Saudi EFL Research Articles

The Influence of Social Media's on Student English Proficiency: A Study of University EFL Teachers' Perspectives

This study examined EFL university teachers' perspectives on the influence of social media on students' English proficiency levels in Saudi Arabia. This study is limited to explore instructors' viewpoints on optimizing various social media tools for learners. A quantitative survey was administered to 39 EFL university teachers. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics analyzed responses. Results showed that Saudi EFL teachers agreed that social media aids vocabulary and listening skills but views were neutral on grammar support. Excessive usage negatively impacts focus while translation reliance poses issues. Teachers require training on integrating platforms effectively. Findings partially align with literature indicating benefits depending on tailored usage. The findings suggest educators have various views on social media's language impact, depending on tailored integration approaches. By exploring perspectives and highlighting potential if implementation, access, and best practice obstacles are mitigated over time via systematic collaborative research, the study provides valuable insight and underscores opportunities if challenges are addressed constructively.

Interactive Learning Landscapes: Leveraging Technology for Dynamic Education in the Writing Classroom

This study explores the perceptions of EFL learners towards interactive learning tools in the Saudi environment; it also investigates how available technology can be leveraged to create dynamic learning environments. Using a mixed methods approach, the study conducted a survey with 70 EFL learners and focus group interviews with 10 students across two higher education institutions to examine writing skill development using the three interactive writing tools, viz., Blackboard, Pear Deck, and Flipgrid. Results indicate that Saudi EFL learners in higher education have a moderately positive perception towards the integration of technology in the EFL classrooms, as well as support the efficacy of these interactive tools in aiding learning in the writing classrooms. Moreover, perceptional change evidently positively impacted learners’ writing as the performance in the post test showed an average improvement of between 19-24% in the scores This examination of the interaction between learners and digital resources is likely to uncover insights into effective strategies for enhancing English language learning experiences and outcomes, and benefit a range of stakeholders.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Using Corpus-Based Developed Materials in Vocabulary Learning for Saudi EFL Students

Many studies have employed corpus linguistics methodologies to gain insights into L2 learning and teaching. While these studies have contributed to a comprehensive theoretical understanding of corpus use in L2 instruction, particularly in vocabulary learning, there remains a gap in practical application, especially within the context of English as a Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL). Therefore, this paper empirically examined the effectiveness of using the corpus approach for EFL students’ vocabulary development and explored students’ attitudes toward using a corpus to develop their vocabulary. In a five-week experimental study, involving 24 Saudi EFL female students, participants were evenly divided into two groups: the control and experimental groups. These objectives were investigated using a mixed-method design, comprising both quantitative and qualitative approaches, which included pretests, posttests, questionnaires, and diaries for the experimental group only. Data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS program (v.25), incorporating T-tests and descriptive statistical analysis, alongside a descriptive analysis of learners’ diaries to corroborate the questionnaire findings. The findings showed that both groups revealed improved vocabulary during the study period based on the post-test results, but favored the experimental group that received the corpus-based approach. Furthermore, the attitudes questionnaire’s results showed most students held positive attitudes toward using the COCA corpus for vocabulary learning, despite facing some difficulties, which, as described in their weekly diaries, could be overcome over time through practice and training.

Saudi EFL Universities Students’ Perceptions of Taking Computer-based Tests and Paper-based Tests

Saudi EFL Universities Students’ Perceptions of Taking Computer-based Tests and Paper-based Tests

Understanding Saudi EFL Learners’ Perspectives on the Efficacy of the Flipped Learning Model: Problems and Prospects

The study assesses Saudi EFL learners’ perspectives on the efficacy of the flipped learning model, problems and challenges, and opportunities and prospects in Saudi Arabia. 261 respondents from different levels of the undergraduate program at the College of Science and College of Business Administration, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, KSA, were selected using a random sampling method. A questionnaire, with the adoption of modified items from some previous studies, was designed to collect the data. As the research looks at how specific independent variables (gender, year of study, and parents’ professional profile) shape the dependent variable (perspective/perceptions), the data was evaluated quantitatively (utilizing descriptive statistics). The findings revealed that Saudi EFL learners considered flipped classrooms an excellent alternative mode of instruction. In addition, it was observed that this approach to learning encountered certain challenges, such as lack of motivation, learners' incapacity to maintain self-discipline, and unmonitored instruction. It was also revealed that flipped classrooms in Saudi Arabia had considerable prospects due to its young tech-savvy population and its well-advanced infrastructure for learning. One-way ANOVA analysis found no significant statistical difference among the respondents based on their demographic profile. The study implies that issues related to motivation, self-regulated learning, and the learners' failure to stay disciplined in flipped classrooms must be addressed to make it an effective alternative mode of instruction.

