Ahmed Abdulateef Sabti is a PhD holder in English Language Studies obtained from the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia. His master degree (master of Arts in English Language Studies) was obtained from the National University of Malaysia, in 2013. He is currently a senior lecturer in Al-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq. His research interests are in Applied Linguistics, English Language Studies, and EFL/ESL Writing.
This study aimed to examine the levels of the three factors of writing anxiety (somatic, avoidanc... more This study aimed to examine the levels of the three factors of writing anxiety (somatic, avoidance behavior, and cognitive) and to identify which factor causes more writing anxiety to Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) students. Quantitative approach was used in this research on 100 Iraqi postgraduate students at the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia). The sample included 50 male students and 50 female students aged between 20 and 40 years old. One instrument was used for data collection; the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory developed by Cheng (2004). The results of the study revealed that Iraqi EFL students are influenced by all the three aforementioned factors, but the somatic and cognitive anxiety factors have less impact on Iraqi students compared to the avoidance behavior anxiety factor which had higher impact. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a significant difference between male and female students regarding writing anxiety, in which female students' experienced greater amount of anxiety than male students. This indicates that the effect of anxiety on the attitudes of female students occurred more greatly than male students. The avoidance behavior factor was the most influence on female participants compared to the other two factors, namely, somatic and cognitive which had less influence. This indicates that Iraqi EFL students have a tendency to avoid the situations that require writing. This study recommends that Iraqi EFL students need to enhance their self-confidence to decrease their anxiety generally and avoidance behavior anxiety in particular.
The current paper seeks to investigate how gender influences the use of requests among University... more The current paper seeks to investigate how gender influences the use of requests among University students. The paper's aim is to examine the use of requests by Iraqi male-female undergraduate students of English in the academic setting. A written Discourse Completion Task questionnaire was used to gather data from 20 male and 20 female undergraduate students of English identified via random sampling. Schuaer's (2009) taxonomy was employed to analyse data. The findings indicated that females used more conventionally indirect requests than males in the academic setting. In this regard, they would inform English language instructors on teaching the most appropriate strategies of polite requests in the academic discourse.
This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across... more This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across different proficiency levels. It aims to examine the most appropriate strategies used by 2nd year students of English as compared to those of 4th year when refusing their interlocutors' invitation, suggestion, and offer. WDCT questionnaire was used to collect data from 40 Iraqi undergraduate students of English: 20 2nd year and 20 4th year. Adopting Beebe et al.'s (1990) theory of refusal, data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the 2nd year students of English were more frequent in using direct refusals than their 4th year counterparts. This means the latter were more aware of using refusals politely than the former. On the other hand, the findings showed that 4th year students more frequent in their use of indirect refusal strategies that the 2nd year students. This indicates that the EFL learners of low proficiency level might not bridge the gap between the pragmalinguistic strategies and the grammatical form of the target language. This means that they were not pragmatically competent of the use of the appropriate pragmalinguistic strategies. This implies that the 2nd year students need to pay more attention to pragmatics and use their refusal strategies appropriately. Thus, the paper recommends conducting further research on the use of refusal speech act in Arabic and English.
Translators of the Holy Quran confront many quandaries in their attempt to transfer the Qur’anic ... more Translators of the Holy Quran confront many quandaries in their attempt to transfer the Qur’anic verses from Arabic into English. One of these quandaries is how to rhetorically communicate the intended meanings (implicatures) of the prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an. The translation of Arabic prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an as a source text (ST) may lead, in some Qur’anic verses, to a rhetorical loss in communicating their implicature in the target text (TT). That implicature or implicitly communicated meaning other than the explicature is the one intended to be expressed and required to be faithfully translated. In rendering the preposition into the target language (TL), translators bring into home only the explicitly stated meaning unaware of the implicitly stated meaning created as a result of the application of this specific rhetorical device. This study investigates the problem of the rhetorical loss encountered in the translation of prepositional phrases of the Qur’anic verses and identifies the cause of this problem. It also attempts to suggest a mechanism that is, to some extent, helpful and insightful in coping with the difficulties of translating Arabic prepositional phrases in Qur’anic verses. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative content analysis of the Qur’anic verses and their English translations that are relevant to the focus of the research. The source of failure of the English translations of the verses in conveying the rhetorical meanings of prepositional phrases has been identified in terms of the Relevance Theory and the distinction between explicature and implicature of these phrases. The study concludes that meaning equivalence in translation requires translators to be aware of not only the explicitly stated meanings of prepositions but the implicitly communicated ones as well which are recoverable through referring to Arabic heritage resources and interpretation books dedicated to exploring the rhetorical purposes of prepositions alternation in Qur’anic verses. The results of the analysis and the new suggested mechanism have been verified by an Arabic language and Qur’anic sciences expert who is a proficient speaker of English as well.
