An Empirical Study of Reading Habits and Interests of Saudi University EFL Learners

Rajab, Hussam; Al-Sadi, Alhasan

doi:10.5296/ijl.v7i2.7034

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The findings of this study are also in agreement with Saudi studies (e.g., Rajab & Al-Sadi, 2015;Al-Mansour & Al-Shorman, 2011;Al-Musallam, 2009) that show that Saudi students have a low tendency to read in Arabic and in English. In fact, Al-Nujaidi (2003) found that the majority of Saudi students do not read outside school.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…In fact, Al-Nujaidi (2003) found that the majority of Saudi students do not read outside school. Moreover, the study confirms the findings of Rajab & Al-Sadi (2015), which indicated that Saudi students spend a considerable amount of time using social media and reading social media posts. Therefore, as Rajab and Al-Sadi point out, it is more appropriate to label Saudi students "unmotivated readers" rather than "non-readers".…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

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Why Do Saudi EFL Readers Exhibit Poor Reading Abilities?

Al-Qahtani¹

2016

ELLS

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The aim of the current study was to investigate the reasons behind Saudi learners' poor reading skills. To this end, the objectives were to identify the reading habits of Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) middle school learners, to understand the extent to which Saudi EFL middle school learners use reading comprehension skills and to explore the perceptions of learners, teachers and supervisors regarding Saudi EFL learners' reading abilities. The study sample consisted of 90 Saudi EFL middle school students, eight EFL teachers and six supervisors. The students were surveyed and interviewed about their reading habits and use of reading skills, while the teachers and supervisors were interviewed to explore their perceptions about reading instruction in the Saudi context. The results revealed that most Saudi EFL students lack the necessary reading habits in L1 and L2. In addition, they rarely make use of important reading skills when they read English texts. This study identified "lack of exposure to target language", "poor teaching skills and teacher training programs", "little attention to comprehension and more attention to reading aloud", "students' lack of motivation", "little emphasis on reading skills in textbooks", "unfamiliar and unsuitable reading topics", "lack of reading skills training for students", "students' limited vocabulary" and "lack of parental involvement" as the most important factors behind Saudi students' poor reading abilities. The study concluded with important recommendations and suggestions for future research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Why Do Saudi EFL Readers Exhibit Poor Reading Abilities?

Al-Qahtani¹

2016

ELLS

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“…It also helps in building cultural and political relationship with countries worldwide. The main obstacle faced by the students is the lack of motivation among them to learn English language (Mohammed, 2015;Rajab & Al-Sadi, 2015). A student needs to clear a test at certain level before getting enrolled in an academic specialization like the undergraduate course.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes Required in Saudi Universities Curriculum to Meet the Demands of 2030 Vision

Yusuf¹

2017

IJEF

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The evaluation of changes required in the Saudi universities curriculum to meet the demands of 2030 vision has been focused in the study. The qualitative research design has been employed to evaluate existing issues, prevailed among the students in Saudi universities. Systematic review has been adopted as a research method to identify the gaps in existing curriculum and associated problems within Saudi Universities. The findings revealed that there are certain barriers that may influence the implementation of the vision 2030 adversely in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, recommendations based on the analysis have been made, which included future research studies to be conducted that may look into more areas of educational sector. The results represented that there are certain barriers that may influence the implementation of vision 2030 adversely in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the study has made recommendations, which include conducting future investigations that will explore further fields.

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“…Furthermore, English is an essential element to build political, cultural and other relations with other countries around the world. While these efforts by the Saudi ministry of higher education are undoubtedly evident, there are still many obstacles that face students at Saudi government schools, which may be ascribed to many factors; the most important of which is the lack of motivation among the students to learn English (Mohammed, 2016;Rajab & Al-Sadi, 2015). Alrabai (2016) fully discussed the issue of learning English language in Saudi Arabia.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and Perceptions of Saudi EFL Teachers in Implementing Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

Al-Zahrani¹,

Rajab²

2017

IJELE

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The study aimed at exploring the attitudes and perceptions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers at public schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in achieving the Kingdom"s "2030 Vision" which relates to the development of education in general and to the EFL discipline in particular. The study adopted the descriptive approach by utilizing a survey tool for the study which consisted of nineteen items divided into four constructs. The study sample consisted of 550 female and 450 male, Saudi government schools EFL teachers from the main regions of the Kingdom. The results of the statistical analysis of the responses of the participants indicated overwhelmingly a high level of positive attitude towards professional development in the teaching of English Language (EL), reaching 91% as well as a near unanimity in the responses of the participants which was reflected in the lack of statistically significant relationship between the responses of the participants towards implementing 2030 vision through the achievement of professional development as well as working towards establishing international networking with teachers of English in various countries around the ISSN 2325-0887 2017 www.macrothink.org/ijele 84 world. The results also indicated that there are still certain obstacles that may adversely affect the implementation of the vision of Saudi Arabia in 2030. Thus, the researchers have made several recommendations including conducting future research studies that will look into further areas not covered by this study.International Journal of English Language Education

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An Empirical Study of Reading Habits and Interests of Saudi University EFL Learners

Cited by 31 publications

References 27 publications

Why Do Saudi EFL Readers Exhibit Poor Reading Abilities?

Why Do Saudi EFL Readers Exhibit Poor Reading Abilities?

Changes Required in Saudi Universities Curriculum to Meet the Demands of 2030 Vision

Attitudes and Perceptions of Saudi EFL Teachers in Implementing Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

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