Thesis title:

Motivation types in ESL/EFL university students in Saudi Arabia.

Sara Bilal
MA TESOL
24th February ,2011
University of Sunderland

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................................................................................4

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................5

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER 1 :INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................7

1.1 :SFP Motivation ....................................................................................9

CHAPTER 2:LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................10

2.1 ESL In Saudi Arabian context ...............................................................10

2.2 Statement Of the problem .......................................................................13

2.3 Purpose of the study ...............................................................................14

2.4 Research Questions ...............................................................................14

2.5 Research Hypothesis .............................................................................14

2.6 Significance of the problem ..................................................................15

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................16

3.1 Population and Sample .........................................................................16

3.2Instrumentation ......................................................................................16

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS..................................................................18

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................29

5.1 Implication of the findings .....................................................................38

5.2 Limitations of the study .........................................................................39

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CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY .............................................................................................40

CHAPTER 7: CONLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS ..........................................45

7.1Further Research .......................................................................................46

References .........................................................................................................................47

APPEDNIX A. Survey Instruments ...............................................................................50

APPENDIX B. Tape script of interview montage originally burnt on CD.....................54

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Fig1.1. Graphical representation of overall motivations in

ESL university students……………………………………………………21

Fig 2.1 illustration of highest and lowest motivations in

male and femal saudi students………………………………………………22

Fig2.2 Indepth Illustration of the highest and

lowest mean values of Q items in male and female students………………23

Fig 3.1 Illustration of highest and lowest motivation level of motivation…………25

In freshman and sophomores.

Fig 3.2 Illustration of means of Q items chosen by freshman and sophomores…..27

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 LIST OF TABLES:

Table 2.1: Shows only the highest and lowest mean value among the Q items
chosen by male and female students……………………………….22

Table 2.2: Shows the mean values of all the Q items selected
by male and female students arranged in descending order…………23

Table 3.1:Shows the highest mean value of the two motivation

types found in freshman and sophomore students…………………...25

Table 3.2:Shows all mean and standard deviation values of

questionnaire items selected by students from freshman
and sophomore levels arranged in descending order………………27

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 ABSTRACT

Motivational energy behind language learning has always been a centre of research for
many researchers. The current study also aims at detecting motivational energies behind
Learning English in Saudi Arabian university students. Sample of the study consisted of
70 participants studying in a university. Influence of external variables such as gender
and university academic levels namely freshman and sophomores on English learning
motivations of the students were subjected to investigation. With respect to external
variable gender, the researcher introduced a SFP motivation and investigated its existence
as an emerging motivation in the male and female students due to the effect of living in a
prolonged gender segregation and extreme religious arena. A questionnaire consisting of
32 items and divided in to four sections was used as a research instrument followed by
interviews from the participants. Results showed that instrumental and integrative
motivations are present side by side in Saudi students with a slight demarcation which
was acutely investigated by the researcher .Due to the strong presence of these two
motivations, the reasons behind learning English for Saudi students is spread across a
vivid and wide spectrum. For this purpose, an investigation into types of ESL centered
reasons and motivations for Saudi students is necessary to apply appropriate ESL
methodologies and approaches in the class room to avoid the current declining
proficiency in Saudi Arabian university students. The researcher recommends a thorough
analysis of the dominant motivations and reasons in Saudi university students to address
the appropriate reasons behind declining learning levels of the Saudi university students.

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 CHAPTER 1

Introduction:
Age, gender and motivation are considered to be most influential factors deciding the
mood of motivation in second language learning. (Gardner and Smythe, 1975; Crookes
and Schmidt, 1991; Oxford and Shearin, 1994), Keller (1983) defined the word
motivation as a choice people make as to what aims and goals they will achieve. In
another place, Gardner (1985) identified motivation as singularly most powerful
detriment that effects second language acquisition. Cohen and Dörnyei (2002; 172)
called motivation as a ‘key learner variable” in second language acquisition. Various
studies have found that external variables play an important role in second language
acquisition. Amongst these variables, motivation is said to be directly related to a
learner’s rate of development. However strength of a learner’s motivation may change in
due course of time due to external influences (Crookes and Schmidt, 1991).This means
that a learner’s motivation exhibits a changing pattern. In this way their goal orientation
may change from one type to another. Also, nature of motivation depends upon goal
orientation of an individual learner. In other words, motivation can be characterized by a
learners positive attitude towards the target culture which may be instrumental (to gain a
better job or a higher salary) or integrative (to facilitate communication with the natives
of the target culture),(Gardner et all,1976-1994).Since external influences affect goal
orientation (ibid) ,culture , political-social and religious factors are bound to affect the
type of motivational orientation, a learner might exhibit. Thus in the Saudi Arabian
context, due to an extreme religious, socio-cultural umbrella, English had been ignored as
a part of academic curriculum in schools and colleges over a long period of time. Among
the countless evidences, the following article published on May 31, 2003 in Roz Al-
Yousef1, Al-Abrashi highlights the wast socio religious umbrella: “A Wahhabi Saudi

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Sheikh issued a fatwa2[27] by warning young people not to speak English and not to try to
study it(English) This is the language of Infidels, to the point where it has the word
‘blease’ [‘please’], which is derived from Iblis [Satan]. This is the language of the devil.”
He may not represent all of the nations’ ideologies and beliefs but still it may present
some of the attitude towards English as a foreign language from a Saudi religious leader’s
point of view. However ,looking the glass as half full, Saudi Arabia, has become
economically stable to a great extent in the last ten years. And with economical progress
,the government understand the need of its citizens to become bilingual by making
English a part of all the media of communication in various sectors contributing to the
country’s development. In Saudi Arabia, English is spoken as a foreign language and it
can be termed as a performance variety. In fact Saudi Arabia’s status in the world with
respect to English proficiency can be explained through Kachrus three concentric circles.
The inner circle comprises of English native countries such as England , America
,Canada etc. The circle next to inner circle comprises of those countries which have
English as an official language such as Pakistan, Srilanka, India etc. The outermost
expanding circle consists of Gulf States including Saudi Arabia where English language
plays a role as a catalyst and only means of communication of the members of the Saudi
trade and business generation with non Saudi, non Arabic speaking business owners,.
Also, Saudi Arabia consists of innumerable expats/foreigners from South east Asia and
South Africa that are not fluent in Arabic. Thus the only way for the locals to
communicate with the expats in Saudi Arabia is through English language which
increases its importance in the Kingdom. Another reason that underlines the importance
of learning English language is its status as a common medium of communication ad
particularly in terms of academic progress. In short, for many core subjects such as
science, medicine, dentistry, engineering and computers and to a lesser extent in others,
adequate fluency in English is necessary to understand the content of the course books of
the above mentioned subjects. One of the conditions for acceptance into schools such as
Medicine and Dentistry, is adequate English language proficiency. The need to master

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themselves in English language is even greater at a higher degree level as it is essential in
most majors. Economic factors also plays a role in underlining the status of English in
Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian economy has grown at a very rapid rate over the last
two decades, and is no longer totally dependent on oil revenues. Moreover, Saudi Arabia
plays a leading role in support of the world economy through its contribution to
international organizations. As the world becomes even more global by small scale,
numerous micro interactionist approaches had already started by the educated cream of
the Saudi society to educate the masses just two decades ago. The reason behind such
revolutionary steps was the power of globalization coupled with modern technology that
made the Saudi government realize the necessity of a bilingual Saudi nationals. Another
characteristic of English language is its status as an important stepping stone to achieve
any aim outside Saudi Arabia. The government has organized such programs that link
the development of a Saudi individual with learning English skillfully. An individual
Saudi man or a woman herself is well aware of the need of learning English. This
awareness has urged the monarchy in Saudi Arabia to invest considerably in the
educational sector.

Assessing the above information, it becomes quite clear that the essential steps should
be taken to uproot the declining English proficiency levels in Saudi Arabia. This study
will act as a spur to instigate the cause of such a decline by investigating the types of
English learning motivations found in the Saudi university students. The formation of
hypothesis’ revolved around bringing all the elements at play in the English learning
arena and investigate a correlation between these elements. To be more precise, the
researcher will have observed basic English learning motivation present in Saudi
students. Secondly, the two academic levels namely freshmen and sophomores will be
under observation as students in these two levels will be investigated to find out
motivational patterns that they will have exhibited in their learning period. According to
the hypothesis, the motivational patterns differ in the academic levels. Thirdly , Saudi
Arabia is a gender segregated society. The men and women in Saudi Arabia have been
living under gender segregation for over a long period of time. In fact gender segregation
is the rule of the land in Saudi Arabia. It is part of the mainstream laws, rules and
regulations that surround a Saudi national. For over thirty years ,gender segregation has

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enveloped the system so tightly that generations after generations were raised and became
habitual of the so called “part of religion”. Although ,the attitude of the government has
become flexible for the last two decades regarding gender segregation but it still persists
in some areas ,causing a hindrance for women to progress . Thus it becomes necessary to
investigate the effect of external variable gender on ESL motivations in Saudi male and
female students

1.1 SFP Motivation:

Moreover the researcher introduced a new type of motivation called “Struggle For
Power “ motivation(SFP).Due to its hidden nature, SFP motivation cannot be categorized
as a separate single dominant motivation like instrumental and integrational motivations
.Previous research and experimentation conducted by the researcher highlights SFP as an
offshoot of instrumental motivation but its existence is so deep rooted in the Saudi
individuals that the researcher wishes to investigate its presence by isolating it .The
researcher has introduced SFP as an isolated motivation based on previous
experimentations conducted by the researcher. Also SFP is a gender based motivation
which underlines another reason for its isolation from instrumental and integrational
motivations during experimentation and the results and analysis have been accordingly
isolated as well. The researcher introduced SFP as a separate motivation for one more
reason that it merely exists in the thought processes of the Saudi students due to being
exposed to a male dominant and gender segregated society with extreme conservative
religious norms.

