable cost and effort and this issue needs further attention. Considering the
material development process, more information should be provided for language teachers to use
technology in language teaching processes. The use of technology in language teaching is increasing
and as a result online courses will be more provided by ELT teachers in the future. This rises new
issues about the curriculum of such courses. This paper aims at investigating the main issues
concerning the development of electronic materials for language teaching and the roles and
responsibilities of teachers in this regard in relation with a digital curriculum with the bigger
framework of a digital culture.

Al-Basheer (2019) studied the obstacles of employing electronic Arabic curricula for all teaching
stages at general public schools in Al-Jahra governorate in Kuwait: an analytical study. The study
aimed to identify the obstacles of employing electronic Arabic language curricula for the elementary,
intermediate, and secondary stages in the public schools in AlJahra Province in the State of Kuwait
from the point of view of the Arabic language teachers. To achieve the objectives of the study, a
questionnaire was designed illustrating the obstacles in three areas related to school administration,
the teacher, and the students. Individual semistructured interviews were also used with a number of
Arabic language teachers from the three educational stages to identify these obstacles and their
impact on employing the electronic curricula within the classroom. The study also attempted to
determine whether some independent variables (gender, educational stage) contribute in
statistically significant differences at the level of (α = 0.05) between the average score of the
teachers of the Arabic language. The study population included all female and male Arabic language
teachers (n=983) in Al-Jahra governorate for the academic year 2016/2017. A representative sample
of 327 teachers was selected to apply the study tools, conduct the appropriate statistical analyses,
and present the results and discuss them according to the study questions. The results showed that
the obstacles in the field of school administration had the highest averages, followed by the
obstacles associated with the field of teacher, and then obstacles associated with the field of
students. The results did not indicate a statistically significant effect on gender and educational
stage. The study concluded with a number of recommendations.

A study by Alanezi (2019) concluded that organizations in diverse fields are faced with challenges
that require them to develop, adopt, and/or innovate new administrative methods to save time and
effort. Based on the need for school administrators to cope with these challenges, this study
investigated the main problems to applying electronic school management in Kuwait from a
teacher’s perspective. The findings showed that there were statistically significant differences
between males and females in their views on administrative problems. The author recommended
having an integrated plan for the process of transformation into electronic management and plan a
project to shift towards the use of electronic management systems.

A study Boru and Evmenova (2019) concluded that the growth of online learning has placed
increased pressure on K-12 schools and universities to provide students at all levels with qualified
instructors. It is especially important that colleges of education provide pre- and inservice teachers
with skilled online instructors so that they can experience the benefit of quality online instruction
firsthand as students. This case study examined the effectiveness of a 6- to 7-week professional
development course designed to improve faculty members' knowledge, skills, and dispositions--all
required to teach online effectively in a college of education. Faculty participants were also given the
opportunity to earn up to seven digital badges for demonstrating specific skills during the
professional development course. Analysis of 18 faculty interviews, surveys, and discussion board
comments found that course content and assignments improved faculty members' knowledge and
skills, but the ways the course was delivered and the online teaching methods modeled by the
course instructor appeared to have a larger impact on perceptions and attitudes towards online
learning. As a result, online teaching professional development may have its greatest impact when it
models the types of online courses the college would like faculty themselves to design and facilitate.
Faculty appeared to be more motivated to earn digital badges than they had originally anticipated
but were confused about what to do with the badges once they were earned.

Abbas & Al Sa’aeedy (2020) studied the obstacles in applying electronic classroom technology in
teaching electromechanical engineering students from the viewpoint of the teachers. The study aims
to identify the most important technical obstacles in the electromechanical department from the
point of view of the teachers. The questionnaire consisted of (46) (3) because the number of
alternatives to the questionnaire is five alternatives, that is, they have abandoned the ideal aspects
to be available in order to facilitate the application of electronic grade technology.

The Jordanian Trial

The educational initiative in Jordan began with an ambitious plan costing half a million dollars and
was executed by the Ministry of Education over a period of five years—from 2002 to 2007. It was
aimed at hastening socio-economic growth with a wide-ranging application of electronic learning at
the levels of developing curricula, making required devices available, and training teachers— all
for the sake of developing education under the umbrella of cognitive economy (Tougan, 2003)12.

The Ministry of Education set out this initiative by first making sure teachers are qualified to use
computers adequately. It did so by enrolling them in International Computer Driving License (ICDL)
12
Tougan, K. (2003). Impact of the Informatics and Communicational Revolt on the Educational Elements. Retrieved from
www.moe.gov.jo.
courses, as well as Intel courses. This increased their ability to merge technological tools with their
curricula in order to improve students' learning and proceed at the level of their learning. This step
obtained great support at all levels in the state and encouraged those responsible for the
educational process in Jordan to continue towards the implementation of electronic learning as part
of a growing trend of moving towards using technology within state systems (Tougan, 2003).

The ministry’s policy became to develop learning content by employing information technology and
communications effectively , and to build a bridge between local and worldly schools of thought.
They sought to collaboratively establish a Jordanian model of electronic learning through strategic
partnerships, which were meant to lead to other key partnerships in this area. When computerizing
the mathematics curriculum of the first to twelfth grade, as devised by Jordanian company Rubicon,
they signed on a partnership agreement with Microsoft to finance that project and to provide
technical support. Then, the Jordanian Company Minhaj did conduct, develop, and computerize the
project with support of experts from Bristol University.

