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Objectives: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of Saudi EFL learners towards online test anxiety during COVID-19 outbreak, which was caused by the sudden transition from face-to-face testing to online testing. Method: This study employed a survey-research design, utilizing a close-ended and open-ended questionnaire to collect data from 77 English major students at the University of Bisha. At the time of data collection, these participants had already taken online exams for at least three semesters during the pandemic. Results: The results indicate that students' test anxiety was higher before taking the online test but gradually decreased during and after the test, showing a statistically significant difference with p = 0.022. The study also reveals that students with slow internet connections experienced more anxiety than those with fast internet services (p < 0.001). Additionally, female students exhibited higher levels of anxiety compared to males (p = 0.027). Conclusions: The study concludes that the overall average anxiety level before, during, and after test-taking is 2.78, indicating that the participants' online test anxiety level is moderate.

Motivation drives most human activities, including foreign language learning, and it is affected by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study investigated how ChatGPT impacts learning English. A quantitative research design was used to collect data from 80 teachers and students who had access to the ChatGPT in its very beginning phase in early 2023. The sample, selected in a non-probability sampling technique, responded to an online questionnaire. Findings showed that ChatGPT generally motivates learners to develop reading and writing skills. The respondents had neutral attitudes towards the effect of ChatGPT on developing listening and speaking skills. The findings suggest that ChatGPT-based teaching is motivational. ChatGPT should be used as a learning tool instead of fearing its negative impacts, which require further detailed investigations. Further research is required to explore more advantages of ChatGPT for other aspects of the language and illuminate its negative effects to help educators reduce them in English programs.

The study aims to (a) explore reading comprehension problems that EFL learners encounter in an Intensive English Program and (b) ascertain any significant differences between male and female learners regarding these challenges at the University of Bisha, KSA. The study followed a quantitative paradigm in which the researchers distributed an online questionnaire pertinent to reading difficulties to 301 male and female Saudi EFL students. It consisted of two parts: the first was students' background information, and the second was on reading comprehension challenges (language, reading process, and psycholinguistic challenges). The results showed that most students have the same problems, i.e., lack of vocabulary and recognition of the words. Vocabulary is one of the biggest problems when trying to work out the meaning and general idea of the text. Findings also exhibited that male and female EFL learners experienced challenges in a similar way which shows that all students of both genders face identical problems when reading English. The study concluded that healthy intervention is needed to help students improve their reading comprehension in particular and English language in general.

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.

The main objective of the present study is to explore the linguistic features which characterize English used by texters. It also aims to investigate if texting follows any specific pattern. As this study aimed to investigate the linguistic features of texting and their impact on the structure of Standard English, the data of the study were collected from a sample of ninety students. The morphosyntactic elements, phonological elements and code mixing elements were linguistically analyzed separately, providing some examples from the data collected for the study. Although punctuation has been discussed under both morphosyntax and phonology, its significant presence in the data prompted us to look into the pragma-semantic elements in the use of punctuation by the texters. Five sent emails, five sent SMS and five sent Facebook chats from each of the respondents were collected to test the linguistic features of texting. SMS are more deviated from Standard English than Facebook chat texts in some cases such as deletion of subject and deletion of punctuation. It is found out that email texts were less deviated from Standard English than SMS and Facebook chat texts. It was found out that the respondents deviated from the Standard English in all the aspects which were examined, i.e. in morphosyntactic and phonological structures, which indicated that it could be a threat to Standard English. This study proved that texting followed some patterns in some cases but it was randomly used in other cases and it is difficult to control and find fixed patterns followed.

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led countries to implement measures to prevent its spread. One of these measures included shutting down schools and universities. Consequently, the teaching, learning and assessment processes were entirely shifted from face-to-face to online. The current study aimed to investigate online vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) amid COVID-19 pandemic used by Saudi EFL students. It attempted to find out the online strategies Saudi EFL astudents use to get the meaning of new vocabulary, the strategies they use to study new vocabulary and the strategies they follow to revise the learned vocabulary and keep them as part of their repertoire. The sample of the study was 119 male and female English and non-English majors. The study modified Kulikova’s (2015) questionnaire. This study was conducted at the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, during a fully online learning period in September and October 2020 at the time of COVID-19 outbreak. The data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire form. It was distributed via teachers of the English Department. The study found out that English majors used vocabulary learning strategies more than non-English majors. It also showed that students do not ask their teachers about the meaning of new vocabulary (77%), they also do not ask their classmates (92%), nor they ask their friends (85%), which could be attributed to online study and due to social distance during coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

This study aimed to explore the impact of WhatsApp on enhancing Saudi EFL students' language skills and areas. It also investigated EFL students' attitudes, motivation, and anxiety towards learning English via WhatsApp. The sample comprised 55 male and female students studying English at the College of Arts, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from the sample. The results revealed that WhatsApp has a positive impact on learning English as a foreign language with a score of 3.9 as an overall mean. Students’ attitudes towards using WhatsApp for learning English scored 3.4, while the impact of WhatsApp on motivating EFL students to study English scored 3.6 in total. It was also found that WhatsApp reduced students’ anxiety with a score of 3.8 as the overall mean. Based on these results, the researchers suggest that WhatsApp should be activated at all stages of English language learning and teaching.