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 CHAPTER 2

Literature Review:

2.1 ESL in Saudi Arabian context:

Considered as the fort of Islam, the education criteria from the beginning up till 1960-1990,
was considerably Islamic in Saudi Arabia. All the actions taken by the government during this
period was under the umbrella of Islam and its guiding principles. Due to this factor, Saudi men
and women lagged behind in all walks of life for quite a long period. That also included foreign
language education particularly English but being economically very stable, the locals rarely felt
the urge to educate themselves. Lately, a wave of revival has swept the Kingdom.
A gigantic revolutionary process of educating the Saudi citizens is under way these days in
almost every sector .According to Prince Turk Al Faisal, updating the existing education system
is a painstaking task, that will take a lot of time to be completed. But never the less, educational
reforms are being implemented and highly educated faculty is being hired by Saudi universities
and colleges to educate the Saudi youth. The government is pumping estimated 11.68 billion
dollars to upgrade their educational system. The preparatory year program (PYP) is an example
of such reforms that focuses on teaching English language as a foreign as well as a second
language to the Arabian youth. English native instructors are being hired by the Saudi local
universities for English language teaching. With such a back drop, it becomes quite interesting to
analyze the types of motivations Saudi individuals possess while learning English as a second
language. Motivation in ESL perspective can be defined as a goal or an orientation towards
achieving the desired goal or famous linguist Rod Ellis defines motivation as referring to "the
efforts which learners put into learning an L2 as a result of their need or desire to learn"
(1995).Famous Linguist and psychologist Robert C Gardner (1982) identified in his most
influential model of 1982,various factors affecting the second language acquisition .One of these
factors was motivation. In this model, Gardner attempted to interrelate the factors affecting
Second language acquisition , thus relating ESL motivational urge with external factors and
social and cultural gap that might increase or reduce with time between the ESL students and the
English natives. This meant that motivational urge of a learner will show a pattern of motivations
behind learning English as it may change from what it was in the beginning till the end of the

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acquisition period. Gardner and Lambert, (1982) later formally put forth the famous socio
educational model. This model continued to stress the link between orientation and L2
achievement. However, the link is now mediated by motivation. In other words, the fact that a
language learner is integratively or instrumentally oriented is not sufficient. According to
Gardner, in addition to possessing an integrative or an instrumental orientation, the learner must
also be motivated (Gardner, 1985).Motivation which is named as one of the factors influencing
SLA , is further divided in to three elements or instances of motivational pattern found in a
learner. First instance is when the motivated individual expands effort to learn the language
Secondly, motivated individuals sets a goal to be achieved. Thirdly , motivated individual enjoys
learning the language. Gardner and Lambert (1972) laid down a classical distinction between the
two types of motivations ,instrumental and integrational. According to Gardner, the former is
defined as “a high level of drive on the part of the individual to acquire the language of a valued
second-language community in order to facilitate communication with that group”(Gardner, et
al. 1976), p. 199) where as latter is defined as “the learner’s interest in learning a language when
this interest reflects pragmatic benefits such as a better job or a higher salary. In this case, L2
acquisition is associated with some economic reward or functional goals” (Gardner, et al. 1976).
However in 1985 Gardner produced a very crucial and useful virtual device known as attitude
motivation test battery AMTB consisting of various components used in motivation based tests.
AMTB was used by Gardner specifically for detecting type of motivations present in Canadians
for learning French language. AMTB functioned as multi component and consisted of 130 items
that dealt with variables such as the attitude towards French language, interest in learning
French, anxiety in the French classroom, intensity of motivation. Soon AMTB became a standard
motivation detecting test device when many a researchers started benefitting from it. In the same
year, Deci and Ryan (1985 )put forth intrinsic and extrinsic types of motivations. However
Rotter (1966) was the first one to introduce intrinsic/extrinsic motivation by using the term
“locus of control”. According to Deci and Ryan (1985) , intrinsic is defined as an inborn ability
of a learner which is directly or indirectly related to his/her academic goals. Whereas according
to the researchers, the extrinsic motivation was defined as a required motivation which is born as
a result of an outside stimulus such as school curriculum or a cultural attribute. Later on, Skehan
(1989) put forth a very comprehensive model for motivation. According to this model, three
basic hypothesis’ were generated. The intrinsic hypothesis was of the view that a learner ,when

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subjected to language learning strategies, shows a high degree of motivation only if given tasks
interests him, his intrinsic motivation will develop and increase however if the learner shows
disinterest from the very beginning, then his motivational energy will fall down to zero. The
internal hypothesis was of the view that the learner brings with him, certain type of motivation
that helps him gain a head start in the acquisition process. Finally the carrot stick hypothesis was
of the view that external influences affect the strength of the learners motivation.
Further evidences of relationship of external variables with an individual’s motivation came
forth when Gardner and Lamberts test was applied by Clements Clement, Dorneyi and
Noels(1994) in the Hungarian settings. The results were that students’ performances correlated
with the level of motivations along with their level of confidence. Results also showed that the
students may exhibit a pattern of changing motivations during SLA. They may begin the learning
process showing instrumental motivation which might change with passage of time due to
external factors. Oxford and Shearin(1994) emphasized the significance of such changes in
orientation that at first learner might learn a second language to take admission in a foreign
university .Later during the course of learning, learner may find learning this language useful for
a good paying job and much later learner might even develop associations with the native
speakers of that language which will change the learner’s motivational energy altogether, thus
exhibiting a pattern. Dorneyi (1994) also gives an interesting view regarding instrumental and
integrational motivation. He is of the view that both types of motivations are not necessarily
polarized. Both complement each other by proving to be beneficial for the learner. But it should
be noted that motivational studies not just highlight the two types of motivations and their
relationship with the learner but also the effect of individual variables such as gender on
motivation has also been researched upon. In other words, in the case of type of academic goals
pursued by boys and girls, several studies have shown that boys show a greater degree of
extrinsic motivational orientation (Anderman & Anderman1999; Midgley and Urdan 1995;
Roeser,Midgley and Urdan 1996,Urdan et al ) while girls show a greater intrinsic motivation
(Nolen 1988).No effect of gender ,however ,was detected in other studies.(Ryan & Pintrich,
1997)
However , the famous linguists Kachru and Sridhar (1994) gave birth to a new school of
thought that previous researches were referenced to a western context and did not amplify or put
forward the motivational attitudes of students of other cultures. Keeping this in mind, the

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researcher is of the view that highlighting research on ESL in Arab context is necessary. Hence
Al Shalabi (1982) studied trends of motivation in Kuwaiti university students. The results
showed that instrumental motivation was evident in their thought process. Alam (1998) carried a
research on Saudi public schools and concluded that the reason for learning English for the target
students was due to its importance as a business and communication language. Dhaifullah(2005)
also carried a research on Saudi public schools and detected instrumental as well as integrative
motivations and both complemented each other in the learning process. These conclusions were
amatch to Musa(1985) who carried a motivational analysis of UAE students while studying
English as a foreign language.

2.2. Statement of the Problem

The Saudi educational ministry has been hiring highly educated and purely English native
personnel to teach in the ESL classrooms of Saudi Arabia for the last two decades .These
instructors were hired in an aggregate . Countless up to date teaching aids and other high-tech
facilities were provided in the classrooms to the native instructors. But despite of the effort, the
English proficiency level of the Saudi students kept on declining considerably. The current status
of English proficiency of the Saudi students shows great disappointment in both the receptive
and the productive skills .And with the increasing power of globalization, for Saudi students,
learning English language has become a necessity .The Saudi businessman are integrating with
the western businessmen to expand their businesses and in this respect , managerial and
supervising jobs in the educational, industrial ,business and medical sectors, all require an
appropriate level of efficiency in communicating effectively in the language English. Also Saudi
students need to increase their overall educational level to higher academic levels such as
bachelors or a masters done from Anglophonic universities to be accepted for job opportunities
in the English speaking countries. In order to take admission in these universities, it is necessary
to have an above average English proficiency level to pass the English testing exams. This
learning gap needs to be addressed immediately by the educational experts of Saudi Arabia. Thus
in order to uproot this learning gap, it is necessary to know the motivational orientations and
patterns exhibited by Saudi university students in their language learning period as previous
research is of the view that motivational orientation and English proficiency level is co related.
(Gardner, 1980). This declining proficiency may also be due to various political-social variables
which maybe at play and proving to be hindrances in their path of learning .A learners’

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disinterest at any stage during the learning period may be due to ,inappropriate teaching
approaches and techniques, or lack of display of native like environment ( Mukkatash ,1986).
Thus keeping this in mind, a research of this type has yet to be carried out that should perform a
skeleton analysis of the motivational orientations present in the Saudi university students.
Moreover, in this research, the entire academic journey in the university years of the Saudi
students is subjected to a thorough skeleton analysis by investigating the reasons/motivations of
the Saudi students behind learning English at freshman and sophomore level .
.

2.3 Purpose of the Study

The present study attempts to investigate the types of motivations that students in King Saud
University display and the motivation pattern exhibited with regards to external variable gender
and university academic levels namely freshman and sophomores.

2.4 Research Questions

The research questions pertaining to this study may be stated as follows:

1. What are the motivation patterns displayed by ESL college students?

2. Is there a correlation between the students' gender and the type of motivation they
display?
3. Are there any differences in the motivation types shown by college students belonging
to different academic levels?

2.5 Hypothesis:
The Following statements are the researcher’s hypothesis for this study.
1. Instrumental and integrational motivations exist in Saudi students with little or no
difference .

2. The two academic levels, freshman and sophomore have different rates of instrumental
and integrational motivation present in them.

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 3: A correlation between gender and type of motivation in male and female university
students does exist. If the correlation exists, than the researchers self introduced struggle for
power motivation also exists in male and female students.

2.6. Significance of the Problem:

Due to a fast growing economy, Saudi Arabia is in dire need of complete acquisition of
English language by its individuals in a limited time period. The government is working hard to
initiate employment of Saudi individuals ,replacing expat workers and become indigenous in
various sectors of economical growth . But the declining proficiency in English language of
Saudi individuals is an alarming issue for the country as the government has invested billions of
dollars in the education industry but the educational output is considerably low. For this purpose,
it becomes necessary to address the root of the problem by analyzing the types of motivations of
Saudi individuals behind learning English and identifying the variables that require complete
change in their execution or entirely changing the teaching tactics and methodologies employed
in the universities to get better results. Also the study also gains significance as the number of
non native speakers are considerably increasing as compared to native speakers of English
language .Thus results and analysis of this type will highlight the issues that might need to be
addressed or teaching techniques that might need to be reconstructed while teaching in an all non
native classrooms.

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 CHAPTER 3

Methodology

Population of the study consisted of students of King Saud University. Sample of the study
consisted of 70 male and female ESL students. Out of 70, 29 were male and 41 were female
students belonging to two main academic levels, namely freshman and sophomore. Out of total,
38 were freshman where as 32 had most recently entered their sophomore years. The participants
generally belong to three majors groups namely engineering, medical, and humanities. All male
participants belonged to the engineering group where as 10 female participants belonged to the
medical group and rest of the 31 female participants belonged to the humanities group. The
participants study English as a second language as a part of the preparatory year program in their
university. The duration of PYP program is of one year and students are allowed to finish the
preparatory year course either as a freshman or a sophomore. In terms of pre university
education, all the participants have taken English as a core course in their early studies and the
time span can be traced back to grade fifth where English was taken as a compulsory subject by
the participants for consecutive eight years onwards. . These students mainly belong to a pre
intermediate level.