Previous studies have examined learner factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement mo... more Previous studies have examined learner factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation in ESL/EFL (English as a second language/English as a foreign language) writing. Studies have affirmed that self-efficacy and achievement motivation could enhance writing performance, whereas anxiety may hinder writing achievement. This study aimed to examine individual differences in Iraqi EFL learners’ writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement motivation in the Iraqi EFL context. A quantitative approach, specifically the correlational design, was employed to examine the abovementioned relationships. The sample of the study comprised 100 Iraqi undergraduate students majoring in English language from two Iraqi public universities. Data were collected via four instruments: three questionnaires, namely, Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), and one descriptive writing task. The findings of this study discovered that the higher the writing anxiety level, the poorer the writing performance, whereas the higher the writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation level, the better the writing performance. The findings of this study also indicated that both writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety, and writing anxiety and writing achievement motivation were negatively correlated, whereas writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation were significantly and positively correlated. This study suggests that these factors need to be taken into consideration in EFL writing instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process of EFL writing, which in turn would help enhance the EFL undergraduates’ writing ability.
majority of the Iraqi students are inclined to code-switch to English language in smaller parts w... more majority of the Iraqi students are inclined to code-switch to English language in smaller parts within the word boundary. The analysis of the interview data disclosed three motivations for the application of code-switching, namely linguistic, technological, and political factors. ABSTRACT Code-switching is described as the shifting that occurs between two or more languages concurrently within one conversation. This study aims to examine the application of code-switching between Informal Iraqi Dialect (IID) and English language among Iraqi Arab speakers of English via one of the smartphone applications, namely WhatsApp Messenger (WM). The study also seeks to recognize the types of code switching and motivations among Iraqi students of English for switching from IID into English language. This research adopted a qualitative approach, which involved Fifty (50) typed conversations of twenty (20) Iraqi postgraduate students studying at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Data were collected via two instruments, dubbed WM application to gather the typed conversations and semi-structured interviews. The results obtained from the WM application indicated that the most predominant type of code-switching (CS) used by the participants was intra-sentential CS, especially the intra-lexical code-switching. The findings suggest that the
This study aimed to examine the relationships between facilitating writing anxiety (FWA), debilit... more This study aimed to examine the relationships between facilitating writing anxiety (FWA), debilitating writing anxiety (DWA), mastery-approach goal (MAG), performance-approach goal (APPG) and performance-avoidance goal (AVOG). In total, 300 Iraqi undergraduate students participated in the study. A quantitative approach was applied in particular correlational design. Two questionnaires were utilized for data collection: The Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ). The results of the study indicated that some students showed a high rate of debilitating anxiety, which led them to pursue performance-avoidance goal. Yet, the two factors of performance-avoidance goal and debilitating writing anxiety were negatively associated with the set of the three factors: mastery-approach goal, performance-approach goal and facilitating writing anxiety. Conversely, there were positive relationships between mastery-approach goal, performance-approach goal and facilitating writing anxiety. In the light of these findings, this study proposes that EFL learners need to consider the affective factors of debilitating anxiety and performance avoidance goal that are likely to undermine their confidence and motivation which may lead them to a maladaptive behavior.
Over the past two decades Investigation of foreign language anxiety generally has progressively c... more Over the past two decades Investigation of foreign language anxiety generally has progressively caught the attention of numerous investigators in the area of foreign language. Yet, anxiety variable that affects the students' acquisition of particular language skills for instance, reading specifically have actually seldom been investigated in the context of EFL Arab learners in particular with Iraqi students. So, the study aimed to investigate the influence of anxiety variable towards reading comprehension of Iraqi high school learners. This study also sought to examine the gender differences towards reading language anxiety. Quantitative approach was applied in this research, which involved 20 Iraqi students of a high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 10 males and 10 females with ages between 16 years and 18 years. This study made use of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS). The results of the study showed that both male and female participants had a high level of anxiety towards the reading comprehension. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that gender played a slight role in the results of the study. Female students showed a slightly higher level of anxiety towards the reading comprehension than their male counterparts. Iraqi learners need to be exposed to the four skills of English language generally and the reading skill in particular. This exposure makes the learners aware of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) that need to be acquired and also to decrease the rate of anxiety variable in addition to its influence on their performance.
