Saudi Learners Of English Research Articles

The Difficulties Faced by Saudi Learners of English in Translating Collocations from English into Arabic

The objective of this research was to assess the translation skills of Saudi students in rendering a specific set of English collocations into Arabic. To achieve this, twenty students in their fourth year from the Department of Languages and Translation participated in the study. The data collection method utilized was a translation test, in which students were required to translate ten collocations embedded in full sentences within one hour. These sentences were sourced from Hussain Ghazala’s Translation as Problems and Solutions. Each student translated sentences containing one of the specified collocations to address the research questions concerning the difficulties faced by Saudi EFL learners and the strategies they employ during translation. After administering the test, the researcher collected and analyzed the students’ translations. The analysis revealed that more than three-quarters of the students faced significant challenges in accurately and effectively translating English collocations into Arabic. This difficulty was largely due to their tendency to translate the individual words within the collocations separately, often relying on literal translation and incorrect paraphrasing. In light of these findings, the study offers several practical recommendations aimed at assisting Saudi English learners in overcoming these challenges and improving their ability to translate collocations more effectively.

Discourse Marker Usage in Argumentative Essays by Saudi Learners of English as Foreign Language: A Quantitative Corpus-based Study

Discourse Marker Usage in Argumentative Essays by Saudi Learners of English as Foreign Language: A Quantitative Corpus-based Study

Modeling the Effects of Task Repetition in Second Language Writing: Examining Interindividual and Intraindividual Variability

AbstractIn this paper, we report a longitudinal study of the effects of procedural task repetition on learners’ task performance (i.e., syntactic complexity in relation to lexical complexity). We investigated how task repetition results in differences at the group and individual level across each task interval (T = 7). Intermediate‐level Saudi learners of English (N = 93) performed a written task biweekly over the course of a whole semester. To control for text type, mode and tenor were fixed at each data elicitation moment, but field was varied in these writing tasks to keep learners engaged. Using Bayesian generalized additive mixed models and mixed location‐scale models, we analyzed specific ways that groups and individuals changed across time over the course of each task iteration and in relation to previous points. Our results showed that learners’ task performance demonstrated nonlinearity, stability, and variability with meaningfully different effects on individual and group‐level development over time.

The Role of Universal Grammar in Second Language: English Adjective Phrase by Saudi Learners

English is the primary second language learned in Saudi Arabia. Many Saudi students are learning English as a second language for several reasons. Still, almost all English second language learners in Saudi Arabia are willing to learn English proficiently as English natives. Chomsky’s Universal Grammar is one of the primary theories that has discussed the idea of learning a second language. The primary purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the role of Universal Grammar in second language acquisition by investigating how Saudi Learners of English use the English Adjective Phrase Structure. This research adopts the Full Transfer/Full Access Model as its model. This study used an online questionnaire method design and both quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyze data. This study assigned 118 participants from undergraduate students in Level Two and Level Five at English Language and Literature Department at Prince Sattam bin Abdul-Aziz University. The primary findings of this study indicate that native-like proficiency can be reached due to the fact there is full access to Universal Grammar when learning a second language. This study also found that Arabic as a first language plays a significant role in the beginning stages of learning English as a second language. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the effect of the first language on the second language can be overcome with more input the learner gets.

Offers in Saudi EFL talks: A focus on the learners’ pragmatic competence in interactions

The current study was driven by the most recent research trend of interlanguage pragmatics, which regards communication as a complex phenomenon and considers a learner's ability to produce social actions in extended discourse. It investigated the interactional structure of offers in natural conversations by nine Saudi learners of English (SEFL) when interacting with a British English native speaker. Conversations were recorded during a dinner attended by three to four friends. Comparable sets of data were collected from native speakers of Saudi Arabic (SA) and British English (BE). Both quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that the three cultural groups in this study did not get involved in intricate negotiations of offers during the conversation among friends; however, this was not necessarily to the same degree. The SEFL learners' interactional tools were not native-like. They showed more limited interactional resources and a pattern of direct offers by using elliptic forms or conveying the offer nonverbally. A possible pragmatic transfer was observed in their preference for employing nonverbal offers and invoking God. However, they were like the BE speakers in their insistence, which was often made with strategies that consider imposition on the addressee and usually closed in two adjacency pairs.

