The current study focuses on the effect of the target language on learner emotions and attitudes/motivation. More specifically, it investigates whether the status and prestige of English results in more positive learner emotions and attitudes/motivation compared to less prestigious languages other than English (LOTE). Statistical analyses of a…

Although the issue of learning transfer has been given much attention in English-for-academic-purposes (EAP) research, the factor of transfer climate could be investigated further. The current study examines what the instructors of EAP perceive can be done to prepare students for the transfer climate. The transfer climate refers to the nature of…

This paper presents a case study of a competitive debate program designed for teachers-in-training at the Basic Education College in Kuwait. Stakeholders at different levels have expressed an interest in introducing more constructivist-based pedagogies into the Kuwaiti national education system, but institutional and ideological challenges have…

Telecollaboration in the language classroom promotes both second-language development and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). However, previous research identified its potential limitations, including instances of failure, misunderstanding, tension, and a reluctance to participate. The current study contributes to emerging literature…

COVID-19 pandemic made a sudden shift of all ages to online learning and distance learning instructions. However, there is a paucity of research to address the possible impacts of the pedagogical shift integrated into new online platforms on learning, interaction, and assessment, especially in higher education settings from the vantage point of…

Reading is important for students by contributing significantly to success in their studies and their career development. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in the English Department of the College of Basic Education, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), in Kuwait. Based on 410 responses of EFL college students in…

Through self-study, students are believed to develop new learning strategies, new motivation, reflection and critical thinking. The current study was conducted in the College of Basic Education, the English Department--Kuwait. 324 female students participated in answering an extensive questionnaire related to the topic of self-study. In addition,…

In the domain of teaching bilingual students, the issue of using the first language in a second-language based class has been widely controversial. While some studies have questioned the method of moving between the two languages, Translanguaging, others found it highly beneficial. Here we aimed to investigate the effect of Translanguaging on the…

The teaching of English as a second/foreign language to Arab students has received considerable attention during the past decade. The use of English as a medium of instruction in the Arabian Gulf has become prominent but has only recently been examined academically. In Kuwait, the need to learn and use English is emerging. Attention toward how…

Learning idioms is an uphill battle for many language learners. Thus, this quantitative study aims to shed light on English as Foreign Language (EFL) college students' attitudes towards idiom learning. Specifically, the study is interested in revealing their attitudes towards (1) the importance of idiom learning, (2) the difficulties of idiom…

The influx of English borrowed items into Kuwait has recently considerably increased, driven by both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors, mainly through new electronic media, and direct contact with the donor language. Kuwaitis, especially, the new generation heavily make use of English loanwords in mobile devices applications such as Twitter,…

EFL students acquire their writing skill through practice and hard work. However, there seems to be a lot of reasons why EFL students should find the task of composing an essay so difficult that leads them to plagiarize. For that, the present paper tries to find out the real motivation for EFL students to plagiarize in writing. This research was…

Recently, cell phones have received much attention in the context of EFL/ESL learning. Mobile learning, in general, and distant learning, in particular, in educational contexts has been approached by educationalist all over the world (Hwang & Chang, 2011). Presently, countries pay ample attention to mobile learning in education. Despite the…

This article provides a qualitative inquiry into the influences of immediate family members (i.e. parents and siblings) on a group of Gulf Arab EFL students regarding their language learning experiences and strategy use in their Arab homelands. The participants came from financially comfortable families, with different levels of education. The…

The present study aimed at improving Arab Open University (AOU) students' academic writing through integrating some identified reading and writing research skills. This was achieved by applying a blended course which employed Web-Quests (WQs) that integrated the two skills to improve students' academic writing. The study adopted one group design…