Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning

Difficulties Arabic Students gift In face Language LearningIn procreational settings the actors line is cardinal(prenominal) the medium and capacity of culture. Academic mastery is dependent on progress of spoken and written forms of the spoken communication workoutd for instruction (Shatz and Wilkinson 2010 55). entryNext to the United States, the United Kingdom receives the biggest number of outside(a)ist students in the world. In 2009, 13 percent of the total undergraduate population enrolled in the UK were transnational students (UK Council for International Student Affairs 2009). More specifically, college entrants from Saudi-Arabian Arabia increase rapidly by 42.2 percent from 3,535 in 2008 to 5,205 in 2009 (Times Higher instruction 2010). This dramatic rise of the Arabic international student cohort in the UK requires immediate attention especially in relation to the faculty member adjustments these students fixate in the schooldays environment. One of the close signifi discountt adjustments for Arabic international students is training the side of meat dustup, a phenomenon driven by the demands of globalisation and the instantaneously widespread use of slope as a instant oral communication in the educational curriculum even in Arab amountries (Tahaineh 2010). While the act of touch talking to larn among Arab students within their home countries has gained much academic attention (Khatib, 2000 Tahaineh, 2010 Ghaith and Diab 2008), non enough look focus has been made on the experiences of Arabic international students in the UK. What is known today is too work to be applied practically in policymaking or in educational practice. This harangue explores two main points, firstly, it highlights how little we know about the difficulties that Arabic international students cause in culture the side of meat language and secondly, it calls for the assume to undertake much(prenominal) robust semiempirical work on the maturation Arabic international student cohort in the UK. This mixed methods inquiry allow be a valuable contribution to UK educators in lot Arabic students learn effectively at the same time achieving institutional goals as hygienic as meeting the educational expectations and needs of Arabic students in the UK.Research questionThis dissertation aims to answer the central question, What difficulties do Arabic students in the UK face when encyclopaedism the side language? thither be two sub-questions proposed which testament guide the outcomes of this research.What issues do Arabic students face in English language learning?The literary productions review suggests that the difficulties Arabic international students may face when learning the English language are multi-faceted. It may involve basic structural differences between Arabic and English (Shabbir Bughio 2003), cultural issues (Elyas and Picard 2010), want and self-esteem (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2009), and kindly issues (Shammas 2009).What strategies do they use to submerge the barriers identified? aft(prenominal) discovering the issues that Arabic international students face in English language learning, it is all important(predicate) to uncover the strategies that they employ in order to make love with the difficulties faced.Rationale and contextThe context of this proposed dissertation is of a general and individual(prenominal) nature. ESL literacy has always been an ongoing academic interest of the researcher. While in the past, learning the English language was viewed as a betrayal of the mother spit for most Arabic students, the demands of free market globalisation has prompted a re-create vigour among Arab universities and Arabic students to become proficient in the English language.On a personal train, I have always been concerned with the skills of Arabic international students in reading and writing. Studying the English literacy experiences of these students leave fetch to an i ncrease in our regarding as to what strategies could help Arabic students let English proficiency and attain their educational goals. At the same time, it leave alone alike address the gap in literature which cannister assure the policymaking and institutional practice of UK universities in meeting the needs and expectations of Arabic international English learners. By describing the experiences of Saudi students in L2 literacy experience, we can begin to drawing off useful conclusions, implications, and recommendations to contribute to second language acquisition and proficiency in general and ESL literacy in particular.Literature reviewA preliminary literature review reveals significant themes related to the difficulties that Saudi international students experience in learning the English language.1. Basic structural differences of Arabic and EnglishThe most putting green difficulty go through in English language learning and proficiency among Arab students lies in the ba sic structural differences between the mother play and the second language. For instance, Arabic writing does not use capitalisation and uses contrastive rules in punctuation from English (Shabbir Bughio 2003). Spelling is in like manner a chore since in Arabic, there is merely ane letter per sound so the spelling part is much more challenging in English. A subject area revealed that students