The Development of EFL Lexical Competence through the Use of Computer Assisted Language Learning in Qassim University

The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on vocabulary learning and its perceived benefits and challenges among Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). 64 homogeneous male and female participants were selected and assigned to experimental and control groups with equal numbers. The experimental group was taught vocabulary using the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and a supplementary online website, while the control group was taught using the traditional face-to-face (FTF) approach. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. Both groups of learners took pre- and post-tests for vocabulary achievement. Based on the descriptive statistics, independents samples t-test, and paired samples t-test, the experimental group outperformed the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the vocabulary test performance between male and female learners allocated in the experimental group. The follow-up interview revealed several benefits of this approach for their English vocabulary development though a few students pointed at some challenges that hinder them from making a good use of technology in enhancing their vocabulary.

“Wallah! I Beg Your Pardon...”: A Cross-cultural Study of Apology Speech Acts

This study explores the cross-cultural pragmatic features of apology speech acts generated by Arabic native speakers, English native speakers and advanced Saudi learners of English. The instrument employed for this study was a discourse completion task (DCT). The DCT included eight situations that elicited apologetic responses from 69 participants. Results revealed that Arabic native speakers and Saudi learners of English use apology strategies following a similar order of frequency that differs than English native speakers. Saudis frequently use oaths and use sarcasm instead of apology, or accompanied by apology, in their responses. Saudi learners of English are influenced by their Arabic culture, which leads to efficient communication at times while interfering with it at others.

An exploration of the potential benefit of extensive listening along with orthography for improving EFL learners\u2019 pronunciation

Explicit pronunciation instruction has been shown to be effective in improving language learners’ pronunciation, yet it is not clear whether the same can be said about implicit pronunciation instruction. In addition, the role of orthography in improving language learners’ pronunciation is yet to be fully understood. Thus, this research examined the contribution of extensive listening combined with orthography to the improvement of language learners’ pronunciation. Ninety Saudi learners of English were randomly allocated to three groups and offered different types of instructions: (A) extensive listening only; (B) extensive listening with orthography; and (C) a control group. Similar utterances were collected from the three groups before and after the instructions. The utterances were then presented randomly to a group of native English listeners for global foreign accent rating. Small, though non-significant, improvement was observed for both experimental groups. This may be attributed to the relatively short duration of exposing the learners to the aural input. Semi-structed interviews, with a sample of the learners from the experimental groups, showed that they had positive opinions regarding extensive listening with orthography for the improvement of their pronunciation. Further research may use longer period to examine whether extensive listening along with orthography can result in significant improvement of language learners’ pronunciation.

RETRACTED: EFL competence enhancement in an educational technology setting through cinema: Innovation learning

Despite Saudi Arabia's substantial investment in English and Science education to enhance future generations' global competitiveness, listening skills challenge many Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Most language courses at Saudi universities rely heavily on textbooks and sometimes use limited, non-film-based audio-visual support. This study examined the effects of including English feature films as teaching resources for sophomore English majors (N = 40) at Qassim University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It evaluated learner perceptions of the introduced methodology and materials. It measured the experiment's success through pretest and posttest to accurately measure EFL learners' listening skills. The results indicated significant improvement and learner engagement through film-based instruction as the literary texts were deemed difficult given their length and the variety of their language use.

Identity Negotiation and Construction Among Saudi Learners of English as a Second Language

Identity Negotiation and Construction Among Saudi Learners of English as a Second Language

Knowledge of English Focus Constructions by Saudi Learners of English: Usage-Based Approach

The current study investigates whether Saudi-Arabic speaking learners of English are sensitive to the information-structure constraints and frequency distribution when dealing with the syntactic means of information highlighting in English. Ninety-nine participants of different proficiency levels in English completed an acceptability rating task that asked participants to rate the target constructions in two different contexts eliciting either a narrow focus, in which the use of the target constructions was acceptable (felicitous), or a broad focus in which their use was inacceptable (infelicitous). The findings indicate that participants were sensitive to the contextual effect, as evident from participants' higher acceptability ratings in the felicitous context than the infelicitous context. Moreover, frequency impact was evident in their higher acceptability ratings in the felicitous context for the comparatively frequent constructions. Differences in the perceived acceptability of the target constructions by participants suggest a role for proficiency. All in all, the results obtained in this study supported the general predictions of usage-based approaches to SLA and shed light on the role of cognitive processes in the acquisition of the target constructions..

