Sunday, January 26, 2020

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning In educational settings the language is both the medium and content of instruction. Academic success is dependent on proficiency of spoken and written forms of the language used for instruction (Shatz and Wilkinson 2010: 55). Introduction Next to the United States, the United Kingdom receives the biggest number of international students in the world. In 2009, 13 percent of the total undergraduate population enrolled in the UK were international students (UK Council for International Student Affairs 2009). More specifically, college entrants from Saudi Arabia increased rapidly by 42.2 percent from 3,535 in 2008 to 5,205 in 2009 (Times Higher Education 2010). This dramatic rise of the Arabic international student cohort in the UK requires immediate attention especially in relation to the academic adjustments these students make in the school environment. One of the most significant adjustments for Arabic international students is learning the English language, a phenomenon driven by the demands of globalisation and the now widespread use of English as a second language in the educational curriculum even in Arab countries (Tahaineh 2010). While the process of English language learning among Arab students within their hom e countries has gained much academic attention (Khatib, 2000; Tahaineh, 2010; Ghaith and Diab 2008), not enough research focus has been made on the experiences of Arabic international students in the UK. What is known today is too scant to be applied practically in policymaking or in educational practice. This dissertation explores two main points, firstly, it highlights how little we know about the difficulties that Arabic international students face in learning the English language and secondly, it calls for the need to undertake more robust empirical work on the growing Arabic international student cohort in the UK. This mixed methods research will be a valuable contribution to UK educators in helping Arabic students learn effectively at the same time achieving institutional goals as well as meeting the educational expectations and needs of Arabic students in the UK. Research question This dissertation aims to answer the central question, What difficulties do Arabic students in the UK face when learning the English language? There are two sub-questions proposed which will guide the outcomes of this research. What issues do Arabic students face in English language learning? The literature review suggests that the difficulties Arabic international students may face when learning the English language are multi-faceted. It may involve basic structural differences between Arabic and English (Shabbir Bughio 2003), cultural issues (Elyas and Picard 2010), motivation and self-esteem (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2009), and social issues (Shammas 2009). What strategies do they use to overcome the barriers identified? After discovering the issues that Arabic international students face in English language learning, it is important to uncover the strategies that they employ in order to cope with the difficulties faced. Rationale and context The context of this proposed dissertation is of a general and personal nature. ESL literacy has always been an ongoing academic interest of the researcher. While in the past, learning the English language was viewed as a betrayal of the mother tongue for most Arabic students, the demands of free market globalisation has prompted a renewed vigour among Arab universities and Arabic students to become proficient in the English language. On a personal level, I have always been concerned with the skills of Arabic international students in reading and writing. Studying the English literacy experiences of these students will contribute to an increase in our understanding as to what strategies could help Arabic students obtain English proficiency and attain their educational goals. At the same time, it will also address the gap in literature which can inform the policymaking and institutional practice of UK universities in meeting the needs and expectations of Arabic international English learners. By describing the experiences of Saudi students in L2 literacy experience, we can begin to draft useful conclusions, implications, and recommendations to contribute to second language acquisition and proficiency in general and ESL literacy in particular. Literature review A preliminary literature review reveals significant themes related to the difficulties that Saudi international students experience in learning the English language. 1. Basic structural differences of Arabic and English The most common difficulty experienced in English language learning and proficiency among Arab students lies in the basic structural differences between the mother tongue and the second language. For instance, Arabic writing does not use capitalisation and uses different rules in punctuation from English (Shabbir Bughio 2003). Spelling is also a problem since in Arabic, there is only one letter per sound so the spelling part is much more challenging in English. A study revealed that students struggle with spelling silent alphabets located in the middle of English words such as half or knowledge. Pronunciation of English words is also problematic since Arab speakers often use Arabic phonetics to pronounce words (Salebi 2004). As a result, words like stupid are pronounced istobbid while pregnant is pronounced brignent (Shabbir Bughio 2003). The use of commas and conjunctions is also another difficulty for Arabic students because the usage is different in Arabic and English contexts ( Rababah 2002). The same is true on the use of English prepositions; due to the varied nature and usage of prepositions in English, many Arabic students opt to translate each Arabic preposition in English (Shabbir Buhgio 2003). Kambal (1980) documented major syntactic errors in the compositions of Arab students in the Sudanese University particular in verb formation, subject-verb agreement, and use of tenses. 