ERIC Number: EJ1177757
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Apr
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1533-242X
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of Motivation and Parental Encouragement on English Language Learning: An Arab Students' Perspective
Daniel, Cathy E.; Halimi, Florentina; AlShammari, Iqbal A.
Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, v18 n1 p176-194 Apr 2018
The teaching of English as a second/foreign language to Arab students has received considerable attention during the past decade. The use of English as a medium of instruction in the Arabian Gulf has become prominent but has only recently been examined academically. In Kuwait, the need to learn and use English is emerging. Attention toward how English is learned and taught is considered important for students' achievement of success and teachers' awareness of learners' needs. Many Arab students consider English difficult to learn, and as such, it has an impact on students' motivation and attitude toward learning English. Students are often able to communicate effectively in educational and social settings, but struggle with reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This study aims to identify challenges to learning and teaching English in Kuwait. Using the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery, we measured various components of the socio-educational model of second language (L2) acquisition through students' self-reported communicative competence. We found that all items of the socio-educational model play a role in L2 learning. However, parental encouragement is perceived to play the most significant role during the development of motivational intensity, desire to learn English, and attitude toward learning English.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Arabs, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Parent Influence, Motivation, Language of Instruction, Student Motivation, Foreign Countries, Parents, Undergraduate Students, Correlation, Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis, Academic Achievement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kuwait
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A