Minhaj had completed computerizing the physics curriculum for the eleventh grade in the year 2002,
with support from Japanese Company Jaica, and submitted it to the Ministry of Education, which
then started applying it in Exploring Schools from the 2003/2004 academic year.

The trial aimed at measuring experiences with this type of curriculum and gain practical knowledge
about how to best employ the computer in education to facilitate learning, as well as how to
illustrate difficult concepts for students by using the different methods available. This fostered
discussion about the extent to which the system may apply these curricula in students’ lives.

Study Terminology
Electronic learning: a learning process in which an educational subject is taught to a student
through modern technological means— a computer, networked software, or the Internet— and
through a system of electronic learning inside the classroom or a computerizing laboratory.

Arabic e-curriculum: a curriculum for the study of the Arabic language that has been adapted into
computerized software. It hinges on student self-learning, and on the use of a computer in learning.

Research Goal and Significance of Study

This study attempts to shed light on the most prominent problems that prevent the spreading of
electronic learning, which in turn hinders the application of an electronic curriculum (ecurriculum) in
the Arabic language. Recognizing what these significant issues are will aid towards understanding
how to best address them in the design, improvement, and implementation of e-curriculum.

Study Question
The study attempts to answer the following question:

1. What are problems of implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum in Amman’s Schools?

2. Is there a difference between male and female teachers in their estimates of Problems of
implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum in Amman’s Schools?

Study limitations: The study sample was restricted to Arabic language teachers in ten government
schools in Amman, which the researcher had chosen intentionally for their cooperation. The results
of the study are determined by the tool employed by the researcher, and accordingly, it is not
permissible to generalize the results of this study in the event that tools other than the
aforementioned are used.

Temporal boundaries: This study was implemented in the first semester of 2019/2020.

Methodology
Study methodology: The study followed the descriptive and analytical approach, by analyzing the
results of the questionnaire as a study tool to investigate the problems of implementing Arabic
language curricula in Amman schools.

Study subjects: The sample of the study chosen from Arabic language teachers in Amman schools,
and the researcher choose (120) male and female teachers randomly.

Study Instrument
To answer the study questions, the researcher used a questionnaire to identify specific problems of
implementation of Arabic effectively at Amman’s schools. The questionnaire included the following
domains:
1- The technical considerations inherent to the computer devices, Arabic e-curriculum
programs, and the general local communications network when implementation of Arabic language
e-curriculum. This domain included 10 items.

2- The role of school administration in implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum. This

domain included 10 items.

3- The role of the Arabic language teacher in implementation of Arabic language ecurriculum.
This domain included 15 items.
4- The role of the student in implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum. This domain
included 10 items.

5- The views of the Arabic language teachers about the design of Arabic e-curriculum and their
impact on its application. This domain included 10 items.

Reliability of the Questionnaire

Reliability of the questionnaire was measured by re-administering it one month later to the same
sample. Pearson’s equation was used to calculate a connection coefficient of (0.90), and the
reliability coefficient was considered convincing for the study purposes.

Also to verify the validity of the study tool, it was presented to (10) reviewers who specialize in
curricula and methods of teaching Arabic, Arabic language, and educational psychology, and their
observations were based on amending some paragraphs related to the representation of the study
plan, deleting some paragraphs, and they were taken into consideration. And the stability of the tool
was confirmed by calculating the internal consistency using the (Cronbach Alpha) equation, and the
result was equal to (0.79), which is an acceptable ratio.

The response scale for each paragraph was organized into five ratings as follows: (Strongly agree,
agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree) and grades were given according to the response (1,
2, 3, 4, 5).

Procedures of the study: After putting the tool in its final form, it was applied to the study sample.
(120) male and female teachers answered the questionnaire, then data were collected and
statistically analyzed in order to answer the study questions and arrive at the results.

Statistical used: Analyzing the collected data and the following statistical methods were used:
Frequencies, percentages, arithmetic means.
Results
This study sought to investigate the problems of implementation of Arabic language ecurriculum at
Amman’s schools. To do so, a questionnaire was devised that aimed to uncover those problems and
was distributed to the sample of Arabic language teachers. Then, all items were entered into SPSS
software to calculate the arithmetic mean of each item, paying close attention to negative items
within the employed scale. The results are discussed below.

First Domain: Technical Considerations (computer devices, Arabic e-curriculum programs,

communications network)

The descriptive statistics done on items of the scale indicated agreement among teachers that these
considerations are significant contributors to problems during the implementation of Arabic
language e-curriculum.

