PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Abdulwahab Shaalan in Arabic Studies

Mr. Abdulwahab Shaalan Hussein Shaalan ‎was awarded a PhD degree in Arabic Studies for his dissertation titled: The Effectiveness of a Program Based on Literature Circles Strategy in Developing Creative Writing and Critical Reading Skills among High School Students in Sana’a Governorate‎, which was submitted to the Department of Arabic Studies, Faculty of Education–Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, April 30, 2026‎.

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 Prof. Ahmed Hassan Ghaleb Internal Examiner Chair
2 Prof. Abdullah Ali Al-Kouri Main Supervisor Member
3 Prof. Mohammed Abdo Khaled Al-Mekhlafi External Examiner Member

The dissertation aimed to:
 Examine the effectiveness of a program based on Literature Circles strategy in developing creative writing and critical reading skills among high school students in Sana’a Governorate during the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year.
The study adopted both descriptive and quasi-experimental methodologies.‎‎
The study yielded several key findings summarized as follows:
 There were statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups in the post-application of the creative writing skills test, in favor of the experimental group, attributed to the use of the Literature Circles strategy.
 There were statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level between the pre- and post-test scores of the experimental group in critical reading skills, in favor of the post-application following the use of the Literature Circles strategy.

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended the following:
 Directing Arabic language teachers to adopt the Literature Circles strategy in teaching, as it promotes a holistic view of the learning process, emphasizes the learner’s role as a constructor of knowledge and generator of ideas, and highlights the teacher’s role as a facilitator, guide, and mentor.
The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.