Overindulgence in social networking, in general, and texting, in particular, is much in practice. It is cutting across various population boundaries and has almost assumed an endemic proportion. Its consequential impact on the standard language has acquired greater importance. This paper aims to determine the perceptions and attitudes of English Second Language (ESL) learners at Aligarh Muslim University towards the consequences of texting on Standard English. The data were collected through a five-point scale questionnaire from ninety students who were enrolled at Aligarh Muslim University during the academic year 2010-2011. The respondents completed a 16-item questionnaire. The students from which the data were collected were grouped according to their levels. The results indicate the negative impact of this new usage of the language in breaking the rules of English language and influencing their literacy. Moreover, the questionnaire results from respondents' point of view show that regardless of their heavy use of texting, most respondents have a negative attitude towards texting and they viewed it as a threat to Standard English.

This paper looks at intensive program students’ perceptions of English-speaking skills and emphasizes the immediate need for improving them at all levels of higher education. For this purpose, 100 students (50 males and 50 females) of the intensive program from colleges of Arts, Business and Community, Saudi Arabia were administered a questionnaire. The data were analyzed quantitatively with SPSS. The findings of the study show that male and female students do not differ in their perceptions about learning to speak English and they are now becoming more aware of the growing importance of learning English. It is also found that lack of environment, interest and motivation are the most important factors that affect students’ speaking skills. In addition, female students’ perception towards English learning is more positive. The analysis also indicates that there is an undisputed agreement among the learners that English language will play an important role in Saudi Arabia. Finally, some implications for teachers to develop students' speaking skills are presented.

This study investigates the impact of Yemeni conflict on EFL students’ motivation from the new conceptualization of Self-Determination Theory. It particularly explores whether EFL students are more influenced by either autonomous or controlled motivation. Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire and interviews from English Department, College of Education, Zabid, Yemen. The Questionnaire was distributed to 60 male and female Yemeni EFL students. Interviews were conducted with five EFL teachers from the same department. The results of the data showed that conflict has negatively affected Yemeni EFL students. Findings also indicated that EFL students tend to be more controlled than to be autonomously motivated and that the students at levels 1 and 2 are more autonomously motivated as compared to those at levels 3 and 4. This showed that level 3 and 4 students have lost some of their idealism due to the seriously deteriorated situation in all the various aspects of life.

This paper presents a study of the effects of texting on English language comprehension. The authors believe that English used in texting causes a lack of comprehension for English speakers, learners, and texters. Wei, Xian-hai and Jiang (2008:3) declare “In Netspeak, there are some newly-created vocabularies, which people cannot comprehend them either from their partial pronunciation or from their figures.” Crystal (2007:23) claims; “variation causes problems of comprehension and acceptability. If you speak or write differently from the way I do, we may fail to understand each other.” In this paper, the authors conducted a questionnaire at Aligarh Muslim University to ninety respondents from five different Faculties and four different levels. To measure respondents’ comprehension of English texting, the authors gave the respondents abbreviations used by texters and asked them to write the full forms of the abbreviations. The authors found that many abbreviations were not understood, which suggested that most of the respondents did not understand and did not use these abbreviations.

Blackboard is a learning management system (LMS) that provides students with an opportunity to access the course at their convenience. Blackboard makes it possible for students to do online activities, interact with other students and their teachers, review instructional materials, and listen to the recorded classes. Students can also attend live lectures and discussion via virtual classes (collaborative blackboard) from homes, cafés, or from anywhere they choose. All of these features can be accessed by students anytime and anywhere. This facility might motivate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to study effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of Blackboard system in teaching and learning and evaluate its influence on motivating Saudi English students. It looks at the role of Blackboard on English students’ motivation from their own point of view and tries to determine whether or not students encounter issues that affect their motivation. El-Seoud et al. (2014, p. 2) believe that “the success or failure of online instruction is perhaps related to student motivation”. This study is conducted at the University of Bisha in Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of 80 students from the English Department. This is a mixed method study of the students who use Blackboard for online learning. The study found that using Blackboard motivated students to work harder and learn better than traditional methods of learning. It also found that students believe that Blackboard is a motivating factor. Some demotivating factors have also been identified in this study.