The Perspectives of Saudi EFL Teachers on Practical Criteria of Test Constructions

The Perspectives of Saudi EFL Teachers on Practical Criteria of Test Constructions

Code-Switching in Speech Acts: A Focus on Offer Interactions by Saudi EFL Female Bilinguals

Code-Switching in Speech Acts: A Focus on Offer Interactions by Saudi EFL Female Bilinguals

Examining teacher’s evaluative language in written, audio and screencast feedback on EFL learners’ writing from the appraisal framework: A linguistic perspective

Technology facilitates teacher corrective feedback on students' writing, but there is a need to examine how written, audio and screencast modes affect teacher's evaluative language of electronic (e-) feedback from linguistic approaches. By using the engagement resources of the appraisal framework within Systemic Functional Linguistics, this study examined the effect of written, audio and screencast modes on the instructor's evaluative language in his e-feedback on writing and the text revisions of 15 pairs of Saudi EFL learners. The linguistic analysis of the e-feedback revealed that the instructor's engagement resources differed across the three e-feedback modes. Specifically, the screencast and audio e-feedback modes were dominated by expanding resources (resources expanding the space for dialogue) as opposed to the prevalence of contracting resources (resources limiting/shutting down the space for dialogue) in the written feedback mode. Moreover, the audio and screencast feedback modes contained more statements and suggestions whereas the written feedback mode was dominated by commands/orders and suggested corrections. The content analysis revealed that the screencast e-feedback mode addressed a higher number of global issues in writing; however, the audio and written e-feedback modes addressed a higher number of local issues in writing. Despite the higher overall rate of successful text revisions resulting from the screencast and audio e-feedback modes, no significant differences were found except in relation to students' global text revisions. The study offers useful pedagogical implications for instructors in effectively responding to students' writing.

The Attitudes and Perceptions of Saudi EFL Learners Toward Using English Language Learning Mobile Apps for Learning English

This study investigated the views of Saudi EFL students toward using English Language Learning Mobile Apps (MELLA) to learn English. A quantitative approach consisting of questionnaires was used to collect data from eighty-nine participants who shared their attitudes and perceptions about MELLAs. Questionnaire items were rated on a Likert scale which ranged from “Strongly Disagree” (1, very low) to “Strongly Agree” (5, very high). Mean Likert scale scores were used to evaluate participants’ responses. The study found that Saudis’ perceptions of MELLA exceeded their attitudes. Moreover, gender differences were found in Saudis’ attitudes toward the use of MELLA. The highest-ranking female attitude mean scores were observed on items related to pronunciation, dictionary, and listening apps while the highest-ranking male attitude mean scores were related to dictionary, listening, and vocabulary apps. Furthermore, the Saudis’ mean score for MELLA perception was higher than the mean score for MELLA attitude. Results also show that females have a higher perception than males. Finally, minor gender differences regarding MELLA perception were also found; the highest female mean scores were based on easiness and flexibility in the use of apps while males highly perceived the convenience of using an app anywhere and at any time as being most important to them.

Blended Learning in the Saudi EFL Classroom: Insights from Teachers on Pedagogical Impact

In an era where technology seamlessly blends with teaching methodologies, this study examines EFL teachers’ perceptions in Saudi Arabia regarding the impact of blended learning methodologies on student engagement compared to traditional teaching approaches. This paper aims to explore the challenges these teachers encounter in implementing blended learning and its perceived effects on learning outcomes. Through a qualitative research design, the study engaged 42 EFL teachers, selected randomly to encapsulate a wide array of genders, academic backgrounds, teaching experiences, and levels of technological proficiency. A bespoke, researcher-developed questionnaire with open-ended questions was strategically employed to extract in-depth insights into the teachers’ experiences and perceptions regarding blended learning within the Saudi educational context. Thematic analysis was utilized to uncover patterns and themes within the responses. The findings reveal that while blended learning methodologies are recognized for their potential to moderately enhance student engagement through increased participation, attentiveness, and enthusiasm for learning, challenges significantly temper their effectiveness. These include technological barriers, disparities in digital literacy, and the complexities of integrating blended learning into existing pedagogical frameworks. Despite these obstacles, the study identifies a cautious optimism among EFL teachers about the potential of blended learning to enrich educational outcomes, provided that the aforementioned challenges are systematically addressed. This research is significant as it contributes critical insights into the evolving role of blended learning in EFL education, highlighting the need for strategic implementation and support mechanisms to fully leverage its benefits in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes in Saudi Arabia. Based on these findings, implications, limitations, and recommendations were provided.