Table 1
Percentage rates and means on each items of the scale items concerning the technical side
(devices, programs and communications)
no Item
Disagreed
neutral

With indication
Agreed
Extremely

Extremely

answer ladder
disagreed

Mean

Of
1 Devices maintenance is delayed by the team %42 %38 %17 4.2667
of technical support in the ministry.
2 Lab supervisor shares in solving problems %10 %65 %22 %3 3.8167
maintenance.
3 He finds himself unable to solve some %23 %67 %5 %5 4.0500
technical problems In the lab. that hinders
exciting electronic Arabic curriculum.
4 When communication with Queen Rania is %73 %27 4.7167
severed it loses contact with computerized
Arabic curriculum.
5 Teacher of Arabic uses the server at school %10 %32 %40 %15 %3 3.3167
to solve problem of contact with Queen
Rania Center.
6 Communication net break down inside the %48 %27 %15 %10 4.1167
school continuously.
7 Pressure continues on the net so it loses %42 %53 %5 4.3966
 swift dealing with electronic Arabic
curriculum.
8 An ability of teacher of Arabic to reach %73 %20 %5 %2 4.5167
electronic Arabic curriculum from home
makes him lose preparation.
9 Number of computers is considered enough %7 %13 %13 %53 %14 2.4333
 in the tab compared to students number.

10 Devices were distributed in lab. Of %3 %32 %25 %30 %10 2.9167

automation that assists the teacher
to follow the electronic Arabic
curriculum.

As seen in the previous table, these technical considerations account for some significant problems
to Arabic e-curricula. It was specifically noted that the breaking down of the network in Queen
Rania’s Center would lead to the inability of teachers to access the Arabic e-curriculum from home,
and thus they lose the ability to adequately prepare their material. It was noted that continuous
pressure and demand on the network makes it slower and thus quite problematic.

The items in this domain are categorized, in descending order according to the arithmetic mean for
the answer ladder, as follows: 4,8,3,7,1,6,2,5,1.

Second Domain: The Role of School Administration in Implementation of Arabic Language E-

Curriculum

The electronic statistics developed for the items of the scale indicated a great agreement among the
sampled teachers with regards to the importance of the school principal’s role in the process of
implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum. This was due to what he or she may offer in moral
support for teachers and connections to resources aiding them to successfully apply electronic
learning— though there is some variation among school principals in these regards.
Table 2
Percentage rate and means on each items of the scale items concerning the school administration
as one of Problems of Implementation of Arabic Language ECurriculums.
No Item

Disagreed
Agreed
Extremely

Indication Of
Neutral

Extremely
disagreed

AnswerScale
Mean
With
11 School and administration save contact %10 %28 %30 %23 %10 3.0833
means with other schools for cooperation
partnership and mutual experience.
13 There is a follow up of the machinery of %13 %58 %22 %5 %3 3.7167
applying the electronic Arabic curriculum
inside the lab. That: through presence of
principal more than one class.
14 A periodical meeting is concluded with %7 %30 %23 %37 %3 2.9500
students to hear their views about
Computerization.
15 The administration does follow the %20 %44 %33 %3 3.7667
ministry a n d t h e team of technical
support t o m e n d the breaks down that
occurs to computer and
communication net inside the school.
16 The administration continuously supports %27 %55 %5 %10 %3 3.9333
Arabic language teachers, who apply the
Arabic e-curriculum, through their
understanding of the nature of the teacher’s
role and their assistance to make this great
national project succeed
17 Administration gives teachers of Arabic %13 %27 %10 %27 %23 2.4167
who apply the electronic Arabic
curriculums enough time to recognize
these curriculums.
18 Administration offers moral support %10 %20 %10 %18 %42 2.4167
(encouragement) and substantial
motivations for teachers of Arabic who
succeed in applying the curriculum of
Arabic language e-curriculum effectively.
19 Administration shares in candid ting %23 %37 %35 %5 3.7833
‫ الكلمة ھذه من متأكدا لست‬teachers of Arabic
to present suitable courses continuously.
20 Administrations of school organizes an %23 %21 %28 %28 3.4167
 exhibition to show students
accomplishments and teacher of Arabic
in the domain of computerizing of
studying units.

It can be seen in the above table that item 18— “The administration offers moral support
(encouragement) and substantial motivation for teachers of Arabic, who succeed in implementation
of Arabic language e-curriculum effectively ”— did not garner required support, as 60% of teachers
indicated that school administration does not serve such a role at all. The second most disagreed
with statement was item 17— “Administration gives teachers of Arabic who apply the electronic
Arabic curriculums enough time to recognize these curriculums Both these items represent ideal
practical roles that the principal and school administration should serve in supporting the application
of electronic learning,

On the other hand, the item most agreed with was item 16— “the administration continuously
supports Arabic language teachers, who apply the Arabic e-curriculum, through their understanding
of the nature of the teacher’s role and their assistance to make this great national project succeed
“However, this item is considered general, and cannot imply a specific degree of required support.

Third Domain: The Role of the Arabic Language Teacher in Implementation of Arabic Language
E-Curriculum.

The descriptive statistics done on items of the scale indicated considerable agreement among
sampled teachers as to the importance of the teacher’s role in implementation of Arabic language e-
curriculum, and how that role may be impacted by his or her perceptions of, and level of comfort
with, technology, which in turn impacts the success of the learning process.