3.1 Instrumentation:

(i) Questionnaire

A questionnaire that consists of thirty two items was used to probe the motivational patterns
in Saudi university students. Out of 70, 20 students were studying English as a second language
in King Saud university where as rest of the students ,while taking an ESL course in King Saud
University, were also studying English as a second language in two locally based language
academies. The questionnaire consisted largely of opinions/statements which were based on
group discussions with the participants. A rough draft of the questionnaire was produced by the
researcher to analyze the general opinions about the language English before the comprehensive
form of questionnaire was produced. The questionnaire consisted of open and closed questions.
A likert scale was used in the questionnaire ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The

17
questionnaire was pilot tested to analyze the supposed response of the participants to certain
questionnaire items, so that the questionnaire can be subjected to significant changes before
distribution. Moreover the questionnaire was divided in to 4 sections depending upon the type of
data that was required to be extracted from the participants. Section 1 enquired about the name
age and academic levels of the participants. Section 2 consisted of 13 items that were designed to
investigate the presence of instrumental and integrative motivations with respect to their gender
and academic levels. Section 3 consisted of 11 items and was designed to detect the presence of
researcher’s self introduced SFP motivation in male and female participants. Section 4 consisted
of 8 items ,designed to extract data for all the three research questions.

(ii) Interviews:

The questionnaires were followed by 16 interviews of the participants. Out of these 16, The
interviews consisted of 7-8 mostly open ended questions. Some interviews were emailed by
participants who were unable to attend interviews for personal reasons. The interview sessions
were audio recorded. A mixture of all the information relaying portions of the interviews along
with commentary of the interviewer was edited and burnt on a disc for submission purpose as
part of this dissertation.

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 CHAPTER 4

Results and Analysis

This section presents results of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the questionnaire
classified according to the previously stated research questions.

Research question 1: What are the motivation patterns displayed by ESL university students?
Description of Data:
In order to extract data to find the apparent and hidden motivations behind learning English
in Saudi Arabian students, the mean and standard deviation values of questionnaire items
inclined towards instrumental and integrative motivation and selected strongly to moderately to
neutrally agreed by the participants were taken and arranged in a descending order (see table
3.2). According to the results, three types of motivations exist in Saudi university students.
These are instrumental motivation, integrational motivation and Struggle For Power motivation.
As the results further showed, instrumental motivation was dominant among the participants as
most of the participants chose “taking admissions in foreign universities “as the prime reason for
learning English,(mean=4.9).Where as talking to foreigners for business purpose (mean=4.7)
was found to be second most strongly agreed reason for learning English as a second language
.Integrative motivation was also quite famous among the Saudi students as the third most
selected questionnaire item by the participants was learning English to be able to participate
more freely in activities of other culture groups,(mean=4.7) .The fourth most selected
questionnaire item was learning English to understand English curriculum in foreign English
universities which is a sign of inclination towards instrumental motivation. Also many students
chose such questionnaire items that involved understanding and becoming a part of the culture
and civilization of native speakers of English ,and this reason motivated them to learn English as
a second language ,a clear evidence of integrative motivation. More examples of such selected
questionnaire items is the fifth most selected item which involves learning English due to a
certain liking towards the culture and traditions of the English native
speakers(mean=4.6).Another genuine motivation was the seventh most selected questionnaire
item which was slightly agreed upon by the participants ,emphasizing on learning English to
become a knowledgeable person (mean=4.5).Learning English for browsing the

19
internet(mean=4.3) was again slightly agreed among the participants and also the eight more
frequently selected questionnaire item which reflects instrumental motivation altogether. Another
questionnaire item which was the ninth most selected involved learning English for the purpose
of communicating with native speakers of English living in KSA and in USA ,an indication of
integrative motivation. However the least dominant reason and the tenth most selected
questionnaire item to which the participants slightly agreed was learning English to understand
English books in their curriculum.(mean=4.2).
The results were further verified in terms of qualitative analysis as many interviews were
conducted with the participants on an individual level. The response of the interviews matched
the quantitative analysis ,in fact in some cases enhanced the understanding of reasons behind
their choices of the questionnaire items .Most of the students considered ‘studying abroad’ as
the prime reason for learning English ,underlining the presence of instrumental motivation, as
one participant says

“I believe English is an important language to be learnt by anyone who wants to study abroad.”

Also ,there were some participants who considered joining the business of their forefathers(male
participants) as a intriguing reason behind learning English ,

“..basically I would like to help my father in his business.”

An additional reason for learning English also came to surface as one participant highlighted
passing the English testing exams as a dominant motivation in his perspective for learning
English.

“I would like to settle down in UK I think it will help me pass the English testing exams.”

In other words their motivations were mostly instrumental in nature .But the interviews also
showed strong evidences, of integrational motivation among the participants. Most of the
participants (mostly male) were attracted by the culture and civilization of English native
speakers and wanted to learn English for the purpose of settling in English native countries

“I would like to learn English to some day immigrate to UK .I like to see Buckingham palace”

20
where as others stated looking for a suitable vocation either in English speaking countries as the
reason behind learning English,

“… in order to secure a good profession and feel confident in communicating with English
native speakers. “

Many participants belonging to the medical program believed learning English would help them
in understanding the complex English used in the medical books, as one participant says,

“Learning English has its benefits. i am learning English to understand my core subjects which
are also in English language so learning English will for sure help me in understanding medical
books.”

Interestingly one of the participant integrated the need of being bilingual with his desire to
become professional,

I am learning English to become professional. In other words , I would like to become

bilingual before I choose a profession for myself.

Although the existence of SFP motivation were treated as a separate research question, but
since research question 1 investigates the general motivational patterns in the participants, thus
a summary of results for existence of SFP motivation in participants is mentioned in The
results/analysis of this research question .
As mentioned earlier, the researcher introduced and subjected to experimentation a dominant
sub motivation, an offshoot of instrumental motivation called struggle for power motivation in
this research.SFP was isolated for experimentation as it is a gender based motivation. Both male
and female participants were subjected to experimentation for existence of SFP. A negative
male SFP motivational energy as opposed to the hypothesis came to surface analyzing the
results. Once again mean values of the strongly ,slightly and neutrally agreed questionnaire items
were taken(see table 2.2).The most common and some what sentimental reasons behind learning
English put forth by the male participants were to“study English as it will play a part in finding
a suitable profession for the participant and supporting their family “(mean=4.6). Whereas
female participants showed a positive SFP motivational energy as they chose certain
questionnaire items that reflected oppression and struggle for power or equality. Many female

21
participants chose “proving themselves worthy to their fathers and brothers “(mean=4.6) as a
valid reason to learn English, where as other female participants showed a neutral response to
“learning English to feel dominant among their family members.’(mean=3.1).
To summaries, the researcher detected two apparent types of motivations namely instrumental
and integrational motivations and one hidden type of motivation namely struggle for power in
the participants. As shown in fig 1.1 below, the results and analysis of three motivations types
mentioned above differ from each other very slightly but this minor difference establishes the
demarcation between the presence of the three motivations in Saudi students. The three
motivations are arranged in the chart below depending upon the highest mean values of the
selected questionnaire items inclined towards each type of motivation in return grading the
intensity of that particular type of motivation.

Types Of motivations
instrumental
4.8 4.9 motivation
integrational
4.5 motivation

Fig 1.1 (A Graphical representation of motivations in ESL university students)

22
Research question 2: Is there a correlation between gender and motivation in ESL students in
Saudi Arabia?

According to the results, integrative motivation was dominant in male participants followed by
instrumental motivation .This pattern is evident as the strongly agreed questionnaire item by
the male participants was “to participate more freely with the activities of other cultural groups
(mean=4.7) where as studying English due to a keen interest in the English native speakers’
culture (mean=4.6) was second most strongly agreed item among male participant which reflects
integrative motivation. Studying English for the purpose of taking admission in foreign English
universities was slightly agreed questionnaire item (mean=4.9) followed by joining family
business is the fourth slightly agreed item among male participants (mean=4.7).Incase of female
students, instrumental motivation was more popular than integrative motivation as the female
students strongly agreed on learning English to take admissions in foreign English universities
along “with understanding the English curriculum in foreign English
university(mean=4.6).Studying English to speak with more and varied people was slightly
agreed by the female participants(mean=4.3) followed by “speaking English with native speakers
of UK and USA”(mean=4.2).The above analysis is tabulated and graphically represented in
Table2.1 and Fig 2.1.

Type Of Gender Mean Std

5
Motivation
Male 4.9 1.4 4.5 Male
Instrumental 4 Female
Female 4.9 1.7 3.5
Integrational Male 4.7 1.2 Instrumental
Integrative

Female 4.2 1.6 Fig 2.2 shows graphical representation of table 2.1

Table 2.1 shows highest mean values of Q

items inclined towards each motivation

Another type of motivation known as SFP defined by the researcher earlier was also found
present as a sub motivation to instrumental motivation in the male and female Saudi students.

23
The mean values of the strongly , moderately agreed and disagreed questionnaire items inclined
towards SFP motivation were arranged in the descending order for easy analysis (see table 2.2)
.According to the results, male participants showed no presence of SFP motivation as opposed to
the hypothesis. This was evident by the choice of their questionnaire items. The reason mostly
agreed by the male participants for learning English was to gain a suitable profession and at the
same time “support their family”.(mean=4.6). Second most agreed reason for learning English
by the male participants was “to become a professional man/woman in the society”(mean= 4.3).
One another reason behind learning English that was quite popular among the male participants
was perceiving English “as a language of wisdom”(mean=4.3) .The questionnaire item that was
mostly unpopular ,strongly disagreed among the male participants was learning English “to
express my self and feel relaxed” (mean=1.6) and “to feel dominant among family
members”(mean=1.3).However one questionnaire item was voted neutral by the male

Questionnaire Mean
item
23 4.8 6
4.6 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.8
4.3 4.3
20 4.7 3.5
4 3.1 3.1
21 4.6 Males
2 1.6 1.3 Females
15 4.6
22 4.5 0
18 (male) 4.3
24 4.3 Item 14 15 16 17 18 24 20 21 22 23