This study examines the attitudes of Saudi Arabian high school students toward the use of compute... more This study examines the attitudes of Saudi Arabian high school students toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. The study also discusses the possible barriers that affect and limit the actual usage of computers. Quantitative approach is applied in this research, which involved 30 Saudi Arabia students of a high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 15 males and 15 females with ages between 16 years and 18 years. Two instruments, namely, Scale of Attitude toward Computer Technologies (SACT) and Barriers affecting Students’ Attitudes and Use (BSAU) were used to collect data. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989) was utilized. The analysis of the study revealed gender differences in attitudes toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. Female students showed high and positive attitudes towards the use of computer technologies in learning English than males. Both male and female participants demonstrated high and positive perception of Usefulness and perceived Ease of Use of computer technologies in learning English. Three barriers that affected and limited the use of computer technologies in learning English were identified by the participants. These barriers are skill, equipment, and motivation. Among these barriers, skill had the highest effect, whereas motivation showed the least effect.
This study aimed to examine the levels of the three factors of writing anxiety (somatic, avoidanc... more This study aimed to examine the levels of the three factors of writing anxiety (somatic, avoidance behavior, and cognitive) and to identify which factor causes more writing anxiety to Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) students. Quantitative approach was used in this research on 100 Iraqi postgraduate students at the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia). The sample included 50 male students and 50 female students aged between 20 and 40 years old. One instrument was used for data collection; the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory developed by Cheng (2004). The results of the study revealed that Iraqi EFL students are influenced by all the three aforementioned factors, but the somatic and cognitive anxiety factors have less impact on Iraqi students compared to the avoidance behavior anxiety factor which had higher impact. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a significant difference between male and female students regarding writing anxiety, in which female students' experienced greater amount of anxiety than male students. This indicates that the effect of anxiety on the attitudes of female students occurred more greatly than male students. The avoidance behavior factor was the most influence on female participants compared to the other two factors, namely, somatic and cognitive which had less influence. This indicates that Iraqi EFL students have a tendency to avoid the situations that require writing. This study recommends that Iraqi EFL students need to enhance their self-confidence to decrease their anxiety generally and avoidance behavior anxiety in particular.
The current paper seeks to investigate how gender influences the use of requests among University... more The current paper seeks to investigate how gender influences the use of requests among University students. The paper's aim is to examine the use of requests by Iraqi male-female undergraduate students of English in the academic setting. A written Discourse Completion Task questionnaire was used to gather data from 20 male and 20 female undergraduate students of English identified via random sampling. Schuaer's (2009) taxonomy was employed to analyse data. The findings indicated that females used more conventionally indirect requests than males in the academic setting. In this regard, they would inform English language instructors on teaching the most appropriate strategies of polite requests in the academic discourse.
This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across... more This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across different proficiency levels. It aims to examine the most appropriate strategies used by 2nd year students of English as compared to those of 4th year when refusing their interlocutors' invitation, suggestion, and offer. WDCT questionnaire was used to collect data from 40 Iraqi undergraduate students of English: 20 2nd year and 20 4th year. Adopting Beebe et al.'s (1990) theory of refusal, data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the 2nd year students of English were more frequent in using direct refusals than their 4th year counterparts. This means the latter were more aware of using refusals politely than the former. On the other hand, the findings showed that 4th year students more frequent in their use of indirect refusal strategies that the 2nd year students. This indicates that the EFL learners of low proficiency level might not bridge the gap between the pragmalinguistic strategies and the grammatical form of the target language. This means that they were not pragmatically competent of the use of the appropriate pragmalinguistic strategies. This implies that the 2nd year students need to pay more attention to pragmatics and use their refusal strategies appropriately. Thus, the paper recommends conducting further research on the use of refusal speech act in Arabic and English.