2. Motivation in learning EFL Motivation has been an established predictor of success EFL outcomes (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2006). Consequently, a learners attitude towards the second language affects his or her outcomes in English language learning. Gardner and Lambert (1972:3) explained that a learners motivation to learn is reflected in the latters attitudes towards English speakers as well as towards the English language itself. In fact, empirical research has pointed to a learners general attitude towards knowledge as an influential variable in second language acquisition and proficiency (Arkoudis 2003). Moreover, self-esteem has been shown to be a significant predictor in writing achievement among Arabic secondary students (Al-Hattab 2006). Beliefs on the English language are mediated by culture and social characteristics (Ely 1986). This means that not all people hold uniform epistemological beliefs about L2 language acquisition and that our appreciation of the knowledge process is dependent upon our different co ntexts. Some argue however that while motivation and attitudes towards the L2 language is important, it is not a sufficient condition in language proficiency (Ely 1986). In a survey of Arabic students in Australia, general attitudes towards the English language were positive; most believed that English symbolised technological advancement and modernity (Suleiman 1983). In another study, it was found that positive attitudes toward English language learning were related to EFL outcomes (Ghaith and Diab 2008). 3. Cultural issues Culture plays an important role in the English language learning process, especially in relation to language instruction (Elyas and Picard 2010). In Saudi Arabia, classroom instruction is delivered in a different manner from Western schools. The classroom is a place where the teacher is an established head and the students role is defined in terms of quietness of loving to listen (Jamjoom 2009, as cited Elyas and Picard 2010). Teacher-student relationships in the Saudi context are feudal; teachers and instructors occupy a high tier in the classroom and so-called student-centred pedagogy is not a common practice (Gallagher 1989). The implication of this is that most Saudi students are not accustomed to interactive teaching processes, one that cultivates proficiency in the English language. Arabic students only learn English from formal instruction and the classroom itself does not provide a venue wherein they could practice their English communication skills (Rababah 2002). This class room acculturation creates potential problems in the context of English language learning in a UK university where classroom interaction is a popular teaching model. Most Arabic students become unsociable in class, do not recite as often as needed, and speak English only when directed formally (Ghaith and Diab 2008). Moreover, teacher attitudes and behaviours towards Saudi students may also count against EFL. Cross-cultural differences have been shown to affect classroom sociability of Arabic students (Rababah 2002). 4. Social issues Alienation in the university setting has been found to influence the academic outcomes of Arabic international students in the USA (Shammas 2009) particularly after the 9/11 terror attacks. The same alienation was reported by Arabic students when the school climate became hostile in some universities within the UK (Rich and Troudi 2006). The level of integration that Arabic international students experience in their universities is helpful in enhancing motivation to learn the English language (Shammas 2009). Feelings of isolation due to the loss of social capital increases sociability among Arabic international students and may result to loss of self-esteem and motivation. Those who are able to renew their social capital by connecting with new friends Arabic or not have a greater chance of being successful in being proficient in the English language. Research approach Empirical work examining the processes of second language acquisition and the effectiveness of strategies focused on learning English as a second language has utilised both quantitative and qualitative research approaches (Ghaith and Diab 2008; Al-Hattab 2006; Rabab-ah 2002). This study proposes a mixed methods approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative elements to more adequately explore the English language learning process among Arabic international students in the UK. Considered a bridge between the quantitative and qualitative realms of research, mixed methods research draws upon the strengths of both paradigms to generate a more complete and thorough investigation of a topic or phenomenon (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). To this end, mixed methods research supposes that the two research paradigms can be reconciled, maximising the strengths of both while minimising their weaknesses at the same time (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003). In deciding what research approach best suits the purposes of this study, I considered two ontological positions constructivist and positivist on the topic. Firstly, I consider that Arabic students are differently situated and construct their realities from their own experiences and values. In this regard, there is no one version of reality that could be gleaned (Denzin and Lincoln 1994) on how Arabic international students experience English language learning. Secondly, however, I believe that it is possible to establish what a causal relationship (Creswell 