Saudi ESP Students' Attitudes Towards the Learning of English Language: An investigative study

This study used a mixed-methods research design to investigate Saudi PYP students’ attitudes toward English language learning. The mixed approach can help one gain a more complete picture of the learners’ attitudes. A sample of 57 students was drawn from the Saudi PYP learners for this research with ages ranging from 18 to 21 years. All participants were students of the PYP in the College of Applied Health Sciences, Qassim University. Furthermore, 25 of them were also interviewed based on voluntary participation. The PYP courses emphasize helping students develop basic English language knowledge and skills. The participants were registered in the second level of the PYP and assigned to the health track. <br> Twenty-five interviews were conducted to verify the information sought from the students on different opinions of the underlying reasons and attitudes toward the English language and the factors influencing their attitudes. Using semi-structured questions, the interview prompted participants to expound more on their answers and reasons to the questions. <br> The collected data were classified and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. SPSS version 22 software was used to analyze the responses of the participants and provide descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, percentage) for this study. In addition to quantifying the statistical data of the study, information drawn from the qualitative analysis was used to qualify the numbers drawn from the descriptive statistics.