Table 3
Percentage Rates and Means on Each Item of the Scale Items Concerning the Role of the
Teacher of Arabic in Implementation of Arabic Language E-Curriculum
No Item
Extremely

Extremely
Disagreed

Of a nswers
Disagreed

by Indication
Agreed

Neutral
Agreed

ladder
Mean

21 I think that technology has an important %28 %58 %22 4.1034

role to play in improving students’ learning
22 I seek to learn everything new in the %33 %50 %17 4.1667
domain of educational science
23 Disowning necessary skills to using %15 %47 %25 %8 %5 3.5667
technology
 (computer &Data show) limits applying
the curriculum of electronic Arabic un
ability to recognize.
24 Arabic curriculum outside school %22 %63 %3 %12 3.9500
prevents me of good preparation
beforehand for it.

25 I don’t find enough time to balance %20 %58 %12 %10 3.9138
between applying electronic Arabic
curriculum inside the lab and formal
curriculum (book).
26 Applying the curriculum of %17 %13 %24 %18 %28 2.7167
electronic Arabic makes me lose ability to
conduct the class.
27 I can employ the curriculum of %22 %45 %15 %10 %38 3.6167
electronic Arabic in processing
individual differences among students

28 I c a n ’ t process t e c h n i c a l %22 %32 %20 %13 %13 3.4000

problems (computer or net) during class,
this causes trouble to me.
29 I think that computerized %20 %25 %37 %8 %10 3.4483
Arabic curriculums are designed at
anoneffective way.
30 Teacher of Arabic non- %28 %22 %38 %10 %3 3.6667
participation in any role in the process of
preparation &designing curriculums of
computerized Arabic bids him lose wish in
executing electronic Arabic curriculum.
31 Applying the curriculum of electronic %37 %28 %13 %18 %3 3.7667
Arabic many things to me occupational
burdens.
32 Teacher of Arabic role will be contracted %25 %35 %18 %15 %7 3.5667
in class for the interest of electronic
Arabic curriculum.
33 I feel proud as teacher of Arabic at the %37 %43 %12 %18 4.0833
school.
34 Unavailability of computer at my house %32 %27 %15 %23 %3 3.6333
limits developing myself personally, so I
can’t prepare for the curriculum of
electronic Arabic well.
35 Absence of tangible or greater incentives %58 %25 %7 %7 %3 4.2500
for development leads me to lose the
desire to work effectively
It can be seen in the above table that item 35— “absence of tangible or greater incentives for
development leads me to lose the desire to work effectively”— garnered the highest rate of
agreement among sampled teachers. This was followed in the agreement scale by item 22— “Iseek
to learn everything new in the domain of educational science” — then item 21— “I think that
technology has an important role to play in improving students’ learning.”

Fourth Domain: The Student’s Role in the Process of Implementation of Arabic Language E-
Curriculum

The descriptive statistics done on items of the scale indicated agreement among sampled teachers
about the significance of a student’s role in the success of implementation of Arabic language e-
curriculum, where the discussed aspects were student attitudes towards the computerized subject,
the computer device, and the teacher, in addition to the perceived importance of his acquiring the
necessary skills.

Table 4
Repetitions, Percentages, and Means on each Item of the Scale’s Items, Concerning the
Student’s Role in Implementation of Arabic Language E-Curriculum
No. The item
Neutral
Extremely

Extremely
Agreed

Disagreed

Medium by
disagreed

of answers
indication
agreed

ladder
36 Prevents weakness of the student’s %45 %40 %7 %5 %3 4.1833
technical ability to deal with the computer
from interaction with positivity with the
computerized curriculum of Arabic.
37 Students use of the computer in other %27 %57 %10 %3 %3 4.000
purpose in absence of control from
the teacher of Arabic assists in dispersion
of the student.
38 Individuality of students appears in dealing %22 %36 %22 %17 %3 3.5667
with the computer and loss of the spirit of
participation with their colleagues.
39 Some students feel bored during applying the %29 %18 %23 %20 %10 3.3500
curriculum of computerized Arabic.
40 Student’s academic level weakness negatively %38 %3& %15 %3 %7 3.9667
impacts on his following the curriculum of
electronic Arabic
41 Student’s love o f the %43 %45 %7 %5 4.2667
subject impacts in his response to curriculum
of electronic Arabic
42 Prevents student’s bear %7 %33 %50 %7 %3 3.333
 from causing breaking down the device of
computer from dealing easily with
computerized Arabic curriculum.
43 Prevents student’s %27 %30 %28 %12 %3 3.6500
conviction represented in non-significant role
of electronic Arabic curriculum in improving
his learning.
44 Student’s non- commitment leads to trouble %33 %57 %7 %3 2.200
of teacher of Arabic and break down the
computerized class.
45 Student’s love o f t h e %32 %58 %10 4.2167
teacher greatly impacts in his interaction with
the curriculum of electronic Arabic.
38 Individuality of students appears in dealing %22 %36 %22 %17 %3 3.5667
with the computer and loss of the spirit of
participation with their colleagues.

39 Some students feel %29 %18 %23 %20 %10 3.3500

bored during applying the curriculum of
computerized Arabic.
40 Student’s academic level weakness negatively %38 %3& %15 %3 %7 3.9667
impacts on his following the curriculum of
electronic Arabic.
41 Student’s like o f t h e %43 %45 %7 %5 4.2667
subject impacts in his response to curriculum
of electronic Arabic.
42 Prevents student’s bear %7 %33 %50 %7 %3 3.333
from causing breaking down the device of
computer from dealing easily with
computerized Arabic curriculum.
43 Prevents student’s %27 %30 %28 %12 %3 3.6500
conviction represented in non-significant role
of electronic Arabic curriculum in improving
his learning.
44 Student’s non-commitment leads to trouble %33 %57 %7 %3 2.200
of teacher of Arabic and break down the
computerized class.
45 Student’s like of the %32 %58 %10 4.2167
teacher greatly impacts in his interaction with
the curriculum of electronic Arabic.

