Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities

This study aimed to investigate the performance of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students in conversation at Tikrit and Kirkuk Universities in Iraq. The research questions addressed whether there were statistically significant differences in the students' performance in conversation between the two universities and according to gender. A sample of 259 third-year college students was randomly selected from the population of 403 undergraduate students from the English departments at both universities. The students' performance in conversation was assessed using a proficiency test designed based on the Celce-Murcia model of conversational competence. The test consisted of five sections, assessing both recognition and production levels.

Story Mapping is a procedure which trains students to recognize the basic framework of narrative story in order to enhance their comprehension. The present study aims at finding out the effect of Story Maps Strategy in teaching EFL to preparatory school students and explaining the benefits of using it in the educational process ,This study also aims at:
1- analyze the significant different between the students who are taught using story maps strategy and without using story maps strategy at the fifth class preparatory school students in post test
2-finding out the effect of using the story maps strategy on EFL preparatory school students achievement.
3-Finding out the effect of story maps strategy on Students at four components of creative thinking skill. A sample of (65) students has been randomly selected from the Iraqi EFL fifth preparatory school students from Al-dour preparatory School for girls , in Al-dour, Salah Al-Deen, during the academic year (2021–2022). It represents (76.92%) per cent of its original population and they are divided into two equal groups, i.e., ( experimental and control) . Both groups have been equalized in their age, the parents’ educational achievement, and their degrees in English language subjects in the previous grade of the academic year (2020-2021).The test consists of six questions with its branches that have been developed and tested, its reliability achieved, and extended to the two sample classes. Results show that Story Maps Strategy is more effective than using the conventional method for organizing, clarifying, or simplifying complex information. Based on the results and obtained conclusions in this work, suitable recommendations and suggestions for further studies are put forward.

STAD strategy is one of the cooperative strategies in which students work together and it is considered one of the beneficial strategies in teaching reading comprehension. This study aims at finding out the effect of using STAD Strategy in teaching reading comprehension to EFL intermediate school students, and if there is any significant difference between the experimental group's achievement at the recognition and the production levels in the posttest. It is hypothesized that there is an effect of using STAD Strategy in teaching reading comprehension to EFL intermediate school students, and there is a statistically significant difference between the experimental group's achievement at the recognition and the production levels in the posttest.
To verify the hypotheses of the study, the researcher has conducted an experiment, during the second semester of the academic year 2022-2023. Sixty four students from the second grade of Ghaza intermediate school for girls have been randomly selected. Thirty two students as a control group which have been taught reading comprehension by using the traditional method, and thirty two students as an experimental group which have been taught reading comprehension by using STAD strategy. Both groups have been taught by the researcher herself, and they equalized according to some important variables such as their age and level of parents’ education, and their scores in previous year in English.

This study aims to describe the Behavioral characteristics of children with Autistic disorders, at the Autism Center in Sulaimani Governorate. This study investigates the behavioral traits of children who have been diagnosed with autism at the Sulaimani Autism Center in the Sulaimani governorate. The research period spans from November 2013 to May 2014. The findings of the study revealed that children exhibit difficulties in social interaction, with the highest percentage of responses being observed in the item "Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction," accounting for 88%. This was closely followed by the item "Stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language," which accounted for 82% of the responses. The prevalence of communication impairments in children is greatest in the category of "Delay in, or complete absence of, the development of spoken language (without any effort to utilize alternative forms of communication such as gestures or mime)," accounting for 80% of cases. In relation to the restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, it has been observed that children exhibit the highest frequency towards the item "Preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus," accounting for 62% of cases. Furthermore, the item "Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting or complex whole-body movements)" has the lowest frequency.