Spiral Techniques for Teaching Interpretation at Higher Education: Quantitative Research

MAGDA Madkour

Abstract


This quantitative, quasi-experimental research is aimed at investigating the impact of spiral teaching techniques on students’ performance in interpretation. Data was collected using a pretest-posttest designed for a sample of level 7 undergraduate students in the College of Languages and Translation, at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. Data collection instruments also included a Likert scale questionnaire to document the problems of interpretation. A sample of 100 students was selected randomly to respond to the questionnaire’s 30 items. Data analysis included a thorough analytical examination of students’ interpretations using a rubric that comprises seven categories for examining interpretation skills, including content delivery, language fluency, memory, speed, note-taking, time management, and managing lab equipment. The language category includes three subcategories, namely listening comprehension, language structure, and pronunciation and voice expression. The results of data analysis pointed to a significant difference between the overall scores of the students’ pretest and posttest, indicating the positive impact of spiral techniques on students’ performance. Data analysis of students’ recording and note-taking revealed the advantages of spiral teaching techniques for enhancing students’ cognitive abilities, including attention, retention, and motivation. The current research discussions cover a wide range of topics such as narrowing the gap between interpretation theories and practice, interpretation teaching and training, and the procedures for implementing the spiral approach. The recommendations emphasize the importance of adopting constructivist approaches in teaching interpretation. The significance of this research derives from being a contribution in the field of interpretation at higher education as it is one of the first studies to integrate the constructivist spiral theory into interpretation theories so as to enhance students’ lab training and, as a result, can lead to improving their performance. The spiral notetaking technique is another contribution in interpretation teaching and training.


Keywords


Interpretation; Constructivist approach; Note-taking; Spiral teaching techniques

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/n

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