f” ' illillllllglillllllllllll

01050 6313

 

LIBRARY
Michigan State
University

 

 

 

This is to certify that the

dissertation entitled

FACTORS CAUSING READING DIFFICULTIES FOR
SAUDI BEGINNING STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AS A FL

presented by

NAJ I IBRAHIM ALARFAJ

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

___EH.._D_.__ degree in muse;—

CM

7
Major professor

Date Xl/l3I/9é

MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 0-12771

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLACE ll RETURN BOX to romovo this checkout from your rooord.
TO AVOID FINES return on or before date duo.

DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSU Is An Affirmative Adlai/EM Opportunity Institmlon
Wan-9.1

 

 

FACTORS CAUSING READING DIFFICULTIES FOR SAUDI BEGINNING
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

A SURVEY STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND VIEWS OF SAUDI MALE
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR EFL
READING DIFFICULTIES AND THE FACTORS CAUSING THEM
By

Naji Ibrahim Al-Arl‘aj

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of English

1996

ABSTRACT

FACTORS CAUSING READING DIFFICULTIES FOR SAUDI BEGINNING
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

By

Naji Ibrahim Al-Arfaj

This study investigated the opinions and perceptions of Saudi beginning EFL
students regarding the reading dificulties which they perceive that they encounter when
reading English as a foreign language, and the factors which cause them these reading
dificultics. In this study, the researcher focused on discussing cultUral schematic,
linguistic, and attitudinal factors that could cause reading difficulties for Saudi beginning
EFL students.

The main objectives for carrying out this study are: (l) exploring the reading
dificulties which Saudi male beginning EFL students perceive that they face when reading
English as a foreign language, (2) investigating some of the cultural schematic, linguistic,
and attitudinal factors that could cause reading difliculties for Saudi beginning EFL
students, (3) helping ESL/EFL teachers, ESUEFL textbook writers, and concerned
educational establishments (e.g., the Saudi Ministry of Education and English language
centers) understand some of the reading difliculties and factors which afi‘ect Saudi EFL
students, (4) helping Saudi beginning EFL Students understand some of the reading
dificultics which they could face in reading English as FL, and to be aware of factors

causing these reading dificulties, and (5) offering implications, applications, suggestions,

and recommendations that could help Saudi EFL students, teachers, and concerned
educational establishments overcome or at least reduce these reading difficulties.

Methodologically, a survey questionnaire was developed, translated into Arabic,
and piloted on a sample of Saudi students. Then, the revised Arabic version of the
questionnaire was administered by the researcher to a randomly selected population of 140
Saudi middle and high school senior students in Saudi Arabia.

This study employed qualitative and quantitative statistical tools in analyzing and
presenting the responses of the Subjects of the study. More specifically, the frequencies
and percentages of the subjects’ responses to each item in the questionnaires were
calculated. Then, the frequencies and/or percentages of the subjects’ responses to each
item in the first and second parts of the questionnaires were presented in various types of
charts to be easily readable. At the third stage of analysis, other descriptive and
comparative statistics were conducted. That is, the means of the subjects’ responses to
each item in the second part of the questionnaire were calculated. Additionally, a t test
was conducted to determine if statistically significant difi‘erences were evident between the
subjects’ responses of the two sample groups of the study.

The findings reveal that a high percentage of the students reported that they face
reading dificulties when reading English as a foreign language. The findings also show
that most of the reading dificultics reported by the students were attributed to linguistic
factors. On the other hand, the results, unlike what the researcher hypothesized, indicate
that a large majority of the students have positive attitudes toward EFL reading in

particular and learning English in general.

DEDICATION

To my dear parents, Ibrahim and Mariam Al-Arfaj, for their support, patience, and prayers.
To my wife, Norah, for her continuous help, encouragement, and understanding.
To my beloved children, Anus, Abdulrahman, and Haneen, for their cheerful smiles I needed.
To my siblings, Khalid, Hanan, and Asma, for their encouragement and prayers.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I praise and glorify God (Allah), the Creator of the universe,
for enabling me to finish this work.

Second, it is with a great sense. of gratitude that I acknowledge those generous
individuals who gave their time, concern, and efi‘ort to this pursuit, and I thank them for
their indispensable help in bringing this dissertation to a reality.

My great thanks and deep appreciation go to Dr. James C. Stalker, who has
willingly agreed to be the captain of my ship in a critical time of my Ph. D. journey. For his
concern, time, help, and commitment, I am and always will be thankfully indebted.

Special words of thanks go to Dr. Paul Munsell, my Ph. D. program’s former
advisor, who moved to Guatemala. For his cooperation and advice, I am appreciative. .

I would like to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Diane Brunner
for her kindness, concern, advice, and commitment throughout my Ph. D. program.

I am especially indebted to Dr. Marcellette Williams, who implanted in me the love
and attachment to English reading, and who initially encouraged me to expand and
develop papers I did under her supervision during the three reading classes I enjoyed
taking with her. For her invaluable advice, commitment, and concern, I am deeply grateful.

Also, I would like to thank Dr. Lister Matheson for his assistance, understanding,
time, and advice particularly when he worked as acting chair to my doctoral committee.

In addition I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Grover Hudson for

his approval to contribute to this project as an outside reader. For his commitment,

concern, and time, I am highly appreciative.

Special words of thanks and appreciation go to Dr. Marilyn Wilson for her endless
help and advice throughout my M. A and Ph. D. programs.

Furthermore, I would like to thank Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University for
granting me a full scholarship to pursue my M. A and Ph. D. degrees in the United States.

I also would like to thank the Computing Information Center at Michigan State
University and Mr. Khaldoun Rayes for their computer and statistics assistance.

Thanks go also to Mrs. Trudy Carpenter, a writing teacher at Lansing Community
College, who kindly ofl‘cred continuous feedback to the drafts of my dissertation.

For those unnamed relatives and fiicnds who charged me with the patience and
encouragement that I extremely needed throughout my doctoral program in general and
this work in particular, I am grateful and appreciative.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who contributed,
directly or indirectly, to this project. Particularly, I am thankful to the students who

participated in this study. Without them, this study would have been impossible.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... ix
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... .x
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... .1
Teaching English as a Foreign language in Saudi Arabia: Overview ................. .3
Statement of the Problem ................................................................................ .5
Significance of the Study ................ ; ....... : ........................................................ .6
Goals of the Study ........................................................................................... .7
Questions of the Study .................................................................................... .8
Hypotheses of the Study .................................................................................. .9
Limitations of the Study. ................................................................................ 9
Definitions of Terms and Abbreviations .......................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2
Introduction ....................................................... '. ......................................... 13
Cultural Schematic Factors ............................................................................. .14
Types of Schema ................................................................................ 15
Linguistic Factors ........................................................................... 20
L1 and L2 difi‘erent Orthography ......................................................... 20
L1 and L2 difiercnt Directionality of reading ....................................... 24
Subvocalization. .......................................... I ........................................ 27
Letter and Word Identification ............................................................ 28
L1 and L2 Difi'erent Phonology .......................................................... 29
Attitudinal/Motivational Factors ..................................................................... 32
The Formation of Attitudes/Motivations ............................................. 33
Attitudinal/Motivational Factors and Learning .................................... 34
AttimdinalMotivational Factors and Reading .................................... 38
Implications, Applications, and Recommendations ......................................... 41

CHAPTER3

METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 52
Development of the Questionnaire .................................................................. .52
The Primary Stage ................................................................................ 52
Pilot Study ........................................................................................... 53
The Final Stage .................................................................................... 54
Description of the Questionnaire ...................................................................... 55
Description of the Items of the Questionnaire .................................................... 56
Procedures for Conducting the Study/Collecting the Data ............................... 57
Population of the Study .................................................................................... 59
Rationale for Selecting the Population of the Study ............................... 59
How Subjects Were Selected ............................................................... 6O
Questionnaire Administration ......................................................................... .61
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS : PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA .......................... 63
Outcomes of the Questionnaire Administration .............................................. .63
Statistical Procedures For Data Analysis ........................................................ .64
Results of the First Part of the Questionnaire ................................................. .65
Results of the Second Part of the Questionnaire .............................................. 73
Major Findings of the Second Part of the Questionnaire .................... .126
Results of the Third Part of the Questionnaire .............................................. . 131
Discussion of the Questions of the Study ..................................................... .145
Discussion of the Hypotheses of the Study ................................................... . 150
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................... 153
Summary ..................................................................................................... . 153
conclusions ................................................................................................... 155
Recommendations ........................................................................................ . 160
Recommendations For Future Research ........................................................ 161
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... .163
Appendix A: UCRII-IS Approval Letter ...................................................... .165
Appendix B: Approval Letter From the Saudi Ministry of Education For
Conducting the Study In Saudi Public Schools ....................... .167
Appendix C: The Arabic Version of the Student Questionnaire ................... 169
Appendix D: The English Version of the Student Questionnaire .................. 179
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... .187

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Arabic, English, and Spanish alphabets ........................................................ . 23
Table 2. Frequencies and percentages of the subjects’ ages ....................................... .68
Table 3. Frequencies and percentages of the students’ responses to items 6-40, 43-46..121
Table 4. Frequencies and percentages of the students’ responses to items 41 and 42 123
Table 5. Frequencies and percentages of the students’ responses to items 47-51....... . . .123
Table 6. Means and ttest values of the subjects’ responses to part two (items 6-51). . . . 124

Table 7. Responses to item 52: What are the reading dificulties which you believe you
face in reading English in general? ............................ 132

Table 8. Responses to item 53: Are there any other factors (not mentioned in the
questionnaire) that, you think, could cause English
reading dificulties for you? ...................................... .13 5

Table 9. Responses to item 54: What are your suggestions and recommendations for
improving the Saudi students' reading of English as a
foreign language?. ................................................... . 138

Table 10. Responses to item 55: Please write any comment on the questionnaire or the
study. ..................................................................... 141

Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Figure 9.

Figure 10.

Figure 11.

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

Figure 14.

Figure 15.

LIST OF FIGURES

Students’ responses to item 1: Age ...................................................... .67
Students’ responses to item 2: Grade in school ... ................................. 69
Students’ responses to item 3: Does your father speak English? ............. 70
Students’ responses to item 4: Does your mother speak English? ........... 71
Students’ responses to item 5: Have you ever traveled to a country

where its peeple speak English as their native language? ... .................. 72
Students’ responses to item 6: Reading in English is important ............. 74
Students’ responses to item 7: I like to read in English as a foreign
language ........................................................................................... .75
Students’ responses to item 8: It is important to read every word
intheEngfishtextthathanttoread ................................................... 76
Students’ responses to item 9: Outside of school, I am seldom

encouraged to read in English ............................................................... 77
Students’ responses to item 10: When I read English silently,

I notice that I move my lips and sound out what I read .......................... 78
Students’ responses to item 11: I usually do not read in English

unless I have to ...................................................................................... 79
Students’ responses to item 12: Not knowing the English cultural
concepts causes me dificulty in comprehending what I read ................... 80
Students’ responses to item 13: My father encourages me to read

in English .............................................................................................. 81
Students’ responses to item 14: My mother encourages me to read

in English .............................................................................................. 82
Students’ responses to item 15: Members of my family (other than

father and mother) encourage me to read in English ............................... 83

Figure 16.

Figure 17.

Figure 18.

Figure 19.

Figure 20.

Figure 21.

Figure 22.

Figure 23.

Figure 24.

Figure 25.

Figure 26.

Figure 27.

Figure 28.

LIST OF FIGURES (continued)

Students’ responses to item 16: I face no difficulty in reading

English as a foreign language ............................................................... . 84
Students’ responses to item 17: I do not like to read in English,
because I do not comprehend most of what I read ................................. 85

Students’ responses to item 18: Not knowing how to pronounce
what I read in English makes are upset .................................................. 86

Students’ responses to item 19: Facing dificult words when
reading English does not afi‘ect my attitude toward reading ................... 87

Students’ responses to item 20: It is unimportant to be able to
read in English ...................................................................................... 88

Students’ responses to item 21: When reading in English, I feel
it takes a lot of time and effort before I understand what I read ............. 89

Students’ responses to item 22: Reading English from left to right
does not bother me ................................................................................ 90

Students’ responses to item 23: My friends (or some of them)
encourage me to read books and magazines in English ........................... 91

Students’ responses to item 24: I do not feel comfortable when I read
in English, because its alphabet is difi‘erent from the Arabic alphabet ...... 92

Students’ responses to item 25: The reading comprehension
dificulties which I face when reading English do not negatively

afl‘ect my reading attitude ..................................................................... 93
Students’ responses to item 26: I have no problem in identifying

and reading the English symbols (letters) .............................................. 94
Students’ responses to item 27: The passages and stories in the

textbook should relate to our culture and experiences ............................ 95

Students’ responses to item 28: When I read in Arabic silently,
I notice that I move my lips ................................................................... 96

 

 

 

Fr

Figure 29.

Figure 30.

Figure 31.

Figure 32.

Figure 33.
Figure 34.

Figure 35.

Figure 36.

Figure 37.

Figure 38.

Figure 39.

Figure 40.

Figure 41.

Figure 42.

LIST OF FIGURES (continued)

Students’ responses to item 29: I hate reading English due to

reasons related to the English teacher .................................................... 97
Students’ responses to item 30: Our English teacher motivates

us to do outside free reading in English ................................................. 98
Students’ responses to item 31: I feel that reading in English is

a tedious thing ....................................................................................... 99
Students’ responses to item 32: English grammar does not cause me
dificulties when reading English ...................................................... . 100
Students’ responses to item 33: I like to learn English .......................... 101
Students’ responses to item 34: Learning English is not important ........ 102
Students’ responses to item 35: My parents (one or both of them)
encourage me to learn English .............................................................. 103
Students’ responses to item 36: I dislike the idea of learning any

foreign language ................................................................................... 104
Students’ responses to item 37: I like to leam a foreign language

other than English ................................................................................ 105
Students’ responses to item 38: If it were up to me, I would never

learn English ........................................................................................ 106
Students’ responses to item 39: Passing the final English examination

is more important than learning the language ........................................ 107
Students’ responses to item 40: My fiiends encourage me to learn

English ................................................................................................. 108
Students’ responses to item 41: As an EFL reader, my reading
comprehension of what I read in English is ......................................... 109

Students’ responses to item 42: As an EFL reader, the rate of my
reading speed is .................................................................................... 110

xii

LIST OF FIGURES (continued)

Figure 43. Students’ responses to item 43: Which of the following language
skills do you think is the most important for EFL students to leam? ..... 111

Figure 44. Students’ responses to item 44: Which of the following language
skills do you think is the least important for EFL students to learn? ..... 112

Figure 45. Students’ responses to item 45: How much do you read English for
enjoyment in your spare time? .......................................................... .113

Figure 46. * Students’ responses to item 46: What is the way which you follow
when you read an English text? ............................................................ 114

Figure 47. Students’ responses to item 47: Do you think that differences
between Arabic and English in terms of cultural background
knowledge could afi'ect your reading in English? .................................. 115

Figure 48. Students’ responses to item 48: Does your home private library
include non-academic (not required for your study) English books
and magazines that you find yourself interested in reading? ................... 116

Figure 49. Students’ responses to item 49: Do you think that home and friends
have an efi‘ect on your attitude toward reading English as a

foreign language? ................................................................................. 117
Figure 50. Students’ responses to item 50: Have you studied English

(including reading) for academic purposes only? ................................... 118
Figure 51. Students’ responses to item 51: Do you have dificulties in reading

English as a foreign language? .............................................................. 119

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

Reading in English is a complex process for native speakers, let alone for
non-native speakers (Haynes, 1989). Regarding native speakers, Taylor and
Hiebert (1994) state that "substantial numbers of students in our elementary and
secondary schools have difficulties with reading" (p. 3). With regard to non-
native speakers (ESUEFL learners), Alderson (1984) reports that reading in a
language which is not the learner's first language is a source cfconsiderable
difficulty. '

Attempting to address the difficulty which children encounter in reading,
Hanson (1969) interestingly and convincingly wrote:

Little research has been done which investigates what factors in a child's
life significamly affect his attitude toward reading and his ability to read.
Rather than ask 'where is he?‘ the question we should ask is 'what caused
him to be where he is?‘ An answer to this question may give insights both

into understanding the problem of the reluctant reader .and in preventing
the reluctant reader of tomorrow. (in Steltenkamp 1992: 26).

Similarly, Haynes (1989: 11) rightly suggested that “to help second
language readers to comprehend English text quickly and accurately, language
teachers need a good understanding of where reading difficulties are apt to
occur and what can be done in the short and long run to help students overcome

these difficulties.”

Therefore, in our endeavors to understand ESL/EF L students' reading
and help them overcome the reading difficulties which they could face, we
should ask the question: What are the factors which cause reading
difficulties for EFUESL students?

Based on research findings and personal experiences, the researcher of
this study proposes that the reading difficulties which ESUEFL students
encounter could be attributed to many sources or factors, such as linguistic
factors (e.g., differences between L1 and L2 in writing system, alphabet,
directionality of reading, phonology) and content schematic factors (9.9., L1 and
L2 readers, affected by their different cultures, beliefs, traditions, and their prior
knowledge, could comprehend a certain text differently). Furthermore, this
researcher, like Prabhu (1990), suggests that EFL reading difficulties can be
attributed to other influencing factors, such as leamer-related factors (e.g., age,
motivation, previous learning experience, attitudes toward L2 learning and
culture), teacher-related factors (e.g., status, training, belief, skill), and factors
related to teaching/leaming environments, methods, and materials.

With respect to Saudi beginning EFL students, the researcher, based on
his experience as an EFL student for about 15 years and as an EFL teacher for
about 3 years in his home country, speculates that Saudi beginning EFL
students face serious EFL reading difficulties which could be caused by a
considerable number of influencing factors such as those mentioned above.

Nevertheless, the researcher, in this study, will focus on investigating only some

of the linguistic, cultural schematic, and attitudinal factors that could cause

reading difficulties for Saudi EFL students.

eachln En Ilsh as ore La a e in audl Arabia: Overview

English as a foreign language was first introduced to Saudi public
schools in 1937 (Jan, 1984). In public schools, Saudi students are taught
English from the first year of their three-year middle school until the last year of
their three-year high school. In other words, Saudi students learn English for six
years, starting in the 7th grade and ending in the 12th grade. Throughout each
grade level students are taught English for four periods a week, and each period
lasts for 45 minutes.

The system of teaching English in Saudi Arabia, like the whole
educational system, is centralized and controlled by the Saudi Ministry of
Education. As a result, English teachers at each grade level are given an
identical syllabus with guidelines and deadlines and required to apply and follow
it. To insure similar teaching, the same EFL textbooks for every grade level are
also assigned and distributed by the Ministry of Education to Saudi middle and
high students all over the country (laid, 1993).

Concerning EFL Teachers in Saudi public schools, laid (1993) reports
that 68% of EFL teachers are non-Saudis recruited from Arab countries, such as
Egypt, Sudan, and Jordan. Dhafar (1986) found that most EFL teachers were
not adequately qualified to teach English. He recommended that they take

advanced courses in English to improve their performance in EFL teaching. ln

addition, most EFL teachers in middle and high schools extensively use their
native language, Arabic, in EFL classes (Al-Ahaydib, 1986).

With respect to EFL teaching methods, laid (1993: 13) points out that
'students tend to memorize grammatical rules, passages of written English, and
vocabulary to cope with the requirements for passing the grade level.” He
concludes that “the English teaching methods in Saudi classes are traditional,
mostly following the Audio-Lingual Method” (p. 15). To give a clear picture of the
whole setting, classrooms in the public schools are usually crowded with
students, ranging from 45 to 55 in each classroom. On the other hand, English
language labs (available in some schools) are rarely used by EFL teachers
(Jan, 1984).

In conclusion, it might be worth noting that English is a required subject
matter in some Saudi universities and optional in others. Also it is used as a
main medium of instruction in most university departments of science and
medicine. Furthermore, English is taught in most police and military academies
as well as most technical and vocational institutes. In the end of this section, it
might be also worth mentioning that co-education, for cultural reasons, is not
allowed after the kindergarten stage in the Saudi educational system. As a
result, there are separate governmental administrative offices and school

buildings for males and females.

fitatgment of the Problem

The primary dimension of the problem is that many Saudi students
persistently complain about the many problems and difficulties which they face
in learning English as a foreign language. Confirming this complaint, several
research studies (e.g., Jan, 1984; Al-Bassam, 1986; laid, 1993) reported
problems relating to teaching and learning English in Saudi Arabia. These
studies, which were conducted on Saudi students, also reported the weakness
and low achievement of Saudi students in English. For instance, Jan (1984: 4)
concluded that “the English proficiency and achievement of the majority of Saudi
students is completely unsatisfactory and disproportionally low.”

In a more recent study, Thg university Mirror (April 17, 1995), a
newspaper published by Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, the
Capital City of Saudi Arabia, presented a report entitled “Students” weakness in
English-Why?”

In this report a number of English teachers and students were interviewed
and asked about the difficulties which Saudi students encounter in learning
English and how to find solutions for these language problems and difficulties.
Some of the problems reported by the interviewees were: (1) the English
curriculum mainly concentrates on teaching and learning a number of
grammatical rules and a list of words just to pass the exam, (2) lack of English
labs, and even if there are any labs they are not usually used by the teachers,
(3) the English curriculum does not give the student the courage to practice

English inside or outside the classroom, (4) most English teachers use Arabic

on a large scale in the English classes, (5) focusing on teaching English
grammar or vocabulary and neglecting the other aspects of the language:
speaking, listening, writing, and reading, and (6) the English textbooks do not
concern about or relate to the students’ needs and interests.

In summary, the interviewed English teachers and students agreed with
the newspaper’s premise that Saudi students are considerably weak in English
and suggested some solutions for the issue at hand.

The other dimension . of the problem is the fact that these studies
discussed the difficulties and problems which Saudi students generally
encounter in learning English including all language skills: listening, speaking,
reading, and writing. The problem is that such a general and broad discussion of
the difficulties and problems which Saudi students face in learning English might
not be adequately precise since each language skill has its own related '
problems and factors and circumstances affecting it. Consequently, the
researcher felt that there is a strong need for investigating and discussing the
difficulties and problems which Saudi students encounter in learning English in a
specific but thorough way. So, the researcher decided to investigate difficulties

related to learning one language skill, that is reading.

Significance of the Study

This study is a pioneering attempt to investigate and explore the Saudi
male beginning EFL students' views and perceptions of the reading difficulties

they encounter when reading English and the factors causing them. More

significantly, the study elicits its data concerning this issue (i.e., Saudi EFL
students' reading difficulties) from the students themselves whom are rarely
consulted or asked about how they view their own EFL learning and what
worries or concerns them in learning English in general and EFL reading in

particular.

goal; o_f thg §tudy

The primary short- andlong-term goals of the study are:

0 Exploring the views and perceptions of Saudi male beginning EFL students
concerning their English reading difficulties and the factors that could cause
them reading difficulties.

