Motivation of Saudi Arabia Tertiary Level Students Learning English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

In this paper the author focuses on the motivation of Saudi Arabian students in learning English at the tertiary level. To show the significance of motivation in this paper the author uses Gardner’s socio-educational model of SLA. It centers on government initiatives, parents’ inspiration, classroom atmosphere, and teachers’ inspirations at elementary and tertiary levels in English language learning. Here a questionnaire has been used to collect data. The attitudinal scale is used with close-ended questions on a four points Likert scale. In the survey it has been revealed that English should be taught from grade one at elementary level and qualified English teachers are required there. In terms of motivation it has been recognized that family awareness plays a crucial role. It is also found that parents should care about the language efficiency of their children rather than grades in examinations.