The study investigates the factors influencing academic success and failure from the perspectives of both English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and lecturers at a Saudi public university, utilizing a complexity theory framework. The research involved 64 EFL lecturers and 219 students who completed questionnaires based on Killen’s study. The findings reveal significant differences in how lecturers and students perceive success and failure. Lecturers tend to attribute student success to their teaching methods and student failure to student-related factors. In contrast, students attribute their success to their own positive attitudes and emotions, while blaming failure on negative teacher traits and pedagogy. The study also highlights a self-serving bias, where each group tends to view their own contributions more favorably. Additionally, students emphasize the importance of their broader ecological context in academic outcomes more than lecturers do. These insights can inform language programs and teaching strategies to better support EFL student success.
