Impact on Foundation Level Female Student Language Acquisition in Saudi Arabia - Thesis Example

An Empirical Study of Negative Attitudes to Learning English and Their Impact on Foundation Level Female Student Language Acquisition in Saudi Arabia Title: An empirical study of negative attitudes to learning English and their impact on foundation level female student language acquisition in Saudi Arabia. Relation of This Investigation to Previous Research English language teaching is a priority in schools and universities in Saudi Arabia, but there is a great need for more research into ways of improving the standard of teaching and learning. It is a country in transition, and some negative attitudes are perceived to contribute to lower than ideal outcomes in performance (Krieger, 2007). There are no doubt multiple factors which contribute to this situation, including the teaching methods used, the skills level of teachers, the content of the teaching materials used in class, and many intangible factors related to Saudi Arabian youth culture and attitudes. The foundation year is a crucial phase between school and university level study which often determines the course of a student’s academic career. It is a time when study habits are formed, and choices are made about future subjects. There is considerable research on what factors help and what factors hinder students in second language acquisition. Early research looked at motivation and attitude (Gardner and Lambert, 1972) but since then several different approaches have been developed and the terminology used to describe this field does vary considerably. Young (1998) and Arnold (1999) approach the subject using the broad term “affect” to cover all kinds of emotional contributions that students bring to the classroom, while Horowitz (1997) uses the approach of “beliefs about language learning” which emphasizes the kind of concepts that students have in their minds about the business of learning a language. Horowitz (1988) demonstrated that what students believe about language learning influences how they learn, and most crucially also how well they learn. In an empirical study Horowitz et al. (1986) focus on the element of foreign language anxiety as “a conceptually distinct variable in foreign language learning” and note that this may be partly caused by teaching methods that encourage a defensive position (Horowitz et al. 1986, p. 125). Its effects can include the production of shorter written texts, more concrete utterances and fewer qualifications. Test anxiety is factor for some students, while others are even afraid to speak in class because they fear being negatively evaluated by their classmates or by the teacher. The work of these researchers on group of second language learners in Texas resulted in the development of the “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” (Horowitz et al., 1986, p. 129). This is a very useful tool designed to ascertain the scope and severity of foreign language anxiety a student group. It consists of 33 questions, designed using a five point Likert scale. A combination of the FCLAS and Horowitz’s “Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory “ (BALLI) provide the methodological basis for the present study. The most recent research attempts to trace links between attitudes and performance (Mantle-Bromley, 1995; Peacock, 1999, Rifkin, 2000) with some suggesting that good learners are distinguishable through their more positive attitude to learning (White 2008). So far this kind of research has been carried out in the USA, and in Australia (Bernat, 2006; Bernat et al., 2009) but there has been little research carried out, however, on this particular level of English language teaching in the Saudi Arabian context. The proposed research will fill this gap by providing new empirical evidence from the field. The benefit of knowing what attitudes students have, and how these attitudes came to be formed is that teachers can reflect on the impact of their teaching, and hopefully begin to devise better approaches which engage the students better and produce enthusiastic rather than reluctant participation in class, and better oral language outcomes. This problem relates to student centred theories of language learning (Ellis, 1994) and also has some connections with psychology of learning (Dörnyei, 2005), cognitive processing (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and individual differences in learners (Skehan, 1989). Main Hypotheses to be Addressed This study starts with the hypothesis, gained from the researcher’s own experience and from the literature mentioned above, that student attitude is a major factor in language acquisition and it sets out to explore exactly how the attitude of a group of Saudi Arabian female students affects their learning. It assumes that there is some connection between student attitudes and a) reluctant oral participation in the classroom, and b) poor performance in oral examinations. In finding out what these negative attitudes are, and how and why they arise, it is hoped that ways can be found to improve the learning experience of students and thus enhance their oral participation in class, and consequently their performance in oral examinations. Research Questions 1. What attitudes do female foundation year students of English have towards their language learning? 2. How do these attitudes affect these students’ oral participation in the English language classroom? 3. How do these attitudes affect these students’ achievements in speaking exams? 