Does the MS Spell Checker Effectively Correct Non-Native English Writers’ Errors? A Case Study of Saudi University Students

Those learning English as a second or foreign language use spell checkers to correct the mistakes and errors they may have made while typing texts on a computer. However, scholars have debated the effectiveness of such checkers, which were originally designed to fix the spelling mistakes of native speakers. An example of these checkers is the Microsoft (MS) Word program, which constitutes the focus of the current study. This study examined how MS Word treats misspellings made by Saudi learners of English as a foreign language. It specifically addressed three research questions: (1) which L2 spelling errors were successfully fixed by MS Word; (2) which L2 spelling errors were unsuccessfully fixed by MS Word; and (3) how did intermediate L2 learners respond to alternative corrections provided by MS Word. A screen-tracking software, Screencast-O-Matic, was used to monitor the MS Word spell checker’s treatment of misspelled words. It was also used to track learners’ reactions to alternative corrections provided by MS Word in real time. The study analysed 401 errors made by25 female intermediate-level English learners at a Saudi university.

Extensive Reading and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition: The Case of a Predominant Language Classroom Input

A considerable body of research has investigated the effectiveness of extensive reading on incidental vocabulary acquisition in second language (L2) learners. However, we still know very little about the relationship between extensive reading and vocabulary development among Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) where language classroom is the predominant source of learning, if not the only one. In the present case study, a single participant was instructed to read extensively for eight weeks as an informal activity outside the classroom. The participant’s written receptive vocabulary knowledge was measured before and after the treatment. Results indicated that extensive reading contributed largely to the participant’s vocabulary gain, suggesting that a vocabulary uptake of about eight words from extensive reading intervention has occurred compared to about two words per contact hour from language classroom input where reading texts are short and scattered throught the textbook. Finding is interpreted in order to provide some pedagogical recommendations.

The Association between Self-efficacy of Saudi Learners and Their EFL Academic Performance

Considering the important impact of individual variables on language learning, this study seeks to highlight the relationship between Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) sense of self-efficacy about learning English and their academic performance in this language. The self-efficacy beliefs of 221 Saudi EFL undergraduate students whose major is English were explored using a questionnaire, while their academic performance was assessed using final exam scores in four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The data gathered were analysed quantitatively. The findings demonstrated that EFL participating students hold very low overall self-efficacy beliefs about learning the English language. They were also low achievers in learning English in general. Moreover, students’ English self-efficacy positively correlated with their language attainment, suggesting that learners’ beliefs about language learning affect their language performance. The findings of the study shed light on the crucial association between Saudi EFL learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and their language achievement. We anticipate that these findings will provide guidelines for the different parties involved in language learning/teaching in the country. These guidelines should address how to help students hold correct beliefs about foreign language learning in order to achieve better EFL learning outcomes.

A Comparison of Experiences and Preferences Regarding Classroom and Tutoring Feedback among Chinese and Saudi Learners of English

<p><em>This report studies ESL tutoring feedback to Chinese and Saudi students. The objective is to research the reasons of feedback differences and similarities, which include previous and current English learning styles, habits, purposes for receiving tutoring, and evaluations of tutors. Faced with L2 learners who come from different cultural backgrounds, it is helpful for instructors and tutors to know L2 students’ previous English learning experiences in their home countries so that instructors and tutors can adjust teaching or tutoring for each student. In addition, students who speak the same L1 have common problems of English learning due to their L1. In this way, ESL tutors not only tutor English skills, but also promote cultural awareness. Meanwhile, knowing students’ cultural background is necessary to give tutoring for each L2 learner. The present study aims to explore L2 learners’ feedback from previous and current English learning experiences and will help L2 instructors and tutors to know some basic knowledge about two different language groups.</em></p>

