Al-Siyabi, J. (2012). Cultural Universalities and Peculiarities: A Case Study of Omani EFL SQU Students. In A. Mahmoud, & R. Al Mahrooqi (ed). Issues in Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language in the Arab World. (67-97). Muscat: Sultan Qaboos University.

Culture is an everlasting element of life and language learning. This study investigates some cultural aspects that concern teachers’ and students’ classroom contexts; students’ assertiveness, greeting, perception of time, politeness, oral traditions, face saving strategies and rapport versus grades. It provides insights on the cultural universalities and peculiarities of the cultural aspects in the Omani EFL setting. Appreciating such cultural dimensions can make a difference in how teachers perceive teaching and learning in a culture. This study presents classroom observational data, and self reported data and anecdotes of various EFL practitioners coming from different cultural backgrounds working in the Omani EFL classrooms at Sultan Qaboos University. It also discusses interesting cultural dimensions of Omani EFL students who may differ from or resemble students from other cultures in the world. This discussion can help to better understand Omani students’ attitudes, students’ and teachers’ expectations and student-teacher relationships in the Omani EFL context. It can also help improve teachers’ teaching and learning practices as teachers increase their awareness about students’ related cultural aspects.