International Journal of Language and Literary Studies

Redefining Teacher Leadership in the Age of ChatGPT: Instructional Practices, Ethical Challenges, and Professional Agency in Moroccan High Schools

WIDAD ELFIRAOUI — 2026-01-04

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT is increasingly influencing teaching and learning in Moroccan secondary schools. This study investigates how high school teachers use ChatGPT in lesson design, activity creation, and feedback, and how such practices are redefining teacher leadership within the classroom. Anchored in the framework of instructional leadership, the study explores the opportunities and challenges faced by Moroccan teachers as they negotiate the balance between AI support and professional judgment. A mixed-methods design was adopted. Quantitative data were gathered from a survey of 87 Moroccan high school teachers working in the Casablanca-Settat region, while qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 teachers and analysis of lesson plans developed with ChatGPT. Descriptive statistics revealed that 64% of teachers reported using ChatGPT for lesson planning, 52% for activity generation, and 41% for drafting feedback. Qualitative findings highlighted three dominant themes: (1) pedagogical efficiency and creativity, with teachers noting time-saving benefits and new activity ideas, (2) ethical and pedagogical concerns, including fears of plagiarism, student overreliance, and occasional inaccuracies, and (3) leadership and professional agency, where teachers positioned themselves as guides who critically filter ChatGPT outputs and model responsible AI use for students. The study concludes that ChatGPT is not replacing teachers but is reshaping their leadership roles as instructional leaders, decision-makers, and ethical mediators in the classroom. These findings underscore the need for professional development programs on AI literacy and for policy guidelines that address responsible AI integration in Moroccan high schools.

Examining ISIS's Use of Terminological Amplification in its Media Publications

Abdel-Rahman Abu-Melhim — 2026-01-04

The purpose of this study is to use textual interpretation to show that, in Dabiq Magazine, Issue 1, ISIS employed vocabulary to advance its belief system. The paper attempts to answer the question: What discursive strategies are utilized in Dabiq, paying special attention to how the group weaponized Islamic terminology to legitimize its violent ideology? The study systematically examines the nonexclusive Islamic terms ISIS regularly uses. ISIS advocates an adjustment to early Islamic social structures and advances brutal jihad philosophy. Accordingly, it argues that ISIS's utilization of non-specific Islamic terms methodologically fortifies jihad as the head of its methodology. It exhibits ISIS's inclination toward specific terms in its philosophy, thereby delineating its emphasis on certain branches of its belief system over others. The researcher applied Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the primary research method. Based on discourse analysis of Dabiq Magazine, Issue 1, the results of the study revealed that ISIS props up brutal jihad as the main point of its methodology, which it embraced from Zarqawi. The study implied that in advancing its belief system, ISIS lays out specific rules for recruited people to put themselves in the thought of a reestablished period of Islamic human progress.

Adapting First World Blended Learning Models for ELT in Bangladesh: A Policy and Practice Framework

Md. Chand Ali Chand — 2026-01-04

This study aims to explore how First World mixed-model blended learning practices can strengthen English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bangladesh. Using a comparative, evidence-based methodology, it analyzes norms and policies, infrastructural readiness, pedagogical processes, teacher training, and assessment patterns from five developed nations—the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Finland—and evaluates their suitability for the Bangladeshi context. Data were drawn almost from almost 36 documented implementation processes, institutional readiness reports, and digital equity studies. Data were drawn from 36 documented implementation processes, institutional readiness reports, and digital equity studies. The study argues that effective ELT-oriented blended learning rests on five core pillars, including a supportive national policy, adequate infrastructure, localized learning content, strong teacher capacity development, and innovative formative assessment. Despite persistent challenges in infrastructure and teacher readiness in Bangladesh, the research indicates that targeted interventions, such as pilot programs in urban areas, public-private partnerships, and focused professional development, can yield realistic improvements. The study, therefore, proposes a context-specific National Blended Learning Framework and outlines practical implications for policymakers, educators, and institutions seeking to reduce global-local disparities and enhance equity, engagement, and English proficiency.