It can be seen in the previous table that item 41— “student’s love of the subject impacts his/her
understanding of the Arabic e-curriculum” — and item 45— “student’s love of the Arabic language
teacher greatly impacts his/her interaction with the Arabic e-curriculum” — both obtained the
highest rate of agreement among teachers. These items concentrate on the significance of students’
psychological state and attitudes towards the subject and its teacher and the impact of these
intangible aspects on the success of the Arabic e-curriculum. The results of the questionnaire also
show the significance of the student owning the basic skills to interact with the computer, and the
significance of employing these skills in utilizing the Arabic e-curricula under the optimal guidance of
the Arabic teacher.

Fifth Domain: The Views of the Arabic Language Teachers About the Design of Arabic Language
E-Curriculum

The descriptive statistics done on items of the scale indicated the existence of some variation in
views between Arabic teachers towards the Arabic e-curriculum.

Table 5 Arabic Language E-Curriculum Percentage Rates and Means on Each Item of the Scale
Items Concerning the Teachers of Arabic - Arabic Language E-Curriculum.
No. The Item
Neutral
Extremely

Agreed

Disagreed

Extremely

indication of
disagreed

Medium by
Agreed

answers
ladder
46 Non-seriality of the school text with the %30 %50 %20 4.1000
curriculum of electronic Arabic causes some
problems in implementation.
47 Activities submitted in curriculums of the %15 %48 %23 %10 %3 3.6167
computerized Arabic are considered easy
compared with the difficulty of the subject,
the thing that made it never express it clearly.
48 The laboratory experiments in the physical lab %45 %48 %7 4.3833
aid in deepening and clarifying students’
scientific conceptual understanding
49 The imaginative experiences impact %30 %40 %23 %7 3.9333
negatively in the weakness of training
the student on the skill of divest notice,
registration and processing.
50 Examples submitted to illustrate the concepts %18 %42 %32 %3 %5 3.6379
of the teacher indicate that they are weak .
51 Scientific and linguistic mistakes abundantly %15 %43 %31 %10 3.6566
within the curriculum of the computerized
 Arabic.
52 Ideas submitted in the %13 %20 %58 %13 %17 3.0943
Curriculum of electronic Arabic non-derived
from our local environment.
53 There is a clear variation in the method of %23 %40 %30 %3 %3 3.7667
preparing some lessons greatly.
54 The curriculum of %23 %32 %30 %15 3.6333
Electronic Arabic does not concern with the
educational psychological side of students.
55 The curriculum of electronic Arabic lacks to %25 %35 %25 %15 3.6897
variation in methods of paraphrasing the
educational subject.

It can be seen in the above table that there was overwhelming agreement to item 48— “the
laboratory experiments in the physical lab aid in deepening and clarifying students’ scientific
conceptual understanding.”— garnering a 93% agreement rate. The second highest agreement rate
of 80% was seen to item 46— “the non-seriality of the Arabic e-curriculum and its incompatibility
with the school text causes some problems in implementation.” Additionally, none of the sampled
teachers objected these two items. The rest of the questionnaire items obtained various different
responses as can be perceived in Table 5.
 Also, to explore the differences between male and female teachers in their estimates of Problems of
implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at Amman’s schools.

Athematic means, standard deviation, and t-test were used, as the following table shows the
significance of differences:

Table 6
T-Test of the Significance Differences Between Male and Female Teachers of Estimating the
Problems of Implementation of Arabic Language E-Curriculum at Amman’s Schools.
Gender Arithmetic means S. Deviation df t-value Sig.

Males 3.62 1.07 119 -0.247 0.492

Females 3.67 1.14

From the above table, we notice that there were no differences between male and female teachers
in estimating the Problems of implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at Amman’s schools,
Where the value of the calculated reached (-0.247) with significance level of (0.492).

Summary of Study Results

The most prominent problems that faced Arabic teachers in of implementation of Arabic language e-
curriculum were:

• Technical problems with the computer devices, communication network

• Shortage of devices
• Unsatisfactory amount of time allocated to studying the computerized subject
• Lack of concern from school administration in fulfilling the role required from it in supporting the
process of computerization
• Deficient understanding of Arabic language teachers to the nature of their role in this process

• The negative perceptions of teachers towards technology in education.

• No differences between males and females in estimating the problems of implementation of Arabic
language e-curriculum at Amman’s schools.

Discussion
By asking, “what are the problems of implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at

Amman’s schools?” the researcher used a generalized question aimed at uncovering problems

that faced Arabic teachers during the implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at Amman’s
schools.

