Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Qahtani Shares Sabbatical Leave Research Experience
On April 8, 2021, Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Qahtani, an associate professor at the Department of English, Faculty of Languages and Translation, presented an enlightening paper titled "Reading comprehension and strategies of Saudi Arabian learners in two learning contexts: EFL vs. ESL." The webinar was chaired by Dr. Munassir Alhamami, the Department of English Chair. Currently on sabbatical leave from King Khalid University, Dr. Al-Qahtani serves as a visiting professor at the University of Southern Indiana and gathered data from five universities across the Midwest US, home to the largest population of Saudi students.
During his presentation, Dr. Al-Qahtani highlighted significant differences between the strategies employed by EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second Language) students. He found that ESL students lean more towards Global Reading Strategies (GLOB), universal techniques commonly used in reading. He employed the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) tool, developed by Kouider Mokhtari and Ravi Sheorey in 2002, which measures global reading strategies, problem-solving strategies, and support strategies. On a macro level, the findings from his study, which involved 141 participants, demonstrated a prevalent use of problem-solving strategies, followed by global strategies and support strategies.
"Saudi Arabia is traditionally an EFL context. Students frequently communicate with friends worldwide, preferring English as their main language. English has extended its reach beyond the classroom," Dr. Al-Qahtani pointed out. He further noted that while the USA has traditionally been a pure ESL context, technological advancements have blurred these boundaries. Saudi students can now communicate with friends and family in Saudi Arabia as if they were face-to-face. He underscored that this observation supports the idea that an ESL learning environment doesn't always result in superior acquisition of the target language compared to the EFL context.
Dr. Al-Qahtani concluded his presentation by revealing that his paper is set to be published soon. He expressed anticipation for the academic dialogue surrounding the implications of his study and the potential avenues it opens for further research.
