Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

August 16, 2019

Michael Wei, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and TESOL Program Director
University of Missouri - Kansas City
319 Education Building
615 E. 52nd Street
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Email: weiyou@umkc.edu
To whom it may concern,
It is my great honor to write a recommendation letter to your doctoral program for Mr.
Mohammed Alshalawi. He has participated in the master’s program for Teaching English as a
Second Language at the University of Missouri - Kansas City from 2017-2019. I personally
taught him several courses that were required to graduate from this program. I am also the
director of this program.
In the program, Mr. Alshalawi showed a strong base of knowledge. He especially did
well at learning the various aspects of linguistics. He received A for all courses including those
that dealt directly with the fundamentals of the English language and linguistics. He is extremely
competent in all the grammatical rules, sounds, structures and sentence formations of the English
language.
Mr. Alshalawi was exposed to several different cultures while in this program. He
successfully and professionally interacted with each culture, which is a difficult skill to master.
The multi-cultural education that he received and experienced while in this program will help
ensure his success in the future with English language learners.
Mr. Alshalawi was a very good student. He actively participated in all of the classes and
gave wonderful presentations about the various research topics he explored. During this
program, he not only presented research but was also an active researcher. He was required to
create lesson plans, interact with students and explore various educational theories in order to
carry out his research.
With the skills that Mr. Alshalawi has shown me, I strongly recommend that he pursue
his doctoral degree in your program. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to
contact me.
Sincerely yours,

Michael Wei, Ph.D.

309 Education Building | 615 E. 52nd Street | Kansas City, MO 64110 | p 816-235-2245 | f 816-235-6923 | education.umkc.edu
 August 27, 2019

Nabat Erdogan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor & MSE in ELL Program Coordinator
University of Central Missouri
Lovinger 2135
Warrensburg, Missouri 64093
Phone: (660) 543-4230
E-mail: erdogan@ucmo.edu

To Whom It May Concern:

I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Mohammed Alshalawi. Mohammed and I
discussed his decision to pursue a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, and as a person who
encourages every student to continue their further education, I strongly support his decision to
take his knowledge and skills to the next level.
I have known Mohammed since August 2018 in my capacity as his professor for the Intercultural
Communication course in Fall 2018, and for Methods of Teaching ESL in Spring 2019 at the
University of Missouri – Kansas City. Mohammed has always been a hard-working student. He
is very responsive to instructor’s feedback and diligently works on improving his assignments
when needed. He is also very organized and consistent with his awareness of details. During
class discussions, he actively shares his opinions and experiences on discussed topics.
As far as I have observed, Mohammed has a wonderful rapport with his professors and fellow
students. He is kind and respectful to other students and professors. I believe that Mohammed
has the intelligence, commitment, and great desire for continual growth and professional
development that will allow him to succeed in your program.
It is with no reservations that I recommend Mohammed Alshalawi to the doctoral program in
your institution.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Nabat Erdogan, Ph.D.
 Date: October 25, 2020
HeeGyoung Song, Ph.D.
Adjunct Instructor
University of Missouri - Kansas City
319 Education Building
615 E. 52nd Street
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Email: songhe@umkc.edu

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am asked to write a letter of recommendation to support Mr. Alshalawi Mohammed
who is pursuing his Ph.D. from your academic institution. I met Mr. Alshalawi Mohammed in
Spring 2019 when he took my EDUC-C&I 5518 Assessment of Diverse Learners, Engagement
and Motivation. He was an active student in my course with sharing his cultural, educational, and
linguistic experiences in Saudi Arabia with his classmates who were in-service teachers (K-12)
who were pursuing their MA. Mr. Alshalawi Mohammed was aware that high level of student
engagement and motivation are very important topics for educators to consciously think about
working with diverse student populations in today’s classroom. He earned an A in EDUC-C & I
5518 demonstrating how to assess diverse learners and implement culturally responsive
pedagogy, leading to increased learner engagement and motivation.
Using his teaching experience in the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for 3 years
before he came to American to complete his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction,
School of Education at UMKC, he now is to pursue his Ph.D. from your academic institution that
will lead him to have a high position in the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia and teach
courses for universities as a professor when he finishes his Ph.D.

His particular research interests are second language interference and language transfer
on second language acquisition for Saudi Arabia students. I believe that his research will benefit
Saudi Arabia students and students who learn English as a Second Language or a new language.
In considering many factors, Mr. Alshalawi Mohammed will be a great scholar and
researcher in the field of second language acquisition. I strongly recommend Mr. Alshalawi
Mohammed to your Ph.D. program. Please email me if you have any question.

Sincerely,
HeeGyoung Song, Ph.D.