The First Domain

The first domain of the questionnaire dealt with the technical considerations being some of the basic
problems in the way of successfully implementing the Arabic language ecurriculum. Results showed
that the most significant technical issue was the constant communication network interruptions at
the Queen Rania Center for Information Technology. It is the center that hosts the e-curricula, and
such issues with its network lead to the inability of teachers to access and interact with these
curricula, which negatively impacts the teachers and students. The cause of these service cessations
is due to the high amount of demand and pressure which the network is exposed to daily by schools,
in addition to weakness of the communication network infrastructure.

The researcher was informed that the Ministry of Education is particularly determined to solve these
problems by working to connect the schools with a network of light-fibers, which make the
communication process more swift and stable (Tougan, 2003). The researcher believes that making
the Arabic e-curriculum available on compact disks, or on a special device which functions as a
server, may solve such problems of communication completely. This would entail the network
becoming local (Intranet), and this means a more rapid and stable communication system and a
stronger signal response.

The results additionally showed that weakness in network communications impeded teachers’
ability to use the e-curriculum from home to prepare the computerized classes before presenting
them in school. This causes the teacher to lose much time in the process of preparation, and to not
be able to use these curricula efficiently or sometimes at all. The researcher is certain that providing
Arabic teachers with these curricula on compact disks will make it more accessible to them to
properly prepare the class before presenting it to students. That grants him or her trust in
themselves first and foremost, and in their ability to employ technology inside the classroom
without surprises, ideally. This is especially important because the preparation process for a
computerized class takes longer than that for a conventional class.

Another technical obstacle for successful implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum is the
delay in periodical maintenance by the technical teams of the Ministry of Education, and deficiencies
in the qualifications of the computer supervisor appointed at the school. When there is a technical
problem faced with the computer devices, the school has to submit a maintenance demand to the
Ministry for service. The response team is often delayed in implementing the required activity. In
addition, the problem may be simple enough to be locally solved, but if the supervisor is not
satisfactorily qualified to address it, it could lead to lengthy delays to solving it. The researcher has
been informed that all appointed supervisors of the computer labs are diploma bearers, who had
 graduated more than seven years ago. Without continuous education in the field, their knowledge is
quite outdated, and that explains their weakness in treating the technical problems of the computer
labs and their apprehension of these devices and the network. The researcher, during his visit to
some schools, met with some of these supervisors and talked to them, and believes that they need
to be enrolled in suitable certification and training programs to better prepare them to process
emergent problems of the computer devices and local area network. Therefore, the researcher
recommends to those responsible in the Ministry of Education to better allocate specialized teams
for the maintenance of computer devices and the local area network in abundant numbers to better
serve the needs of the schools. The researcher also recommends amending the policy of appointing
computer lab supervisors and make them submit to suitable certification or qualifying courses.

Insufficient number of devices in the labs is another technical obstacle that hinders the effective
implementation of Arabic e-curricula in schools. The researcher believes that this issue has a direct
correlation to material costs allocation, which are in the domain of the ministry. However, the tools
of distribution must still be provided based on each school’s relative needs; and this may entail
specialists in education technology auditing and observing the nature and day-to-day demands of
each school, the area of their labs, and the types and number of students.

Overall, the results in this domain showed that technical issues run the gamut of problems with the
tools used, such as stoppages in Internet communication and shortages and breakdowns of
computer devices inside the lab, to deficiencies in supervisor and personnel knowledge and
qualifications for operating and servicing the devices. The researcher believes in the significance of
looking into these problems seriously and considering them true problems that hinder the effective
implementation of Arabic e-curriculum.

The Second Domain

The results indicated that school administration has an important role to play in the process of
implementing e-curriculum. This role, in the sampled teachers’ view, can be represented in several
ways:

• Active support of Arabic language teachers who implement these curricula, which can be exhibited
by offering substantial encouragement and practical incentives. This type of support shows the
teachers that administration is on their side, assisting them to make this great national project
succeed.
• Recommending Arabic language teachers to the required courses and working on choosing suitable
times within schedules.
• Showing up at the computerized classes implemented by the teachers.
• Following up with the Ministry and technical support team to promptly solve any problems that may
occur during implementation.
 The results of the questionnaire showed a wide variation of reactions among Arabic language
teachers in their perceptions of how well their administration is performing the required role. Some
of the teachers felt that school administration did constantly follow up on the progress of the
computerization process, worked to make it succeed, and exerted their full capacity to do so.
Conversely, some others viewed that their administration did not exhibit appropriate levels of
concern with this process and that it was not one of their priorities, which is also the impression the
researcher got during his visits to the schools and his meetings with some principals. What
confirmed this impression is the Arabic language teachers’ stated views during the meetings he had
with them, where they spoke of the impact of this type of obstacle on the nature of their work,
morally and systematically.

The results showed that Arabic language teachers wished to hold periodic meetings with the school
principal and students so that they may relay some of their experiences with the process and
establish open dialogue— and this was a matter some felt very strongly about. The researcher
agrees that such meetings with the principal are necessary, and that the principal should make them
a great priority as they may have an impact in increasing interaction with all parties of the learning
process. Such active interaction is key to improving the process of implementing the Arabic e-
curricula, especially in the shadow of the variations in teaching experiences of Arabic language
teachers between different schools.

Accordingly, the researcher posits that the Ministry of Education must also be committed to
following up with school administrations on their ongoing progress, and these should not be
superficial follow-up visits. Ministry personnel should build strong professional relationships with
school principals by getting to know their qualifications and enrolling them in specialized courses as
needed. They must actively work to spread the culture of computerization and its significance in this
age.