Unveiling the Subtle Distinctions Between Adapt, Adjust, and Modify: A Corpus-Based Analysis of English Synonyms

Ali Julul — 2026-01-04

This study investigates the similarities and, more importantly, the differences among the English synonymous verbs, namely adapt, adjust, and modify in terms of their collocations and semantic preferences. Despite being presented in major dictionaries as synonyms, these verbs exhibit subtle distinctions that lead to confusion among EFL learners. The data were drawn from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (2020). Additionally, this research employed quantitative and qualitative corpus-based method. A Mutual Information (MI) of ? 3 and a minimum frequency of < 20 occurrences was applied to ensure statistical significance. Semantic preferences were further examined using the UCREL Semantic Analysis System to categorize collocates into semantic domains. The findings revealed that adapt and modify shared the highest number of noun collocates, indicating a strong synonymous relationship, whereas modify and adjust showed the weakest overlap. The adverbial patterns confirmed that adapt aligned closely with adjust in contexts denoting gradual or behavioral change, while modify was associated with scientific or technical alterations. These results demonstrated that the three verbs cannot be used interchangeably in all contexts. In general, this study provides valuable pedagogical implications for English language teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of corpus-informed approaches in differentiating near synonyms.

Alienation for Reconciliation: Saving Iraq Displaced and Refugee Children

Haider Aloose — 2026-01-04

This study examines the psychological trauma that continues to shape the minds of Iraqis and ?disrupt their behavior within educational environments. The problem emerges from decades of ?war, internal displacement, deprivation of basic needs, and the chronic absence of healthcare ?services, conditions locally expressed through the concept of Makoo, signifying prolonged scarcity ?and loss. Using the International Social Service (ISS) model for psychological rehabilitation and drawing conceptually on Noam Chomsky’s views on the reconstruction of displaced societies, the study analyzes how trauma reshapes children’s cognitive development, ethical awareness, and motivation toward schooling. Qualitative observations from displacement zones, particularly the Al-Hol camp, reveal that such environments metaphorically resemble “sterile land,” unable to foster stable learning, identity formation, or emotional growth. The findings suggest ?that educational decline in these regions is directly linked to accumulated psychological burdens. ?Accordingly, the study proposes developing idealized school-based micro-communities functioning ?as temporary protective institutions within these deteriorating environments that provide structured ?learning, psychological recovery, and moral stabilization. The results indicate that such specialized centers, though requiring targeted financial planning, could interrupt current cycles of deterioration and create pathways toward healthy reintegration and long-term educational resilience.?

From Brooklyn to Kuwait: Female Identity and Ethics of Care in Contemporary Fiction

Rana Alghoraibi — 2026-01-04

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of two female protagonists from The Book of V. by Anna Solomon and The Pact We Made by Layla AlAmmar through the application of Carol Gilligan’s Care Ethics theory. Grounded in feminist moral philosophy, Care Ethics emphasizes empathy, responsibility, and interpersonal relationships. The study examines how American individualism and Arab collectivism shape women’s social roles, autonomy, and identity across distinct cultural contexts. Employing a qualitative textual analysis informed by Care-focused Feminist theories, the study investigates the influence of care, pain, and gender roles on the moral development of female characters. The analysis reveals several cultural disparities, including variations in religious influence, family structure, and social mobility. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that both protagonists grapple with fundamental ethical and emotional challenges, particularly tensions between personal freedom and social obligation and the responsibilities associated with caregiving. These findings demonstrate that literature transcends cultural boundaries to address universal ethical dilemmas. They also offer a multinational perspective on identity, duty, and resistance within the framework of Care Ethics.

