scholarly journals Attitudes of Saudi EFL Learners towards Speaking Skills

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal Kaid Mohammed Ali ◽  
Muayad Abdulhalim Shamsan ◽  
Rajakumar Guduru ◽  
Nirmala Yemmela
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Language ◽  
Female Students ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Intensive Program ◽  
Interest And Motivation ◽  
Speaking Skills

This paper looks at intensive program students’ perceptions of English-speaking skills and emphasizes the immediate need for improving them at all levels of higher education. For this purpose, 100 students (50 males and 50 females) of the intensive program from colleges of Arts, Business and Community, Saudi Arabia were administered a questionnaire. The data were analyzed quantitatively with SPSS. The findings of the study show that male and female students do not differ in their perceptions about learning to speak English and they are now becoming more aware of the growing importance of learning English. It is also found that lack of environment, interest and motivation are the most important factors that affect students’ speaking skills. In addition, female students’ perception towards English learning is more positive. The analysis also indicates that there is an undisputed agreement among the learners that English language will play an important role in Saudi Arabia. Finally, some implications for teachers to develop students' speaking skills are presented.

scholarly journals EFL Learners’ Attitude towards Developing Speaking Skills at the University of Taif, Saudi Arabia

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Abdul Fattah Soomro ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Female Students ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The University ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Speaking Skills

Speaking is the most difficult as well as the most complex of all the four skills, as it requires expertise in, and exposure to, the target language. Different factors are found responsible for poor speaking skills among EFL learners in general and Saudi EFL learners in particular. The current study investigates the influence of various factors related to teachers, learners, and learning environment on the students’ attitude towards learning speaking skills. The questionnaire survey was employed to elicit responses from 184 undergraduate EFL male and female students in Taif University. Data analyzed through SPSS reveals that out of five variables only one was insignificant, whereas all other variables showed significant positive effect. In the light of the findings, it could be inferred that lack of measures on the part of teachers and learners as well as the classroom setting/environment do not fully facilitate both the male and female students to learn speaking skills in a better way. The poor level of their skills in English is attributed to the variety of teachers’, learners’, and environment related factors. And these factors affect negatively on the attitude of learners towards learning speaking skills.

scholarly journals Using Digital Formative Assessment to Evaluate EFL Learners’ English Speaking Skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 103-123
Author(s):  
Zeynep Çetin Köroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Formative Assessments ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Preparation Time ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Speaking Test ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

As it is known formative assessment focuses on both the learning process and learner's performance. In this study digital formative assessment and traditional speaking tests were utilized comparatively to evaluate 52 upper-intermediate EFL learners' English language speaking skills. The study was designed as a mixed-method. The quantitative data were collected via achievement tests which had been administered both in traditional speaking tests and digital formative tests. The qualitative findings were collected with students' interviews which consisted of four open-ended questions. The results of the study showed that participants outperformed in digital formative tests in comparison to traditional speaking tests. Another significant finding of the study is that participants are satisfied with the digital formative assessments in terms of peer collaboration during tests, enriched test materials, and preparation time for the speaking test. Although they have positive views on digital formative assessment, participants are dissatisfied with it in terms of technical problems that they encountered during the administration of digital formative tests.

scholarly journals The Challenges of Homographs among EFL Learners of the College of Foreign Languages

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 01-08
Author(s):  
Latifa Alghamdi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Learning Problem ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
And Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the erroneous use (misuse) of homographs among EFL learners of the College of Foreign Languages to determine the misuse of homographs among EFL learners, find out the ability of EFL learners to distinguish homographs, and enrich learners with different usage of some words included in the homographs. The sample of the study consisted of 30 participants, 15 each of male and female students, randomly selected from 7th – 8th levels of the College of Foreign Languages in Albaha University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants were assigned to (2) different experiments. A homograph definition was given to them at the beginning of the experiments to make sure that they were equivalent and homogenous. Two different tests were undertaken by the students and the results were obtained. The findings revealed a significant deficiency of students in the first experiment in which they were required to give multi-meanings for each homographic word. This led to the conclusion that there is a serious learning problem as seen in the students’ competence and performance.