Translators of the Holy Quran confront many quandaries in their attempt to transfer the Qur’anic ... more Translators of the Holy Quran confront many quandaries in their attempt to transfer the Qur’anic verses from Arabic into English. One of these quandaries is how to rhetorically communicate the intended meanings (implicatures) of the prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an. The translation of Arabic prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an as a source text (ST) may lead, in some Qur’anic verses, to a rhetorical loss in communicating their implicature in the target text (TT). That implicature or implicitly communicated meaning other than the explicature is the one intended to be expressed and required to be faithfully translated. In rendering the preposition into the target language (TL), translators bring into home only the explicitly stated meaning unaware of the implicitly stated meaning created as a result of the application of this specific rhetorical device. This study investigates the problem of the rhetorical loss encountered in the translation of prepositional phrases of the Qur’anic verses and identifies the cause of this problem. It also attempts to suggest a mechanism that is, to some extent, helpful and insightful in coping with the difficulties of translating Arabic prepositional phrases in Qur’anic verses. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative content analysis of the Qur’anic verses and their English translations that are relevant to the focus of the research. The source of failure of the English translations of the verses in conveying the rhetorical meanings of prepositional phrases has been identified in terms of the Relevance Theory and the distinction between explicature and implicature of these phrases. The study concludes that meaning equivalence in translation requires translators to be aware of not only the explicitly stated meanings of prepositions but the implicitly communicated ones as well which are recoverable through referring to Arabic heritage resources and interpretation books dedicated to exploring the rhetorical purposes of prepositions alternation in Qur’anic verses. The results of the analysis and the new suggested mechanism have been verified by an Arabic language and Qur’anic sciences expert who is a proficient speaker of English as well.
Previous studies have examined learner factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement mo... more Previous studies have examined learner factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation in ESL/EFL (English as a second language/English as a foreign language) writing. Studies have affirmed that self-efficacy and achievement motivation could enhance writing performance, whereas anxiety may hinder writing achievement. This study aimed to examine individual differences in Iraqi EFL learners’ writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement motivation in the Iraqi EFL context. A quantitative approach, specifically the correlational design, was employed to examine the abovementioned relationships. The sample of the study comprised 100 Iraqi undergraduate students majoring in English language from two Iraqi public universities. Data were collected via four instruments: three questionnaires, namely, Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), and one descriptive writing task. The findings of this study discovered that the higher the writing anxiety level, the poorer the writing performance, whereas the higher the writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation level, the better the writing performance. The findings of this study also indicated that both writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety, and writing anxiety and writing achievement motivation were negatively correlated, whereas writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation were significantly and positively correlated. This study suggests that these factors need to be taken into consideration in EFL writing instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process of EFL writing, which in turn would help enhance the EFL undergraduates’ writing ability.
majority of the Iraqi students are inclined to code-switch to English language in smaller parts w... more majority of the Iraqi students are inclined to code-switch to English language in smaller parts within the word boundary. The analysis of the interview data disclosed three motivations for the application of code-switching, namely linguistic, technological, and political factors. ABSTRACT Code-switching is described as the shifting that occurs between two or more languages concurrently within one conversation. This study aims to examine the application of code-switching between Informal Iraqi Dialect (IID) and English language among Iraqi Arab speakers of English via one of the smartphone applications, namely WhatsApp Messenger (WM). The study also seeks to recognize the types of code switching and motivations among Iraqi students of English for switching from IID into English language. This research adopted a qualitative approach, which involved Fifty (50) typed conversations of twenty (20) Iraqi postgraduate students studying at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Data were collected via two instruments, dubbed WM application to gather the typed conversations and semi-structured interviews. The results obtained from the WM application indicated that the most predominant type of code-switching (CS) used by the participants was intra-sentential CS, especially the intra-lexical code-switching. The findings suggest that the
This study aimed to examine the relationships between facilitating writing anxiety (FWA), debilit... more This study aimed to examine the relationships between facilitating writing anxiety (FWA), debilitating writing anxiety (DWA), mastery-approach goal (MAG), performance-approach goal (APPG) and performance-avoidance goal (AVOG). In total, 300 Iraqi undergraduate students participated in the study. A quantitative approach was applied in particular correlational design. Two questionnaires were utilized for data collection: The Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ). The results of the study indicated that some students showed a high rate of debilitating anxiety, which led them to pursue performance-avoidance goal. Yet, the two factors of performance-avoidance goal and debilitating writing anxiety were negatively associated with the set of the three factors: mastery-approach goal, performance-approach goal and facilitating writing anxiety. Conversely, there were positive relationships between mastery-approach goal, performance-approach goal and facilitating writing anxiety. In the light of these findings, this study proposes that EFL learners need to consider the affective factors of debilitating anxiety and performance avoidance goal that are likely to undermine their confidence and motivation which may lead them to a maladaptive behavior.