2003) or the particular factors predict English language proficiency among Arabic students in general. In other words, we can determine what specific difficulties can influence English language proficiency among Arabic students. From a pragmatic point of view, both ontological positions are useful in this investigation, hence, a mixed methods paradigm. Why use a stand-alone paradigm when you can use two paradigms and in the pro cess, capture the phenomenon being studied more fully? Mixed methods research is a methodologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ philosophical framework, method, and techniques of data collection and analysis which combines both quantitative and qualitative processes throughout the entire research cycle (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007:5). The benefits of conducting mixed methods research are three-fold: 1) it allows a holistic investigation of a phenomenon; 2) it enables a macro- and micro- investigation of the phenomenon; and 3) it has validating capacity of quantitative with qualitative methods and vice versa (Onwuegbuzie and Leech 2004). This study proposes a research approach consisting of two phases. The first phase is the quantitative phase; the goal is to determine what specific issues Arabic students face in learning the English language and how these variables are related to each other. The second phase builds on the results of the quantitative phase and explains the outcomes more fully. The quantitative phase will utilise a web-based survey questi onnaire to be followed by face-to-face interviews for the qualitative phase. The idea of this research technique is that by integrating both numerical data (survey questionnaire) and textual data (interviews), the difficulties Arabic international students phase in English language learning can be captured more completely and comprehensively. Research Design There are several variations in design to a mixed methods study. Three issues are considered in the selection of the specific mixed methods design for this particular research: priority, implementation, and integration (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007). Priority specifies which method is emphasised; implementation identifies whether data collection and analysis is done sequentially (different stages) or concurrently (parallel stages); and integration defines the connectedness between the results of the two phases. This study uses the sequential explanatory design to investigate the experiences of Arabic international students in English language learning. Sequential explanatory design A sequential explanatory design is chosen. The data collection and analysis will consist of two phases (Creswell, 2003; Onwuegbuzie and Teddlie 2003). The first phase will use a web-based survey questionnaire to be answered by a manageable random sample of Arabic international students enrolled in one UK university. Data collected will be analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi-square. The second phase of the study will proceed after the completion of the first phase. It will build on the findings of the first phase and use individual semi-structured interviews of five Arabic international students. The goal of the second phase is provide a more in-depth explanation of the difficulties experienced by Arabic students and the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties. Through the integration of data from both the quantitative and qualitative phase, the results will be refined and the phenomenon explored in a more holistic manner. More specifically, this explanatory mix ed methods research uses the follow-up explanations variant in an attempt to understand more fully the process in which Arabic students learn English in foreign universities. The follow-up explanations model is selected because the qualitative phase means to explain and expand on quantitative results (Creswell 2003: 43). The priority phase of this study is the qualitative phase because of its capability to provide a more complete picture of the phenomenon being considered. Using a pragmatic ontological position which values positivist and interpretivist assumptions, the study uses two general instruments and triangulation methods to establish validity and reliability of research findings. Phase 1: Quantitative (Survey questionnaires) A self-constructed online survey questionnaire will be used to gather data on the difficulties experienced by Arabic students in English language learning. Items in the questionnaire will be drawn from the literature review and will measure difficulties in five aspects: 1) structural adjustments from Arabic to English (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.), 2) motivation, 3) cultural issues, and 4) social issues. After the selection of participants, a URL will be sent via email to participants advising them to read the consent form and to indicate their compliance. The survey will also be available on Facebook and other social networking sites. After gathering data, results will be analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Phase 2: Qualitative (Face-to-face interviews) After the first phase of data collection and data analysis, in-depth interviews will be scheduled with six Arabic international students in order to gather information that will further explain the results of the survey questionnaire. A semi-structured interview guide will be developed in order to allow the participants to discuss their answers in a more flexible manner. The semi-structured nature of the interview guide will also allow the researcher to clarify or ask follow-up questions that can further refine the data. Interviews will be audiotaped with the participants consent and transcribed immediately afterwards. Qualitative analysis will be used to