Attitudes of Saudi Speakers Towards Learning the English Language - Term Paper Example

? Attitudes of Saudi speakers towards learning the English language Attitudes of Saudi speakers towards learning the English language Introduction This paper will examine the attitudes of Saudi speakers towards learning the English language. The study was carried out among students from the University of Greensboro, which is located in North Carolina. This paper will examine the factors that inspire the attitudes of Saudi speakers in learning the English language. Some of the factors that will be discussed include; pedagogic factors, the motivation of Arabic speakers in learning the English language, the status of the language and the teaching programs in Saudi Arabia (Al-Khatib, 2000). From the research, it is evident that motivation tends to play a key role in the attitudes of Saudi speakers towards learning the English language. This is because the investigations carried out reveal that attitude and motivation play essential roles in learning a foreign language like English. Investigations carried out among the students in the university depict that the lack of motivation for Arabic speakers cause the learners to lose interest in leaning the foreign language. From this research, it is evident that the lack of motivation tends to affect the success of the speakers in learning the English language. Research depicts that motivation also affects the rate at which Arabic speakers are likely to learn the language. For instance, investigations carried out among the students revealed that motivation played a key role in the failure or the success of the students in learning the language. It is also evident that motivation normally affects the attitudes of the speakers towards learning the language. From this research, it was clear that lack of motivation is likely to cause learners to develop negative attitudes towards learning English. However, when Arabic speakers are motivated to learn the languages then they are likely to develop positive attitudes towards learning English (Amin, 2009). The replies in the questionnaires revealed that it was difficult for the low motivated Saudi speakers to learn the English language. This unequivocally implies that motivation was a determinant that was essential for Saudi speakers to learn English. From the research it evident that some of the Arabic speakers may be demotivated to learn the English language because of negative external factors such as school (Arani, 2004). The other factors that affected the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards learning the English language were pedagogic factors. These refer to factors related to the teaching of English in Saudi Arabia. An examination of the responses in the questionnaires reveals that teaching English, which is considered a foreign language in Saudi, is normally a challenge. One of the reasons for this is because the language is considered to be of very limited purpose to the Arabians. From this research, it was evident that the teaching of the language started at school level. However, the students who were interviewed attributed the negative attitudes of Saudi speakers to the English language to factors such as; the lack of qualified teachers and the use of integrated textbooks. The other pedagogic factor causing negative attitudes towards English among Arabic speakers is the purposive curriculum. It is also thought that the achievements made by the speakers who speak the language are normally below their expectations causing them not to want to learn. In the questionnaires, those interviewed recommended that diagnostic studies be carried out in the different language areas. This was to enable the teachers identify the problems associated with the pedagogic factors. The students interviewed thought that the evolution of compatible strategies would have helped the students to yield maximum output when learning the language. Some of the students interviewed stated that to enable the learners change their attitudes towards learning the English language, it was essential that pedagogic factors such as the translation of the language using Arabic be employed. The other pedagogic factor that was suggested by those interviewed was the use of communicative language in teaching the language. This is essential to enable the learners change their attitudes towards the language by focusing on the skill. The other alternative strategy that was proposed by those interviewed was the bilingual approach (Arani, 2004). The other factor that influenced the attitudes of Arabic speakers in learning the English language was the teaching programmes that were used in Saudi Arabia. Some of the teaching methods that were proposed include audio lingual methods of teaching, bilingual methods of teaching and communicative methods of teaching. Those interviewed, however, proved that the teaching methods used can normally yield result in some cases, and it may also fail in other instances. From the interview, it is evident that the teacher had the responsibility of opting for the most appropriate teaching method. Some of the students interviewed proposed that in addressing the issue concerning the attitudes developed by Arabic speakers towards the English language, it was essential that the teachers address the issues associated with writing and speaking the language (Baker, 2001). The other factor that influenced the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the English language is the status of the language in Arabia. From the interviews that were conducted it was evident that Arabic speakers mainly learnt the language to enable them communicate with people from foreign countries. The other reason for Saudi speakers learning the language was to enhance the spread of Islam. This reasons, therefore, placed