struggle with spelling silent alphabets located in the centre of attention of English words such as half or knowledge. pronunciation of English words is to a fault problematic since Arab speakers often use Arabic phonetics to pronounce words (Salebi 2004). As a result, words like pudding head are pronounced istobbid while pregnant is pronounced brignent (Shabbir Bughio 2003). The use of commas and conjunctions is to a fault another difficulty for Arabic students because the usage is different in Arabic and English contexts (Rababah 2002). The same is true on the use of English prepo sitions delinquent to the varied nature and usage of prepositions in English, many Arabic students prefer to translate each Arabic preposition in English (Shabbir Buhgio 2003). Kambal (1980) documented major(ip) syntactic errors in the compositions of Arab students in the Sudanese University particular in verb formation, subject-verb agreement, and use of tenses.2. Motivation in learning EFLMotivation has been an evinceed predictor of success EFL outcomes (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2006). Consequently, a learners attitude towards the second language affects his or her outcomes in English language learning. Gardner and Lambert (19723) explained that a learners motivation to learn is reflected in the latters attitudes towards English speakers as well as towards the English language itself. In fact, empirical research has pointed to a learners general attitude towards knowledge as an powerful variable in second language acquisition and proficiency (Arkoudis 2003). Moreover, self-esteem has been shown to be a significant predictor in writing motion among Arabic secondary students (Al-Hattab 2006). Beliefs on the English language are negociate by culture and social characteristics (Ely 1986). This path that not all battalion hold uniform epistemological beliefs about L2 language acquisition and that our clutches of the knowledge process is dependent upon our different contexts. Some argue all the same that while motivation and attitudes towards the L2 language is important, it is not a sufficient set apart in language proficiency (Ely 1986). In a wad of Arabic students in Australia, general attitudes towards the English language were banking most believed that English symbolised technological advancement and modernity (Suleiman 1983). In another call for, it was found that positive attitudes toward English language learning were related to EFL outcomes (Ghaith and Diab 2008).3. Cultural issuesCulture plays an important role in the English language learning p rocess, especially in relation to language instruction (Elyas and Picard 2010). In Saudi Arabia, classroom instruction is delivered in a different manner from Western schools. The classroom is a place where the teacher is an established head and the students role is defined in terms of quietness of loving to listen (Jamjoom 2009, as cited Elyas and Picard 2010). Teacher-student relationships in the Saudi context are feudal teachers and instructors occupy a high grad in the classroom and so-called student-centred pedagogy is not a common practice (Gallagher 1989). The implication of this is that most Saudi students are not habitual to interactive command processes, one that cultivates proficiency in the English language. Arabic students only learn English from formal instruction and the classroom itself does not provide a venue wherein they could practice their English communication skills (Rababah 2002). This classroom acculturation creates electromotive force problems in the co ntext of English language learning in a UK university where classroom interaction is a popular teaching model. Most Arabic students become unsociable in class, do not recite as often as needed, and speak English only when directed formally (Ghaith and Diab 2008). Moreover, teacher attitudes and behaviours towards Saudi students may also count against EFL. Cross-cultural differences have been shown to affect classroom sociability of Arabic students (Rababah 2002).4. sociable issuesAlienation in the university setting has been found to influence the academic outcomes of Arabic international students in the USA (Shammas 2009) particularly after the 9/11 terror attacks. The same alienation was reported by Arabic students when the school climate became hostile in some universities within the UK (Rich and Troudi 2006). The level of desegregation that Arabic international students experience in their universities is helpful in enhancing motivation to learn the English language (Shammas 20 09). Feelings of isolation due to the bolshy of social capital increases sociability among Arabic international students and may result to loss of self-esteem and motivation. Those who are able to renew their social capital by connecting with new friends Arabic or not have a greater chance of being successful in being proficient in the English language.Research approachEmpirical work examining the processes of second language acquisition and the effectiveness of strategies focused on learning English as a second language has utilised both denary and soft research approaches (Ghaith and Diab 2008 Al-Hattab 2006 Rabab-ah 2002). This write up proposes a mixed methods approach integrating both qualitative and duodecimal elements to more adequately explore the English language learning process among