PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Mahmoud Kulaib Saeed Sultan in English Language

Mr. Mahmoud Kulaib Saeed Sultan ‎was awarded a PhD degree in English Language for his dissertation titled: The Effectiveness of Metacognitive Strategies in Developing Writing Skills of Yemeni University Students and Their Attitudes, which was submitted to the Department of English, Faculty of Languages – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

# Committee Members Designation Position
1 Assoc. Prof. Mujeeb Ali Murshed Qasim Internal Examiner Chair
2 Prof. Mohammed Abdu Ahmed Al-Mekhlafi Main Supervisor Member
3 Assoc. Prof. Mohammed Hussein Al-Ansi External Examiner Member

The study aimed to:
 Investigate the effectiveness of employing metacognitive strategies in developing writing skills, specifically paragraph and essay writing, among second-year students at the Faculty of Languages, Sana’a University.
 Assess the attitudes of learners in the experimental group toward the use of metacognitive strategies in writing.

The study yielded a number of key findings summarized as follows:

 Statistically significant differences were observed between the mean post‑test scores of the experimental and control groups, with higher performance in the experimental group attributable to the application of metacognitive strategies.
 Students at the Faculty of Languages expressed positive attitudes toward the use of metacognitive strategies in writing.

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended:

 Supporting teachers with techniques and activities that integrate metacognitive strategies, enabling students to effectively practice these strategies in text writing.
 Encouraging students to learn and apply the core stages of metacognitive strategies used in developing writing skills.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.