Saudi EFL Learners’ FLA: Levels, Causes, Gender, and Impact on Academic Performance

As a common psycholinguistic barrier that hinders EFL learning, Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) has become an important study area in EFL learning and teaching. This study investigated the level and causes of FLA among 69 first-year EFL learners at Bisha University in Saudi Arabia. The influence of gender on the level of FLA was also examined. Moreover, the study examined the impact of FLA on the participants' language achievement. The researchers utilized a modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used to analyse the data. The results showed that most learners typically had a moderate level of FLA caused by communication apprehension and fears related to negative feedback and language tests. The results also revealed that gender does not affect the level of FLA. In addition, the results indicated that high levels of FLA among learners had a significant impact on their performance. Based on these findings, this study provided recommendations for teachers to mitigate the causes of FLA.

Effects of EFL Learning on L1 Chinese Lexis

The advocates of multi-competence theory argue that the L2 learners’ language system is unique because of the crosslinguistic influences of both languages. However, the influence of a foreign language on the learner’s L1 has not been extensively investigated. In order to address the gap, the present study sought to investigate the effects of EFL learning on written L1 Chinese at the lexical level. Two studies were conducted on 200 abstracts of MA theses written in Chinese, half on English literature written by Chinese-L1 English majors (EMs), and half on Chinese literature written by Chinese-L1 Chinese majors (CMs). The first study investigated the differences between the two groups in terms of the frequencies of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions in the abstracts. The second study examined the differences in the lexical complexity and diversity between the two groups. The results reveal 12 significant differences in 27 investigated word classes and subclasses, as well as significant differences in lexical complexity, but no significant difference in lexical diversity. The identified differences are discussed from a multi-competence perspective.

Listening to Saudi EFL Learners’ Voices: Demotivating Factors Affecting Learning

A plethora of research has considered motivation instrumental in achieving the requisite objectives in learning a language regrettably overlooked the most critical component called demotivation that indubitably affects the learning process substantially. The researchers have taken the daunting task to figure out the demotivating factors that affect Saudi learners’ English proficiency. The research is qualitatively based on the responses obtained from semi-structured informal interviews with twenty-six respondents and classroom observation inputs from over 125 students learning English as a foreign (EFL) language at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. The sample of this study responded to a self-structured questionnaire to get qualitative data and after twofold data analysis, six demotivating factors related to students; teachers; environment (internal & external); attitude towards EFL learning; course materials, and time constriction were identified. The findings and suggestions reckon students, teachers, parents, and administrators to give utmost priority to address demotivation factors to facilitate even EFL learning to timely achieve not only the prerequisite learning outcomes but may also lead learners to be autonomous, infuse interest, confident with 21st-century skills, better teacher-learner relationship, and change in cognitive behavior, and non-cognitive aspects which includes perception, attitude, beliefs and willingness to learn English language.

position of culture in English language teaching

This thesis investigates the overlapping relationship between the community and English-language teaching in a descriptive manner. It sets out the various points of view and interpretations of linguistic scholars on the contentious issue of incorporating Culture into ESL/EFL classrooms. Although some accept that in today's globalized world, we must open our ESL/EFL learners to other cultures as part of their ESL/EFL learning, others disagree and dispute the value of doing so. Some are more radical, seeing it as linguistic hegemony that can be avoided. Including several observational findings, the present thesis also addresses the perspectives and views of scholars on the convergence of language teaching and community.

Exploring the Impact of Learning Activities Supported by 360-Degree Video Technology on Language Learning, Intercultural Communicative Competence Development, and Knowledge Sharing

This study integrated intercultural learning activities into English as a foreign language (EFL) learning course in a vocational school in China. The study focused on improvement of students’ EFL abilities, intercultural communicative competence (ICC), and knowledge sharing (KS). A group of second-year students from China were partnered with a group of university students from Indonesia. 360-degree video technology was used to create an authentic and immersive intercultural learning environment in which students created content in English related to their culture and traditions, shared content with partners from the other culture, and reflected on their intercultural learning. We investigated whether learning activities supported by 360-degree video technology have positive impact on EFL learning, ICC development, and KS. The data was collected through questionnaires, tests, observations, and interviews. Three main findings were obtained in the study. The results demonstrated that 360-degree video technology-supported intercultural learning activities improved students’ EFL abilities, ICC, and KS. In addition, it was found that dimensions of KS and ICC have significant relationship with each other. Finally, the students had a positive attitude toward the learning activities supported by 360-degree video technology, were satisfied with the technology, and had intentions to use it in the future for learning. On this basis, we made several suggestions for educators and researchers.

Tourism Vocational High School Students' Online EFL Learning Experience during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to explore the tourism vocational high school (VHS) students' experience of EFL learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study was utilized to obtain 20 students' experience. The data were obtained from grades 10 and 11 students of tourism VHS in Yogyakarta. A semi-structured interview was conducted, and verbatim transcripts were analyzed using inductive and thematic analysis approaches. Three major themes were identified from the students' experiences, namely (a) how they conducted the EFL teaching and learning, (b) language learning strategies, and (c) perceptions of online EFL learning. It was found that students have made use of all available resources. This study suggests that students have used appropriate language learning strategies for online EFL learning, such as cognitive, metacognitive, resource management, and social strategies. Their perceptions toward EFL online learning were mainly positive. However, students still prefer face-to-face learning to online learning.

One Does Not Simply Teach Idioms: Meme Creation as Innovative Practice for Virtual EFL Learners

To maximize the advantages of virtual learning, the present study highlights the potential for Internet meme design and creation in English language learning (ELL) courses as an innovative activity that raises student agency, increases multimodal literacy, inculcates intercultural communication, and teaches idiomatic expression. Memes resonate a multimodal feedback loop of popular culture. In the context of language education, multimodal literacy is a necessity for 21st-century education because the affordances of digital learning platforms present the world told alongside the world shown. While some studies feature the usefulness of memes in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning, none have underscored meme creation as a learning activity. To demonstrate the activity in situ, a vignette at two Korean universities features two instructors who ask their respective students ( N = 49) to design one meme using an idiom discovered in their ELL materials from a prescribed list, then asks: 1) What common power relations and ideologies emerge in the multimodal discourse of the collected pool of student “idiomemes”? 2) What do the findings tell us about student attitudes and engagement with the activity? 3) What do the findings tell us about the importance of multimodal discourse in EFL learning? Using a multimodal critical discourse analysis of the student-created Internet memes, the findings reveal that students chose culturally familiar images to complete the assignment, suggesting that their engagement and understanding of multimodal, English discourse increases commensurately with content intuitive to their culture. The implications suggest that empowering students with a measure of agency in expressing culturally relevant, multimodal discourse in ELL course content increases their engagement in virtual classrooms. Designing idiomemes, as a virtual learning activity, is further explored as a curricular augmentation that increases the value of a student's language-learning investment.