Over the past two decades Investigation of foreign language anxiety generally has progressively c... more Over the past two decades Investigation of foreign language anxiety generally has progressively caught the attention of numerous investigators in the area of foreign language. Yet, anxiety variable that affects the students' acquisition of particular language skills for instance, reading specifically have actually seldom been investigated in the context of EFL Arab learners in particular with Iraqi students. So, the study aimed to investigate the influence of anxiety variable towards reading comprehension of Iraqi high school learners. This study also sought to examine the gender differences towards reading language anxiety. Quantitative approach was applied in this research, which involved 20 Iraqi students of a high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 10 males and 10 females with ages between 16 years and 18 years. This study made use of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS). The results of the study showed that both male and female participants had a high level of anxiety towards the reading comprehension. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that gender played a slight role in the results of the study. Female students showed a slightly higher level of anxiety towards the reading comprehension than their male counterparts. Iraqi learners need to be exposed to the four skills of English language generally and the reading skill in particular. This exposure makes the learners aware of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) that need to be acquired and also to decrease the rate of anxiety variable in addition to its influence on their performance.
This study examines the attitudes of Saudi Arabian high school students toward the use of compute... more This study examines the attitudes of Saudi Arabian high school students toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. The study also discusses the possible barriers that affect and limit the actual usage of computers. Quantitative approach is applied in this research, which involved 30 Saudi Arabia students of a high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 15 males and 15 females with ages between 16 years and 18 years. Two instruments, namely, Scale of Attitude toward Computer Technologies (SACT) and Barriers affecting Students’ Attitudes and Use (BSAU) were used to collect data. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989) was utilized. The analysis of the study revealed gender differences in attitudes toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. Female students showed high and positive attitudes towards the use of computer technologies in learning English than males. Both male and female participants demonstrated high and positive perception of Usefulness and perceived Ease of Use of computer technologies in learning English. Three barriers that affected and limited the use of computer technologies in learning English were identified by the participants. These barriers are skill, equipment, and motivation. Among these barriers, skill had the highest effect, whereas motivation showed the least effect.
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Papers by Ahmed A B D U L A T E E F Sabti
into English. One of these quandaries is how to rhetorically communicate the intended meanings (implicatures) of the
prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an. The translation of Arabic prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an as a source text
(ST) may lead, in some Qur’anic verses, to a rhetorical loss in communicating their implicature in the target text (TT). That
implicature or implicitly communicated meaning other than the explicature is the one intended to be expressed and required
to be faithfully translated. In rendering the preposition into the target language (TL), translators bring into home only the
explicitly stated meaning unaware of the implicitly stated meaning created as a result of the application of this specific
rhetorical device. This study investigates the problem of the rhetorical loss encountered in the translation of prepositional
phrases of the Qur’anic verses and identifies the cause of this problem. It also attempts to suggest a mechanism that is,
to some extent, helpful and insightful in coping with the difficulties of translating Arabic prepositional phrases in Qur’anic
verses. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative content analysis of the Qur’anic verses and their English translations
that are relevant to the focus of the research. The source of failure of the English translations of the verses in conveying
the rhetorical meanings of prepositional phrases has been identified in terms of the Relevance Theory and the distinction
between explicature and implicature of these phrases. The study concludes that meaning equivalence in translation requires
translators to be aware of not only the explicitly stated meanings of prepositions but the implicitly communicated ones as
well which are recoverable through referring to Arabic heritage resources and interpretation books dedicated to exploring
the rhetorical purposes of prepositions alternation in Qur’anic verses. The results of the analysis and the new suggested
mechanism have been verified by an Arabic language and Qur’anic sciences expert who is a proficient speaker of English as
well.
as a second language/English as a foreign language) writing. Studies have affirmed that self-efficacy and achievement motivation
could enhance writing performance, whereas anxiety may hinder writing achievement. This study aimed to examine individual
differences in Iraqi EFL learners’ writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement motivation in the Iraqi EFL
context. A quantitative approach, specifically the correlational design, was employed to examine the abovementioned
relationships. The sample of the study comprised 100 Iraqi undergraduate students majoring in English language from two
Iraqi public universities. Data were collected via four instruments: three questionnaires, namely, Second Language Writing
Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), and one
descriptive writing task. The findings of this study discovered that the higher the writing anxiety level, the poorer the writing
performance, whereas the higher the writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation level, the better the writing
performance. The findings of this study also indicated that both writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety, and writing anxiety and
writing achievement motivation were negatively correlated, whereas writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation
were significantly and positively correlated. This study suggests that these factors need to be taken into consideration in EFL
writing instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process of EFL writing, which in turn would help enhance the EFL
undergraduates’ writing ability.