Exploring the Impact of Learning English on Shaping Saudi EFL Learners’ Identities

Language learners’ identities are no longer constant and stable but complicated, conflicting, and multidimensional (Darvin & Norton, 2023; Norton, 1997). Its users’ identities format language and those identities are dynamic because students engage in many discourses and negotiate their positions within diverse communities of practice. The main aim of this mixed-methods study is to explore how learning the English language impacts Saudi students’ identities and what factors contribute to it. To achieve these purposes, the study randomly recruited a sample of 60 male and female college-level students studying for a Bachelor of Education. in English language at Majmaah University’s College of Education – Saudi Arabia- were randomly recruited to complete online questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with five male and five female high-achieving EFL English as a foreign language learner. The results showed that knowing English is highly valued in Saudi Arabia and essential to securing a good job and achieving personal financial success. The research participants expressed positive perceptions of the English language, native English speakers, and the culture of English-speaking nations, showing that they possessed both intrinsic solid and extrinsic motivational orientations. The outcomes of the interviews and questionnaires indicated that most respondents still needed to create a new foreign-language identity.

Perceptions of Digital Academic Dishonesty in English Writing at Applied Colleges

Since the last decade, English instructors have often found digital academic English writing dishonesty (Tayan, 2017) among Saudi EFL graduating students due to the serious issues of adapting the online ghostwrites and tools, fabricating the English writing practices (Al-Khairy, 2013), plagiarism (Madkhali, 2017; Jenkins, 2018), neglecting proper citation and referencing, a lack of critical thinking and analysis, limited vocabulary and weak language proficiency (Fareed et al., 2016, Alsowat, 2017), and inadequate grammar and syntax, all of which affect their English writing skills ethically. However, such serious issues and digital factors devalue the hard work of honest students and negatively impact the integrity of the educational system. Therefore, this research attempt investigated critically the perceptions of digital academic dishonesty by Saudi EFL students in English writing at the Applied Colleges of King Khalid University. The objective of this study was to examine the awareness and understanding of digital academic dishonesty among diploma students enrolled in applied colleges. A descriptive quantitative analysis of 134 students' questionnaires was conducted, and data was gathered regarding their perceptions of academic dishonesty and such mediums by which students take part in academically dishonest activities. Also, the study explored the prevalent types of digital academic dishonesty that Saudi students engage in and the causes behind such behaviors. The investigation identified such common types of digital academic dishonesty as plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, utilizing essay mills, and falsification of sources, among others. By investigating the motivations behind such behaviors, the study, therefore, aimed to shed light on suggestions to reduce digital academic dishonesty in the context of English writing assignments.

Scaling the apex of engagement: Anxious language learners’ positive flow experiences during speaking tasks

Flow is a psychological state that represents high levels of positive emotional engagement in a single task. Fostering flow experiences could lead anxious learners to become fully immersed in the task, experience positive emotions, and temporarily set aside their anxiety during task performance. In the present exploratory study, we investigate anxious learners’ flow experiences over a series of carefully selected and adapted communicative speaking tasks that were implemented in an online Saudi EFL university classroom. Data were collected using open-response questionnaires (n = 127), stimulated recall interviews (n = 25), and a series of interviews with the teacher. The findings suggest that anxious learners can experience flow and that this positive state is sustained through certain conditions: authentic communication on interesting task topics, control in tailoring the task content, and a balance between challenge and skill. The study concludes with implications for teachers to design or adapt flow-enhancing classroom tasks.

EFL Teachers’ Professional Identity: Insights and Experiences in FYP in a Saudi Context

There has been significant increase in research on exploring and understanding EFL teachers’ professional identities in various contexts. The EFL teachers play an important role in developing Saudi EFL learners’ English language skills to facilitate in their academic endeavors. The current study aimed to explore EFL teachers’ professional identity construction and negotiation process. Also, it intended to investigate how contextual factors influence this process. To this end, five experienced EFL teachers were chosen through purposive sampling from English Language Institute (ELI) teaching at a public-university in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected through in depth standardized open-ended interviews. The data were analyzed thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006) by reading and reading the interview transcripts, and developing codes, categories and themes. The findings revealed that the participants found a few factors quite motivating for them to sustain their professional identity. However, there were many contextual factors that caused conflict in their construction and negotiations process of their identities and resulted in significantly contributed to their weaker professional identities. The findings can have pedagogical implications for EFL teachers, and they can prepare themselves better to deal with contextual dilemmas to perform better in the current settings. For policy makers, it can be implied that they can provide conducive environment to teachers for developing their strong professional identities.