4. What teaching techniques can teachers use to encourage a better attitude towards language learning it this group of students? Justification of These as Being Worth of Investigation This topic is worth of study because of the need to ensure that students gain the maximum possible benefit from their studies, in order to enable them to take up careers which enhance their own lives, and contribute to the economy of their country. There is considerable interest in the wider ESL field in the whole area of the student contribution to the learning process, (Breen, 2001; Barcelos, 2003) and this study adds a Saudi Arabian dimension to the debate. Proposed Methods A survey will ascertain some demographic details and the students’ main attitudes towards their learning. The main questions will be quantitative ones, such as age, how long the students have studied English, how many weeks/months (if any) they have spent in an English speaking country. There will be a few qualitative questions which use the Likert scale to ascertain how the students feel about aspects of their learning. This method is recommended for studies which seek to explore attitudes, although it does have some limitations due to the schematic nature of the questions (Dörnyei, 2010). It will explore how the students feel about oral participation in class, and about oral examinations. Questionnaires give only a partial view of student attitudes, and other methods such as open ended interviews and classroom observation should be used to supplement the data that the participants themselves provide. The quantitative data from this survey will be correlated with quantitative data on the individual student performance in oral exams. Students will be identified by number only, and no identifying details will be revealed, in order to preserve confidentiality. A structured interview will be conducted with the participants, to follow up their answers and obtain in their own words how they feel about their learning, and how they judge their own progress. Sources and Type of Data and Methods of Collection Participants are approximately 100 students of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They are currently in the foundation years, studying English. Methods of Analysis Schedule of Research, With Main Stages Jun/August 2012: Prepare proposal, apply for PhD place at university. Sept – Dec 2012: Complete registration and approval process. Obtain ethical approvals a) In UK and b) in Jeddah. Training in research methods. Start work on literature review. Jan-Apr 2013: Write Chapter 2 (Literature review). Training in survey and interview techniques, and in data analysis techniques. May-Jun 2013: Design survey, carry out small pilot study. Write first part of chapter 1 (introduction) July-Aug 2013 Analyse and review survey. Design interview, carry out small pilot study on interview questions. Write up second part of chapter 1 (methods section). Sep-Dec 2013 Carry out survey, carry out interviews, transcribe interviews. Jan-May 2014 Write up data on survey, prepare graphs and tables. Jun-Oct 2014 Analyse survey, produce results, write chapter 3 referring back to theory. Nov 2014-Mar 2015 Analyse interviews, produce results, write chapter 4 referring back to theory. Apr-Jul 2015 Write chapter 5 (discussion). Main findings. Highlight what is new. Aug – Sep 2015 write Chapter 6 (conclusion). Revise and edit whole dissertation. Sep-Dec 2015 Preparation for viva, and final examination. References Arnold, J. (1999) Affect in language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Barcelos, A.M.F. (2003) Researching beliefs about SLA: A critical review. In P. Kalaja and A.M.F. Barcelos (Eds.), Beliefs about SLA: New Research Approaches. New York: Springer, pp. 7-34. Bernat, E. (2006) Assessing EAP learners’ beliefs about language learning in the Australian context. Asian EFL Journal 8 (2), Article 9. Retrieved from < http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/June_06_eb.php > Bernat, E., Carter, N., & Hall, D. (2009) Beliefs about language learning: Exploring links to personality traits. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL 4, pp. 115-148. Breen, M.P. (Ed.) (2001) Learner contributions to language learning: New directions in research. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Dörnyei, Z. (2005) The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Dörnyei, Z. (2010) Questionnaires in second language research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Ellis, R. (1994) The study of second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gardner, R., & Lambert, W. (1972) Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Horowitz, E.K. (1987) Surveying student beliefs about language learning. In A.L. Wenden and J. Rubin (Eds.), Learner Strategies in language learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, pp. 119-129. Horwitz, E.K. (1988) The beliefs about language learning of beginning university foreign language students. The Modern Language Journal 72, pp. 283-294. Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M.B., & Cope, J. (1986) Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal 70 (ii), pp. 125-132. Krieger, Z. (2007) Saudi Arabia puts its billions behind Western style higher education. Chronicle of Higher Education. Accessed 12th June 2012. MacIntyre, P., & Gardner, R. (1994) The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning 44 (2), pp. 283-305. Mantle-Bromley, C. (1995) Positive attitudes and realistic beliefs: Links to proficiency. The Modern Language Journal 79 (3), pp. 372-386. Peacock, M. (1999) Beliefs about language learning and their relationship to proficiency. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 9 (2), pp. 247-266. Rifkin, B. (2000) Revising beliefs about foreign language learning. Foreign Language Annals 33 (4), pp. 394-420. Skehan, P. (1989) Individual differences in second-language learning. London: Arnold. White, C. (2008) Beliefs and good language learners. In C. Griffiths, (Ed.) Lessons from Good Language Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 121-130. Young, D.J. (Ed.) (1998) Affect in foreign language and second language learning: a practical guide to creating a low-anxiety classroom atmosphere. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More