Increasing Qatari Students’ Motivation Through the Use of Blogs

The Case of WCMC-Q Qatari Students

Abstract

Growing up in an oral culture, students in the Middle East often start their university studies with insufficient reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, which negatively impacts their performance in institutions following a Western style curriculum. Both the literature and anecdotal evidence emphasize the need for helping Arab students to become fluent readers. The authors, who teach in the Pre-Medical Education Program at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, advocate combining explicit instruction in reading strategies with activities that encourage extensive reading. This article describes their pilot project aimed at increasing students’ motivation for reading through the use of a Web 2.0 technology tool.