Doctoral Candidate Brochure: Abtehal Alfahaid
Doctoral Dissertation Defense
of
Abtehal Alfahaid
For the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Curriculum and Instruction
WHAT IS SAUDI UNDERGRADUATE EFL INSTRUCTORS’ CURRENT THINKING ABOUT THE USE OF PICTURE BOOKS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION?
July 23, 11 a.m.
What Is Saudi Undergraduate EFL Instructors’ Current Thinking µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø the Use of Picture Books in English Language Instruction?
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the Saudi undergraduate EFL instructors’ current thinking about the use of picture books in English language teaching. Picture books are usually associated with young learners but this study explored how the instructors view the use with the university students. This area remains unexplored in Saudi higher education. This study is guided by multimodal literacy theory which explains how the learners make meaning from both words and images. Also, the study was framed by a single research question which is: What Is Saudi Undergraduate EFL Instructors’ Current Thinking µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø the Use of Picture Books in English Language Instruction?
The data were collected through deep semi-structured interviews with six instructors selected through purposive sampling from two different universities from two different regions in Saudi Arabia. The findings showed that the instructors believe that picture books help students understand lessons, participate in class, think more deeply and stay engaged in learning. However, their picture book use was limited by several factors, such as limited class time, university policies, a lack of suitable materials, and the need for books to match the academic and cultural values of Saudi universities.
The participants explained that the instructors need institutional support, access to appropriate materials and training in order to use picture books regularly for the undergraduate EFL classrooms. The study explores the instructors’ perspectives, beliefs, interpretations and current thinking about picture books. This study addresses a gap in research on multimodal materials in the adult EFL context: although picture books are known to support language development and critical thinking, little is known about how Saudi undergraduate EFL instructors view their use with university students. It offers insights for EFL teaching, curriculum planning and teacher training for the Saudi higher education in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 that asks for stronger and more communicative English.
µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø the Candidate
Abtehal Alfahaid
M.Ed., Master of Education in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
University of Central Oklahoma, 2012
B.A., English Literature
Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University, 2008
Abtehal is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University, where she has studied since 2021. She is a Saudi lecturer who is bilingual in Arabic and English, and she brings almost ten years of teaching experience across school and university settings. She began her career teaching English at the Almanarat and Alafaq international schools in Riyadh before moving into higher education. She served as a lecturer at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University from 2013 to 2018 and since 2018 she has been a lecturer at Shaqra University’s College of Education in Almuzahmiyah.
At Shaqra University, Abtehal has held several leadership roles in the English department, including member of the Quality Assurance Committee, academic advisor and head of the English Club, activities and volunteer work. She has completed numerous professional development workshops on quality accreditation, research ethics, critical thinking and technology-enhanced instruction. Also, she has taught numerous courses for the university students, such as reading, writing, speaking, listening, semantics and many more over her years of teaching at the two universities. Abtehal has attended many conferences during her teaching at the universities in Riyadh, Alkharj and Almuzahmiyah as well. But her recent conference attendance is the AERA conference in Chicago in 2023.
Abtehal’s research focuses on multimodal literacy and the use of picture books in adult EFL instruction. She is especially interested in how words and images together support comprehension, participation and critical thinking among university learners. Her research interest connects classroom practice, curriculum development and teacher training to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Doctoral Dissertation Committee
Director
William P. Bintz, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Co-Director
Ryan T. Miller, Ph.D.
Professor, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
Department of English
College of Arts and Sciences
Outside Member
Scott Courtney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Graduate Faculty Representative
Francisco L. Torres, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
College of Education, Health and Human Services