scholarly journals EFL Learners’ Preferences of Corrective Feedback in Speaking Activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Nada H. Gamlo
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
English Language ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
English Language Institute ◽  
Speaking Skills

This study examines the preferences and perceptions of Saudi EFL learners concerning the use of Corrective Feedback (CF) during speaking activities. The participants consisted of sixty EFL pre-intermediate female learners in their preparatory year at the English Language Institute (ELI) in King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including a questionnaire to establish learners’ CF preferences when it came to the correction of errors during speaking activities, followed by interviews with ten learners to establish additional information on, and the reasons for, these preferences. The findings revealed that the students held a positive attitude to CF during speaking activities, strongly agreeing that their teachers’ CF could improve their speaking skills. The study also found that students preferred CF to be immediate and to be given by their teachers, who they considered the most qualified to provide such feedback. In addition, the majority of respondents favored receiving CF on their oral grammatical errors. This study provides beneficial information concerning students’ preferences towards the use of CF during speaking activities. This has the potential to contribute to EFL classroom practice, enabling teachers to reevaluate their instruction, particularly in relation to speaking skills, in order to improve speaking proficiency. Moreover, these results contribute to the literature focusing on EFL learners’ preferences when it comes to the use of the CF in English speaking classes in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Traditional & Socio-Cultural Barriers to EFL Learning: A Case Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Jameel Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Speaking

<p>This research tends to ascertain several traditional and socio-cultural barriers to English language learning in Saudi Arabia and to explore more ways than before for making teaching and learning more effective. The findings of four quantitative and qualitative surveys conducted in this regard reveal a unique traditional and socio-cultural milieu, which turns the Saudi EFL learners lackadaisical towards English. The belief that prosperity and prestige are blessed by divine force rather than proficiency in English has influenced Saudi parents and Saudi EFL learners since time in memorial. In addition, a laissez-faire attitude to English language teaching in Saudi schools, lack of motivation for English, inadequacy of competitive and learning environment both at home and schools, and the appointment of some unskilled school-teachers were investigated as some of the major barriers to learning English in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A piecemeal reform taken over a period was found ineffective. Therefore, implementation of culturally relevant English curricula, learner-centered instruction, appointment of skilled English teachers and establishment of boarding schools were recommended to address the aforementioned challenges. The findings of the present research is no doubt specific to Saudi EFL context but the traditional and socio –cultural barriers and the exclusion of local culture in EFL textbooks may have exactly the same impact in many non-native English speaking countries.</p>

The effectiveness of using of storytelling technique in improving the English-Speaking Skills of beginner pupils

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-67
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
English School ◽  
Information Culture ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Descriptive Method ◽  
Share Information ◽  
Speaking Skills

Story telling is an art of converting events into meaningful phrases and sentences. Sometimes stories are told to share information, culture, norms and awareness and sometimes the sole purpose of telling stories is just entertainment. However, storytelling is not just limited to this. It can effectively be used in teaching of English language. Particularly this research is focused on the useful technique of storytelling to develop speaking skills among beginner level students. From Wad Medani English School (GR 1), at El Gezira state, Sudan, thirty students were selected as a sample for this research including both male and female. It was an experimental study with analytical descriptive method. Collected data was run on SPSS and findings were interpreted after gaining results from the software. Statistically significant results were obtained for the students of experimental group which were levels of knowledge (0.005), comprehension (0.010), application (0.004), analysis (0.045), synthesis (0.004), and evaluation (0.035). After this, storytelling technique was adopted by providing schools with the necessary aids. Similar sort of research is also suggested at Sudanese primary schools.

scholarly journals Beyond Classroom English Activities to Generate Interest in English Among Tertiary Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Alice Shanti ◽  
Zuraidah Jaafar
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Positive Degree ◽  
Readers Theatre