Arabic international students in the UK. Considered a connect between the quantitative and qualitative realms of research, mixed methods research draws upon the strengths of both para digms to rejoin a more pure(a) and thorough investigation of a issuance or phenomenon (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). To this end, mixed methods research supposes that the two research paradigms can be reconciled, maximising the strengths of both while minimising their weaknesses at the same time (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003).In deciding what research approach best suits the purposes of this weigh, I considered two ontological positions constructivist and positivist on the topic. freshmanly, I consider that Arabic students are differently situated and construct their realities from their own experiences and values. In this regard, there is no one version of reality that could be gleaned (Denzin and Lincoln 1994) on how Arabic international students experience English language learning. Secondly, however, I believe that it is possible to establish what a causal relationship (Creswell 2003) or the particular factors predict English language proficiency among Arabic students in general. In other words, we can determine what specific difficulties can influence English language proficiency among Arabic students. From a pragmatic point of view, both ontological positions are useful in this investigation, hence, a mixed methods paradigm. Why use a stand-alone paradigm when you can use two paradigms and in the process, come the phenomenon being studied more fully?Mixed methods research is a methodology philosophical framework, method, and techniques of data collection and abridgment which combines both quantitative and qualitative processes throughout the entire research cycle (Creswell and Plano Clark 20075). The benefits of conducting mixed methods research are three-fold 1) it allows a holistic investigation of a phenomenon 2) it enables a macro- and micro- investigation of the phenomenon and 3) it has validating capacity of quantitative with qualitative methods and vice versa (Onwuegbuzie and Leech 2004). This study proposes a research approach consisti ng of two forms. The first cast is the quantitative phase the goal is to determine what specific issues Arabic students face in learning the English language and how these variables are related to each other. The second phase pulps on the results of the quantitative phase and explains the outcomes more fully. The quantitative phase will utilise a web-based muckle questionnaire to be followed by face-to-face querys for the qualitative phase. The idea of this research technique is that by integrating both numerical data (survey questionnaire) and textual data (interviews), the difficulties Arabic international students phase in English language learning can be captured more completely and comprehensively.Research DesignThere are several variations in design to a mixed methods study. Three issues are considered in the natural selection of the specific mixed methods design for this particular research priority, implementation, and integration (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007). ant eriority specifies which method is emphasised implementation identifies whether data collection and analysis is through with(p) sequentially (different stages) or concurrently (parallel stages) and integration defines the connectedness between the results of the two phases. This study uses the sequential informative design to investigate the experiences of Arabic international students in English language learning.Sequential explanatory designA sequential explanatory design is chosen. The data collection and analysis will consist of two phases (Creswell, 2003 Onwuegbuzie and Teddlie 2003). The first phase will use a web-based survey questionnaire to be answered by a manageable random exemplification of Arabic international students enrolled in one UK university. Data collected will be analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi-square. The second phase of the study will proceed after the completion of the first phase. It will build on the findings of the first phase and use i ndividual semi-structured interviews of five Arabic international students. The goal of the second phase is provide a more in-depth explanation of the difficulties experienced by Arabic students and the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties. through the integration of data from both the quantitative and qualitative phase, the results will be refined and the phenomenon explored in a more holistic manner. More specifically, this explanatory mixed methods research uses the follow-up explanations variant in an attempt to understand more fully the process in which Arabic students learn English in foreign universities. The follow-up explanations model is selected because the qualitative phase means to explain and expand on quantitative results (Creswell 2003 43). The priority phase of this study is the qualitative phase because of its capability to provide a more complete picture of the phenomenon being considered.Using a pragmatic ontological position which values positivis t and interpretivist assumptions, the study uses two general instruments and triangulation methods to establish firminess and reliability of research