0 Investigating some of the cultural schematic, linguistic, and attitudinal
factors which might cause reading difficulties for Saudi beginning students of
English as a foreign language.

0 Helping ESUEFL teachers and institutions (e.g., English language centers,
concerned educational organizations) understand some of the reading
difficulties and factors which affect this type of EFL learners.

0 Helping Saudi beginning EFL learners understand some of the reading
difficulties which they could face in reading English as foreign language and
to be aware of factors causing these reading difficulties.

0 Offering implications, applications, suggestions, and recommendations that
could help Saudi EFL students, ESUEFL teachers, and concerned

institutions overcome or at least reduce these reading difficulties.

Questions of the §tudy

Departing from the assumption, suggested by a great body of ESUEFL

reading research, that ESUEFL readers encounter considerable difficulties in

reading English as a second or foreign language, this study will try to answer

the following questions:

1.

Do Saudi male beginning EFL students think that they encounter EFL
reading difficulties?

What are the views/perceptions of Saudi male beginning EFL students about
the factors reported in this study that could cause reading difficulties for
them?

What are the attitudes of Saudi male beginning EFL students toward EFL
reading in particular and learning English in general?

Are Saudi male beginning EFL students encouraged by their families and
friends to read and learn English?

How do Saudi male beginning EFL students perceive their comprehension
and speed when reading English?

According to the Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions, what are
the reading difficulties which they face when reading English as a foreign
language?

According to the Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions, what are
the factors that may cause them reading difficulties when reading English as

a foreign language?

8. What are the suggestions and, recommendations of the Saudi male

beginning EFL students for improving their EFL reading?

Hmthesgg of the Study

Ho : There is no significant difference between the means of the responses of
the middle school senior students and the high school senior students to
the questionnaire items of this study.
H1 : The middle school senior students and the high school senior students of this stu
H22 The middle school senior students encounter more English reading
difficulties than the high school senior students.
Ha : The middle school senior students and the high school senior students of this stu

learning English in general.

imitations of th tud

o This study was conducted on just Saudi male students due to the fact that
co-education, for cultural reasons, is not generally allowed after kindergarten
in the Saudi educational system. As a result, there are separate
governmental administrative offices and school buildings for males and
females. Thus, to conduct this study on Saudi female students, the
researcher would have to hire and train female teachers (or helpers), which

would be culturally difficult and financially expensive.

10

This study was conducted on Saudi male middle and high school senior
students in the Al-Ahsa Educational District. The reasons for selecting this

district are:

. The researcher thought that carrying out his study on students in his own

area would be more convenient, more accessible, and more relevant to him
particularly after going back home and starting teaching in the area he
belongs to.

Due to the highly centralized nature of the Saudi educational system in which
the same textbooks, teacher’s manuals, teaching aids, amount of time of
EFL teaching (four periods a week), and same teaching methods are used
and applied in all Saudi male middle and high schools, the researcher
assumed that students in the AL-Ahsa Educational District could be highly
likely representative of students in the other districts of Saudi Arabia. In line
with this assumption, laid (1993: 25) stated that Ministry of Education
officials reported that the Abha Educational District is representative of the

rest of the educational districts in Saudi Arabia.

ll

mfinltions of Terms and Abbreviations

0 Terms:

. Attitude: is defined as a combination of feelings and behaviors related to a
specific learning situation which serves as a major factor in the learner's
receptivity to activities related to the learning situation (Thames and Reeves,
1994: 293).

o Linguistic factors: this cover term “linguistic factors” is used in this study
to allude to linguistic or linguistic-related factors to which EFL reading
difficulties might be attributed. More specifically, the researcher of this study,
for organizational purposes, uses this term “linguistic factors” to cover the
following aspects: L1 and L2 orthographic differences, directionality of
reading, subvocalization, letter and word identification, and differences
between L1 and L2 in terms of phonology.

0 Motivation: is commonly thought of as an inner drive, impulse, emotion, or
desire that moves one to do a certain action or task (Brown, 1987).

o Orthography: is the writing system used in a certain language.

0 Schema: is the background knowledge or information which the reader
brings to a text (Barnett, 1989).

. Subvocalizatlon: is the process of moving lips when reading a written text

silently (Smith, 1988).

12

Abbreviations:

EFL: Stands for English as a Foreign Language.
ESL: Stands for English as a Second Language.
FL: Stands for Foreign Language.

HSS: Stands for High School Students.

L1: Stands for Native Language.

L2: Stands for Target Language.

MSS: Stands for Middle School Students.

SL: Stands for Second Language.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

Mm

After an exhausting and long journey of search and investigation in
Saudi and U. S. libraries and academic institutions, the researcher found no
single study exploring the Saudi EFL students' reading difficulties, or their views
about the reading difficulties they face and the factors that could cause them
these reading difficulties. Thus, the researcher tried his best to review some
studies that relate, directly or indirectly, to the scope of his study and that show
the reader that there is research relevant to the questions and hypotheses
stated in the first chapter. Generally, having reviewed a good deal of literature
on L2 reading, the researcher thinks that there are few studies on the impact of
attitudinal factors on EFL reading in particular.

At any rate, according to the literature on ESUEFL reading,
comprehension difficulties (poor or incomplete comprehension), reading speed
difficulties (slow reading), and lack of motivation and interest in reading English
as a FIJSL are assumed to be major problems affecting ESL/EFL students'
reading. These problems or difficulties which EFUESL students may encounter
in reading English could be caused by cultural schematic, linguistic, and/or

attitudinal/motivational factors.

13

14

In this chapter, the researcher will review and discuss the literature
concerning the following:
0 Cultural schematic factors.
0 Linguistic factors.
. AttitudinallMotivational factors.

. Implications, applications, and recommendations.

Qultural ghematic Factors '

A great deal of ESL/EFL reading research indicates that the reading
comprehension difficulties, which most beginning ESUEFL students face, can
be basically attributed to schematic factors. Moreover, the literature proposes
that the schematic factors have fundamental and essential effects not only on
ESUEFL students' reading comprehension, but also on their rate of reading
speed since most ESUEFL beginning students tend to slow down and re-read
what they do not comprehend.

Schema or prior knowledge (that is already stored in memory) "is
considered in current reading research as a crucial and significant factor in ESL
reading comprehension" (Nelson, 1987: 404). Similarly, Barnett (1989) points
out that “schema theory presently guides much second and foreign language
reading research; it is the probably the most thoroughly explored theory“ (p. 35).
Furthermore, in a more recent work, Scarcella and Oxford (1992) stress that
lack of schemata or the failure to activate an appropriate schema can

significantly impair comprehension” (p. 96).

15

Types of Schema

One type of schema, or background knowledge, a reader brings to a text
is called a content schema, which is the reader's prior background knowledge of
the content area of the text. The other type is a formal schema, which is the
reader’s prior background knowledge of the structure or form of the text (Carrell,
1992; Barnett, 1989).

However, a large body of ESL reading research on both types of schema
(content and formal ) has shown that content schema is more important in
affecting ESL reading comprehension than formal schema (Carrell, 1987; Floyd
and Carrell, 1987). In a more recent article, Grabe (1991) reports that "content
background knowledge has a major influence on reading comprehension" (p.
381). One of the components of the content schema is the part shaped by the
students' background culture, that is, cultural content schema.

Abu-Rabia (1993) conducted a study on attitudes and cultural
background and their relationship to reading comprehension in L2. This study
addressed two questions regarding second language learning: (1) what attitudes
do L1 students have toward L2 language and L2 culture; and (2) how do their
attitudes and cultural background affect their L2 reading comprehension? The
subjects of the study were Arab and Israeli ESL students. The study found that
the instrumental motivation and the cultural content of texts were the strongest
factors affecting reading comprehension in second language learning.

Steffensen, Joag-Dev, and Anderson (1979) demonstrate “that implicit

cultural knowledge presupposed by the text and the reader‘s own cultural

16

background interact to make texts based on one's own culture easier to read
and understand than syntactically and rhetorically equivalent text based on less
familiar, more distant cultures' (in Carrell and Eisterhold, 1988: 80).

Carrell (1981) compared advanced Japanese and Chinese ESL students
on recall of folktales from three different cultural sources: native culture
(Japanese and Chinese), second culture (Western European/English), and
completely unfamiliar culture (American Apache Indian). The findings of this
study showed that the cultural origin of the text and the subject's prior familiarity
or lack of familiarity with it affected the ESL subjects‘ judgments of the level of
difficulty of the texts as well as their recall of information from the text.

In other studies on cultural schemata and their effects on ESL reading
comprehension, Johnson (1981, 1982) reported that prior background
knowledge of culture, specific information presupposed by a text affects reading
comprehension of that text. More specifically, in Johnson's (1981) study, the
results indicated that the cultural origin of a text has a greater effect on ESL
reading comprehension than does linguistic complexity.

In the study (Johnson, 1981), Iranian intermediate to advanced level ESL
students and American students read Iranian and American folktales in English.
Subjects were tested on their reading comprehension through use of multiple
choice questions on explicit and implicit information in the texts. The findings
indicated that the Iranians performed better on the text from their native culture

than on a text from American culture.

 

EF

EX;

17

In the same vein, Floyd and Carrell (1987) state:

...similar to Johnson's (1981) findings with more advanced ESL subjects,

our results with these intermediate-level ESL subjects show that cultural

background knowledge is more of a determining component of reading

mmprehension than is syntactic complexity (p. 103).

In a study conducted on Egyptian (Arab) students, Nelson (1987) found
that students recall significantly more when reading passages from their own
culture and that they usually prefer the articles and stories from their culture.
She concluded that "culture as a component of knowledge and experience is a
crucial factor in reading comprehension" (p. 424).

Interestingly, Nelson suggested that humor is cultural. In one of the
stories students were asked to read, a young boy is repeatedly admonished by
his mother for continually making mistakes while trying to buy the morning's
breakfast beans. The Egyptian students said the mistakes of the dull-witted boy
were humorous, and several pointed out that because there are numerous
Egyptian jokes about beans, the beans signaled humor to them.

The American audience, on the other hand, felt sympathy for the boy and
were unaware of the humorous significance of the beans. The reverse applied
to the American folktale. Although the American evaluators reported laughing
out loud at Pecos Bill's tale, the Egyptian students did not find the tale’s style of
humor funny at all.

In another study, a psycholinguistic analysis of the reading behavior of

EFL proficient readers using culturally familiar and culturally unfamiliar

expository texts was conducted (Malik, 1990). Malik proposes that whereas all

18

readers share some knowledge, it is culturally specific knowledge that
differentiates cultural groups. He adds that:

In the process of reading, the textual information interacts with the

reader's personal knowledge of the world, which in turn is conditioned by

age, sex, race, religion, nationality, occupation - in short, his or her

culture (Malik, 1990: 207).

After reviewing research studies on cultural schemata, LeSourd (1988:
13) convincingly argues that “such studies provide consistent indication that
readers understand, remember, and enjoy their reading more when they
possess relevant cultural knowledge.“ In addition, Carrell and Eisterhold (1988)
indicate that one of the most obvious reasons why a particular content schema
may fail to exist for a reader is that the schema is culturally specific and is not
part of a particular reader's cultural background.

According to Barnett (1989), students facing unfamiliar cultural content
may mistranslate or misinterpret it according to their own cultural perspective.
Barnett also notes that for both second and foreign language readers, the
cultural differences and distance inherent in any target language text can make
the activation of appropriate schemata difficult.

Carrell, Devine, and Eskey (1988) included an article by Goodman in
which he stated that “the common experience, concepts, interests, views, and
life styles of readers with common social and cultural backgrounds will be
reflected by how and what people read and what they take from their reading”
(p. 13). Furthermore, Coady (1979) argues “that background knowledge

becomes an important variable; we notice that students with a Western

19

background of some kind learn English faster, on the average, than those
without such a background“ (in Carrell and Eisterhold 1988, p. 84).

Kitao (1989) found a positive correlation between prior knowledge
(schema) and reading comprehension. She points out that lack of an appropriate
schema for a text hampers accurate comprehension. Kitao convincingly
concludes that lack of appropriate schemata related to a text and/or inability to
make use of the schemata "can be sources of serious problems in
comprehension" (p. 17). Similarly, Scarcella and Oxford (1992) argue that ESL
students may find a text uninteresting and difficult because it is based on
"unfamiliar, culturally-determined assumptions." They add that "...lack of
schemata or the failure to activate an appropriate schema can significantly
impair comprehension" (p. 96).

Based on these cited studies, one might recognize the greatly influential
role of the cultural content schema and its essential effect on reading
comprehension in particular. Additionally, these studies show that lack of or
unfamiliarity with the cultural content schema of a certain ESUEFL text could

cause reading comprehension difficulties.

20

Linguistic Factors

In this section, the researcher will shed some light on some possibly
influential linguistic aspects, such as L1 and L2 orthographic differences
(different L1 and L2 writing systems and alphabets), directionality of reading,
subvocalization, letter and word identification, and differences between L1 and

L2 in terms of phonology.

L1 and L2 Different Orthography

Arabic and English have different orthographic and alphabetic systems.
These different writing systems could cause reading speed difficulty for the
Arabic beginning readers of English as a foreign language, since they need
more time than the native speakers or the Roman alphabet readers (i.e.,
Spanish) just to familiarize their eyes and brains with the new symbols.

According to the literature, Corcos and Willows (1993) report that

"orthographic knowledge is highly correlated with reading ability" (p. 181).
Haynes (1989) argues that one of the basic tasks for learners from different
writing system backgrounds is learning to recognize the shapes of symbols in
the new writing system. She adds that "this can be surprisingly difficult, even
Mten there are only a few new symbols to be leamed"(p. 19).

In reference to other studies done by Crothers, Suppes, and Weir (1964),
Haynes notes that the correspondence between familiar letters and new sounds

is mastered more quickly and leads to greater fluency than the correspondence

21

between visually confusable symbols and their sounds. She concludes that
“Writing system difficulties have a significant influence on the reading success
of W82 learners" (1989: 21).

Henderson (1984) conducted an empirical study with Arabic-speaking
students. He began by comparing L2 readers of English - college-age native
speakers of Arabic and Spanish — with native English-speaking American
college students. Interestingly, Henderson found the Arabic group to read only
half as fast as the Spanish group, with poorer comprehension, while the Spanish
group also read significantly slower than the American readers. However,
Henderson acknowledges that the performance differences between the groups
could be due to other factors besides writing system interferences, since the
Arabic readers were not only less familiar with the Roman alphabet and English
orthographic system, but also less experienced with English in general and with
academic study than the Spanish group.

Koda (1990) conducted a cross-linguistic experiment involving L2
learners of English with contrasting L1 orthographic backgrounds (Arabic,
Japanese, Spanish, and English for native control). Some of her findings which
are more closely related to this study demonstrate that L2 reading is "seriously
impaired when essential phonological information is inaccessible" (p. 393). Koda
concludes that "the study provides strong empirical evidence of L1 orthographic
influence on cognitive strategies used in L2 reading" (p. 404).

In a related study, Haynes and Carr (1990) suggest that:

22

the three groups (Arabic, Spanish, and English) allow a comparison
between readers for whom English orthography is brand new and readers
for whom it is already familiar. That is, while Arabic L1 readers must learn
a new writing system when mastering English, Spanish L1 readers are
already experienced with the Roman alphabet and an orthographic
system that is quite similar to English (p. 379).

To have an idea about what the literature on this area is talking about, let

us take a look at the following table:

Table 1

 

Arabic, English, and Spanish alphabets

Arabic Alphabet English Alphabet Spanish Alphabet*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

  

 

 

a P
b q
‘ c r
d s
e t
f u
g v
h w
5 J i x
J l‘ j y i
u k 2 I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

N<x£<:"”’

"The Spanish alphabet is taken from the American Heritage Larousse Spanish Dictionary.

24

Wlthout extensive thinking and by merely a quick look at the above table,
one can easily tell that the Arabic alphabet is completely different from both the
English and Spanish alphabets, which appear to be similar to a great extent. So
this similarity and familiarity could quite likely facilitate the reading task of
Spanish readers of English as a foreign or second language. Also, Spanish
readers of English would not, presumably, spend much time in recognizing or
familiarizing themselves with the English symbols (letters), since they are
already familiar with an alphabet (Spanish) that is similar to the English
alphabet. In contrast, this big difference between Arabic and English alphabets
could hinder the reading speed of the Arabic beginning learners who have to

learn the English alphabet from scratch.

L1 and L2 Different Directlonallty of Reading

Like Hebrew, Arabic is read from right to left (Haynes, 1989). This
directionality of reading is completely the opposite of English which is read from
left to right. These limitations on the eye-movements could be an affecting factor
in slowing down the reading speed (Potter, 1984). Haynes (1989) suggests that
unfamiliar writing systems may present difficulties with directionality. She adds
that such differences between writing systems may have an impact on language
Ieamers.

Studies of Hebrew readers, who also read from right to left, have shown
that "Hebrew readers show a large visual span to the left of eye fixation, while

English readers perceive more letters to the right of the fixation point" (Pollatsek,

25

et al., 1981). Thus, directionality of reading could be a potential source of
confusion for Hebrew and Arabic readers of ESUEF L (Haynes, 1984). And this
confusion may consequently result in slowing down the reading speed of these
readers of ESL/EFL. To note the influence of the orthographic directionality on

reading speed, look at the following Arabic, English, and Spanish paragraphs:

 

ARA

ENGI

SP-m:

Em.

26

Left Right

. «6— < é—
ARABIC wwuwmumem “mu-7MP”
¢- tut-Jail 9mg“) 11me We)" J: M.) ill-Trail
Jimulytwlhlyqlmflsfil .houpwtulsw
lewmmwfiumuuvwmwwm
4.124491 fluleaeumzmaa'vytual amuhfigsa,
Alia-eta»

 

Left Right

ENGLISH You're reading the advertisement: an ofl‘er like this isn't
made every day. You read it and reread it. It seems to be
addressed to you and nobody else. You don't even notice
when the ash from your cigarette falls into the cup of tea
you ordered in this cheap, dirty cafe. You read it again.
"Wanted, young historian, conscientious, neat.

Left Right

SPANISH Lees ese anuncio: una oferta de esa naturaleza no se hace
todos los dias. Lees y relees e1 aviso. Parcce dirigido a ti, a
nadie mas. Distraido, dejas que la ceniza del cigarro caiga
dentro de la taza dc to que has estado bebiendo en este cafetin
sucioy harato. Tureleeras. Se solicita historiandor joven.
Ordenado. Escrupuloso. Conocedor.

" English and Spanish paragraphs are taken from Feuntes ( 1988).

mt

fiUl

27

From the above three paragraphs (Arabic, English, and Spanish) we can
conclude that English and Spanish have the same directionality of reading and
that Arabic explicitly has just the opposite directionality of reading. The similarity
of directionality in English and Spanish would presumably facilitate the task of
reading English as a foreign or second language for the Spanish-speaking
Ieamers. And this consequently could improve their reading speed. On the other
hand, the dissimilarity of directionality between Arabic and English could
negatively affect the task of reading English as a foreign or second language for

Arabic-speaking Ieamers. Consequently, this could hinder or slow down their

reading speed.

Subvocalization

Subvocalization is saying the words to oneself while reading. This has
been referred to by a list of different terms, such as silent speech, inner speech,
inner articulation, internal talking, phonemic encoding, speech recording, silent
reading, implicit pronunciation, and speech-reading parallelism (Carver, 1990).
Smith (1988), Adams (1982), Agardy (1981), Ekwall (1981), and Fink (1982), all
agree that subvocalization results in a slow rate of reading. In addition, Smith
(1988: 143) indicates that "trying to sound out words without reference to
meaning is a characteristic strategy of poor readers; it is not one that leads to
fluency in reading." Adam (1982: 47) clarifies that:

It is believed that subvocalization is common at the grade school level

because we are taught initially to read orally. But some readers do not
lose this early practice as they progress through the grades.

28

Consequently, they continue throughout adulthood to move their lips

while reading silently.

In addition, Smith (1988) suggests that subvocalization is an indicator of
a reading difficulty affecting the reader. Furthermore, Smith (1988: 159) reports
that "there is a general tendency to subvocalize when reading bewmes difficult,
when we can predict less." Thus, subvocalization can be another influencing

factor in slowing down the English reading speed of Saudi EFL students.

Letter and Word Identification

Letter/word identification is another significant factor which could affect
reading speed and comprehension as well. Smith (1988) and Weaver (1988)
argue that fluent readers do not process words letter by letter. In addition,
Stanovich (1986) points out that beginning readers may pay particular attention
to the letters of the words they read. On the other hand, Weaver (1988) asserts
that "the very poorest readers tend to read almost one word at a time" (p. 116).
Similarly, Beattie (1994) reports that the goal of poor readers “is to complete
reading all the words, not to understand the meaning of what they read” (p. 102).

At any rate, Agardy (1981 ), Carver (1990), and Ekwall (1981) consider
this phenomenon as one of the bad habits which cause an individual's reading
rate to slow down. It is assumed that "this habit is picked up in the first grade"
(Agardy, 1981: 38). On the other hand, Corcos and Willows (1993) conclude
that "orthographic knowledge applied to word recognition yields certain benefits:

more accurate recall and faster lexical access" (p. 186).

29

L1 and L2 Different Phonology:

There are obvious differences between Arabic and English phonology.
These differences could highly likely influence the reading speed of the Saudi
beginning readers of English. For example, there is a number of sounds
(phonemes) in English that do not exist in Arabic. As a result, it is clearly
noticeable that many Arabic-speaking EFUESL learners of English have
difficulty in reading or pronouncing some English sounds correctly, such as Ipl,
Irl, and IV]. This problem continues with many Arabic-speaking learners of
English even at their advanced levels of English proficiency.

Barnett (1989) states that "unlike first language readers, most
foreign/second language readers do not have a fully developed phonological
system when they begin to read" (p. 27). In addition, Vellutino and Scanlon
(1987) point out that phonological coding deficits constitute a major source of
reading difficulty in beginning readers. They also add that semantic and
syntactic deficits could cause such reading difficulty.

Furthermore, Corcos and Willows (1993) note that words which are easy
to pronounce would positively affect the rate of reading. In a more recent study,
Beattie (1994: 103) suggests that “the automatic ability to decode words allows
the reader to focus attention on the meaning of the word/passage and not on the
pronunciation of the word.“ The researcher also proposes that “an inability to
decode will make comprehension much more difficult” (p. 103).

Haynes (1989:38) rightly concludes that:

3O

Differences in Arabic and English phonology, such as difficulty of English

vowels, lack of some English sounds, and lack of final consonant clusters

in Arabic, could explain many misreadings by Arabic readers. These
misreadings, in turn, could cause slow rate of reading, since these

Arabic-speaking readers of ESL try to re—read and repronounce the

letters (sounds) or words more accurately. And this obviously means

taking more time in reading.