gather recurring themes from the interview data. Validity and Reliability To establish the validity and reliability of the outcomes of this study, content validity and triangulation through multiple sources will be used. To establish content validity, the survey instrument will be evaluated by a panel of specialists. Multiple sources such as documents and academic papers will also be requested from interviewees. Member checking will be done to verify the accuracy of the transcribed interviews. Ethical Issues The following ethical considerations are identified. Institutional requirements will be met before data collection. Permission to conduct the study will be obtained by securing approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University. The researcher will complete the ethics form and wait for approval before beginning the collection of data. Consent will be secured. An informed consent will be drafted to explain to participants the purposes and objectives of the study as well as the rights of participants regarding confidentiality and voluntarism. The same form will be attached to the online survey as proof of compliance with ethical requirement for research. Anonymity and confidentiality of information will be guaranteed. Procedures will be done to protect the rights of human subjects. Every completed questionnaire will be coded in order to hide the identity of participants. For the personal interviews conducted, each participant will be informed that the interview will be audiotaped for documentation. Transcript of the interviews will use pseudonyms instead of real names. Data storage requirements will also be complied with. Transcripts and hard drives will be secured in a locked cabinet to be destroyed after the study is published. Bias will be bracketed to minimise prejudicial interpretation of data. Ethics requires the researcher to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Bias is acknowledged to arise from data collection until the final phases of the study. Risk of bias will be minimised through bracketing and a written reflection log to trace subjectivities. Research schedule 2011 Activities May Completion of dissertation proposal June IRB form completed and passed July Additional literature review Survey questionnaire developed August Methodology chapter finalised Survey questionnaire piloted and evaluated Revisions to questionnaire finalised September Selection of participants October First phase of data gathering Analysis of results quantitative phase November Write up of results and advising December Refining of literature review Drafting of interview guide and approval 2012 January Selection of interviewees Conduct of interviews Transcription and qualitative analysis February Integration of findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2 Meet with supervisor Pass first draft of findings and conclusions March Check references. Finalise draft. April Final proofreading and revisions. Send to binders. May Submit bound copies by May 2012. Reflective commentary Writing this dissertation proposal has not only been a significant educational experience for me; it was also a reflexive opportunity. I was given an avenue with which to consider my own perspectives about obtaining higher education in a foreign university and the experiences which have so far brought me to the level I am now situated. Preparing the literature review was the most rewarding part of all because it enabled me to acknowledge the multifaceted and complex nature of the English language learning process. Simply put, acquiring a second language is not a simple feat. It is influenced by multiple factors and influences. While I was able to gather the most significant themes associated with English language learning among Arabic international students, I look forward to constructing the more detailed literature review in the future.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Police Corruption Essay Essay

Police Corruption can be defined as a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers break their social contract and abuse their power for personal or department gain. There are three forms of police corruption. These forms are Nonfeasance, which involves failure to perform legal duty, another form is Misfeasance, which is failure to perform legal duty in a proper manner, and the third form is Malfeasance, which is commission of an illegal act. The three explanations of corruption are the â€Å"rotten apples†, â€Å"departmental†, and the other focuses on factors external to the department. An example of these would be an officer might feel unappreciated for their good work and actions and it might make them corruptible. An example of departmental explanation would be if officers feel uncommitted and unsupported, their outlooks and values are reinforced by others in the group which may lead to lack of commitment in their job, thereby leading to corruption. Some police officers may abuse their power because they see themselves as not enforcers of the law, but them as the law itself. The â€Å"blue wall of silence† is a term used in the United States to denote the unwritten rule that exists among officers, where they should not report on a colleague’s misconduct, errors, or crimes. This may impact an officer’s loyalty to their profession because they are not doing their job if they are letting another officer get away with crimes, and if they did report it then they would be breaking their loyalty to fellow cops. It’s important for officers to have a good ethical foundation before they enter into this job because it would help prevent them from doing wrong and abusing their power. In the â€Å"Stopped for Being a Mutt† video, I realized how bad some officers can act sometimes. The teen was stopped and questioned multiple times for looking