English as a Medium of Instruction and Its Effect on Local Cultural Identities

Amal Alzahrani — 2026-01-04

This study examines the advantages and challenges of employing English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in an international school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study aims to examine the impact of EMI on the development of students' local cultural identity. The participants of the study are four female students attending an international middle school. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Findings revealed both positive and negative impacts of EMI on students' identities. While EMI had minimal influence on students' religious or cultural values, it significantly affected their Arabic literacy and language preferences. The study highlights the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity in international school settings. It explains the challenges students face in maintaining their Arabic fluency. Results contribute to understanding cultural identity development and suggest the need for further research on EMI's broader implications in the Saudi context.

Mahatma Gandhi, Mankind, and the World: Relevance of His Ideals

Rajeshwar Prasad — 2026-01-04

The objective of this paper is to study the importance of the thoughts and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi for mankind and the world in the current situation. Human civilisations have passed through several acts of violence and bloodshed. Now, the world has several destructive weapons which can destroy the entire making of world in a few seconds. In this condition, a great question has arisen in the world: 'How are Gandhian thoughts, ideals, philosophies, and practices, which he practised very successfully in his lifetime, relevant to the current situation of the world?' This article reveals that his ideals, thoughts, philosophies and practices have become more important and relevant for the world than ever before for international peace and harmony, which should be fostered over the globe.

A Hij?? as Cognitive–Ethical Theater: A Pedagogical Case Study of Al-Mutanabb?

Layla Darwish — 2026-01-04

This paper reconceives al-Mutanabb?’s Hij?’ as a form of cognitive ethical theater, where conflicts of identity, power, and value are enacted through carefully crafted linguistic performance. Hij?’ operates via cognitive mechanisms such as foregrounding, ostensive communication, and metarepresentational reasoning, guiding audience attention and structuring moral evaluation. The study also proposes a pedagogical framework in which students analyze linguistic and performative cues, reconstruct social hierarchies, and reflect on ethical inversions, cultivating critical thinking and literary sensitivity. In this perspective, classical Arabic satire is revealed not merely as a historical genre but as a dynamic practice of reasoning, judgment, and interpretive engagement.

The Martyrdom in Christian and Islamic Context: Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons Versus the Case of Husayn the Rebel in Ta’zieh

Mouna BAHRI — 2026-01-04

This paper examines the concept of martyrdom in Christian and Islamic traditions through a comparative analysis of Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons and Peter Chelkowski’s Islam in Modern Drama and Theatre. Focusing on Thomas More and Imam Husayn, it explores how both figures embody spiritual devotion and moral resistance against political authority. Despite theological differences, Christianity and Islam converge on the belief that true faith demands justice in the face of corruption and tyranny. The study argues that martyrdom in both traditions represents not only religious sacrifice but also an assertion of human integrity and moral freedom. Through their defiance, both martyrs illuminate the universal struggle between divine law and state power. Ultimately, the paper supports the notion of “positive secularism,” in which faith and political order coexist in mutual respect, preserving justice and the sacred dignity of human conscience. Bridging Christian and Islamic martyrdom into dialogue offers a cross-cultural synthesis that reconceptualizes the act of martyrdom. This modern and classical drama reveals that martyrdom is a shared ethical act of moral resistance rather than a purely theological concept.

Readers Theatre and Reading Comprehension: An Experimental Study Among Grade 7 Students

