Female Saudi ESL Learners’ Attitudes Toward Communication in Mixed Gender Classes in the USA

Abstract

The present study examined the perceptions of female Saudi ESL students about their attitudes toward communication and with male ESL students in mixed gender classes in the US. It further investigated the cultural differences that may impact Saudi female ESL students in the English language learning process. Twenty female Saudi ESL students (10 and 10 beginners) participated in the research. The findings revealed that female Saudi ESL learners’ attitudes changed at some level while learning English in a foreign country. Furthermore, the findings indicated that traditional gender segregation due to the Saudi cultural background was the primary determinant for the way female Saudi ESL learners communicated with the opposite gender. The results also showed that female Saudi ESL learners were confident and did not show any shyness at an advanced level compared to the beginner ones. However, the acquisition of ESL had produced considerable development in the personalities of advanced learners that they did not feel the need to avoid men at all, unlike beginners. The research findings may help ESL teachers, educators, and curriculum developers by providing important insights, and it also has future implications for the teaching of English in general.