suspicious, when really they were just racist. They were trying to provoke the teenager to justify an arrest. I feel the form of police corruption they were doing was misfeasance. Stopping someone because of their race, when they weren’t committing any crimes is humiliating to that person and is wrong of any cop to abuse their power in this way. The â€Å"Blue wall of silence† comes up in this type of situation because some other cops  witness it and knows that this goes on when officers have low numbers of stops, and they don’t want to tell because they don’t want to seem disloyal to their fellow police officers. In the â€Å"Los Angeles Police Department† video, they talked about the Rampart and Crash scandal. When I watched this video I was in disbelief that, that many officers were implicated in some form of misconduct. I understand that they wanted to get gangs and crimes off the street but this was no way of going about it. They would shoot or beat people when they were unprovoked. They would steal narcotics and plant false evidence, and frame suspects and cover up all that these officers were doing because it was getting rid of the gangs and â€Å"hoodlums†. I can’t understand how these officers didn’t think what they were doing was wrong and immoral. This form of corruption in this particular situation was malfeasance. What they were doing was illegal, and they are here to protect and obey the law. In the â€Å"Behind the Blue Wall† video. I was extremely shocked to see the police brutality that occurred in these cases. I don’t understand how an officer could deliberately torment a victim because of their race and think they can get away with what they’re doing and that it isn’t wrong. Malfeasance is the form of corruption that comes up in these cases because what they are doing is illegal. The unlawful beatings and shootings of these victims, when they are not provoking the officers; is completely wrong and these cases need to stop. The Blue wall of silence also comes up in these cases because there were officers who knew about what happened and what the other officers were doing and instead of reporting it, they attempted to cover it up. Co-workers should treat those who inform authorities of illegal activity in the police agency the same as how they treated them before they reported corruption. In the virtue ethics perspective, the habit of right desire, he was making the right choice by reporting corruption because he knew that what was going on in the agency wasn’t right and needed to be stopped. Frank Serpico’s response to this case was â€Å"It’s always worth it to be at peace with yourself.† I think this does imply reasoning of ethical thought. I  think Serpico meant that, as long as you feel good with what you are doing, and you are doing what you think is right, then that is all the matters. I agree with this because no matter what happens in the end, it is all worth it if you are at peace and happy with what you did. There are conflicts presented in terms of loyalty and duty. Loyalty is a good to have, but it is not a virtue. If loyalty is treated as a virtue, it can be misguided. It will lead to protection of illegal conduct and can turn into corruption. Officers may want to be loyal to fellow officers and not report what is really going on, however they also want to do their duty, and want to report because it is their duty to not participate in the corruption. The blue wall of silence impacts conflicting loyalty because it is an unwritten rule amongst officers to not report a fellow officer’s mistakes, misconducts, or crimes. This affects them if they want to be loyal to those officers and be loyal to their civic duty as well. If I was an officer in this situation, I would definitely report these crimes. I don’t believe in the blue wall of silence. I think that if an officer is doing something illegal then it needs to be reported and dealt with. Just because they are officers doesn’t mean they should be able to get away with things that they are arresting other citizens for doing.

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Upside to Everyday Use Essay Topics

The Upside to Everyday Use Essay Topics As soon as you have structured one out, be certain that your paper flows from the very first page to the last. The items aren't only meant for ordinary use but they also contain memories. Therefore, if you practice with only a few prompts per category, you ought to be ready. Essay writing is often practiced is schools. People today have a tendency to trust the papers created with the assistance of well-known specialists. Technology can be challenging to comprehend, particularly if you use too many terms which may be unfamiliar to your audience. There are scores and scores of various channels on the internet that dwell upon particular topics that might be joined to the creation of your essay. Although there could be disparity in setting, several family issues together with situations are alike. You might discover that a number of the topics can be adapted to suit almost any sort of writing assignment. Thus, the varied viewpoints concerning African American culture end in the tension evident throughout the quick story. There are many approaches to find the info necessary for your essay. The very first thing you ought to do in the practice of figuring out how to compose a book critique is to think about the sort of book that you're working on. The simplest approach to influence the sort of an essay is to realize the writer's point of view. Fill in the purchase form and you'll get your special interview essay in no moment! Lies You've Been Told About Everyday Use Essay Topics Researching the topic will enable you to find out more about what fascinates you, and should you pick something you truly like, writing the essay will be more