The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Rapport, Stroke and English as a Foreign-Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate: The Case of Saudi EFL Female University Students

The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Rapport, Stroke and English as a Foreign-Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate: The Case of Saudi EFL Female University Students

Investigating the Effect of Retrieval Practice on EFL Students' Retention of Prose Passages: Repeated Testing versus Studying

This research aimed to investigate the beneficial effect of retrieval practice on the short- and long-term retention of prose passages by Saudi EFL speakers. A total of 270 Saudi EFL students were divided into six groups to compare the effectiveness of repeated study and repeated testing. Each student read the same 333-word passage containing 20 ideas. Results of immediate tests showed that more ideas were recalled by the repeated study (SSSS) group than by the repeated test (STTT) group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Results of delayed tests showed that the STTT group or even the single test (SSST) group was more successful with long-term retention than the SSSS group. Furthermore, the SSSS group retained less information in the first week after the study period than the other groups. The results of the study indicate that testing has a positive effect on the retention of previously learned material.

Promoting Intercultural Pluralism: Linguistic Diversity in Saudi EFL Education

The rapidly changing social and educational landscape of Saudi Arabia has made commitment to intercultural pluralism in EFL classrooms a compelling necessity for peaceful co-existence with ‘others’ both within and outside the country. Understanding of the other cultures is facilitated by communication which is dependent on language which necessitates teachers’ preparation in training learners in intercultural communication. This descriptive study aimed to assess the prevalent teachers' awareness of intercultural communication to foster a higher level of pluralism, particularly in the unique sociocultural landscape of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from 29 EFL instructors at an academic institution via personal interviews. Thematic analysis with statistical analysis were carried out to answer the research questions. Findings showed that to fully master a language, one must also comprehend its cultural nuances; and the promotion of intercultural pluralism through EFL education in Saudi Arabia is a step in the right direction, as it ensures that students are not only linguistically proficient but also attuned to the contemporary geopolitics and culturally sensitive. This research lays the foundation for a larger discussion about the incorporation of cultural awareness in language education, positioning it as a foundation in the development of a more pluralistic and harmonious society.

Speech Act of Request :A Contrastive Study Between EFL And ESL Undergraduate Students

This study explored the English request strategies and modifiers used by Malaysian and Saudi undergraduates. It also investigated the influence of social power and social distance on their choice of those strategies. Fifty Malaysian ESL and fifty Saudi EFL undergraduates participated in it. A discourse completion task was used to collect the data. Blum-Kulka et al.'s (1989) taxonomy was used to analyse request strategies and Martinez-Flor and Uso-Juan’s (2006) taxonomy was used to analyse request modifiers. Data was collected and analyzed quantitatively. The findings revealed that pragmatic competence varied according to context. Malaysian students in an English as a second language environment used more Conventionally Indirect request strategies than Saudi students did in an English as a foreign language environment. Non-Conventionally Indirect strategies were not used by Malaysians and were employed least often by Saudis. Social status and social distance had no significant influence on their use of request strategies. The study concluded by providing implications for English teachers to foster pragmatic competence among undergraduate students.

Investigating the Educational and Social Factors Affecting Saudi EFL Learners' Attitudes toward Learning English

This study aims to investigate the attitude of Saudi EFL learners toward learning English as a foreign language, their motivation, and contextual and surrounding factors affecting their attitudes positively or negatively. Out of the population that comprises students studying in levels 1 & and 2 of the graduate programs at Business College, PSAU, 216 EFL learners of Saudi Arabia were selected through a simple random sampling method. A self-designed questionnaire with partial adoption of modified items from existing studies was sent to the students to collect their responses. The quantitative approach (descriptive quantitative design) revealed that Saudi EFL students typically exhibited a high level of positivity toward English as a foreign language, and they demonstrated a high level of instrumental motivation but a lower level of integrative motivation toward English. The use of Spolsky’s (1969) and Gardner’s (1985) Second Language Learning Model and Second Language Acquisition theories respectively revealed that certain educational and social factors (e.g., English learning situation, language teachers, and parents) had an advantageous effect on Saudi EFL learners. In the same way, different social and educational factors, such as peer groups, educational settings, and educational environments, have been found negatively impacting learners' motivation and their desire to speak or learn the language. The study implies that the factors (learning physical environment, teaching material, peer groups) affecting the learners’ attitude negatively should be improved. The study would be beneficial to instructors and students in understanding the elements that impede language acquisition and assist them in attaining outstanding and effective English skills.

Apology Strategies: Appropriateness and Frequency of Use by Saudi EFL Students

Apology Strategies: Appropriateness and Frequency of Use by Saudi EFL Students