in learning English. The study also discusses the possible barriers that affect and limit the actual usage of
computers. Quantitative approach is applied in this research, which involved 30 Saudi Arabia students of a high
school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 15 males and 15 females with ages between
16 years and 18 years. Two instruments, namely, Scale of Attitude toward Computer Technologies (SACT) and
Barriers affecting Students’ Attitudes and Use (BSAU) were used to collect data. The Technology Acceptance Model
(TAM) of Davis (1989) was utilized. The analysis of the study revealed gender differences in attitudes toward the use
of computer technologies in learning English. Female students showed high and positive attitudes towards the use
of computer technologies in learning English than males. Both male and female participants demonstrated high
and positive perception of Usefulness and perceived Ease of Use of computer technologies in learning English.
Three barriers that affected and limited the use of computer technologies in learning English were identified by the
participants. These barriers are skill, equipment, and motivation. Among these barriers, skill had the highest effect,
whereas motivation showed the least effect.
into English. One of these quandaries is how to rhetorically communicate the intended meanings (implicatures) of the
prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an. The translation of Arabic prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an as a source text
(ST) may lead, in some Qur’anic verses, to a rhetorical loss in communicating their implicature in the target text (TT). That
implicature or implicitly communicated meaning other than the explicature is the one intended to be expressed and required
to be faithfully translated. In rendering the preposition into the target language (TL), translators bring into home only the
explicitly stated meaning unaware of the implicitly stated meaning created as a result of the application of this specific
rhetorical device. This study investigates the problem of the rhetorical loss encountered in the translation of prepositional
phrases of the Qur’anic verses and identifies the cause of this problem. It also attempts to suggest a mechanism that is,
to some extent, helpful and insightful in coping with the difficulties of translating Arabic prepositional phrases in Qur’anic
verses. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative content analysis of the Qur’anic verses and their English translations
that are relevant to the focus of the research. The source of failure of the English translations of the verses in conveying
the rhetorical meanings of prepositional phrases has been identified in terms of the Relevance Theory and the distinction
between explicature and implicature of these phrases. The study concludes that meaning equivalence in translation requires
translators to be aware of not only the explicitly stated meanings of prepositions but the implicitly communicated ones as
well which are recoverable through referring to Arabic heritage resources and interpretation books dedicated to exploring
the rhetorical purposes of prepositions alternation in Qur’anic verses. The results of the analysis and the new suggested
mechanism have been verified by an Arabic language and Qur’anic sciences expert who is a proficient speaker of English as
well.
as a second language/English as a foreign language) writing. Studies have affirmed that self-efficacy and achievement motivation
could enhance writing performance, whereas anxiety may hinder writing achievement. This study aimed to examine individual
differences in Iraqi EFL learners’ writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement motivation in the Iraqi EFL
context. A quantitative approach, specifically the correlational design, was employed to examine the abovementioned
relationships. The sample of the study comprised 100 Iraqi undergraduate students majoring in English language from two
Iraqi public universities. Data were collected via four instruments: three questionnaires, namely, Second Language Writing
Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), and one
descriptive writing task. The findings of this study discovered that the higher the writing anxiety level, the poorer the writing
performance, whereas the higher the writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation level, the better the writing
performance. The findings of this study also indicated that both writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety, and writing anxiety and
writing achievement motivation were negatively correlated, whereas writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation
were significantly and positively correlated. This study suggests that these factors need to be taken into consideration in EFL
writing instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process of EFL writing, which in turn would help enhance the EFL
undergraduates’ writing ability.
in learning English. The study also discusses the possible barriers that affect and limit the actual usage of
computers. Quantitative approach is applied in this research, which involved 30 Saudi Arabia students of a high
school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 15 males and 15 females with ages between
16 years and 18 years. Two instruments, namely, Scale of Attitude toward Computer Technologies (SACT) and
Barriers affecting Students’ Attitudes and Use (BSAU) were used to collect data. The Technology Acceptance Model
(TAM) of Davis (1989) was utilized. The analysis of the study revealed gender differences in attitudes toward the use
of computer technologies in learning English. Female students showed high and positive attitudes towards the use
of computer technologies in learning English than males. Both male and female participants demonstrated high
and positive perception of Usefulness and perceived Ease of Use of computer technologies in learning English.
Three barriers that affected and limited the use of computer technologies in learning English were identified by the
participants. These barriers are skill, equipment, and motivation. Among these barriers, skill had the highest effect,
whereas motivation showed the least effect.