In conclusion, in addition to the abovementioned linguistic factors that
could cause reading difficulties for Saudi Beginning EFL students, the
researcher — willing to offer as comprehensive and informative information as
possible - would like to quickly draw the attention of those who are interested in
studying linguistic factors and their possible effects on ESL and EFL readers
that the literature suggests that differences between L1 and L2 morphology,
syntax, and semantics could affect EFL readers. For example, Morphologically,
Meara (1984) suggests that word length, frequency, and morphology may affect
second and foreign language readers more than first language readers. Just
and Carpenter (1987) propose that as words increase in length, they seem to
take longer to encode. Furthermore, Kern (1988) notes that foreign and second
language students repeatedly claim that lack of vocabulary knowledge is a major
problem when reading.

Semantically, Barnett (1989) argues that second language readers tend
to perceive target language text in terms of native language syntactic structure.
She also adds "that knowledge of syntax appears to help readers predict and to

read more quickly" (p. 55). Some of the main syntactical (grammatical)

differences between Arabic and English are word order (in Arabic the word order

 

 

 

 

is VSO '
determine
Se
L1 and
whma
cultural c
mMmE
For lnstar
an be p
Conseque
Arabic lea
All
lesearche

W L2 dli

31

is VSO while in English it is SVO), tenses, usage of prepositions and
detenniners (e.g., articles: the, a, an), and duality of pronouns (in Arabic).

Semantically, Gass and Selinker (1983) believe that differences between
L1 and L2 in phonology, syntax, and semantics can interfere with L2
performances. Words can have different linguistic, social, and, most importantly,
cultural dimensions in different languages. These dimensions can simply
confuse EFL readers in trying to get the meaning of a word or a group of words.
For instance, getting the meaning from some idioms (e.g., break out, take off)
can be problematic for the Arabic-speaking beginning readers of EFL/ESL.
Consequently, this confusion and uncertainty of meaning could make these
Arabic readers slow in reading English.

At any rate, since this study has limits in terms of scope and time the
researcher suggests that further research is needed to explore the effects of L1

and L2 different morphology, syntax, and semantics on EFL readers.

32

At_ti.tudlnallMotlvational Faggors

The attitudinal/motivational dimension of second and foreign language
learning has received considerable emphasis in the literature as a means of
predicting language achievement and understanding the factors that influence
second and foreign language learning (Ozkut, 1991). Stressing the importance
of attitude, Baker (1992) reports that

For the moment, the suggestion is that, for over sixty years, attitude has

repeatedly proven a valuable construct in theory and research, policy and

practice. Topics from religion to race, sport to sex, languages to LSD

have used attitudes as an important explanatory variable” (p. 10).

Relating attitude to language, Baker emphatically expressed that “In the
life of a language, attitudes to that language appear to be important in language
restoration, preservation, decay or death“ (1992: 10).

Research in this area shows a strong interrelationship between attitude
and motivation, to the extent that both of them are sometimes used
interchangeably (Al-Shammary, 1984). Al-Shammary pointed out that Hancock
(1972) had drawn attention to the need and importance of clarifying the vague
distinction between attitude and motivation. To further support his assertion that
there is no clear-cut distinction between attitude and motivation, Al-Shammary
cited Gardner and Lambert (1972) where they stated:

In the first place, our conception of attitude as an essential component of

motivation is similar to that of Cook (1969) who, in an important

theoretical paper, incorporates attitudes, values, and personal traits as

motive-like constructs of major significance in determining behavior (p.
134).

Mg
l
influenc
1. The
plac

2. The
3. Expe
4. Ape
5. Self-
RUkSpol
iaCtorS,
social, e
(1992) 5.
backgrm
Al
Second/f,
allltuqes
alllludes
language
“titties
achieverm
negative ‘

cause or 1

33

1% Formation of Attitudes/Motivations

Rukspollmuang (1980) reports that attitudes/motivations are formed or
influenced by a number of variables:
1. The attitudes expressed in the home, school, church, peer groups, and other
places.
The ideas, facts, and attitudes expressed in books, movies, radio, and TV
Experiences, in terms of how pleasant or unpleasant they are.

A person's status in relation to others.

9'99”.”

Self- or ego involvement.

Rukspollmuang also indicated that attitudes are dependent on a large variety of
factors, such as age, sex, status, education, media, language, and cultural,
social, economical, geographical, and climatic circumstances. Similarly, Baker
(1992) suggests age, gender, school, ability, language background, and cultural
background as possible determinants of language attitude.

Al-Shammary (1984: 55) points out that the achievement in
second/foreign languages may contribute to the formation of positive or negative
attitudes toward the language. Also, he suggests that positive or negative
attitudes toward second/foreign language may affect achievement in the target
language. In other words, Al-Shammary assumes that positive or negative
attitudes toward the secondfforeign language affect achievement, and
achievement (whether good or poor) affects attitudes and can cause positive or
negative ones. He concludes that "...achievement and attitudes can be the

cause or the effect of one another" (p. 55). In line with this assumption that

34

achievement and attitudes can be the cause or effect of one another, Baker
(1992) indicates that attitude can be an input or output. Giving an example, he
suggests that a favorable attitude toward language learning could be a vital
input in language achievement. Baker further explains that “In this sense,
attitude is a predisposing factor, affecting the outcomes of education. Attitude
can also be an outcome in itself“ (p. 12). He concludes “Thus attitude serves a
double function. It is an important concept as it provides a presage and a

product variable, a predisposer and an outcome“ (Baker, 1992: 12).

Attitudinallllllotivatlonal Factors and Leamlng

A large amount of literature considers attitude/motivation to be an
important factor in second and foreign language Ieaming. For example, Hubbard
(1975) argues that the affective domain (including attitude and motivation) "is
moving into focus as a major component of the learning process, and in many
instances the decisive factor." (in Surur, 1981: 35).

In a more recent study, Baker (1992: 37) notes that language attitude is a
major factor in the learning and retention of second language skills. In addition,
Ramage (1990) described language attitudes as “...the factors contributing to
language loss and language retention” (in Baker, 1992: 36).

Brown (1987) suggests that negative attitudes can affect success in
learning a language. He adds that "negative attitudes toward the people who

speak the second language or toward the second language itself have been

shc

up"

fort
intt
L0l

SCI

pal

aul

"it

ins

the

35

shown to affect the success of language learning in persons from school age on
up" (1987: 51).

Similarly, Littlewood (1984) mentions that "if our attitude towards the
foreign language and/or the foreign culture is negative, there may be strong
internal barriers against learning" (p. 55). Furthermore, Larsen-Freeman and
Long (1991) report that attitudes have an important effect on second language
acquisition (SLA). They also note that Ieamers' attitudes can be affected by their
parents, peers, the learning situation, teachers, and ethnicity. In conclusion, the
authors quote Spolsky (1969) Who states that:

In a typical language leamlng situation, there are a number of people

whose attitudes to each other can be significant: the learner, the teacher,

the learner's peers and parents, and the speakers of the language. Each

relationship might well be shown to be a factor controlling the learner's
motivation to acquire the language (p. 237).

Wlth respect to motivation, Brown (1987) reports that" countless
studies and experiments in human learning have shown that motivation is a key
to learning" (p. 114). Similarly, Littlewood (1984) confirms that "in second
language Ieaming, as in every other field of human Ieaming, motivation is the
crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how
much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres" (p. 53).

According to some researchers, motivation can be integrative or
instrumental. An integrative motive is employed when learners wish to integrate
themselves within the culture of the second language group, to identify

themselves with and become a part of that society. Whereas, instrumental

36

motivation refers to motivation to acquire a language as a means for attaining an

instrumental goal, such as reading technical material, furthering a career,

improving social status or meeting an educational requirement. They also
propose that learners with integrative motivation are highly likely to achieve

great language proficiency (Brown, 1987; Littlewood, 1984).

One of the pioneering and frequently cited studies in the literature is
Gardner and Lambert (1972). The two researchers replicated their Canadian
studies in two bicultural settings in the states of Maine and Louisiana and one
monocultural setting in the state of Connecticut. The subjects were high school
Anglophone students learning French as a second language. The researchers
found that:

1) Students with a strong motivation and desire to learn French obtained high
grades in French.

2) Students who expressed favorable attitudes relating to learning French were
rated highly in their learning of French.

3) Integratively motivated students planned to continue studying French. Those
who were not so motivated expressed their desire to withdraw from the
program.

4) Parents“ attitudes and encouragement had an influence on their children.

Hansen (1981) studied the attitudes of ninety-three SL students in three

English programs at a college level. The findings of the study revealed that

there was a relationship between the students' attitudes toward the second

language community and their achievement in learning the English Language.

37

After reviewing the literature pertinent to attitudes and motivation in FL
Ieaming, Hancock (1972, in Susur, 1981: 13) reached the following conclusions:
0 Various research studies have highlighted the central importance of attitudes

as one of the factOrs contributing to success in mastering a foreign language.

0 Attitude is a learned behavior, and consequently, can be changed from
negative to positive by activities and experiences which are perceived to be
meaningful by the learner.

. Many students have indicated a negative attitude or indifference to language
study. A concerted effort will be necessary in the next few years to ascertain
why students have negative reactions and to devise more effective means of
fostering positive attitudes toward the study of foreign language and foreign
cultures and peoples.

In connection with Hancock’s conclusion concerning language attitude
change, Baker (1992) suggests that: (a) attitudes change slowly and gradually
over time, (b) “attitudes can change through activity which is self-directed and
purposely planned, as well as through the need for security and status within a
group and through societal demands“ (p. 105), (c) “change may occur when it is
felt to be voluntary“ (p. 107), (d) change may occur when relationships between
L1 and L2 individuals are close, warm, and friendly, and (9) change may occur
when the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions are supportive.
Moreover, in his conclusion, Baker (1992: 113) stated that “this chapter has
spotlighted parents, community, peer groups, schools and mass media as

examples of influencers of attitude change.”

38

On the other hand, in a study conducted on Saudi high school female
EFL students, Al-Bassam (1987: ix) stated that "... correlational analyses
revealed that students' achievement in learning English significantly (p < .025)
correlated with their attitudes, motivation, parental encouragement, and
satisfaction with the English program." She found that the students with high
attitudinal/motivational scores obtained higher achievement scores. Al-Bassam
(1987) concluded that:

The findings of this study showed that attitude and motivation were major

factors in language learning. Since attitude is learned behavior, and can

be changed from negative to positive, the researcher proposed

implementing a program to help create favorable attitudes toward
learning English as a second language (ix).

AttitudlnallMotivatlonal Factors and Reading

Since the previous section (AttitudinallMotivational Factors and Learning)
included talking about reading implicitly, this section reviews just some studies
on attitude and reading specifically.

During the past 25 years, there has been increasing interest in the
relationship between students’ attitudes toward reading and their achievement in
reading (Thames and Reeves, 1994). However, this increasing interest in
investigating the relationship between students’ attitudes toward reading and
their achievement in reading does not seem to extend significantly to the
ESL/EFL domain since there are few studies which have examined ESL/EFL

students’ attitudes toward reading and their achievement in ESUEF L reading.

39

According to Thames and Reeves (1994), who conducted a study on
readers’ attitudes, the development of reading attitudes can be affected by major
factors, such as self-concept, school achievement, school and home
environment, socio-economic status, teacher attitudes and behaviors, parental
attitudes, gender, individual interests, instructional strategies, age, and
intelligence. Of these factors associated with reading attitude development,
teacher and parental attitudes are relevant to this study.

In discussing the effects of teachers on their students’ reading attitudes,
the two researchers reported Brophy (1988), who found that teachers whose
instructional delivery reflected holistic methods inevitably encouraged the
development of independent interests which, in turn, produced positive attitudes
toward Ieaming (including reading). Thames and Reeves also report that
“reading authorities agree that positive attitudinal changes are more likely to
occur when reading selections are of interest to students' (p. 295).

With respect to the parental effects on their children’s reading attitudes,
Steltenkamp (1992) indicates that “there is a strong correlation between the
home reading environment and student reading interest and achievement.
Several studies have shown that students who come from active home reading
environments will be likely to become active readers themselves” (p. 22).

One of the most interesting and relevant studies that Steltenkamp cited
was Lampert and Saunders (1976), who attempted to find the significant factors
causing a difference between the categories of ‘reader’ and ‘non-reader’. The

two researchers found that students who were categorized as ‘readers’ in the

40

study reported being read to more when they were young and also reported
more books being brought into the home by their families. Lampert and
Saunders conclude that“ the basic distinction between ‘reader’ and ‘non-reader‘
exists in attitudes toward reading rather than in their skills or activities“ (In
Steltenkamp, 1992: 12).

In his own study conducted to investigate the reading habits, attitudes,
and experiences of a group of high school students, Steltenkamp found that the
high-achieving readers had a positive and consistent home influence toward
reading. He also reported that these readers “have found a similarly supportive
reading atmosphere among their friends“. In the end of his study, Steltenkamp
(1992) concluded:

Clearly, research must continue to bear out that students‘ attitudes

toward reading have an important bearing on their reading behavior. This

study demonstrates the importance of developing positive reading
attitudes early, and maintaining a consistent emphasis toward lifelong

enjoyment of reading (p. 158).

Yochum and Miller (1993) examined children’s reading difficulties from
the perspectives of the children, their parents and their teachers. Forty children,
their parents and their teachers participated in the study. One of the findings,
relevant to this study, revealed that word identification, comprehension, and
attitude/behavior towards reading were the three major problem areas reported
by the participants of the study. The authors concluded that:

Since children learn both at school and at home, parents, children, and

teachers all share responsibility for the child’s Ieaming. If parents and
children are to work collaboratively with teachers, then a shared vision of

41

the child’s literacy Ieaming would seem essential (Yochum and Miller,

1993:71)

After providing “fundamental assumptions“ about reading: (a) reading is
a constructive process; (b) reading is a lifelong pursuit; (c) reading must be
strategic; (d) reading must be fluent; and (a) reading requires motivation, Beattie
(1994) comments that “there is little motivation to read if there is no success or
enjoyment in reading“ (p. 103).

Abu-Rabia (1993) conducted a study on attitudes and cultural
background and their relationship to reading comprehension in L2. This study
addressed two questions regarding second language Ieaming: (1) what attitudes
do L1 students have toward L2 language and L2 culture; and (2) how do their
attitudes and cultural background affect their L2 reading comprehension? The
subjects of the study were Arab and Israeli ESL students. The study found that
the instrumental motivation and the cultural content of texts were the strongest

factors affecting reading comprehension in second language Ieaming.

Ilcations lcations R common ons
Throughout the process of reviewing the literature on the factors and
issues causing reading difficulties discussed above, the researcher of this study
came across a great body of research dealing with implications, applications,
suggestions, and recommendations related to teaching and Ieaming reading
that could greatly benefit. ESL/EF L readers, teachers, textbook writers, and

concerned educational circles and institutions. And to make the picture of this

42

chapter more thorough and comprehensive, the researcher would like to offer
some of those implications, applications, suggestions, and recommendations
presented in the literature.

Scarcella and Oxford (1992: 97) comprehensively and interestingly
suggest that the general objectives of any ESUEFL reading class must include
the following:

1. motivating learners and making reading an enjoyable experience for all
students; .

2. providing students with the culturally relevant information needed to
understand texts;

3. promoting an interest in different types of texts;

4. enlarging the students’ vocabulary and providing them with strategies for
increasing their vocabulary;

5. developing the students’ strategies for reading diverse genres of English for
different purposes effectively; and

6. teaching specific skills that increase the students’ reading comprehension.

On the other hand, pedagogically, ESUEFL reading teachers should be

aware of the reading difficulties that the Saudi Arabic-speaking beginning EFL

students could face when reading English. They also should explore the factors

that might directly or indirectly cause those reading difficulties. Relatedly,

Haynes (1989: 11) rightly suggests:

To help second language readers to comprehend English text quickly and
accurately, language teachers need a good understanding of where

43

reading difficulties are apt to occur and what can be done in the short and

long run to help students overcome these difficulties.

Thus, when teachers realize these difficulties facing this type of ESL/EF L
readers and factors causing them, they (teachers) should try to find ways of
helping students develop better reading strategies. For instance, encouraging
students to read more quickly (Haynes, 1989), build more tolerance for
uncertainty, and get or guess the meanings of new words from the contexts in
which they appear (Weaver, 1988), skip unfamiliar words, and try to work out
what the word is from its spelling or what might be called "identification by
analogy" (i.e., all or part of the unknown word is compared with all or part of
words that are known, Smith 1988: 143).

Teachers should also teach and direct such readers to use other useful
reading strategies, such as skimming and scanning (Carver, 1990), using the
hand as a pacer (Agardy, 1981; Fink, 1982), and reading without
subvocalization (Smith, 1988; Agardy, 1981; Ekwall, 1981).

Furthermore, ESUEF L reading teachers should be aware of those
orthographic and linguistic factors causing reading difficulties for Saudi
beginning EFL Ieamers. Teachers should dedicate more time and more effort to
teaching skills and using activities, exercises, and assignments dealing with (or
involving) the English orthography and directionality. In connection with this
issue, Haynes recommends that "teachers of reading should seek ways to
facilitate acquisition of lower-level processes as well as focus on

comprehension" (p. 12).

44

Stressing the importance of introducing orthographic knowledge in early
reading Ieaming, Corcos and Wlllows (1993) state:

To understand the role played by OI (Orthographic Information) in the

course of reading acquisition, it is important to determine when and how

OI is utilized by the young reader. Readers, as early as the first grade,

show sensitivity to OI, which increases rapidly to the third grade and

develops further, possibly to the sixth grade. This increase in sensitivity
to OI also appears to correlate with reading ability rather than other

factors relating to school (p. 176).

ESUEF L reading teachers should also help their students overcome the
habit of subvocalization. They should tell their ESUEFL students that
subvocalization could slow down their reading and affect their comprehension
negatively (Smith, 1988).

ESUEFL students should be taught that the meaning of a text can be
understood without identifying all the words and that words are easier to identify
in context than in isolation (Weaver, 1988). In addition, to identify words,
Weaver suggests teaching how to use preceding syntactic and semantic cues to
predict what might be coming next and how to use following syntactic and
semantic context to confirm or correct what has been predicted.

Similarly, Scarcella and Oxford (1992) recommend that teachers should
help students guess at meanings first by using context and that teachers can
also assure students that they do not have to understand every word to
understand the main idea. Furthermore, the two authors suggest encouraging

ESL students to use narrow reading and mapping which can improve their

reading comprehension. Scarcella and Oxford conclude that ESUEFL reading

45

teachers should also encourage their students to read intensively, extensively,
and purposefully.

In a more recent work, Krashen (1993) argues that:
the research in second language reading strongly suggests that free
voluntary reading in a second or foreign language is one of the best
things an acquirer can do to bridge the gap from the beginning level to
truly advanced levels of second language proficiency (x).

Moreover, Krashen emphatically claims that free reading is a "powerful
means of developing literacy, of developing reading comprehension ability,
writing style, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.“ In addition, he suggests that
using pictures helps make input [i.e., reading] “more comprehensible“ (p. 66).

Given the influential role of cultural content schemata in reading
comprehension, there are obviously relevant implications, applications, and
recommendations for the EFL/ESL learners and teachers. In the EFUESL
classroom, teachers must be particularly sensitive to reading problems that
result from the implicit cultural knowledge presupposed by a text. And, as Carrell
and Eisterhold (1988: 83) suggested, "our immediate goal as EFUESL reading
teachers is to minimize reading difficulties and to maximize comprehension by
providing culturally relevant information.“

Thus, teachers of ESUEFL reading need to be aware of the important
role of cultural content schemata in ESUEFL reading. Floyd and Carrell (1987)
suggest that the teachers of ESL/EFL reading need to be teachers of cultural
content schemata. They (the teachers) must provide the student with the

appropriate cultural schema shelhe is lacking, and must also teach the student

46

how to build bridges between existing knowledge and new knowledge (Floyd
and Carrell, 1987).

Carrell (1984) suggests that we can improve students‘ reading by helping
them build background knowledge on the topic prior to reading through
appropriate prereading activities. Giving some examples of activities, Carrell
proposes that prereading activities can be in the form of lectures, viewing
movies, slides, pictures, field trips, demonstrations, real-life experiences, class
discussions or debates, plays, skits, and other role-play activities, teacher-, text-
or student-generated predictions about the text, text previewing, introduction
and discussion of special vocabulary to be encountered in the text, key-
word/key- concept association activities, and prior reading of related texts (p.
334).

Additionally, Johnson (1982) concludes that “familiarity with a foreign
culturally related topic, knowledge obtained from real experiences in the foreign
culture, is effective for reading comprehension of a passage on that topic (p.
524)

Having provided an advance organizer (with sample story) to set the
schema for a multicultural lesson, LeSourd (1988) reports that the use of
advance organizers to establish missing schemata is a rational design for
multicultural instruction.

When teaching readers from different cultural backgrounds, Carrell and
Eisterhold (1988) recommended using the Language Experience Approach for

the beginning readers. Also, they suggested using narrow reading, using texts

47

with local settings and specialized low-frequency vocabulary, and using
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Carrell and Eisterhold, rightly, concluded that:

...a teacher who listens carefully and responds to a student‘s efforts will

become aware of both the background knowledge and the cultural

problems that students themselves bring to the text (p. 88).

Considering the strong effect that cultural schemata have on reading
comprehension, special care should be given in selecting reading materials,
particularly for foreign language readers with different cultural backgrounds.
Teachers should be encouraged to develop their own reading materials using
the students‘ background knowledge. In addition, writers of ESUEFL materials
and textbooks, as well as teachers, should focus on providing the ESUEFL
students with culturally relevant reading materials to facilitate their reading
comprehension in particular and their Ieaming in general (Kitao, 1989).

Scarcella and Oxford (1992) convincingly argue that “when identifying
appropriate reading materials, teachers need to consider whether they are
authentic, attuned to their Ieamers’ second language proficiency levels,
culturally relevant, and sensitive to their students‘ needs and interests“ (p. 98).
Additionally, Scarcella and Oxford recommend that ESUEF L reading teachers
choose authentic easy readings for their beginning ESUEF L students.

After indicating that readings with unfamiliar cultural backgrounds (i.e.,
schemata) are more difficult to understand, Kitao proposes that in the ESUEF L
reading classes, teachers and materials developers should consider the findings

related to reading and schema theory. Kitao (1989: 29) concludes that:

 

r:u tr: G.

48

Familiarity of the background of materials should be a major factor in
decisions about choices of reading materials, especially at lower levels of
language proficiency.

In a similar vein, after indicating the need for materials related to the
culture of the students Ieaming the language, Nelson (1987) proposes that
teachers working in non—English speaking countries can use materials from local
English magazines and newspapers; English translations of short stories and
folktales; Ti_mg, Ne Week, and ESL textbook articles on their host country,
and Argmco World Magazine (for teachers in the Middle East).

