RATIONALE FOR TEACHING LISTENING & READING IN ARABIC STUDIES: THE NEED FOR A PROFICIENCY ORIENTED APPROACH

Abstract

One very fashionable advocacy in language teaching in general and Arabic language teaching in particular is the integrated teaching of listening and reading. The language scholars and researchers have recommended a great deal of theorizing about second language acquisition, especially, since the early 21st century and that research literature abounds in approaches, theories, models, laws, and principles. Too many models have been built and taken for granted too soon and this has stilled relevant research. Practitioners who have been buffeted across the tears by pressure to adopt different approaches to listening and reading, due to the changing winds of theory may tend to agree with this resistance to theoretical “bandwagonâ€. This work explores the need to advocate for a strategy based integrative proficiency approach to the teaching of listening and reading so that the other language skills of speaking and writing are used to reinforced the teaching of any of the skills. The paper claims that this approach derives its significance from the proficiency force of Arabic language skills and perceives its goals as the development of communicative competence to all students.