- Title
- The influence of religious and cultural attitudes on engagement among learners of English as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia
- Creator
- Alsuwail, Fatimah Ibrahim
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- This mixed-methods study examines the attitudes of teachers, students and religious scholars towards English as a foreign language (EFL), in Saudi Arabia. The reasons behind these attitudes, and their influence on students’ engagement in EFL, were also sought. Quantitative data were collected from 140 respondents via questionnaires completed by 100 secondary school students, 30 EFL teachers and 10 religious scholars, in three different regions within Saudi Arabia. For the qualitative phase of the study, 13 EFL teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The range of attitudes of students to EFL learning was examined in four dimensions: engagement, intellectual, practical and religious attitudes; statistical analysis revealed that all three groups, students, teachers and religious scholars, had positive attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language. Students’ positive attitudes towards learning English resulted from practical and instrumental considerations. Teachers’ positive attitudes to EFL learning was most strongly based on religious reasons. Religious scholars were the most positive of all cohorts of participants towards teaching and learning English based on religious reasons. Through teacher interviews, a more in-depth examination of teachers’ attitudes to teaching EFL was sought. During the interviews, the researcher also explored teachers’ perceptions of the causes underpinning their students’ attitudes to EFL, and their perceptions of students’ engagement in EFL learning. Qualitative analysis of the data collected revealed that students’ attitudes to EFL were directly affected by socio-cultural considerations, which were linked to both religious and instrumental causes. Student engagement was found to be optimal when students used information and communications technologies (ICT) and when they engaged in role playing and competitive class games. A link between students’ attitudes and engagement, and their belief in their own ability to learn English, emerged as significant.
- Subject
- applied Linguistics; Saudi Arabia; English language; attitude; EFL; socio-cultural; engagement; ICT
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1312684
- Identifier
- uon:22450
- Rights
- Copyright 2015 Fatimah Ibrahim Alsuwail
- Language
- eng
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