Regarding language attitude and motivation, ESUEFL teachers are
recommended to be aware of and sensitive to their students’ attitudes and
motivation. They can help students develop positive attitudes toward reading
through choosing reading materials that meet their students‘ specific needs and
interests. And they also can implement an ESP (English for Specific Purposes)
approach in which the language is taught according to the students‘ general
academic fields. In this way, as Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) suggest,
students‘ motives are attended to.

Thames and Reeves (1994) suggest that attitudes of poor readers may
be positively influenced through instruction that includes trade books related to
students’ interests in an integrated language arts approach. They write that:

By using the student’s interests to select reading materials and by

providing holistic reading instruction which emphasizes the

interrelationships between listening, speaking, reading, and writing,
teachers may be able to change the attitudes of poor readers (p. 295).

49

Stressing the great effects of parents on their children’s reading attitudes,
Steltenkamp (1992) indicates that “there is a strong correlation between the
home reading environment and student reading interest and achievement.
Several studies have shown that students that come from active home reading
environments will be likely to become active readers themselves“ (p. 22). In his
conclusion, Steltenkamp states that “this study demonstrates the importance of
developing positive reading attitudes early, and maintaining a consistent
emphasis toward lifelong enjoyment of reading” (p. 158).

Lampert and Saunders (1976), who attempted to find the significant
factors causing a difference between the categories of ’reader’ and ‘non-reader’,
found that students who were categorized as ‘readers’ in the study reported
being read to more when they were young and also reported more books being
brought into the home by their families (In Steltenkamp, 1992: 12).

After examining children’s reading difficulties from the perspectives of
the children, their parents and their teachers, Yochum and Miller (1993)
conclude that:

Since children learn both at school and at home, parents, children, and

teachers all share responsibility for the child’s Ieaming. If parents and

children are to work collaboratively with teachers, then a shared vision of
the child’s literacy Ieaming would seem essential (1993, p. 71).

In a study conducted on Saudi female high school students, Al-Bassam
(1987) found that parental encouragement and support significantly correlated

with the students’ achievement. That is, the students who received parental

50

encouragement and support had high achievement. As a result, the writer

recommended that “parents should be involved in planning the extracurricular

activities and asked to support and encourage their children to learn foreign

languages“ (p. 64). In addition, she suggested that making the objectives of

studying a foreign language clear to students could help create a favorable

attitude toward Ieaming that language.

To improve the motivation of Saudi students in their EFL Ieaming, Al-

Ahaydib (1986) suggested that:

Teachers should explain to their students the benefit and importance of
Ieaming English. He clarifies that “students who believe that foreign
language study is important to their lives will work to achieve success“ (p.
27).

The EFL teacher should give students an opportunity to practice English in
real life situations.

The EFL teacher should avoid using monotonous and boring teaching
methods.

The EFL teacher should help students feel confident and appreciated
through encouraging, praising, and respecting them in their Ieaming process.
The EFL teacher should make classroom and school bulletin boards and use
them effectively and creatively. Posting articles and pictures of interest to

students could stimulate them to read.

51

o The EFL teacher should show that he is interested in the English language.
Students tend to appreciate the teacher who likes and believes in what he
teaches.

o The teacher should avoid giving difficult, dull homework that might intimidate

students and make them lose interest in the subject matter as a whole.

CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the research design and methodological steps and
procedures used in carrying out this study which was conducted to investigate
the difficulties which the Saudi male EFL students think they face when reading
English as a foreign language and factors causing their reading difficulties. This
chapter includes the following sections:

0 Development of the Questionnaire.

0 Description of the Questionnaire.

a Description of the Items of the Questidnnaire.

0 Procedures For Conducting the Studyl Collecting the Data.
0 Papulation of the Study.

0 Questionnaire Administration.

mvelogment of m ngtignnglre

The primary stage:

Developing the questionnaire involved the following steps:

First, the researcher read some books and articles on research methods
(e.g., Brown, 1988). Also, the researcher reviewed relevant studies which used
questionnaires as instruments for collecting data. In designing the questionnaire,
the researcher relied, to a great extent, on previously designed questionnaires .
Of particular interest and relevance were those questionnaires used by Gardner

and Lambert (1972), Jan (1986), Steltenkamp (1992), and laid (1993). From

52

53

these as well as other studies, the researcher chose several items to include in
his questionnaire.

Second, after constructing the draft questionnaire for this study, copies of
which were submitted to my advisor, doctoral committee members, and five
Saudi graduate students majoring in English or education for their comments,
suggestions, and feedback.

Third, the English draft of the questionnaire was translated into Arabic,
the subjects‘ mother tongue. The main reason for this English-to-Arabic
translation was basically to enable the Saudi Arabian sample population to
clearly understand the content of the questionnaire and to answer the
questionnaire items in Arabic more accurately and comfortably.

Fourth, the Arabic version of the questionnaire was reviewed by a Ph. D.
Arab faculty member, who currently teaches Arabic classes in the Department of
Linguistics at Michigan State University (MSU). Furthermore, this Arabic version
of the questionnaire was given to the five graduate students mentioned above
for their review and to make sure that the Arabic version accurately reflects the
English draft of the questionnaire.

Fifth, the researcher tested the clarity and comprehensibility of the
questionnaire by administering it to 20 Saudi male middle and high school senior
students. This pilot study was also intended to examine the face validity of the

questionnaire.

Pilot study:
The Arabic version of the questionnaire was administered to a sample of
10 Saudi middle school students and 10 high school students. The subjects

were requested to report on:

54

1. The time they needed to complete the questionnaire.
2. The clarity and comprehensibility of the items of the questionnaire.
3. Any comments on the questionnaire and/or any suggestions for improving it.
The results of the pilot study showed that the time which the students
needed to complete the questionnaire was ranging from 30 to 50 minutes. Seven
of the students reported that the questionnaire (consisting of 70 items) was long
and that some of its items were not clear. And thirteen of the students reported
that they clearly understood most of the questionnaire items. In response to the
third request, eleven of the students gave their comments and suggestions. In
general, this pilot study gave the researcher a good insight and good training on
how to administer the questionnaire. Also, it gave him an idea about the
approximate time needed for completing the questionnaire and the possible

questions which could be raised by the real population of the study.

The final stage:

Based on the comments and suggestions of the main advisor, the
committee members, the five graduate students, the Arabic professor, and the
subjects of the pilot study and based on the researchers close observation and
follow up of all the above-mentioned steps, the English and Arabic versions of
the questionnaire were remodeled. Here are the major suggested changes:

1) Writing and enclosing a letter to the student with the questionnaire.

2) Rewriting and adding to the questionnaire instructions.

3) Eliminating items 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 19, 22, 31, 33, and 54 because they were
unnecessary or they overlapped other items of the questionnaire.

4) Eliminating items 36, 59, 60, and 61 because they overlapped other items in
the questionnaire and/or they were broadly stated.

5) Paraphrasing items 14, 18, 29, 42, and 67 to be clearer and more direct.

55

6) Replacing the statements of items 44, 50, and 53 with more relevant

statements.

c tlo o e estionnalre

The revised questionnaire (Appendix D) consists of three parts. The first
part contains 5 items designed to collect demographic information relevant to the
purposes of the study.

The second part of the questionnaire includes 46 statements and
questions which are designed to elicit data about the subjects' Opinions
concerning EFL reading difficulties and some of the factors which might cause
these reading difficulties. In this part, statements and questions are given and
students are asked to select one answer from provided choices. More
specifically, in items 6 through 40 students are asked to respond to each
statement by selecting one of the following choices: 1) “Strongly agree“, -2)
“Agree“, 3) “Disagree“, and 4) “Strongly disagree.“ In items 41 through 46,
students are asked to circle one answer from various multiple choices. In items
47 through 51, students are asked to respond to each question by choosing
“Yes“ or “No.“

The third part of the questionnaire is composed of two sections. The firSt
section includes three open-ended questions. In the first question, the subjects
are asked about the reading difficulties which they believe they face in reading
English. The second question asks the subjects to list the factors that, they
think, causing reading difficulties for them. And in the third question the subjects
are asked to write any suggestions or recommendations that they think could
improve their EFL reading. The second section of the third part of the

questionnaire gives the students a chance to comment on the study itself.

56

mscngtlon of the Items of the Questionnaire

The researcher designed and chose the items of the questionnaire to

elicit information from the subjects. The purpose of this information is to answer

the questions of the study and test its hypotheses. For example:

0

Items 16 and 51 are intended to answer the first question of the study: Do
Saudi male beginning EFL students think that they encounter EFL reading
difficulties?

Items 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 46, 47, and
49 are meant to answer the second question of the study: What are the
views/perceptions of Saudi male beginning EFL students about the factors
reported in this study that could cause reading difficulties for them?

Items 6, 7, 20, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45, 48, and 50 are meant to
answer the third question of the study: What are the attitudes of Saudi male
beginning EFL students toward EFL reading in particular and Ieaming
English in general?

Items 13, 14, 15, 23, 35, and 40 are meant to answer the fourth question of
the study: Are Saudi male beginning EFL students encouraged by their
families and friends to read and learn English?

Items 21, 41, and 42 are meant to answer the fifth question of the study: How
do Saudi male beginning EFL students perceive their comprehension and

speed when reading English?

57

0 Item 52 is meant to answer the sixth question of the study: According to the
Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions, what are the reading
difficulties which they face when reading English as a foreign language?

0 Item 53 is meant to answer the seventh question of the study: According to
the Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions, what are the factors
that may cause them reading difficulties when reading English as a foreign
language?

0 Item 54 is meant to answer the eighth question of the study: What are the
suggestions and recommendations of the Saudi male beginning EFL
students for improving their EFL reading?

Furthermore, the results of the students’ responses to these items will be

used to test the hypotheses of the study stated in the first chapter.

Erocedures For Conducting the Studyl Collecting the Data

Since the major purpose of this study is to investigate Saudi middle and
high senior students’ perceptions concerning their EFL reading difficulties and
factors causing them, the researcher decided to travel to the field of study in
Saudi Arabia and collect data from there.

However, in order to go to Saudi Arabia and to conduct the study (i.e., to
administer the questionnaire) there, certain official procedures were required to
be done. For example:

a A UCRIHS form was completed and handed to the UCRIHS office. The
approval for doing the study was granted (Appendix A).

58

0 Two letters from the advisor and the researcher were sent to the Saudi
Arabian Cultural Mission in Washington, D. C. explaining the nature of the
study and seeking permission to carry it out in Saudi Arabia.

. The Saudi Cultural mission notified Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University,
the sponsor of the researcher in Saudi Arabia, about the researcher’s intent
of conducting the study in Saudi middle and high schools.

0 Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University granted permission for the
researcher to travel to the home country to conduct the study and collect the
needed research data.

. Upon receipt of permission, the researcher and his family traveled to Saudi
Arabia on January 15, 1995.

0 An official letter from Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, requesting the
Al-Ahsa Educational District Office to enable and help the researcher in
conducting his study on middle and high senior students in Saudi public
schools, was obtained and handed to the director of the Al-Ahsa Educational
District Office. The Office informed the researcher that the final approval for
conducting such a study in Saudi public schools must be attained from the
Ministry of Education in Riyadh, the Capital City.

0 To speed up the process of getting the approval for administering the
questionnaire of the study to subjects in Saudi public schools, the researcher
traveled himself to Riyadh and visited the Ministry of Education. After
completing the required procedures, the researcher got the approval for doing
his study in Saudi public schools (Appendix B).

o The letter of approval given by the Ministry of Education was handed by the
researcher in person to the director of the Al-Ahsa Educational District Office.
The director instructed the Department of Research and Evaluation at the Al-

59

Ahsa Educational Office to enable and help the researcher conduct his study
in the Al-Ahsa District public schools.

. The Department of Research and Evaluation provided the researcher with
lists of the middle and high schools belonging to the AI- Ahsa Educational
District Office. After selecting seven middle schools and seven high schools
randomly (through choosing at random from serial numbers on the schools’
lists) by the researcher, the director of the Al- Ahsa Educational District Office
gave the researcher official letters directing the principals of the randomly
selected schools to enable and help the researcher to administer the
questionnaire of his study to students in their schools.

0 The researcher visited the selected schools, met and explained to the
principal of each school the purpose of the study, and discussed and
scheduled with them the appropriate time and place for administering the

questionnaire to randomly selected junior students in their schools.

Eggulatlon of the §tudy

The sample population of this study is composed of:
1. Seventy middle school senior students.

2. Seventy high school senior students.

Rationale for selecting the population of this study:

a) The subjects at these two levels were selected to represent the two
educational stages (middle and high school) at which English as a foreign
language is officially taught in Saudi Arabia.

b) Senior students at the middle and high school stages are assumed to be
more mature and more aware of their EFL reading difficulties and factors

causing them.

60

c) In these two educational stages, the length of exposure to English is

consistent (i.e., three years in middle school and three years in high school).

I-Iow subjects were selected:

When the researcher met the principals of the randomly selected schools,
he asked them to provide him with the names of the senior students of their
schools. After the principals provided him with the lists of the senior students’
names, the researcher randomly selected ten students from serially numbered
lists of 9th and 12th grade students enrolled in those selected schools.
Furthermore, the researcher was arbitrarily choosing three to five students (9. 9,.
student # 4, 9, 17, 26, etc.) from each 9th or 12th grade class in each school.

The total of the randomly selected subjects was 140 middle and high
school senior students (70 students representing each selected grade). These
seventy 9th grade and seventy 12th grade students were enrolled in 14 middle
and high schools located in different cities, towns, and villages in Al-Ahsa
District. The basic reasons for selecting 70 students to sample each group were:
1) Getting a large enough sample of population. Brown (1988) suggested that

“...the samples are large...“ when “N = 62 or more for each group“ (p. 165).
2) Putting into consideration that some subjects would not be interested in
participation or that some subjects would not respond to the questionnaire

items fully.

61

Questionnalre Administration

To insure good questionnaire administration and to make sure that the
subjects of the study would understand what was required of them, the
researcher decided to administer the questionnaire in person. Additionally,
attempting to make students psychologically content and secure when
responding to the questionnaire items, the researcher told the principals of the
selected schools that he alone would administer the questionnaire and that no
teachers or staff should go to the place of the questionnaire administration.

After the random selection of subjects in each school, the researcher
requested the principal of each school to allow him to use the school library or
language lab for administering the questionnaire to the students. This request
was granted in all selected schools. And the randomly selected students were
sent to the school library or English language lab where the researcher was
receiving and welcoming them. The researcher tried his best to create a friendly
and an anxiety-free atmosphere for his subjects. He explained to the subjects
that the major purpose of the study was to know the difficulties that they face
when reading English as a foreign language and factors causing these
difficulties. In addition, the researcher told the subjects that this study also aimed
at helping them understand some of their EFL reading problems and reaching
solutions and recommendations to overcome or at least reduce these reading
problems encountered by them in particular and by Saudi EFL students in
general.

Furthermore, the researcher told the students about the importance of
their opinions and views. And the subjects were strongly encouraged to honestly
and frankly express their opinions and views concerning their reading difficulties,
factors causing them, and their suggestions for improving their EFL reading. To

stimulate the subjects to express themselves honestly and frankly, the

62

researcher reminded them that their participation would have no effect
whatsoever on their grades or standing in any class and that their responses
and opinions would be kept confidential and be used by the researcher for his
research only. And to further assure them, the researcher told the subjects not to
write their names on the questionnaires given to them. Finally, after the
researcher informed the subjects that they had the choice whether to participate
or not in this study, he motivated them to participate by noting that their
participation would contribute to the improvement of teaching and Ieaming of
English in Saudi Arabia.

The Arabic version of the questionnaire (Appendix C) was administered
to a randomly selected sample population of 70 middle school senior students
and 70 high school senior students. Each student was given a copy of the
questionnaire accompanied by a cover letter explaining the purpose of the
questionnaire and how to complete it. For the sake of clarity, the researcher
wrote the example given in the questionnaire on the board and explained to the
students how to answer it by circling one of the choices which best expressed
his opinion. The time that the students needed to complete the questionnaire
ranged from 25 to 40 minutes during which the students turned in their copies of
the questionnaire after they completed it and then were asked to go back to their
classrooms.

In conclusion, it might be worth mentioning that the researcher’s presence
and conduct of his own study did not only put spirit in the process of the
questionnaire administration and help clarify what the students did not
understand, but also guaranteed the return of the questionnaires in good time
(i.e., by the end of each questionnaire administration session). At any rate, the
questionnaire administrations to the randomly selected students were completed
on April 12, 1995.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS : PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

This chapter will present, analyze, and discuss the data collected from the
questionnaires administered to a randomly selected population of middle and
high school senior students. The main purpose of this chapter is to summarize
the results of the analyses in a simple, clear, and meaningful way. To fulfill this
purpose, the organization of this chapter will be as follows:

0 Outcomes of the questionnaire administration.
0 Statistical procedures for data analysis.

0 Results of the first part of the questionnaire.

0 Results of the second part of the questionnaire.
0 Results of the third part of the questionnaire.

0 Discussion of the questions of the study.

0 Discussion of the hypotheses of the study.

utc e ues onn Ire Ad Inistration
The researcher administered a survey questionnaire to a sample
population of 140 subjects (70 middle school senior students and 70 high school
senior students). The total of the questionnaires which were turned in to the

researcher was 140. The researcher decided that any questionnaire including

63

(,4

three unanswered items or more would be disregarded in the process of
analysis. After collecting and classifying all student questionnaires, the
researcher found that out of the 70 questionnaires given to the middle school
senior students to complete, 62 questionnaires were regarded valid. And out of
the 70 questionnaires given to the high school senior students to complete, 64
questionnaires were deemed valid for the study. Among the remaining 14
questionnaires which were considered invalid, 2 were completely blank, 7
included 3 to 10 unanswered items, and 5 included more than 10 unanswered

items.

§_tgtistical Pmedgres For Data Analysis

After coding the subjects‘ responses (e.g., 1: Yes and 2= No), the
responses were transferred to computerized data answer sheets. Using
Statistical Analysis System (SAS), 9 computer program was designed by the
Computer Center at King Faisal University for processing and analyzing the
responses statistically. Final computer lists were compared with the data answer
sheets by the researcher to make sure that the lists were free of errors. At this
first stage of statistical analysis, the frequencies and percentages of the
subjects’ responses to each item in the first and second parts of the
questionnaires were calculated by computer, whereas the frequencies and
percentages of the third part (open-ended questions) of the questionnaires were

analyzed manually by the researcher.

65

At the second stage of the analysis, the frequencies and/or percentages
of the subjects’ responses to each item in the first and second parts of the
questionnaires were presented in various types of figures (charts) to be easily
readable. For executing this process of presenting the frequencies and/or
percentages of the subjects’ responses in different charts, the researcher
installed a new version of a Microsoft Excel program in his own PC, consulted a
couple of instructors and friends having experience in using Excel, and attended
some summer classes in using Excel at Lansing Community College (LCC).

At the third stage of analysis, other descriptive and comparative statistics
were conducted. That is, the means of the subjects’ responses to each item in
the second part of the questionnaire were calculated. A t test was conducted to
determine if statistically significant differences were evident between the means
of the subjects’ responses of the two sample groups (i.e., middle school students
and high school students). These statistical tests were run at the Computing
Information Center of Michigan State University using Statistical Package for the

Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results g t_I1e First Pgrt of the Questionnaire
The first part of the questionnaire includes five items (1 through 5)

designed to elicit demographic information concerning the subjects of the study.
In this part, each subject was asked to give information about: 1) his age, 2) his
grade level, 3) whether or not his father speaks English, 4) whether or not his

mother speaks English, and 5) whether or not he has traveled to a country where

66

its people speak English as their native language. The results of the analyses of

the responses to each item in this part are presented in the following figures.

67

Figure 1

Responses to item 1: Ages of the subjects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

68

Table 2

Frequencies and percentages of the subjects’ ages

Age Frequency Percentage

 

14 2 1.6%
15 30 23.8%
16 19 15.1%
17 . 16 13.7%
18 27 21.4%
19 12.7%
20 7.9%
21 4.0%
22 0.8%
Total N 100%

Mean of the subjects‘ ages = 17.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the subjects‘ responses to item 1 reveal that the ages of
Saudi middle and high school senior students range from 14 to 22. The normal
age for a Saudi middle school senior student is 15, whereas the normal age for a

Saudi high school senior student is 18.

69

Figure 2

Responses to item 2: Grade level In school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2 shows that 62 (49%) of the subjects of the study were middle
school senior students and that 64 (51%) of the subjects of the study were high
school senior students. The middle school senior students were randomly
selected from seven middle schools in the Al-Ahsa district. Similarly, The high
school senior students were randomly selected from seven high schools in the

same district.

70

Figure 3

Responses to item 3: Does your father speak English?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on the students’ responses, Figure 3 shows that 35% of the
students’ fathers an speak English, while about two thirds (65%) of the

students' fathers can not speak English as a foreign language.

71

Figure 4

Responses to item 4: Does your mother speak English?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the students’ responses, only 9.5% of their mothers can
speak English, whereas the majority (90.5%) of the students’ mothers can not
speak English as a foreign language. And this might be attributed to the fact that
the majority of Saudi mothers prefer staying at home and taking care of their

families and houses.

72

Figure 5

Responses to item 5: Have you ever traveled to a country where its people
speak English as their native language (such as U. S.
or U. K.)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5 indicates that just (10%) of the subjects have traveled to a
country where its people speak English as their native language (such as U. S.
or U. K), while the majority of the subjects (90%) have not traveled to a country
where its people speak English as their native language.

73

Results of thg mend Part of the Quegtionnaire
This part of the questionnaire included 46 items (6 through 51 ). The

frequencies, percentages, means, and ttest values of the students’ responses to
each item in this part are presented in the following figures and tables.
But, before presenting the figures and tables, the researcher would like to
draw the reader‘s attention to the following used abbreviations:
0 SA = Strongly Agree. .
o A = Agree.
0 D = Disagree.
. SD = Strongly Disagree.
0 M88 = Middle School Students.
0 H88 = High School Students.

0 F = Frequency.

74

Figure 6

Responses to item 6: Reading In English is important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 6 shows that 47.6% of the students strongly agreed that reading
in English is important, and 38.9% of the students agreed with the statement. On
the other hand, 9.5% of the students disagreed with the statement, while 4.0%
strongly disagreed with the statement. Generally, the percentage of the
students who responded positively (Strongly Agree and Agree) is 86.5%,
whereas the percentage of those who responded negatively (Strongly Disagree

and Disagree) is 13.5%.

75

Figure 7

Responses to item 7: I like to read in English as a foreign language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I MSS
l3 HSS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 7 reveals that 22.2% of the students strongly agreed that they like
to read in English as a foreign language, while 51.6% of the students agreed
with the statement. On the other hand, 20.6% of the students disagreed with the
statement, and 5.6% strongly disagreed with the statement. In general, the
percentage of the students who responded positively (Strongly Agree and
Agree) is 73.8%, and the percentage of those who responded negatively

(Strongly Disagree and Disagree) is 26.2%.

