Attitudes of Saudi common first year students towards english as a foreign language

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Abstract

This study investigates one Saudi Arabian university freshmen learners' attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language in relation to their national identity. Previous research has found that teaching English as a foreign language could be perceived by the Saudi community as a threat to the national identity (Al-Essa, 2009; Al-Mizini, 2010; Elyas, 2014; Elyas & Badawood, 2016). 279 students participated in this quantitative study by responding to a questionnaire. The findings shows that the participants held positive attitudes towards EFL. Students express their high integrative motivation. Results also show that students believe that communicating in English would not brand them as unpatriotic. The findings of the present study suggest that the students' openness towards English language and its culture, and their awareness of the importance of English for education and communication while showing pride in their own national identity are signs of the openness attitude that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing. Such a positive attitude could be in part attributed to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which underpins all the changes in the nation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-49
Number of pages17
JournalAsian ESP Journal
Volume17
Issue number1
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2021

Keywords

  • Communication
  • EFL
  • Language attitudes
  • Motivation
  • National identity

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