The Third Domain

The study results showed the significance of the teacher in of implementation of Arabic language e-
curriculum. The Arabic language teacher is the backbone of this process and may either be one of
the causes for successful implementation of an e-curriculum or a significant player in hindering it.
Some of the reasons for a teacher becoming a handicap to the process of implementation are
summarized as follows:

• A shortage of moral support and tangible incentives.

• The negative attitudes of the Arabic language teachers towards curriculum computerization, or of
technology.
• The teachers not feeling that they are partners in the computerization process, but instead the
implementers only.
• The deficiency in teachers of necessary computer skills.
• The lack of satisfactory training for the Arabic language teachers on the required skills for
implementing Arabic e-curriculum.
• The teachers felt that they shouldered heavy burdens, as well as not having enough time to prepare
the e-curricula.

It was noted that there is a variation in the rate of importance given by the Arabic language teachers
towards the previous points, though all of them unanimously agreed on the presence of these points
as problems to implementing Arabic e-curricula—to differing degrees. The researcher believes in the
significance of the teacher’s role as leader of the learning process. Due to the fact that this role
differs significantly when implementing Arabic e-curriculum, as compared with traditional teaching
methods, Arabic language teachers should adequately adjust by attending training courses that
expand their knowledge of the expansive possibilities of technology; and how it may assist them by
improving on the learning process.

These teachers should be able to view this technology as malleable, taking any form they see
suitable to achieve the learning objectives, and that it is not meant as a replacement for the teacher.
If Arabic language teachers’ opinions were to remain negative towards technological instruments,
they become the real problems to the process of implementing Arabic ecurriculum effectively. In this
way, the researcher agrees with Abdullah (1992), whose study showed that the most important
obstacle preventing true investment in teaching was negative teacher perceptions towards using the
educational means.

The researcher concurs with the findings that indicated that heavy burdens are laid on the shoulders
of Arabic language teachers, and that lack of satisfactory training on suitable techniques to teach
Arabic e-curriculum are core problems to the implementation process in the field.

The Fourth Domain

The results do indicate that the student may be a hindering element to the process of implementing
the Arabic electronic programs, even though students are considered the crux of learning process.
The sampled Arabic language teachers concurred on the following points as explaining the causes for
this:

• Negative student attitudes towards the computerized subject, and towards the subject teacher.
• Deficiency of basic technical skills to interact with the computer device.
• Lacking proper etiquette with regards to computers and colleagues in the computer lab.
• Using the computer for different purposes than what it is allocated for.
• The general negative attitude of a student towards technology, and towards the computer, in
particular.
With the above points in mind, the researcher believes that it is very important to truly include the
student in the learning process, whether computerized or not. When the student feels important in
the process and has a positive connection with the subject and teacher, he or she would go above
and beyond for learning. This will certainly be reflected as an increase in knowledge retention, as
student and teacher enjoyment of the learning process is often key to achieving the learning
objectives. Conversely, if the student had a negative opinion toward the subject or its teacher, he or
she would not benefit from the course knowledge, even if he or she had high grades there.

Therefore, the researcher strongly recommends to teachers that they establish a closer academic
relationship between themselves and their students, and to learn more about the individual
students to accommodate their learning styles and how they approach the subject matter. The e-
curriculum method may be especially useful in this respect, for its versatility and the ability to
include aspects in it that pique student interest and excitement.

The researcher notes that the basic skills for dealing with Arabic e-curriculum are currently
adequately taught in elementary school computer classes, which, in addition to the spread of
computers in Jordan, may point to inadequate skills no longer being an obstacle to teaching for long.
As well, the effort exerted by the Ministry of Education in spreading the computer to all public
schools is another positive development noticed by the researcher during his visits to schools. Also,
the students he met with indicated that working on Arabic e-curricula does not need specialized
skills, but rather basic skills for operating the device, such as controlling the mouse and the
keyboard, and transferring between tabs and screens. These skills are now learned by the student at
a young age.

The researcher also notes the necessity for continually monitoring students and regulating their
activity during their work in the computer lab, especially when using the Internet, so as to halt
unethical or purely recreational activities. This may be accomplished by installing various protection
and restriction programs, in addition to putting some thought into judiciously distributing computers
in the lab to students in a way that discourages misuse. However, the researcher believes that
fostering student self-control is most preferable, and most effective, in this regard. The Arabic
teacher has to initially, and continually, promote an ethical computer culture, and set the etiquette
for proper usage while establishing the dangers of misuse. Only after these expectations are
established, should the training commence in how to best use the available devices.

There were a few findings indicating that some students found the Arabic e-curriculum boring and
unsatisfactory, and preferred the conventional learning method because they were used to it for a
long time. The researcher submits, therefore, that the complete conversion of classroom learning to
the Arabic e-curricula method alone may not achieve the desired objective, at least in the short
term. The Arabic language teacher has to better organize and plan the use of these curricula in the
current classroom environment and should not proceed as though all students share the same
perception towards, and comfort with, technology. The teacher has to respect the various comfort
levels and do his or her best to vary the techniques in which to present these curricula in a way that
serves all students. The researcher finds this in line with the findings of Jenifer (2003), whose study
concluded that students’ lack of incentive for learning, and excessive dependence on the dictation
technique, made them overly dependent on the teacher. Because of that dependence, they viewed
electronic learning as laying the burden and responsibility of learning on them. They were not
adequately prepared for that responsibility and this, in turn, hindered the progress of the learning
process. The students needed more time to adjust to their new reality, to change their attitudes
towards it, and to acquire trust in themselves and their ability to learn with the new technique.