a rationale for the learning of English in Saudi. To ensure a change in the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards English, it was essential that the language is given priority. Some of the suggestions that were given by those who were interviewed include enhancing awareness to ensure the status of the language in the country improves. To ensure that Arabic speakers change their attitudes towards the language the status of the language in the country should be improved to ensure that Arabic develop interest in learning the language. The language should also be allowed special administrative status in the country to ensure the speakers change their attitudes towards the language. It is also thought that the social establishment of the language is also likely to result to changes in the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the language. It is thought that an elevation of the status of the language by making it a compulsory language in the learning institutions is also likely to change the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the language. If the language is made a core subject in learning institutions, then Arabic speakers are likely to change their attitudes towards the language. In elevating the status of the language in the country to ensure the speakers change their attitudes towards the language, it is essential that employers in every sector ensure the employees possess a proficiency in the language. Mass media should also be used to elevate the status of the language in the country. These include the internet, print media and other broadcasting channels (Cook, 2001). Research questions The research questions in this study include; how motivation ensures a change in the attitude of Arabic speakers. The second question was how pedagogic factors play a role in changing the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the English language. The last question that was addressed in this research was how the status of the English language in Saudi Arabia influenced the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the language (Ellis, 2000). Methods Data collection for the study was carried out among students from the University of Greensboro, which is located in North Carolina. The students that were selected to participate in the study were all from Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires were used to conduct the interviews. Twenty male students and twenty female students who were from different parts of Saudi Arabia were selected for the study. In selecting the participants for this study, it was ensured that those interviewed were from Saudi Arabia. This was to enhance the credibility of the information provided (Gardner, 2000). The data for the research was collected through the survey questions. This research was designed to explore the attitudes of the participants towards learning the English language. The following questions were administered to the participants. In the data analysis, the research took into account the themes and patterns of the responses that were given by the participants. In analyzing the content of the research, it is evident that the partakers in the study had both positive and negative attitudes towards learning the English language (Gardner, 2000). Data collection and analysis Samples of the survey questions and the responses that were obtained during the interview were as follows. 1. Why the participants wanted to learn the language. All the students who were interviewed during the survey stated that they were interested in learning the language. However, they gave different reasons regarding their interest in the language. The most common reason that influenced the attitudes of the participants in learning the language was the fact that English was the most common language in the world. The participants stated that their ability to speak the language enabled them to communicate with other individuals from other countries. From this response, it is evident that the ability to communicate with foreigners from other countries was the motivating factor for the participants. The communication based motives proved to be the factor that enhanced the attitudes of the Arabic speakers towards learning the English language. However, some of the participants who interviewed showed negative attitudes towards learning English. For example, some of the participants claimed that they had to learn the language because they wanted to work in foreign countries. This illustrates the negative attitudes of Arabic speakers towards leaning the language because they stated that they only learnt the language, in order that, they get jobs in foreign countries (Kharma, and Hajjaj, 2000). 2. What were their reasons for learning the language while they were in school This question would have helped in the evaluation of the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards leaning the English language. The most common response that was given by the participants was to ensure they enhance their skills in the language. This showed that some of the speakers had positive attitudes towards learning the language because of their increased desire to learn. However, some of the participants did demonstrated negative attitudes towards learning the language because they stated that their main intention for learning the language was because the language was part of the curriculum. Responses received from the participants concerning their reasons for learning the language revealed that the majority of Arabic speakers developed positive attitudes towards learning the language because they illustrated the advantages that accompanied the ability to learn the language. One of the reasons that showed the negative attitudes of the participants in learning the language was evident in the response that was given by the participants that, they learnt the language because they wanted to pursue higher education in foreign countries (Kharma, and Hajjaj, 2000). 