Simulation as a key to successful english language acquisition in an EFL arabic-speaking environment

Abstract

Learning English in an 'English as a Foreign Language' (EFL) environment can be challenging given the lack of authentic communicative situations in such an environment. This paper reports on an innovative simulation methodology as a strategy to counteract this inherent obstacle for second language learners of English in an Arabic-speaking context and draws on research that has been conducted on aspects of the course over its 10-year life-span. Conventionally, simulation is used as an activity or a teaching strategy for part of a course. However, this paper reports on a syllabus for a remedial course that is entirely based on simulation for the course content and as the course methodology. The paper first provides a theoretical grounding for the use of simulation methodology in a remedial language classroom at the tertiary level and then describes the context and specifics about the implementation of the simulation methodology. The paper concludes with a description of obstacles encountered over the 10 years the course has been in existence and how they were dealt with, as well as recommendations for successful implementation of such an innovative methodology for a remedial English language course in an EFL environment.