76

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 8
Responses to item 8: It Is Important to read every word in the English text
that I want to read.
30
15 . D ”$3
BHSS
s :::;:ft::‘:‘ ——
0 if [L 233:2'21'5'52 I 23.5533235; 1 1
SA A D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students' responses to item 8 indicate that 33.3% of the
students strongly agreed with the statement, and 42.9% of the students agreed
with the statement. While 16.7% and 7.1% respectively disagreed and strongly
disagreed with the statement. Totally, more than three fourths, 76.2%, of the
entire population of the study thought that it is important to read every word in

the English text that they want to read.

77

Figure 9

Responses to item 9: Outside of school, I am seldom encouraged to read in
English.

 

 

 

'}IMSS_
"l:lHSS j

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 9 show that 63.5% of the
entire population of students expressed that outside of school, they are seldom

encouraged to read in English.

78

Figure 10

Responses to item 10: When I read English silently, I notice that I move my
lips and sound out what I read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 10 demonstrates that 71.4% of the subjects reported that they
move their lips and sound out what they read when reading English silently. And
this habit could be transferred to their English reading from their way in reading

Arabic silently.

79

Figure 1 1

Responses to item 11: I usually do not read In English unless I have to.

§

 

 

 

3O

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

uMSS
uHSS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frequency
61"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-L

 

SA A D SD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 11 reveals that 60.0% of the students reported that they usually do

not read in English unless they have to.

80

Figure 12

Responses to item 12: Not knowing the English cultural concepts causes me
difficulty In comprehending what I read.

 

 

 

 

 

.MSS
V HSS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The subjects' responses to item 12 indicate that 52.4% of the subjects
thought that not knowing the English cultural concepts causes them difficulty in
comprehending what they read. This relatively low percentage can be attributed
to the fact that several students did not understand and asked the researcher

about what was meant by cultural schemata or concepts.

81

Figure 13

Responses to item 13: My father encourages me to read in English.

 

Item 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Figure 13, 73.8% of the students mentioned that their fathers
encourage them to read in English. On the other hand, 26.2% reported that their
fathers do not encourage them to read in English. Generally speaking, it seems
that more than two thirds of the students’ fathers tend to encourage their children

to read and learn English.

82

Figure 14

Responses to item 14: My mother encourages me to read in English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The subjects’ responses to items 12 indicate that 59.5% of the subjects
reported that their mothers encourage them to read in English. The results of the
students' responses summarized in Figures 13 and 14 reveal that fathers
(73.8%) encourage their children to read in English more than mothers (59.5%)

do.

83

Figure 1 5

Responses to item 15: Members of my family (other than father and mother)
encourage me to read in English.

 

”3415

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Figure 15, 60.0% of the whole population of the study agreed (including
those who strongly agreed) that members of their families (other than fathers
and mothers) encourage them to read in English. While 40.0% disagreed with

the statement.

84

Figure 16

Responses to item 16: I face no difficulty in reading English as a foreign
language.

 

 

 

 

 

The arrow points to the high number of students who responded negatively.

The results of the students’ responses to item 16 show that only 25.4%
reported that they face no difficulty in reading English as a foreign language.
Whereas a large majority, 74.6%, of the students reported that they face

difficulty in reading English as a foreign language.

85

Figure 17

Responses to item 17: I do not like to read in English, because I do not
comprehend most of what I read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 17 shows that about a half of the students, 50.8%, agreed with the
statement, while the other half did not agree with it. These results might suggest
that about one half of the students think that facing comprehension difficulties
when reading does not negatively affect their attitudes toward reading English as

a foreign language.

86

Figure 18

Responses to item 18: Not knowing how to pronounce what I read in English
makes me upset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The arrows point to the high number of students who responded positively.

The results of the students‘ responses to item 18 indicate that a high
percentage of the students, 84.1%, expressed that not knowing how to
pronounce what they read in English makes them upset. These results suggest
that the majority of the Saudi students have pronunciation-related difficulties

when reading English as a foreign language.

87

Figure 19

Responses to item 19: Facing difficult words when reading English does not
affect my attitude toward reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 19 demonstrates that slightly more than a half of the entire
population, 51 .6%, thought that facing difficult words when reading English does

not affect their attitude toward reading.

88

Figure 20

Responses to item 20: It is unimportant to be able to read in English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 20 reveals that most of the students, 84.1%, refused that ‘It is
unimportant to be able to read in English.’ On the other hand, only 15.9% agreed
with the statement. These results suggest that a high percentage of the Saudi
students recognize the importance of reading English in particular and Ieaming

English in general.

89

Figure 21

Responses to item 21: When reading in English, I feel it takes a lot of time
and effort before I understand what I read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 21 indicate that more than
two thirds of the students, 69.0%, agreed with the statement: ‘When reading in

English, I feel it takes a lot of time and effort before I understand what I read.’

Figure 22

Responses to item 22: Reading English from left to right does not bother
me.

 

Figure 22 indicates that the majority of the students, 84.9%, reported that
reading English from left to right does not bother them. While 15.1% (most of

them were MSS students) disagreed with the statement.

91

Figure 23

Responses to item 23: My friends (or some of them) encourage me to read
books and magazines in English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 23 shows that a low percentage of the students, 12.7% agreed
with the statement, whereas a considerable majority of the students, 87.3%,
reported that their friends (or some of them) do not encourage them to read

books and magazines in English.

92

Figure 24

Responses to item 24: I do not feel comfortable when I read in English,
because its alphabet (letters) is different from the
Arabic alphabet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frequency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 24 demonstrates that 42.9% of the students reported that they do
not feel comfortable when they read in English, because its alphabet (letters) is
different from the Arabic alphabet. This percentage is relatively high, putting in
mind that these students have studied English for three years or more (middle
school senior students have studied English for three years, while high school

senior students have studied English for six years).

93

Figure 25

Responses to item 25: The comprehension difficulties which I face when
reading English do not negatively affect my reading
attitude.

 

 

iii

 

fie

 

 

 

 

_ Frequency . ' .

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students‘ responses to item 25 indicate that 54.0% of
the population of the study thought that the comprehension difficulties which

they face when reading English do not negatively affect their reading attitude.

94

Figure 26

Responses to item 26: I have no problem in identifying and reading the
English letters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 26 indicates that more than one fourth of the subjects, 27.0
percent, reported having problems in identifying and reading the English letters.
On the other side, 73.0 percent reported that they face no problems in identifying

and reading the English letters.

95

Figure 27

Responses to item 27: The passages and stories in the textbook should
relate to our culture and experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students’ responses to item 27 indicate that the majority of the
students, 86.5%, expressed that the passages and stories in the English
textbook should relate to their culture and experiences. On the other hand, only

13.5% of the students did not agree with the statement.

96

Figure 28

Responses to item 28: When I read In Arabic silently, I notice that I move my
lips.

 

 

 

 

Figure 28 demonstrates that more than two thirds (70.6%) of the entire
population of the study reported that they notice that they move their lips when
reading in Arabic silently. Similarly, in Figure 10, 71.4% of the students reported
that they move their lips and sound out what they read when reading English
silently. These results show us the possible influence of the students’ Arabic

reading habits on their English reading.

97

Figure 29

Responses to item 29: I hate reading English due to reasons related to the
English teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 29 reveals that 30.2 percent of the students said that they hate

reading English due to reasons related to the English teacher.

98

Figure 30

Responses to item 30: Our English teacher motivates us to do outside free
reading in English.

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 30 show that 60.3 percent
of the students reported that their English teacher motivates them to do outside

free reading in English.

99

Figure 31

Responses to item 31: Ifeel that reading in English Is a tedious thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Figure 31, 60.3% of the students expressed that reading in English is

not a tedious thing.

100

Figure 32

Responses to item 32: English grammar does not cause me difficulties when
reading English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 32 indicate that only 37.3
percent of the students thought that English grammar does not cause them
difficulties when reading English, while about two thirds of the students, 62.7
percent, reported that English grammar causes them difficulties when reading

English.

101

Figure 33

Responses to item 33: I like to learn English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 33 shows that a high percentage of the subjects, 83.3%, reported
that they like to learn English. On the other hand, only 16.7% expressed that

they do not like to learn English.

v

‘1‘“’Wy~v“

102

Figure 34

Responses to item 34: Leamlng English Is not important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students’ responses to item 34 indicate that 81.0% of the population
of the study disagreed with the statement “Leamlng English is not important.“ In
other words, this high percentage of the students think that Ieaming English is

important.

103

Figure 35

Responses to item 35: My parents (one or both of them) encourage me to
Ieam English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 35 reveals that three fourths (75.4%) of the students' parents

encourage their children to Ieam English.

Figure 36

Responses to item 36: I dislike the Idea of Ieaming any foreign language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 36 demonstrates that only 21.4 percent of the students agreed with
the statement, whereas 78.6 percent of the students disagreed with the

statement “I dislike the idea of Ieaming any foreign language.“

(5t

Oil‘

105

Figure 37

Responses to item 37: I like to learn a foreign language other than English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I MSS
l HSS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 37 show that one half
(50.0%) of the students expressed that they like to Ieam a foreign language

other than English, while the other half of the students responded negatively.

Figure 38

Responses to item 38: If It were up to me, I would never Ieam English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 38 reveals that 28.6% of the students agreed with statement. On
the other hand, more than two thirds of the students, 71 .4% disagreed with the

statement.

107

Figure 39

Responses to item 39: Passing the final English examination is more
Important than Ieaming the language.

 

 

 

 

The students’ responses to item 39 indicate that only 32.5% of the

students responded positively.

108

Figure 40

Responses to item 40: My friends encourage me to Ieam English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 40 strangely reveal that a
majority of the students, 70.0 percent, reported that their friends do not

encourage them to Ieam English.

109

Figure 41

Responses to item 41: As an EFL reader, my reading comprehension of what
I read In English is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 41 indicates that 13.5% of the students thought that their reading
comprehension of what they read in English is “Very poor,“ 54.8% chose “Poor,“
and 13.5% selected “Average.“ On the other hand, 14.3% of the students
thought that their comprehension of what they read in English is “Good” and only
4.0% of the students expressed that their comprehension of what they read in
English is “Excellent“ Generally, 68.3 of the students reported that their reading

comprehension of what they read in English is poor.

110

Figure 42

Responses to item 42: As an EFL reader, the rate of my reading speed Is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to item 42 reveal that 15.9% of the
students reported that the rate of their English reading speed is “Very SIOW',
42.8% of the students selected “Slow,“ and 27.7% chose “Average.“ Whereas
11.9% of the students selected “Fast“ and merely 1.6% of the students thought
that the rate of their English reading speed is “Very fast.“ In general, the results
show that about 60.0% of the entire population of the students expressed that

they are slow EFL readers.

111

Figure 43

Responses to item 43: Which of the following language skills do you think is
the most important for EFL students to Ieam?

 

Figure 43 indicates that a majority of the students, 61.1%, responded that
speaking is the most important language skill for EFL students to Ieam, while
17.5% of the students thought that reading is the second important language
skill for EFL students to Ieam. 14.3% of the students viewed writing as the third
important language skill, whereas 7.1% of the students thought that listening is

the least important language skill for EFL students to Ieam.

112

Figure 44

Responses to item 44: Which of the following language skills do you think is
the least Important for EFL students to Ieam?

 

 

 

 

Figure 44 shows that a majority of the students viewed listening as the

least important language skill for EFL students to Ieam.

113

Figure 45

Responses to item 45: How much do you read English for enjoyment in your
spare time?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 45 reveals that about two thirds of the students, 65.1%, selected
choice #1: they “Never“ read English for enjoyment in their spare time, 27.0%
selected choice #2: they read “Less than 1 hour a week,“ 5.6% selected choice
#3: they read “1-2 hours a week,“ and 2.4% of the students selected choice #4:

they read English for “More than 2 hours a week.“

114

Figure 46

Responses to item 46: What Is the way which you follow when you read an
English text?

 

 

 

 

Regarding the way which they follow when reading an English text, the
results of the students’ responses to item 46 demonstrate that 34.9% of the
students selected choice #1: they “read (identify) the word letter by letter.“ And
45.2% of the students selected choice #2: they “read the text word by word,“
while 19.8% selected choice #3: they “read two words or more at the same time

approximately.“

115

Figure 47

Responses to item 47: Do you think that differences between Arabic and
English In terms of cultural background knowledge
could affect your reading in English?

 

 

 

 

Figure 47 shows that 58.7% of the entire population of the students
thought that differences between Arabic and English in terms of cultural
background knowledge could affect their reading in English, whereas 41.3% of
the students did not think that differences between Arabic and English in terms

of cultural background knowledge could affect their English reading.

116

Figure 48

Responses to item 48: Does your home private library include non-academic
English books and magazines that you find yourself
Interested in reading?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 48 indicates that about three fourths of the students, 73.0%,
reported that their home private libraries do not include non-academic English

books and magazines that they find themselves interested in reading.

117

Figure 49

Responses to item 49: Do you think that home and friends have an effect on
your attitude toward reading English as a foreign
language?

 

 

 

 

The students’ responses to item 49 reveal that 54.8% of the students
thought that home and friends have an effect on their attitude toward reading

English as a foreign language.

118

Figure 50

Responses to item 50: Have you studied English (Including reading) for
academic purposes only?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 50 indicates that 61.9 percent of the students reported that they

have studied English (including reading) for academic purposes only.

119

Figure 51 (a and b)

Responses to item 51: Do you have difficulties in reading English as a
foreign language?

Figure 51a. Middle school students' responses:

 

 

 

lYes
nNo

 

81%

 

 

 

 

 

120

Figure 51b. High school students“ responses:

 

 

IYea
UM)

 

 

 

 

 

The results of the students’ responses to_ item 51 presented in Figures
51a and 51b demonstrate the high percentage of the students who expressed
having difficulties in reading English as a foreign language. The results also
indicate that the percentage (81.0%) of the middle school students, who reported
that they have difficulties in reading English, is higher than the percentage
(73.0%) of the high school students. In other words, the results suggest that the
middle school students have more English reading difficulties than the high

school students.

121

 

Nmmm” mm Em:
mmNN 3. VN
m
E9.

9:253 .0058 :9: 05 do mmwcoqwem 692v 95on .0028 226:: 65 do newcoawem wEQ.

.mev .910 2.5: 2 newcoqmm. .2536 on. we «39:00.3 new $853.62“.

n 223.

122

 

0v Eu:

mm
mm Em:

om

vm

AmmIv 2:336 .8ch :9: o5 do momcoammm Ems: 9:253 .0028 6.3:: on. do mmmcoammm mEd:

68583 m use...

e. 20.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mm .mw t 31!. Du mm.m_. NF mmdw cm 5 Em:
dev mm mmdm mm mvdm NN Nmém ov om Em:
mNm VN 0N0 ov mN.mm mm the? mm av Em:
momm NV . mmém NN mmdm om mm.m_. N_. 9» Em:
mhmv mm mmbm mm {.mm VN mm. 5 mm NV Em:
.x. n. o\.. u— .x. u. .x. u u
02 mm; 02 mm;

 

 

 

 

 

 

62.; Gas:

95:36 60:8 :9: m5 :0 mmmcoammm 9:"..me _oo:om 062E m5 :0 mmmcoammm

€va mEm: m5 2 mmmcoawm: .3535 9: mo mommscmouma ncm 86533::

n mink

123

 

 

99 m Eda ..N mkm VN 8:; m=ood mN._._. N mmNN 3 mmdv cm «45.: E. NvEm:

me N 0
mom 0 No.9. 0.. mad 0 ..me mm 0.9. m min N om.N_. m €52. 3. No.5 Nm No.3. ..m. 3» Em:
u. n. o\o "— o\o ...— ilNll "— o\o

sire.ru_l.\.lui.\....$|.=$il lillli

O
835 5.8”. 855 3.: E835 Eu 8:5 5:“. “.835 5:5“. 835 BE. 8.2.0 28$ wél

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

» .020 5:“.

3va 3:82“... .0058 :9: m5 :0 mmmcoammm Ems: 3:256 .0058 202.: m5 Lo 33881 _E

 

.Nv ecu 3. 25: o. mmmcoamm: .3525 9: Lo momma—:88: new 865302“.

v mink

124

Table 6

Means and ttest values of the subjects’ responses to part two (items 6-51)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M" Mean of the Mean of the Mean of the ttest
1' entire MSS liss p < 0.05
ulation sam le sam le
6 1 .6984 1.8387 1 .5625 0.053
7 2.0952 2.1129 2.0781 0.809
8 1.9762 2.1290 1.8281 0.057
9 2.2381 21935 2.2813 0.622
10 2.1032 2.2419 1.9688 0.058
11 2.2400 2.1613 2.3175 0.340
12 2.5079 2.5000 2.5156 0.931
13 2.0476 1.9032 2.1875 0.103
14 2.3413 2.1129 2.5625 0.010
15 2.1349 2.2258 2.0469 0.324
16 3.0556 3.1613 2.9531 0.207
17 2.4048 2.2258 2.5781 0.047
18 1 .7698 1.8548 1.6875 0.271
19 2.5635 2.5000 2.6250 0.495
20 3.2302 3.0484 3.4063 0.020
21 2.3968 2.4516 2.3438 0.567
22 1.8016 2.0323 1.5781 0.002
23 3.2143 3.1129 3.3125 0.110
24 2.6111 2.5806 2.6406 0.748
25 2.4524 2.5484 2.3594 0.283
26 1.9683 2.1613 1.7813 0.037
27 1.6111 1.6935 1.5313 0.231
28 2.1667 1.9839 2.3438 0.037
29 2.8889 2.7419 3.0313 0.121
30 2.3175 2.4677 2.1719 0.121
31 2.6270 2.6290 2.6250 0.982
32 2.7222 2.9032 2.5469 0.035
33 1.6587 1.7742 1.5469 0.168
34 3.2698 3.1290 3.4063 0.126
35 1.9603 1.8871 2.0313 0.365

 

 

 

 

Table 6 (continued)

125

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“'1‘ Mean of the Mean of the Mean of the ttest
1’ entire MSS HSS p < 0.05
ulation sam Ie sam le
36 3.0794 2.8548 3.2969 0.01 2
37 2.5556 2.4516 2.6563 0.308
38 3.0000 2.8710 3.1250 0.191
39 2.9683 2.8548 3.0781 0.267
40 2.7857 2.8871 2.6875 0.191
41 2.4048 2.3871 2.4219 0.849
42 2.4047 2.2742 2.5312 0.064
43 3.3254 3.1774 3.4688 0.092
44 1 .9048 1 .9839 1.8281 0.425
45 1.4524 1.5161 1.3906 0.324
46 1 .8492 1 .7903 1 .9063 0.373
47 1.4127 1.3871 1 .4375 0.569
48 1 .7302 1 .8065 1 .6563 0.058
49 1 .4524 1 .5323 1 .3750 0.077
50 1.3810 1.3548 1.4063 0.556
51 1.2302 1.1935 1.2656 0.341

 

 

126

Male; Findings of the Mend Part of the Questionnaire

After presenting the results of the students’ responses in the previous
figures and tables, the researcher would like to highlight the following major
findings and comments:

1. The students’ responses to items 1, 2, 20, 33, 34, and 38 reveal that a large
majority of the Saudi subjects have positive attitudes toward reading and
Ieaming English as a foreign language.

2. The students’ responses to items 13, 14, 15, and 35 show that the families
who encourage their children to read and Ieam English are more frequent
than those families who do not encourage their children to read and Ieam
English.

3. The students’ responses to items 23 and 40 reveal significant outcomes
which should be investigated in further research. In item 23, 87.3% (the
highest percentage in part two) of the subjects reported that their friends do
not encourage them to read books or magazines in English. In item 40,
70.0% of the subjects mentioned that their friends do not encourage them to
learn English.

4. Interestingly, in their responses to item 10, 71.4% of the subjects reported
that they move their lips when reading English silently. Similarly, in their
responses to item 28, 70.6% of the subjects reported that they move their lips
when reading Arabic silently. This finding suggests that reading strategies

and habits might transfer from L1 to L2.

127

5. The subjects‘ responses to items 12 and 47 (dealing with cultural schemata
and their effects on comprehension) do not seem, to some extent, consistent
with what the literature stressed nor what the researcher expected, since only
about half of the subjects reported that lacking English cultural schemata
could cause them difficulty in comprehending what they read in English. This
relatively low percentage can be attributed to the fact that several students
did not understand and asked about what was meant by cultural schemata or
concepts. '

6. The students’ responses to item 18 indicate that a large majority (84.1%) of
the whole population of the study reported problems related to pronouncing
what they read. This finding seems consistent with what Haynes (1989) and
Vellutino and Scanlon (1987) noted. Haynes (1989238) interestingly
concluded that “differences in Arabic and English phonology, such as
difficulty of English vowels, lack of some English sounds, and lack of final
consonant clusters in Arabic, could explain many misreadings by Arabic
readers.“ Similarly, Vellutino and Scanlon pointed out that phonological
coding deficits constitute a major source of reading difficulty in beginning
readers.

7. The results of the students’ responses to item 22 (dealing with reading
directionality) show that 84.9% of the Saudi students expressed that reading
English from left to right does not cause them difficulty. However, the results
also indicate that there is a statistically significant difference (p = 0.002)

between the responses of the 9th grade students and those of the 12th grade

128

students. That is, 76% of the 9th grade students reported that reading
English from left to right does not cause them difficulty, whereas 94% of the
12th grade students reported that reading English from left to right does not
cause them difficulty. All in all, according to the students’ perceptions,
reading directionality is not a major factor causing reading difficulties for
them. And this finding does not appear to be in line with the previously
presented literature on reading directionality.

8. Statistical analyses demonstrate that there is a significant difference (p=
0.037) between the 9th grade students and the 12th grade students’
responses to item 26, “I have no problem in reading the English letters.“ The
percentage of the 9th grade students who reported that they have no problem
in reading the English letters is 66%, while the percentage of the 12th grade
students who reported that they have no problem in reading the English
letters is 80%. This indicates that middle school senior students statistically
significantly encounter more orthographic difficulties than high school senior
students.

9. The results of the students’ responses to item 27, “The passages and stories
in the textbook should relate to our culture and experiences“ reveal that a
high percentage of the students -86.5%- agreed with the statement.
Applicationally speaking, this issue should be put into consideration when
writing or designing English textbooks for Saudi EFL Students.

10. Unlike what the researcher expected, only 30% of the students reported on

the possible negative effect of their English teacher on their reading

129

attitudes. This low percentage shown in the students’ responses to item 29
can be justified by the fact that the students - although they were repeatedly
reminded by the researcher that nobody would read their responses except
him—were probably afield that their teachers might read or know about their
opinions concerning them (teachers). This assumption is supported by the
fact that several students told the researcher when and after turning in their
questionnaires that their English teachers were the main reasons for making
them (students) dislike English.