The Avoidance of using English phrasal verbs by EFL Saudi learners

تجنب الأفعال الإنجليزية المرکبة من قبل المتعلمين السعوديين للإنجليزية کلغة أجنبية درس البحث تجنب الأفعال المرکبة في اللغة الإنجليزية من قبل المتعلمين السعوديين للغة الإنجليزية کلغة أجنبية. تم إعطاء اختبار يحتوي على خمسة عشرة محادثة قصيرة، ينقص کل محادثة فعل لتکتمل. طلب من ثلاثين متعلم سعودي للغة الإنجليزية (15 من السنة الأولى، و 15 من السنة الثالثة في الجامعة) إکمال الفراغات بالأفعال المتاحة في أربعة خيارات متعددة: فعل مرکب صحيح، فعل من کلمة واحدة صحيح، وفعل مرکب خاطيء وفعل من کلمة واحدة خاطيء. تم أيضا إعطاء نفس الاختبار لعينة من ستة مدرسين متحدثين للغة الإنجليزية کلغة أم للمقارنة. وجد البحث أن المتعلمين السعوديين تجنبوا الأفعال المرکبة المجازية، لکن استخدموا الأفعال المرکبة الحرفية مثل ما استخدمها المتحدثون للغة الإنجليزية کلغة أم. لم يوجد هناک اختلاف بين المتعلمين في السنة الأولى والسنة الثالثة، مما يشير إلى أن عدد سنوات التعلم للغة الإنجليزية کلغة أجنبية لا يؤثر في تجنب واستخدام الأفعال الإنجليزية المرکبة. This paper reports on a study conducted to examine the avoidance of using English phrasal verbs by Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). It also examined the effect of phrasal verb types (literal vs. figurative) and years of learning English in a foreign language setting on the avoidance of phrasal verbs by Saudi EFL learners. A number of Saudi EFL learners (n = 30; two groups: 1st year and 3rd year) were recruited to take a phrasal verb multiple-choice test. 6 native English speakers were also recruited to take the same test to provide a comparison group. The results showed that both learner groups used much less figurative phrasal verbs than did the native English group. However, the learner groups were found similar to the native group in using literal phrasal verbs. There was no effect for the years of learning English on the use or avoidance of phrasal verbs, as both learner groups were found similar in their use of phrasal verbs

Pronunciation as a Stumbling Block for the Saudi English Learners: An Analysis of the Problems and Some Remedies

Pronunciation is an area of L2 learning that has long been relegated to the status of secondary skill. However, it is a mistaken belief or wrong notion that correct pronunciation plays little role in communication. It is observed that in many cases, mispronunciation leads to unintelligibility of speech and/or misinterpretation of the message/information: a barrier to communication. This premise prompted the researchers to study the difficulty in pronunciation experienced by Saudi students. This paper is also an attempt at exploring the pronunciation problems faced by the Saudi students of English and aims to propound possible remedial measures. The researchers have included students enrolled in the English departments and their teachers at two universities in Saudi Arabia. Primary data was collected from the students and their teachers using surveys, interviews, and classroom observation of students’ presentations. The study made some suggestions regarding materials that can help rectify the pronunciation of English among Saudi learners of English.

An Investigation of Some Difficulties in Idioms Encountered by Saudi Learners of English

The present study investigated the ability of Saudi English major female students to recognize and comprehend English idioms in certain contexts. Subjects were 60 senior Saudi female learners of English, Taibah University. Their recognition and comprehension of English pure idioms were tested with translation and multiple-choice tests. The results demonstrate that context plays an essential role in facilitating the processes of recognizing and comprehending English idioms effectively. Idioms that were more easily recognized and comprehended were those which were frequently used, transparent and which had simple vocabulary and structure..

Intrinsic Motivation in Saudi Learners of English as a Foreign Language

The paper presents an experimental study designed to measure levels of intrinsic motivation in learners of Eng- lish as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia. As part of the study, a 27-item structured survey was administered to a ran- domly selected sample of 55 Saudi learners from public schools and universities. Data collected through the survey were subjected to some basic statistical analyses, such as mean and standard deviation. Based on the results from the analy- sis, a number of generalizations and conclusions are made in relation to the role of motivation in the attainment of English as a foreign language in the Saudi educational setting. In addition, some recommendations are offered, which may enable Saudi teachers and learners of English as a foreign language to achieve better learning outcomes in an area widely associ- ated by Saudis with lack of success.