juliville sios e — 2026-01-04

Many students can decode but fail to construct meaning from text. Readers Theatre (RT) — a repeated-reading, prosody-focused, performance-based approach — has been proposed to support fluency and comprehension through repeated, purposeful reading, enhanced prosody, and social/interpretive engagement. The present study tests whether RT produces greater comprehension gains than traditional oral text reading among Grade 7 students. True-experimental design with random assignment of two intact Grade 7 sections: experimental (RT; n = 30) and control (traditional oral reading; n = 30). Two trial runs were conducted using two different narrative texts. Pre-tests and post-tests (teacher-designed, aligned to a table of specifications) measured reading comprehension for each trial. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests (? = .05) were used to evaluate differences between groups. Both groups began with very low pre-test comprehension levels. In Trial 1 the experimental group’s MPS rose from 42.17 (very poor) to 76.67 (good); the control group rose from 36.83 to 56.17. The original thesis reported a t-test for the Trial 1 post-test difference (T = 10.883, p < .001). In Trial 2 the experimental group’s MPS rose from 28.50 to 70.33, while the control group rose from 35.83 to 51.33; reported t for the Trial 2 post-test difference was T = 2.311, p = .050. Across trials the experimental group’s average percent gain was reported as 113.12% vs. 50.59% for the control group. (Note: reported degrees of freedom in the original document appear incorrect; see Methods/Limitations.)Readers Theatre produced substantially larger comprehension gains than the traditional method on the measures used. Results are consistent with theories linking repeated/prosodic reading and active reader–text engagement to deeper comprehension (e.g., repeated reading automaticity, transactional theory, and multiple-intelligences framing). Future work should (a) report correct inferential-test degrees of freedom and effect sizes; (b) use standardized comprehension measures and blind scorers; and (c) examine generalizability across grades, texts, and longer follow-up periods.

Mapping Dissertation-Writing Challenges Among Moroccan Doctoral Students: A Quantitative Descriptive Study

Majid DARDOUR — 2026-01-04

Doctoral dissertation writing is a demanding academic process and a key component of research capacity development. Despite increased investment in higher education, doctoral completion remains a major concern in Morocco. This quantitative descriptive study examines the prevalence and severity of dissertation-writing challenges among Moroccan doctoral students. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 300 doctoral candidates enrolled in English studies across Moroccan universities and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings show that systemic and personal obstacles—particularly stress, anxiety, and time-management difficulties—represent the most severe challenges. Substantial difficulties were also reported in research planning and methodological rigor, especially research design and statistical analysis, as well as in critical academic writing and discussion chapter development. These findings highlight the need for targeted institutional interventions, including enhanced methodological training, academic writing support, psychological assistance, and improved supervisory practices to support timely doctoral completion and research productivity in Morocco.

Weaponization of the Bible: Economic Exploitation and Cultural Alienation in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o And Ngugi Wa Mirii’s I Will Marry When I Want

Abdullahi Haruna — 2026-01-04

This study examines the weaponization of the Bible in Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii’s I Will Marry When I Want through the lenses of Marxism and Fanonian theory. The research explores how the bible is used as a tool for economic exploitation and cultural alienation, perpetuating colonial and imperialist ideologies. By analyzing the play’s themes of neocolonialism, capitalism, and cultural identity, the study reveals the complex relationships among religion, power, and oppression. The study finds that the bible is used in I Will Marry When I Want as a tool for economic exploitation, perpetuating colonial and imperialist ideologies that maintain economic inequality through the dispossession of the proletariat. The play also depicts the bible as a symbol of cultural alienation, as characters struggle to reconcile their traditional values with the imposed Western values of colonialism.

Structural Barriers to Women’s Leadership and Professional Development in Moroccan Higher Education. A Mixed-Method Study

Omar Souabni — 2026-01-04

In recent decades, Morocco has witnessed a significant expansion in women's access to higher education. However, women in Moroccan universities remain disproportionately underrepresented in faculty leadership and decision-making roles. This study examines the structural, cultural, and institutional barriers that hinder the professional development of female faculty members. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 100 academic members from three faculties at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University: The Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, the Faculty of Laws, Economic and Social Sciences, and the Faculty of Science, all located at Dhar El Mahraz. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 senior faculty members and current and former leaders within the same institution. Thematic analysis revealed three primary obstacles: exclusion from the decision-making process -45%-, conflict between family and professional obligations -35%-, and 20% expressed a lack of desire for leadership roles, often stemming from systemic discouragement. The findings show how gendered cultural expectations and opaque institutional structures constrain women’s career trajectories. The findings suggest multiple solutions, such as prioritizing leadership training, implementing gender sensitive policies, and awareness campaigns. The study concludes that achieving gender equity in Moroccan higher education requires systemic improvements in addition to cultural shifts in attitudes and in gender views.

