Introduction
This study aims to discover the major trend of Saudi advanced ESL learners’ willingness to communicate with native speakers. The idea of this study emerged after conducting two interviews in Murray state University with Saudi ESL learners, a male and a female, who are considered advanced learners based on their levels in the ESL program and their IELTS scores. Even though these learners were advanced in their proficiency levels, however, the results of the interview indicated that both learners were not willing to communicate with native speakers for different reasons. The results of the interviews were surprising due to the level of the students’ level and their intention to pursue their graduate studies in the United States. It is recognized that the development of proficiency level correlates positively with confidence and anxiety, thus, advanced language learners are supposed to express higher willingness to communicate with others without regard to their nationality or gender. Therefore, I have decided to investigate whether unwillingness to communicate is a common trend among Saudi advanced learners or not. I also aim to detect if gender is an issue in willingness to communicate among Saudi advanced ESL learners due to the unique cultural differences between the United States and the Saudi Arabia that might affect the willingness to communicate especially with the opposite gender.
There are several factors that stimulus and justifies the significance of the study. One is the yearly growing number of Saudi ESL learners that have reached 27000 ESL students in the United States with the extension of King Abdullah Scholarship program for another five years beginning from 2013. Another reason is the lack of research...
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Much research was completed for the making of this article. It was found that ELL’s need time to develop oral English proficiency, teachers need to use ongoing authentic formative assessments throughout the year due to
During the first day of ESL academy, I realized the inadequacy of my knowledge concerning the needs of ELL students and how woefully lacking my instruction had been for former students whose first language was not English. Partici...
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
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Every year, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown “significantly.” Chen predicts that by the year of 2020, public schools will have at least 50 percent of students that are non-English speakers (¶5). This shows that it is important that public schools have a successful ESL program. The purpose of ESL programs is “to enhance” ESL students learning, to help students’ “emotional well-being”, and to accelerate students’ ability to learn the new language. According to Chen, some district schools have failed to support ESL students’ learning. For example, Chen stated that “...[some] school districts [have been] accused of not meeting t...
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The anthropologist that contributed to this article was Lorna M. McDougall. She works at Arthur Andersen?s Center for Professional Education, which is located in St. Charles, Illinois. McDougall is ?studying why people from some cultures learn best from lectures, although others learn best through interactive learning,? (Laabs 25). McDougall has played a large part in developing Arthur Andersen?s Business English Language Immersion Training (ELIT) program. This program builds a language skill that allows for communication between two parties where English may be a second language. This program also provides an awareness of each culture?s business ethics. ?The results of her work have helped instructors, who train Andersen consultants working in 66 countries, be better teachers,?
Andrew Sampson states that total proscription of mother tongue is detrimental to some extent, suggesting that code switching of mother tongue and English, under a good strategy of control, is useful for academic needs and even communicating purposes by concluding, “The results of this study suggest that code-switching is not necessarily connected to learners’ ability level and rarely signals an unwillingness to communicate in L2, but rather serves communicative classroom functions such as expressing equivalence, discussing procedural concerns, floor holding, reiterating concepts, and forming group relationships” (302). Code-switching not only improves the learner’s proficiency in English, but also allows the students to learn. In most cases, English language is meant for English-speaking students’ at level L2 or L3. Therefore, teachers should help non-native English-speaking students to code-switch in their communications. Code switching would improve the learner’s ability to identify his or her mistakes and correct those mistakes while she or he continues to learn English. At the same time, if possible, the teachers might use code switching to illustrate particular concepts and subjects. In other words, the teachers themselves can use the learner’s L1 or any other language to explain concepts or offer examples on the subjects in the learner’s L1. However, the teachers should avoid using oversimplified English words and vocabularies. This is because such approach would not help the learner to perfect his or her English
In the twentieth century, the avoidance of the using L1 in classrooms dominated teachers’ minds; as well it was implemented in many policies and guidelines of language teaching (Cook, 2001). Thornbury (2010) listed a set of arguments against using L1 in L2 classrooms mainly for that the translation of L2 into another language will play negative effects on students’ learning process. He pointed out that the use of L1 will result learners to have a cognitive dependence on their mother tongue at the expense of developing independence TL learning. Although the two language systems are not equivalent in many aspects, students may have an awareness of the notion of equivalence of the two languages if translation serves to convey meanings. Some argue that the use of translation to convey the meaning of the TL is more efficient and more memorable. However, Thornbury (2010) sees the opposite. He stated that the simple and direct way of translation will make L2 knowledge less memorable since the process lacks mental efforts in working out meanings.
The L2 Motivational Self System represents a major reformation of previous motivational thinking by its explicit utilization of psychological theories of the self. The actual model has grown out of the combined effect of two significant theoretical developments, one taking place in the L2 field, the other in mainstream psychology. Indeed, L2 motivation researchers have always believed that a foreign language is more than a mere communication code that can be learnt similarly to other academic subjects, and have therefore typically adopted paradigms that linked the L2 to the individual’s personal core, forming an important part of one’s identity. Thus, proposing a system that explicitly focuses on aspects of the individual’s self is compatible with the whole-person perspective of past theories (Dörnyei, 2009). (Study 8, p. 1) The L2 motivational self system is based on the idea that learners’ drive to reduce the perceived discrepancy between one’s here-and-now (actual) self and their future L2 selves provides the necessary motivation for language learning behaviors (Mostafa & Papi, 2014). (Study 11, p. 4) This model of motivation contains two self-related components: Ideal L2 self and Ought-to L2 self. In this model, Ideal L2 self is one’s ideal self-image expressing the wish to become a competent L2 speaker. The Ought-to L2 self contains ‘attributes that one believes one ought to possess (i.e. various duties, obligations, or responsibilities) in order to avoid possible negative outcomes’ associated with not being able to speak the L2 in question (Kormos, Kiddle & Czice, 2011). (Study 3, p 3)This study is the most updated one regarding the field of motivation and it’s widely used nowadays; although, you can’t forget all previous
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B. Students gain the ability to adapt in unfamiliar situations crossing linguistic boarders and effectively communicating across cultures.
Language. It is a sign of who we are and where we come from. As language defines us, so does it unite us, but it can also impose barriers that drive us apart. As our society aggressively pursues globalization, individuals who maintain cultural sensitivity and strive for effective communication despite language barriers will be an increasingly important commodity; individuals who can also pass the gift of adept communication to others will be invaluable. On the eve of my college graduation, the culmination of four years ' immersion in language and communication and the beginning of a lifetime of educating others in these disciplines, I feel increasingly the weight of
Learning another language provides high rewards including “improved cultural understandings, communication abilities and job prospects.” (Preston and Seedhouse, 2013) Because of the rapid development of technology, applying an array of media is being presented to students in different parts of the world in an effort to achieve different purposes such as educational needs.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been