findings.Phase 1 Quantitative ( plenty questionnaires)A self-constructed online survey questionnaire will be used to gather data on the difficulties experienced by Arabic students in English language learning. Items in the questionnaire will be drawn from the literature review and will measure difficulties in five aspects 1) structural adjustments from Arabic to English (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.), 2) motivation, 3) cultural issues, and 4) social issues. After the selection of participants, a URL will be sent via email to participants advising them to read the consent form and to indicate their compliance. The survey will also be available on Facebook and other social networking sites. After hookup data, results will be analyzed using appropriate descriptive and illative statistics.Phase 2 Qualitative (Face-to-face inter views)After the first phase of data collection and data analysis, in-depth interviews will be scheduled with six Arabic international students in order to gather selective information that will barely explain the results of the survey questionnaire. A semi-structured interview guide will be developed in order to allow the participants to discuss their answers in a more flexible manner. The semi-structured nature of the interview guide will also allow the researcher to clarify or ask follow-up questions that can further refine the data. Interviews will be audiotaped with the participants consent and transcribed at once afterwards. Qualitative analysis will be used to gather come about themes from the interview data.Validity and ReliabilityTo establish the validity and reliability of the outcomes of this study, satisfy validity and triangulation through multiple sources will be used. To establish content validity, the survey instrument will be evaluated by a bloodshed of special ists. Multiple sources such as documents and academic papers will also be requested from interviewees. Member checking will be done to verify the accuracy of the transcribed interviews.Ethical IssuesThe following ethical considerations are identified.institutional requirements will be met before data collection.Permission to conduct the study will be obtained by securing applause from the Institutional Review circuit board (IRB) of the University. The researcher will complete the ethics form and wait for approval before beginning the collection of data.Consent will be secured.An aware consent will be drafted to explain to participants the purposes and objectives of the study as well as the rights of participants regarding confidentiality and voluntarism. The same form will be attached to the online survey as proof of compliance with ethical requirement for research.Anonymity and confidentiality of information will be guaranteed.Procedures will be done to protect the rights of wo rld subjects. Every completed questionnaire will be coded in order to overwhelm the identity of participants. For the personal interviews conducted, each participant will be aware that the interview will be audiotaped for documentation. Transcript of the interviews will use pseudonyms quite of real names. Data storage requirements will also be complied with. Transcripts and hard drives will be secured in a locked cabinet to be undo after the study is published.Bias will be bracketed to minimise prejudicious interpretation of data.Ethics requires the researcher to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Bias is acknowledged to arise from data collection until the final phases of the study. try of bias will be minimised through bracketing and a written demonstration log to trace subjectivities.Research schedule2011ActivitiesMayCompletion of dissertation proposalJuneIRB form completed and passedJulyAdditional literature reviewSurvey questionnaire developedAugustMetho dology chapter finalisedSurvey questionnaire piloted and evaluatedRevisions to questionnaire finalisedSeptemberSelection of participantsOctoberFirst phase of data gatheringAnalysis of results quantitative phaseNovember pull through up of results and advisingDecemberRefining of literature reviewDrafting of interview guide and approval2012JanuarySelection of intervieweesConduct of interviewsTranscription and qualitative analysisFebruaryIntegration of findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2Meet with supervisorPass first draft of findings and conclusionsMarchCheck references. utmostise draft.AprilFinal proofreading and revisions.Send to binders.MaySubmit bound copies by May 2012. wistful commentaryWriting this dissertation proposal has not only been a significant educational experience for me it was also a reflexive opportunity. I was given an avenue with which to consider my own perspectives about obtaining higher education in a foreign university and the experiences which have so far brou ght me to the level I am now situated. Preparing the literature review was the most reward part of all because it enabled me to acknowledge the multifaceted and complex nature of the English language learning process. Simply put, acquiring a second language is not a simple feat. It is influenced by multiple factors and influences. While I was able to gather the most significant themes associated with English language learning among Arabic international students, I look forward to constructing the more exposit literature review in the future.