11.The results of the students’ responses to item 32 indicate that 62.7% of the
entire population of the study reported that the English grammar causes them
difficulties when reading English. Nevertheless, there is a statistically
significant difference (p= 0.035) between the middle school students’
responses and the high school students‘ responses. This difference shows
that the middle school students face more grammar-related difficulties than
the high school students.

12. In their responses to the statement, “I dislike the idea of Ieaming any foreign
language“, only 21% of the students agreed with the statement. On the other
hand, 79% of the students disagreed. The results also demonstrate that there
is a statistically significant difference (p= 0.012) between the middle school
students’ responses and the high school students’ responses. That is, the
high school students are significantly more in favor of Ieaming any foreign
language than the middle school students. And this could be attributed to the

assumption that high school students are more mature and more aware of

130

the importance of and need for Ieaming other foreign languages (e.g.,
English) for their future study or job.

13.The results of the students’ responses to items 43 and 44 suggest that the
Saudi students believe that speaking is the most important language skill to
learn. Reading is ranked by the students as the second important language
skill to learn, thirdly writing, and fourthly listening as the least important
language skill to learn. Pedagogically, teachers should meet the students’
views and concerns and apply more interactive and communicative activities
in their classrooms.

14.The students’ responses to item 50, “Have you studied English (including
reading) for academic purposes only“ indicate that 62% of the subjects study
English for academic purposes only. Motivationally speaking, this finding
implies that about two-thirds of the students are instrumentally (not
integratively ) motivated to learn English.

15. The results indicate that the majority of the subjects of the study think they
encounter reading difficulties when reading English as a foreign language.
For instance, in their response to item 51, which asked the subjects: ‘00 you
have difficulties in reading English as a foreign language’, 81% of the middle
school senior students and 73% of the high school senior students answered
'Yes.’ These results also indicate that the middle school senior students face

more EFL reading difficulties than the high school senior students.

131

16. Table 6 indicates that there are statistically significant differences (p < 0.05)
between the middle school students‘ responses and the high school students’

responses to items: 14, 17, 20, 22, 26, 28, 32, and 36.

W13

In section one of the third part, the subjects were asked three open-ended
questions. The first question was: What are the reading difficulties which you
believe you face in reading English in general? The second question was: Are
there any other factors (not mentioned in this questionnaire) that, you think,
could cause English reading difficulties for you? And the third question was:
What are your suggestions and recommendations for improving the Saudi
students‘ reading of English as a foreign language? In section two of this part,
the subjects were asked to write any comment on the questionnaire or the study.

In this part, the frequency and percentage of each difficulty, factor, and
suggestion reported by the students are separately calculated. All frequencies
and percentages are listed in order, from responses with high frequency and
percentage to responses with low frequency and percentage. With respect to
those who did not respond to all or some questions in the third part of the
questionnaire or wrote Irrelevant responses to the study (e.g., talking about the
importance of speaking, listening difficulties, etc.), their cases are considered
Invalid (i.e., they are not calculated). The results are summarized in the

following tables.

132

Table 7

Responses to item 52: What are the reading difficulties which you believe

you face In reading English In general?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Difficulties Frequency Percentage
(FL (96)

1 I face difficulty in understanding the 47 43.11%
meanings of the English words which I read

2 I face difficulty in pronouncing what I read 35 32.11%
correctly

3 I face difficulty with the English grammatical 31 28.44%
rules

4 I face difficulty in understanding the main 29 26.60%
idea of what I read

5 I face difficulty in reading words including a 18 16.51%
silent letter

6 I face difficulty in reading and/or 18 16.51%
comprehending longwords

7 I face difficulty in pronouncing a sound 16 14.67%
produced by reading two letters or more as
in words like she, television, and phone

8 I face difficulty in pronouncing some English 13 11.92%
letters -

9 I face difficulty in understanding English 13 11.92%
idioms

10 I face many difficult words when reading 12 11.00%
English

11 I face difficulty in reading passages not 11 10.09%
related to my life

12 Reading in English takes a log time 9 8.25%

13 I feel bored when I read in English 7 6.42%

14 I face difficulty in reading some letters 6 5.55%
which are pronounced differently when they
occur in different places of the word, such
as the letter ‘C'

15 I face difficulty in reading and 5 4.58%

 

understanding new vocabulary

 

 

 

 

133

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 7 (continued)
serial
iii) Difficulties Frequency Percentage
(Fl (7.)
16 I feel shy when reading gglish aloud 4 3.66%
17 I face difficulty in memorizing English words 4 3.66%
18 I face difficulty in reading English words 3 2.75%
which are exactly identical in writing, but
different in pronunciation and meanigg
19 When reading in English I feel that I forget 2 1.83%
or skip some letters
20 I face difficulty in understanding a certain 2 1.83%
word having more than one meaning, such
as run
21 I face difficulty in reading English numbers 2 1.83%
22 I face difficulty in reading English long texts 2 1.83%
23 I face difficulty in understanding assigned 2 ‘ 1.83%
exercises and questions
24 I face difficulty in differentiating between 1 0.91 %
capital and small letters
25 I feel confused when reading in English 1 0.91%
N = 126

Valid cases = 109
Invalid cases = 17 (no response or irrelevant responses)

students who responded to item 52 reported that they face difficulty in
understanding the meanings of the English words which they read. And this
reading difficulty is the most frequently reported one by the students. The
second frequeme reported reading difficulty by the students (32.1%) was: “I face
a difficulty in pronouncing what I read correctly,“ whereas the difficulty with the

English grammatical rules was the third frequently reported reading difficulty by

Table 7 indicates that 43.1% of the Saudi middle and high school senior

the students (28.44%).

 

134

Generally speaking, most of the reading difficulties reported by the
students of this study are related to comprehension, pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary, orthography, and attitude. As the previously reviewed literature
suggested in chapter 2, these reading difficulties reported by the subjects of this
study can be caused by schematic, linguistic, and/or attitudinal factors.
Additionally, these results appear to be in line with what the literature proposed
concerning the reading difficulties which most ESUEFL students face when

reading English.

135

Table 8

Responses to item 53: Are there any other factors (not mentioned in the
questionnaire) that, you think, could cause English

reading difficulties for you?

I

 

 

 

 

 

i
i
I
l
l
l
l
l
l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

r.____.__.__

1 No interest or desire in reading English —28. 37%
2 Lack of qualified and competent English 18 24.32%
teachers
3 The English teacher does not explain the 13 17.56%
lesson adequatelyand clearly
4 Lack of gractice in reading English 10 13.51%
5 Length of the English textbook we study 9 12.16%
6 The boring methods used in teachigg reacfigg 9 12.16%
7 Lack of audio-visual materials which teach 8 10.81%
proper readingand pronunciation
8 Lack of English language centers for Ieaming 8 10.81%
_E_r_i_glish outside of school
9 The environment around me does not 8 10.81%
encourage me to read in English
10 Not teaching English in the elementary school 7 9.45%
11 Not enough time for studying English in the 7 9.45%
classroom
12 The way the English teacher treats us when 4 5.40%
we make a mistake in reading
13 Length of English passages we are required 3 4.05%
to read
14 Not Ieaming English in an early stage 3 4.05%
15 Having many other assignments to do 2 2.70%
16 Nobodyhelps me in reading at home 2 2.70%
17 Lack of English books and magazines in the 2 2.70%
school library
18 Rush of the English teacher in teachings 2 2.70%
19 Studying English just to pass the final exam 2 2.70%
20 English is not the language of forefathers and 2 2.70%

 

0 arents

 

 

136

Table 8 (continued)

a

         
   
   
   
     
   
   
   
    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘21 Classrooms are crowded with students
22 Lack of English books relating to our customs 1
' and traditions
23 Lack of pictures in the textbook we read 1
Existence of differences between Arabic 1
readingand English reading
I 25 Weakness of the English prgg'am in general 1
‘ 26 Forcing the student to read aloud in the 1
, classroom
I 27 Not likirgthe English teacher 1
28 The teacher is not aware of the difficulty we 1
face in readinLEngligh
29 Lack of confidence when readingin English 1
30 Not reading the lesson before the teacher 1
I e . lains it

N = 126
Valid cases = 74
Invalid cases = 52 (no response or irrelevant responses)

In Table 8, the Saudi students mention other factors that could cause
them difficulties in reading and Ieaming English in general. Some of the factors
reported by the students, such as lack of qualified and competent English
teachers, lack of practice in reading English, boring methods used in teaching
reading, lack of audio-visual materials which teach proper reading and
pronunciation, studying English just to pass the final exam, and classrooms are
crowded with students appear to be in agreement with what the researcher
described in the first chapter. In addition, these factors reported by the students

seem consistent with the findings of the studies done by Saudi researchers on

137

Saudi EFL students (e.g., laid, 1993; Jan, 1984; Dhafar, 1986, cited in the first
chapter).
At any rate, most of these factors reported by the students are worthy of

research, investigation, and consideration.

138

Table 9

Responses to item 54: What are your suggestions and recommendations for
Improving the Saudi students‘ reading of English as a
foreign language?

a Recommendations and Suggestions Frequency Percentage
. F %

1 Beginning English instruction in the — 34.28% “
elementag school stage

     
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Selecting qualified and competent teachers 23 21.90%
for teachingEnglish

3 Establishing English language centers and 18 17.14%
institutes

4 English teachers should not speak Arabic in 17 16.19%
the English classes

5 Simplifying the English textbooks 12 11.42%

6 Selecting English textbooks that include 11 10.47%
subjects concern students

7 Providing students with audio-visual aids 10 9.95%
helping them Ieam correct reading and
pronunciation

8 Using interesting and creative methods in ~ 9 . 8.57%
teaching English reading

9 Organizing intensive classes and seminars 9 8.57%
for learningEnglish during summer vacations

10 Using the media (e.g., TV and radio) in 7 6.66%
teaching English

11 Recruiting English or American teachers for 6 5.71%
teaching English in the public schools

12 Telling students about the importance of 6 5.71%
Ieaming and reading English

13 Motivating students to read in English by 6 5.71%
parents and teachers

14 Providing school libraries with English books 5 4.76%

 

and magazines

 

 

 

 

 

139

Table 9 (continued)

Recommendations and Suggestions Frequency
F

    

Enclosing the passages of the English
textbook with a cassette so students can
listen to how the passages and new words

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

are read
16 Developing the English curriculum 3 2.85%
17 Distributing small English booklets concerned 2 1.90%
about areas of special interest to students in
this age
18 Increasing the number of the English 2 1.90%
language periods (hours)
19 Providing the English passages with pictures 2 . 1.90%
or drawings to help students understand what
they read
20 Employinggomputers in Ieaming English 2 1.90%
21 Making Egglish an optional subject matter 2 1.90%
22 Eliminating English idioms from textbooks 2 1.90%
23 Finding Arabic books or stories, dealing with 1 0.95%
Saudi culture and heritage, which are
translated into English
24 Teaching students how to use English 1 0.95%
dictionaries
25 Usigg English Ianggage labs 1 0.95%
26 Teaching students to focus on the meaning of 1 0.95%
the word more than how to read it
27 Encouraging students to ask about what they 1 0.95%
do not understand
N = 126

Valid cases = 105
Invalid cases = 21 (no response or irrelevant responses)

Table 9 includes many interesting and practical suggestions and
recommendations which should be put into consideration when thinking of

improving the Saudi students‘ reading and Ieaming of English as a foreign

140

language. Nevertheless, thorough research is needed to measure the
applicability and practicality of these suggestions and recommendations before

implementing them in the English classes of the Saudi public schools.

141

Table 10

Responses to item 55: Please write any comment on the questionnaire or

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the study.
sari-i
In Comments Frequency Percentage
(Fl 1%)
1 Thank you for giving us the chance to 27 31.76%
express and talk about our views regarding
the problems we encounter in Ieaming
English freely and frankly
2 Thank you for your effort in preparing this 22 25.88%
questionnaire
3 This is an excellent and important study 17 20.00%
4 I wish you success in this study 15 17.64%
5 This is an interesting questionnaire 12 14.11%
6 This questionnaire tries to solve the 9 10.58%
problems which we face in readirm English
7 This questionnaire is very useful for 6 7.05%
knowing the reasons which make most
students suffer from the English language
8 This questionnaire included most of the 6 7.05%
problems which Saudi students face in
studyingEnglish
9 I hope that this study will find a solution for 5 5.88%
our groblems in leamirlg English
10 This questionnaire aims to improve the 4 4.70%
Enggsh language of Saudi students
11 I learned a lot from this questionnaire 4 4.70%
12 I think that this questionnaire should be 3 3.52%
distributed to students all over Saudi Arabia
13 lam impressed by this questionnaire 3 3.52%
14 I found a lot of information about English 3 3.52%
reading in this questionnaire
15 I hope that such studies will help develop 2 2.35%
our level of English Ieaming
16 I hope that our suggestions and ideas will 2 2.35%
be applied and taken into consideration
17 This questionnaire is important for every 2 2.35%

 

student in Saudi Arabia

 

 

 

 

142

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 10 (continued)
aural
Ill Comments Frequency Percentage
IF) (%)

18 This questionnaire indicates that the writer 2 2.35%
is concerned about what the Saudi student
faces of problems in Ieaming English

19 Some of the questions in this questionnaire 2 2.35%
are difficult to understand

20 I hope that the goal of this questionnaire will 2 2.35%
be attained

21 The idea of this (mastionnaire is good 2 2.35%

22 Thank you for caring about our problems 2 2.35%
and concerns

23 I hope that your research will help us in the 2 2.35%
fiJture

24 Thank you for your concern about the 2 2.35%
students’ views regarding their English
Ieaming and the problems they face

25 I think that this questionnaire should be 2 2.35%
administered to students every year just to
know more about their development and
their problems in leamingEnglish

26 I am impressed by the way the questions 1 1.17%
are put

27 This questionnaire is not useful to me, 1 1.17%
because I face problems in subject matters
other than Engli_sh

28 I hope that this study will solve one of the 1 1.17%
problems which the Saudi students face and
are tired of during their study

29 The questionnaire is long 1 1.17%

30 This questionnaire drew my attention to 1 1.17%
things about English reading which I did not
know about before

31 This questionnaire wants to help every 1 1.17%

 

Saudi student better Ieam English reading

 

 

 

 

143

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 10 (continued)
Oarld
in Comments Frequency Percentage
(Fl (96)
32 This study will not benefit me, because I will 1 1.17%
graduate by the end of this term. It is too
late!
33 We are waitingfor the solutions 1 1.17%
34 I feel that this questionnaire is truthful in its 1 1.17%
, _goals
35 In my opinion, the benefit of this study is not 1 1.17%
for you alone, but also for all Saudi students
36 Consulting students and knowing their 1 1.17%
opinions about the difficulties they
encounter in Ieaming English is the first
step toward solving the problem
37 I hope that your research will benefit us and 1 1.17%
the cominggenerations
N = 126

Valid cases = 85
Invalid cases = 41 (no response or irrelevant responses)

The major comment which can be made on the students’ comments
presented in Table 10 is that in any serious endeavor of planning, organizing,
and/or developing students’ language Ieaming, students should be granted the
opportunity to frankly and freely express their views, worries and concerns about
their own language Ieaming. Then, there should be room for rational and logical
discussion with them about what is good or not for them.

On the other hand, most of the students expressed their gratitude and
appreciation to the researcher for caring about their problems and concerns in

reading and Ieaming English. Furthermore, a group of the students reported that

144

this study is an important one, that the “questionnaire is very useful for knowing
the reasons which make most students suffer from the English language,“ and

that they “learned a lot from this questionnaire.“

145

stcusslon 91 the Questions of the §tudy

The answers to the questions of the study come from the responses of
the students themselves through survey questionnaires administered to a
randomly selected sample population of Saudi middle and high school senior
students. Following are the study's questions and a summary of answers:
Q 1. Do Saudi male beginning EFL students think that they encounter EFL
reading difficulties?
A. The results indicate that a considerable majority of the subjects of the study
thought they encounter reading difficulties when reading English as a foreign
language. For instance, in their response to item 51, which asked the subjects:
“Do you have difficulties in reading English as a foreign language’, 81% of the
middle school senior students and 73% of the high school senior students
answered 'Yes.’ These results also indicate that the middle school senior
students face more EFL reading difficulties than the high school senior students.
Q 2. What are the views/perceptions of Saudi male beginning EFL students
about the factors reported in this study that could cause reading
difficulties for them?
A. The results demonstrate that most of the reading difficulties reported by the
subjects are attributed to linguistic-related factors. For example, 84% of the
subjects reported that they had problems with the pronunciation of what they
read, and 63% thought that English grammar caused them difficulties when
reading English. On the other hand, the results show that the subjects did not

fully perceive the great role of cultural schematic factors in causing

146

comprehension difficulties. In other words, according to the subjects’ responses,
it seems that schematic factors cause fewer reading difficulties for the students
than those caused by the linguistic factors. For illustration, in their response to
item 12, only 52% of the students reported that not knowing the English cultural
concepts (schemata) caused them difficulty in comprehending what they read.
In contrast, attitudinal factors seem to cause less reading difficulties for the
students than those caused by the linguistic and schematic factors discussed in
this study. For instance, in their responses to item 7, just 26% of the students
expressed that they did not like to read in English as a foreign language.

0 3. What are the attitudes of Saudi male beginning EFL students toward
EFL reading In particular and Ieaming English In general?

A. ‘lhe results of this study, contrary to what the researcher expected, reveal
that a great majority of Saudi male beginning EFL students have very positive
attitudes toward EFL reading in particular and Ieaming English in (general.

0 4. Are Saudi male beginning EFL students encouraged by their families
and friends to read and learn English?

A. Responding to this question, the results show that the families who
encourage their children to read and Ieam English are more than the families
who do not Regarding friends’ encouragement, the results, strangely enough,
indicate that a high percentage of the students are not encouraged by their
friends to read and Ieam English.

Q 5. How do Saudi male beginning EFL students perceive their

comprehension and speed when reading English?

147

A. The results reveal that when asked to rate their reading comprehension,

68.5% of the students described their English reading comprehension as “Very

poor“ or “Poor,“ while 13.5% of the students described their comprehension as

“Average,“ 14% described their comprehension as “Good,“ and 4% of the entire

population described their comprehension as “Excellent.“ On the other hand,

when asked to rate their reading speed, 58% of the students thought their speed

was “Very slow“ or “Slow,“ while 28% rated their speed as “Average,“ 12%

thought their speed was “Fast,“ and only 2% believed that their reading speed

was “Very fast.“

0 6. According to the Saudi male beginning EFL students‘ perceptions,

what are the reading difficulties which they face when reading English as a

foreign language?

A. In response, the students reported several reading difficulties they encounter

when reading English, but the most frequently reported reading difficulties are:

1. Facing difficulty in understanding the meanings of the English words which
they read.

2. Facing difficulty in pronouncing what they read.

3. Facing difficulty with the English grammatical rules.

4. Facing difficulty in understanding the main idea of what they read. (For more
information on the reading difficulties which the Saudi students reported that

they encounter when reading English, you can refer to Table 7).

148

Q 7. According to the Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions,

what are the factors that may cause them reading difficulties when reading

English as a foreign language?

A. When asked the same question, the students mentioned many factors which

could cause reading difficulties for them when reading English. However, the

most frequently mentioned factors by the students are:

1) No interest or desire in reading English.

2) Lack of qualified and competent English teachers.

3) The English teacher does not explain the lesson adequately and clearly.

4) Lack of practice in reading English. (For more information on the factors
which the Saudi students reported, you can refer to Table 8).

Q 8. What are the suggestions and recommendations of the Saudi male

beginning EFL students for improving their EFL reading?

A. In their response to the same question, the students proposed a good

number of suggestions and recommendations for improving their EFL reading in

particular and English Ieaming in general. For example, the students suggested:

0 Beginning English instruction in the elementary school stage.

0 Selecting qualified and competent teachers for teaching English.

0 Establishing English language centers and institutes.

0 English teachers should not speak Arabic in the English classes.

0 Simplifying the English textbooks.

0 Selecting EngliSh textbooks including topics that concern students.

149

0 Providing students with audio-visual aids to help them Ieam correct reading
and pronunciation.

0 Using interesting and creative methods in teaching English reading. (For
more information on the suggestions and recommendations which the

students reported, you can refer to Table 9).

150

H of tud

In addition to discussing and answering the above questions, the
researcher of this study would like to discuss and test the hypotheses he laid out
in the beginning of his study. The hypotheses were:
Ho : There is no statistically significant difference between the means of the
responses of the middle school senior students and the high school senior
students to the questionnaire items of this study.
H1 : The middle school senior students and the high school senior students of
this study encounter considerable EFL reading difficulties. 6

H2 : The middle school senior students encounter more reading difficulties than
the high school senior students.

Hs : The middle school senior students and the high school senior students of
this study have negative attitudes toward EFL reading in particular and Ieaming
English in general.

With respect to the first null hypothesis stating that there is no
statistically significant difference between the means of the responses of
the middle school senior students and the high school senior students to

the questionnaire items of this study, the results presented in Table 6 indicate

that this hypothesis is accepted in most of the items in part two of the

151

questionnaire. Nevertheless, this null hypothesis is rejected in items 14, 17, 20,
22, 26, 28, 32, and 36. In other words, the middle school senior students and the
high school senior students responded significantly differently to these eight
items.

The second hypothesis assumed that the middle scth senior
students and the high school senior students of this study encounter
considerable EFL reading difficulties. Based on the findings of this study
summarized in a previous section, this hypothesis is accepted since a high
percentage —77%— of the students reported that they faced reading difficulties
when reading English as a foreign language.

The third hypothesis stated that the middle school senior students
encounter more reading difficulties than the high school senior students.
According to the students’ responses, this hypothesis is accepted. To give one
example, in their responses to item 51 which directly asked the students: “Do
you have difficulties in reading English as a foreign language?“, 81% of the
middle school senior students answered “Yes,“ whereas 73% of the high school
senior students responded “Yes.“

The fourth hypothesis postulated that the middle school senior
students and the high school senior students of this study have negative
attitudes toward EFL reading In particular and Ieaming English in general.
Based on the results of this study, one can conclude that this hypothesis is

completely rejected. For instance, the students’ responses to items 1, 2, 20, 33,

152

34, and 38 revealed that a large majority of the students had positive attitudes
toward reading and Ieaming English as a foreign language. At any rate, after
reviewing the students’ responses, it might also be concluded that the high
school senior students generally had more positive attitudes toward reading and

learning English than the middle school senior students.

