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Because of the widespread use of digital technology, many EFL students access various types of technologies that help them acquire English vocabulary beyond formal classroom learning. This paper aims to explore Saudi EFL learners’ attitudes towards informal digital learning of English vocabulary (IDLEV) outside the academic requirements as well as their practices of IDLEV beyond the classroom. To answer the research questions of the study, the researchers recruited 80 Saudi EFL students from the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, to respond to a self-reported questionnaire. The study found that Saudi EFL students have positive attitudes towards informal digital learning of English in improving their vocabulary. Results also reveal that the participants tend to use different technologies to learn English vocabulary in informal settings. The study found that receptive activities are more commonly used than the productive activities. The study found a significant correlation between learners’ attitudes and practices. The implications of the study and recommendations were presented accordingly.

This study investigates the effects of COVID-19 on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ anxiety at the University of Bisha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The differences between male and female learners and learners of the different study levels in terms of anxiety caused by COVID-19 were investigated. Moreover, the study sheds light on two factors which are the internal factors and external factors that increase learning anxiety during COVID-19 and the strategies used by the learners to decrease the negative effects of COVID-19 on learning anxiety. The data of the study were collected from 80 EFL learners (40 males and 40 females) at the University of Bisha. This study is considerable as it deals with something that is important in the learning and teaching processes these days. The study revealed that COVID-19 causes normal anxiety to the EFL learners at the University of Bisha. It was also revealed that there is no significant difference between the male and female learners in terms of anxiety caused by COVID-19 and external factors. There is a significant difference between them in terms of the internal factors and strategies used by the learners to decrease the negative effects of learning anxiety during COVID-19. Lastly, there was no significant difference between the learners of the different study levels in terms of anxiety, internal factors and external factors that increase negative learning anxiety and the strategies used by the learners to decrease the negative learning anxiety during COVID-19.