18 (female) 3.5 Fig(2.2): shows graphical representation of table 2.2

17(female) 3.1
14 3.1
16 1.6
17 (male) 1.3

Table( 2.2): shows mean values of

all selected Q items in section 3

24
 participants in which male students considered “people with knowledge of two languages were
smarter than those who speak only one language”(mean=3.1).However the researcher found a
strong presence of SFP motivation in female participants. This was evident from their choices of
questionnaire items. Analyzing the choices of the female participants, the reasons behind
learning English to which female participants strongly agreed was ‘to make their parents
proud’(mean=4.7) followed by “proving themselves worthy to their fathers and
brothers’(mean=4.6). Questionnaire items 17 and 18 were chosen by both male and female
participants but rated differently. Item 17, ”studying English to feel confident and dominant
among my family members”(mean=3.1) got a neutral response from the female participants
where as same questionnaire item was selected and strongly disagreed by male participants
giving it a mean value of (1.3) instead. Whereas item 18 emphasized on “becoming a
professional person in the society” and was strongly agreed by the male participants giving a
mean value of (4.3) where as it was slightly agreed by the female participants giving a mean
value of (3.5).Moreover ,male participants strongly agreed with the questionnaire item 23 that
called English, a language of wisdom” (mean=4.8) where as the female participants strongly
agreed with the item 24 that called English, a language of power, mean=(4.3).The above
mentioned data is graphically represented in Fig 2.2.
While analyzing section4, only questions 26,28,29,30,31 were subjected to analysis as they
were designed to extract information regarding research question 2 only. While answering item
28, 26/29 male participants chose “money, job education” arranged in different orders and rest
of two male participants chose “power money and job” in the same order. In case of female
participants,30/41 chose the words “power ,my father, education” in the same sequence where
as rest of the 11 female participants chose the sequence “power, money, my father”. While
answering item 29, which revolves around increasing number of Saudi working women in near
future, 16/29 male participants answered “yes” and the rest answered “no”. In case of female
participants, 38/41 female participants answered “yes” where as rest of the two female
participants answered “no” . In case of item 26 , 35/41 female participants answered “yes” to
working in an organization or institution where as 12/29 male participants chose the answer
“No” . Questionnaire item 30 which enquired about the increasing number of Saudi women
learning English than in the past, had a peculiar response .About a quarter of the male

25
participants answered yes where as the rest of the male participants answered “no’ .In case of
female participants, more than half answered “yes” and the rest of the half answered ‘no” . In
response to Questionnaire item 31, male participants answered with an overall negative
sentiments indicated by such statements as

“It’s important to learn English for women but not important to get a job”

“It’s important as it will give them confidence but not as important as for men’

‘Women don’t need to learn English to become professional.”

In contrast, answer of female participants delivered a positive sentiment altogether ,example of

which are the following answers of the participants,

‘Learning English can help us women to stand shoulder to shoulder with men.”

“In this global ,era one of the ways to empower women is by letting them learn English.”

“Saudi women need to learn English to be heard and be one of those nations where women are
dominant”.

Research Question 3: Are there any differences in the motivation types shown by
college students belonging to different academic levels?

Type of Academic Mean StD

motivation level = (M) 5
4.8
Instrumental Freshman 4.9 1.4 4.6
4.4
motivation Freshman
4.2
Sophomore 4.3 1.7 4 Sophomores

Integration Freshman 4.3 1.2

motivation
Sophomore 4.7 1.6
Fig(3.1):Graphicalrepresentationoftable3.1
Table 3.1 shows highest mean
Values in the selected Q items of section 2

26
The Fig(3.1) shows a general graphical representation of the highest and the lowest motivational
types based upon highest and lowest mean value of the chosen items by freshman and
sophomore students.) where as Table 3.1 shows the average mean value of instrumental and
integrative motivations present in freshman and sophomore academic levels. The two types of
motivations identified are instrumental and integrational motivations
The mean values of the questionnaire items were arranged in a descending order(see table
3.2).Items that were rated (5 strongly agree) from questionnaire items that were rated (2 neutral)
by the freshman and sophomore students, were observed more closely than other ratings.
According to the results, instrumental motivation was seen to be slightly dominant in freshman
students as compared to sophomores. The mean values of questionnairee items inclined towards
instrumental motivation chosen by students belonging to freshman and sophomore levels are as
follows .In the case of freshman level, the most obvious reasons for studying English as a
second language was to take admissions in foreign English universities (mean=4.9)and it was
also the most occurring and strongly agreed reason for the freshman students behind learning
English as a second language. The second most occurring reason was communicating with
English native speakers for business purposes (mean=4.7). Surprisingly the third most selected
reason behind learning English among freshman students was to understand English curriculum
in foreign universities(mean=.4.7),where as in the case of sophomore level, the students wanted
to learn English to be able to use the internet much more efficiently for educational
purposes(mean=4.2) followed by an academic centered reason that is being able to understand
the English literature books in their curriculum (mean=4.2).Integrative motivation was found to
be less popular among freshman students as the least occurring reason for learning English as a
second language to which the freshman participants agreed slightly was to speak English with
more and varied people(mean =4.3) and also to be able to communicate with native speakers of
English in KSA and abroad(mean=4.2).

Questionnai Mean StD

re item
5 4.9 1.4
6 4.7 1.3

27
12 4.7 1.6
3 4.6 1.3
13 4.6 1.5
9 4.5 1.3
(sophomore)
8 4.5 1.2
9(Freshman) 4.3 1.2
2 4.3 1.7
11 4.2 1.3
4 4.2 1.2
7 3.1 1.2

Table (3.2): Shows the mean and

standard deviation values of
questioanirre items selected by
studenst from freshman and sophomore levesl
6
4.9
5 4.7 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.5
4.3 4.3
4.7 4.6
4.2
4
3.1
Freshman 3
sophomore 2
1
0
Mean

Qitem Q6 Q3 Q8 Q11 Q7 Q9 Q5 Q2 Q12 Q13 Q4

Fig 3.2 shows graphical representation of table 3.2

However the reason for learning English to achieve their professional pursuits got a neutral
response from the student’s belonging to freshman level(mean=3.1). Whereas the response of the
participants belonging to the sophomore level was quite the opposite .Integrative motivation was
found to be slightly dominant than instrumental motivation in sophomores as most of the
sophomores considered communicating with more and varied people a motivation behind

28
learning English(mean=4.5). This was followed by another reason that was strongly agreed by
sophomores was to communicate with English native speakers in KSA or in UK or USA.
Understanding the culture and civilization of English native speakers also was a strongly agreed
reason by the sophomores, a reflection of integrative motivation. However, majority of the
sophomores slightly agreed on learning English to be able to use the internet extensively
(mean=4.3). The entire analysis is graphically represented in (fig3.2).
The research also generated other reasons put forth by the participants behind learning English
that cannot be categorized under instrumental or integration motivations. Assessing their
selection of questionnaire items, some of the participants preferred being bilingual as a genuine
reason as one of the participant states in an interview,
“I would like to become bilingual before I choose a profession for myself. This is a big
achievement”
Whereas some emphasized on “fluency” as the reason behind learning English to achieve their
instrumentally or integratively oriented goals. Also appreciable number of participants chose
merely“ being successful “ as their motivation behind learning English

29
 CHAPTER 5

Discussion:

1. Research question 1: What are the motivation patterns displayed by ESL college
students?
The research question one revolved around detecting the motivation patterns in EFL
university y students. According to the analysis of the results for research question 1, the choice
of the questionnaire items of the participants reflects the changing mind set of the Saudi
individuals. A decade ago, neither instrumental nor integration motivation would have been
detected among the participants in a similar type of research work, but the results clearly showed
the existence of instrumental and integration motivations side by side with point differences.
The instrumental motivation was evident in the mind set of the Saudi students through the
selection of following reasons behind learning English. The questionnaire item with the highest
mean (mean =4.9) was learning English to take admissions in foreign English universities. It also
means that the Saudi university students are willing to go abroad and study in a foreign culture
which was a cry in the wilderness a few decades ago due to being less motivated ,less exposed
and lack of resources. Secondly leaning English to talk to foreigners for business purpose was
slightly agreed upon by the participants, a reflection of instrumental motivation. As Saudi
Arabia is a trade and business oriented society, so learning English has become a tool for many a
Saudi youth who wish to start their own businesses and converse with western businessmen
whose L1 being English. The results of research question one also show that an overall pattern
of change in ESL motivation is seen trending from freshman years to sophomore years. This
trend is associated with various other reasons for learning English such as learning English to
understand foreign English curriculum in the anglophonic universities followed by
understanding English language in their core subjects which could be related to medical or
business. That is why many participants chose this particular item as their reason behind learning
English. The evidence of existence of integrative motivation was also crystal clear as the third
most chosen and strongly agreed questionnaire item was learning English to be able to
participate more freely with other cultural groups. This item indicates that the Saudi university
students have developed an intuition to explore other cultures even if they are non Islamic
societies where Christianity or Jewism is practiced widely. Moreover , it also shows that the

30
Saudi students are more than willing to mingle with people from other cultures for purposes such
as education, finding a suitable vocation or immigration. Another questionnaire item that was
widely chosen by the participants was “ to be able to speak with more and varied people”. This
highlights the fact that integrative motivation behind learning English has enhanced the vision of
the Saudi university students such that in order to establish a person to person contact with
people of other cultures, they are learning a common medium of communication ,the language
English, to be able to talk with foreigners in their own country and abroad. This includes English
native speakers as well as citizens of those countries where English is considered an official
language such as Pakistan ,India etc. It should be noted that Asian expat workers in Saudi
Arabia are considerably increasing which makes it even more important for Saudi citizens to
make themselves proficient in English language. To communicate effectively with native
speakers in USA or UK or KSA was a reason that was moderately agreed by many participants
which expands the borderline of learning English for the Saudi students.
Researcher’s self introduced SFP motivation ,existence of which was treated as a separate
research question was made a part of the analysis of the research question 1.A a brief summary
of results of existence of sfp motivation in Saudi male and female students is necessary for
complete analysis and discussion of this research question. The participants chose such
questionnaire items which reflected their thoughts and opinions .Some of the most chosen
questionnaire items by the male participants with regards to SFP motivation are as follows.

“I am studying English as it will play a part in finding a suitable profession for me and

Supporting my family”

“ I study English to become a professional man/woman in the society.”