In this article, we present a study aimed to explore the attitude, interest and perception of students learning English language beyond the classroom using a list of activities such as Readers Theatre, Storyboard, Academic Explorace, Spell it right and Melodies of Pilah. A survey was conducted involving 466 students from different faculties who were taking English proficiency courses at diploma and degree levels at a local university. The findings indicate that both male and female students had a positive degree of interest and attitude toward the English activities carried out beyond the classroom. The popular activities were Readers Theatre and Melodies of Pilah (group singing). The study also indicated that students preferred group activities compared to individual activities. Based on the findings, it is recommended that students should be allowed to explore English materials independently beyond classrooms where language learning takes place implicitly.  The study found that the success of English learning activities carried out beyond the confines of the classroom can generate interest among students to learn the language. The success of English activities carried out beyond classrooms can be assessed by students’ ability to complete the task assigned (the end-product) rather than the processes involved in completing the task. Keywords: language learning, beyond-the-classroom, out-of-class

scholarly journals ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR PAKET C LEARNING PARTICIPANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR SPEAKING ABILITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Nunu Mahmud Firdaus
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Research Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Language Training ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Learning English ◽  
Speaking Skills

The purpose of this study is to describe the process of tutoring, describe the results of learning English, and find out the effect of learning guidance on speaking skills of Paket C learning participants in PKBM (Society Learning Centre) Sukabaru. The research method used is descriptive qualitative through data triangulation. Data is collected using test techniques to obtain data about the results of English speaking skill of learning community before and after being given tutorial through trainings. The results of the study show that learning guidance influences the results of English learning in term of speaking skills. Through the training of English speaking, the participants show improvement in mastering English with indicators of mastering many English vocabularies, and being able to speak fluently. On English language training, the researcher conducts the observations on speaking English demonstration and the participants can apply speaking comprehension

Education of undergraduate: Epistemic and cultural beliefs as obstacles to technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092098431
Author(s):  
Fahad SS Alfallaj ◽  
Ahmed AH Al-Ma'amari ◽  
Fahad IA Aldhali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Language Curriculum

This study aims to identify the epistemological and cultural beliefs that act as barriers in English learning by Saudi undergraduate learners. English is a compulsory component of education from the early school years in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Education invests a great deal of workforce and financial resources in this sector in a concerted effort to ensure that Saudi students attain language proficiency. The study employed a mixed-method research design and was conducted with 85 undergraduate learners at Qassim University. It used a questionnaire and interviews to obtain insight into the factors that inhibit the English learning experience. Results revealed that the respondents' resistance to the learning of others' culture stems mainly from the epistemic and cultural barriers embedded in English language learning. Implications of the study will provide the basis to policymakers, educationists, institutions, and learners for contextualizing the English language curriculum of Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions about the Importance of Communication Skills: A Case Study of EFL Learners at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz Khan ◽  
Shehla Riaz Khan ◽  
Saeed Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Speaking Skills

The graduates of Jazan University (Saudi Arabia), like anywhere else in EFL or ESL settings, require effective oral communication skills in English language for a highly competitive and expanding market economy of the country, and the worldwide too. The study was taken to evaluate the students’ perceptions about the need of speaking skills and the urgency to participate in language enhancement activities keeping in view the generally unsatisfactory position of the Saudi students in speaking English language. The sample population for this research was taken from three colleges, i.e. the first grade students from Engineering, Business and Computer Science of this university. A survey method technique was adopted in which data was obtained using a structured questionnaire about students’ responses on multiple items indicating their understanding of the importance of speaking skills, their existing level of oral communication and the need to participate in the extra coaching programs offered by the university. The quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS 17. The data shows the participants’ understanding of the importance of communication skills for social needs, personality development, attaining and survival in the job market, and their needs for attending extra language training sessions other than their normal routine courses.

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