amiability tarsus: Teaching languages in uae's schools

The topic is clearly related to the field of education and in particular educational technology field. It deals with a very important issue in the area of adapting technology in teaching with reference to perceptions of teachers. Teachers perceptions are crucial for practicing technology in their daily work. If teachers do not believe in technology they do not integrate it in teaching. Therefore, one can say the topic is relevant.

The author reviewed a sufficient number of studies approximately 13 studies with more than forty references. But he should add one paragraph about concepts of perceptions, attitudes and beliefs showing their similarities and differences if any. He needs to show the relationship of teachers' perceptions and technology integration. This way one can say The literature review is appropriately focused and provides a variety of viewpoints. The researcher really did a good job in this section.

In terms of research questions they are stated clearly but another question( if possible) about teachers' perceptions about using technology in teaching will make the study stronger. The author concentrates in the first question on the competencies rather than on utilization ( integration) which is the focus of the study. A question on perception on utilization will give a direct answer to the entire study.

The sample size is suitable for such study ( survey) since it is more than fifty percent of the population. The focus group of 28 teachers is sufficient for interviews. The context is defined clearly ( five emirates). One can say the subjects and context of the research are identified clearly.

The organization of the paper reflects APA (6th ed.) style. All references ( 47 references in total) in text appear in the reference list but there is one missing reference ( on page 11, Yang and Huang, 2008, on page 14 written Huang and Yang, 2008) it is not on the reference list.

In term of language the paper has no errors of grammar, spelling or meaning. It is well written with very limited spelling mistakes ( Recommendations section). The study is coherent, with all sections appear logically.

Methods: The research methods ( survey and interview) are appropriately selected for the study. Appropriate selection procedures are described and subjects are treated ethically. Processes and tools used to collect data are identified and described clearly. Tables are numbered, labeled, and scaled appropriately with one exception that is table #1 needs to be reorganized in that page.

The analysis of the data is correct, complete and no need for the t test since there is no question about comparison between teachers' perceptions. If the author wants to keep it ( t test) he should add another question about the differences in teachers' perceptions.

Results; The findings are reported clearly and provide a clear answer to the research questions. The results presented are very informative but readers would also like to know how these results are specific to UAE setting/situation. For instance how the use of technology in the classroom are unique. As it is, the results obtained are almost similar to any other countries in the world and as such make the paper of little practical application to reader worldwide..

The conclusion of the paper is well written and reflects the findings logically and clearly.

The recommendations: There is a need for recommendation number one because there is a data to support that. Recommendation 3 needs to be corrected. Recommendations 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 should be separated under a different title. They should be under suggestions for future studies.

Finally, the author really put much energy in this paper. He defined his research questions clearly, selected suitable sample, used appropriate tools, used correct statistics, and analyzed data in a correct way. Further he presented the paper in a good style with a good command of English. Therefore, My overall recommendation is to be published subject to minor revision.