enjoyable. Essays could possibly be lightly modified for readability or to defend the anonymity of contributors, but we don't edit essay examples before publication. Writing an excellent persuasive essay is not a simple task, however, it's achievable. Stephen's essay is quite effective. To start with, your motivation for a writer is affected by the essay topic you select. You don't need to find super technical with legal argumentative essays, but be certain to do your homework on what the recent laws about your preferred topic actually say. To understand the main aspects of a society, you must study its major cities. You'll observe a similar structure in a lot of the essays. Moral argumentative essay topics are a few of the simplest to get carried away with. In reality, you will can create a terrific essay if you decide on its topic correctly. Narrative essay topics Narrative essay is somewhat different from different types. It's definitely better to look into the subject of your essay yourself. When you are finished, proofread your essay and refine it, if necessary. The essay provides you with a chance to reveal how effectively you may read and comprehend a passage and compose an essay analyzing the passage. The example essay is among the absolute most basic essays in academic writing, but may be exceedingly difficult if you've never written one or don't know what things to write about. The Essentials of Everyday Use Essay Topics You Will be Able to Learn From Starting Immediately Pay close attention to all things electronic, and you will be certain to find something debatable of what you see. One of the greatest strategies to determine how to create critical thinking is to maintain an open mind. When you're picking your topic, bear in mind that it's much simpler to write about something which you presently have interest ineven in case you don't know a great deal about it. For example, a person mi ght perceive which he or she might have inherited a character trait such as being cunning from a previous relative. Everyday Use Essay Topics - Dead or Alive? It is possible to just write about your extracurricular pursuits. Analysis In the brief story Everyday Use the most important conflict is over which daughter will receive the quilt. Music practice and the techniques to have it organized. International warming ought to be taken more serious as it can lead to several disastrous consequences.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Analysis Of Shakespeare s The Antigone Essay

Tyrant of Thebes Antigone, a play written by Sophocles, a writer of close to 123 plays, was written sometime between the years 496-406 B.C.E. A reoccurring theme in this play is the theme of rules. Throughout it’s many lines, a common conflict is portrayed as to whether to follow the rules of the gods, or to follow the rules of the state. Creon, being the King, feels that his say is final and everyone should respect and follow it, thus wishing to follow only the rules of the state. This ultimately leads to Creon ruling as a tyrant and only wishing to follow the irrational rules of man, which he put forth, as opposed to following the more rational rules of the gods. This essay will be discussing why Creon rules as a tyrant and how his excessive pride is what stands in his way of heeding the warnings and pleas of both Teiresias and Chorus before it was too late. Due to his inflated pride, best portrayed in the scene when Teiresias is first introduced, Creon shows how severely his pride gets in t he way of his judgment, which ultimately leads to the destruction of everything which makes him happy. Creon, King of Thebes in Antigone, may be best known to the reader as a tyrant who refuses to recognize the familial bond that Antigone has with her fallen brother. The reader is able to truly see how much of a tyrant he is by his most obvious character flaw, his pride. Though Creon may be the strict ruler that Thebes needs after they have just recently started to overcome a state ofShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis of Antigone and Creon in William Shakespeare ´s Antigone1144 Words   |  5 PagesAntigone and Creon, the two displayed tragic figures of Antigone, both led themselves to their demise because of their love for themselves and the hate they both share for one another. Antigone’s proven love is of the afterlife while her hate is for her uncle and king, Creon. Creon may share the love of himself, however, it is not quite the same as Antigone’s love. Creon loves to rule the city of Thebes and hate’s Antigone, which is very odd for both characters becau se they are family. SophoclesRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Antigone And Julius Caesar 1297 Words   |  6 PagesHonors Essay: Antigone and Julius Caesar Option 3 The involvement of women is very important in the two stories, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare and Antigone by Sophocles. Throughout each story it becomes clear that the ideas and biases surrounding women play an important part in how society views women, and how women see themselves. Readers also see these ideas spread into the minds of women affecting what they do in their life, and how they act. Antigone and Ismene, from Antigone, and CalpurniaRead More Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Essay1678 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Throughout history, female artists have not been strangers to harsh criticism regarding their artistic works. Some female artists are fortunate to even receive such criticism; many have not achieved success in sharing their works with the world. In Virgina Woolf’s third chapter of her essay â€Å"A Room of One’s Own,† Woolf addresses the plight of the woman writer, specifically during the Elizabethan time period of England. Woolf helps the reader