According to the analysis, the male Saudi students consider English as an important stepping
stone in achieving a good career for themselves after graduation as majority of the male
participants consider them selves the future or present breadwinners of their families. Their
choices also brings forth a stereotypical thought of a male oriented society where only men are
considered to be responsible for earning a livelihood. Also the results show that while answering
a closed multiple choice question in section 4,almost all the male participants did not choose
“power’ from the rest of the four options nor mentioned the word power or struggle in their
answers, as the reason for learning English. In other words , the male participants did not feel or

31
detect a struggle for power or equality between the two genders in the Arabian society probably
because the males have been the superior gender for over a long period of time. However while
analyzing the selected questionnaire items and interview responses of the female participants, a
strong positive SFP motivation was present behind learning the language English .Analyzing the
results, the feeling of not being able to enjoy similar rights and sense of liberty as men do has
been a part of the mental framework of female participants as they chose such questionnaire
items that reflected a thought process rather than an opinion. The results also show that the
female participants consider learning English language as one of the essential factors that can
help alleviate their status equal to that of men. The reason behind this probably lies in one of the
most chosen questionnaire item “studying English makes me feel confident about myself” which
was agreed strongly and widely by the female participants. Another questionnaire items that
highlighted the SFP motivation in their though process was,

“I study English to prove my self worthy to my fathers and brothers “

This particular statement was selected 40/70 female participants. The interesting aspect of the
result is that the personal and professional satisfaction of these female participants is directly
linked to mastering themselves in communicating in English. A complete and thorough analysis
of the results of presence of SFP is explained in the discussion for research question 2 in the
next paragraph.

Research question 2: Is there a correlation between the students' gender and the type of
motivation they display?

Research question two was based on detecting a correlation between the external variable
gender and motivations of Saudi students behind learning English. The hypothesis stated the
correlation between gender and motivation does exist and there can be felt a presence of SFP
motivation as a result of gender-motivation correlation in both male and female participants.
English learning motivations vary for both gender due to a pre dominant gender segregated
society. Result showed that most popular motivation in male students was integrative motivation
(see table 2.1) as majority of the male students selected such items that reflected their interest in

32
becoming a part of the English culture either through selecting a suitable career or becoming a
permanent resident of the English culture. This reason is also directly related to their mental
framework that allows them to become the sole earners of their families. In contrast to this,
admissions in foreign English universities instead of taking up jobs after graduation was slightly
more popular among female students as compared to male students. However, reasons such as
setting up individual businesses or helping their fore fathers were also popular among male
students highlighting their orientation towards securing a career in future. The difference of
opinion in both the genders highlight their different perspectives behind learning the English
language. The male gender seems highly dedicated towards becoming successful and
professional whereas female gender seems to be inclined towards achieving an emotional
stability and gender equality by educating themselves to the fullest and securing careers that
make them less dependent on their male counterparts. Thus both male and female Saudi students
exhibit slight difference of reasons behind learning English .This difference further becomes
apparent by analysis of the responses of the male and female participants of questionnaire items
designed to detect SFP motivation .
Results showed that the researcher’s hypothesis regarding existence of SFP motivation in
Saudi male and female students was proved to be true partially as there was a clear
unambiguous evidence of its presence in female participants. But according to the results, male
participants showed a negative SFP motivation which partially labels the second hypothesis as
incorrect .The results can be traced back to the selection of each questionnaire item by the male
and female participants .The male participants chose “studying English as it will play a part in
finding a suitable profession” to support their family, followed by considering “English as a
language of wisdom” and “becoming a professional person ”.
These items were strongly and slightly agreed by the male participants. A skeleton analysis of
the above mentioned questionnaire items brings interesting facts to surface. It seems that the
male Saudi students are learning English to secure a suitable successful professional in near
future. They consider learning English as one of the key ingredients in becoming professional
but their urge to become professional is primarily to earn a livelihood to either support their
family or be financially strong enough to raise a family after graduation. These reasons highlight
their mental framework which highlights the effect of male gender supremacy in Saudi Arabia
which is further reflected in the questionnaire items strongly disagreed by the male participants.

33
They strongly disagreed to “feeling relaxed or confident’ and “feeling dominant among their
family members ‘as their reason behind learning English. Both of these items reflect a struggle
for power and equality .They also highlight the reason and the very fact that it was unpopular
among male participants denies the existence of SFP motivation in them. Analysis of the
responses of female participants, gives a clear evidence of existence of SFP motivation . This
was apparent from the questionnaire items chosen by the female participants. Results showed
that the items mostly agreed by the female participants were “to make their parents proud “
particularly their father and brothers. Also, they wanted to “feel confident and relaxed” and
learning English increased their confidence in their ability to achieve their goals in a gender
segregated society like Saudi Arabia. Another item that was strongly agreed by the participants
was calling English “a language of power”, rather than ‘language of wisdom” .An item that was
rated neutral by the female participants was “studying English to feel dominant among family
members”. Analyzing the responses of the female participants, a inner suppressive persona is
exhibited by the females that has genuinely turned in to a motivation for studying English as a
second language. They chose such items that reflect a desire for power and equality in the
Arabian society. They did not choose such items that emphasizes on securing a career or raising
a family as opposed to male participants. A feeling of deprivation and some what isolation and
being turned invisible by the male members of the society for over a long period of time ,looms
in their thought processes as Clements Clement, Dorneyi and Noels(1994) proved in their results
that the students’ performances correlated with the level of motivations along with their level of
confidence Thus learning English has turned into an essential part of the larger circle of
struggle to achieve an equal amount of power and attention in the Saudi society as done by male
participants. .Their choice of questionnaire item that puts reason behind learning English as
“feeling confident and relaxed “significantly reflects their desire to be a part of the crucial epi
centre of the society as much as the male gender. More over they also selected another reason
which was to “prove themselves worthy to their fathers and brother”. This particular item
directly relates to the female gender struggle for a social status ,equal to that of men, which
begins from their own home. However the questionnaire item rated neutral by the female
participants highlights another important aspect that the urge of gaining social equality does not
mean achieving dominance over the male gender of the society rather gaining appropriate
deserved equality of gender in the Saudi society. Also, the male participants strongly agreed with

34
the item in section 3 which labels “English” as a “language of wisdom “ where as female
participants strongly agreed with another item that labels “English” as the “language of power “.
The difference of perception of English language in both the genders is quiet apparent as the
male students consider English as a language of wisdom rather than power as there basic
motivation as mentioned above, behind learning English is to earn a suitable livelihood where as
female students consider English as a language of power ,probably because of their motivation
behind learning English which is to empower themselves by gaining gender equality in the
gender segregated Arabian society.
The response of male and female participants to the closed questions of section 4 was also very
interesting. While answering item 28 which involved rearranging words in a descending desired
order, male participants did not include the word “power” but “money “, and “job” in their
desired order where as female participants chose widely words like ‘father”, “power” in their
answers. This reflects the point of view of both male and female gender which seems quite
polarized. This also sheds light on the priority of reasons behind learning English in male and
females which is to secure a suitable career and become financially stable in case of male gender
where as making their fathers proud and achieving a powerful status whether its financial or
emotionally centered in case of females,. While answering item 29 in section 4, less than half of
the male participants answered “yes” to looking forward to more Saudi working women in near
future where as more than half of the female participants answered yes to the same question. The
researcher asked the male students, the reasons behind these choices in the interview sessions , to
which the male participants answered by calling them selves the” breadwinners” of the family
and women as ‘in charge of the house” .Whether the number of Saudi women learning English
has considerably increased or not at present as compared to the past scenario, a quarter of the
male participants answered “yes” and more than half of the female participants answered “yes”
as well. This response shows that the male participants are well aware and connected with the
Egnlish language education of the Saudi women which underlines the slow but essential change
in attitude of the male participants towards their female counterparts where as the female
participants were well informed and up to date of the increasing number of Saudi women
educating themselves not just in English language but other subjects as well. Thus, the results
show that male and female Saudi students hold different views when it comes to learning

35
English. They expressed polarized reasons behind learning English which establishes a strong
correlation between gender and ESL learning motivations.

Research Question 3: Are there any differences in the motivation types shown by
college students belonging to different academic levels?

Research question # 3was based on investigating the types of ESL centered motivations in
students belonging to freshman and sophomore levels. .The hypothesis stated that the students b
elonging to the two academic levels have different rates of instrumental and integrational
motivations in them. The results proved the hypothesis to be positive, as there existed a
difference of opinion/reasons for learning English in both the academic levels. .As Clements
Clement ,Dorneyi and Noels(1994) and (Oxford and Shearin ) ,during their experimentation,
emphasized on students experiencing a change and exhibiting a pattern in their motivational
urges behind leaning English .A similar pattern was observed in this research .Firstly, to
summarize the results , freshman students ,being in their early university years ,experienced a
blend of instrumental and integrational motivation where the former being slightly dominant
than latter. Where as the sophomores also experienced the same blend of motivation with
integrative motivation slightly dominant than instrumental motivation, thus exhibiting a
motivational pattern. These patterns indicate the limpid aspirations of the Saudi students and
their involvement in learning a foreign language such that during their university years, they
possess diverse reasons for learning English which range from taking admissions in foreign
universities to immigrating to English native countries to look for a suitable vocation or
attempting to understand the English culture to merely become a part of it. In other words, the
results showed that the journey of the Saudi university students from freshman to sophomore
levels was accompanied by a changing attitude towards learning English .In other words,
according to the qualitative analysis, Saudi students exhibit both type of motivations behind
learning English but during their academic journey, their English learning motivation ma y
change as they get accustomed to speaking and learning English more efficiently than before.
Their vision is broadened and in this way, they might show a sharp inclination towards either
one of the two motivations. To be more specific, in case of freshman students, a slight
inclination was seen toward instrumental motivation as dominant reasons for freshman students

36
to learn English was to take admission in foreign universities where as dominant reason for
sophomores to learn English is to understand the cultural attributes of the other societies .Apart
from diversity of reasons, a shift of maturity is also seen as the freshman students have academic
centered goals behind learning English where as sophomores have an urge to cross their
centuries old culture barrier to understand and mix or redraw their cultural attributes with that
of the English culture.
Further analysis behind the results and discussion brings forth certain conclusions behind the
freshman choices for learning English. An obvious reason for such choices is their junior
academic level .At this level, Saudi students seem to be less job oriented and more focused on
pursuing their educational goals . Majority of freshman students have a desire to further
continue their education by setting an academic goal of taking admissions in foreign English
universities. This reason can further be validated by their selection of a particular questionnaire
item that emphasizes on understanding English curriculum in foreign English universities. Also,
since starting up small and large scale businesses is a profession that goes back generations after
generations in a Saudi Arabian society, So it would be only natural for the students at a junior
academic level to select such questionnaire items as mentioned above. Although the researcher
found very little difference between the two motivations present in Saudi freshman students, the
integratively oriented questionnaire items selected by the freshman did not indicate a
professional pursuit behind learning English .In fact their integrative orientation mainly focused
on communicating with native speakers of English and have the ability to speak with people
from various parts of the world as English is an international language.
The above mentioned questionnaire items indicate a some what un ambiguous spectrum of
freshman students with respect to integrative motivation. However an integration of two
motivation types in a symbiotic relationship is also seen as their reason for learning English
revolve around communicating with the English native speakers for the reasons of attempting
admission tests and studying foreign curriculum in English universities while living in a
completely different environment. This highlights Dorneyi’s point of view that both motivations
may not necessarily be polarized.
In contrast, sophomores possessed a slightly dominating integrative motivation with
completely different reasons behind their choices. To summarize the results, they chose and
preferred involving themselves in the cultural whirl pool of English native speakers as the