CHAPTER FNE
SUMMARY. CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The main objectives for carrying out this study were to explore the reading
difficulties which Saudi male beginning EFL students perceive they face when
reading English as a foreign language, investigate some of the cultural
schematic, linguistic, and attitudinal factors which might cause reading
difficulties for Saudi beginning students of English as a FL, help ESUEFL
teachers, ESUEFL textbook writers, and concerned educational establishments
(e.g., the Saudi Ministry of Education and English language centers) understand
some of the reading difficulties and factors which affect this type of EFL
students, help Saudi beginning EFL students understand some of the reading
difficulties which they could face in reading English as FL and to be aware of
factors causing these reading difficulties, and offer implications, applications,
suggestions, and recommendations that could help ESUEF L Ieamers, teachers,
and educational establishments overcome or at least reduce reading difficulties
encountered by Saudi EFL students.

At any rate, this research study is basically organized into five chapters.

Chapter One contains an introduction, an overview of the teaching of English as

153

154

a foreign language in Saudi Arabia, the statement of the problem, the
significance of the study, the goals of the study, the questions of the study, the
hypotheses of the study, the limitations of the study, and the definitions of the
terms and abbreviations used in the study.

Chapter Two reviews the literature relating to the following areas:
schematic factors, linguistic factors, attitudinal factors, and implications,
applications, suggestions, and recommendations related to ESUEFL reading.

The methodology employed in selecting the subjects, developing the
materials, and collecting the data for the study is discussed in Chapter Three. In
addition, information about procedures and analyses followed in the study are
presented in this chapter.

Chapter Four includes the presentation and analysis of the collected data.
More specifically, this chapter provides the results of the study which are
discussed in the following sections: outcomes of the questionnaire
administration, statistical procedures for data analysis, results of the first part of
the questionnaire, results of the second part of the questionnaire, results of the
third part of the questionnaire, and discussion of the questions and hypotheses
of the study.

This chapter (Chapter Five) presents a summary of the study,
conclusions, and suggestions and recommendations for improving the Saudi
students’ EFL reading in particular and Ieaming of English as a foreign language
in general. Furthermore, this chapter concludes with relevant suggestions and

recommendations for further research.

155

293285.121!!!

Based on the results of the subjects’ responses discussed in Chapter

Four, the following major comments and conclusions can be drawn:

A high percentage of the subjects of the study perceive that they encounter
reading difficulties when reading English as a foreign language. For instance,
in their response to item 51, which asked the subjects: “Do you have
difficulties in reading English as a foreign language’, 81 % of the middle
school senior students and 73 % of the high school senior students answered
'Yes.’ These results also indicate that the middle school students, as they
expressed, face more EFL reading difficulties than the high school students,
and this can be attributed to the fact that the 12th grade students had more
time (three years) of studying English and that they are more familiar with
English than the 9th grade students.

According to the Saudi male beginning EFL students’ perceptions, the major
reading difficulties which they face when reading English as a foreign
language are:

Difficulty in understanding the meanings of the English words they read.
Difficulty in pronouncing what they read correctly.

Difficulty with the English grammatical rules.

Difficulty in understanding the main idea of what they read.

Difficulty in reading words including a silent letter.

156

Difficulty in reading long words.

Difficulty in pronouncing a sound produced by reading two letters or more as
in words like she, nation, television, and phone.

. Difficulty in pronouncing some English letters.

. Difficulty in understanding English idioms.

It appears that most of the reading difficulties reported by the subjects can be
attributed to linguistic-related factors. For example, 84% of the subjects
reported that they had problems with the pronunciation of what they read,
and 63% responded that English grammar caused them difficulties when
reading English.

Based on their responses, it seems that schematic factors cause less reading
difficulties for the students than those caused by the linguistic factors
discussed in this study. For illustration, in their response to item 12, 52% of
the students reported that not knowing the English cultural concepts
(schemata) caused them difficulty in comprehending what they read.
Attitudinal factors seem to cause fewer reading difficulties for the students
than those caused by the linguistic and schematic factors discussed in this
study. For instance, in their responses to item 7, only 26% of the students
expressed that they did not like to read in English as a foreign language.

The students’ responses to items 23 and 40 reveal significant outcomes
M‘IiCh should be investigated in further research. In item 23, 87.3% (the
highest percentage in part two) of the subjects reported that their friends do

not encourage them to read books or magazines in English. In item 40,

157

70.0% of the subjects mentioned that their friends do not encourage them to
learn English. Similarly, Jan (1984) found that only 39% of the subjects of his
study agreed with the statement “My friends encourage me to speak English“
(p. 146). These results suggest that Saudi students (as peers and friends) do
not encourage each other to Ieam, practice, and read English.

In their responses to item 10, 71.4% of the subjects reported that they move
their lips when reading English silently. Similarly, in their responses to item
28, 70.6% of the subjects reported that they move their lips when reading
Arabic silently. This finding suggests that reading strategies and habits might
transfer from L1 to L2.

The results of the students’ responses to item 22 (dealing with reading
directionality) show that 84.9% of the Saudi students expressed that reading
English fiom left to right does not cause them difficulty. So, according to the
students’ perceptions, reading directionality is not a major factor causing
reading difficulties for them.

The findings of this study indicate that there are statistically significant
differences (p < 0.05) between the middle school students’ responses and
the high school students’ responses to items: 14 (My mother encourages me
to read in English), 17 (I do not like to read in English, because I do not
comprehend most of what I read), 20 (It is unimportant to be able to read in
English), 22 (Reading English fiom left to right does not bother me), 26 (l
have no problem in identifying and reading the English symbols), 28 (When I

read in Arabic silently, I notice that I move my lips), 32 (English grammar

158

does not cause me difficulties when reading English), and 36 (I dislike the
idea of Ieaming any foreign language).

The results of the students’ responses to item 27, “The passages and stories
in the textbook should relate to our culture and experiences“ reveal that a
high percentage of the students —86.5%- agreed with the statement.
Applicationally speaking, this issue should be put into consideration when
writing or designing English textbooks for Saudi EFL Students.

The results of the students’ responses to items 43 and 44 suggest that the
Saudi students believe that speaking is the most important language skill to
learn. Reading is ranked by the students as the second important language
skill to learn, thirdly writing, and fourthly listening as the least important
language skill to learn. Pedagogically, teachers should meet the students’
views and concerns and apply more interactive and communicative activities
in their classrooms.

The students’ responses to item 50, “Have you studied English (including
reading) for academic purposes only“ indicate that 62% of the subjects study
English for academic purposes only. Motivationally speaking, this finding
implies that about two-thirds of the students are instrumentally (not
integratively) motivated to Ieam English.

Jan (1984) found that lack of motivation and interest among students to learn
English was a major problem affecting Saudi students’ EFL Ieaming. He
concluded that “This motivation problem is a major cause for the low

achievement of the students“ (p. 242). Unlike Jan’s (1984) finding, this study,

159

interestingly, found that the subjects are highly motivated to learn and read
English. To give one example, the results of the subjects’ responses to item
33 indicated that 83 % of the Saudi subjects expressed that they like to Ieam
English. These great differences between the motivations and attitudes of
the subjects of Jan’s study and the subjects of this study can be attributed to
a variety of factors, but, as the researcher speculates, the most obvious and
important of which are:

A) The long period of time (eleven years) between the two studies. During this
period many social, educational, and political issues could have influenced
the attitudes of Saudi students toward Ieaming English and those who speak
it. Confirming this assumption, Baker (1992) reports that attitudes change
slowly and gradually over time. In his words: “attitudes change over time“ (p.
97).

E) During the last five years several circumstances and events took place in the
Arabian Gulf area which could have contributed to the development of more
positive attitudes toward studying English in the Gulf area. More specifically,
during and after the Desert Storm War, the people in the Gulf area (e.g.,
Saudis and Kuwaitis), seemingly, have felt the great need and importance of
communicating with their English-speaking allies (the American and British).
In line with this point of view, Baker (1992) suggests that attitude change may
occur when relationships between L1 and L2 individuals are close, warm,
and friendly, and when the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions

are supportive.

160

5;) During the last five years, TV satellites and cables have become extensively
more available in the Gulf area. As a result, the Gulf people became
presumably more motivated to learn English in order to understand what they

hear or watch in the international media (e.g., TV and radio).

W

Inspired by the applications, suggestions, and mcommendations provided
in Chapter Two and enhanced by interesting and worthwhile suggestions and
recommendations proposed by the subjects in Chapter Four, the researcher
would like to suggest the following recommendations for improving Saudi

students‘ EFL reading and Ieaming in general: 1

1. The views, opinions, and concerns of ESUEFL students about their own
language Ieaming (including reading) should be attended to and considered
as much as possible in any attempt to teach them or improve their English.

2. Since unqualified ESUEFL teachers can make reading or Ieaming English a
bad experience for students and might generate negative attitudes toward
reading and Ieaming English, the Saudi Ministry of Education is urged to
assign the most competent and qualified EFL teachers to teach in the initial
stage (7th grade) at which English is first taught to Saudi students. This
process could greatly motivate the new students to Ieam the newly
introduced language with curiosity, interest, and joy which could last for many
years, if not for a whole lifetime . In other words, students’ first experiences or
impressions about reading or Ieaming English, whether good or bad, might
tremendously affect their attitudes and consequently their performances in

reading or Ieaming that language.

161

3. Old and boring ESUEFL teaching methods, such as the Audio-lingual
Method (ALM) should be replaced with more creative, attractive, and
effective ones, such as the Communicative Method. And this task is the
responsibility of ESUEFL teachers to a great extent.

4. ESUEFL textbook writers should be aware of and concerned about the type
and nature of students they write for. When they (textbook writers) write or
design ESUEFL textbooks for ESUEFL students, they should put into
consideration that Saudi Arabian students, their Arabic and Islamic values,
customs, traditions, and cultures at large are different fiom others (e.g.,
Spanish or Chinese students). Thus, such ESL/EFL textbooks should relate
to and consider Saudi students’ cultures and values.

5. Parents should be encouraged to read to their children and have their
children read to them.

6. School and public libraries should be provided with English books, stories,
newspapers, and magazines which fit the Saudi students’ ages and
intellectual levels and which do not conflict with or ridicule the students’

beliefs, values, or traditions.

om tions r urther esearc
Throughout the process of conducting and reporting this study, several
thoughts and ideas related to this research have struck the mind of the
researcher to search them. Nevertheless, since this study at hand has limits in
terms of purpose, goal, and time, the researcher recommends that further

research can be done on the following areas:

162

Replicating the same study on Saudi students in other cities or districts. The
results of these studies should be compared with this study, so a more
accurate generalization about the EFL reading difficulties that Saudi students
encounter can be articulated.

Doing the same study (or one similar to it) on Saudi students at different
grade levels, such as 7th and 8th grade students.

Further research is needed to evaluate the ESUEFL textbooks used in Saudi
Arabia.

Research is greatly needed In evaluating the methods employed in teaching
EFL reading and English in general in the Saudi public schools.
Transferability of the Saudi Arabic-speaking students’ reading strategies and
habits used in Arabic to English is another interesting and worth-investigating
topic.

More research can be done on investigating the role of friends in influencing
Saudi students’ EFL reading attitudes.

All mentioned above about studies suggested to be done on Saudi male
students applies also to Saudi female students.

Finally, there are several areas addressed in this study which could be
investigated in further research. For example, additional research may
examine or study the difficulties, factors, or suggestions reported by the

students in the third part of the questionnaire (listed in Chapter Four).

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

UCRIHS Approval Letter

 

OHWEW
RESEARCH
AND
GRADUATE
STUDIES

liversfty Committee as
Runnahhwflflmj
Human Subjects
(UCRIHS)

Michigan State University
12 Administration Building
East Lansing, Michigan
48824-1046

517/355-2180
FAX: 517/432-1171

"is Michigan Safe Universior
IDEA is Institutional DiverSrfy,
Excellence in Action.

MSU is an affirrrlarlve-action,

MICHIGAN STATE

 

  

lJ hi I V’ E ii S I 1' Y

April 24, 1995

To: Na 1 I. hl-Arfaj
14 3 Meadow Rue
E. Lansing, MI 48823
RE: IRBI: 94-593
' TITLE: FACTORS CAUSING READING DIFFICULITIES FOR SAUDI

BEGINNING STUDENTS or ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE (EFL)

REVISION REQUESTED: N/A
CATEGORY: -A c
APPROVAL DATE: 04/21/95

The University Committee on Research Involving Human Sub ects'(UCRIHS)
review of this project is complete. I am pleased to adv so that the

rights and

welfare of the human subjects appear to be adequately

rotected and methods to obtain informed consent are appropriate.

harefora,

the UCRIHS approved this project including any revision

listed above.

RBNBHAL:

REVISIONS:

raoaLEus/
Chances:

If we can be of any future hel

UCRIHS approval is valid for one calendar year, beginning with
the approval date shown above. Investigators planning to
continue a project be ond one year must use the green renewal
form (enclosed with t a original agproval letter or when a
project is renewed) to seek u date certification. There is a
maxtmum of four such expedite renewals asible. Investigators
wishing to continue a project beyond the time need to submit it
again or complete revaew.

UCRIHS must review any changes in groceduree involving human
subjects, rior to in tiation of t a change. If this is done at
the time o renewal, please use the green renewal form. To
revise an approved protocol at ana 0 her time during the year
send your written request to the CRIBS Chair, requesting revised
approval and referencing the project‘s IRB # and title. Include
in our request a dascr ption of the change and any revised

ins ruments, consent forms or advertisements that are applicable.

Should either of the followin arise during the course of the
work, investigators must noti y UCRIHS gromptly: 11) roblems
(unexpected side effects, comp aints, e c.) involv ng uman
subjects or 2% changes an the research environment or new
information n icating greater risk to the human sub acts than
existed when the protocol was previously reviewed an approved.

please do not hesitate to contact us

at (517)355-2180 or sax (517)358».171.

David 3. Wright, .

UCRIHS Chair

DEW:pjm

cc: James C. Stalker

165

Appendix 8

Approval Letter From the Saudi Ministry of Education For
Conducting the Study In Saudi Public Schools

Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia / 113,94! 154‘“ LQ‘J“
Ministry “Education "UL“;g 5:5}
Educational Development “5:45..“ J-f‘g'”
1.1:;le JJotg‘J Lhii 331:?

Educational Research Department

"’ wow-tum: awe/2c ' '~‘v‘/1/<‘\_6\=::-.-l

O

 

 

 

 

uz—iI-JQSIJTI “hiwluu—t—zgu—aa‘y

‘1 ....g] 11:21. 3 =51?”ng 13,12."

$32—25.“
: 4.ng S'J’JJJ. in l LAJJ. J,_<:1,- J,.y____ti
.....ai'ro‘jlzub ”C; JEJlJ2~JJlJM -.;J,_:.=l_J.Jl.__. JJJ,4_:/¢~Ei_rllzc. ::
14...!“ U 3".)‘5—‘3/ o‘v'I z—Jfi'J-‘vb - ids—Du. II Lax ; -‘IJ‘ Edy-«XII .3sz

gSJMJIgJLEJILfizl-Ju‘IIQLJMJI) it“; .lJ -°--l .4;
LMSJQL, DIfIer-M \II.,____>‘_J_IIS JLQ‘LE" 4.;‘_L~; \JPI .LLLIIEJJS

-J-

L.‘ ,‘2. ( J-J,J:,.LJ_I| JI ) QLJJI Ql Lbyv c.» 6 WI eta-lg k5 CL...“ LID-I}

.6: oily.- quince.” 4t zJJ. ...,Li OLE
(pill JL..(\1<‘lJlJ1J of... ll VJ.» ll-il lJ.J .‘ji u: .351 9.2;. L;

tend—31w. ' I :—-'.35.:

I". ' /

é:\
"‘ 2.5.4,.211' p.41 43mm: ...a.
a“! .. -..a.--

—’
‘JJJ " ca.

.__ flit-‘1! u F;<;;l‘" . /.)\ "9 ;\j\l I I
e—QLJJJJJJJJ , VI/JJ M, . J/_.
ll

_JJ_;J.J., JJ.J:JJ.J,J'J_J Jig C ’/-/) )Cl/J [jg
' ’éq AK”; __:'| g) n “J i

. .LquLa .‘J-L...'.;J'.' 3, ‘ee...’
.a 'o,‘\.9/D\,' [\2 ' I (f A , gqi‘\L(,;,JI~;.oJea

LE: 2 I a/ ‘~..~\: alight“

 
  

 

WUIZ—IJQLJv-Iw-JIJ— G‘M A “~le yd._.;v.JlJli,~:':-7«

 

 

\\t\":'angJJI1'Y9€‘I:-J.Jj~hi :waii' .33: :-T\- i? J1 eat t‘.‘ ..v... can”; it...

 

Tel: 4012900- 4021093 Fax. 4021093 Telex 405540 Tami: P. O. Box 2254 Riyadh 11416

 

 

167

Appendix C

The Arabic Version of the Student Questionnaire

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

 

DEPARTMENT or UNGUISTICS ANo GERMANIC. Telephone: 517/353-0740
SLAVIc. ASIAN ANo AFRICAN LANGUAGES mm
A-6l4 WELLS HALL Our new fax # is 432-2736

EAST LANSING. MICHIGAN 48824-1027

12-27-1994.
To thmit May Concern

This to certify that. I have reviewed the Arabic translation of the
questionnaire.”Factors causing reading difficulties for the Saudi students of
English as a Foreign Language", prepared by Mr. Naji Al-Arfag. a Ph.D. candidate
at the Department of English, Michigan State University. The Arabic translation
of the English text is accurate and correct to the best of my knowledge.

REM/m '

Malik Balla (PH.D.)

Assistant Professor and Coordinator
of the Arabic Language Program,
Michigan State University.

 

Telex: 650-277-3148 MC] Cable: MSUINTPRO ELSG
169

MSU is an {iffirmutiw Action ”Equal Opportunity Institution

170

= Qua“ «53.);

313.511! al.,” (,5 ob}... C” J» $qu! 1.1:. (J... glam ”2,31 01
0.; QDJJ» c2.- le L41 e34.“ QLJ.J.J.:.~YllJL..1.JJJJé.YlwlSJJJ 4.2:. gel):
..LA .L‘MYI w! 3.5.; (3 any...” ..Le Jl gap ...; kg." .4931, JalyJi
.Kvl 3 opt é» .IJJsiil my 245 3 L... i=1»! ..sJ. CAL-)1.“

ten-593)“ d5}:- J New»: ole—Ni Maestfllfiuu o1
Jar", LfiYl 25.15! at; 3 gay...“ chLHl WI” oi” any...“ H5, 13,... 3
.ng’aJl emng

jfiygugavl magnate, 01.205310? leerJu’Jl get ,bls-
LL-Jt girls LL; Jr. able-101;? LeJJAJioJJLéYI 25.1313» (3 aisle-J: Ute
ywinmguvopauwggaauJ-J.thLJWILcLechJJJJ
.Qeoees—i" (item

«:15ij J5; J5 «.‘ll LS;

Ker! — W 79": Lula.-

.LIJJI .1. L} JJL'Lll J“ dbl)” $6 (,9:qu L11 .4296 (J! “Jae-3b

\

171

’l!‘

.ubbamdza’il,obl,d1cgywi¢won
.wfid'yflhfiwb zeta! 551:
.QJzéuhflJ-v . st,idt5..gty,L.._..~ V|Jaaf5¥*

Web» Mme-a
Aha—fa” -\

glfil 55.1!) MI -Y

 

? 2134'}:wa M, J.» -r

V r”

8’ 19:14)}! am Fr: ..‘J‘Ldb J; -t
‘1 r"

?(ng,1&Jin)LfiYI wIQ4Ln1wA3Jlo}L-Uu -0
Y .
r”

172

LOU Dbl; :ggfl 9J3
:ot,L,—.,-.V| ..1. 4,1 Luz... 14151 QbLgJ‘ a, .gifi, 0.9 J94 @1ng dyijb 6:"

agwgst‘prIy-gs's! :33; Jim J
guidpésbscxusg :39? -..,
3,!,.J|J;yt;¥c.5|3!:y|fl¥ "C.
3;,3Q3Juldgésbsvdlsl:that,” _.>

:Ju,
.bUl§:H|¢JlAIQZ,JfilWIWJ£ 3;:
34.293513! -9 45")” “C 5.1,? -..; my, -1

 

.wugxngggwwww -'l
@3111Y -3 [’3‘31V -C 63b1_gg 3&3‘)‘ -1,

.zbggw any 1;1;,1.,.,1u1 -v
34;... 531,13! -3 5.513! -E 5,1,1 -9 3345.51 -1

.u3;toi.u_,1¢uzgggmmu,tu.m5;szIggywymmt-A
my,” ....) 531,13! -C 53b1_9 34;, 31,? ..fi

.MIEJU-Lfiylwhiufiupihljda ééfwfiu -\
34;!3‘J‘y -3 Jib‘y -E Jib‘ -9 3.2.!‘33‘3' ..j

.(ngp) .3;1L6L;1,&u5,1¢1591ta¢14m um, (bung,- m; 1,31 L.» -\.
343.33‘3'Y -3 (fibiy -C 3‘31 -9 Sal-L: J‘J‘ -1

.J3 J;o,,h.ansg¥11._,1;y\.1,stvau -\\
3.1.2.3 Jib‘y -5 63‘ny ..C Jibt -9 MJ’D‘J‘ _‘

wk.j}1bvfi¢1¢y4wh¥§lolabjélilnglhgjllQUIJFnlflliiyfwb! -\\'
.Lgfll
34:—33‘)‘y ...) 63")1y -E Jib‘ -5.) 343.! ‘34; ..J

r

173
.1523)!in i}? J J; .‘g-jl, M -\\"

34:-5,1,1? _:o 5.1,“) -C 5.1,? -- an, 39f -i

34.:- 5,31,” -; 5,1,1? -C 331,1 -- 34.2., 5M -1

.11,ny any i}i¢‘d5$3M(g‘j q‘£)éf‘&flfl)fl -\o
34.-Lg “fibiy -J 5.1,“) “C Jib, ...-,0 34.3.3 3'31 .1

19:13.)! am 3“}Qby 4g,” -\1
3.1.1.96”ny -.$ ‘50!ny ’C aim _5.J 3&3‘)‘ -'

..3jibvhu -,—..w¢~.¥ Lfiyuwg syn-w -w
nay,” -3 5,1,1? -E 5.51 -- 34;, 31,1 -i

.oIJCJJfiU-Ifuzfiyl 25131,.5jtb‘3mygzsyfu -\A
Maibfiy -) (’3‘) Y -6 3'31-9 3.1-Lg (9"; -i

.zuggylwm;,¢‘3,,1¢@1&;53v%14mwlauuz-owzglyag -\\
34:-535‘? -; 5.51? '6 5,1,1 -.- 34:-.5331 -1

.Wybfiy‘iim MISSILJsSfiiJngfi J'-
wc’ib1y -) J'obty -6 £3,391 --J 34.1.: J‘J‘ ..t