A Canadian Perspective on the American South: Shreve Mccannon and the Construction of History in Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!

Afaf Abdullah Ahmed AlMalki — 2026-01-04

This paper examines William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) through the lens of Shreve McCannon, Quentin Compson’s Canadian roommate at Harvard, arguing that Shreve’s outsider perspective, rooted in Canada’s historical role as an abolitionist refuge and moral counterpoint to American slavery, serves as a transformative force in the novel’s construction of Southern history. As a detached Northern rationalist unencumbered by regional loyalties or emotional inheritance, Shreve contrasts sharply with Quentin’s traumatic entanglement in the South’s racial legacy, enabling a critical interrogation of the Sutpen saga that Southern narrators cannot achieve alone. Through their collaborative reconstruction of Thomas Sutpen’s story, particularly in revealing Charles Bon’s mixed-race ancestry as the tragic core, Shreve’s probing questions and logical speculations compel confrontation with repressed racial truths and mythic distortions that sustain Southern identity. The analysis finds that Faulkner strategically deploys Shreve’s Canadian viewpoint to transform the narrative into a hemispheric dialogue on historical reckoning, demonstrating that authentic engagement with a traumatic past requires the tense interplay of insider emotion and outsider detachment. Ultimately, Shreve functions as a narrative solvent, dissolving biased Southern mythologies and illustrating the collective, dialogic labour necessary for confronting racial violence and historical guilt. This reading highlights the novel’s modernist epistemology while contributing to Faulkner studies by foregrounding the under-examined transnational significance of Canada as a symbolic space of moral clarity and continental contrast.

Narrating Contagion and Conceptualizing Humanity: Differences in Plague Narratives by Defoe and Shelley

Andrew Schenck — 2026-01-04

Male narrators of the plague in Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year and Shelley’s The Last Man ruminate about similar concepts, which include aristocratic social systems and politics, as well as stereotypical perspectives of Eastern cultures. Despite similarities in focus, the narrators’ views of society differ, reflecting opposing opinions about humanity. To explain why these viewpoints vary so dramatically, processes shaping each narrator’s sense of self are evaluated using Social Identity Theory. In A Journal of the Plague Year, H.F. clearly aligns with the social system he observes, seeking to maintain his status as a wealthy merchant and craftsman. Concerning Lionel from The Last Man, he is never considered a legitimate part of the upper class. His depiction as an outsider makes him feel marginalized, which exposes the injustice of an exclusionary British social elite. When Lionel is left alone due to contagion, he finally realizes that external social relationships cannot define humanity; it is compassion and morality that define what it means to be human. This individualistic view of humanity reveals that the marginalized can empower themselves, thereby transcending injustices driven by socioeconomic, cultural, racial, or gender biases.

The Linguistic Construction of Conformity: A Critical Analysis of Ideological and Multimodal Discourse

Emil Theodoropoulos — 2026-01-04

This article examines how normalcy is produced and naturalized through linguistic and multimodal discourse practices, using Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (1970) as its case study. Grounded in Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and social semiotics, the methodology involves a qualitative analysis of selected scenes to explore how dialogue, image, body posture, and spatial organization interact to reinforce the film's ideological framework. The findings demonstrate that the film articulates a model of normalcy grounded in discipline, conformity, and exclusion. Linguistically, this is achieved through generalizations, impersonal constructions, and moralized vocabulary that frame conformity not as a choice but as a universal necessity for stability. Multimodally, the film’s visual architecture encodes bodily regulation and containment, while the construction of the “Other”—specifically political dissidents and gender-nonconforming figures—serves to legitimize the authoritarian order. Ultimately, the article argues that tensions between the verbal and visual layers generate critical ruptures that expose and destabilize the mechanisms through which fascist imaginaries are normalized, positioning the film as a vital resource for developing critical language and visual literacy.