37
reason for learning English which could mean pursuing professional pursuits or settling in
English native countries. Whereas instrumental motivation was somewhat less dominant in
sophomores accompanied with different reasons as sophomores preferred learning English to
browse the internet more effectively coupled with understanding English literature books in their
own curriculum. Analyzing their choices, it becomes quite clear that the integratively oriented
reasons of sophomores is to either locate a suitable vocation while living in a foreign culture of
the English native speakers or having the urge to mingle or settle down in near future as a part of
the English culture. Where as in case of instrumental motivations, their choices highlighted a
completely different viewpoint for learning English .There appears to be a relationship between
the instrumentally oriented and integratively oriented items chosen by the sophomores similar to
freshman. But never the less, as in the case of freshman as well, the quantitative analysis showed
a slight demarcation between the two types of motivations in the case of sophomores .The
instrumentally oriented reasons behind learning English for sophomores was learning English to
browse the internet which appears to be a less pragmatic thought and a side walk in contrast to
their integratively oriented choices. Another inclusion comes to surface that an apparent
maturity in the perception of sophomores predominates their thoughts while analyzing their
integratively and instrumentally oriented reasons for learning English. Their thought processes
are professionally centered and some what job oriented as compared to freshman students
.Their emphasis was largely on mingling with the English native speakers by settling in their
countries or understanding the cultural attributes of the English culture.
Also an Overall analysis of the results from research question 3 brings forth an interesting fact
that surprisingly students from both academic levels chose completely different questionnaire
items .This either means that Saudi students experience a complete change of reasons behind
learning English as they move from a junior level to a senior level. It could also mean that the
students at the freshman level may have joined the English learning program with different
motivations where as students from sophomore level had the same reasons for learning English
in their freshman level which remain unchanged. This underlines the difference in the attitude
towards learning English as a second language in both the academic levels with respect to the
growing maturity of the Saudi students that effect their thought processes which results in
variability of reasons among Saudi students behind learning English as a second language in
as they move from one level to the other. But it should also be noted that through quantitative

38
analysis , the following questionnaire item was a commonly chosen one by students from both
the academic levels with different mean values.

’ “I study English because i like to speak with more and varied people “

This questionnaire item in the researchers opinion is slightly integrative or in between

instrumental and integrative motivation even though the mean values of this questionnaire item
differ slightly for freshman and sophomore levels. This reflects that the students belonging to
both academic levels consider the ability and advantage of speaking with people belonging to
different nationalities, a genuine reason to study English. Thus it can be concluded that the
motivational energy behind learning English as a second language differ widely in the two
academic levels due to a shift of reasons and motivations between the two levels behind learning
English because of different maturity levels being junior or senior .Also due to the colorful
diversity in the reasons and excessively strong motivational intensity of the Saudi university
students, it can be said that the future Saudi freshman and sophomores can show even a lesser
or an absence of difference in motivational orientations between the two academic levels

5.1 Implications of the findings:

Twenty years ago, English language teaching was introduced as a part of curriculum in private
schools, run by expatriates in Saudi Arabia .Mainly the children of expatriates belonging to
Middle East and South East Asia studied in these semi-Americanized institutions. The Saudi
government did not emphasize on Saudi individuals to secure any type of education certificates
that might lead them to an independent thought process or accumulation of foreign language,
probably due to enormous wealth pouring in by the western nations in exchange for oil and
petroleum utilities. But almost four decades ago ,the country began going through a process of
renewal from the roots to the shoot A apart from other important sectors, educational sector was
focused on explicitly. Government started investing considerably in the educational sector. As a
result last year, Kind Abdullah distributed 50 000 stipends to encourage Saudi citizens to go
abroad to US or UK to become professionally educated. Many years ago, this action of the
monarchy would have been considered a sin by the Islamic clerics but with passage of time, the
force of globalization has overpowered the hard line attitude of the Islamic clerics in Saudiarbia.

39
Due to this spur of educational growth, Saudi universities initiated English education programs
in all schools and universities of Saudi Arabia. Highly qualified English native experts were
hired to form a faculty of English teaching professional to teach in various colleges and
universities in Saudi Arabia. But sadly ,the results have proven to be less fruitful for the
government. The English proficiency level of Saudi students is declining considerably. Due to
lack of research done on the learning route and response of the Saudi students to the current
prevailing learning system, the problems concerning the ESL students have not been addressed
properly. In order to highlight the problems, the motivations/reasons of the Saudi students behind
learning English need to be identified and later subjected to a skeleton analysis .After this, the
next step would be to hire individuals with appropriate qualification and professional experiences
to teach in the Saudi ESL classrooms .At this stage assigning a common suitable
methodology/approaches /techniques by the head of departments of different universities ,in the
ESL classroom should be the centre of the solution. This research focuses on finding out the
motivations/ reasons of Saudi university students and it can act as a spur for other researchers of
this area to carry on similar type of researches to initiate a problem filtering process in the Saudi
ESL arena. This trend of research, if followed, can help the Saudi academicians address the root
of the problem and to create an anecdote for it.

5.2. Limitations of the Study

The results and findings of this study represent the Saudi Arabian surrounding only due to a
completely different socio religious background as this society has been a gender segregated
and a conservative religious society for over a long period .More over the education of English
as a second or a foreign language which had started just two decades ago in Saudi Arabia may
be increasing in terms of establishing English learning institutions and individuals but the
reasons for an alarming declining proficiency level of the Arab students remains unknown and
un searched . This research can represent other Arab societies in certain circumstances, with
similar characteristics. However this research does not pertain to non Arab societies due to a
completely different socio-religious background.

40
 CHAPTER 6

Summary

Deep study and analysis of the results and discussion show that while looking through the
prisms of external variables, reasons behind motivations for learning English as a second
language in Saudi university students are numerous and their approach towards learning English
is spread far beyond their own boundaries. They have realized the importance of learning a
foreign language by imitating and reaching up to the standards set by the world to progress inside
and outside Saudi Arabia. Results showed that the pendulum of learning a foreign language such
as English is quickly gaining a momentum in this Arabian society as results showed a powerful
and dominant presence of instrumental motivation and integrative motivation in a harmonious
coexistence. A slight demarcation can be drawn between the two motivations and their presence
in the Saudi students but this contrast is so narrow that it can be termed as almost invisible
.Probing in to the past, a history of domination of hard line Islamic clerics in the kingdom is
seen over a long period of time .The effect of such a rein could have been assumed to be ever
lasting but the research showed that the Saudi students have developed their motivational
orientations in almost all of the essential and required directions for learning English at a very
fast rate and in a very short period of mainly last four years.
Regarding research question one which revolved around finding dominant and hidden
motivations in Saudi university students, interesting facts came to surface by the identification of
instrumental ,integrational and SFP motivation .In Saudi university students these motivations
were easily detectable as being slightly dominant from one another with respect to different
external variables. The interviews showed that Saudi university student were on the brink of their
expression towards explaining their motivations behind learning English. The presence of
instrumental and integrational motivation in Saudi students was further clarified with the help of
open question responses of the participants..Over all results showed a colorful spectrum of
motivations in the thought processes of the Saudi students that there reasons for learning English
slightly varied with respect to their academic levels and gender .But never the less the response
of the Saudi students reflected a progressive society that is no longer afraid of accepting such a
dominant language as English into their hearts and minds. Moreover, certain responses showed
the Saudi students integrating their broad spectrum with the power of globalization to modernize

41
the entire culture. The present Saudi man and woman have given English language very crucial
status in their road to success. And as the research showed, Saudi women who have been labeled
as the suppressed gender for quite some time, have began looking at English language as an
essential part of their anecdote to uplift the weakening conservative viewpoint of the male
members of the society. Research also showed that in the light of integrative motivation, Saudi
university students wished to integrate with the English culture or with those cultures where
English is the first language of its inhabitants. Following their professional pursuits was another
common and well known motivation among Saudi students. Although, both male and female
wanted to pursue successful careers and high education respectively, through learning English
skill fully, the effect of gender segregation was apparent in their responses. In short, Saudi
students showed a liking and appreciation for the English culture which turned in to a motivation
for learning English as a second language. The summarized view of the results of the other two
research questions is as follows.
Research question two revolved around finding a correlation between gender and motivational
orientations of male and female students in Saudi Arabian universities. Integrative motivation
was slightly dominant then instrumental motivation in male Saudi students as they were more
career oriented as compared to female students. Female students emphasized on continuing
education after graduation but starting a career was also selected by many female participants.
SFP motivation, introduced by the researcher was treated as a hidden motivation which was first
observed by the researcher as hypothetical .After excessive experimentation and earlier
researches ,the existence of SFP in Saudi students was proved by the researcher. This research
further proved the claim of the researcher that SFP motivation was a product of gender
segregated environment where one gender has been dominant on the other for quite some time.
In case of Saudi Arabia, the former is male and latter is female. However the research partially
proved the hypothesis to be incorrect as SFP was not detected in male Saudi students and
partially correct as it was detected in female Saudi students The results showed that male
students are learning English to secure a career and support their families and in some cases, help
their fathers and brothers in family businesses to become breadwinners as well. While answering
certain close questions in section 4 of the questionnaire, the tone of male participants indicated a
touch of the effect of gender segregation, on their thought processes. They refused to accept
women’s role in earning a livelihood to help their family or merely for self satisfaction. The

42
results further showed the importance of English language to the Saudi women. According to
some responses of the interviewees, the Saudi women considered English language as an integral
part of their route to success or struggle for gender equality in the Arabian society. Their
response was filled with a catharsis as they chose to enjoy equality of gender in the Arabian
society. In their interviews and response to questionnaire items, they emphasized on developing
confidence and feeling calm and relaxed than before. They also emphasized on English as a
stepping stone ,a very important ingredient in achieving their ambitions. The results showed that
the male participants did not exhibit a struggle to attain a dominant position in the Saudi society
as they already are in the driving seat when it comes to being a dominant gender due to which a
“struggle’ for equality or domination was not detected awhile analyzing the response of the male
participants. Due to above mentioned facts, the presence of SFP in male Saudi students was
negative where as it was widely noticeable in female Saudi students which termed the
hypothesis regarding research question 2 as being partially correct. To summaries further, from
one angle, motivational orientations in Saudi university students are diverse in nature and backed
by such reasons and ambitions which partially reflect the stereotypical thoughts of the Saudi
society and from another angle, SFP was a byproduct was formed as a results of centuries old
fascism of the middle East.
. Research question three revolved around finding a difference in English learning
motivation/reasons in the two academic levels namely freshman and sophomores. The results
proved the hypothesis to be correct as a slight pattern of English learning motivations were
detected ranging from freshman to sophomore level. Results also showed that a contrasting
selection of reasons among freshman and sophomores. Instrumental and integration motivations
were present in such a way that instrumental motivation was slightly dominant then integrative
motivation in freshman students where as opposite trend was seen in sophomores. This thin
pattern was only visible through the prism of quantitative analysis of the questionnaire and
interviews. The analysis of the results showed that freshmen were mostly interested in pursuing
educational pursuits and considered learning English as a second language as a stepping stone
towards achieving their goals where as the sophomores were interested in pursuing professional
pursuits that involved securing a suitable profession in a multicultural environment whether in
KSA or outside KSA .The obvious reasons behind such choices and display of pattern was the
sense of maturity that engulfs the Saudi students on reaching a senior academic level

