Zilal Meccawy

While several studies in L2 deal with motivation in English language learning, demotivation has recently become the focus of much research. Following Sakai and Kikuchi's (2009) theoretical framework, this study aims to investigate the demotivation factors that affect Saudi students learning English in the Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) at a Saudi university. The data were collected from a random sample of 221 university students from the Arts Track (103) and the Science Track (118). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a questionnaire with two open-ended questions and analysed using SPSS and content analysis. The results revealed that the main demotivating factor that affects both tracks is 'experience of failure and test score'. In addition, there was no significant difference between the students on the Arts Track and the Science Track pertinent to factors such as: 'experiences of failure and test scores', 'class environment', and 'learning content and materials.' However, there was a significant difference between the two tracks related to 'teachers' competence and teaching styles', 'characteristics of the classroom' and students' 'lack of interest' factors. The study's findings may have broader implications because they suggest that teachers can significantly impact students' intrinsic motivation as they can motivate low-performing students and those who have failed. It also suggests that teachers should dissuade students from comparing themselves to their classmates, avoid making comparisons among students, and use more communicative language teaching methods. Saudi pre-service and in-service EFL instructors should be better prepared to identify the primary sources of their students' demotivation and provide solutions to improve the learning environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted most sectors on a global scale. In most places around the world, education has transitioned to a fully online mode. During the pandemic, online learning was the most appropriate alternative for continuing education, particularly at the tertiary level, though this transition was not without inherited challenges. A mixed-methods study investigated English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' and students' attitudes towards and beliefs surrounding the use of online corrective feedback on Blackboard, with a qualitative component designed to explore the challenges. The aim of this part of the study was to determine the challenges faced by EFL teachers and learners when using Blackboard (LMS) to provide and receive online corrective feedback on writing assignments. Responses to an open-ended question in a survey-based questionnaire of 130 EFL teachers and 219 EFL learners in a Saudi university's Preparatory Year Program (PYP) were analyzed using thematic analysis, the data from which revealed that the main obstacles for EFL instructors and learners were related to language proficiency, technical and communication challenges, and the amount of time and effort required. This study also found that another challenge was the disparity between teachers and students regarding perceptions of Online Corrective Feedback (OCF), which must be taken into consideration in order to make online learning effective in improving EFL students' writing skills in an EFL context.

Many studies in the literature have shown that virtual reality (VR) applications will be one of the most sought-after tools in foreign language learning. This is due to VR's capability to keep learners engaged, motivated, and prepared with better communication skills in simulated virtual environments. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing rules, it became more difficult to use and practice newly learned language speaking skills with others in-person. This paper proposes a social VR mobile application called Language SVR which presents a set of various VR environments that simulate real-life situations to learn and practice the English language. The mobile application aims to improve English speaking skills by offering a private session with a native/ fluent speaker tutor or a community of learners to practice speaking. It combines the benefits of mobile learning, social learning, and VR. Initial usability testing showed positive results. Several researchers explored the affordances of VR technology, and several existing industrial solutions lack the implementation of the Social VR concept for English language learning and practicing. This study fills the gap by introducing a practical and tested solution. It will contribute to the body of knowledge by defining the most sought-after skill by English learners, the emerging technology to satisfy the needs of language learners of this skill, and the required features needed in a social mobile VR application that address the difficulties faced by the English language learners. This paper found that applying VR technologies could contribute positively to language learning and improving learners speaking skills.

Students need to monitor their progress constantly to improve their performance, and with large classes at university level education, both online and offline, most instructors are not able to provide individual students with progress reports other than separate assignments or exam results. Some e-learning systems track students progress; however, these traditional personalized e-learning systems hide students data; thus, students are not provided with the full picture of their progress and are unable to position themselves among their peers. This research aims to introduce a way to track English language learners progress through an interactive gamified social visualization tool in the form of a car race game without jeopardising student privacy or hiding crucial progress information. The results of this study showed that social comparison of students progress and the gamification aspects of the tool made students more engaged and motivated to win the race, which affected their academic performance positively.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020 had global impacts, including on universities. As a preventive measure to halt the spread of the virus, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) closed all its higher education institutions in March 2020 and imposed a nationwide curfew. This substantially affected teaching activities, which were primarily still being conducted face-to-face. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the readiness of Saudi higher education, as exemplified by King Abdulaziz University, to shift to online learning and explores the challenges experienced by students and teachers during the process. Specifically, it examines the main factors influencing the usage of the e-learning system and the challenges facing its implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the e-learning readiness assessment framework to assess the readiness of the university for e-learning in the crisis. To this end, the study conducted a survey of 547 students and 213 teachers at King Abdulaziz University to examine their perspectives on various aspects of e-learning. The findings highlight the importance of certain dimensions of e-learning readiness in relation to students, staff, and infrastructure, including acceptance of e-learning, technical skills, and the right cultural mindset, in the event of a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper presents a cross-sectional study that demonstrates how King Abdulaziz University has responded to the lockdown imposed by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students and faculty towards assessment that had to take place online due to physical or social distancing rules and lockdowns. A descriptive mixed-method study was conducted with two different self-administered questionnaires that were developed for students and faculty, respectively. A total of 547 responses were received from undergraduate students and 213 from faculty. The main finding suggests the need for a multilevel approach to the problems of cheating and plagiarism, including raising student awareness and ethics, training teachers to detect cheating methods, and institutions activating their code of practice and applying severe sanctions on those who engage in such practices.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, assessment and testing processes have been shifted to an online environment. Therefore, this unexpected shift requires more recent research in the field of online assessment. Based on this requirement, the present research aimed to explore female EFL students' perceptions of an online English achievement exam by focusing on these dimensions: availability and accessibility, instructions, and mode of delivery. The participants were preparatory year students at the English Language Institute (ELI) at the University of Jeddah. To serve the research aim, the research used a mixed-methods approach. Students (n =49) participated in the quantitative phase by answering an online survey and 2 students were interviewed in the qualitative phase. The quantitative data revealed that the students had a positive perception of the online exam availability, accessibility, instruction, and mode of delivery. More particularly, the qualitative data explained that the clear online exam instructions and suitable mode of delivery have significantly improved these positive perceptions.