..jjibMIg‘JJqA-lgdflyifiybbkfiflbfifllhflhmjfllu -x\
3.6.;‘33ljiy ..3 Jib‘y —C (’0‘), -s=J 34:45:91 -1

.QfiJ-QYalelJLQIZ‘g-ybfiyl mm 3.1,; -\’Y
34:-36”.,1Y -9 “fibiy -C é’lb‘ _s..J 3.1.2.3 y‘,‘ -1

£131.21 QMJ-SBJ} *‘F’M (flab-.3 ’1) ‘35.»)! ”W
34:-53!,” _.> 5.1,” -E 5.1,? -..- 34;, 5.1,? -1

.igddliaflngfy-ikibfiylwldgfgy19:14.1)!!3131aljub-ULugfiY 4t
34:-5,31,” -; - 5,31,” -E 5.51 --,. 34:-535‘ -1

174

Wh;.1fi1féy,1¢@1&gb;;YLfiyl 13.111 3.1,; “ta-1,1 fig" ”.11 21,.- og -\'o
.LJM‘YI
10:42., 531,131 -3 5.51? -C—Z 5,1,1 --. s-L, 5,1,1 -1

1.521431551" Ujfgjibfléiflvgufl -fi
“:95.th -: 591,13! -E 531,1 -- 3.1-31,1 -1

.L-.._,lé,\.-:3Ln,il.’¢ls any, 3,,le 2,394)" lam-5&1; b1 9"" -W
wyljfy -) 6313‘y -C 6,31" -g..a 34:-.3131 _1

.44; .131 $3,199 km (191.. 3.1}“gfl12i111flj1bu -\'/\
3&31jty -) 551,131 —C C’sbt --_J 3.1-31,1 -t

.9214)" 2am wgam-gfl 11394))! am .451th 41
3&éib1y -9 J1J1Y -C 8’31" _o...J 3.1-Lg a“)? -1

SAUL, ($94)” c6“ g} 3J1" J?” 32?)“ 32" QM}! (J55 13‘ J‘ “In-$4 343:3)" 2.3.111 1.1045 "V’
.19ny
3.1-5.1,” -; 591,131 'C 5,31,1-- 3.1-5,391-1

.Ji ¢Lfiyi um, 3.1,331 “31,-:1 -r\
3.1;, 5.513! -; 951,131 ’6 5,1,1 -....; 3.1-531,1 -1

.Lfifll am, was! .31 gwggvzfim am .151} -rv
3.1-,5,in ...a 531,131 '6 5.131 -.- ;-:., 5,1,1 -1

.3994)" 3.111 55101-1151 -\'r
hieéibty -.> 31"Y -6 6H" _5...J @3131-1

1..» 36:25:14,311 2.5.111 ‘1. 4':
34:—931,1Y -3 .3131? -E 3‘" -9 34:-9&131 -‘

.2111;me gag-$41.,- -W,1u-1-g;w, -Y'o
3.1;, 591,131 _; 531,151 -6 31,1 -.., 3.1.1, 5.1)1 -1

~1:é?1wg1‘1&3fi.;1151—Y1
meg-1,13! "’ 5")” -E 331:1 -~.» 3.1;, 54,1 -1

O

175

.Lfiyl 1.1111 gag-1:111 F101-1 151 -1'v
Mad-"Y -) (31,1? -C 6!1)1 ..g.) 34.1—3él111-1

5,132,314,311 w1yw)43¢,1,31;,(,1 -\"A
;.1.:.,31,1\J -: 31,1‘1 '6 31,1 -1... 3.1.2., 31,1 -1

.g,1.:.~1,~1,:.,.1,.‘.+11;,§1,§,:1@)11 13111 151*” 3.3:! -\"1
3.1.331,” -; 31,131 -5 31,1 -....1 3.1.3351 -1

.11314'31215111 galeiufian‘l _i°
3.12., 31,1? -: 31,131 -C 31,1 -.,1 ;.1:.., 31,1 _1

$3,231 11111119331116.4343:- 0191.11.13.14)" 51.11313,“ -i\
1J1>J=>-Lb Jg-é LP- C w_hr' “gag-1

:Lfim 21.-.111 3.1,;ng $1,313.,14‘y1wcsfis 41'
wax-L. 71.1,-) 11...,9-5 131.1-..- 1.1?8431-1

'31:.91133393
«113.: j .1111 01.1.11 01,1...“ 4'14,’ 3,11: 6" 1.4L?) y

45.1,.11 4511.11 2,31 m1 1,:1 .12.: 23.11 1.351 21.11 a}... a» 3,1,, 1:51-21'
2:11:11 - : 3.1,:11 _ 6 2,1511 - 4 Cum - 1

:1.,-...1,.11 1.1311111 p1 3111 1.11 171:...- 2=11:11 213;» 25111-2151., 3 3,1,, 131-22
23913-1 .- 3 3.12511 _ C 2,1511 - .3 (13.1511 -1

29,331mucusfigaggwuagwwywyf -zo

CquIQthyJfl -..a .bkei.1,illyt3d11hJ:qu1Y ...1
Crmgggéb‘yjfi-a 'CMY‘QWbJIz‘L'W-C

sgfigudmymfufigwy 2314111141.. -2'1
wwfluald’h1fi1-y 13,»!5,b§11(g.b1,1)1}1-1

.LUB .13-1} djgfl1y§1j1fl1Jlfi1jh ‘Jfl—C

‘

176

4:11.211, c.5141 134...; 3.; 1.: 2.3331 2:111, 2.9.11 2.111 J. 01531241 ,13,,: a”, ,1. .12.: J. _zv
1:11-11:31 .1111, cm; .1; .11 :2 22.141 1.11.1
V ...g 1'” ....1

Y1.d:»1,:J¢L:b;,,i.-c..=1)z=..1,:,_.zi._hl;145354;:311341‘311»&1&2£.J. .2A
31-... ' 1
. 1W-

€231,9112.111:.1;,;'..1L.,1.1.1.1_£1J.,;‘1:r1.u»$11,3¥1 01.2223 -211
Y ....) 1'“ -1

11.2 2.1,: 41...? (21,511 .1113 J 1.1;) 2,-3.1); 2.131 5311 3,1: ,1 ...”: J. .m
' Y -5.) v.3 -.1

19.-.12: 231.431 2.111 3.1,: J .31. ,2. ...-1,: J. _o\

Y-..) $23-1
.1233}:
:erl: 3.1.2.111 b.1331 (.311

12314511131 21; .2. 1.2.1,: 31.31.3311“; 1. -01
35,“ 13:14:91 3.11.111 3‘1)? g3 Mia-1,1 $11 Olga-.111 _

(1
- (Y
(1"
(i

 

 

 

3.1,: Qabyflygfik1fl313133y1 1hé;£é)6f1yly1)1*1fg1flbdh _O\"
:wyujfl 9234312111

(\
(Y
(Y
(i

 

 

 

 

177

131.9%)11163' 1’ ' ’ ' '
913”“! 4M1 "1)6HMJLM&1:‘JSJ~w1-’1fil¢b -0:

(\

 

(Y

 

(1"

 

(i

 

:ouga/gw (1.111

01,3-31 1.1. dr§1J31wg1J1wy _OO

 

 

 

$5533» 3 ~93: 1}“? ‘3‘ $3?

Appendix D

The English Version of the Student Questionnaire

rT d at

Dear student:

The main purpose of this questionnaire is to collect data about the reading
dificulties which you face when reading English as a foreign language and the factors
which could cause these reading difficulties. Your participation in this study is very
important and it will contribute to the understanding and improvement of the Saudi
students' reading of English as a foreign language.

As you complete this questionnaire, please remember that there are NO right or
wrong answers. Your participation in this study will not afl‘ect your grade in this class.
Your answers will be kept confidential.

Thank you for your participation!

Researcher

Naji I. Al-Atfaj
English Department
Michigan State University

Note: Completing the attached questiomaire means that you have consented to
participate in this study

Next page, please

179

180

QUESTIONNAIRE

W

0 Please answer all statements and questions honestly and frankly.
0 Please choose one answer to each statement or question.
0 Do not hesitate to ask about anything not clear for you.

°Dm i 'n

1. Age: years old.

2. Grade in school :

 

3. Does your father speak English?
Yes. No.

4. Does your mother speak English?
Yes. No.

5. Have you ever traveled to a country where its people speak English as their native
language (such as U. S. or U. K)?

Yes. No.

Nat page, please

181

W

Please circle the answer that reflects your opinion about each of the following
statements using this scale:

SA = If you strongly agree with the statement
A = Ifyou agree with the statement
D = If you disagree with the statement
SD = Ifyou strongly disagree with the statement

Engels;
French should be taught at the Saudi public schools.

SA A (D) SD (This means that you disagree with the statement).

 

6. Reading in English is important.
SA A D SD

7. I like to read in English as a foreign language.
SA A D SD

8. It is important to read every word in the English text that I want to read.
SA A D SD

9. Outside of school, I am seldom encouraged to read in English.
SA A D SD

10. When I read English silently, I notice that I move my lips and sound out what I read.
SA A D SD

11. I usually do not read in English unless I have to.
SA A D SD

12. Not knowing the English cultural concepts causes me difliculty in comprehending
what I read.

SA A D SD

13. My father encourages me to read in English.
SA A D SD

14. My mother encourages me to read in English.
SA A D SD

182

15. Members of my family (other than father and mother) encourage me to read in
English.
SA A D SD

16. I face no dificulty in reading English as a foreign language.
SA A D SD

17. I do not like to read in English, because I do not comprehend most of what I read.
SA A D SD

18. Not knowing how to pronounce what I read in English makes me upset.
SA A D SD

19. Facing dificult words when reading English does not afl‘ect my attitude toward
reading.
SA A D SD

20. It is unimportant to be able to read in English.
SA A D SD

21. When reading in English, I feel it takes a lot of time and efl‘ort before I understand

what I read.
SA A D SD

22. Reading English from left to right does not bother me.
SA A D SD

23. My friends (or some of them) encourage me to read books and magazines in English.
SA A D SD

24. I do not feel comfortable when I read in English, because its alphabet is different
from the Arabic alphabet.
SA A D SD

25. The reading comprehension dificulties which I face when reading English do not

negatively afl’ect my reading attitude.
SA A D SD

26. I have no problem in identifying and reading the English symbols (letters).
SA A D SD

27 . The passages and stories in the textbook should relate to our culture and experiences.
SA A D SD

28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.

39.

41.

42.

183

When I read in Arabic silently, I notice that I move my lips.
SA A D SD

I hate reading English due to reasons related to the English teacher.
SA A D SD

Our English teacha' motivates us to do outside free reading in English.
SA A D SD

IfeelthatreadinginEnglishisatediousthing.
SA A D SD

English grammar does not cause me dificulties when reading English.
SA A D SD

I like to learn English.
SA A D SD

Learning English is not important.
SA A D SD

My parents (one or both of them) encourage me to learn English.
SA A D SD

I dislike the idea of learning any foreign language.
SA A D SD

I like to learn a foreign language other than English.
SA A D SD

Ifit were up to me, I would never learn English.
SA A D SD

Passing the final English examination is more important than learning the language.
SA A D SD

. My friends encourage me to learn English.

SA A D SD

As an EFL reader, my reading comprehension of what I read in English is:
Very poor Poor Average Good Excellent

AsanEFLreader, therateofmyreadingspeedis:
Very slow Slow Average Fast Very fast

184
W
Please circle one of the given choices.

43. Which of the following language skills do you think is the most important for EFL
students to learn?

A. Listening B. Writing C. Reading D. Speaking

44. Which of the following language skills do you think is the least important for EFL
students to learn?

A Listening B. Writing C. Reading D. Speaking
45. How much do you read English for enjoyment in your spare time?
A Never C. 1-2 hours a week
B.Lessthan1houraweek D.Morethan2hoursaweek

46 . What is the way which you follow when you read an English text? ,
A. I read (identify) the word letter by letter.
B. I read the text word by word. .
C. I read two words or more at the same time approximately.

47. Do you think that difi‘erences between Arabic and English in terms of cultural
background knowledge could afi'ect your reading in English?
A. Yes. B. No.

48. Does your home private library include non-academic (not required for your study)
English books and magazines that you find yourself interested in reading?

A. Yes. B. No.
49. Do you think that home and fi'iends have an efl‘ect on your attitude toward reading
English as a foreign language?
A. Yes. B. No.
50. Have you studied English (including reading) for academic purposes only?
A Yes. B. No.

51. Do you have dificulties in reading English as a foreign language?

A Yes. B. No.

185

233.111

Section One (Open-ended questions):

52. What are the reading difficulties which you believe you face in reading English in
general?
0 The reading dificulties which I face in reading English are:

l)
2)
3)
4)

53. Are there any other factors (not mentioned in this questionnaire) that, you think,
could cause English reading dificulties for you? Please mention them.

1)
2)

3)
4)

54. What are your suggestions and recommendations for improving the Saudi students'
reading of English as a foreign language?
1)

2)

3)
4)

Section Two (Comments):

55. Please write any comment or opinion about the study.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your time and cooperation!

REFERENCES

References

Abu-Rabia, S. (1993). Attitudes and cultural background and their relationship to
reading comprehension in L2. Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto:
Canada.

Adams, W. R. (1982). Increasing Reading Speed. New York: Macmillan.
Agardy, F. J. (1981 ). How to read faster and better. N. W.: Simon And Schuster.

Al-Ahaydib, M. E. (1986). Teaching English as a foreign language in the schools
of Saudi Arabia. Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas.

Al-Bassam, M. (1987). The relationship of attitudinal and motivational factors to
achievement in Ieaming English as a second language by Saudi Female
students. Dodoral dissertation, University of Florida.

Alderson, J. C. (1984). Reading in a foreign language: A reading problem or ,
language problem? In J. C. Alderson & A H. Urqurhart (Eds), Reading in
a foreign language. London: Longman.

Al-Shammary, E. (1984). A study of motivation in the Ieaming of English as a
foreign language in intermediate and secondary schools in Saudi Arabia.
Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University.

Baker, C. (1992). Attitudes and language. Cievedon, UK Multilingual Matters
LTD.

Barnett, M. A (1989). More than meets the eye: Foreign language learner
reader. Theory and practice. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.

Beattie, J. (1994). Characteristics of students with disabilities and how teachers
can help. In K Wood and B. Algozzine (Eds), Teaching reading to high-
risk Ieamers. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Brown, H. D. (1987). Principles of language Ieaming and teaching. Prentice Hall
Regents: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Brown, J. D. (1988). Understanding research in second language learning.
Cambridge University Press: New York

187

188

Carrell, P. L. (1981 ). Culture-specific schemata in L2 comprehension. In R. Dre
8. J. Haskell (Eds), Selected papers from the ninth lllinois TESOL/BE
annual convention, First Midwest TESOL Conference (pp. 123-132).
Chicago: lL: TESOUBE.

Carrell. P.L. (1984). Schema theory and ESL reading: Classroom implications
and applications. Modern Language Journal, 68, 332-343.

Carrell, P. L.(1987). Content and formal schemata in ESL reading. TESOL
Quarterly, 21 (3), 46-181.

Carrell, P. L. (1992). Awareness of text structure: Effects on recall. Language
Leamlng, 42 (1), 1-19..

Carrell, P. L., Devine, J., 8. Eskey, D. E. (Eds.).(1988). Interactive approaches to
second language reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Carrell, P. L. 81 Eisterhold, J. C.(1988). Schema theory and ESL reading
pedagogy. in the previous reference.

Carver, R. P. (1990). Reading rate: A review of research and theory. San Diego:
Academic Press, Inc.

Coady. J. (1979). A psycho-linguistic model of the ESL reader. In R. Mackay, B.
Barkman, 8. R. R. Jordan (Eds), Reading in a second language:
Hypotheses, organization, and practice. Rowley, MA' Newbury House.

Corcos, E. and Wlllows, D. (1993). The processing of orthographic information.
In D. Wlllows, R. Kruk, and E. Corcos(Eds.),V1sual processes in reading
and reading disabilities (pp. 163-190). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.

Dhafar. T. (1986). A survey of the English language supervisors’ and teachers’
perceptions of the English language curriculum in the secondary schools
of Saudi Arabia. Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University.

Ekwall, E. E. (1981 ).Locating and correcting reading difficulties. Columbus: Bell
and Howell Company.

Fink, D. D. Tate J. T. and Rose M. D. (1982). Speed reading. New York: John
erey 3 Sons, inc.

189

Floyd, P. 81 Carrell, P. L. (1987). Effects on ESL reading of teaching cultural
content schemata. Language Leamlng, 37 (1 ), 89-108.

Fuentes, Carlos (1988). Aura. English and Spanish Story (translated) New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.

Gardner, R. and Lambert, W. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second
language learning. Rowlem Newbury House.

Gass, S. 81 Selinker, L. (1983). Language transfer in language Ieaming. Rowley,
MA: Newbury House Publishers.

Grabe, W. (1991 ). Current developments in second language reading research.
TESOL Quarterly, 25 (3), 375-406.

Hancock, C. (1972). Student aptitude, attitude, and motivation. in D. Lange and
C. James (Eds), Foreign language education: A reappraisal. Skokie:
National Textbook Company.

Hansen, H. (1969). The impact of the home literacy environment on reading
attitudes. Elementary English, 46.

Hansen, M. (1981 ). Attitudes, motivation, and achievement in English as a
second language. Doctoral dissertation, The State University of New
Jersey.

Haynes, M. (1989). individual differences in Chinese readers of English:
Orthography and reading. Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State
University.

Haynes, M. 81 Carr, T. H. (1990). Writing system background and. second
language reading: A component skills analysis of English reading by
native speaker-readers of Chinese. in Reading and its development:
Component skills approaches . Academic Press, Inc.

Henderson, R .T. (1984). Basic perceptual and cognitive process employed by
Arabic-speaking students in the development of reading skills in English
as a second language. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Hubbard, L. (1975). Aptitude, attitude, and sensitivity. Foreign Language Annals,
8, p. 35. -

Jan, M. (1984). An investigation of the problem of the English program in the
intermediate boy's schools of Saudi Arabia. Doctoral dissertation,
Michigan State University.

190

Johnson, P. (1981). Effects on reading comprehension of building background
knowledge. TESOL quarterly, 15 (2), 169-181.

Johnson, P. (1982). Effects on reading comprehension of language complexity
and cultural background of text. TESOL Quarterly, 16 (4), 503-516.

Just, M. A 81 Carpenter. PA (1987). The psychology of reading and language.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kern, R. G. (1988). The role of comprehension strategies in foreign language
reading. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.

Kitao, K S. (1989). Reading, schema theory, and second language Ieamers.
Tokyo: Eichosha Shinsha.

Koda, K (1990). The use of L1 reading strategies in L2 reading: Effects of L1
orthographic structures on L2 phonological recording strategies.
Cambridge University Press. SSLA, 12, 393-410.

Krashen, S. (1993). The power of reading: insights from the research.
Englewood, Colo. : Libraries Unlimited.

Lampert, K and Saunders, E. (1976). “Readers and non-readers: What is the
difference? English Journal, 65.

Larsen-Freeman, D. and Long, M. (1991). An introduction to second language
acquisition research. New York: Longman.

LeSourd, S. (1988). Using an advance organizer to set the schema for a
multicultural lesson. Journal of Reading, 32 (1), 12-18.

Littlewood, W. (1984). Foreign and second language Ieaming: Language
acquisition research and its implications for the classroom. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

Malik, A (1990). A psycholinguistic analysis of the reading behavior of EFL
proficient readers using culturally familiar and culturally nonfamiliar
expository texts. American Educational Research Journal, 27 (1 ), 205-
223.

Meara, P. (1984). Word recognition in foreign languages. In A. K Pugh and J.
M. Ulijn (Eds), Reading for professional purposes: Studies and practices
in native foreign languages. London: Heinemann.

191

Nelson, G. L. (1987). Culture's role in reading comprehension: A schema
theoretical approach. Journal of Reading, 30(5), 424429.

Ozkut, l. (1991). The nature of motivational factors related to achievement of
English as a foreign language in Turkey. Doctoral dissertation, University
of Ottawa: Canada.

Pollatsek, A and et. al. (1981). Asymmetries in the perceptual span for Israeli
readers. Brian and Language, 14, 174-180.

Potter, M. C. (1984). Rapid serial visual presentation: A method for studying
language processing. in D. E. Kieras, and M. A Just (Eds), New methods
in reading comprehension research. Hillsade, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.

Prabhu, N. s. (1990). There is no best method -Why? TESOL Quarterly, 24 (3),
161-76.

Ramage, K (1990). Motivational factors and persistence in foreign language
study. Language Learning 40 (2), 189-219.

Rukspollmuang, C. (1980). A study of attitudes of faculty-of-education students
in selected Thai Universities toward the teaching profession. Doctoral
dissertation, Michigan State University.

Seville-Troika, M. (1979). Reading and audiolingual method. In R. Mackay, B.
Barkman, 81 R. R. Jordan (Eds), Reading in a second language:
Hypotheses, organization, and practice. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Scarcella, R. C. 81 Oxford, R. L. (1992). The tapestry of language Ieaming: The
individual in the communicative classroom. Boston, MA, Hillsade, New
Jersey. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Smith, F. (1988). Understanding reading. Hillsade, New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.

Stanovich, K E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of
individual differences in the acquisition of literary. Reading Research
Quarterly, 19, 3, 278-303.

Steffensen, M. 8., Joag-Dev,C. 81 Anderson, R. C.(1979). A cross-cultural
perspective on reading comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 15,
10-29.

192

Steltenkamp, C. (1992). Habits, attitudes, and experiences: A study of secondary
students' reading. Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University.

Surur, R. (1981). Survey of students’, teachers’, and administrators’ attitudes
toward English as a foreign language in the Saudi Arabian public schools.
Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas.

Taylor, B. and Hiebert, E. (1994). Early literacy interventions: Aims and issues.
In E. Hiebert and B. Taylor, Getting reading right from the start. Boston:
Allyan and Bacon.

Thames, D. and Reeves, C. (1994). Poor readers” attitudes. Reading Research
and Instruction, 33, 4, 293-308.

Vellutino, F. and Scanlon, D. (1987). Phonological coding, phonological
awareness, and reading ability. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 33, 3, 321 -63.
(ERIC).

Weaver, C. (1988). Reading process and practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Educational Books.

\Mlson, P. T. 8. R. C. Anderson. (1986). What they don't know will hurt them:
The role of prior knowledge in comprehension. In J. Orasanu (Ed),
Reading comprehension: From research to practice. Hillsade, New
Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Yochum, N. and Miller, S. (1993). Parents”, teachers’, and children’s views of
reading difficulties. Reading Research and Instruction, 33, 1, 59-71.

Zaid, M. (1993). Comprehensive analysis of the current system of teaching
English as a foreign language in the Saudi Arabian intermediate schools.
Doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder.

     
 

      

   

RI

lllilglljllgllllillll

ii

3129