Investigating ESL students' perceptions of ambiguity tolerance-An Analytical case study at Jizan University KSA

Abstract

The objective of this study is to elucidate the perspective of students' tolerance of ambiguity to enhance proficiency in English as a secondary language. The aptitude to tolerate ambiguity, commonly referred to as AT, plays a crucial role in the process of language acquisition. It pertains to an individual's aptitude to manage and adapt to unfamiliar and uncertain aspects of the target language being learned. This skill is precious in comprehending and interpreting new information more effectively and flexibly. By cultivating AT, language learners can augment their overall proficiency, ultimately achieving greater fluency and mastery of the language they are studying. The interpretation of an ambiguous piece of language reflects the level of tolerance or intolerance of a language learner, as well as their capacity to endure the structure of the language and its impact on their emotional perception of progress. To illuminate the concern, a group of 110 students, consisting of 26 at the preparatory level, 50 at the proficient level, and 34 at the master's level in the English department at Jizan University, responded to a questionnaire comprising 12 items. The questionnaire focused on the Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (SLTAS), modified by Erten and Topkaya in 2009. To feature a circumstantial perspective, A comprehensive assessment was conducted on students across various levels to evaluate students' capacity to tolerate ambiguity. It is evident from the study results that students must acquire the necessary skills to navigate and comprehend language structures that may be unclear or open to interpretation because of their high ambiguity tolerance. Additionally, findings indicate no significant difference exists in levels of ambiguity tolerance among students categorized by proficiency as preparatory, proficient, or master. Furthermore, four open-ended questions were executed to limited introductory, proficient and master levels, each aiming to measure the coherence between the statistical findings and data interpretation. The outcomes derived from the open-ended inquiries aligned with the most recently scrutinized studies.