43
(sophomore) from junior academic (freshman) level. The goals are much more clearly visible
and realization of these goals seems even more possible than before to these students.
An over all conclusion to this research states that the Saudi students at university level develop
such motivational orientations which are quite similar to students of other countries which may
not be gender segregated or have an ideology based entirely on religion and its perspective. The
research shows that the Saudi students are eventually emerging at a fast pace from a religion
centered society and they have embraced the language English by believing it to be an important
language to be learnt apart from their mother tongue in their path towards success. Research
question one concluded that the two basic motivations, instrumental and integration were
detected in the Saudi university students with a border line difference .This indicates that the
reasons and motivations of the Saudi students are diverse and are spread to all walks of life ,all
over the globe. One hidden type of motivation SFP was also detected in the Saudi female
university students. The narrow difference of ratio between the three motivation emphasizes on
the variability of thought processes in the Saudi students. The research further concluded with
the presence of SFP in female Saudi students. The researcher’s self introduction of SFP
motivation was considered a hidden motivations which was detected largely in females as
compared to males. Male Saudi students showed a struggle for professional security as a prime
motivation rather than struggle for power where as female Saudi students showed a struggle to
attain an equal and a recognizable social status as their prime motivation behind learning
English. This prime motivation comes under the researcher’s self introduced SFP motivation.
This brings forth a sub conclusion that although the conservative and extremist attitude of the
Saudi society is vanishing at a fast speed , its reminiscent can be felt in the thought processes of
the Saudi female students. This thought process were naturally transformed in to a struggle to
achieve a platform that highlights the talent and freedom of the Saudi female students alone.
Thus the results show that a correlation between motivation and gender does exist.
Moreover analyzing the results of research question 2,the motivational pattern exhibited by the
students in the two academic levels concludes that the Saudi university students have growing
and changing reasons /motivations behind learning English while standing so close to achieving
their destinations. This change travels from freshman to sophomore levels. Although this change
is very minor but in no terms negligible as it emphasizes on the positive growth of the Saudi
students during their academic journey as they learn to understand the importance and countless

44
uses of the language English. Also, at such an important academic institution such as university,
the Saudi students have realized the importance of learning English to achieve their diverse
career goals. This also hints at increasing interest of innumerable Saudi university students in
learning English as a second and as a foreign language. Results also show that Saudi university
students consider learning English as an important component in their route to achieving their
academic and professional centered ambitions.

45
 CHAPTER 7

Conclusion and Recommendations

The researcher has extracted potential reasons behind learning English by analyzing the
responses put forth by the Saudi male and female university students. Apart from predictable
choices mentioned in the questionnaire, some unique reasons behind learning English also
came to surface that highlighted the changing scenario behind English learning in the Saudi
society. More over this research helped locate the thresholds at which the motivational intensities
of the Saudi students were the highest and the lowest .A correlation between the Saudi students
belonging to two academic levels and their English learning motivations at these two levels was
established. In fact a pattern of English learning motivation was observed that moved back and
forth between these two academic levels. Another correlation between gender and motivational
intensities of male and female Saudi students was established in this research that both male and
female exhibit different English learning motivations. Analysis of the results and conclusion
brings forth the facts that due to the wave of globalization, the Saudi learners have linked their
success in achieving their ambitions to learning English but due to various failed methodologies
,techniques and approaches adopted by native and non native ESL instructors all over Saudi
Arabia, Saudi learners are losing interest in the ESL lesson plans taught to them although their
English learning motivation remain defiant. Thus the researcher recommends a thorough analysis
of the results of this research to uproot the current declining English learning proficiency levels
in the Saudi students at university level regardless of the fact that almost all the universities are
fully equipped with up to date teaching facilities and a highly educated faculty. Moreover, such
faculty should be organized which has genuine experience of teaching students with similar
dominant motivations as present in Saudi university students.
After an analysis of the prime English learning motivations in the Saudi students with respect to
their gender and academic levels, following approaches, techniques and methodologies should be
undertaken while designing lesson plans for the Saudi university students The most suitable
methodology in such an arena is communicative language teaching (CLT) as it involves use of
real life situations, objects, conversations that give the learner a front row or native like
experience of speaking the English language. CLT is an ideal methodology that focuses on
integration of communicative skills by and also by letting the learners explore the role playing

46
techniques that involve rapid communication with the hypothetical native environment
surrounding the learner. This will give the Saudi learners a push towards achieving confidence in
themselves and proficiency in this language and maintain their interests in the lesson plan. The
approach implemented should be very humanistic and interactive such that it should allow the
learners to talk and work freely and explore the language English without any boundaries. The
learners should be allowed to participate more in the classroom activities rather than the teacher
herself. Similarly teacher talking time should be reduced considerably and student talking item
should be increased in the Saudi ESL classrooms to facilitate frequent student class participation.

7.1 Further Research

Other motivational based researchers can use data extracted from this research regarding the
types of motivation present in different instances in the university life of the Saudi students or
make this research a foundation and further investigate the motivational patterns with respect to
other external variables such as correlation between age and English learning motivations as well
as effect of modern media on the attitude of Saudi students .It can be said that this research can
act as a roots for other researchers interested in investigating motivational orientations of Saudi
students or students of such societies with similar attributes as that of the Saudi society. Further
research can also be done on investigating the types of motivations and motivational pattern of
Saudi students in other academic levels such as primary, secondary levels. Motivational
intensities of Saudi students can be investigated at post university level as well. The data from
this research can help the academicians develop a proper learning approach to teach Saudi male
and female students at university level to avoid the declining level of English proficiency in
Saudi students.

47
References:

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Parents towards English as aForeign Language in Saudi Arabian Public Schools". Saudi Arabia,Ministry
of Education, Educational Development; the General Directorate of Research and Evaluation.

Al-Mutawa, N. (1994). "Factors influencing English Language Teaching and Learning in the
Secondary Schools of Kuwait". Educational Sciences (Institute of Educational Studies, Cairo
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Al-Abrashi, M. (2003, May 31). This is the language of infidels. Al-Arabiya. Available at:
www.alarbiya.net.

Alaswad, S. (2000). Hollywood Shoots the Arabs: The Construction of the Arab in

American Culture. Unpublished Ph. D., The Temple University.

Alrabaa,S(2010) Veiled atrocities. True stories of oppression in Saudi Arabia Prometheus Books

Al-Shalabi, F. (1982). "Perceived Social Distance: a Reexamination of an Attitudinal Factor in an EFL

Setting". Ph.D. thesis, Colorado University .[unpublished]

Anderman L H & Anderman E M ,1999 Social predictors of changes in achievement goal orientation,
Contemporary educational psychology 25 21,37

Benson, M. (1991). "Attitudes and motivation towards English: A survey of Japanese freshman". RELC
Journal. 22(1). 34-48.

Bilal.S (2010) Analysis of attitude of Saudi female students towards learning English language as a
catalyst in achieving a prosperous profession. TESOL Diploma. Research Project. Sunderland, UK:
University of Sunderland. [unpublished].

Clement, R. Dornyei, Z. & Noel, K. A. (1994). "Motivation, self confidence, and group cohesion in the
foreign language classroom". Language learning. 44(3). 417-448.

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Crookes, G. & Schmidt R. (1991). "Motivation: Reopening the research agenda". Language Learning. 41
(4). 469-512.

Christian Brother university, Journals: To Heir is Masculine: A Study of the Effects of Patriarchy in Saudi
Arabia.(2002)

URL: http://www.cbu.edu/Academics/honors/hj2k3_heir.htm

Deci, E. & Ryan, R. (1985). "Intrinsic Motivation and Self- Determination in Human Behavior". New
York: Plenum.

Dorney, Z. (1990). "Conceptualizing motivation in foreign-language learning". Language Learning. 36.

1-25.

Dorney, Z. (1994). "Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom". Modern Language
Journal. 78. 273-284.

Dorney, Z. (2001). "Teaching and Researching Motivation".Longman: Pearson Education Limited.

Ellis, R. (1994). "The Study of Second Language Acquisition".New York: Oxford University Press.

Gardner, R. (1976). "Second Language Learning: A Social Psychological Perspective". The Canadian
Modern Language Review. 32. 199.

Gardner, R. (1980). "On the validity of affective variables in second language acquisition: conceptual,
contextual, and statistical considerations". Language Learning. 30. 255-70.

Gardner, R. & P. Macintyre. (1991). "An instrumental motivation in language study: Who says it isn’t
effective". Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 13. 57-72.

Gardner, R. & W. Lambert (1972). "Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning". Boston:
Newbury.

49
Kachru, Y. (1994). "Monolingual Bias in SLA Research". TESOLQuarterly. 28. 795-800.

Masgoret, A. & Gardner, R. (2003). "Attitudes, motivation, and second language learning: a meta-
analysis of studies". Language Learning, 53 (1). 123-163.

Musa, M. (1985). "Why do not our students speak English fluently after eight years of study?". Journal of
Education (UAE). 38. 67-72.

Noeln S,B (1988) Reasons for studying ,motivational orientations and study strategies,
Cognition and instruction, 5 269-287

Qashoa, S. (2006). "Motivation among Learners of English in theSecondary Schools in the Eastern Coast
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,journal of educational psychology 88,408-422

50
 APPENDIX A

Section1:
Your sex: Male Female
When were you born? Month: Year:
Do you study English as a second language in your curriculum? Yes No

Section2:
For each of the following statements circle the number which best represents your answer.

Strongly slightly neutral slightly strongly

disagree disagree agree agree
1 2 3 4 5

1 I study English because I want to understand my core subjects fully.

2. I study English because I need to know how to use the internet for educational purposes.

3. I need to learn English to understand English curriculum in foreign universities.

4. I am studying English to understand English literature books in my curriculum.

5. I am studying English to take admission in foreign English universities.

6. I am studying English so I can talk to foreigners for business purposes.

7. I study English because I will need it for my professional pursuits.

8. I study English to become a knowledgeable person

51
9. Studying English is important to me because it will allow me to meet and speak with more and varied
people.