The Fifth Domain

Results showed that the views of Arabic language teachers about the Arabic e-curriculum itself may
form an obstacle towards implementing it. Here, the researcher differentiates between teachers’
attitudes to technology and their attitudes to the electronic curriculum. For example, the teacher
may perceive that the e-curriculum are a warranted use of technology, as well as believing it was
possible to employ technology better and more subjectcomprehensively. The following are the most
salient findings, as raised by teachers in this domain:

• The preference for practical lab experiments over virtual experiments, for their relative
effectiveness in deepening the understanding of scientific concepts.
• The non-serial nature of how some e-curricula are presented and laid out, or their
incompatibility with the school text, causes some problems in implementation.
• Presence of linguistic mistakes, and deficiencies in the given examples and work papers in the e-
curriculum.
• The e-curriculum not catering holistically to the students— socially, educationally, and
psychologically.

The researcher agrees with the view raised by Arabic language teachers about the negative effects of
linguistic and scientific mistakes found there—though he considers it a positive occurrence if it
pushes teachers to submit requests to responsible parties, for the sake of continual improvement
and development. However, it must be noted that these e-curriculum cannot be equally acceptable
to all teachers due to the differing natures and levels of experience with the curriculum itself. Still,
the researcher believes in the necessity to deeply exploit an electronic curriculum when possible. All
experiments cannot be performed inside the lab because they need lots of time to prepare, may be
costly and dangerous, and require uncomfortable crowding of students inside the lab class—though
the researcher concedes that the actual experiments more effectively develop practical, tangible
skills and experience.

With regard to the point about the non-serial structure and organization of e-curriculum within the
school curriculum, such as how the mathematics e-curricula may not exactly reflect textbook
content, the researcher disagrees with the impression that it is necessarily an obstacle to
implementing these curricula. This is an age characterized by searching for knowledge, and students
should be trained on the basics of effective research and how to navigate between interconnected
subjects within the school curriculum; and should not be spoon-fed knowledge in a linear and
effortless fashion. Of course, this cannot be achieved except if the teacher is convinced of the
philosophy of modern learning, and the type of required education and knowledge that the Ministry
practices— cognitive economy. The researcher holds that with the constant searching and renewal of
knowledge, the student is better prepared for any disruptive change within the world of information
and communications. Therefore, a teacher should not stick only to what can be found in books but
should encourage the (controlled) active search for the information by students.

Results showed some Arabic teachers criticized the Arabic e-curricula for not properly addressing
the complete educational and psychological needs of students. The researcher thinks that this
outlook lacks objectivity, and that is because the philosophy of electronic learning that the Ministry
of Education in Jordan promotes does not entail comprehensive self-learning at all, even if it
naturally progresses towards that in time. Therefore, the teacher is still tasked with addressing
student needs that technology is unable to reach, because that technology is, at present, simply a
means to communicate knowledge to the students and not a replacement of the teacher. It is
imperative that teachers are aware of their role and know how to use the e-curricula, while
supplementing it in ways that it is unable to function, to fulfill the desired objectives. This means
using all teaching techniques available to achieve the objectives of learning, which is called
intermixed learning.

Also results showed no differences between males and females in estimating the problems of
implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at Amman’s schools.

Conclusion
Ultimately, however, the researcher believes in the comprehensive potential of the electronic
learning, as it is essentially an integrated system built on the mutual relationships among its
elements that work interactively as one unit for the sake of achieving particular objectives. The
researcher recommends shifting the general perception of electronic learning being simple
instruments and means, or helpers to the teacher, to being a part of an extensive teaching structure
enlisted within an educational organization. This will entail planning for such a comprehensive tool,
specifying the learning and educational objectives, and working to achieve them. Also results
showed that no differences between males and females in estimating the problems of
implementation of Arabic language e-curriculum at Amman’s schools.

Recommendations
Based on the results of this study, the researcher recommends the following:
• Review and refine the training programs in order to better prepare and certify Arabic language
teachers in effective Arabic e-curricula application; or offer a greater quantity of courses catering
to the variable levels of teacher expertise.
• Establish advanced standards in choosing the teacher trainers in ICDL or Intel courses, wherein,
ideally, their technical skills would correspond with their educational experiences.
• Work on involving the teachers in the process of computerizing the curricula and listen to their
feedback about the computerization labs and e-curriculum.
• Increase the number of dedicated educational supervisors to follow up with teachers at schools,
to offer assistance and advice to teachers confronting problems with the computerization
process.
• Work on also certifying school principals with specialized courses, and spreading the
computerizing culture among them, to better understand the significance of computerizing
curriculums and to better offer support to the teachers.
• Increase maintenance teams specialized in solving technical problems to which computers are
exposed in the labs, to address them as hastily as possible.