3. Did you learn the language before high school or after high school? This question was to help in the evaluation of how pedagogic factors in Saudi Arabia influenced the attitudes Arabic speakers towards learning the language. Twenty five of the participants who were interviewed said that they started learning the language after high school. This illustrated how the pedagogic factors influenced the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards learning the language. The responses received from this question showed that failure to fulfill the requirements of the course contributed to the negative attitudes that were developed by the speakers in learning the language. Some of the participants stated that they started learning the language after joining college (Kharma, and Hajjaj, 2000). 4. How has learning English benefitted you? This question helped in the analysis of the attitudes Arabic speakers towards the English language. This is because some of the participants gave illustrations on how learning the language has benefited them. However, there are those participants who had negative attitudes towards the language and they pointed out different drawbacks associated with learning the language. Some of the reasons that were pointed out by the participants who had negative attitudes towards learning the language include; the difficulties they experienced in memorizing new vocabulary and learning new grammar. However, there are those participants who stated that learning English did not benefit them in any way. They stated that they learnt the language because it was a routine (Kharma, and Hajjaj, 2000). Results and discussion An examination of the results that were obtained from this study reveals that the attitudes of Arabic speakers in learning the English language are normally influenced by different factors. An examination of the responses by the participants shows that if Arabic speakers are motivated to learn the language then they are likely to change their attitudes towards the language. The participants who were interviewed belonged to the young generation, and it is evident that they would have easily changed their attitudes towards the language. This would have happened if the pedagogic factors in teaching the language in Saudi Arabia also changed. This is evident from the suggestion that were given by the participants that if the language was to be made part of the curriculum in Saudi Arabia, then the speakers would have easily changed their attitudes towards the language. A change in the status of the language in Saudi Arabia also proved to be a factor that influenced the attitudes of Arabic speaker towards learning the language. The results obtained from this study tend to be similar from the results that have been obtained concerning the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the English language. This is because, like other sources, the study reveals that the pedagogic factors, the status of the language in Saudi Arabia and the motivation of the speakers normally influence their attitudes towards speaking the language (Moiinvaziri, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, the views of the participants could be used in evaluating the attitudes of the speakers towards the English language. There were difficulties that were encountered during the research they include; the lack of cooperation among some of the participants, who were being interviewed. The other difficulty that was experienced was the delivery of wrong information by the participants. However, the limitations that were encountered were solved by carrying out the investigation among many participants and then examining the questionnaires that were properly filled. The study also seemed biased in that only ten female students were interviewed out of the thirty participants. Despite the difficulties that were encountered during the study, future research should be carried out on the topic. This because after the identification of the attitudes that influence the attitudes of Arabic speakers towards the language it is essential that the information obtained is used to enable speakers with negative attitudes towards the language to develop positive attitudes (Vaezi, 2008). References Al-Khatib, M.A. (2000). The Arab world: Language and cultural issues. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 13(2), 121-125. Amin, T. (2009). Language of instruction and science education in the Arab World: Toward a situated research agenda. The world of science education: Arab states. S. B. a. Z. Dagher. Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Sense Publishers. Arani, J. (2004). Issues of learning EMP at university: An analysis of students’ perspectives. Karan’s Linguistics Issues. Baker, C. (2001). Attitudes and language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Cook, V. (2001): Second language learning and language teaching. London: Arnold Ellis, R. (2000). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford/ New York: Oxford University Press. Gardner, R.C. (2000). Correlation, causation, motivation and second language acquisition. Canadian Psychology, 41, 10-24. Kharma, N. and Hajjaj, A. (2000). Errors in English among Arabic Speakers: Analysis and Remedy. London: Longman. Moiinvaziri, M. (2008). Motivational orientation in English language learning: A study of Iranian undergraduate students, Global practices of language teaching, Proceedings of International Online Language Conference (IOLC). Universal Publishers: Boca Raton, Florida, US. Vaezi, Z. (2008). Language learning motivation among Iranian undergraduate students. World Applied Sciences Journal, 5(1), 54-61 Read More