10. I believe that those who speak English are smarter than those who speak only one language.

11. I study English becauseI need to communicate with the native speakers of English living in KSA and
in the west.

12. Studying English is important to me because I will be able to participate more freely in the activities
of other cultural groups.

13. I study English because I like the culture and civilization of its native speakers.

Section 3:

14) I believe that those who speak English are smarter than those who speak only one language.

15 )I am studying English as it will play a part in finding a suitable profession for me and
Supporting my family.

16) I learn English to express myself.

.

17) I study English to feel dominant among my family members.

18) I study English to become a professional man/woman in the society.

19) I study English to be successful.

20)I study English to make my parents proud of me.

21 I study English to prove myself worthy to my father and brothers.

22 )Studying English makes me feel confident about myself.

23) English is a language of Power .

52
24) English is a language of wisdom.

Section 4:

25).Why are you learning English?(Give your answer in one line)

26 ) Do you wish to work in an institution or organization after you graduate?

Yes

No

27).If you refuse to learn English language, would you get a successful career later in life?

Yes

No

28) Rearrange the given words in a desired descending order.

My father, money, job, power, education

29) Do you think Saudi women taking up suitable jobs after graduation would increase in near future.?

Yes

No

30) Do you think a Saudi woman of today is far more willing to learn English then before?

Yes

No

31) How important is it for a Saudi woman to master herself in using English language in various
professional areas? Answer in two lines.

53
32)After graduation, would you consider doing post graduation in English?

Yes

No

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Q1 .Do you study English as a second language in your curriculum?

Q2. Please state your academic level

Q3 What is the reason for your learning English?

Q4 Do you aspire to gain a profession in future?

Q5 Would you like to go to UK or USA for further study?

Q6 Does learning English give you confidence in communicating with native speakers of English?

Q7 What is the importance of learning English in this global era?

Q8 What does your father and brothers think of you finding a job in near future?

Q9 Do you think English can help empower you by giving you confidence to pursue your goals?

54
 APPENDIX B

CDSCRIPT

Hello my name is Sara Bilal. I am a student of MA TESOL program and I am doing this degree in
distant learning mode. Currently I am in the final dissertation stage .This disc is submitted as part of
my dissertation. The topic of my dissertation is “investigating the motivation types in EFL university
students in Saudi Arabia with respect to external variables such as gender (both male and female) and
academic levels namely freshman and sophomores. The content of this CD is actually a discussion of
results and analysis of the interviews taken in this research. Each research question was allotted 7
interviews totaling the number of interview to 14.

Research question one was based on detecting overall English earning motivations in the Saudi
students .The data for this research question was embedded in the other two research question
which is why no particular interviews was taken for the research question 1.Research question two
revolved around finding a correlation between gender and motivation types in male and female EFL
students currently studying at a university level. Research question three revolved around finding
motivation patterns in the two academic levels.

Analysis of the interviews in the research brought forth interesting data. Regarding research question
two, many male participants showed an inclination to integrative motivation .The reasons behind
this motivation can be understood by listening to an extract ofa male student

“Well I think its important ,as my class fellow stated, to learn English in this global era, and since I
would like to settle down in UK I think it will help me pass the English testing exams.”

The student emphasizes on settling in UK probably through immigration or finding a job in UK, a clear
hint at integrative motivation dominant in male and sophomore. Another male students says

‘I would like to learn English in order to secure a good profession and feel confident in communicating
with English native speakers.”

A clear emphasis is made once gain on settling in English speaking countries for the purpose of
starting a career and for this purpose they are learning English to facilitate communication with
English native speakers.

And later in the interview the same student also mentions one more reason for learning English ,

-“Yes it can and that is my preference to take admission in the University of Essex in UK.”

55
-“and learning English will help me get a job outside KSA.”

-“yes i can, i am learning English to be able to understand English language as i want to take admission in
a UK university”

This indicates a blend of the two motivations and instrumental motivation is seen to be a secondary
reason or a recessive motivation for this student

Moreover none of the male participants used the words “confident” or ‘powerful” in their interviews
on being asked for reasons behind learning English. Nor did they give any answers or remarks that
would highlight a “struggle” or oppression in their thought processes. This shows that their
motivation behind learning English is strictly instrumental or integrational and “struggle for power’
motivation was totally absent in male participants. All of this is evident from the following extracts.

-“Q8)Do you think English can help empower you by giving you confidence to pursue your goals?

Yes it can but not to that extent, imean maybe women in Saudi Arabia might feel empowered but not us
males.”

-“well i feel confident in the sense that i will be able to communicate with English language speakers but
powerful has nothing to do with it.”

Where as some male students highlighted their stereotypical thought of being male breadwinners in
this Arabian society

-“Because it is a necessity for me to get a job to raise my family, and learning English will help me get a
job outside KSA.”

-“Can you give me one prime reason for learning English that comes in to your mind?

Yes i would like to settle in UK or USA or CANADA, one of these three

Q Why would you like to settle their?

To get a good job and raise my family”

As for female participants, the reasons for learning English were a blend of instrumental and
integrative motivation exemplified in the following extracts,

56
-‘Yes I think it really gave me confidence in my abilities to learn English even further. But most of all it
makes me feel relaxed to know that I now can communicate with native speakers of English.

-“. i am learning English to understand my core subjects which are also in English language so learning
English will for sure help me in understanding medical books.

3)What other reason can you put forth for learning English ?

Well I want to increase my knowledge of this language””

-“I think I can add one more reason apart from helping in finding a job, it is that we can communicate
with English speaking people in UK and USA.”

-“as I am in the business program, and I would like to learn English to communicate with other
nationalities, so that’s why its very important to learn English to survive in the world.

-“I believe English is an important language to be learnt by anyone who wants to study abroad”

A strong roaring presence of researcher’s self introduced SFP motivation was investigated to be
present in the female students .The following extracts highlights this .

-“Yes I feel intelligent when I talk with other people who are not Arabic and know only English. I feel
important “

“-Q5) Does learning English give you confidence in communicating with native speakers of English?

Yes it gives me confidence and makes me feel dominant among others.”

This upcoming extracts from the interviews with female participants will emphasize on the female
student looking to gain a certain dominance in her own home among the male members of the society

-“Can learning English make you feel powerful?

yes it does make me feel complete ,sort of relaxed, i feel proud a little bit as well. My parents think of
me as important as my brother when I speak English faster than him.”

-“Yeah I feel important in the eyes of my father who happens to be a foreign graduate and I feel
intelligent and powerful..it is all very emotional for me too …"

57
-“Q6 What does your father and brothers think of you finding a job in near future?

10 years ago they would have said no but now every woman around me is looking for a respectable job
and so they will allow me.”

Further conversation with this female participant yielded very interesting facts,

Q8)Do you think English can help empower you by giving you confidence to pursue your goals?

-“Yes it definitely does give me and others like me a boost in our performance or journey towards
getting our goals. it feels good and I feel confident after learning new words of English

-“Yes I feel intelligent when I talk with other people who are not Arabic and know only English.I feel
important

Now The following Extracts bring forth interesting results for research question3. The freshman
students showed presence of both instrumental and integrative motivation with instrumental slightly
dominant then integrative motivation .This is evident from the following extracts

“Q3) What is the reason for your learning English?

I believe English is an important language to be learnt by anyone who wants to study abroad.”

The following extract gives a different reason for learning English which is although less popular but
still present in freshman students

“Why are you learning English?

Learning English has its benefits. i am learning English to understand my core subjects which are also in
English language so learning English will for sure help me in understanding medical books.”

In This extract the interviewee particularly emphasizes on an instrumental reason behind learning
English,

“Can learning English in this program can help you get admissions in foreign university

Yes it can and that is my preference to take admission in university of Essex in UK.

58
“yes i can, i am learning English to be able to understand English language as i want to take admission in
a UK university. “

The presence of integrative motivation in freshman students was also indicated as a secondary
motivation, evident by the following responses of the freshman interviewees

“what is the importance of learning English in this global era?

Its very important no matter what field you are in ,as I am in the business program, and I would like to
learn English to communicate with other nationalities, so that’s why its very important to learn English
to survive in the world.”

Where as freshman students also have mentioned securing a career as a reason behind learning
English

..”i feel like it is important for me to know English culture specially UK as i will be going there for further
studies”

4) Would you like to go to u or usa for further study?

Well I would like to if I am allowed from my dad but basically I would like to help my father in his
business.

In a slight contrast, the sophomore students bolded

Communicating with other nationalities or trying to adopt their culture as essential reasons behind
learning English which clearly hint at integratively oriented reasons for the sophomores

“How can learning English make you feel confident because you mentioned the word confident earlier
in your answer.

Well , I will be able to speak with UK and USA citizens if they come to KSA or if I go abroad so that
makes me feel accomplished and confident

Also some other sophomores were of the same view as obvious through hthese extracts

“Can you give me one more reason if you have for learning English?

Umm yes I think I can add one more reason apart from helping in finding a job, it is that we can
communicate with English speaking people in UK and USA.”

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Another interesting reason this particular student put forth for learning English was to become
bilingual

“ I would like to become bilingual before I choose a profession for myself.”

Wheras others sophomores hinted at getting a job as their prime motivation behind learning English

Why are you learning English ?

Q Can you give me one prime reason for learning English that comes in to your mind?

Yes i wold like to settle in uk or usa or canada,one of these three

Q Why would you like to settle their?

To get a good job and raise my family”

Also many students highlighted the importance of learning English for a Saudi society in their
interviews which give evidences of a changing Arab society. Following extracts are worth mentioning
in this regard.

“We need to learn English for the better of our own country. The world is moving fast and we have to
modernize our self to move with it and learning English is just the first step

“what is the importance of learning English in this global era?

The importance is immense. Without learning English , we cannot excel in our respected fields since our
customers, clients, partners can be foreigners and English can be the only common medium of
communication between me and them.

“2) Why are you learning English ?

Because I think it is important for` any one in this world who wants to study and be successful getting a
job. I also want to get a good job after I graduate. This is very important for me and also one of the
reasons for learning English.

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Probably due to a predominant gender segregation, many male participants were hesitant in giving
interviews fact to face due to which, the estimated number of interviews for male participants were
not taken ,but the researcher tried her best to investigate as many male participants as possible at an
equal ratio to the female participants to pursue a balanced research .also it should be noted that the
interviews displayed only a reflection of the detail findings in the research report .

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